The Read Through is the fifth episode of Smash's second season and twentieth overall. It aired on March 5th, 2013.
Plot[]
The episode begins with Derek and Tom checking out the place where “Bombshell” will be making its Broadway debut and Tom pictures how his new act will be presented on stage (Public Relations). Peter and Julia arrive and Julia is still really nervous and unsure about what she has written, but Peter tells her to have confidence in herself and trust her instincts. Karen and her friend, while working out at the gym, talk about Jimmy and she tells her friend that she hasn’t heard from Jimmy, since the time Veronica Moore performed his songs at the concert and he became the most sought after composer.
Ivy is at the rehearsals of her new show “Liaisons” in which a famous Hollywood actor will be playing the lead, but he hasn’t shown up for the rehearsals yet. While Tom and Julia are taking a walk on Times Square and talking about the new book, Tom sees the playwright Jon Robin Baitz coming in their direction and he immediately runs the other way. Tom later tells Julia that she should be wary of Peter because he in the past has sabotaged the work of one of his friends by writing a whole new draft of her play. Derek says he can probably get Hit List into the Winter Fringe Festival and Karen along with her friend pays Jimmy and Kyle a visit to give them this news and then they decide to have a reading of the show in their apartment.
Karen’s friend feels she has come all the way to tell him this only because she wanted to meet him and Karen tells Jimmy that if they are going to work together, they need to set certain ground rules, which means Jimmy can’t go around kissing her every time he is high. Derek is waiting for Eileen at her office to talk to her because he is worried Julia’s latest work is not up to the mark and the show might flop because of this. Julia is really worried about what Peter’s true intentions are and she shares her worries with Tom. At the rehearsal of “Liaisons”, Ivy explains to Terry Falls, the Hollywood star, that the show is a drama and not a comedy and Falls seems baffled by the fact that she is explaining this to him, but is also grateful for all the advice she is giving him.
At Jimmy’s place, Karen imagines in her head a song where she follows him around the apartment, singing a song about boys who can’t fall in love (Some Boys). Tom and Julia arrive at Jerry’s office to get his opinion on the new book, but Jerry isn’t in and his assistant who is around gushes about the new number, but the scenes she is mentioning aren’t a part of the new draft and this is because Peter suggested those scenes be removed. Karen’s roommate arrives at Jimmy’s and says that the Hit List book is pretty rough, but Karen pays no attention to her because she apparently seems blinded by her fascination for Jimmy. Derek is glad to see Eileen making her way in, during the read through of the new draft of “Bombshell”. Ivy is shocked when the director of “Liaisons” during the rehearsals asks everyone to take cues from Falls on how to perform, so that the comedy in the show can be brought out.
Ivy was hoping that it would be Falls who would change his technique for the play after all the advice that she gave him. Julia confronts Peter about what Tom told her earlier and he explains that these are just rumors and he only rewrote the play because the playwright was too drunk to type and just then Tom arrives and tells them that if the book is bad then the show is over. At the read-through, Jimmy is playing a song and the actors from “Bombshell” who are there mention that they aren’t happy with the book and one of the actors mention how the characters and even the dialogues in the book seem one dimensional. The “Bombshell” reading is happening at the same time and at the end of the reading everyone is silent and Julia feels it’s because the new draft is really bad, but Derek reveals that it’s so good they are speechless and Julia is really relieved to hear this.
Peter says he’s sorry that Julia ever doubted herself. At the “Liaisons” rehearsal, Ivy instead of playing a scene comically plays the scene emotionally like she feels it’s supposed to be played and everyone sitting in the room is apparently stunned by her performance including Falls, who then storms out of the rehearsal. Derek calls Karen and informs her about how well the “Bombshell” reading went, which also means his first priority is now “Bombshell” and Hit List has taken a backseat. Karen is really disappointed to hear this and Jimmy can guess from her expressions what the bad news is. Ivy finds Falls sitting in the hallway and he admits to her his fear of playing the part the way it’s written, but Ivy encourages him to use his fear to propel his performance.
Falls later tells her that he will attempt drama and will go off his meds to do so. He says that he has been in a drug-induced haze and hasn’t had any real feelings for 20 years. Eileen pays Nick a visit in prison and he tells her he is going to be moved upstate soon. He tells her not to waste her life on someone like him. Karen’s roommate reassures Jimmy, who is sad after the recent setback and she also warns him to not hurt Karen in anyway. Jerry says that he doesn’t want to produce this new version of “Bombshell” because he likes the old one. He says that this new version might be appreciated down the road, but the old version would bring in the crowds. Julia isn’t very happy to hear this, but Jerry reveals that the old version is all hers and Peter has no hand in it and it’s Tom, who sent it to him via email.
Turns out, Jerry had asked Tom to email him all the drafts of the show, but he could only find one which he mailed to him and Jerry loved it. Tom says he is only interested in how Marilyn created herself and not in the men who made her. Derek is seemingly on Julia’s side on this issue and feels they should let Eileen have the final say on this matter.
Karen and the gang come up with the idea that instead of Kyle rewriting the book by Winter Fringe, they could make Hit List all songs. In Eileen’s office, the team puts in front of Eileen both the choices and asks her to make a decision. Eileen thoughtfully looks out of the window and after glancing at Times Square for a little while, she turns around to announce her decision.
Songs[]
- Public Relations by Smash. Sung by Karen with Tom.
- Some Boys by Death Cab for Cutie. Sung by Karen.
- Caught In The Storm by Smash. Sung by Jimmy.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Debra Messing as Julia Houston
- Anjelica Huston as Eileen Rand
- Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright
- Christian Borle as Tom Leavitt
- Jack Davenport as Derek Wills
- Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn
- Krysta Rodriguez as Ana Vargas
- Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy Collins
- Andy Mientus as Kyle Bishop
Special Guest Star[]
- Sean Hayes as Terry Falls
Recurring Cast[]
- Daniel Sunjata as Peter Gillman
- Michael Christofer as Jerry Rand
- Thorsten Kaye as Nick
- Nikki Blonsky as Margo
Co-Star[]
- Jon Robin Baitz as himself
- Wesley Taylor as Bobby
- Savannah Wise as Jessica
- Ann Harada as Linda
- Ching Valdes-Aran as Liz
- Sara King as Jane
Photos[]
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| On Broadway • The Fallout • The Dramaturg • The Song • The Read Through • The Fringe • Musical Chairs • The Bells and Whistles • The Parents • The Surprise Party • The Dress Rehearsal • Opening Night • The Producers • The Phenomenon • The Transfer • The Nominations • The Tonys |