(S01E08) In what might be one of the best episodes of Glee since the premiere, Matthew Morrison was given a true showcase. There was also no Will family drama. Hmm ... is that a coincidence? I don't think so. I clearly have more interest in what Will's doing at McKinley High with the singing and dancing then his marriage.
Mash-ups were on the top of the to-do list. Emma and Ken asked Will for a wedding song mash-up, which was easier said than done when the two songs they wanted were "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady and Sisqo's "The Thong Song." Fortunately, Will didn't sing the former, just the latter.
After appearing in a Princess Di wedding gown that was impractical for dancing, Emma found a Jackie Kennedy dress which was dazzling. When she danced with Will, the music flowed out of Emma. Her singing was a surprise and a delight. She even had a bit of a British accent like Eliza Doolittle. It was one of the high points of the episode.
The glee kids were dealing with typical high school angst, who's in and who's out. You were out if you got slusheed. The Slushee Wars commenced with Finn getting it in the kisser from a hockey player. That meant he and Quinn were no longer popular. It was the "new world order" and they turned to Emma for guidance. With no pamphlets covering popularity, and never having been popular, Emma's advice came down to accessories. Specifically, sunglasses.
Mash-ups were all over the place. Ken and Emma were a mash-up that didn't work, just like their songs didn't work. But what about football and glee? Finn thought it was a mash-up that couldn't work, and when push came to shove, he chose the easy route -- football.
Ultimately, though, after Kurt self-slusheed to save Finn from having to do it to him, Finn realized that he had to become a leader by choosing not to choose. He wanted both football and glee. "I don't want to choose between them anymore. It's not cool."
There were two major subplots. First, Noah and Rachel's romance based on their being Jewish and attractive. Noah's Jewish roots were hilariously outrageous, celebrating Simchas Torah by eating sweet and sour pork and watching Schindler's List. Now that's a mash-up.
But Noah and Rachel weren't going to work out because she's still pining for Finn. Fortunately, before breaking up, Rachel challenged Noah to sing a solo. Puck's tribute to a Jewish musical icon, Neil Diamond, was an unplugged "Sweet Caroline." He was terrific.
Subplot number two was Sue attracting the interest of Rod, an Ohio Ron Burgundy anchorman. Smitten Sue was a new woman; she was happy. And she needed to learn how to dance. Once more we got a chance to see Morrison in action, swing dancing to "Sing, Sing, Sing." Jane Lynch dancing was a treat. Another highpoint.
After Rod disappointed Sue -- who looked so cool in her zoot suit -- Sue reverted to her true, bitter self. She turned on Quinn, cut her from Cheerios, and threatened Will with a tale about adopting a kitty, sneaking into his home at night and punching him out.
I loved that this episode had no Teri and the faux pregnancy. Will's "Gene Kelly charm" was on display everywhere -- he also did "Bust A Move" and "The Thong Song" -- as well as dancing with Emma and Sue.
In the end, he even got the Slushee in the face ... and everywhere else. Yum.
[For more Glee, check out SlashControl.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-22-2009 @ 9:23AM
Love Glee said...
Um, the song is called "Sing, Sing, Sing."
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10-22-2009 @ 7:45AM
Emily said...
The second wedding dress was more Audrey Hepburn than Jackie. Easy mistake to make, as the latter often copied the former. But I think it's safe to assume they were going for Audrey when you take into account the hair and the fact that they were dancing to a song Hepburn famously performed.
More importantly, I haven't been in on the Finn bashing, but this episode really showed how much more interesting Noah is, not to mention how talented. I hope we see a lot more of him, he's too good to be in the background
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10-22-2009 @ 9:22AM
JeanE said...
I thought this was 1 of the best ep's since the pilot: I noticed right away how much Matt Morrison resembles Justin Timberlake but Matt is hot & Timberlake is not! I just busted a move myself when he sang "Bust a Move", I love to watch him sing & dance! I adore he & Emma together, was that really her voice? I've been wondering if she can sing & if that's really her, she can! I don't like how everyone is dumping on Finn, I still want he & Rachel together but I admit, I loved Puck in this ep...he is so hot & I melted when he sang "Sweet Caronline". Finn, though, is still adorable & they just have different singing voices. I would like to see Puck interact with Quinn, more, see how they came to hookup. I enjoy when they focus on everyone, not just Rachel & Finn. Let's see some backstory on Mercedes and other characters. That makes it more of a true ensemble show, I hate waiting 2 weeks, this show is my favorite, love it love it love it!
