Just a reminder this blog is about the NBC Golden Globe nominated TV drama Smash which stars Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn. This blog is biasedly Team Ivy and contains spoilers! (It is a breakdown of the episode after all :))
We first see, or more precisely hear Ivy in an audition for a revival of a show called Liaisons. She is singing a not FAR above the staff, or in other words, a VERY VERY high note. The casting agent is clearly impressed by her audition for the ensemble. Taking a deep breath, as if to brace herself for whatever wrath may come from the question, she asks the casting agent if she can read for the part of Cecile. Cecile is an amazing part, wanted by every actress in New York City. He hints toward a no, but somehow Ivy convinces him. A huge grin immediately cracks across Ivy's face, and she assures him that she won't let him down. The way she says it, it is so easy to believe that she just might make it.
Next, Bombshell is seen back in rehearsals with Ivy clearly missing. Karen is preparing to sing I Just Keep Moving The Line, which Ivy so brilliantly sang last week. Suddenly, Karen's voice fades into Ivy's. Ivy is on Tom's TV singing Moving The Line. Ivy bounces in, swinging around his wall, seeming happier than ever. She smiles even bigger when she sees herself on his screen, then immediately tries to hide it. He points at the TV, "Look how good you are! At the workshop last winter!" She tries to play it off cool, but is so clearly flattered. "I wanted to be reminded of our initial instincts before jumping back in," he explains. Tom invites Ivy to watch with him, but she ignores this question, still grinning hugely. She tells him she talked herself into an audition for Liaisons. When he registers that she means for the role of Cecile, he stands up and gasps, as her pursed smile opens up in a laugh, showing all of her teeth. Then, the self doubt kicks in and her smile slowly fades as she starts listing off all of the big names they are auditioning for it. "And then I'm just.." she trails off, "Perfect for the part!" Tom exclaims excitedly. "I never thought someone would give me the chance after..." her head turns toward the screen where she is still singing in what must now seem like a distant dream.
Next, we see Derek giving Karen hell in rehearsal, Karen becoming a diva, rolling her eyes at him. Just as he's ordering to take it from the top, the door swings open and in walks Ivy. Derek asks invites her to stay and watch the number. She is shocked and reluctant, trying to tell him no, when he takes her bag, a gesture saying, It's probably best you stay. Her face has fallen, and her body is tense, arms crossed in defense as she watches Derek whisper into Karen's ear. She is remembering all of the times he whispered in her ear, back when she was Marilyn. We are transported, into a dream sequence. But not one like the Bollywood number from last season. Nope, this one is hauntingly beautiful. It is Ivy following Karen and Derek around a maze of statues while Ivy is quietly singing Robyn's Dancing On My Own. She is softly singing, almost a whisper, a very indulgent contrast to her typical Broadway belts. The song is vulnerable and her voice is raw, chilling, beautifully rising and falling. Her face is a well of emotion, pouring sadness, and hope, a memory of her fast, tumultuous, but strong love with Derek. She is now the outsider. With this realization, she apologizes for coming and heads out the door.
Ivy is then seen rehearsing her lines with Tom, him yawning repeatedly. He tries to say its not her fault, but she then sits down, dejected by her performance, still searching for who Cecile is. They start listing off character traits, unbroken, innocent, untouched, when Ivy throws a jab in, saying, "Sounds like Karen Cartwright." Then, he continues, saying that Cecile is easily corroded, but learns to manipulate men. At this, Ivy's face lights up, saying, "Oh my god, she's Marilyn." Tom counters with, "You know who else she is, YOU! She knows how to fight back." A smile and giggle leap from Ivy's mouth, "See, you're already feeling it."
