2The Callback
Ivy and Karen jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia and her husband Frank, are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.
3Enter Mr. DiMaggio
With Ivy cast as Marilyn and Karen cast in the ensemble, the production moves into the workshop phase, the $200/week paycheck per person which causes some unspoken issues among many of the cast. For Karen, a trip back to Iowa for a friend's baby shower places her life into perspective for her, her friends and her family. Ivy's own insecurities surface as she wonders if she only got the part because she is sleeping with Derek. With the principal female lead cast, the casting moves to the three male leads, the first being Joe DiMaggio. The name that comes to mind for most is Michael Swift, which causes Julia some unspoken anxiety. She eventually admits the reason for her anxiety to Tom, which could add an extra dimension to her already tenuous relationship with Ellis. And Eileen continues to have problems attracting investors, as many of her past investors had always dealt with Jerry, who they trust more than her.
4The Cost of Art
Despite their respective roles in the production, the seeming battle between Ivy and Karen continues into the workshop. Ivy is mad since she wasn't told previously that Karen would be in the ensemble. Ivy, despite or because she knows Karen is talented, does whatever she can to ensure that Karen gets as little work in the background as possible. Karen is mad as she learns that Ivy and Derek are in a sexual relationship, something she knows she could have had with Derek if she wanted, and something she knows got Ivy the part regardless of talent. She is also mad because of the stunts Ivy is pulling to minimize her work. Regardless, Karen is determined to be the best ensemble player ever, without truly understanding what that really means. Karen ultimately gets some unexpected support in making her way through her first ever Broadway musical ensemble. Meanwhile, Derek is throwing a birthday party for former Broadway child actor and now television star Lyle West. The party adds another layer of bad will between Tom and Derek as Tom doesn't like that Derek is taking credit for Lyle, who was really his find. Eileen continues to have problems raising the $200,000 just to fund the workshop. She contemplates selling a cherished and sentimental personal possession, which may be more difficult than she anticipates. However, some creative financing may be just around the corner in Derek's apartment. And the sexual tension continues between Julia and Michael.
5Let's Be Bad
In the workshop, Derek seems to be changing both his professional and personal allegiance from Ivy to Karen, which places both women in an awkward and embarrassing situation. While Ivy continues to take her frustration out on Karen, Karen seeks support from Dev, who provides little as he is focused on his own issue of a job promotion. Despite Karen feeling that one of Dev's professional associates has her sights on him, Karen is able to funnel her energies and channel a little bit of Marilyn in helping Dev in his cause. Meanwhile, Leo gets into a situation with the police, which is bad timing for Julia as Frank is out of town, she has to complete the book, and her mind is focused on trying to avoid Michael (without success), with who the sexual tension continues. Tom indirectly comes to Leo's rescue, which factors into Tom's continuing question of whether he likes John as a potential boyfriend or not.
6Chemistry
The workshop is being shown to potential investors. It's not good timing for either the creative team or Ivy has she has come down with a vocal stress issue, which is affecting her ability to sing. Ivy is prescribed steroids to overcome the issue, but since she is hypersensitive to drugs, she has to make the decision to let the stress heal itself without the drugs which means probably allowing Karen to take over the lead for the workshop and potentially for the show, or to take the steroids and face the side effects. Meanwhile, Karen reluctantly accepts a gig that was originally Ivy's to sing at a bar mitzvah. Performing at the gig has an unexpected result for Karen. Eileen is feeling more confident in her life with Ellis now acting as her assistant. Tom continues his courtship with John. And after her passionate kiss with Michael, Julia tries whatever she can to avoid any personal contact with him, with little success.
7The Workshop
In the lead up to showing the workshop to potential investors, things don't seem to be going well for anyone involved with the show except Karen, whose biggest issue is if her allegiances lie with the show or furthering her music career, as a big time music producer, who only has a limited time to see her, can only do so during the investor's show. Eileen is having problems with the building manager and getting the boiler repaired in time for the show as the building is like a furnace. Eileen gets some help on this matter from an unexpected source, which may add a little spice to her personal life. Julia's work is suffering because of her angst over her continuing sexual relationship with Michael, and the fact that she learns that Leo knows about the affair. And Ivy, still recuperating from her vocal strain, has the additional concern about her visiting hypercritical mother, ex-Broadway star Leigh Conroy, who, in Ivy's words, sucks all the spotlight on herself like a black hole whenever she's around. Ivy is thrown for a further loop when two specific people show up for the show, one who could affect her performance and another who could jeopardize her maintaining the role of Marilyn regardless of her performance. After the show, the creative team have to make some tough decisions, some which are made more from a personal rather than professional stance.
8The Coup
It's been two days since the workshop was presented to potential investors. Since, Derek and Eileen have gone into relative hiding, not responding to any left messages. Is silence a good thing for those involved in the show? There is one person who does know his fate regarding the show. One other person has heard from the producing/directing team. Derek asks Karen to prepare and present some new music without telling anyone, but most specifically Tom and Julia, about what she's doing until it is presented. Karen is concerned about the secrecy revolving around this request. She is still equally as concerned about Dev's relationship with R.J., which grows if only because of his on-going battle for the press secretary job. Back with the show, Ellis, does whatever he can to find out what's going on. What he sees he is more than willing to divulge to those who he feels should know, but what he sees also influences what he wants to do to further his career. Although she does care that she has yet to hear back from Eileen, Julia is still preoccupied with thoughts of Michael and how to handle that situation, and Leo's impending court date regarding his marijuana possession. And Eileen's saintly daughter, Katie, comes home for a visit. Her visit is not by accident. Katie tries to add some semblance of civility to her parent's crumbling marriage, as well as some sense of what is right and wrong into Eileen's current professional life.
