"The Phenomenon" is the twenty ninth episode of the American television series ''
Smash''. It was written by
Jordon Nardino
Jordon Nardino is a television writer. He has worked on several television series, including ABC's ''Desperate Housewives'' and NBC's '' Smash''. He has also worked on ''Gilmore Girls'', ''Threat Matrix'', and, more recently, '' 10 Things I Hate ...
and executive producer and
showrunner
A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
Joshua Safran
Joshua Safran is an American television screenwriter and executive producer.
Education
Safran attended the Horace Mann School prior to graduating from NYU Tisch with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in playwriting. He has stated he is Jewish.
Caree ...
and directed by
Roxann Dawson
Roxann Dawson (née Caballero, born September 11, 1958), also credited as Roxann Biggs and Roxann Biggs-Dawson, is an American actress and director. She is best known for her role as B'Elanna Torres on the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager' ...
. The episode premiered on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
on May 4, 2013, the fourteenth episode of season 2.
Plot
Karen Cartwright (
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.''
Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...
) and Derek Wills (
Jack Davenport
Jack Arthur Davenport (born 1 March 1973) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''This Life'' and ''Coupling'', and as James Norrington in the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. He has also appeared ...
) have made it to Karen's apartment and continue drinking wine for several more hours. After they drink the last of the wine, they start to make out. Derek asks her if she's sure she wants to do this and they continue.
Jimmy Collins (
Jeremy Jordan) sings "
High and Dry
"High and Dry" and "Planet Telex" are songs by the English rock band Radiohead. They were released as a double-A side single from their second studio album, '' The Bends'' (1995), on 5 March 1995.
"High and Dry" was recorded as a demo durin ...
" while he walks around sad about his life and being fired from ''Hit List''. He looks for Kyle, even going to their apartment but doesn't find him. He then goes to Karen's apartment building and goes up the fire escape and raps on Karen's window. She comes to the window and Jimmy tells her he wants to be with her. Derek calls out to her and a hurt Jimmy leaves.
Scott Nichols (
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
) and Julia Houston (
Debra Messing
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...
) discuss that Tom Levitt (
Christian Borle
Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...
) is dissolving her and Tom's partnership. Scott is upset because he feels he'll lose ''The Great Gatsby'' that Julia wants to do and he'll end up losing his job. Julia says she'll talk to Tom.
Eileen Rand (
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress and director. Known for often portraying eccentric and distinctive characters, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as no ...
) gets together with her publicist Agnes (
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
) and Tom, Ivy Lynn (
Megan Hilty
Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical' ...
and Ivy's mom Leigh Conroy (
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...
) to plan strategy for a
Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
nominations campaign for ''Bombshell''. We learn that Eileen will push for Ivy for lead and Leigh for supporting for ''Bombshell'' and that Ivy will also be pushed for her supporting role in ''Liaisons''. Eileen learns that her ex-husband Jerry Rand (
Michael Cristofer
Michael Cristofer (born January 22, 1945) is an American actor, playwright and filmmaker. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for ''The Shadow Box'' in 1977. From 2015 to 2019, he played the role of Phillip ...
) has taken out a full page ad to tout ''Bombshell''. She goes and sees him at a restaurant. He tells her he took out the ad to help her. She tells him to stay out of her life, throwing a martini at him for good measure.
Tom is informed by the police that Kyle Bishop (Andy Mientus) has been hit by a car. He goes and finds Derek and Karen at the ''Hit List'' theater and tells them that Kyle is dead. Derek and Karen tell a devastated cast. Scott Nichols (
Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
) thinks the show should go on that night but Derek nixes the idea.
Ticket holders have been informed that the show that night has been canceled, but many line up anyway because they want to see the show and pay tribute. Derek tells the cast that he thinks they should put on the show as a concert as a way to honor Kyle and the show.
Tom flashes back to one morning with Kyle where he serenades him with "
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
".
Leigh and a young actress playing a young Marilyn (
Sophia Caruso) perform "
At Your Feet" during a ''Bombshell'' show.
Tom and Julia talk about Tom wanting to dissolve their partnership. He says he's doing it so she will have ''The Great Gatsby'' free and clear to make without any interference from him since she initially optioned the rights as part of their partnership.
