The Gleek Critique: "Asian F" Episode

Kurt apologizes to Blaine with some flowers.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Mike Chang finally gets a front-and-center storyline in tonight's episode!  His father is concerned when Mike brings home an "Asian F" (which is just an A-) and reminds him that he can't get into Harvard with bad grades.  He also feels that Mike would be better off dropping out of the glee club, since it's only a distraction.  But Mike's heart lies in dancing, and he just can't let it go.  So he decides to audition for the part of Riff in the school's production of West Side Story, leading to a touching moment with his mother who encourages him to pursue his dreams.

Mercedes' boyfriend convinces her that she is much better than Rachel and that she should fight to be on top.  And while it's nice to see Mercedes receiving support and gaining some new-found confidence, it's not so great to see her turn into a selfish diva.  She starts showing up late, giving excuses and generally snapping at everyone.  Finally she goes head to head against Rachel for the lead role of Maria.  And in an interesting turn of events, Rachel fears that Mercedes may be better than her and decides to run for student council president... which doesn't go over so well with Kurt.  But in the end, Rachel ends up with the role after all and Mercedes joins Shelby's new glee club.

Meanwhile, Will wonders why he hasn't met Emma's parents yet so he takes it upon himself to contact them and invite them to dinner.  However, he soon discovers that Emma hasn't introduced them yet because she is embarrassed of them.  Her parents are "ginger supremacists" who only like red-headed people.  They also have a tendency of mocking Emma for her OCD, something that Will will not stand for.  The visit has Emma reverting to some of her obsessive habits, and Will kneels down to pray with her as a sign that together they will overcome it.

The Pros:

• Mercedes' rendition of Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" was very good, but my favorite would have to be her impersonation of Effie in the song "It's All Over" from the musical Dreamgirls.  She and the other members of the club sang all the parts and it was pretty neat in my opinion.
• Gotta love when Brittany and Mike sing and dance!  Brittany's "Run the World (Girls)" originally by Beyonce was full of great dance moves and girl power, and Mike's performance of "Cool" (from the musical West Side Story) was very very good.  I really thought Mike shone brightly tonight and proved that he really is a pretty good singer... and actor.
• Kurt quit being a baby and is happy for Blaine like a good boyfriend should be.  I loved when Blaine said, "You always zig when I think you're about to zag."  Very sweet.
• I liked the scene when Mike danced with his mother.  Priceless.
• Mercedes and Rachel did a great job with "Out Here on My Own" from Fame.  Too bad they hate each other...

The Cons:

• Finn's character has disappeared lately.  I would like to see him do... something.  I don't know.  Anything really.
• Double-casting is lame!  I would have liked it if the directors actually chose Mercedes over Rachel if they really thought she was better. Their decision was a cop-out.
• I always miss Sue when she isn't featured...

The Gleek Critique: "I Am Unicorn" Episode

Brittany is dressed as a unicorn, and Kurt is concerned it's "too gay."  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Brittany wants to help Kurt run for student body president, but her campaign ideas involve lots of pink, glitter, unicorns and rainbows.  Kurt doesn't want to be seen solely for his homosexuality, so he tells her they aren't going to use the posters she made.  However, she's stubborn and goes ahead and puts them up all over the school without his permission.  Kurt, of course, is upset about this, and it doesn't help matters that he's seen as too flamboyant to play the male lead in the school musical...

Speaking of the school musical, Coach Beiste and Ms. Pilsbury are co-directing it along with the help of Artie.  Mr. Schuester was going to do it, but he decided instead to focus all of his attention on New Directions.  He's putting the kids through a "bootie" camp to improve their dancing.  Obviously Finn is struggling the most...

And since Mr. Schuester wouldn't let the tone-deaf Sugar join New Directions last episode, Sugar's father has hired Shelby Cochran to start a rival glee club at McKinley that she will star in.  Having Shelby around creates some drama for both Rachel and Quinn.  Rachel now has to see her estranged mother at school everyday and somehow come to terms with that.  Quinn isn't sure she's ready to be a part of her baby's life, which Shelby adopted at the end of Season One.  However, with some nudging from Puck, she decides to get her life back in order to try and gain custody of her daughter!

The Pros:

• Brittany's definition of a unicorn (someone who knows they are magical) was pretty adorable.
• I loved Sue's comment about Quinn's "thin, forgettable alto."  Mostly because it's true.
• A great duet between Lea Michelle and Idina Menzel!!  "Somewhere" (from the musical West Side Story) was moving and I thought they fit it nicely into the plot.
• Kurt's rendition of "I Am The Greatest Star" (from the musical Funny Girl) was a lot of fun to watch!  No wonder Coach Beiste said, "He owned that song like it was his prison bitch."
• I loved when Santana said (of the posters), "This is toned down.  In the original the unicorn was riding you." Ha ha ha...
• I like that Finn is now working at Burt's garage.  Smart move, writers!
• Sue's exploitation of Quinn's life to further her anti-arts campaign was pretty funny.  And I really loved when Mr. Schuester told Quinn straight up to quit blaming everyone else for her problems!  Someone had to do it...
• Blaine's audition singing "Something's Coming" (also from the musical West Side Story) was fantastic!!  I LOVE BLAINE!

The Cons:

• Only three songs??  That's it?
• Seriously, I'm loving Season Three so much that it's hard to find things to complain about...

The Gleek Critique: "The Purple Piano Project" Episode

Rachel singing the intro to "You Can't Stop the Beat," image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

I started my day with a text from my friend Rebecca saying, "Happy Glee Day!"

Yes, that's how excited we gleeks are about the start of Season Three!  Don't judge.

So Mr. Schuester is trying to motivate the glee club after their loss at Nationals last year, so he's come up with a crazy scheme to let their inner musician shine through!  Purple pianos are placed sporadically around the school, and every time they pass one they are supposed to break into song!  Crazy, right?  And Mr. Schuester is naive enough to think that this will recruit people...

However, instead of turning kids on to music, it's turned them off.  In fact, the purple pianos have motivated Sue Sylvester to run for political office with a personal vendetta against the arts in schools.  Mr. Schuester is appalled of course, and it seems like those two will be at odds forever, even despite last year's emotional truce at Sue's mother's funeral.  Sue is just evil, I guess.  So evil that she's roped Santana back in to the dark side.  She and the other Cheerios torched one of the pianos and Mr. Schue had to kick her latina butt out of glee.

Meanwhile Rachel and Kurt go to meet up with some other kids who love musical theater, and lo and behold, there are other talented people in the world!  They start feeling like they are simply big fish in small ponds and that perhaps they aren't good enough to ever make it on Broadway.  And they aren't the only ones unsure about their futures.  Finn has no idea what he wants to do, and Quinn suddenly thinks she's a rebel.

