Karen tries to convince Derek to meet with Jimmy and Kyle in hopes of promoting their work. Eileen tells Tom and Julia she's bringing in a professional dramaturg for Bombshell. And Ivy asks a director for a shot at a key role in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. And Derek turns around and asks Veronica to set up a pseudo-audition with the producers of The Wiz in attempt to get his job back.
So things begin, and it's a much better (and quicker) setup than the back-to-back airings two weeks ago. Also, Julia and the dramaturg (Peter) have more [love-hate] chemistry than pretty much anyone in the show thus far.
Of course Derek is forced to cancel on Jimmy and Kyle, giving the increasingly irritating Jimmy lots of reasons to stalk around and be snarky and Kyle just as many reasons to be optimistic as he insists Karen is not a phony.
In terms of staging moments, the things between Kennedy and Marilyn move too fast to be believable as part of a musical; the jump to "our host wants to see you" and "I had to get you alone" was too quick. Even by Broadway standards.
When producers for The Wiz refuse to take Derek back, Veronica drops out, too, and pitches Derek on a one-night only show/concert.
Derek and Karen go to Jimmy's and Kyle's place to finally meet. And for the first time, as he pitches their story Hit List, Jimmy shows spark. And Derek digs their ideas.
Oh, and Ivy gets the role in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
A lot of moving parts, but it adds depth to the show that the first season didn't have. Instead of being inside just one musical, we're in several, and like threads in a tapestry, these contribute to the overall texture. Certainly this episode improved on the previous two of this season; let's hope things continue to move in the right direction.
1 comment:
OK so this was kind of a weird transitional episode, but I did like the parts with Jimmy and Kyle - first their pitch of their musical "Hit List" to Derek, an then also when Jimmy smokes a joint on the couch while working with Kyle (which also gets bonus points for using the song "Old Friend" by Caveman, who I think are the next Grizzly Bear).
Anyway, here's hoping now that we are fully transitioned out of last year's arcs, they can start developing some momentum in this season.
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