After a scene of a newly written Bombshell scene, Ivy pops through her apartment doorway, her face showing off a smile bigger than any she's worn yet this entire season. "Tom, guess what? I got the part! I am Cecile!" Tom bends over with glee, as Ivy jovially lays down on her bed, suddenly relaxed, strong, and back to the same Ivy. She was beaten down, and was able to rise up again.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Smash: The Fallout-VOi
Just a reminder this blog is about the Smash character Ivy, and focusses on only Ivy's storyline. So, now I present to you, Voice of Ivy review of The Fallout. The Fallout, refers to the broken state of Bombshell, but also runs parallel to Ivy's storyline. She is in the place in her career where she has been in the ensemble for ten years and doesn't know when enough is enough.
Ivy(Megan Hilty) and Sam(Leslie Odom Jr.) are in the midst of a conversation about Sam going on tour for The Book of Morman, when they run into an old friend. They duck into a shop window to avoid the blonde actress whom Ivy says has been plugging along even longer than she had, which is a very long time. Suddenly the blonde (played by Legally Blonde: the Musical actress, Annaleigh Ashford) recognizes the two of them and all suddenly becomes very fake and huggy. Ivy asks what she's been up to, hoping for something worse than what Ivy has at the moment. The blonde says, "Stationary!" and then goes on to explain how much better her life is now that she's finally out of the theatre business, oh, and she can't forget to show them her HUGE guest house! Ivy is at such a low place, she looks ready to quit on the spot.
Next, Julia (Debra Messing) is laying on the couch at Tom's house alone when the doorbell rings. "Julia? You there?" Ivy whimpers. Clearly dejected, Ivy explains she has come to vent to Tom, but Julia offers instead. At this point, I was hoping for a repeat of the first episode's Ivy/Julia moment. It was a similar situation, only this time both of them were down and vulnerable, and two women talking on equal levels, not Ivy asking someone above her for help. Julia is the mother that Ivy desperately needs in her life! Her mother, Lee Conroy (Bernadatte Peters), is already a star, who seemed to have instant success and is verbally abusive to Ivy. "Just when I'd want to throw the towel in, something would happen to remind me of why I fell in love with this business. And thus the dysfunctional cycle continues." They then proceed to both eat marshmallow fluff with a spoon, a sweet, seemingly unscripted moment that I'm sure never would've happened with Ivy's mom.
Derek is waaaaay down in the public eye, when he gets so drunk he asks a girl if she is a dancer, when her boyfriend shoves him to the ground. While on the ground, Derek sees a pair of neon pink heels walk by, and thus, an indulgent dream sequence begins with Derek hallucinating Ivy in a sexy, fitted black dress, then sees Karen in the same dress. Both are staring him down with anger. Suddenly more girls in the identical dresses appear, all grabbing his neck and chest, and getting close to his face in a steamy matter. Then they all put their hands on their hips and circle him, singing, "Would I lie to you, would I lie to you, honey?" Ivy and Karen grab him and lead him to a couch, Ivy showing off to him what he's missing since he's left her. All of the girls are have the same chestnut hair and skinny bodies, while Ivy sits on his lap, flinging around her blond ponytail, then shoving him into the wall. She then yells, "Now, I'm leaving YOOOUUUU!!" Tell him Ivy!
And my favorite part of the episode is when Ivy is walking down the street, talking to Sam on the phone, when she comes across a disheveled, drunk Derek sitting the steps of his building. He puts his hand out and she joins him on the steps. After two more scenes and a commercial break (I could barely stand the waiting), we are finally back to the Derek/Ivy scene. Derek slurredly tells Ivy about all of the lying dancers. At this point, I wanted Ivy to cockily tell Derek that he's drunk, just as Derek did to Ivy last season, but that unfortunately didn't happen. She shakes her head, as if to say, well, you are a bit of an arrogant, greedy, power-hungry man, with high levels of testosterone. Then, Derek proceeds to...wait for it....APOLOGIZE! Ivy still says nothing, but her face says she accepts it, but won't fall for him again. He tries to make himself seem nicer, changed, and she just replies, with "Why do you care what I think, all of a sudden?" He backpedals, telling Ivy she's his friend, and who cares about Karen, on and on. She just gives him a sideways look, and he rolls his eyes. Suddenly Ivy starts spilling to him, saying, "I was a lot of things, Derek, and now I don't even know who I am, or if I even want to be in this business anymore." He says she's got too much talent to give up, then Ivy throws the "I couldn't have been that good, I'm not Marilyn" card at him. "Prove me wrong! make me look stupid!" he tells her. There are tears streaming down Ivy's face and their faces get very close. Derek begins to lean in for a kiss, and Ivy just watches him, then SNAP, her head turns the other way and she matter-of-factly says, "Nope, not gonna happen." YES, YES, YES IVY!!! Finally, she gets it!