But at least they have Blaine now!  Yes, folks, he has left Dalton and joined McKinley High!

The Pros:

• "I have pepperoni in my bra."  "Those are your nipples."  Ha ha ha!  Sorry, but that was just funny.
• Will's Superman lunchbox.  Love it!  And it's adorable how Emma packs it for him, while he's making lunch for her.
• I'm happy that Kurt and Rachel are friends now.  I feel like last season they hated each other then loved each other at random, but their touching scene together this episode makes it seem like their friendship is real!  No wonder Ms. Pilsbury handed them a "Me and My Hag" pamphlet...
• Great songs!  The mash-up of the Broadway classics "Anything Goes" and "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" was phenomenal!  Loved that girl's voice (even if her face was kinda creepy).  I also really enjoyed "Ding Dong The Witch is Dead" and "You Can't Stop the Beat" featuring lots of Rachel Berry!
• I'm happy that Blaine is at McKinley now!  That means I can see more of him.  And was "Unusual" great or what?  Loved it!
• Quinn's Ryan Seacrest tattoo.  It's so weird that it's awesome.
• Mercedes has a boyfriend! Yay!
• All in all, I'm feeling positive about Season Three!

The Cons:

• Quinn suddenly being a "bad girl" with pink hair, tattoos and a smoking problem just seemed a bit... sudden.  And unbelievable.
• Santana needs to pick a side already!
• I'm getting SO TIRED of the school not recognizing that the glee kids are talented and awesome!  Seriously?  You're going to throw food at them?
• Sugar's singing voice!!  AAAH!  So awful!  I'm also unsure whether or not I'm going to like this character.

Emmys 2011

by Jack Garcia

Michelle is awesome.

In other news, we watched the Emmys tonight.  She came over and watched them with Brian and me, so I guess that was actually a pretty decent opening.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the evening, assuming that A, you didn't watch it or B, you give a crap what I have to say about it.

The Pros:

• Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester from Glee if you are stupid enough not to know her) hosted and she was phenomenal!  I sure do love that lesbian!  Her opening musical number featuring lots of stars from popular TV shows was very funny, as was her bit as a Jersey housewife.  And I disagree with the characters from The Big Bang Theory because I would LOVE IT if spontaneous musical numbers passed through my apartment!
• Apart from Glee, my favorite television show is Modern Family and I was very happy that both Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell won for their roles as Claire and Phil Dunphy!  Oh, and Ty's speech was very funny!  I'm also happy to say that Modern Family took home an award for Best Direction, Best Writing and for the second year in a row they've won Outstanding Comedy Series!
• The Emmytones (a group of actors who sang little doo-wop songs) were pretty cute.  But I really loved the performance by The Lonely Island featuring Michael Bolton and Akon!  So hilarious, especially when they started grinding on poor William H. Macy!
• Matt LeBlanc (of Friends fame) has gray hair now.  I didn't know this.  He looks really good with gray hair!
• The nominees for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, starting with Amy Poehler, all ran up on the stage when their names were called... and it had all of us laughing.  Melissa McCarthy (who I love most for her role in the movie Bridesmaids, although she was nominated for her TV show Mike and Molly) won and I was very happy about it!  They gave her flowers and a crown just like she won Miss America or something.  Even backstage that woman would not take off her crown!
• Although I've never seen Boardwalk Empire or Mildred Pierce, I was happy that Martin Scorsese and Kate Winslet won awards... mostly because they are awesome and deserve it.  And did Kate Winslet look sexy tonight or what?  Loved that red dress!

The Cons:

• Some dresses were less than spectacular tonight.  Let's not lie.  Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Holmes, Drew Barrymore, Amy Poehler and even Julianna Margulies wore some pretty ridiculous dresses.  I thought Amy Poehler was going scuba diving and Gywneth Paltrow was suddenly a belly dancer...
• Sofia Vergara's new hair color.  What was she thinking?
• Charlie Sheen.  SHUT UP ALREADY!

The 2011 Tony Awards

by Jack Garcia

So a gay friend of mine said to me "Gosh, you are soooo gay!" when I mentioned that I was going to watch the Tony Awards tonight.  My response to him was, "Um... duh."

But as tonight's opening number proudly proclaimed, the Tonys aren't just for gays anymore!  Neil Patrick Harris hosted the ceremony and he did a phenomenal job!  The entire night was full of show-stopping musical numbers, hilarious comedic bits, and plenty of memorable acceptance speeches.  After the abysmally dull Oscars earlier this year, I was very grateful for some entertainment!

Here are some of my favorite moments:

• Neil Patrick Harris' opening number was phenomenal.  But even better was his number with Hugh Jackman about midway through, where the two spoofed "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" along with several other Broadway tunes arguing over who was the better awards show host.
• Nikki M. James' acceptance speech brought me to tears.  Her sheer happiness and gratitude were so overwhelming!  And the part about the bumblebees??  Priceless.
• I was so proud of my boy Daniel Radcliffe!!  He performed so well in the number "Brotherhood of Man" from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying!
• The numbers that The Scottsboro Boys and Sister Act performed were both very good and featured some fantastic vocalists like Joshua Henry and Patina Miller.  Unfortunately neither show was a big winner.
• John Leguizamo's standup bit from his show Ghetto Klown was highly amusing!
• "I Believe" performed by Andrew Rannells from The Book of Mormon was very very good.  I was quite happy that the show walked away with nine awards (out of 14 nominations) including Best Musical.  Congrats to Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez!
• Neil Patrick Harris riding in on the giant puppet horse from the play War Horse.  That thing was so cool!
• Whoopi Goldberg's hat.  What was that thing?
• The acceptance speech by Frances McDormand was so crazy and random!  Ha ha!  She didn't even dress up!  And Mark Rylance's speech was even stranger than hers... he just went on and on about how to walk through walls.  It was so odd but so funny!
• Neil Patrick Harris closed the night with a rap that mentioned so many specific details from the night that it had to have been written moments before he hit the stage.  Impressive!

The Gleek Critique: "New York" Episode

The glee kids seeing the sights in New York City!  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

So last night was the second season finale of Glee on Fox and I had to work!  Oh, life can be cruel can it not?  But luckily Hulu was there for me this morning, so I was still able to see the spectacular farewell.

The episode opens with the sexy saxophone wail of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue while showing us a glitzy shot of New York City's Time Square, ending on Rachel Berry standing in utter glee in the city of her dreams.  That's when the Glee title came up and I knew I was in love with this episode.  New York City, Gershwin, and Glee. Oh, I was in heaven!