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10-22-2009 @ 10:34AM
jamabam said...
i agree. i find myself watching and hoping for lines from the minor characters rather than will, rachel, and finn!
10-22-2009 @ 4:38PM
nytheatreguy said...
In other words, it would be nice if "Glee" would give its minority characters more screen time and stop acting like they're just there to add background color to the show. Sometimes I swear I'm looking at the CW instead of Fox.
10-22-2009 @ 9:36AM
rbvalenta said...
Nice changing of the song in your summary... : )
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10-22-2009 @ 9:44AM
rick cokely said...
I wasn't impressed with "Bust a Move" but I was really impressed with Emma singing "I Could Have Danced All Night". The Sue plot line was hilarious, especially the bit about the cat.. you never know where she is going to go when she starts speaking. Overall this was one of the better episodes and it's clear the kids are coming into their parts. I'd like to see more Will dancing, he's much better at that then singing. Also I really hope they continue down the line of doing the asides like they did with Puck and watching Schindler's List. That kind of humor always gets me.
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10-22-2009 @ 9:51AM
Parl said...
I liked the episode and the storylines but there were some 'huh?' moments.
Wasn't Finn convinced a few episodes back that Glee was his only way to get a scholarship to get to college, but he ostensibly quit for a terrible football team?
Although I really liked the Puck-Rachel pairing, it was a bit odd. Puck quitting the team for her? Or just quitting the team in general? Not sure that followed with his character, but maybe it was a strong part of the "date a jewish girl" thing for his mother. Either way, I guess you can just point to both as actions of fickle high schoolers. Also, I agree with the poster above that Puck definitely seemed like a more interesting character this episode and that they should give more of a face to the two non-Quinn cheerleaders, as well as the two semi-nameless football players.
It's odd that they would make a big part of the show revolve around the fact that they have to have 12 kids, but then leave 4 as basically background mannequins.
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10-22-2009 @ 9:53AM
Sarah said...
this was a really good episode! also, Rachel and Noah are really cute together.
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10-22-2009 @ 10:29AM
kef said...
Wow, I could not disagree with you all more. This episode had me questioning whether I should continue watching after 2 weeks of so-so.
It has become for me, too after school special.
When Will told Quinn its okay if she gets hit with the icee, cuz everyone else will clea her I wanted to vomit and yell. REPORT THIS ASSHOLE! That is not tolerable behavier in a school.
And the every time puck said anything about jews I wanted to change the channel, it was way too thick.
If next week is good it will likely be a stay of execution for me. If its bad I think I'm done.
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10-22-2009 @ 10:54AM
Parl said...
I can see your frustration but in the high school world, and undoubtedly in the Glee world, can you imagine what would happen to the QB who sends another athlete to the principal?
Also, I thought Puck's Jewish heritage angle was heavy handed, but it was intentionally that way because it fits his character. He's somewhat blunt, obtuse and straight forward, i.e. "Wanna make out?"
10-22-2009 @ 10:54AM
crispy said...
Best episode? Try worst. Every person on this show was completely out of character. Puck quits football? Yeh, right. Kids going to a guidance counselor for tips on how to be cool? Good grief. A slushie machine in a public school?
You can suspend your disbelief for a dancing football team because this is hyper-reality after all. But when the characters change at random, it's just poor writing.
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10-22-2009 @ 5:25PM
pinsleric said...
I go to a public school and we have a brand new slushie machine.
10-28-2009 @ 11:28AM
beingbrad said...
Totally agree. It felt like a bunch of weak skits plugged together. The Neil Diamond song was not a mashup, it was just a Neil Diamond song. Breaking into voice over with Puck was totally random. The making out didn't make any sense. Sue was very funny, but still random.
I thought this was a very weak episode with no coherence or believability. Either decide to be like Pushing Daisies and keep everything hyper real with the message buried in the creative layers, or be like degrassi and get deep in the weeds of teen angst. You can't be both at the same time with one character acting like a cartoon and next person seeking some deep emotional gravitas with Will in the middle acting in some strange pseudo adolescent version of Howard Hesseman's character on Head of the Class.
