Gleeview: Special Education
Spoiler Alert!
To be honest, I consciously tried to lower my expectations for last night's episode, so much so that I put off watching it until this morning. Well, I don't think I needed to worry. It was far and away the best episode of the season so far, in my opinion. There was drama, great music. a little bit of Lea Michele at her best, and some humor.
I'm very glad that the whole Finn/Santana thing blew up in Finn's face. I know this isn't the end for Finn & Rachel (Finchel), but it looks like it is for now. I hope they don't jump back into each other's arms next week. I was very afraid that the conflict would be wrapped up very neat and tidy by the end of this episode. It was almost was, but the twist at the end with Rachel cheating on Finn with Puck was brilliant I thought. Finn was right. He would be sensitive to that for obvious reasons, and it wasn't out of the blue that Rachel would run to Puck (Puckleberry fans probably liked this). He seems to be her go to guy to bond with when she needs some self esteem. Rachel is secure in her talent, but she's not secure in much else. Of course, this doesn't justify her actions; it just makes it a natural thing.
Quinn and Sam at least on the surface seem to have grown closer this episode. I'm quite sure, though, that Quinn just likes the attention and the popularity she will gain from Sam. I don't doubt that she thinks he's a good guy (she though Finn was too), but she's pretty selfish; let's face it. I hope that she will continue her growth from last season at some point and either realize what she's doing to Sam and end it or develop real feelings for him. Sam seems to genuinely like her, but I think there's a little bit of popularity seeker in him, too. But, wow, do they sound good singing together! I'll root for them to stay together for a little while at least just for that! Quinn is one of my two favorite characters on the show, and I hope we get see her more as we go along.
Kurt's storyline development was great! I was, again, afraid he would run back to WMHS at the first sign of trouble at Dalton, but while he seems to be headed that direction, at least he's still there for now. I don't think it was out of character for Kurt & Rachel to bond a little. As Kurt said, they have had their moments; I see their relationship as a friendly rivalry that sometimes gets out of hand because they're both divas. And, we saw just enough of Kurt in this episode to keep the story going without it dominating, which was good.
My favorite storyline was with the Tina/Mike/Artie/Brittany rectangle. The explanation for the misunderstanding was hilarious. Of course, Brittany wouldn't know what adultery meant. Artie should have been smart enough to know that, but I can understand how he would naturally use a common word like that without thinking. Frankly, I don't really care how this is all resolved. I like all of the pairings of the four. As I've written in past gleeviews, I relate to Artie. And, I'm happy when he can get a girl, no matter who it is. Brittany has a reputation for being dumb, obviously, and little bit inconsiderate, but I think that goes along with her ditziness. I really think she's sweet underneath all of that. And, she's hot cheerleader; so, I'm happy Artie gets to experience that for a little while. I'm not sure if she really likes Artie enough to stay with him, but I think she likes him enough to treat him well. I think ultimately Tina and Artie and Mike and Brittany are better matches, but for now I'm okay with how it is.
Miscellaneous notes:
- Lauren Zizes in Glee? Obviously, she's just a placeholder for Kurt, but I'm interested to see if she makes any waves.
- Will/Emma (Wemma): Carl & Emma are married! That seems like a pretty big obstacle for them. Obviously it's not an insurmountable one, but it's going to take awhile (especially since Emma isn't appearing in every episode lately) to resolve.
- Did you see Quinn & Rachel holding hands at the end? Is this a case of the glee club bubble, or what? I think they want to hate each other, but they don't really.
- The result of the Sectional was not unexpected, but we all know New Directions had to win. And, there's not really much you can do with only three teams. I am glad there was no "shenanigans" going on, as there were for the last two competitions. The Warblers were great, but New Directions had to win.
- And Rachel cursed! It was kind of awesome!
Emma gets the honor today. Jayma Mays really is a great comedic actress; she's kind of unsung since Jane Lynch steals all her thunder.
No, let me guess. Finn and Rachel are going to do a ballad, right? Followed by the kids joining in with a classic rock number where Mercedes will belt out the last jaw-dropping note.--I really do love it when Glee makes light of itself.
Musical Rundown:
It took a little while to get the ball rolling, but they ended up getting a lot of music into the episode.
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita: Kurt and Rachel sing another stellar duet. I don't think Chris Colfer who plays Kurt is in Lea Michele's league, but he's not far behind. And, they always sound great together. I'm definitely downloading this, and I think it's available with each of them singing it alone. Lea's version is, I'm sure, spectacular.
"The Living Years" by Mike & the Mechanics--This sounded okay but pretty ordinary, and the old people were just awkward I thought. The lead singer looked (and sounded) like she was just a young person dressed up old with a wig and glasses, and the can just seemed unnecessary. It was kind of a nice touch that they had one wheelchair member, like New Directions. The other members looked older than the lead, but it just seemed weird. Maybe it was supposed to.
"Hey, Soul Sister" by Train--This didn't blow me away like "Teenage Dream" a few weeks ago, but it was definitely really good. Darren Criss, who plays Blaine, is a musician. That's why he was cast, and he's definitely proving he belongs.
"(I've Had) The Time of Life" by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes from Dirty Dancing--This song is a little dated, but this performance was updated a little bit. The accompaniment was a little more modern. And, as I mentioned before and probably will again, Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Chord Overstreet (Sam) sound really, really good together. This was my favorite. I already have it downloaded to iTunes.
"Valerie" by Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson--Naya Rivera (Santana) did her usual solid job on this, but the obvious highlight was the dancing. The choreography wasn't anything you would pay to see, but it definitely was impressive. No, those were not "stunt dancers." It was Heather Morris (Brittany) and Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike).
"Dog Days Are Over" by Florence & The Machine--This was just fun to watch. The performance was solid and emotional at times, a very fitting closing number for the episode. Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) deserve all the praise they get, and sometimes more.