September 11, 2012

Episode Review: GLEE, "Sectionals"

Well, we've finally made it to the end of Glee's mythical first thirteen episodes, and you have to admit that the show wrapped things up in style because "Sectionals" was another strong effort from RIB.

New Directions was preparing for Sectionals but without Mr. Schue thanks to the Mattress World debacle, but luckily Emma volunteered to step in as advisor even though the competition would interfere with her wedding. Since Will couldn't help with the set list, it was up to the glee clubbers to decide on what they were going to perform, and a fed up Mercedes insisted that she get a chance to try out for the ballad. After wowing the room, Rachel conceded and gave Mercedes her blessing.

Unfortunately, it was not smooth sailing for New Directions as it got ready for the biggest moment of its young life because a suspicious Rachel started to piece together that Puck may very well be the father of Quinn's baby. After tricking Quinn into confirming the truth, she let Finn know which didn't go over well. After punches were thrown and chairs were kicked, Finn quit the club because he couldn't be around his girlfriend and best friend after what they did.

Just to pile on, Sue finally put her plan to sabotage Will's group into motion as she convinced the rival coaches to divvy up New Directions' set list. Jane Adams ended up performing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" (Mercedes' solo) and "Proud Mary" in wheelchairs while the deaf school took on "Don't Stop Believin'." Everyone was in disarray until Will reminded Finn that he was the leader and his teammates needed him, so he showed up just in the nick of time with a new song. The misfits came together and pulled off an unlikely victory (although it was the only outcome this show could've pulled off).

Back in Lima, Will got ready to go to Emma and Ken's wedding when Terri dropped by to tell him that she's getting help but he didn't seem swayed by her pleas to get back together. When Will showed up the wedding, no one was there because Ken called it off knowing that Emma picked Schue over him once again. A distraught and humiliated Emma decided to leave McKinley despite Will asking her to stay since he just left Terri. During a celebratory number by New Directions, Will realized that he couldn't live without Emma, so he chased her down and kissed her before the camera faded to black.

Much like Will finding out about Terri, Finn learning the truth about Quinn and Puck was a huge relief. While I get that all of the secrets and lies made for soapy melodrama, it was starting to drag the show down because it took away from all of the fun elements of the show. I never started watching Glee because of the awful baby storyline but because I liked the satire, snark, comedy and music. Plus, I thought that Cory Montieth did a good job with his reaction scenes much like how I was impressed by Matthew Morrison.

The competition itself was chock full of drama too, but I was much more invested in it because of the actual stakes that were involved. Sure, there was going to be some personal fallout in regards to Will and Finn, but all of that took a backseat to New Directions overcoming every obstacle that was thrown at them.

On the Music Front: To top everything off, "Sectionals" had some of the better performances to date with "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "My Life Would Suck Without You" being tops. That said, I can never sit through "And I'm Telling You" because of the ridiculous faces the gleeks are making.

Other Odds and Ends
  • That split screen scene was one of the best and worst things to happen to Glee. It was good because it was funny, but bad because one simple joke (Brittany and Santana) spiraled out of control and took a life of its own.
  • Emma's smackdown on Eve and Scarlet Fever Guy was one of her last great moments. Sigh.
  • Man, Lea Michele killed it this time around. I don't get why so many people are irked by the fact that Glee really is the Rachel Berry Show.
  • "Because sometimes being special sucks."
  • "What happened to the white guy with the Jheri curl?"
So, there you have it. It's hard to deny that the first thirteen episodes of Glee were the pinnacle and it never quite recaptured the glory of its heyday, but like we've seen they were far from perfect. They were plagued with the same issues people love to point out today, but we were blinded by the sheen. Again, the point of my little marathon was not to say that Glee's horrible because I'm probably one of the few people left who doesn't buy that, but I wanted to dispel some of the myths and remind fans that it's always been a messy show, and that was part of its charm.

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