Gleeview: Yes/No
Spoiler Alert!
This returning episode could have been called "Full Circle". Two of the major storylines involved relationships/storylines hinted at in the Pilot episode almost 3 seasons ago. Obviously, the Rachel/Finn storyline is not resolved and is probably far from finished, but Finn's proposal seems to me something an inevitability. Rachel's answer is much more unpredictable. More on this later.
Here's a rundown of the major storylines, saving the most important for last.
Becky/Artie
Even though this doesn't seem to be an ongoing storyline beyond this episode, it was interesting to me. I relate to Artie closely, and I think he was stuck with a realistic dilemma here. Does he date Becky just because she's disabled like he is? Does he have an obligation? The answer turned out to be an emphatic no, but I think the Glee club's involvement, and Artie's individual contemplations on the issue, covered the issue well. I was glad to see it myself, at least for one episode.
Will/Emma
Will finally proposed to Emma, and she said yes. If there was a true inevitability from episode 1, this was it. Will has flaws (probably largely due to "learning how to be a man" from Finn), but like Finn he's good at heart. And, Emma is probably the least flawed in character but has this borderline debilitating psychological illness. I think they're a good match. At least Emma's crazy is out in the open, unlike Terri's.
Some fans have been down on Will's handling of the Glee Club, favoring some members over others, etc., but I think in the end he deserved their eagerness to help him. I see him as a mixture of teacher and actual member of the group, and that's not always pretty. But, families are rarely perfect.
Mercedes/Sam
As I wrote in a gleeview a couple of episodes ago, Sam is more interesting already in the few episodes he's appeared in this season than all of last season. I like him with Mercedes. Mercedes seems to be attracted to people who are quite different from her: Kurt, Puck, and Sam. Shane seems like her safe choice. I'm betting on Sam in the end.
Finn/Rachel
This was probably a love it or hate it development for fans, but typically I came down in the middle because as often happens with Glee, if you look deeper you'll see more. There are lot of ways that this storyline could go, ways in which we are being "set up" so to speak. Finn hasn't figured out what he wants from his future, but he does not seem to have immediate ambitions outside of Ohio. Rachel obviously didn't answer his proposal immediately, and she has huge aspirations outside of Ohio. Obviously, the other set up may be the delay in receiving any response from NYADA. She only sang her romantic "proposal" song to Finn after she began to think she might not get into NYADA, and she seemed to be falling back on something she knew was close to a sure thing.
New York and Finn seem to be mutually exclusive for Rachel right now. Rachel has her own flaws, bouts of pretty extreme selfishness fueled by blind ambition, but she has matured. Her willingness to put her future at risk to help Kurt is an example of that, and, significantly, I haven't seen her show the same willingness to risk her future for Finn. I understand the concept that dreams are no good unless you have someone to share them with, but Finn does not seem to be that person for Rachel at this point. I'm guessing they will come to some compromise in the short term, but Finn still has some maturing to do before he's worthy of Rachel in the long run. I don't think that's impossible--again, Glee writers are good at keeping their options open--but I haven't thought of a way short of Finn explicitly telling Rachel that he will not try to hold her back.
Favorite Line
Watch "Showmance" (Season 1 Episode 2) for their "first date." Even Finn has enough sense to not tell the girl he's about to propose to the real reason he ran off on their first kiss.
Rachel:...and I told you you could kiss me if you wanted to. I never understood why you ran off so quickly.
Finn: Yeah, I was just nervous.
Musical Rundown
"Summer Nights" from Grease--This song made sense, of course, but I don't think Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Chord Overstreet (Sam) were right for it. The best part of this number for me were Kurt, Santana and Rachel's antics in the background, mimicking the movie scene. Chord Overstreet is not the actor that John Travolta is, and this song is just not right for Amber Riley's voice. It was a good idea, and not terrible, but just mediocre by Glee standards for me.
"Wedding Bell Blues" by Fifth Dimension--Jayma Mays (Emma) always sounds good when she sings. It always seems like every time she sings, it's in character, deceptively sweet. She's not a great singer, but she's good enough to bring a little smile to my face.
"Moves Like Jagger"/Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Maroon 5/Rolling Stones--This gave Will a chance to dance, and it was pretty good. I liked the mash-up arrangement, and Kevin McHale is a good singer. It wasn't my favorite, but it was good.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack--This reminded me of the use of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" near the end of season 1. These are songs that you might hear in the background to an eye-roll worthy commercial, but somehow Glee found a way to make them sound fresh and not clichéd. It was actually very nice. The Glee girls definitely sounded good.
"Without You" by David Guetta--Lea Michele (Rachel) can do it all. This isn't her signature type of song, but who can argue with her competence to sing whatever Rachel Berry puts her mind to? I'm can't.
"We Found Love" by Rihanna--This was a typically fun group number. Lea Michele's short solo, incidentally, was more suited to her voice than her real solo, but this was about the group. And, they almost always sound really good. There's a reason these people were cast for this show: they're talented.
