“You’ve got to accentuate the positive/Eliminate the negative…”  I thought I would lead this week’s recap of “Smash” with those lyrics from the catchy Johnny Mercer tune.  Why you ask?  Two reasons actually.   One, this week’s episode titled “The Cost of Art” finally lived up to the potential I mentioned in my first recap.  Second, I am in a good mood.

We open this week with the cast’s first rehearsal.  Karen is earnest, Ivy is vindictive.  No one told her that her arch rival from Iowa had been cast in the ensemble.  Ivy’s goes into full-on Margo from “All About Eve” mode and tries to destroy her competition by claiming that Karen is singing over her.  We all know that Karen has a powerful voice, she was almost cast over Ivy, but Ivy’s motives are suspect, to say the least.  Through Ivy’s not so subtle machinations Karen is banished from the number they have been rehearsing.  Sad face…

Karen, the banished one, storms out of the rehearsal studio into the hallway and throws a pity party for herself.  She is met there by one of Ivy’s mean girl gal pals who asks Karen if rehearsal is going well.  Karen goes off, telling the mean girl gal pal that Ivy is trying to destroy her (duh she is your rival Karen) and that the mean girl gal pal and the rest of the bitches in the ensemble should be helping her.  Really Karen?  Why should they help you; it’s showbiz, kid.  Through some sort of showbiz magic the mean girl gal pal has a change of heart and rounds up some other ensemble members to help Karen.

Meanwhile Eileen is trying to raise money for the workshop and tries to sell a Degas sketch since her ineffective divorce attorney (really Eileen hire a ballbuster, not an attorney intimated by your a-hole ex) can’t get her access to her money.  Her efforts fail since the bill of sale is in the a-hole ex’s last name.  Note to Eileen: Always put the salable assets in your name!!!!

Next up Derek invites Ivy to a party he is throwing for Lyle West aka the Baby Jonas Brother aka Nick Jonas (side-note he has grown up handsome, not Joe Jonas handsome but still).  We find out Tom is bitter because Derek claims to have discovered Lyle even though Tom totally discovered, totally.  Julia gets Derek to invite Tom to the party and she also invites Eileen, who worked with Lyle in “Oliver!”  Eileen is going because she sees dollar signs when Julia tells her that Lyle’s show was sold into syndication for $80 million.

While everyone is getting ready to go to Derek’s party Karen is being subjected to an intervention by her new friends from the ensemble, I’ll call them 2 Girls 1 Gay.  2 Girls 1 Gay teach Karen how to not draw attention to herself and dance and sing just like any other schlock in what used to be called the chorus line.  This is being watched by Dev who isn’t shirtless but is showing a good amount of chest, I’ll take it.

Flash forward to the fancy party.  Baby Jonas is singing some forgettable tune but the party does look like a good time.  Ivy arrives in a used designer dress but looks stunning.   Eileen offers to sell the Degas sketch to Baby Jonas who agrees but only wants the collateral for points in the show.  This leads us to Eileen throwing together an impromptu performance of a new number from Marilyn the Musical, “I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn’t Love to Howl.”  Ivy knocks it out of the park and this number is catchy and sexy.  Eileen gets her money and Tom impressed the date he brought to the party, a cute nerdy lawyer type (CLICHÉ!).

Back to the intervention which has relocated to a bar. Karen and 2 Girls 1 Gay perform Adele’s “Rumor Has It” (Note to Adele’s peeps:   Look up the definition of overplayed/exposed on the internets).  Karen has learned to tone it down, sort of, and the number is fun.

Back to the party Ivy is pissed because she caught Derek with his hand on some lady’s ass.  Derek tells her he was flirting because the lady could be an investor, right Derek.  Ivy still bangs him like the slut she is.  Going forward I will be referring to Ivy as Slivy, figure it out.

OK, so maybe this recap didn’t fully accentuate the positive in tonight’s episode but I did truly enjoy this week’s show more than last.  The potential is back.  Let’s hope the producers/writers/et al. don’t “mess with Mister In-Between” next week.  Oh, and to you my faithful readers I pledge that next week I will get this recap up in a timelier manner.

Tags: Anjelica Huston, Katherine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Recap, Smash