Opportunities were almost lost on "The Song."

Veronica hired Derek to direct a one night extravaganza to showcase her as more than just a Broadway star and she almost missed it; while Jimmy and Kyle were presented with an extraordinary chance to work with Derek and nearly threw it away over a bruised ego.

Derek as the savior is disconcerting, but as Ivy said, "He's a genius." All three of them chose to work with him because he could help them in their careers, but he's a beast. He claws and claws until he gets through and gets his way without any consideration for others.

It's a gift and flaw all wrapped together in one. In an uncharacteristic move, Derek gave into Ronnie's fear to grow as an artist and satisfied her mother's demand that Ronnie not change. His motivations for acquiescing were complicated because ultimately he was screwed either way.

If it got out that he forced Ronnie into a show she wasn't comfortable doing, he'd be seen as the same old jerk. If he directed Ronnie as a nothing-new Broadway star, he was compromising his artistic integrity. 

It seems that Tom has finally overcome his hatred of Derek. He doesn't necessarily like the director, but cared enough to call Derek out in a calm, even friendly manner, for messing up. And, as a song writer, he showed his integrity by promoting Jimmy's song. Tom's one of the good guys and one of few on the show. Tom's words convinced Derek to stand by his vision.

Peter is surprisingly similar to Derek in methods, but his motivations are pure. He wants to help Julia create the best book for Bombshell that she can. Unlike Derek, Peter isn't selfish at all. He even doesn't take credit publicly for his work, rather truly sees himself as a teacher. 

It took some time to break Julia, but he pushed her creative buttons and in the end was successful. Bombshell was about how the men saw Marilyn and speak for her. Brilliant. Is this the breakthrough they needed to make Bombshell a hit?

Ronnie realized that for her to be successful, she needed to have the strength to overcome her fear of change and trust Derek. She defied her mother and decided to introduce the world to a new Veronica Moore at her show. She sexed up her trademark song, "I Got Love" and sang Jimmy and Kyle's song, "I Can't Let Go" to close out her show. 

The almost-missed opportunities became growth experiences for all involved. Ronnie trusted herself to present a new her to the world, Jimmy returned to the theater to show he could handle rejection, Derek lost and discovered himself, and Julia dropped her shell by letting Peter help her.

It was a triumphant story of success. The one exception was for Eileen. She had to step down as producer of Bombshell in order to save the show. She decided to take the honorable path and give it up in order to help Nick. It was a shame that she had to lose the show, but even worse when it turned out her ex-husband, Jerry, was behind it.

The slimy Jerry set up the criminal case so he could take over the show and put Eileen in her place. He is despicable  It's difficult to see what Eileen ever saw in him when she fell in love and married the guy. And, who gave Jerry the ammunition to bring her down -- Ellis!

With Veronica's show over and Bombshell back on, the story will shift back to Broadway. With Jerry producing Bombshell will the principal people remain on the show? With The Hit List on the table, Derek and Karen could shift their focus to that show instead with Eileen as producer. I'd love to see her prove Jerry wrong and produce an even more successful show than him.

Odds and Ends

• Jennifer Hudson was an amazing guest star. Her singing was brilliant. I'd love to see her return for another appearance.
• Jimmy's attitude is annoying to watch. It's understandable to be hurt, but his acting out is unprofessional. He did come back to the theater on his own at least, even if high. Was that the start of a better, less self-absorbed Jimmy? I hope so. 
• Jimmy kissed Karen! He was high, but he did it. Regardless of his issues, I'd like to see him be successful. He's talented and had a rough life, but that only goes so far as an excuse.
• It was a pleasant surprise to see Karen accept working with Ivy again. While they may never be best friends, I hope they will continue to get closer and overcome the past. They were both hurt and Ivy has proved she has changed. The Broadway world is too small from them to avoid each other, even Tom and Derek can work together peacefully now.
• Linda: Isn't she too old for a momager? | permalink
• Julia: "The Singing Bird" -- I thought the title was a metaphor, but no it's actually about a bird that sings. | permalink
• Please let that $50,000 check be enough to buy Ellis off, so he is never mentioned or seen again.

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.