So the kids are in New York City with Mr. Schuester for Nationals, and although they want to explore the city and have fun, Mr. Schu insists that they stay in the hotel room and write the songs they will compete with.  But feeling uninspired indoors, the kids sneak out anyway and explore the city!  But they aren't the only ones being sneaky.  Mr. Schuester still hasn't told the kids about his possible Broadway debut, and he sneaks off to rehearse onstage.  However, his secret doesn't stay a secret for long.  Dustin Goolsby, the coach of rival Vocal Adrenaline, finds out and tells the New Directions kids.  They approach Mr. Schuester about it, but he decides then and there that he's not going to leave them.  His true calling is teaching.

Meanwhile the boys convince Finn that he should ask Rachel out and tell her how he feels.  So he texts Rachel and tells her to dress up and meet him in Central Park.  She does and he surprises her with a date.  They go to dinner at Sardi where they run into Rachel's idol, Patti Lapone.  She tells Rachel to never give up on her dreams, also adding that Finn is "cute."  Finn and Rachel seem really happy later as they are strolling through the nighttime streets of the city, but when Finn tries to kiss her, Rachel says no.

We discover the reason behind this when Kurt takes Rachel out to stand where Audrey Hepburn stood in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  While eating bagels she reveals that she wants to go to New York after she graduates from high school, and she knows Finn won't want to.  She loves Finn, but she doesn't want anything to hold her back and keep her from pursuing her dreams.  Kurt then convinces her to break into the Wicked stage, where the guard lets them sing a song before kicking them out.  After singing on a real Broadway stage, Rachel is even more convinced that she belongs there.

The moment arrives for the big competition, and New Directions performs two original songs just like they did at Regionals.  The first song is a duet between Rachel and Finn, and in the heat of the moment, the two kiss.  Everything is silent before they move on to their next number and really knock it out of the park!  However, that unplanned kiss ruined their scores and the group doesn't place in the top ten.  The competition is over.

Although they are crushed by the loss, everything ends happy.  Back in Ohio, Rachel talks to Finn about the big kiss and makes it clear that she loves him, but will be moving to New York City in the future.  Finn understands, but figures they still have a whole year before that ever happens and he kisses her again.  Looks like Finchel is back.  Other happy endings include Blaine and Kurt telling each other "I love you" and the realization that Mercedes and Sam are now dating.  Brittany and Santana also have a tender moment together where they express their feelings.  The episode ends with the group celebrating their 12th place victory with the smallest trophy I've ever seen.

I cannot wait until next school year!


The Pros:

• The episode was filmed on site in New York City!!!
• The opening with Rhapsody in Blue.  I am in love with that piece of music!!
• Quite a few original songs tonight!  Rachel and Finn's duet "Pretending" followed by the big New Directions number "Light Up the World" were both awesome.  The song "As Long as You're There" sung by Sunshine Corazon and Vocal Adrenaline was also an original song written for the episode.  And while Mr. Schuester's "Still Got Tonight" wasn't written for Glee, it wasn't a cover either.  It comes from Matthew Morrison's debut album.  Oh, and gotta love Brittany singing "My Cup"!
• The opening mashup of Madonna's "I Love New York" and the song "New York, New York" from the musical On The Town was so colorful and fun!  It really made me want to run away and move to New York City!
• Rachel looked unbelievably beautiful in this episode.  I couldn't get over it.  She was simply stunning on the date with Finn, in the blue dress with the adorable updo.  Who wouldn't want to kiss her?  And that rainbow coat she had on earlier?  So pretty!!
• "Bella Notte" from Disney's The Lady and the Tramp was adorable.  Puck and Artie are fantastic, are they not?
• Rachel and Kurt's duet "For Good" from the musical Wicked was also very, very good!  And it was filmed on the actual Wicked stage, how cool is that?
• I am glad they didn't win Nationals.  As mean as that sounds, a win just wouldn't have been very believable.  Just making it to Nationals is a success in and of itself, and ranking twelfth in the nation is still pretty dang good.  They still beat out 38 other schools!  Besides, it gives them something else to aspire towards next season.  Maybe they can rank higher.
• Finn and Rachel are back together and I love it!  Seriously, love it!!  The big surprise kiss where the sound disappeared and it was like they were frozen in time...in that moment.  Oh, just spectacular!

The Cons:

• I would have liked more New York-themed songs in this episode.  There was just the one mashup.
• I'm also a little annoyed that they flew all the way to New York without even knowing what songs they were going to sing.  In fact, their first assignment there was to write them!  I love Glee, but sometimes I just roll my eyes at how they never practice for anything.  Ever.
• Plenty of character closure at the end, but they left out Will and Emma.  I would have liked to see her waiting for him at the airport or something romantic like that.  Mostly I just love Emma and wish she were in more episodes...
• They also wrapped up the season without Sue.  I guess she had her big moment last episode... but it seems odd to leave her out of the big finale.  Maybe a scene at the end of her saying "Congratulations" to the kids.  That would have been nice.
• Jessie St. James.  Annoys me every time.

The Gleek Critique: "Funeral" Episode

Kurt sings "Some People" from the musical, Gypsy.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Jessie is the glee club's new consultant, and he doesn't seem to think that Finn should sing any solos at Nationals.  Now Finn's confidence is shattered and his hate for Jessie is intensified.  But he's not the only one who can't stand him.  When Jessie decides that everyone should have to audition for solos, his harsh critiques get under some people's skin.  Thankfully Mr. Schuester kicks Jessie to the curb in the end, and decides that New Directions will perform as a group, and not as individuals.

Meanwhile, Terri is helping Sue to alter the glee club's plane route, sending them to Libya instead of New York.  Seems like Sue is just as mean and cruel as ever.  So mean, in fact, that she's kicked little Becky off of the Cheerios squad.  But it turns out that all of this rage is bubbling up due to the fact that her sister Jean has recently passed away.  Sue struggles to cope with this death, and reaches out to Mr. Schuester and the glee club kids who help her to plan the funeral.  She's so moved by their love and support that she comes clean about her devious schemes and even wishes them good luck as they head to Nationals next week.

Hearing Sue talk about how she always felt "tethered" to her sister in a way, Finn realizes that he doesn't feel that way about Quinn... but rather, with Rachel.  After the funeral he breaks up with Quinn, who refuses to accept it.  But the timing couldn't be more off.  Now that he's free to pursue Rachel, he finds that she and Jessie seem to have gotten back together.

