One of the things I’m already noticing about NBC’s Smash is that, every time I find myself more or less indifferent about the concept of a Marilyn Monroe musical, a song from the drama’s developing production debuts and I’m lured back into the idea. Last night, that came in the form of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” a romantic duet performed by Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Michael (Will Chase).
As Jonathan described the song in his breakdown of last night’s episode, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” was a “It's a tender, subdued song that showed off a different side of this story, as opposed to the razzle-dazzle punch of the other three numbers we've seen performed thus far.”
Check it out below (spoilers if you haven’t watched the episode yet!)
The song’s relevance in the episode was multi-layered. Not only do we get to see Ivy and Michael go from the studio to the stage, transformed to Marilyn and Joe Dimagio, which allowed us to see the full context of the number within the story being told in the musical, but it was also used to address one of the recent backstage developments. Julia and Michael had an affair, and while Julia seems to be content in the life she has with her husband and son, judging by the longing looks she and Michael were exchanging, and the tension on her face just after her husband kissed her, it seems there may still be feelings between these two.
The delicate way the song is dually shaped around Julia and Michael's situation and Marilyn’s relationship with Joe Dimagio is a great example of what Smash is doing right. Plus, the song itself was great and it served as a great way to close out yet another fantastic episode of the series.
