Schmigadoon!
Episode 1 of Schmigadoon Season 1 begins with two doctors called Josh and Melissa wrapped up in a whirlwind romance. What begins as a heady cocktail of lust and passion soon fizzles out as the pair find themselves stuck in a rut. In order to try and fix their marriage, the pair embark on a couple’s retreat to Sacred Heart Love Trial. Bad weather soon consumes them, with Melissa and Josh arguing about how their relationship is just “fine” and not exactly brimming with passion like tit used to. The sound of church bells soon interrupt them, as the pair are caught off-guard and follow the noise. Walking through the mist, they find themselves in a strange fantasy world called Schmigadoon. Inevitably an opening ensemble begins as they arrive, with the townsfolk bursting into song to introduce the pair. When the singing subsides, we’re introduced to the charming Mayor Menlove and the very-obviously-evil Reverend Layton and his wife. The suave Danny Bailey’s there too, who’s the town bad boy. He takes a fancy to Melissa but Mildred saves them from this coming to fruition. The pair eventually make it to the inn where they’re given two separate rooms for a dollar. It all seems too good to be true, especially when Melissa heads outside to the Tunnel of Love that evening. With no Josh around, Danny ends up serenading her with a love song. In the morning things become weirder for the pair when they realize they’re unable to leave town. Well, I guess it’s time for another song! This time it comes from a leprechaun who informs them that they’re stuck in town.
The Episode Review
Schmigadoon is a charming self-aware musical that pokes holes in all the conventional musicals of old while capturing the essence of what makes them so endearing. Of course, the show itself is rather simple in plot, as one would expect from a series like this. The idea that these two need to find the true meaning of love after going through a rough patch is a good one and it works nicely in the context of this series. It’ll be interesting to see what other musical numbers Schmigadoon has up its sleeve as the charming opener does a pretty decent job introducing all these different characters and throwing them into this world. This looks to be a fun, simple musical for the Summer and we are all for it! Bring on the next episode!