The Pros:

• Once again Sue Sylvester has depth!  With the death of her sister, her vulnerable side broke through her tough exterior...  there were some very powerful scenes with her, especially her funeral speech (with the help of Mr. Schuester).  Way to go, Jane Lynch, for delivering a terrific performance.
• Rachel's gold star stickers are back!  Hee hee.  Reminded me of the first episode... aw.
• Great auditions from Santana, Kurt, Mercedes and Rachel.  These four really are the strongest singers of the bunch, aren't they?  I loved Santana's "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse, Kurt's "Some People" from Gypsy, Mercedes' "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding and Rachel's "My Man" from Funny Girl.
• I was very happy that the funeral scene and the breakup scene were both done without a sappy score.  Silence!  Beautiful silence really aided the emotional impact of those scenes.  The performances really stood on their own.  (And I'm overjoyed that Finn broke up with Quinn!)
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory's "Pure Imagination" performed by the entire glee club was beautiful!  I loved it!
• Terri Schuester is now moving to Miami to manage a Sheets 'N Things store.  That means she's out of Will's life for good!!  Thank you, Jesus!
• Rachel, to Santana, "How do you get that raspiness?"  Santana's response?  "I smoke cigars."  Ha ha!  Love it!
• There were older songs and show tunes tonight!  YES!

The Cons:

• Sue Sylvester's sister passed away, and I bawled my eyes out.
• I'm sad that Finn saw Jessie kissing Rachel, right after breaking up with Quinn.  I just want Rachel and Finn back together!!  Please make it happen, people!
• Jessie St. James' character is much more annoying than it was last season.  Seriously, I just wanted to punch him in the face all night.  Grr!
• Where was Blaine?  Why didn't I hear his beautiful voice tonight?  And speaking of characters who are M.I.A., whatever happened to Coach Beiste?
• Only one more episode left of this season.  :(

The Gleek Critique: "Prom Queen" Episode

Puck, Artie and Sam performing at McKinley's prom.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

The kids of New Directions are performing at prom, no matter how hard Sue Sylvester protests.  The entertainment for the big night has fallen through, and Principal Figgins figures it's a budget-friendly way of filling the bill.  Sue just requests that they not sing any stupid songs... like "Run, Joey, Run."

When Puck finds out that everyone thinks Zises wears the pants in their relationship, he decides he really needs to regain his reputation of being a tough guy.  His plan is to spike the prom punch bowl with alcohol, but he needs Artie's help to do it.  Without the love of Brittany anymore, Artie figures he has nothing to lose.

Kurt asks Blaine to go to prom with him, and he's a little hesitant to accept.  He had tried to go to a school dance with a boy he liked a few years ago at his old school, and it resulted in them both getting a beat-down from some high school guys.  Eventually he agrees to go.  Although things at school seem fine, at prom Kurt discovers that kids are still hating on him.  They've voted him as their Prom Queen just to make fun of him.  Kurt is supposed to dance with Karofsky (the Prom King) but Karofsky just couldn't handle it, even though he clearly has feelings for Kurt too.

Mercedes and Rachel asked Sam to take them both, but when Jessie St. James comes back into Rachel's life, the trio becomes a double date.  Finn becomes ridiculously jealous of Jessie and Rachel, and he decides to duke it out with Jessie at prom.  Quinn in turn slaps Rachel!  Such drama!  But it looks like perhaps Sam and Mercedes might become an item... but that's just hopeful optimism on my part.

The Pros:

• Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" performed by Rachel with the unexpected surprise of Jessie St. James' return was nothing short of spectacular.  I really loved turning the song into an a capella duet... awesome harmonies!
• Mercedes saying "I thought this song was about a baby..." when Artie serenaded Brittany with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" was funny.  Too bad Brittany is still mad at Artie...
• Rebecca Black's popularity just rises and rises doesn't it?  Not only has her music video "Friday" gone viral on YouTube, but now Glee is covering the song!  (Of course Glee does it better)
• Quinn looked so beautiful in her prom dress!
• "I'm just showing you my dental kit..."  Ha ha ha!  I loved when Sue Sylvester was torturing Artie for information after he was caught spiking the punch.  "You are the worst POW ever!  John McCain is rolling in his grave!"
• Blaine's performance of "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You" by the Black Kids was pretty sexy cool.  It doesn't help that I already have a little crush on Darren Criss...  too bad Finn and Jessie were fighting throughout it!
• I love that Blaine and Kurt got to have their dance together... and in front of everyone!

The Cons:

• Kurt's fashion choices are very bold and I applaud that... but no man should wear a kilt to prom.  Hideous!
• When Kurt's name was announced as Prom Queen my heart stopped.  It was so quiet and so awkward...  Although that part was done very well, everything that followed was a little big over-dramatic.
• Quinn slapped Rachel and Rachel didn't even get mad.  I would have slapped her back!
• Karofsky still needs to man up!

The Gleek Critique: "Rumours" Episode

Sam and New Directions singing Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop."  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Rumor has it I was forced to work last night until midnight and miss Glee!  Isn't that horrible?  Unfortunately that rumor is true, but luckily I have Hulu to keep me updated on all of the Glee gossip!

Sue Sylvester is at it again, and this time her plot to destroy the glee club involves bringing back the old school newspaper to print incendiary rumors about all of its members.  She's recruited the same kids she used as Hecklers a couple of episodes back to do the dirt-digging, but she's also using Will's ex-wife Terry (remember the League of Doom?).  Terry has called up April Rhodes and convinced her to return to Lima to see Will.  Why would she do this?  She's hoping April can convince Will to runaway to Broadway with her.  Obviously Sue wants this to happen to annihilate her nemesis.  Terry just wants her old apartment back.

And in a small town high school there is no shortage of rumors!  Brittany has a new web show called "Fondue for Two" where she outed Santana.  Oops!  Of course Santana is still trying to deny it publicly, although it's absolutely true.  Her love for Brittany seems more intense than ever, but even though Brittany and Artie have broken up (over Santana), she still isn't ready to come out of the proverbial closet.

The biggest rumors seem to center around Sam.  First he is seen leaving a seedy motel with Kurt!  What?  Kurt's cheating on Blaine?  But Quinn assures everyone that Sam is not gay.  She sounds a little too sure about that, and when she is spotted leaving the same motel room the next night, rumors fly that the two are sleeping together!  What's worse, neither Quinn nor Kurt will comment, making everything seem all the more true.  Sam appears to be quite the bisexual home-wrecker, and the entire glee club turns on him.  But this rumor, unlike the Santana rumor, is not actually true.  The truth comes out and the glee club is left feeling like complete assholes...  Sam's parents have no jobs, they've lost their house, and that motel room is his home.  Turns out Quinn was helping Sam babysit his younger brother and sister, and Kurt was just bringing him some of his old clothes.  They were the only two that knew of Sam's situation, but being embarrassed he asked them not to say anything.

And the rumors that Will Schuester is abandoning the glee club to run away with April Rhodes to star in a Broadway musical?  Absolutely not true.  Although the allure of stardom is obviously pulling him in that direction, he just can't bear to leave the kids... or Emma.

