'Smash' Recap: 'Chemistry'

by Erin Strecker

Uh-oh. There's just one week until the workshop goes live before an audience, and as you might have expected, there were problems galore on last night's episode of "Smash." Julias script, and her affair with Michael, still werent totally finished, Karen realized she had only about $300 in her bank account (yikes!) and, worst of all, Ivy lost her voiceand possibly her claim as Marilyn?

One minute Ivy was fine, making catty comments and strutting around the studio, and the next, she was on vocal rest, and Julia, Eileen and Derek flirted with the idea of replacing her with Karen if she didnt improve, an idea that unbeknownst to them, Karen overheard.

At home, Ivy was resting and took some medicine, which everyone repeatedly explained would help with her voice, but would have a bunch of weird side effects. No one mentioned that the weirdest side effect would be her singing, alone in her room, and then going full "Black Swan" on everyone, seeing Marilyn Monroe and Karen behind her over her shoulder. Time to try and sleep it off.

Meanwhile, Eileen and Ellis formed a weird partnership that will definitely implode before the season is done. Ellis helped her out while she was apartment searching, and then she wound up at a downtown bar with him. You havent seen the last of this newly formed duo. I dont think its going in this direction, but Im just putting it out there: I wouldnt be too surprised if those two started hooking up. Eileen is newly single, and Ellis is determined to claw his way to the top, and nothingnot Julia, not his obnoxious personality and certainly not the idea of age-appropriate relationshipsare going to get in his way.

For those that thought Julia and Michaels porch make out would be the end of the Affair Round Two, youve clearly never seen a TV drama before. Obviously, things were about to get way dicier. Julia felt pretty bad about the whole thing, or at least extremely nervous her husband would find out, and tried to keep her distance from Michael during the next rehearsal. But no good deed make-out session goes unpunished, and Michael wanted more. So he called her (and her newly returned husband!), texted her and then finally, went for the always-romantic move: Casual stalking. He snuck up to the studio at night for some impromptu topless making out that presumably led to them shacking up on the couch in the studio. Convenient!

While Julia was ruining her personal life, Karen was attempting to improve her professional one, since the $200 a week she was getting paid for the Marilyn musical certainly wasnt paying the bills. Ivy had previously booked a bar mitzvah, which she gave away to one of the ensemble girls, who gave it away to Karen. Karen had never done a bar mitzvah before, and spent most of the time waiting for a follow-up text from Derek after he let her know her Marilyn moment might be happening sooner than expected if Ivys voice didnt improve. (Might need you tomorrow. Must be discreet.)

Her obsessive phone checking didnt get in the way of her performing a totally random Florence + the Machine "Shake It Out" cover against a backdrop of awkward 13-year-olds dancing. While she sounded lovely, the scene seemed totally tacked on to the show, simply to have Katharine McPhee sing a sell-able song available for download. Thats "Glee"s move, "Smash." But at least one audience member was impressed, and afterwards, Karen got the business card of Bobby Raskin, a big-time Broadway producer. She wont be a chorus girl for long.

At practice the next day (six days until the big workshop!) the other girls explained what Bobby Raskin's interest means to Karen, and she gave him a callwell have to wait to find out what exactly he told her, but the mere fact Ivy gave up a gig and now Karen is on the phone with Mr. Raskin was simply too much for Ivy, and during the run-through, when Derek made a typically snide comment, she snapped, and yelled at him that he had to be nicer, hes not that cute, and, per usual for explosive fights with drama queens, announced to the whole cast that the two were sleeping together and he wasnt that great in bed. She then stormed out with Tom close behind her. End scene.

Crushers: What do you think about the new friendship between Eileen and Ellis? Do you think Karen will have her workshop moment in the spotlight as Marilyn? After her rehearsal outburst, how much longer will Ivy and Derek be an item? Sound off in the comments and on Twitter!

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'Smash' Recap: 'Chemistry'

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