Dear Tina,
Like most people, I am not immune to falling into a bit of a sour mood from time to time. Whether it’s a generic issue like misplaced keys or an issue that clashes specifically with my personality, like getting caught driving behind a Prius, my blood begins to boil and I just can’t help the fact that, until I’m ready to get over myself, I’m going to be a little bit crabby. Such was the issue for the kids on tonight’s episode of Glee. With Regionals only a month away, Vocal Adrenaline decides to pay a visit to New Directions in an attempt to assure the competition of their superior talent (It’s just like the Sharks and the Jets! With just as much song and dance!). Despite all the chat room buzz that they’ve lost a step this year, Vocal Adrenaline gives a performance filled with precise choreography, pitch perfect vocals and…Jonathan Groff?! Saboteur! In a plot twist that appears to be missing some exposition, Jonathan Groff’s character Jesse St. James has crossed party lines once again, breaking his word and Rachel’s heart.
What is interesting about this choice is that while it piles on a new heap of drama just in time for the season finale, it doesn’t actually seem to be cohesive with the Jesse St. James story line. The last time we saw Jesse, he had forgiven Rachel for using him in her video scheme and admitted to his coach that he was beginning to develop real feelings for her. Then suddenly he claims that he never felt accepted by New Directions. Their unwillingness to listen to his “superior ideas” just didn’t sit right with him and he had no choice but to return to where he was appreciated. It felt a little bit like the writers momentarily forgot Jonathan Groff was only a guest star and they only had two episodes left to write him out of the glee club/off the show. So let’s just pretend like somewhere in there they wrote an episode that gave validity to his claims of social exile and move forward.
Performing “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen, Jesse’s stage leaps and overall handsomeness successfully strip New Directions of their positive attitude and the group spirals into a deep, unforgiving funk. Which brings us to tonight’s theme! Funk! How do you do it Ryan Murphy? The episode didn’t have the strength of some of its recent predecessors but one could hardly call it disappointing. Let’s take a look.
After seeking the advice of former McKinley High choir director Sandy Ryerson, Mr. Schuester comes to glee rehearsal and encourages the dispirited bunch not to let Vocal Adrenaline get the best of them. Why? Because Vocal Adrenaline’s talent isn’t quite as expansive as they would like you to believe. Apparently the one music genre they were never able to master was Funk music, and so this week’s assignment is to prepare a Funk number that will rank high on the intimidation scale. In a rather cocky move, Mercedes tells the group “you guys can relax, I got this one covered.” But, strident as ever, Quinn protests that she wants to get funky too. Laughing off Quinn’s request, braggy show Mercedes condescendingly reminds Quinn that white people cannot pull off Funk music. But Quinn won’t accept such “racism” and, promising to have something prepared by the next day, Quinn is finally given a platform to express how she has struggled with the Mid-West judgement of her teen pregnancy.
So while Mr. Schuester is trying to muster all of this positive energy within glee club in order for his students to have the self-esteem they need to perform well at Regionals, in walks the boulder to his Sisyphus, Sue Sylvester. Sue, who has her own National Championships coming up that weekend, assures Will that he and his students don’t stand a chance and their upcoming loss will put an end to Glee club once and for all, allowing her to fulfill a year-long goal of converting their rehearsal space into an official Cheerios trophy annex. Seems like an airtight plan especially considering Will’s general passivity when it comes to Sue’s wrath, but this time things are different. This time Will is going to put on his aggressor pants and show Sue what he’s made of. And he’s not going to stop at throwing one of her trophies against the wall (although that was pretty awesome). When an unassuming Sue finds Will alone in the choir room later in the evening, she is perplexed by Will’s sudden graciousness and admiration for her talent. Asking for a winner’s perspective on a song he’s working on, Will breaks out into “Tell Me Something Good” by Rufus and Chaka Khan, wearing jeans that could only be tighter if they were made for ladies. Her ability to feel is beginning to seep into areas of her body she’s never experienced before (below the neck) and when Will eventually asks her out to dinner, she throws on a string of pearls and a freshly pressed track suit and eagerly awaits his arrival at a restaurant that either serves breadsticks or is named Breadsticks. Now we see why Sue so rarely breaks her icy exterior because when she does she makes herself vulnerable to the obvious manipulation of Will’s courtship. When he doesn’t show up, she goes to his apartment and during their confrontation tastes the bitterness of her own medicine: “You meddled around in my marriage. You terrorize the glee club. You continue to sabotage my relationship with Emma [remember her?]. I tried playing nice but nothing seems to work with you. Cruelty was the only way to get your attention.” Point, Schuester. Although I have to say, there is nothing I hate more than watching a person make another feel stupid for their own gain. Especially in a dating situation. Yeesh, it’s hard enough, save me your lessons.