This returning episode could have been called "Full Circle". Two of the major storylines involved relationships/storylines hinted at in the Pilot episode almost 3 seasons ago. Obviously, the Rachel/Finn storyline is not resolved and is probably far from finished, but Finn's proposal seems to me something an inevitability. Rachel's answer is much more unpredictable. More on this later.
Here's a rundown of the major storylines, saving the most important for last.
Becky/Artie
Even though this doesn't seem to be an ongoing storyline beyond this episode, it was interesting to me. I relate to Artie closely, and I think he was stuck with a realistic dilemma here. Does he date Becky just because she's disabled like he is? Does he have an obligation? The answer turned out to be an emphatic no, but I think the Glee club's involvement, and Artie's individual contemplations on the issue, covered the issue well. I was glad to see it myself, at least for one episode.
Will/Emma
Will finally proposed to Emma, and she said yes. If there was a true inevitability from episode 1, this was it. Will has flaws (probably largely due to "learning how to be a man" from Finn), but like Finn he's good at heart. And, Emma is probably the least flawed in character but has this borderline debilitating psychological illness. I think they're a good match. At least Emma's crazy is out in the open, unlike Terri's.
Some fans have been down on Will's handling of the Glee Club, favoring some members over others, etc., but I think in the end he deserved their eagerness to help him. I see him as a mixture of teacher and actual member of the group, and that's not always pretty. But, families are rarely perfect.
Mercedes/Sam
As I wrote in a gleeview a couple of episodes ago, Sam is more interesting already in the few episodes he's appeared in this season than all of last season. I like him with Mercedes. Mercedes seems to be attracted to people who are quite different from her: Kurt, Puck, and Sam. Shane seems like her safe choice. I'm betting on Sam in the end.
Finn/Rachel
This was probably a love it or hate it development for fans, but typically I came down in the middle because as often happens with Glee, if you look deeper you'll see more. There are lot of ways that this storyline could go, ways in which we are being "set up" so to speak. Finn hasn't figured out what he wants from his future, but he does not seem to have immediate ambitions outside of Ohio. Rachel obviously didn't answer his proposal immediately, and she has huge aspirations outside of Ohio. Obviously, the other set up may be the delay in receiving any response from NYADA. She only sang her romantic "proposal" song to Finn after she began to think she might not get into NYADA, and she seemed to be falling back on something she knew was close to a sure thing.
New York and Finn seem to be mutually exclusive for Rachel right now. Rachel has her own flaws, bouts of pretty extreme selfishness fueled by blind ambition, but she has matured. Her willingness to put her future at risk to help Kurt is an example of that, and, significantly, I haven't seen her show the same willingness to risk her future for Finn. I understand the concept that dreams are no good unless you have someone to share them with, but Finn does not seem to be that person for Rachel at this point. I'm guessing they will come to some compromise in the short term, but Finn still has some maturing to do before he's worthy of Rachel in the long run. I don't think that's impossible--again, Glee writers are good at keeping their options open--but I haven't thought of a way short of Finn explicitly telling Rachel that he will not try to hold her back.
Favorite Line
Watch "Showmance" (Season 1 Episode 2) for their "first date." Even Finn has enough sense to not tell the girl he's about to propose to the real reason he ran off on their first kiss.
Rachel:...and I told you you could kiss me if you wanted to. I never understood why you ran off so quickly.
Finn: Yeah, I was just nervous.
Musical Rundown
"Summer Nights" from Grease--This song made sense, of course, but I don't think Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Chord Overstreet (Sam) were right for it. The best part of this number for me were Kurt, Santana and Rachel's antics in the background, mimicking the movie scene. Chord Overstreet is not the actor that John Travolta is, and this song is just not right for Amber Riley's voice. It was a good idea, and not terrible, but just mediocre by Glee standards for me.
"Wedding Bell Blues" by Fifth Dimension--Jayma Mays (Emma) always sounds good when she sings. It always seems like every time she sings, it's in character, deceptively sweet. She's not a great singer, but she's good enough to bring a little smile to my face.
"Moves Like Jagger"/Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Maroon 5/Rolling Stones--This gave Will a chance to dance, and it was pretty good. I liked the mash-up arrangement, and Kevin McHale is a good singer. It wasn't my favorite, but it was good.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack--This reminded me of the use of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" near the end of season 1. These are songs that you might hear in the background to an eye-roll worthy commercial, but somehow Glee found a way to make them sound fresh and not clichéd. It was actually very nice. The Glee girls definitely sounded good.
"Without You" by David Guetta--Lea Michele (Rachel) can do it all. This isn't her signature type of song, but who can argue with her competence to sing whatever Rachel Berry puts her mind to? I'm can't.
"We Found Love" by Rihanna--This was a typically fun group number. Lea Michele's short solo, incidentally, was more suited to her voice than her real solo, but this was about the group. And, they almost always sound really good. There's a reason these people were cast for this show: they're talented.