(S01E12) While they were in there, I told 'em to go ahead and yank out those tear ducts. Wasn't usin' 'em." - Sue Sylvester
I wouldn't say this is the best Glee episode we've had, but it had some good moments, and of course, that big reveal, which we'll talk about after the jump. The mattress scene was a nice little number, but I wasn't familiar with the song performed by Rachel and Finn, so that didn't do as much for me.
Sue Sylvester was back to true form from her compassionate scene with her sister a few episodes ago. It's hard to believe she'd have that much feeling for her sister, and yet still be a big you-know-what in the rest of her life. Glee breaks down stereotypes in some cases, but I'm not sure Sue falls into that category. She still seems like a caricature to me.
There were some great songs on last night's Glee, including the first one sung by Rachel and Will. As I mentioned in my review, this song set the tone for not only the episode, but the storyline of Rachel's crush on Mr. Schuester. But what was funny is that while they were singing it -- "Endless Love" -- everyone else's mind was wandering to their own thoughts of love, butts, Diana Ross, and underwear:
Kurt: "I could totally sing this song with Finn, but screw him if he thinks he's taking the Diana Ross part from me."
Puck: "I love the days when I don't wear underwear. Full commando."
Finn: "I never noticed how nice Rachel's butt is. Oh crap, I think Quinn knows I'm staring at it."
Rachel: "Wow, I've never noticed this before because he's always trying to destroy my career, but Mr. Shu has really pretty eyes."
(S01E10) "What does a heart attack feel like?" - Finn, in a panicky call to Kurt after facing Quinn's parents at dinner
The subject of this episode of Glee was ballads. It was learned that the club must perform a ballad at sectionals in a few weeks, and the writers managed to weave the soulful songs into every storyline. The first was "Endless Love," sung by Will and Rachel. It set the tone for one of the storylines -- her crush on the teacher. In fact, the episode was filled with odd-couple pairings, thanks to a hat-draw for ballad partners.
(S01E07) "I don't trust a man with curly hair..." - Sue
I'll just say right off the bat -- I was a little bored by this episode. I think because it centered on the bickering and manipulations of Sue and Will. It was annoying and sort of made me want to turn the channel.
But I stuck with it because, of course, I had this review to write, but also because of the musical numbers scattered throughout the show. It clarified for me what I love about Glee:
Musical numbers.
Kurt. Much more Kurt is needed.
Any storylines with Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury), particularly those involving Matthew Morrison (Will).
After the jump, more about this episode and what I don't love about Glee.
(S01E05) "Oh, Bambi, I cried so hard when they shot your mom." - A drunken Kurt to Emma
Ok, after hitting it out of the park since the debut (for me anyway), this episode sort of flatlined for me. At least, it didn't grab me as much as, say, last week's episode with the Beyonce song and the football team dancing on the field. I couldn't wait to get on here and right about that episode, but this week? Not so much. Maybe it's because there was not enough Kurt in this episode. Need.More.Kurt. Need more of Kurt saying lines like, "Glee Club has just been rocked with its first scandal..."
We're three episodes into Glee, and we continue to learn more about the characters' angst, drama, dreams and passion. Kurt told Mercedes he'd never said those words out loud, but -- like the rest of us (excluding Mercedes) -- he must have realized he was gay. I mean, come on, the kid is clearly gay.
There were a lot of great lines in this episode, but Kurt had some of the best, including this one about his car: "My dad got it for me for my 16th birthday if I swore to stop wearing form-fitting sweaters that stop at the knee. What he doesn't know won't hurt him." (He's wearing a red form-fitting sweater that stops at the knee.)
If you heard about Fox's new musical drama/comedy Glee and thought it's probably going to be something like Disney's High School Musical, you're wrong. Gleefully wrong. Glee is one of the best entertainments I've seen on television in a long, long time.
Writer/producer/director Ryan Murphy describes the show as a hybrid, and he's right. It is. For me, I saw elements of the movie Election, plus Fame and Friday Night Lights, with a bit of The Wonder Years thrown in, only it's not nostalgia. Glee is all the best parts of all the above, plus music and dancing and great characters and really witty material.