9Hell on Earth
With Derek and Eileen's experiment to take the show in a different direction musically a failure, everything about the show truly is up in the air. With much work ahead of them before anything substantive can be shown, Derek isn't sure he can wait and thinks about quitting. Eileen has her own idea of directors to replace him. The one thing that they can agree on is that a star is needed to headline the show. Ellis believes that his behind-the-scenes work in getting that star will provide him with the ammunition he needs to get his career to that next level. Despite the tremendous amount of work they have to do on the show, both Julia and Tom become further preoccupied with their respective personal lives. Frank believes the song he finds on Julia's nightstand is an indication that not all is all right in the Houston home life. Frank decides to take direct action at least to receive his small sense of justice. And Tom receives yet another piece of information about John which is the latest in a long string of potential deal breakers in their relationship. He also has to deal with a despondent Ivy, who believes she is handed one bad piece of news after another. The latest is losing a part to Karen - this one for a national commercial - which in part leads to an on-stage incident at "Heaven on Earth". That incident leads to an unexpected albeit temporary point of connection with Karen.
11The Movie Star
Rebecca Duvall has finally made it to rehearsals. Many in the company are in awe of working on a project with such a big star. But Rebecca turns out to be less than the perfect leading lady for this project: she isn't a strong singer, and her many demands include having more book and less song in the production. The creative team have to decide how to deal with Rebecca, which may work to Ivy's benefit. Ivy is hoping that Rebecca crashes and burns so that she can work her way back into the lead role. This situation brings her together with Karen in an interesting meeting point. Meanwhile, some relationships are flourishing while others are floundering. Karen and Dev seem to be drifting apart as Dev deals with not getting the press secretary job, which he has yet to tell Karen. He seems to feel more comfortable talking to R.J. about his problems. With a little help from Julia, Tom and Sam embark on the start of their relationship. It ends up being a little different than what Tom had expected, but it gives him some time for self-reflection on why he has never been in a long term relationship. Julia and Frank have to work together to deal with former A-student Leo, who is now failing in a few subjects. Julia and Frank have different approaches in dealing with the issue. Eileen decides to confront at least the issue of Nick in moving forward personally and professionally. And Ellis, in a so-called personal relationship solely to advance his career, makes a misstep which takes him one step backward.
12Publicity
As Rebecca immerses herself further into the project, she demands change after change to turn it more into a play and less as a musical to work toward her own strengths, or more precisely to steer away from her weakness as a singer. Rebecca also befriends Karen, who, to the media, becomes Rebecca's new BFF to the point of speculation that they are lovers. Regardless, Karen welcomes her new friend, being able to bask in the media limelight for whatever reason and enjoy the trappings associated with being with a movie star. However, the "forever" part of BFF might not fit into Rebecca's grand plan. Unknown to Rebecca, there are others behind the scenes that are maneuvering for Ivy to emerge the star despite Derek's seeming obsession with Karen in the role. Rebecca and Karen's friendship also has an effect on Karen and Dev's relationship. Meanwhile, Eileen gets a head's up from Ellis that Jerry will be attending the same social function as her. Rather than it be an awkward situation, she believes she can take advantage of it by bringing Nick to the event with her to show Jerry that she has moved on with her life. And Julia and Frank go into a panic when they discover that Leo has run away. Julia believes that Mason, who feigns not knowing where Leo is, is not telling the whole truth.
13Tech
The production has moved into the tech phase, with the first show in two days in Boston. Derek is already stressed with all he has to do to get the show ready, which is not helped by their leading man giving immediate notice since he got another job. The easiest thing to do would be to bring Michael Swift back. Although Julia is at home with Frank trying to repair their marriage, Michael back in the show may throw a wrench into those repairs. Julia and Eileen have a standoff on the issue, Julia who threatens to quit if Michael returns, while Eileen still figures that bringing Michael back is the path of least resistance unless Julia does make good on her promise. Derek and Rebecca seem to have a new professional understanding, which Ivy takes to mean that they are embarking on a personal relationship. Beyond the emotional loss if Derek is indeed carrying on with Rebecca, Ivy has to brace herself for whatever professional strategic loss that means specifically for this show. Meanwhile, Dev is feeling at a professional loss himself, the emotions with which he tries to transfer to his personal life. This transfer in turn affects Karen, who can't think of anything else but the tech at the present time. And since they are in Boston which is Sam's home town, Tom wants to meet his family.
14Previews
In the lead up to tonight's first preview of three in a row in Boston, many things going on behind the scenes are preoccupying the minds of the cast and creative team. Julia has returned from her hiatus, but is not talking to Tom, who she believes should have stuck up for her in demanding that Michael not return to the show. Frank and Leo accompany her for support, and to ensure that Michael, who Julia avoids at all cost, does not move in on Julia himself. While Derek told Ivy only three days earlier that he loves her and she now learns that he is sleeping with Rebecca, Ivy looks to another man for emotional support through sex, that man being Dev. Karen is in emotional limbo herself after telling Dev that she can't marry him right now, and in turn he not returning her several messages. But the first preview does happen, and like most previews, the entire team has some work to do following. One major incident happens at the end of the preview which causes Eileen to fume, leads to Tom and Julia, who still aren't talking to each other, needing to rewrite the ending, and causes Rebecca to have a crisis of faith in herself. Over the next day as many of the pre-preview issues try to work themselves out, some rogue peanuts and a little bit of religion thrown in courtesy of Sam's family's church may add a little perspective to the proceedings.