Jimmy shows up backstage and learns that Kyle is dead. He leaves upset and Karen goes to find him. She finds him sitting on a ledge at a place that he and Kyle liked. She tells him he should come to the show that night but he doesn't feel he's up to it. She also tells him that nothing happened between her and Derek because she's in love with him.
Julia is angry with Scott after finding out he told the stage manager that she (Julia) said it was ok to call the ticketholders back and let them know the show was still on for that night and it was being done in memory of Kyle. She feels he was being greedy and using Kyle's death for his own means, as he was afraid of getting fired if Hit List didn't do well. She tells him she won't be doing Gatsby with him.
During the concert, Jimmy shows up and steps in and sings an emotional "
The Love I Meant to Say" in memory of Kyle.
Ivy meets up with Derek and he asks her why she has been ducking his calls. She tells him that she found out they got together again after he had been rejected by Karen. He tells her that nothing has happened between Karen and him, including last night where he slept on her couch. She tells him there will always be a "Karen" and she's done with him.
Eileen runs into Jerry, who tells her that he no longer has the money available to help with ''Bombshell'', as he's decided to invest it in ''Hit List'' and will be taking it to
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
. He chortles that now he and Eileen will likely be in contention for Tony nominations.
Karen asks Jimmy if he wants to go somewhere and talk, but he tells her he needs to be alone to sort things out. He also indicates that he's no longer drinking.
Julia had wanted as much of Broadway as possible to dim their lights in Kyle's honor but Eileen said that was unlikely as that honor is reserved for Broadway veterans, so after the ''Hit List'' concert, the cast, with Tom, Julia and Eileen, watch from across the street as the ''Bombshell'' theater lights are dimmed for Kyle.
Production
The episode was co-written by executive producer and showrunner
Joshua Safran
Joshua Safran is an American television screenwriter and executive producer.
Education
Safran attended the Horace Mann School prior to graduating from NYU Tisch with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in playwriting. He has stated he is Jewish.
Caree ...
.
In an interview with TVLine.com, Andy Mientus, who plays Kyle, talks about the episode's parallels to the hit musical ''
Rent
Rent may refer to:
Economics
*Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property
*Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production
*Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...
'', with creator
Jonathan Larson
Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent'' and '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, ...
dying before that show's opening night and how it affected people and the theater world.
There were five songs featured in the episode, two covers ("High and Dry" by
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
and "Vienna" by
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
) and three originals (one reprise). The reprised "
Broadway, Here I Come!" was written by
Joe Iconis
Joseph Peter Philip Iconis (born September 22, 1981) is an American composer, lyricist, and playwright. He is best known for writing the music and lyrics to the Broadway musical '' Be More Chill''.
Early life and education
Iconis graduated f ...
, "At Your Feet" and "The Love I Meant To Say"
["InDepth InterView: Jeremy Jordan Talks NY Pops ''The Wizaard & I'' Schwartz Gala, ''Smash'', ''Last Five Years'' Film, ''Newsies'' & More"]
by Pat Cerasaro, Broadwayworld.com, April 6, 2013 were written by the show's in-house songwriters
Marc Shaiman
Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadw ...
and
Scott Wittman
Scott Wittman (born November 16, 1954) is an American director, lyricist, composer and writer for Broadway, concerts, and television.
Life and career
Wittman was raised in Nanuet, New York, graduated from Nanuet Senior High School in 1972 and a ...
.
In an interview with Broadwayworld.com dated April 6, 2013, Jeremy Jordan talks about singing "The Love I Meant to Say" live on the show, as most numbers are pre-recorded and
lip-synced
Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals.
Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...
.
[
"High and Dry", "Vienna", and "The Love I Meant to Say" were made available for sale as singles the week the episode aired. "Broadway, Here I Come!" had been released previously as a single. "At Your Feet" is available on the cast album '' Bombshell''.
]
Critical reception
Hillary Busis of ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' reviewed the episode. Sara Brady of Television Without Pity
Television Without Pity (often abbreviated TWoP) was a website that provided detailed recaps of select television dramas, situation comedies and reality TV shows along with discussion forums. These recaps were written with sarcastic criticism an ...
reviewed the episode and gave it a C rating."Review: Memento Morbid"
Television Without Pity, May 6, 2013
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phenomenon
2013 American television episodes
Smash (TV series) episodes
Television episodes directed by Roxann Dawson