Back at school, after the third or fourth distraught Cherrio Will sees in the hall, he goes to Kurt to find out the source of the drama. Turns out, Coach Sue has made herself a hostage in her own home after pulling out of Nationals and refusing to come to school due to the humiliation Will put her through. While she may not need anymore trophies, she has a handful of students relying on the National Championship in order to receive their college scholarships. So Will visits her at home, which looks like a hoarder robbed a chain of trophy stores, and reminds her how much the Cheerios need her. She laments about being alone and how her desperation led her to pursue the man she loathes the most. Will apologizes for acting out of anger and talks Sue out of bed and back into the competition. Which she of course wins. For the sixth year in a row. And if you’re worried that from this point forward, we’ll only be seeing this softer side of Sue that cuddles her trophy as if it were a male companion, you would be mistaken. Next week she reveals she was selected to be a judge at Regionals and her intentions are merciless.
The time comes for Quinn’s Funk number and although her Harvey Milk-esque pre-performance speech did seem a touch inappropriate in tone, “Hearing people call you fat. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes you have to stop. And hold that precious life and say ‘NO.'”, Quinn reined it back in for a fighter’s performance of “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by James Brown. In the number, she is accompanied by her friends from the Unwed Mothership Connection who dance behind her with their pregnant bellies and offer back-up vocals in the style of Lamaze breathing. While I understand that part of Glee‘s charm is the off-kilter blend of reality and absurdity, I found the decision to use the pregnant dancers distracting in a way that discredited Quinn’s emotions. Part of what makes Glee such a brilliant show is its ability to discern when to push and when to hold back. When to crack a joke, and when to let the audience stew in the tension of a sincerely dramatic moment. If Quinn had given a completely solo performance it would have been much more effective in reminding the audience how scared and alone a teenager must feel going through such an adult experience. Instead, they staged the number so that the focus was always drawn to the pregnant bellies themselves, rather than the expressions of the women managing this strain. In the end, they only seemed to succeed at making the way too general point, “Ef you, being pregnant is hard!” That number was filled with potential and I’m afraid they went down the wrong path.
Through all of this, the one crucial story element that has gone undiscussed is poor Rachel’s heartbreak. Jesse’s decision to return to Vocal Adrenaline without just cause has shaken her to the core. “I want him to be eaten by a lion!” While the others were discouraged by Vocal Adrenaline’s performance, Rachel was the only one who really had something at stake here. She lost who she thought was the love of her life. Her agitation and listlessness is befitting for a recently dumped high schooler, but more on target was her unapologetic enthusiasm for the small glimmer of hope that this was all a big misunderstanding when Jesse calls her and asks that she meet him in the parking lot. You don’t need to be familiar with the John Hughes anthology to know that no good can come from such a phone call and sure enough as soon as she reaches him, out come the other members of Vocal Adrenaline throwing raw eggs at her. Jesse shows signs of hesitation before he cracks an egg on her forehead which should make for a spectacular conclusion to this complex relationship next week during the season finale. I checked the song list and there appears to be no duet between the two so…fix that.
In other news, Puck and Finn got a job at Sheets ‘N Things under the management of Will’s ex-wife Terri in order to pay for the costs of slashing the tires on Vocal Adrenaline’s fleet of Land Rovers. This entire situation would have gone unnoticed had it not involved Puck playing the acoustic guitar and sing-rapping “Loser” by Beck. Great choice.
The episode concluded with that number we saw them practicing when they were on Oprah, “Give Up The Funk” by Parliament. With Vocal Adrenaline sitting in the audience, New Directions brings the free-spirited Funk that Mr. Schuester had been encouraging them to find within themselves all week long. At first I wasn’t blown away by the performance but now I recognize the intimidation factor of a group that can make a musical experience both precise and personal. Vocal Adrenaline doesn’t stand a chance. I might bring a homemade sign to the finale viewing to show my support.
Brittany Line of the Night:
She didn’t have any! AGAIN! Although the decision for her to wear the top of her cheerleading uniform backwards during Sue’s hiatus was perfect, I am beginning to recognize the flaw in having a segment dedicated to a character that is still listed under “guest starring” in the opening credits. Rather than giving the line of the night to someone else like I did last time, I’m going to give it to every single one of Brittany’s facial expressions throughout the season and hope that Ryan Murphy allows her to go out with a bang next week.
Song of the Night:
Give Up The Funk by Parliament.
As I stated above, this number didn’t exactly grab me at first but upon a second and third viewing, I have a new appreciation for what it accomplished. It highlighted how special this menagerie of characters is and proved the point that at the end of the day, there is no fun to be had in a group of “soulless automatons.” Singing and dancing are intended to be forms of expression and if you can exude the joy you feel while performing than the audience isn’t going to care about the uniformity of your movement or costumes. It was a moment for the glee club to come together, for everyone to be the star of the performance, and show Vocal Adrenaline that they no longer have the control to funkify their confidence. See you punks at Regionals.
30 Rock Quote of the Day:
Liz: I was arrested once in Germany for public nudity. I thought it was a topless beach; it was a shipyard.
Dear Tina 