The Parents is the ninth episode of Smash's second season and the twenty-fourth overall. It premiered on April 2nd, 2013.
Plot[]
The episode begins with Karen and Jimmy getting out of bed after having spent the night together. Karen’s father is at the door and before she lets him in, Jimmy gathers all his clothes and gets out of the apartment through the fire escape. Ivy arrives at the rehearsals and is shocked when she finds out that Leigh Conroy, her mother, will be playing the role of Marilyn’s mother in ‘Bombshell’. Eileen sees that Ivy isn’t very happy with the revelation, so she explains that Leigh is a very big star, which is why they need her for the show. Eileen tells Tom and Julia that thanks to Ivy and Leigh working together, Richard, from The Times, has agreed to cover their show.
At the ‘Hit List’ rehearsals, Nichols tells everyone that it’s their big night tonight because the cast will be performing in front of all the board members, which is why besides Karen performing, he also wants Ana to perform her number. Jimmy is on his way to the rehearsal, when he sees a man coming from the opposite side and looks terrified. Jimmy quickly turns around and walks away before the man sees him. At the ‘Bombshell’ rehearsals, Ivy and her mother are about to perform together for the first time, while Jimmy arrives for the ‘Hit List’ rehearsals looking rather worried. Ivy and Leigh are performing a scene which is supposed to portray the conflict between Marilyn and Gladys, her mother, but the two are acting as if they are best friends.
Tom tries to talk to the duo and explain to them what the mood of the scene is, but they don’t seem to think there is anything wrong in the way they are performing it. Tom discusses the matter with Julia and says he has an idea how he can resolve the issue, but says it isn’t pretty. The guy Jimmy saw on the street earlier arrives at the rehearsals and Jimmy takes him outside for a chat. Turns out, Jimmy owes this guy some money and tells the guy he needs some time to repay him. Karen’s father is about to leave, when Derek hands him a couple of passes to the benefit at which Karen will be performing in the evening and urges him to come. At the ‘Bombshell’ rehearsals, Eileen asks Julia to come with her to the benefit in the evening to see Karen’s performance and Julia readily agrees.
Tom manages to instigate Ivy, so all the underlying resentment that she has for her mother comes out and will help them act the scene better, but things get out of hand and Ivy ends up telling Leigh that she doesn’t want her there. At the benefit, Karen’s father blames Derek for her giving up Broadway. He feels Karen left Broadway just so she could follow him and doesn’t believe Derek, when he tries explaining that he is under the wrong impression. Richard, the critic from the Times, is also at the benefit and Kyle is really excited because he has arrived just in time for Ana’s performance. Ana begins her performance (Reach For Me) and everyone seems really impressed. While she is performing, Jimmy goes to the coat check counter, sends away the guy working there, and begins desperately checking coat pockets for money.
While Jimmy is at it, Derek arrives and after he finds out what Jimmy had been up to, Jimmy is forced to confess that he is in trouble. He says he owes a drug dealer $8k and Derek says he could have simply asked him. Nichol and Julia have apparently broken the ice and are friends again. They even flirt around a little with each other. Richard meets Nichol and the cast of ‘Hit List’ and tells them how impressed he is with their act. He even says that he is looking forward to seeing how Ana performs in the other songs that she has in the play. After he leaves, Jimmy comments that Ana only has this one song that she just performed, but Nichols says not anymore because if Richard feels he wants to see her more, they have to make that happen.
After the rehearsals, Leigh has a chat with Ivy and tells her that ‘Bombshell’ needs her, so the show opens well, even if Ivy feels otherwise. Before walking away, Ivy tells her that her presence may be needed to open the show, but after that she will never need her (Leigh) again. Karen’s father isn’t too happy, when he finds out she is seeing Jimmy, but she tells him that she has made her decision and it’s too late for him to judge her. The next day at the rehearsals, Ivy and Leigh give a really heartfelt performance (Hang the Moon). It seems as though through their performance, they are recounting the mistakes they have made by behaving badly to each other over the years. They are also apologizing to each other for all those mistakes. Tom and Julia are moved to tears by their performance and Eileen too seems really impressed.
Derek gives Jimmy the $8K that he needs and tells him to quickly resolve the issue. Karen’s father apologizes to her for his behavior and says he is ready to accept Jimmy if that is what makes her happy. Before leaving, Karen’s father also apologizes to Derek, saying he thought Karen was seeing him, when she is actually seeing Jimmy. Derek was completely unaware of this and is visibly surprised. Nichols has invited Julia to a restaurant for coffee and tells her that he wants to give her a chance to make it up to him. He says that his show needs her help and proposes she become a dramaturg for the show. He tells her that it’s the story of the show that needs help and not the music and he feels she is the best person to brush up the story. She asks him if Derek knows about this and he says that she would be doing this for him and not Derek.
She doesn’t contemplate much and willingly agrees. At the rehearsals, Ivy tells Tom that she knows it was he, who proposed her mother’s name for the show and says he can’t imagine what a torture it is for her to perform with her mother after living in her shadow all her life. Tom says he did what was good for the show and Ivy counters that they aren’t friends anymore and she only works for him from now on. Jimmy returns the drug dealer’s money and says that he never wants to see him again. The episode ends at this point.
Songs[]
- Broadway, Here I Come! from Smash. Sung by Karen.
- Reach For Me from Smash. Sung by Ana.
- Hang the Moon from Smash. Sung by Leigh and Ivy.
Cast[]
Main Cast
- Debra Messing as Julia Houston
- Anjelica Huston as Eileen Rand
- Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright
- Christian Borle as Tom Levitt
- Jack Davenport as Derek Wills
- Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn
- Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy Collins
- Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Strickland
- Krysta Rodriguez as Ana
- Andy Mientus as Kyle Bishop
Special Guest Cast[]
- Bernadette Peters as Leigh Conroy
- Jesse L. Martin as Scott Nichols
Recurring Cast[]
- Jamey Sheridan as Richard Francis
- Dylan Barker as Roger Cartwright
- David Call as Adam Collins
- Savannah Wise as Jessica
- Wesley Taylor as Bobby
- Daniel Abeles as Blake
- Ann Harada as Linda
Photos[]
Videos[]
- Reach for Me performance
[]
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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 |