So, I'm looking at it from the everyday-person approach who most likely would have watched Smash.
I quite agree with most of your post but I don't think this is true. Most people don't have your significant dance background, much less college drama training/degree(?) It's maybe closer to the *intended* average viewer, who is statistically older, more highly educated, and earns vastly more than the national average, and thus is more likely to be theatrically sophisticated (ie, they can afford to go to a lot of plays.) The average actual viewer might have a college or associates degree, but certainly not in the arts, and almost certainly does not have formal training in critical analysis. But here's the thing:
But regardless of whether she was in the right or not, it's her attitude towards it that makes me dislike her for a few episodes.
And there's the rub. I'm a post-modernist, every interaction between viewer and subject matter is valid. And I understand why some people find Ivy unsympathetic. I understand why some people find Karen sympathetic. (You cover several points for the prior two statements). I understand why some other people see those same episodes and find Karen unsympathetic. I understand why some people find Ivy sympathetic. (Even easier because I'm one of those people.) I pat myself on the back for exercising one of *my* college majors, which is critically understanding media and the relationship between it and the people who engage with it.
Ivy doesn't behave in a sympathetic way. At all. I never felt frustrated for her
When we move past our own personal emotive reactions, we speak a more common language of analysis. Things are provable, or they're not. Ivy does not behave sympathetically. I concur on this point. She acts smug, she is periodically rude, she is passive aggressive. But why? Textual analysis of the script, which is apparently also a thing actors do, indicate that Ivy is acting in this way because she's incredibly insecure. She acts smug and haughty and treats Karen like a novice because she's absolutely terrified of losing this chance, of finding out she wasn't "waiting" for a break, just getting old on the shelf.
I read this in the show's portrayal. Textually it gives me plenty of evidence for all the underlying psychology of Ivy's behavior. Personally I remember times I've acted smug and haughty when in power because I was scared. I never made friends when I was like this, and I've learned, over the years, to be more open and humble, but the fact remains I know I've been a little sh!t at various points because I misguidedly wanted to prove I deserved what I had.
Then we have Karen, who is getting dumped on unfairly, and is shining as bright as she can. You note that she was sometimes out of line, but got in trouble, which is fair trade (they can't fire her, we'd have no show!) And yes, the idea is she is naive and 110% all the time. There's a bit of a rationale issue where she shouldn't be naive since if YOU know she's out of line, SHE should know: she's had roughly your background, if not more intense. Plus she's been working in NYC for 2 years.
But back to textual analysis. We know how she's acting, what's the psychological reality? She believes she's entitled to it. If one person says she's a star, if she comes that close to the role, she believes no one else can do it, not validly. She believes she doesn't have to fit herself to a role or production, it must meld herself to her. She believes it's the world's responsibility to catch her up if she falls behind. She wants to be a star but thinks the work comes after the reward.
Prove me wrong.
She was awful here. Even the bathroom, "I wanted to leave, I was so jealous". YOU HAD THE PART, KAREN!
IKR? Their defense is that "the Broadway guys say Karen wouldn't ever be fired..." so they rolled with that and made all the characters look worse. My respect for Karen would have instantly spiked if she risked getting fired, got fired, but decided Rent2 was worth it and was thus vindicated by it going to Broadway and winning all sorts of awards. Giant in-your-face to Jerry and thus bond with Eileen, if nothing else. Lovely war story, good for press, shows her characters mettle and passion so much more clearly than turning down the recording contract meeting.
And anyway, like everything else in Smash had been so true to life? Prednisone anyone? PS, my mum currently has a poison ivy situation and her doctor stuck her on prednisone. I asked her, she is not hallucinating.
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