The Cost of Art

"The Cost of Art"
Smash episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 4
Directed by	Michael Morris
Written by	David Marshall Grant
Featured music	"The 20th Century Fox Mambo" "History is Made at Night"[1] "Haven't Met You Yet"[2] "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl"[3] "Rumour Has It"[4]
Original air date	February 27, 2012 (2012-02-27)
Guest appearances
Nick Jonas as Lyle West Neal Bledsoe as John Goodwin Will Chase as Michael Swift Eisa Davis as Abigail Leslie Odom, Jr. as Sam Strickland
Episode chronology

"The Cost of Art" is the fourth episode of the American television series, Smash. The episode aired on February 27, 2012.

Plot

When Derek (Jack Davenport) hosts a party for young teen star Lyle West (guest star Nick Jonas), Eileen (Anjelica Huston) seizes the opportunity to try a new strategy for raising funds. Karen (Katharine McPhee) learns how to increase her chances of success in the high-stakes world of Broadway and Tom (Christian Borle) goes on a special first date.

Production

Nick Jonas was announced to guest star on the show on October 11, 2011.^[5] His character of Lyle West is described as "a hot sitcom star who started his career as a child actor in a Broadway show written by Tom (Christian Borle) and directed by Derek (Jack Davenport)."^[5] The release also mentioned that Jonas will sing in the episode.

Two cover songs and two originals are featured in the episode. Katharine McPhee performs Adele's "Rumour Has It" and Jonas performs "Haven't Met You Yet", which was originally sung by Michael Bublé. In addition, two original songs from Marilyn featured in the episode include "History is Made at Night" performed by Megan Hilty and the ensemble and "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl", also performed by Hilty. Additionally, snippets of "The 20th Century Fox Mambo" from "The Callback" and "Let's Be Bad" from the then upcoming episode of the same name could be heard in some of the rehearsal scenes. On February 27, only "Haven't Met You Yet" and "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl" were released as singles.^[6][7]

Reception

Ratings

Ratings for this episode were on par with the previous week's episode. It achieved 2.3 18–49 rating, but viewership increased from 6.5 million viewers to 6.6 viewers.^[8] Including the DVR ratings, the episode was viewed with a total of 3.4 ratings in 18–49 demographics and 9.05 million viewers.^[9]

Critical response

The episode received positive reviews from critics. Robert Bianco of USA Today called it the "best episode since [the series]' pilot".^[10] Maddie Furlong of The Huffington Post said the episode contained "just the right amount of momentum to get the story going again and a dash of over-the-top attitude."^[11] TV Guide's Damian Holbrook especially praised Karen's storyline.^[12]

References

1. "History is Made at Night". ASCAP. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
2. "Vocal Battle". Smash. Hulu. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
3. "Ivy's Marilyn Charm". Smash. Hulu. February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
4. Murray, Michael (February 13, 2012). "EXCLUSIVE: Katharine McPhee Rocks Adele's 'Rumor Has It' On 'Smash' [VIDEO]". RyanSeacrest.com. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
5. "Nick Jonas and Tony Award Winner Bernadette Peters to Guest Star on NBC's Midseason Musical Drama "Smash"". The Futon Critic. NBC. October 11, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
6. "I Never Met A Wolf Who Didn't Love To Howl (Smash Cast Version Featuring Megan Hilty)". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
7. "Haven't Met You Yet (Smash Cast Version Featuring Nick Jonas)". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
8. Gorman, Bill (February 28, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Smash,' 'Castle' Adjusted Down + 'Daytona 500' Final Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
9. Seidman, Robert (March 19, 2012). "Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family' Still Tops Absolute Ratings Gains; 'The Firm' Tops % Gains in Week 24". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
10. Bianco, Robert (February 27, 2012). "Critic's Corner for Monday: 'The Voice,' 'House,' 'Smash'". USA Today. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
11. Furlong, Maddie (February 23, 2012). "'Smash' Review: A New Plea To Watch The Show's Best Episode Yet". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
12. Holbrook, Damian (February 28, 2012). "Watercooler: Smash Gets Its Groove Back". TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 28, 2012.