This is the episode where Quinn tells Finn that she's pregnant. If Finn were smarter, he would know that there is no way he could be the father b/c they never had sex. But, Finn's not that kind of smart, and so we have some Baby Daddy drama when it's revealed later in the episode that Puck's the dad, but that Quinn only slept with him because she thought she was fat that day. For those of you who want to keep comparing this show to High School Musical, you can stop now. None of those Disney characters would ever get knocked up in high school... though it seems that kids on the ABC Family channel can - Discuss.
Anyway, back to Glee and it's main story lines of the week:
Kurt
Besides the baby news, the big development in this episode is Kurt, in all his fabulousness. The show opened with Kurt fronting a homemade "Single Ladies" video, with fellow Glee-clubbers Tina and Brittany as his back-up dancers. Everyone's got on their black leotards and owning the Beyonce choreography.... and then Kurt's dad walks in.
Now, we the audience know that Kurt is fierce, tends to be a bit loud with his wardrobe choices, and just outed himself in the last episode (to Mercedes, though most of the other main high school characters have recognized [in a positive or negative light] his homosexuality). At the beginning of this episode, Kurt is still in the closet when it comes to his father. Brittany claims that Kurt is on the football team (as the kicker - b/c he's the smallest guy on the team, right?) and the leotards and dancing are part of his training. Kurt + football = not likely, but extremely awesome later in the episode...
Kurt approaches Finn (his crush) to ask for help with football. Before Kurt can get out his question, Finn smiles and politely declines his advances and says something along the lines of he already has a date to the dance but is flattered and he knows how important these kinds of events are for people like Kurt. I thought this was a sweet moment for Finn in that he recognizes that Kurt has a crush on him, but he didn't make fun of him, nor treated him any differently.
Kurt's football tryout was priceless. Sure, he busted out some "Single Ladies" dance moves, but he kicked the snot out of that football. I'm glad his "audition for the role of the kicker" went well :) (More on Kurt and his football prowess in a bit...)
Rachel vs. Glee club
Oh Rachel Berry... I like how the writers are letting her screw up socially - it'll give her a bigger arc later when she comes to her senses that she may be talented, but that doesn't mean she should be the star/center of attention the whole time.
I was glad in Glee rehearsal when Mr. Shuester gave Tina the "Tonight" solo from West Side Story. Stomp your foot all you want Rachel, but using your religion and your talent as ammo is not the way to win over peers.
This little move was just was Sue Sylvester and Sandy wanted... so they set up an audition for the lead role in Cabaret. This sly move further pulls Rachel away from glee club (she now has a starring role) and sets Mr. Shuester up for failure b/c he already lacked numbers and now he lacks one of his divas.
Finn
Poor kid. As I already mentioned above, he's not the brightest young man. His naivety is endearing, though you wish the boy knew better. My heart broke just a little bit when he walked onto the stage at the end of Tina's "Tonight" solo and just started crying. Mr. Shuester was there to give him a man-hug and then take him out to dinner.
Props to the writers again for creating a Will and Finn Father/Son dynamic. Will thinks he's fathering a child (as does Finn...) and we know Finn's dad is gone, so it's nice to have this male bonding going on, even though we know they are the victims of horrible lies.
My favorite bit of the night was when Finn pulled out that library book to show Will and then went on to comment about how you can just check any book out of the library for free (except for the Encyclopedias... Oh Finn!).
I was a bit worried when Finn suggest Mr. Schuester teach all the football guys how to dance, but the end result was sooooo worth it, as an audience member...
Football and all you Single Ladies
So, Finn asked Mr. Shue to help the football guys loosen up a bit via some dance moves. See, the McKinley football team sucks, and Finn thinks a football scholarship is the only chance he has at getting into college. You know, he doesn't want to be a "Lima Loser". (BTW - I've lived in Ohio for most of my life and had never heard this phrase before... though I haven't ever lived near Lima, so maybe this is a legitimate diss)
Mr. Shue and Coach Tanaka agree that dancing might help, so Kurt tries to teach the other guys the "Single Ladies" dance. I don't care that this song has been out for months now, it's still awesome and the choreography is solid.
During the football game, the team is down 6-0 with mere seconds left. In a moment of true leadership, Finn calls for the team to do the "Single Ladies" routine. Puck argues that they'll be called a joke, but Finn retorts they already are for being such a crappy team. He doesn't want to be a Lima Loser, and if dancing is the way to win, so be it...
I will gladly overlook the jumpy editing toward the end of the sequence (right before the Center hikes the ball, Finn was not standing behind him mere frames before... come on!) and fully embrace the ridiculousness of it all. The "Singles Ladies" phenomenon persists, and I love every second of it.
And then, to top it all off, Kurt kicks the extra point and they win... yay team.
End scenes
The show's end juxtaposes Rachel quitting the glee club (over Mr. Shue still not giving her the "Tonight" solo) and Kurt coming out to his dad. Rachel needs to get over herself... but I'm glad for her distance from glee b/c it is helpful in the next episode.
And then there's Kurt... I love this character and think he's one of the better thought out pieces of the entire show puzzle (even though us fans know that this character was not part of the initial show plan). Bravo to little Chris Colfer once again. He broke my heart when Kurt came out to Mercedes last episode, and did it again when he told his dad that he's gay. And cheers to the writers for not having the dad make a huge deal about it, or throw a fit, or disown the boy. Thoughtful television about tolerance is glorious... and I'm glad the writers have worked in all sorts of tolerance issues in later episodes (race, religion, disabilities, etc...).
Final thoughts
Although there was a serious lack of singing and dancing (at the same time... there was plenty of "Single Ladies" moves going on), this episode had heart. Yes, I know I left out a major plot involving Will's wife approaching Quinn about adopting her baby, but I am soooooo over that story line right now, that I'm going to choose to ignore it.
Here's what I want from future episodes of Glee - less Terri, more Sue, more singing, more dancing, more Kurt, more Tina, more Artie, more Mercedes, more Rachel/Finn, and waaaaaaaaaay more Puck. (note I'm writing this post the week after Mark Salling sang "Sweet Caroline" on the show during episode 8 "Mash-Ups" and I am beyond smitten. We. Want. More. Puck.)
Remember Glee fans, no more new episodes are airing until 11/11/09. BUT, catch Glee cast members singing the national anthem at Game 3 of the World Series this Saturday, 10/31!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment