Quick Take: Smash, "Let's Be Bad"
The personal lives of the cast and producers get more complicated.
Review: Smash, "Let's Be Bad"
(S0105) Watching Smash is like torture for me. In the first seven minutes, I am subjected to four different soap opera-worthy storylines that make me want to kill myself. Then out of nowhere, Leo (Emory Cohan) gets arrested and suddenly I'm back on board. It truly is a love/hate thing.
The show would be so much better if it was just about mounting a musical. I don't need to see the “dramatic” moments in the lives of every character. It's bad enough that the musical being produced was called a bad idea in the first episode, but aren't theater folk crazy enough on a day to day basis? Can't we just focus on that and leave the personal nonsense for another show?
I'm also getting very tired of the one-dimensional characters. Am I to believe that Derek (Jack Davenport) is an insufferable prick every waking hour? Is Ellis (Jaime Cepero) nothing more than a self-serving sycophant? When I see characters stealing from their employers and sleeping with subordinates without a shred of guilt, I tend to write them off and on Smash, that doesn't leave a whole lot to watch.
Except, of course, the musical numbers. Much like Glee, the numbers in Smash affect me on a visceral level. Even though, I know there is no way an actual theater performance could be that good, I get caught and my emotions get stirred up while watching these talented performers do their thing. Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in.
Much of the credit must go to Marc Shaiman for putting together such an appealing soundtrack. Shamian's talent is an accepted fact in the world of music and the fact that his work can shine so bright amid such murky television is quite a feat.
