'Smash' Recap: 'Enter Mr. DiMaggio'

Fresh off her victory, Ivy is back in bed with evil director Derek. When she asks for some time to "practice Marilyn," Derek replies, "That's what we're doing, darling." He tries to play it off as a joke which of course it isn't. Ivy's obsessive Marilyn research is starting to get annoying.

Across town, Eileen has taken a collection of jewels to sell that we assume were from Jerry. She finds a cheap pair of earrings that were inspired by Seven Year Itch and takes them.

Karen is swirling on the edge of Derek's maelstrom, trying not to get sucked in. She meets the director at a bar for a drink, where they talk about her role in the ensemble. "Life is long, but theater is longer," he tells her. It may take five years for Marilyn to come to Broadway, and a lot can change.

Dev crashes their meeting, kissing Karen territorially and then going into a sparring match with Derek about their British roots. Karen is rightfully embarrassed and annoyed that the pair had to "establish their place in the pack." "That display was not for me," she says, trying to scold Dev. He sweeps her into a dip in a Gone with the Wind moment to distract her.

Team Marilyn is back in the studio talking about the rest of the cast. Michael Swift comes up as an option to play DiMaggio, and Eileen and Derek decide to see his Bruno Mars show that evening. Afterwards, they both agree he would be a great fit for the part. Derek wants to know if Michael would be interested, and Eileen says he's a baseball fan. Jerry then shows up, again interrupting their meal and trying to tempt Derek back to My Fair Lady. When he tries to touch Eileen's new Marilyn earrings, she throws another cocktail in his face. "I"m such a klutz," she says as Derek leaves to get menus.

In the coffee shop, Karen is talking to the other waitress about being in the chorus for Marilyn. "Don't call it the chorus, call it the ensemble," she advises, "though that sounds the same as calling garbage men sanitation workers." While she may think she's being helpful, she's the ultimate raincloud. Don't you know workshops don't pay very much? Don't you know you're going to miss shifts here? And your'e already taking the weekend off for a baby shower in Iowa? Well forget about things like that in the future!

Annoying Ellis crashes a jam session with Julia and Tom saying he thinks the song is great. Julia is clearly trying not to bite his head off as he scurries off to get the dry cleaning. "Why don't you like him?" Tom asks. "I don't have to like everyone." She does like Derek, much to Tom's surprise. "I think he's talented." "The tigers that ate Siegfried and Roy were talented," Tom replies. They start talking about Michael playing DiMaggio in the show, and Julia would rather jump off a cliff.

Michael Swift is thinking about turning the part down. "It only pays like $200 a week," he tells his wife. Concerned about the cash flow and having to put their son in daycare, he wants to keep his options open. "Turning down Joe DiMaggio for something that might come up?" Mrs. Swift says. "Daddy's crazy!" she tells their son.

Karen has started packing for her trip to Iowa, but her downer coworker has already set in. "I'm worried about money," she confesses to Dev. Well maybe you shouldn't have bought the plane ticket then? Besides, who would want to miss a baby shower in a karaoke bar in Iowa! "I can cover us," Dev offers. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that," Karen tells him. A weekend away will not only keep the state of Iowa from imploding at Karen's absence but may get her to loosen up and stop worrying.

Ellis meets up with friends who ask about his new job. He reveals his mom knew Tom's brother in college which got him the introduction. They ask if he's being paid for his idea for a musical about Marilyn, which of course he isn't. At work the next day, he takes Julia's idea notebook as she and Tom are arguing about what Joe and Marilyn wanted from their marriage.

Arriving in Kansas, Karen is bombarded with her parents' concern. They want to make sure she's making a good decision staying in New York, but the workshop won't pay much and they don't want her to be disappointed. Karen argues she has three days there and doesn't want to think about Broadway. Sorry dear, not thinking about a problem doesn't make it go away.

Ivy is also finding that out as Derek hasn't called since their last rendezvous. She's worried their relationship is only about sex and that she only got the part for sleeping with him. He shows up in her dressing room after her show, and they treat her cast mates to an aural show.

Ellis reveals the notebook to his friend from the roof. She wants to see the inner workings of Broadway, but Ellis won't show her. They unexpectedly start making out. As Ellis falls farther into an obnoxious rat, we hoped being gay and fabulous would make him a little redeeming. With his sexuality no longer in question, he goes back to being at the bottom of our favorite characters list.

Julia stops by Eileen's office to drop off a new outline for the play, where she runs into Michael. They exchange increasingly awkward chatter as she waits for the elevator. She's written a brilliant new show. He almost turned down the part. She thought he would. He got married and had a kid. He leans in to push the elevator button again. She smells good. Wait, what? Can't wait to find out where that came from.

Eileen goes to dinner to meet a potential producing partner for the show, Manny, when Jerry interrupts yet again. He's sent her expensive earrings and another Manhattan "for throwing." He says the producer had signed onto the show without meeting Eileen because Jerry talked him into it. No one seems to think she can pull it off without Jerry which makes Eileen only want to prove she can. She meets with Manny the next day, who refuses to support the show unless Jerry is producing. "I'm just more comfortable working with Jerry on the financial side of things," he tells her.

Ivy's cast mate asks Tom out for lunch as a date and fills him in on Ivy and Derek's dressing room sex. He then loses it, saying how unethical it is for Derek to date Ivy. But it probably helped get her the part, Julia tells him. Besides, isn't everyone in show business having sex? When Ellis steps up to get Tom some space after their fight, Julia attacks him. This sets Ellis into Julia trying to protect his position. "You can't fire me because I don't work for you," he tells her. He then returns the notebook saying it had been lost under the mail.

Karen tells her Iowa pals that Dev has offered to support her and they think it's a great idea. "Feminism is overrated," they tell her. "Half our class is married already!" They drag her up on stage for a rendition of Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman." Until now, it's easy to believe she's from Iowa, naive and innocent. But Karen is really not the redneck that bar patrons are and the moment seems a little forced. Her dad was in the audience, and when she leaves the next day he gives her a check to help.

In Ivy's bedroom, she plucks up and asks Derek why they never go to his apartment. He claims the building is a wreck after his neighbor had a new stove put in which messed up the gas pipes. He really does want her "everywhere, darling." She doesn't seem convinced that he's sincere. He certainly doesn't seem the type to be really into a relationship.

Tom and Julia make up after their fight, and she confesses to having an affair with Michael five years earlier. She's never told anyone about her
"show crush," and that the affair had been over for a while. "No one else can know." Just where a rat should be, Ellis is creeping in the hall taking in every word.

In the studio, Michael and Ivy record a demo of the newest song, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Tom can see Michael and Julia giving each other the eye. This could be a problem.

Catch next week's Smash Monday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.