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Opening Night is the twelfth episode of Smash's second season and twenty-seventh overall. It premiered on April 20th, 2013.

Plot[]

The episode begins with Ivy, her mom and a few others cast members talking about the opening night of “Bombshell”, which is tomorrow. Tom and Julia too are waiting intently for the opening night. While talking about the opening night, Agnes tells Eileen that despite her and Richard not doing well as a couple, Eileen has to invite Richard for the premier because it’s good for the show. At the “Hit List” dressing room, Nichols gives everyone the good news that they are sold out for the rest of their run. After which, Nichols adds that they have all been invited by Eileen to the opening night of “Bombshell”. 

Karen walks out after the announcement; Jimmy follows her and calls out to her. They talk about the “Bombshell” opening night and Karen confesses that she isn’t too keen on going for it. Jimmy insists that she come, saying he will be by her side the whole night, which seems to change her mind. While standing on the sidewalk by herself outside the auditorium, Ivy overhears a couple talking about “Bombshell”. She is hurt on hearing some unflattering things said about her. After stepping out of the “Hit List” rehearsals, Ana sees Adam waiting outside for Jimmy. She asks him to join her for a drink, but he refuses, saying Jimmy might not like it. He also reveals that Jimmy is his brother. At a restaurant, Tom is meeting a producer friend of his, who offers him a job as a director in one of his musicals on Broadway. 

The producer is confident “Bombshell” will be well received and shall open doors for Tom on Broadway. At Ivy’s, after spending the night together, Derek and she talk about the opening night and from there the conversation steers to their relationship. Both aren’t sure if they should make their relationship public, so they decide to play it by ear. At Tom’s, while talking about “The Great Gatsby” with her mother, Julia’s son suggests that she and Tom make a musical based on the book, which apparently gets Julia thinking. At their apartment, Jimmy tells Kyle that tonight at the opening he will reveal everything about his past to Karen. Kyle doesn’t think it’s a good idea because he feels it might push Karen away from Jimmy. After returning home, Ana tells Karen about her meeting Adam, Jimmy’s brother. 

She says Adam revealed some really shocking things about Jimmy and urges Karen to hear her out. While heading for the opening night, Julia gifts Tom “The Great Gatsby”, the book, and says her lawyer has already purchased the rights for its musical. Julia assumes Tom is onboard because they had talked about it in the past. Tom pretends he is excited although his heart seems set on the offer his producer friend has made, but he keeps mum. At the opening, while Eileen once again tells off Richard for the article he wrote, Jimmy comes clean about his past with Karen. He reveals that after his father died he and his mother were on the streets, so to make money he dealt in drugs and it was Adam, who pulled him into that life. He tells Karen that it was Kyle, who got him out, so he considers Kyle to be his brother and not Adam.

He says he changed his ways after meeting her because she made him want to be a better person. The show is about to begin and Agnes asks Eileen where Richard is. On hearing that she has broken up with Richard, Agnes isn’t pleased and in no uncertain terms tells Eileen that she has a done a really foolish thing. Before Ivy steps onstage, Ivy’s mother gives her a pep talk. Ivy steps onstage, pours her heart out into the performance and at the end of it receives a standing ovation. Later, while the whole cast is taking a bow, Ivy calls Tom onstage and Julia urges him to go. After he has gone, while praising Tom, Rosie O'Donnell tells Julia that she is really looking forward to Tom directing the new musical he has been offered. Julia is visibly shocked to hear this. On seeing the audience’s reaction, Eileen is moved to tears, while Karen isn’t too happy on seeing Derek’s excitement. At the after party, Derek tells Nichols about his plans to move “Hit List” to Broadway. 

Eileen and Agnes are checking out the reviews and are overjoyed on reading one review that says “Bombshell” is the finest musical of the year. At the after party, Jimmy isn’t too pleased to see that Ana has brought along Adam as her date. Karen calms Jimmy down, saying he behaving himself would prove to her that he has really changed. Julia and Tom talk about the musical he has been offered. He tells her that he likes writing with her, but right now he wants to focus on directing, so they might for the time being have to part ways as a team. Julia is stunned on hearing this. In the ladies room, Karen runs into Ivy and they have a heart to heart. At the after party, Jimmy and Adam get into a fight after Adam provokes Jimmy. Eileen as a result asks them both to leave. 

Outside, Karen reprimands Jimmy for his behavior and says they can’t be together anymore because she feels he can never change. At the party, Tom tries to make amends with Julia, but she isn’t in a forgiving mood. Ivy later gives a heartfelt speech, thanking Tom for her success and the success of the show. She also thanks Karen, saying she wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for Karen. She urges Karen to come up on the stage and join her in singing something for the audience. Karen gladly obliges, while everyone in the room loudly cheers for her. During their performance, they both seem to have a lot of fun onstage and everyone in the room seems to have a good time along with them.

After they are done with their performance, Nichols whispers to Derek how amazing they both are, saying it’s no surprise it was so difficult to choose, who between the two would become Marilyn. While having a chat with Karen, Ivy learns that Derek had asked Karen out a couple of weeks ago and that she turned him down. Ivy immediately realizes she was the fall back option for Derek because Karen rejected him. While Julia is heading home with Nichols, he encourages Julia to write “The Great Gatsby” musical by herself, saying she has it in her to do it even without Tom’s help. He even suggests that she could stage it at his theater downtown.

At the party, after Ivy thanks her mother for everything, her mother tells Ivy how proud she is of her. She leaves and Derek walks up to Ivy. He proposes they head home to spend an intimate night together, but she blows him off, saying she is a little tired and walks away, leaving a visibly shocked Derek behind. At the party, Kyle and Tom, both of whom are by themselves, have a heart to heart, after which Tom asks Kyle out and they both leave the party together. While heading home, Derek is stopped on the street by Daisy Parker, an actress he has worked with in the past. She gushes about, how much she liked “Bombshell” and Derek notices she is in awe of him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Derek asks her to come with him and hails a taxi.  At her office, Eileen tells Agnes that despite the fact that “Bombshell” wasn’t as well received by the Times as expected, she wants to go all out with the publicity of “Bombshell”. She believes “Bombshell” is the best musical in town and will sweep the Tonys. The episode ends at this point.

Songs[]

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Special Guest Star[]

  • Bernadette Peters as Leigh Conroy
  • Jesse L. Martin as Scott Nichols
  • Jamey Sheridan as Richard Francis
  • Rosie O'Donnell as Herself
  • Marc Shaiman as Himself
  • Scott Wittman as Himself

Recurring Cast[]

Photos[]

Navigational[]

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