The Pros:

• An entire episode devoted to the music of Fleetwood Mac!  And unlike other episodes devoted to one single artist (ie. Britney Spears), this one still managed to be character-driven and plot-moving!
• I enjoyed the use of songs to highlight the love triangle between Quinn, Finn, and Rachel.  The strain on Quinn and Finn's relationship was evident in "I Don't Wanna Know."  They really don't trust each other like they should.  And Rachel once again made her feelings for Finn known when she sang "Go Your Own Way," clearly hinting that he doesn't need to be with Quinn.  Come on, Finn, take control of your life!
• Artie's "Never Going Back Again" was really cool, especially with the nine or ten guitarists lined up behind him.
• Santana!!  I'm telling you, I love her more and more every episode.  Her cover of "Songbird" was even more moving than when she sang "Landslide" a few episodes back.  So beautiful!!
• Sue Sylvester dressed as David Bowie and Ann Coulter in the same scene = awesome.
• "Ohio loves you, Ann Coulter!"
• Finally Sam's character has some importance and some depth.  He came in at the beginning of this season as the "new guy" and then he was sort of dropped after that.  I liked that we were able to find out what brought him to move to Lima in the first place... and realize why he wants so desperately just to fit in.

The Cons:

• Although I would love it if Santana and Brittany could be together, I'm still sad that Brittany and Artie broke up.  I always really liked the two of them together.  Artie is such a sweet guy...  he deserves to have a beautiful girlfriend!  The scene where he called her "stupid" was very good, though, even if it did break my little heart.
• Sue is becoming one-dimensional again.  We were really starting to see her humanity, but lately she's just been plain evil.  Don't get me wrong, I love Sue when she's scheming and hateful and full of awesome one-liners...  I just like it more when it's balanced with her softer side.  She's a complicated woman, that Sue Sylvester!  Show off her complexities!!
• And Terry.  She's really not needed this season at all.  Will's moving on, and she should too.

The Gleek Critique: "Born This Way" Episode

Rachel takes a spill when Finn elbows her in the nose.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

During dance practice Finn's clumsy moves end up breaking Rachel's nose, and while she's at the doctor's office, he suggests that maybe she get a nose job. She worries that it might affect her voice and brings up Barbra Streisand as an example of a great singer with a big Jewish schnoz.  But the doctor convinces her that it might actually improve her voice... and her chances of being famous.  She begins to seriously consider doing it, even though the glee club thinks it's a bad idea (although they all have things they would change about themselves).

Mr. Schuester is shocked that the kids all have such low self-esteem, and challenges them all to find songs that promote a healthy self-image.  He's also hoping the Lady Gaga song "Born This Way" will help them to feel good about themselves.  And while he's trying to help his students, he can't help but notice Ms. Pilsbury needs to tackle her OCD issues.  She thinks it's just who she's supposed to be, but he convinces her to see a therapist anyway, and it looks like we might be seeing some hard changes for Emma.

Meanwhile, Lauren Zizes wants to be prom queen, and Puck wants to help her.  But she's not the only one who wants to take that crown from Quinn; Santana wants it too.  With her keen gaydar, Santana realizes that Dave Karofsky is gay, which leads her to understand more fully why Kurt left.  She figures if she and Karofsky can band together in getting Kurt to come back to McKinely, she'd get the glee club kids to vote for them as prom king and queen.  So they start a club called the Bully Whips to patrol the halls for any signs of bullying.  She even has Karofsky apologize for what he did to Kurt.  Kurt finds out the true motives, but still agrees to come back to McKinley if Karofsky will help him start a chapter of PFLAG.

Oh, and what's Lauren's plan to destroy Quinn?  Reveal the fact that Quinn used to be an ugly fat girl named Lucy at another school... before she had her nose job!  That's right!  "Perfect" Quinn wasn't born that way.  However, it only makes people want to vote for Quinn even more, so Lauren's plan kind of backfires.

The Pros:

• Kurt is back at McKinley!!!!!!!!!
• Santana is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.  She sure had some hilarious lines in tonight's episode, didn't she?  Like "I'm a closet lesbian and a judgmental b****... that means I have awesome gaydar" or "The only straight I am is straight-up b****."  Hmm... maybe I just laugh every time she says the B-word...
• I love when they mash up songs!  TLC's "Unpretty" mixed with "I Feel Pretty" from the musical West Side Story was terrific.  What could be better than a Quinn/Rachel duet?
• Mike's dancing was showcased again this week, this time while Finn sang Sammy Davis Jr.'s "I Gotta Be Me."  I love watching Mike dance and I feel like Finn hasn't had a musical number in a while... so I was a happy boy!
• For some reason I really liked when Burt told Finn, "Keep an eye on your brother" referring to Kurt.  AWWW!  SO CUTE!
• I loved loved loved Blaine and the Warblers' rendition of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" as a goodbye to Kurt!  I got all choked up...
• Kurt's "As If We Never Said Goodbye" (from the musical Sunset Boulevard - which is based on the great Gloria Swanson film) was beautiful!  Best song of the night!!  I am so glad he's back where he belongs.
• The scene with Emma Pillsbury meeting with the therapist was done very well.

The Cons:

• With all the talk about Rachel's potential nose job, I was surprised that nobody brought up Santana's boob job...
• Watching Karofsky's phony baloney pretense of "changing" made me cringe.  He's still a douche!!
• The dance number in the mall was kind of fun I guess, but I couldn't help thinking it was just a redo of last season's "Safety Dance."
• Sue wasn't in this episode!!  Where was she??

The Gleek Critique: "A Night of Neglect" Episode

Sue meets with the "League of Doom" in her office.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

After a month-long hiatus, my favorite show Glee is back!  This week's episode (the first of the final six for the season) was all about the kids needing funding to attend Nationals in New York City.  Will's suggestion is that they sell saltwater taffy, but his girlfriend Holly Holiday tells him that he's thinking too small.  Her idea?  Throw a benefit concert to raise money!  So the New Directions kids begin to plan "A Night of Neglect" featuring songs by sometimes overlooked artists, because they feel, well, a little overlooked.  They've won Regionals yet they are still getting slushie facials in the hallways.

To add to the neglect, some of the members of New Directions are also part of Brainiacs which is an academic decathlon team.  Who knew Artie, Tina, Mike and (wait for it...) Brittany were members of this club?  Well, turns out nobody did.  The four of them competed on local television on the show Smarty Pants and none of their fellow choir members even tuned in to watch.  The Brainiacs are supposed to go to Detroit to compete, but they don't have any school funding either.  To make amends, Mr. Schuester decides that "A Night of Neglect" will benefit both groups.  Isn't that sweet?

