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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 21:01:55 GMT
Post by Bungle on Jan 25, 2013 21:01:55 GMT
Back next month (in the US)!
Maybe this should go in the Spoilerzone, but I can't find it.
It had some shaky moments in the first series but overall I loved it, especially this:
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 21:14:39 GMT
Post by Dave on Jan 25, 2013 21:14:39 GMT
1001 Nights is probably my favourite song (and I thought overall their original music was much more memorable than anything Glee has come up with) If we're being picky 1001 Nights seems to confuse Bollywood for The Arabian Nights, but hey ho. I really missed LC when Smash was on. I loved the series but it was hugely controversial in the US and widely seen as falling apart as it went on (which is fair enough since the wrong heroine is cast in the role of Marilyn) I needed to talk it over with like minded people. There's been a bit of a cast cull (Raza has gone which is a shame as he really did well in the one song he had) so it remains to be seen how things shape up this time around. Trail looks good though; (If you have some sneaky add ons to Firefox or similar you can watch the first episode of season two here www.smashtheseries.com/tag/season-2/ )
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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 21:29:46 GMT
Post by Bungle on Jan 25, 2013 21:29:46 GMT
I actually thought it broadly got better, after a wobbly bit in the middle. The whole thing about Debra Messing's son and (slightly confusing) home life was pretty uninteresting though.
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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 22:09:04 GMT
Post by Steven on Jan 25, 2013 22:09:04 GMT
I think I only made it to episode four, although I still plan to watch the whole thing at some point. I've still got 'Let Me Be Your Star' on my iPod though, and I like to lip-sync to it when I'm out and about walking places. I just wish they gave Katharine McPhee an actual character to play, rather than just The Ingenue. She was such a boring goody-goody I found it really hard to root for her.
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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 22:39:31 GMT
Post by Maureen on Jan 25, 2013 22:39:31 GMT
I saw the first 3 and the last 2, so it looks like I sneakily circumvented that troublesome sag in the middle. I liked the idea of it, but found the two female leads so hopelessly one-dimensional, it was difficult not to wish they'd both fall down a trapdoor on opening night. It looks from the trailer that Katherine's character might be about to 'grow a pair', so that could be interesting, at least.
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Smash
Jan 25, 2013 23:07:22 GMT
Post by jetsetwilly on Jan 25, 2013 23:07:22 GMT
I had the whole series on my Sky+ box for months but I only ever watched the first four or five. I realised the only bits I enjoyed were the musical numbers from Marilyn.
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Smash
Jan 30, 2013 22:22:03 GMT
Post by Bungle on Jan 30, 2013 22:22:03 GMT
I read that the original intention was for each series to cover a different show, which I think I'd prefer to a second season about Bombshell - but we'll see.
Would mean you could pick and choose your characters for each season, too.
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Smash
Jan 31, 2013 11:40:37 GMT
Post by Bungle on Jan 31, 2013 11:40:37 GMT
Interesting article on Buzzfeed about the series here, which looks at the behind the scenes drama. I seem to be the only person who didn't hate Ellis (as in, I quite enjoyed his character being 'evil', and didn't have a problem with the actor), but there were lots of weird problems with the first year, not least the bizarre sudden removal of the adoption subplot in about episode three (after it being a huge deal in the pilot) only for it to suddenly crop up again about seven episodes later. I also don't see why two people need to take a year off work to go through the adoption process - yes, it takes time, but that's because everything takes so long, not because you have to do work on it every day.
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Smash
Jan 31, 2013 16:16:21 GMT
Post by Steven on Jan 31, 2013 16:16:21 GMT
Also, I can't imagine it's the best way to win over an audience with your first episode in the middle of a recession. "Look at these obviously wealthy people, taking a whole year off work to adopt a baby! Aren't they great?"
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Smash
Jan 31, 2013 16:48:36 GMT
Post by al on Jan 31, 2013 16:48:36 GMT
Smash is a strange one. That article sort of explains why (albeit in tiring detail).
Smash was one of a number of US imports during the Lowculture blackout that I began watching, but quickly became a chore (see also: Ringer, Revenge, Arrow). Somehow, Smash was the only one I stuck with... I think it had pretty decent production values, and some good performances. And I totally bought Ellis as a precocious, career-minded little bitch. Other aspects of him were horribly inconsistent, but overall he sort of made sense. As did the problem teen, even if the adoption thing was all a bit random.
While Smash was pretty patchy, it was nowhere near as ropey as some of the hiccups and misfires and gaping plotholes in much higher-quality stuff, such as Brothers & Sisters, or Fucking Lost. (Or, on this side of the pond, Merlin.)
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Feb 10, 2013 0:05:19 GMT
Post by Dave on Feb 10, 2013 0:05:19 GMT
Can I recommend mediahint.com ? Keen to hear what people think of the first two episodes?
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Smash
Feb 12, 2013 16:34:40 GMT
Post by Bungle on Feb 12, 2013 16:34:40 GMT
So I've seen the first two episodes now.
I don't think I have ever seen such a comprehensive throwing out of a first season premise in a series that retains the same basic idea and is ostensibly a continuation. Before seeing it I thought it was odd that they premiered with a double bill, but I see why now - the first episode is a rather awkward reboot, with characters dispensed with willy-nilly. But still, I suppose it needs to be done. Things settled down in the second episode, but it still feels like a bit of a mess, and I enjoyed both episodes less than most from last season.