There is a scramble when Eileen, Tom, and Julia are thrown out of a Broadway big-wig party. They call for Karen, but when she doesn't pick up, they look to Ivy. Finally, something to pick her up. She races there, and as they thank her, says, "I'm just glad someone still wants to hear me sing!" She says it in an upbeat, excited tone, but the statement is so heartbreaking. She steps in front of the mic and belts out They Just Keep Moving the Line, a very emotional song about how you can work hard, and once you get your goal in your grasp, it is moved further away. This is SUCH an Ivy song!
And finally, Ivy shows up at Derek's house to talk to him, when she senses someone being in his room. As she backs away to the elevator, she hears Karen say, "What was that about?" "Oh, nothing important." Way to go Derek, build her up, then kick her down harder.
And a video of Ivy singing They Just Keep Moving The Line.
Ivy(Megan Hilty) and Sam(Leslie Odom Jr.) are in the midst of a conversation about Sam going on tour for The Book of Morman, when they run into an old friend. They duck into a shop window to avoid the blonde actress whom Ivy says has been plugging along even longer than she had, which is a very long time. Suddenly the blonde (played by Legally Blonde: the Musical actress, Annaleigh Ashford) recognizes the two of them and all suddenly becomes very fake and huggy. Ivy asks what she's been up to, hoping for something worse than what Ivy has at the moment. The blonde says, "Stationary!" and then goes on to explain how much better her life is now that she's finally out of the theatre business, oh, and she can't forget to show them her HUGE guest house! Ivy is at such a low place, she looks ready to quit on the spot.
Next, Julia (Debra Messing) is laying on the couch at Tom's house alone when the doorbell rings. "Julia? You there?" Ivy whimpers. Clearly dejected, Ivy explains she has come to vent to Tom, but Julia offers instead. At this point, I was hoping for a repeat of the first episode's Ivy/Julia moment. It was a similar situation, only this time both of them were down and vulnerable, and two women talking on equal levels, not Ivy asking someone above her for help. Julia is the mother that Ivy desperately needs in her life! Her mother, Lee Conroy (Bernadatte Peters), is already a star, who seemed to have instant success and is verbally abusive to Ivy. "Just when I'd want to throw the towel in, something would happen to remind me of why I fell in love with this business. And thus the dysfunctional cycle continues." They then proceed to both eat marshmallow fluff with a spoon, a sweet, seemingly unscripted moment that I'm sure never would've happened with Ivy's mom.
Derek is waaaaay down in the public eye, when he gets so drunk he asks a girl if she is a dancer, when her boyfriend shoves him to the ground. While on the ground, Derek sees a pair of neon pink heels walk by, and thus, an indulgent dream sequence begins with Derek hallucinating Ivy in a sexy, fitted black dress, then sees Karen in the same dress. Both are staring him down with anger. Suddenly more girls in the identical dresses appear, all grabbing his neck and chest, and getting close to his face in a steamy matter. Then they all put their hands on their hips and circle him, singing, "Would I lie to you, would I lie to you, honey?" Ivy and Karen grab him and lead him to a couch, Ivy showing off to him what he's missing since he's left her. All of the girls are have the same chestnut hair and skinny bodies, while Ivy sits on his lap, flinging around her blond ponytail, then shoving him into the wall. She then yells, "Now, I'm leaving YOOOUUUU!!" Tell him Ivy!