But someone is very much against this benefit concert, and I'll give you one guess who that is...  Did you guess Sue Sylvester?  You'd be right.  However, she's not taking on the glee club on her own anymore.  She's formed "The League of Doom" consisting of the old glee club coach Sandy Ryerson (aka The Pink Dagger), Will's ex-wife Terri (aka The Honey Badger) and Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby (aka Sargent Handsome).  Sandy's job is to form a group of hecklers to throw insults during the benefit concert, and Dustin's job is to destroy Will and Holly's relationship.

Turns out Dustin doesn't really have to do anything to split the two teachers up.  Holly is afraid of commitment so she breaks up with Will all by herself.  She's taking a substitute teaching job in Cleveland, leaving Will alone to try and patch things up with Emma, who's just revealed that Carl has left and is wanting an annulment of their marriage.  Obviously I'm not surprised that Will and Holly or Emma and Carl didn't work out... because Will and Emma are madly in love with each other!

In the end, Dustin and Sandy have failed in their missions, and Sue is not very happy.  Although the benefit concert had low turnout, they still managed to earn the money they needed.  How did that happen?  Sandy's kryptonite is Aretha Franklin, and when he heard Mercedes sing he couldn't help but donate all of his drug money.  So like I said, Sue is not happy.  She announces that it is Honey Badger's moment to shine, and Terri looks absolutely ecstatic.  I'm sure Terri is poised and ready to stop Will and Emma from ever getting together again.

The Pros:

• I am glad that Charice's character Sunshine Corazon came back, along with the Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby (played by Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson).  They were both in the season premiere and I always thought it odd that they were brought in never to be used again.  I mean, they are both superstars.  Charice's song "All by Myself" was great.
• Brittany sure knows her cat diseases!  I loved that the ditsy ex-cheerleader actually turned out to be an asset on the Brainiacs team.
• The League of Doom was very silly but I enjoyed it.  I particularly liked how they kept getting confused over the name... sometimes calling it The Legion of Evil.
• Sue talking about Holly Holiday:  "She's looser than a thrift store turtleneck and probably just as diseased."  Hilarious!
• Mercedes had plenty of screen time which always makes me happy!  She turned into a demanding little diva in this episode, but by the way she sang Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way" she earned the right to be!  That girl is amazing!
• Mike Chang's dance solo was terrific, and I thought Holly Holiday did a great job singing Adele's "Turning Tables."  She sang it as a goodbye to Will Schuester... and a goodbye to the show in general  (at least until they decide to write her back in again).
• Did Santana stand up to that bully Dave Karofsky or what?!

The Cons:

• Although Will and Emma need to just get together already, I am sad that Carl is getting his marriage to Emma annulled.  I feel sorry for both of them.
• Apart from Kurt and Blaine, only Sandy and his hecklers came to the benefit concert.  I seriously don't understand how the entire town of Lima is so oblivious to the talent these kids have.  Seriously?  Not even older couples wanting to enjoy a night out bought tickets to this thing?  Not even their parents??
• It seems to be the running joke that whenever Tina starts a song something happens to make her stop singing.  Usually she bursts into tears for some reason or another.  Glee writers, if you are listening, STOP DOING THAT!  Let the girl sing, dang it!
• Blaine and Kurt didn't sing.  I'm always sad when they don't sing.

The Gleek Critique: "Original Song" Episode

New Directions performing their original "Loser Like Me" at Regionals.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Although Rachel's newest attempt at songwriting, "Only Child," is better than the dismal "My Headband," it's still not that fantastic.  Maybe a little too Rachel-tailored?  However, the idea still catches on and it is decided by all the New Directions kids that they will sing original music at Regionals.  Quinn agrees to help Rachel, with motives all her own, but the other kids think they should all get a stab at songwriting.  Plenty of original songs are created and sung, and ultimately the perfect two are chosen for the big competition!

So why was Quinn helping Rachel?  Only to get close enough to tell her to stay away from Finn, because although she may have Finn now, she knows that he still harbors feelings for Rachel and vice versa.  As far as Quinn is concerned, Finn is her first love and they are going to get married and live in Lima their whole lives.  Oh, and she really wants them to be Prom King and Queen.  Like really really wants that...


Over at Dalton Academy, Kurt suggests that somebody besides Blaine should sing all of The Warblers' solos.  As a sort of compromise, it is decided that the solo should become a duet.  Blaine chooses Kurt to be his duet partner after hearing Kurt's beautiful tribute to the deceased Warbler mascot.  But not only did Kurt's rendition of The Beatles' song "Blackbird" cause him to be chosen for the duet, it also helped Blaine to realize that he had feelings for Kurt.  Their friendship has officially become a relationship.

And the big competition?  McKinley's New Directions won first place!  They are going to Nationals!

The Pros:

• The Warblers singing Maroon 5's "Misery" was a great way to start the episode!  They later sang an awesome version of Pink's "Raise Your Glass" and to show their softer side, "Candles" by Hey Monday.
• The original songs that didn't make the cut were all pretty fun, especially Santana's ode to her big-lipped boyfriend entitled "Trouty Mouth."  Silly lyrics but very jazzy and sexy.  She has a great voice.  Puck's song written for Lauren was pretty awesome as well.  I mean, it's called "Big Ass Heart."  What more is there to say?  And Mercedes really stole the show with her "Hell to the No."  I love to hear that girl sing!
• When Blaine said, "You move me, Kurt" I swooned!  Oh my gosh, so romantic and way too freaking cute!  And that kiss?!  TO DIE FOR!  By far the greatest moment thus far on Glee for me!  I love Kurt's character so much and I am very happy that he has found love at last! 
• I really thought Rachel's "Get It Right" was performed beautifully.  She is such a talented performer.  And of course, "Loser Like Me" was a fun anthem for losers everywhere, ready to be a chart-topper!
• Kathy Griffin was on!  I love her, I love her, I love her!  And having her play a member of the tea party was very funny.  When she said, "I am not a witch," I almost peed my pants.  That whole judge scene was just hilarious in general, what with Rod being Rod and that stripper-turned-nun going on and on...
• "My husband is verbally abusive and I have been drinking since noon.. I'm bored, let's just see who won!"  Ha ha, so funny.  And then Sue went and punched her!  Ha ha ha, even funnier!

The Cons:

• Santana won't talk to Brittany now, and seems determined to just act is if she never said anything about her feelings for her.  She's just going to keep on dating Sam.  Sad.
• Whatever happened to Vocal Adrenaline, the big rivals from last season?  Don't tell me they didn't make it to Regionals!
• As cute as the foam "loser" hands were, where in the world did the audience get them from?  And nobody outside of McKinley High would understand the significance of the slushie-throwing at the end...
• No new episodes until April!?