And seriously, a teacher cannot sing the lyrics
"A chick walks by you wish you could sex her
But you're standin on the wall like you was Poindexter"
to a teenage girl while mock caressing her body. It was creepy.
10-22-2009 @ 2:10PM
seanpenn said...
Isn't Glee back in 3 weeks, not 2?
The 4 football/cheerleader characters aren't "background mannequins"; they just "sway back there like props"! haha.
I don't think Puck stayed in Glee because of Rachel; he stayed because of Quinn.
The first 30 or so minutes of this episode was amazing.
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10-22-2009 @ 4:14PM
Garrett said...
A top notch episode. The interest with Noah and Rachel was perfect. Usually that would feel forced in other shows but it was pulled off perfectly with them.
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10-22-2009 @ 5:23PM
Matt said...
I was disappointed as well, for some reasons listed above and some others.
The opening was awful—barely any pretense for "hey, let's have Will sing a song instead of the kids." The bit about "I'll do it if you won't" reminded me of musical clichés you'd see parodied in a 1940s cartoon, because they were already trite by then.
Emma's rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night" was nice, but as with so many of the songs on Glee, the use of auto-tune was incredibly obvious to me. I'm starting to wonder if this cast, despite incredible talent, can hit pitches without software assistance.
Finn and Quinn seeking assistance from Emma was out of character, as was Finn quitting the team he'd said in the pilot "couldn't win without him," Rachel making out with Puck for no reason, Puck picking Glee over the team given his well-established preferences, and other stuff.
It's also starting to wear on me that the Glee Club can improvise a complete four-part to six-part vocal arrangement with keyboards, percussion, and brass on any song that anyone brings through the door, or at the very worst, have all that ready in 24 hours. It's really really hard to believe they're practicing for sectionals when it's been nearly two months and they don't even seem to have selected the one or two numbers they'd be performing, much less practicing.
Yes, I know this is all artistic liberty to get more songs into the show, and I can live with that to a degree, but it's like imagining a school orchestra suddenly all improvising a symphony they've heard before. It doesn't happen. On Glee, the equivalent happens almost every day, and it takes me out of the show. Sorry.
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10-23-2009 @ 12:46AM
Cass said...
I love Glee and don't care that it's unrealistic, campy and auto-tuned.
I see it as no surprise that Puck, Mike or Matt (they do have names, though not many lines) would choose glee over football. Their football team sucks. Not sure how many weeks have passed since Episode 4 (Preggers), but they've won 1 game. This is not Friday Night Lights - these athletes are not playing because they live and breathe football. Puck told Rachel that he was choosing football over glee (though later he switched) because he didn't want to get slusheed every day. It wasn't because "I love playing football".
Whereas with glee, they get a chance to express themselves - he gets to sing Sweet Caroline, Mike gets to pop-and-lock, and Mike and Matt get to chill with Santana and Brittany.
Their football team isn't going to get them (any of them) a football scholarship. Heck, it doesn't even make you that popular! (Santana dumped Puck because his credit score sucked). So what do they get out of it?
The only thing I wished for in this episode was maybe a musical number by the kids... but I expect future episodes to go back to more of them singing (as a group) so it was okay.
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10-23-2009 @ 4:46PM
Katers said...
Is this show supposed to be reality? Uh, no. That's clear. Was "Grease" accurate? "High School Musical?" No. So stop complaining about the inaccuracies and the details of how it is different from high school life?
Re: the minority characters-- I, too, would love to see more of them. But a show can't develop that kind of history with some time under its belt. Think about how long it took to develop back stories with shows like Lost, Mad Men, The Office....and they didn't have musical numbers interspersing it! One thing is clear-- if your leads aren't given attention, the whole show will flop. You guys are complaining as if it's 3 seasons in and the minor characters aren't getting time. The show hasn't even hit the 13-minute mark! Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy the FUN of this show.....and GIVE IT TIME!
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10-23-2009 @ 4:48PM
Katers said...
Er, "*without time under its belt" and "13-*episode mark" --my bad, hasty posting. Sentiment the same, however.