This was by no means the best episode of the series or even the season. I’m just going to dive right in. This cast is just way too freaking big. Shows like Grey’s Anatomy only thrive with an enormous ensemble because their writers are extremely talented, and Glee just isn’t pulling it off. Yes, I’m angry that this episode had no Sam Evans (and what about all the Tina we were promised?), nor will many episodes featuring graduates, but more so after reading that Blake Jenner’s character, who will be introduced next week, will suffer from dyslexia. Ryan Murphy even went as far as to pat himself on the back for creating a character that nobody has though of before, and clearly forgot that Sam admitted to having dyslexia in the Season 2 premiere. Keeping that continuity with his character wouldn’t explain why he acts so dumb because people with learning disabilities are not stupid (neither is every person with blonde hair), but it would factor into why ‘tests are really hard’ for him. Maybe they’ll bring it back and he and Ryder will have something in common, but it’s still an incredibly shallow back story when others’ are so rich. I don’t want to discount any learning disability, but it also feels incredibly underwhelming in comparison to a teen living with Asperger’s syndrome (Charlie Lubeck, The Glee Project 2), though Parenthood is currently doing the same thing.
I will commend the show on introducing a character as bi-racial instead of just sweeping it under the rug, though I won’t be surprised if that’s the last we hear of it. It doesn’t nearly begin to make up for the fact that Kitty is basically a mini-Quinn, and Marley is as desperate as Season 1 Rachel. When she asks Jake, ‘Do you wanna to go through sheet music,’ she might as well be asking, ‘Do you wanna be my boyfriend now?’ This might be the only reason I’m excited for Blake Jenner’s character to enter.
Source: Fox
Of the New York-Lima relationships, I totally side with the Lima losers. It’s not that they’re entirely in the right, with Finn’s silence and Blaine’s infidelity, but Kurt and Rachel have so much going for them that it’s hard to believe that they’ll spend a ton of time getting over their break-ups. I guess we could say the same thing about Finn, now that he’s directing the musical. Did I totally call that last week, or what? I really wish they didn’t totally skip over his conversation with Mr. Schuester, but whatever. I might have felt even more sorry for Finn after Rachel yells at him, then builds him up again and kisses him goodbye. Just leave already! Don’t even get me started on her whore makeover. I get that you’re on television, so you can’t ever be completely bare-faced, but who goes to bed wearing that much makeup? Tramp.
Though the Left Behind Club was an odd parallel to their story, I think Brittany and Santana ended things gracefully, and their break up was actually the only scene that made me cry in this episode. However, it’s completely unrealistic that all three couples would break up at the same time. In addition, Will and Emma shouldn’t have been part of ‘The Scientist’ because they haven’t actually decided whether or not they’ll split. When they showed up in the final number, I was super confused because there was no resolution whatsoever to their story line. In the words of Sue Sylvester: “Sloppy, freak show babies.”
Source: Fox
The musical performances were fine, but the song choices just threw me off this week. Just because ‘Barely Breathing’ plays on mix radio stations once a day doesn’t make it a classic. I liked the original ‘Give Your Heart a Break’ more than the show’s version, and I think they could have picked any song to highlight Finn’s disappointment that he’s no longer Rachel’s duet partner. I don’t know what to say about ‘Teenage Dream.’ With the exception of the Season 3 finale, I don’t really like when the show repeats songs, but it showcased Darren Criss’ acting skills wonderfully. It was incredibly painful to watch, which is good writing and acting, but it was also like listening to a cat drowning. I liked the choice of ‘Don’t Speak’ for the New York quartet, but it’s another one of those songs that I don’t get too excited to hear on the radio. Santana’s rendition of ‘Mine’ is what got me crying in that scene, and was definitely better than the original because I just can’t stand Taylor Swift, but then I’m reminded that Santana is singing a Taylor Swift song and that’s just weird. I also liked ‘The Scientist’ as the final song, but I think it should have been sung by only Finn, Blaine, and Santana. The flashbacks were a nice touch though.
My husband got sick of seeing all my tweets about TV end up on Facebook, so I decided to start a blog. Then I decided I didn’t have enough on my plate and I went looking for sites to publish my reviews. No White Noise seemed like the perfect home for me, especially because I literally hate silence. That means the TV is almost always on at my house, whether I’m sitting around watching it or actually doing something productive. This season I’ll be covering Glee here at NWN. My favorite shows of all time(or my lifetime) are Arrested Development, Lost, and Friday Night Lights, to name a few. I also dabble in writing screenplays and the occasional teleplay. Check out my other reviews at Watch It, Rae!