The Gleek Critique: "Sexy" Episode

Mr. Schuester and Holly Holiday dance together... and then some.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

The episode opens with Emma holding a meeting of the Celibacy Club (consisting of Rachel, a virgin, and Quinn, who's not) and is encouraging the girls to abstain from sex until their honeymoon... or later.  However, Holly Holiday is back at McKinley High teaching Sex Ed and she thinks the more informed the better.  I mean, the kids are so clueless about sex that they think they can get AIDS from a cucumber.  Brittany thinks she's pregnant because she found a bird's nest.  And let's not forget Finn believing he had fathered Quinn's baby because they kissed in a hot tub.

And the sexual problems continue.  Lauren wants to make a sex tape with Puck in order to become famous, which would of course be child pornography since they are under eighteen years of age.  Then Brittany is confused about her relationship with Santana.  When she tries to talk to Santana about it, she blows it off like it's no big deal.  She doesn't like labels.  Luckily, Holly is around to help all of these students.  But she doesn't just help teens.  Dr. Carl asks her to speak with him and Emma, and lo and behold, it's revealed that Emma still has feelings for Will.  That's problematic for both Dr. Carl (Emma's husband) and for Holly who's falling for Will as well.

Meanwhile, Sue, hoping to get some secrets in return, tells Kurt and Blaine that New Directions is focusing on their sex appeal.  This makes Blaine wonder whether The Warblers are sexy enough, so they invite a girls school to watch them sing and give them feedback.  Turns out the guys are pretty sexy as a whole, but Kurt's "sexy face" looks like he's constipated.   He confesses to Blaine that he doesn't feel very sexy.  In fact, sex kind of scares him in general.  So what does Blaine do?  He goes to Kurt's dad and tells him to have "the talk" with his son.

The Pros:

• Holly Holiday had some pretty fun quotes about sex.  Like saying it's "just like hugging, only wetter" or that teaching abstinence is "like saying vegetarianism is an option for lions."
• "Animal" by Neon Trees sung by Blaine, Kurt and The Warblers was pretty awesome... mostly because Kurt sang and he hasn't sung in far too long!  Although, he did sound a bit synthesized.  But it's Glee, so that's normal.
• Prince's "Kiss" featured some unexpected tango-dancing which was pretty spectacular.  Hot damn Mr. Schue and Holly looked pretty sexy dancing together.  And that kiss?  Smoking!
• Some great scenes!  Brittany and Santana had some really emotional and touching scenes, which gave their characters some refreshing depth.  I also really enjoyed both of the scenes with Burt (Kurt's dad); the one where Blaine talks to him in the shop and when he later has a heart-to-heart with Kurt about sex.
• The Santana-Brittany-Holly cover of  the Stevie Nicks song "Landslide" was just beautiful.  When Santana started crying I was crying right with her!  Which leads me to the next point...
• Santana's a lesbian!

The Cons:

• "Afternoon Delight" was stupid.  Is anyone dumb enough to not know that song is one big sexual innuendo?
• I'm still against Finn and Quinn.  People with rhyming names shouldn't be together!  I'm pretty sure that's a law.
• Sue was only in one scene.

The Gleek Critique: "Blame It on the Alcohol" Episode

Brittany and the glee club sing "Tik Tok" at a school assembly.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

One of the benefits of living in a hotel is the free cable!  I can watch Glee on Tuesday nights again!  Yay!

So surprise, surprise, high schoolers drink, and Principal Figgins is not having it.  He's asked Mr. Schuester to have the glee club perform an anti-alcohol number at a school assembly.  The problem?  To start with, Mr. Schuester himself is a drinker.  In order to unwind from the stress of being a divorced man in love with a married woman constantly threatened by his nemesis Sue Sylvester, he has to knock back a beer or two.  Or he'd explode.  His pal Coach Bieste takes him out to a local honky tonk bar, Rosalita's Roadhouse, where they both get really crazy.  Drunk off his butt he returns home and drunk-dials Emma.  His message is self-destructive enough, even without accidentally sending it to Sue Sylvester.  Of course, she can't keep something like that to herself.

The other problem?  The glee club kids are underage drinkers!  They are hardly in a place to promote abstinence from alcohol... especially after the crazy party that ensues at Rachel Berry's house while her dads are away.  And, oh, the things one will do when a little more than tipsy!  Brittany's running around half-naked, Santana and Sam are making out in the corner, and a little game of "Spin the Bottle" leads Blaine to make out with Rachel, causing him to question his sexuality.  Maybe he's straight?  Rachel sure wants him to be, and Kurt doesn't believe it.  Luckily in the end Blaine realizes that he doesn't have feelings for Rachel.  He is most definitely gay.  So that kiss?  You can blame it on the alcohol.

Pros:  

• Finn's explanation of the different kinds of drunk girls made me smile.  Very true.  We find out that Santana is a "weepy" drunk, Lauren and Quinn are "mean" drunks, Brittany's a "stripper" drunk, Mercedes and Tina are "laughing" drunks, and Rachel is a "needy" drunk.
• When Rachel kissed Blaine the music playing in the background was The Go-Go's "Johnny Are You Queer?" which is a totally awesome song.
• Lots of fun songs this week.  I loved Blaine and Rachel's duet of Human League's "Don't You Want Me" and I also really liked Brittany's performance of "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha... even if it did end in vomiting.  And we got to hear Coach Bieste sing for the first time in "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" along with Mr. Schue.
• I laughed every time Principal Figgins said Ke$ha's name as "Ke Dollar Sign Ha."
• Other funny lines included Brittany saying "Why is she so racist?" after Quinn referencing the phrase "like the pot calling the kettle black."  Ha ha.  Or when Coach Bieste said, "You ain't lived til you've seen me in a cowboy hat!"  It was the way she said it.  You have to say "cowboy hat" in high pitch.  And hold out the "hat" a little bit... hee hee.
• Gotta' love all the smooching!

Cons:

• What in the hell was Rachel wearing at her party?  She looked like Melissa Gilbert in Little House on the Prairie... if she were a polygamist.
• The first original song to ever be sung on Glee was called "My Headband."  How sad is that...
• I was gonna put "Oh no!  Blaine is confused!"  but in the end everything worked out so it's okay.  I still feel bad for poor Kurt though.  Rachel got to kiss the man of his dreams before he did.
• When Will's drunk voicemail to Emma (mistakenly sent to Sue) was played over the school intercom I felt soooooooo uncomfortable for him.  How embarrassing...  He really needs to get his love life under control.  He's so pathetic.
• No Glee next week.  Sad face.