And my favorite part of the episode is when Ivy is walking down the street, talking to Sam on the phone, when she comes across a disheveled, drunk Derek sitting the steps of his building. He puts his hand out and she joins him on the steps. After two more scenes and a commercial break (I could barely stand the waiting), we are finally back to the Derek/Ivy scene. Derek slurredly tells Ivy about all of the lying dancers. At this point, I wanted Ivy to cockily tell Derek that he's drunk, just as Derek did to Ivy last season, but that unfortunately didn't happen. She shakes her head, as if to say, well, you are a bit of an arrogant, greedy, power-hungry man, with high levels of testosterone. Then, Derek proceeds to...wait for it....APOLOGIZE! Ivy still says nothing, but her face says she accepts it, but won't fall for him again. He tries to make himself seem nicer, changed, and she just replies, with "Why do you care what I think, all of a sudden?" He backpedals, telling Ivy she's his friend, and who cares about Karen, on and on. She just gives him a sideways look, and he rolls his eyes. Suddenly Ivy starts spilling to him, saying, "I was a lot of things, Derek, and now I don't even know who I am, or if I even want to be in this business anymore." He says she's got too much talent to give up, then Ivy throws the "I couldn't have been that good, I'm not Marilyn" card at him. "Prove me wrong! make me look stupid!" he tells her. There are tears streaming down Ivy's face and their faces get very close. Derek begins to lean in for a kiss, and Ivy just watches him, then SNAP, her head turns the other way and she matter-of-factly says, "Nope, not gonna happen." YES, YES, YES IVY!!! Finally, she gets it!
There is a scramble when Eileen, Tom, and Julia are thrown out of a Broadway big-wig party. They call for Karen, but when she doesn't pick up, they look to Ivy. Finally, something to pick her up. She races there, and as they thank her, says, "I'm just glad someone still wants to hear me sing!" She says it in an upbeat, excited tone, but the statement is so heartbreaking. She steps in front of the mic and belts out They Just Keep Moving the Line, a very emotional song about how you can work hard, and once you get your goal in your grasp, it is moved further away. This is SUCH an Ivy song!
And finally, Ivy shows up at Derek's house to talk to him, when she senses someone being in his room. As she backs away to the elevator, she hears Karen say, "What was that about?" "Oh, nothing important." Way to go Derek, build her up, then kick her down harder.
Monday, February 4, 2013
First Megan Hilty Single: No Cure!
As many of you know, Megan Hilty has an album coming out on March 9th called It Happens All The Time. (See previous post for more on the whole album) Today, Megan tweeted,
"I have a single!!! You can check it out on my brand spankin new website meganhilty.com"
Upon further investigation, I found out the new single is called No Cure and is a duet. The sound is almost contemporary pop and has been called country by some fans. This could be the song co-written by Carrie Underwood. The beat is catchy and the singing soft. Very different from the Broadway belts we are used to hearing.
The story told by the lyrics seem to run parallel to that of Ivy Lynn, Megan's character on the NBC hit, Smash. "All of this medicine that I keep taking, it ain't workin', I keep hurtin'," says the song. Ivy Lynn tried to overdose last season on Smash, due to many things including her tumultuous relationship with on-and-off boyfriend Derek. And my favorite lyric, "I keep trying' to pull out of this spiral that I'm in," describes Ivy Lynn's journey heading into season two. She is drowning in relationship and career woes, trying to pick herself up.
But enough about Ivy, the song is about trying to use medicine to numb the pain of a very hard fall out of a relationship. The chorus repeats "What if there's no cure?" The song shows the helplessness that is felt when trying to distance yourself from someone you truly loved and thought you knew.
This song makes me excited for the entire album, but judge for yourself at Megan's new website meganhilty.com. Tell me what you think in the comments! And also follow us on Twitter @VoiceOfIvy
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