This week, radio silence. Julia and Tom haven’t heard anything from Eileen. Julia is really worried so Frank sings to her. It’s not Brian d’Arcy James’ best performance but there is a promise of a proper performance from him later in the season to look forward to. In his bedroom, Leo can hear the song and smiles, thinking all is well.
Of course, he still has to get through his court date. John is still his lawyer and he talks with the family prior to the appearance. He tells them that the only thing they didn’t get dismissed was Leo's not obeying a posted sign—walking on newly seeded grass where the sign said don’t. Leo swears he was no where near the sign and therefore didn’t know he was breaking the rule.
Armed with this, the family and John go to court. And their judge is played by an actor who has played a judge on Law and Order multiple times. Guess he was glad to get the work again. Anyway, he is not in the mood to let Leo off the hook, especially as he thinks Leo is spoiled. Julia is outraged and lets the judge know it. John works to smooth it over. And in the end, Judge Law and Order throws out the charge. The family celebrates as Julia kisses both of her men and Frank takes them out to Chinese.
We’ll get Michael’s brief appearance in this episode out of the way now as well. He meets Julia in a park as she decides to tell him he’s fired herself. She doesn’t actually have to as he figures it out. He says if he wasn’t fired, he’d have quit. You see, Michael actually grew a conscience in the week between the workshop and this meeting. He points to his wife and child playing across the way and calls them his everything. Michael and Julia agree that they were both acting foolish and part ways.
Now onto Eileen. She’s in her new apartment, which is sparsely decorated. Ellis drops by to deliver something Tom sent over as Eileen talks with Derek, who is over in Brooklyn. They talk about Karen before she ends the call. Eileen turns to Ellis and they engage in small talk when someone knocks. Granting entrance, Eileen is surprised to find
Katie is a humanitarian, working in Micronesia and India. She has come home after receiving money in her trust fund from her father. Smelling shenanigans, she wants to support her mother. And I agree with others who think this isn’t the first time Katie has mediated during her parents’ marriage. She is outraged on her mother’s behalf and even calls a meeting between the two. (Sadly, there are no Manhattans for Eileen to throw in Jerry’s face). The meeting doesn’t go anywhere, showing her parents’ stubbornness.
Meanwhile, Ellis is jockeying to gain more power in the theater world. He tries to be the ultimate spy but just comes off as annoying. He talks with his lady friend, played by Condola Rashad, daughter of Phylicia Rashad AKA Mrs. Huxtable. Insulting Tom, Ellis decides he wants to be a producer. And I had that “The Producers” song stuck in my head for the rest of the episode. Thanks, show.
Anyway, Ellis warns Ivy and Tom that Derek is doing something with Karen. And what is Derek planning? Well, the title of this episode is “Coup.”
Derek meets Karen in a restaurant far away from the theater scene so they won’t be spotted. He is looking at taking Marilyn the Musical in a new direction. And as such, he and Eileen are looking at another composer. But they don’t want Julia and Tom to know. Fragile egos and all. Anyway, they want to do a demo and want Karen to sing Marilyn. She’s a little hesitant. It doesn’t sit right with her. Especially as when everyone was gathering around Ivy and worshipping the ground she walked on, Julia reached out and talked to Karen. But Derek is British and charming and convinces Karen to do it. But she can’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.
So naturally, everyone finds out. And I’m not sure Ellis is entirely to blame. But I’m going to blame him anyway. After all, he told Ivy. And Ivy went bowling with Sam, the chorus buddies and someone else. It was a scene that included them singing and dancing around the bowling lanes and all I could think was that it didn’t work in Grease 2. And that you can’t really dance on the lanes—there are sensors that set off alarms if you accidently step over the line. Anyway, chorus buddy Bobby meets up with Karen and asks her about the top secret project. Karen voices her concerns but as I don’t recall anything Bobby said, I guess he didn’t say anything too important.