Anyway, in summary - things I like:
* Jennifer Hudson * Kyle, the gayer slighter songwriter guy, may end up being rather fun. * Most of all - the sparky relationship between Eileen and Jerry which is BRILLIANT and exactly what the show needs and should be about.
Things I did not like:
* Jeremy Jordan's character is already an annoying mess, and he looks a lot less hot than usual with some RIDICULOUS haircut where his sideburns are shaved HIGHER THAN HIS EARS. Thankfully this was magically rectified in the final scene, so we know that he grows facial hair super quickly. * The actual relationship between Karen and Ivy is no longer interesting or useful for the wider plot, and they should have bitten the bullet and found a proper new plot for this season. Considering that neither character particularly resembles their first season persona perhaps this is coming anyway. I hope it's not a straightforward role reversal, which is what seems to have happened so far. * The fantasy Would I Lie To You sequence is one of the worst things the show has done yet, and everyone looked acutely embarrassed throughout, especially Davenport. I thought that they were trying to avoid abrupt tonal shifts this series.
(Can we rename this thread US Pace, as there isn't really a UK equivalent anyway?)
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Feb 12, 2013 18:49:48 GMT
Post by Dave on Feb 12, 2013 18:49:48 GMT
That is a brilliant article. Fascinating. As for the first two episodes I liked 'em. Bit of a reboot in ep 1 as you say but am willing to see what happens next.
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Feb 23, 2013 23:25:54 GMT
Post by Dave on Feb 23, 2013 23:25:54 GMT
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Smash
Feb 23, 2013 23:30:39 GMT
Post by Bungle on Feb 23, 2013 23:30:39 GMT
Ouch! Episode three was very good, I thought, although I can't work out why they're making Jeremy Jordan's character so hateful.
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Smash
Feb 23, 2013 23:38:33 GMT
Post by Bungle on Feb 23, 2013 23:38:33 GMT
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Feb 24, 2013 10:52:23 GMT
Post by Dave on Feb 24, 2013 10:52:23 GMT
It's bizarre. I'm really enjoying it at the moment but it looks like picking the wrong Marilyn is proving a mistake.
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Smash
Feb 24, 2013 14:52:35 GMT
Post by Bungle on Feb 24, 2013 14:52:35 GMT
Yes, Katharine McPhee is no fun and no great actress. Ivy all the way - an obviously better Marilyn, too.
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Smash
Feb 24, 2013 22:26:40 GMT
Post by Maureen on Feb 24, 2013 22:26:40 GMT
I think that's what I like about it: they didn't choose the obvious Marilyn and now (on screen) they're dealing with the consequences of that. It's a shame that it's not connecting with viewers, but it is still an enjoyable show. Jeremy Jordan's character *is* awful, but I kind of like that they're not just going with the obvious route (just yet at least) of making him have an epiphany and be a nice guy. In real life, people are pricks. He's a prick. It's annoying to watch, but at least it's representing the increasing prick population of the universe.
I am already NOT here for the Debra Messing/dramaturg love-hate bullshit. And Anjelica Huston's mesmerising morph into the Face of Boe continues to be a big draw for me.
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Smash
Feb 24, 2013 22:53:17 GMT
Post by Bungle on Feb 24, 2013 22:53:17 GMT
I think 'not picking the right Marilyn' would have been really interesting if the show hadn't been trying to convince us that she was actually better (at least, that's how I read it) and the niggling thought that Karen only got the role because she's played by Katharine McPhee, who is the 'star'.
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Smash
Mar 3, 2013 23:55:25 GMT
Post by Maureen on Mar 3, 2013 23:55:25 GMT
The latest episode kind of got on my tits. The signposting – especially the conversation between the Jennifer Hudson character and her mother – is really annoying, like they don't trust the audience to waste a brain cell on it. Despite all my championing of it, I can kind of see why people are turning off. I don't think I've ever switched on a show so fast. (I definitely have.)
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Mar 6, 2013 21:46:49 GMT
Post by Dave on Mar 6, 2013 21:46:49 GMT
The random mention of Ellis as the cliffhanger (a character axed for bring incredibly unpopular) made no sense at all.
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Smash
Mar 8, 2013 18:27:01 GMT
Post by Maureen on Mar 8, 2013 18:27:01 GMT
I thought that things turned around again in the latest episode. My feelings for this show are all over the place; it's like I'm pregnant or something. The Ellis cliffhanger was weird, I agree, especially as it wasn't mentioned again in the next episode (or if it was I missed it).
But the pace felt better and the episode was stronger for not having the distraction of Jennifer Hudson's zzzz storyline.
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Dave
Jane Asher
Posts: 241
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Smash
Mar 14, 2013 21:50:17 GMT
Post by Dave on Mar 14, 2013 21:50:17 GMT
I'm actually really enjoying Sean Hayes.
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Smash
Mar 14, 2013 23:53:03 GMT
Post by Bungle on Mar 14, 2013 23:53:03 GMT
Yeah, me too, but the rest of it... it's just getting worse. And the Ellis thing was a real WTF moment, and not for good reasons.
Anyway, the ratings have completely collapsed so a third series seems even more unlikely. What's weird is that, with a few small exceptions, the ratings have consistently dropped week on week from over 11m to under 3m. That's really unusual for a major TV series. There was a tiny bump from 2.68m to 2.9m for this week's episode, but at that level, it's pretty much a statistically irrelevant difference. It's also moving to Saturdays in the US, a day where there is almost no significant new programming on the major networks (it's weird, I know).
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