What is it with Smash characters pushing away opportunities? First Karen tosses her wig in the wings during the Boston run, now Jimmy is bring weird with Karen about his songs. He doesn't need anyone's help! Except... how do you get your songs heard if someone isn't listening? Classic straight dude. But Andy Mientus steps up and tells Karen that they are, in fact, interested! Can she meet him later?
Eileen has solved that whole federal government audit thing, and now Karen will be performing at the American Theatre Wing gala later that night—until Eileen gets disinvited thanks to those tawdry tabloid stories about Bombshell. Ivy, meanwhile, can't get a callback for an eHarmony commercial—so she's particularly susceptible when she runs into Annaleigh Ashford on the street, who's given up the biz and has gone into stationery? Which affords her a country house? Paper was big in 2013, we tend to forget that. Now Ivy is debating stepping away from it all herself. Don't do it, Ivy!
As for Smug Derek—five dancers are coming forward "in a local paper" to accuse him of sexual harassment and he's been fired from The Wiz. "What, for shagging a couple of actresses?" he snaps. Very 2013 of him. And then... he confronts one of the dancers, Daisy (hi, Mara Davi!), who he quickly tells is only an OK actor, which is why she's still a Pilates instructor. And when is it harassment to ask someone out on a date? I have a feeling that Derek is not working much these days.
Outside Bond 45, Harvey Fierstein tells Tom he's been so worried about the gossip! Eileen and a drug lord! Tom and Julia breaking up! Oh, wait, they're still together? Then he'll see them both at the American Theatre Wing gala?
Boozed up at Jimmy's bar, Derek imagines an army of women singing "Would I Lie to You?" Will this "serial seducer" mend his ways? (Doubtful!)
As Tom spins a web of lies to explain why Julia thinks they're presenting something at the gala, Julia interrupts him. "Isn't it nice how the community has come together?" she says. Never mind that the community is dining out on their troubles every hour of the last few days, with Harvey telling Cheyenne Jackson who tells Jackie Hoffman who tells Mary Testa. (That is the actual Broadway phone tree, FYI.)
At the gala, Julia is glad-handing the head of the American Theatre Wing (hi, Margo Martindale!), who quickly disabuses her of the notion that they would be speaking. At least this offers Tom a chance to offer some tough love and order Julia to get it together.
In Greenpoint, our gaggle of ensemble members check out Jimmy and Kyle's apartment, where Karen sings one of JImmy's songs... to his fury (he's a very angry character). They all leave but Kyle knows a good thing when he walks into his apartment, and he chases after Bobby.
As Ivy gets a glimmer of hope from Derek, of all people, Margo Martindale tells Eileen to gtfo of her gala, and take her tacky team with her. Instead, Eileen decides to put on a performance they'll all remember. When a call to Karen goes straight to voicemail, Tom calls Ivy to get over there as fast as possible. Derek comes along, too, why the hell now they're all pariahs. And then Tom goes to the piano, and Ivy stands up and belts "They Just Keep Moving the Line," for my money the single greatest song in the two seasons of Smash. Like "Let's Be Bad," it's a perfect song on multiple levels: It speaks to Ivy's emotional state of being, it works in context of Marilyn Monroe, and it stands alone as a great song. The holy trinity!
The next morning, Julia apologizes to Tom, Jimmy apologizes to Karen, Karen brings the songs to Derek's, where Ivy Lynn finds them (bidding farewell to a possible reunion with Derek. Learn to love yourself, girl!). And the elevator closes on Ivy as Derek and Karen lean in to listen to Jimmy's songs. Now that he's not directing The Wiz, he has all the time in the world.