Anyway, everyone gathers in Brooklyn—Ivy, Ellis, Eileen, Katie, Tom, Julia, Derek and Karen. Derek reveals that he’s been talking to some guy from OneRepublic, who Karen geeked out over when she first met him. He’s composed a song at Derek’s request. You see, Derek doesn’t want to focus on just the historical Marilyn. He wants to show how Marilyn transcends time. To show the modern Marilyn. The edgy Marilyn. Julia and Tom are a little apprehensive.
And the number, called “Touch Me,” begins. Karen starts behind a screen, giving the impression she is naked. She then emerges in a dress made to look like a bed sheet was tied around Karen. As she continues singing, she steps onto a bed and does these suggestive dance moves. Eventually some masked men cage her in and it’s very…meh. The entire number was meh. I don’t even remember the words to the song. And I usually like Katharine McPhee but even she looked like she checked out during the number.
And I’m not the only one not impressed. Tom and Julia are livid. So is Katie. She pulls her mother outside and gives her what-for. Katie calls Eileen and Derek’s ploy something her father would do. Eileen is appropriately ashamed and joins Karen and that Guy from OneRepublic in apologizing to Julia and Tom. It’s still a tense situation and it ends up being Ellis who diffuses the situation. I know, right? He suggests everyone regrouping at Eileen’s the next day for a powwow after cooling down. Eileen leaves, taking Katie and Ellis with her. Julia also leaves as does Karen. She runs into Ivy, who says she understands why Karen stabbed Julia and Tom in the back. Like they are the only composer/lyricist in the business.
Inside, Tom and Derek have it out. Tom regrets letting Derek near it and Derek says Tom is insecure. That annoys Tom and we finally learn what happened to their friendship. Years ago, they did a musical together that bombed. Apparently, Tom thought that Derek was to blame. And he says that Derek went around trashing Tom’s reputation in the theater world. Derek says that it was Tom’s score and that he had a review to prove it. Tom retorts that the review was good because it was common knowledge the critic was sleeping with Derek’s father.
That gets a rise from Derek, who almost punches Tom. So we find the root of Derek’s aversion to gay people. Derek says he isn’t backing off and tells Tom that Marilyn was dark and edgy. That Tom and Julia’s score is too light and providing an idealized vision of Marilyn. He storms out of the building.
Karen’s had enough of underhanded deals though Dev enters one. He meets with RJ, who has more information on the man who may steal Dev’s job. Apparently he sent inappropriate pictures to the Mayor’s underage daughter. RJ offers to give Dev the proof but he initially turns it down. But then the man who may steal Dev’s job steals Dev’s speech. He was supposed to give one out on Staten Island at a 9/11 memorial thing. The man who may steal Dev’s job was given it instead as they didn’t think Dev’s Oxford background may fly out here.
At first, I thought it was another jab at the intelligence of Staten Islanders—the continuation of the media showing Staten Island as the backwoods of the city. We’re more intelligent than those imbeciles on Jersey Shore would have you believe. But then I thought about it. We lost a lot of people on September 11th, most of them firefighters. At an event honoring those lost, we want someone with all-American good looks like the man who may steal Dev’s job. Sorry, Dev.
So Dev asks for the damning evidence. RJ brings a little entourage to help get it, which Karen walks in on. During RJ and Dev’s hug. But everything gets smoothed over at home if not at work. There, the pictures mysteriously disappeared as it would seem this guy is untouchable. I guess he has pictures of someone high up doing something unmentionable with a goat or something. But he comes home to Karen making curry, which is actually good.
In her office, Eileen decides that Tom and Julia will remain as the composer and librettist. She only has two demands: she wants a title and she wants a star. Tom tries to argue for Ivy, but Eileen is adamant. She wants a star. So Tom takes it upon himself to tell Ivy. As he leaves Eileen’s office, he finds out that Ellis is working for her now. Ellis clearly has never heard of giving two week notice. Anyway, Tom breaks the news to Ivy and invites her back to the chorus at “Heaven on Earth.” She takes it, devastated. At her apartment, Derek comes to apologize and she lets him in.
Wow, a lot and a lot of nothing happened in that episode. Karen’s performance was forgettable. The best part of the episode was
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