Fosse/Verdon Review: Nowadays (Season 1 Episode 7)

If there was one episode of Fosse/Verdon that could be characterized as “most anticipated.” it would be the Chicago-centric episode.

Fosse/Verdon Season 1 Episode 7 “Nowadays” delivers mesmerizing recreations of Chicago numbers, reveals behind the scenes drama, and sheds light on the multiple fractured relationships in Gwen and Bob’s web.

Essentially, we get equal amounts psychological drama and razzle dazzle, which about sums up the series thus far.

This episode has the basic template we’ve come to expect from Fosse/Verdon: there’s a bang-up scene with Norbert Leo Butz as Paddy Chayefsky, once again proving that he can make maximum impact in three minutes; there’s another instance of Bob preying on a young dancer (only this time, instead of just looking for sex, he’s looking for access to drugs too); there are moments of questionable parenting; Ann Reinking (Margaret Qualley) looks isolated and lost.

There are also masterful recreations. The entirety of Fosse/Verdon has gifted us with painstaking recreations of some of Bob and Gwen’s most iconic work but nothing quite compares to this episode’s Chicago-inspired scenes.

Whether you’re only tangentially familiar with Chicago or a diehard fan, you’re bound to find something in this episode you recognize (The marionette scene! The finale! Billy’s “Razzle Dazzle Them” scene!). 

Getting insight into how the piece came together is fascinating and also, at times, quite sad.

The truth behind how some of how favorite pieces of art came together isn’t always pretty and as a moment with Gwen and Jerry Orbach (a forgettable Tyler Hanes) illustrates, it’s downright painful, and as we see over the course of the episode, the relationship between creation and ego runs deep.

And often, when there’s a problem between Bob and Gwen as it relates to creating (any type of creation), the labor falls on Gwen to fix it.

We see the uncomfortable connection between creation and ego both in the situation with piecing together the show as well as in the scenes outlining Gwen and Bob’s fertility challenges and while the parallels are not obvious, they are there.

By the show’s account, their problems conceiving were tied to Bob’s low sperm motility and Sam Rockwell does an excellent job quickly telegraphing Bob’s shame when they receive this news as well as his deep-seated insecurity that Gwen may have cheated when they discover she is finally pregnant.

Despite their love for each other, there is a fundamental underlying lack of trust between the two and you can’t help but wonder if some of that insecurity, paired with the feelings of inferiority, fuels some of Bob’s subtle cruelty later on.

Maybe I’ve seen Chicago one too many times and absorbed its conspiratorial, cynical vibe too much, but the thought of bringing in Liza to replace Gwen seems too calculated.

Is his choice a strategic decision to breathe life into Gwen’s show and ensure it stayed open while she was convalescing or was it a way of getting back at Gwen for every slight and every moment he’s felt less than her?

While Sam Rockwell plays the moment rather ambiguously, Gwen seems to think it’s the latter.

I know almost every review turns into a “GIVE MICHELLE WILLIAMS AN EMMY” ode, but really…can we give Michelle Williams an Emmy?

In the midst of workshopping finale song “Nowadays,” which Bob wants to turn into a duet with Chita/Velma rather than a solo song for Gwen/Roxie, Gwen completely breaks, airing her grievances.

This is all just a favor…I could have let you stay a failed, bald dancer, a wannabe Fred Astaire, but I picked you up on my back and I carried you…through Charity, through Cabaret, I’ve been carrying you the whole goddamn time, and you have never forgiven me for it. You know damn well that if I get this song, it will be my show, not yours, and you can’t stand the thought of it. You can’t stand the fact that I’m the star, and not you.

Between this moment and Michelle Williams’ brilliant and meta performance channelling the Emcee/Billy Flynn singing “Razzle Dazzle” as scenes of Gwen and Bob charming adoption agency representatives flash on the screen, it’s a dynamite episode for Williams.

(Sam Rockwell gets a great moment showcasing his dance abilities but the episode still belongs to Williams. Truthfully, it’s fun and meta to see a version of Gwen upstage Bob so much over and over as Williams has managed to do over the course of the series.)

Lastly, the episode starts to touch on the nature of establishing a legacy. This isn’t entirely new territory for Fosse/Verdon as it’s delved into this topic but often, it’s spent time digging into this in terms of Bob. This episode, however, shines some light on some of Gwen’s motivations.

While she used dancing and her career as a way to get out of her unhappy marriage and initially said she was dying to do Chicago to help financially secure Nicole’s future, it’s clear from this episode that Gwen’s laser-focus on the show isn’t to try and ensure Nicole never has to worry about money. It’s more self-serving than that.

Gwen wants the stardom and she needs success to justify the other decisions she’s made, particularly her less than exceptional ones as a parent (remember that abandoned son we learned about earlier in the series? We’re reminded of him again this episode and there’s a reason for that).

The longer the series goes on, the more complicated the codependency between Gwen and Bob becomes. Beautiful things came out of their partnership but neither one is blameless for the pain and dysfunction it wrought either.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the series, I wish we had more time with Chita Rivera; I love that she’s presented as talented and deeply supportive of Gwen. I also wish we had more time understanding the impact of Bob and Gwen on Nicole — we see glimpses of her developing some dysfunctional behaviors but nothing concrete.

And lastly, I wish we had more time with Margaret Qualley’s Ann Reinking, who manages to express a deeply sad, exasperated, and kind presence every time she’s on screen.

Her relationship with Nicole is the most positive on the show, her friendship with Gwen was apparently quite strong, and her relationship with Bob continues to confound since she seems so continually devastated by him. I have questions!

Nevertheless, the finale is almost upon us. It will be interesting to see how they wrap this up; I can only hope we get some more time with the supporting characters listed above.

Given the structure of Fosse/Verdon and some of the themes of the musical, I predict we should buckle up and get ready for some Sweet Charity!

What did you think of this episode of Fosse/Verdon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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