Schmigadoon! season 1 episode 5 review: Hearts lost and found

After finding new love interests and a potential way out in last week’s episode, this week’s Schmigadoon! sees Josh and Melissa stumbling onto their way back to each other.

Something I want to talk about in this week’s review is how resource-rich Schmigadoon! is. From having Barry Sonnenfeld behind the camera to writers like Bowen Yang and Julie Klausner on staff to the absolutely stacked cast.

But what Schmigadoon! does expertly is balance its powerhouse talent. A show like Schmigadoon! can have Alan Cumming in the background of a musical number simply reacting to the production without ever singing or dancing and allowing one of the show’s other huge stars to take the spotlight.

This also requires the leads, Cecily Strong and Keegan Michael Key, to be able to give and share the spotlight with huge Broadway talent, which both do well, Strong in particular. (I’ve said before they should create an award for reacting to musical numbers just to give to Strong for this role.)

“Tribulation” wisely saves two of its biggest powerhouses for the penultimate episode:  Kristin Chenoweth and Jane Krakowski. While the former has appeared in the previous episodes, fans like myself had been waiting for her to finally sing.

The song itself was a bit underwhelming. It was funny, but not the best showcase of Chenoweth’s insane vocal talents, so I’m hoping it’s not the last we’ll hear of Chenoweth’s Mrs. Layton singing on the show.

As for Krakowski, her debut was a fantastic twist on The Sound of Music’s Countess, a sexy number driving down a country road about her determination to win back Doc Lopez.

By the episode’s end, Josh and Melissa have found the heart-shaped rocks that led them to Schmigadoon in the first place. Whether these two have found “true love” and their way out will be determined in next week’s season finale.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Schmigadoon!? Tell us in the comments below!