The Gleek Critique: "Comeback" Episode

Yup.  Glee has caught "Bieber Fever."  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Last night's episode began with a sue-icide note from one Sue Sylvester.  Turns out her defeat at the big cheerleading competition has really gotten her down.  Luckily (or unluckily) she doesn't actually kill herself, but in order to make her a bit happier Mr. Schue decides that Sue needs some music in her life.  Music makes everyone happier, right?  So he makes her join the glee club and even takes her to sing with children at a hospital.  Turns out Sue has a love for music.  Good news?  Nope.  At the end of the episode she becomes the new director for one of New Directions rivals:  Aural Intensity.  Oh no!

Sam, trying to give Quinn more reasons to stay with him, decides to start a one-man band called The Justin Bieber Experience.  Soon all the other boys join (except Finn who's way too cool for all that) and they woo every girl in the club.  But by the end of the episode, Sam realizes that Quinn really did make out with Finn last episode so he dumps her and hooks up with Santana pretty much instantly.  This was all according to Santana's plan, of course, seeing as she's almost as devious as Sue.

Rachel is trying to be popular by starting a new fashion trend (librarian chic) but of course that doesn't really work out for her.  Her look does become quite popular though, thanks to Brittany who ends up getting all the credit as the trendsetter.  But by the end of the episode she comes up with a new project:  she's going to write an original song for the glee club to perform at Regionals.

The Pros:

• Sue called Mr. Schue "SpongeHair SquareChin."  That's a good'un.
• Lauren sang her very first solo "I Know What Boys Like" by The Waitresses!  And in order to have the nerve to sing in public, she had to picture everyone in their underwear... which provided us with some fun eye candy!  Some of those guys look pretty impressive in their skivvies.
• Rachel and Mercedes sang "Take Me or Leave Me" from the musical Rent and it was awesome.  I think this was the first duet between these two amazing vocalists and it was sheer power!  Those girls have some pipes!

The Cons:

• I don't have "Bieber Fever" so I wasn't exactly thrilled with "Baby" or "Somebody to Love."  The Biebs didn't even win a grammy on Sunday...
• There wasn't any Kurt or Blaine this episode.  None.  At.  All.  I probably wouldn't have minded some Justin Bieber tunes if The Warblers had sung them.  I love everything they sing.  Why didn't they sing this episode?!
• I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this episode.  It was kind of lame.  However, next week's looks like a lot of crazy drunken fun...

The Gleek Critique: "Silly Love Songs" Episode

Tina, Mike, Rachel and Mercedes sit and listen to the Warblers on Valentine's Day.  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

It's Valentine's Day at McKinley High School, and Finn is feeling like a stud.  With the recent football win girls seem to be swooning over him, so he decides to take it upon himself to open a kissing booth.  He claims it's to raise money for the glee club, but really he just wants to kiss Quinn again (remember last episode?).  His plan works, and when they kiss:  fireworks.  The two realize that they may have ended things prematurely, and begin a love affair behind Sam's back.  However, Santana soon realizes and comes up with a devious plan to get things out in the open.  She gives Finn mono, who in turn gives it to Quinn.  What a coincidence that they would both have the kissing disease!

Cupid has also set his sights on Puck, who's got it bad for Lauren, the large and in charge hockey player turned glee clubber.  He tries throughout the episode to get her attention, even going so far as to sing Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls" in her honor, but to no avail... she stands him up on Valentine's.  Lauren just wants to make sure that he really wants to be with her.  You know, playing hard to get.  And it seems like Puck is more than willing to play the game.

And then meanwhile over at Dalton Academy, Blaine asks Kurt for his advice on telling a friend that he might be in love with him.  Kurt of course thinks he is the "friend" of which Blaine speaks, until he realizes the guy Blaine's got the hots for is a Gap employee.  Poor Kurt!  The Gap guy turns Blaine down though, and Kurt decides it's the opportune time to actually tell Blaine how he feels about him.

The Pros:

• "Fat Bottomed Girls" performed by Puck made me smile from ear to ear.  My mom was a huge Queen fan and I practically grew up on that song since it was one of her favorites.  So hearing Puck sing it was just the cherry on top of a deliciously fun episode.
• Two songs sung by Blaine this episode!  Yay!  He and the Warblers performed "When I Get You Alone" by Robin Thicke and "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney.  Both renditions were amazing.  I really love that kid's voice!
• Surprisingly, I actually like the idea of Puck wanting Lauren.  I know a ton of gleeks out there want Rachel and Puck to get together, and they do have a bit of a past, but I don't think Puck would be good for Rachel in the long run.  But Puck and Lauren?  They are just so bad-ass!
• Blaine finally knows that Kurt likes him.  They still aren't exactly dating, but at least it's out in the open!
• Rachel's cover of the popular "Firework" was terrific.  She's a much better vocalist than Katy Perry.  No offense.
• The entire episode got me in the mood for Valentine's Day!

The Cons:

• Sue Sylvester was absent from the entire episode.  Always breaks my heart a little.  It would have been funny to see her crushing everyone's Valentine's candy or something.  You know, being her regular killjoy self...
• It's really looking like Finn and Quinn are getting together.  I don't know why I'm so opposed to this.  I just am.  Maybe because I liked Finn and Rachel so much... oh well.
• At the very end they hinted that Santana and Sam might have an interest in each other.  I really don't think that's a good idea.  Boo.
• Tina's sobbing performance of "My Funny Valentine" was stupid.  I like her voice.  They should actually give her real songs to sing, not have her start singing and then start crying hysterically in the middle.  It wasn't even funny...
• Kurt never sings anymore!  AAH!  He's just in the choir behind Blaine...  I miss Kurt's solos!

The Gleek Critique: "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" Episode

The football team gets zombie-fied!  Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

Once upon a time I used to post about the newest Glee episode mere moments after it aired.  Unfortunately, now that I no longer have cable, my only way of watching Glee is on Hulu the day after.  So I hope nobody is too upset that my "Gleek Critique" articles are now going to be on a bit of a delay.

Glee was off air for months, but last night it returned in a big way!  Not only was the episode jam-packed with show-stopping musical numbers, but it aired during the coveted post-Super Bowl slot on Fox.  Pretty impressive!  And not only that, it will be back to its regular Tuesday night schedule starting this very Tuesday.  Two episodes in one week!  Of course, I'll be watching it and blogging about it on Wednesdays from now on, instead of Tuesdays like before.

In last night's episode, Sue Sylvester realizes she's bored with her life.  She's achieved so much as an award-winning cheer leading coach, that there's really no way left to top herself.  She's hit her peak.  But good ideas always come to those who seek them, and while watching a cartoon on television she realizes that she's never yet shot a Cheerio out of a canon.  And who will be that lucky Cheerio?  Well Brittany, of course. And there's one more thing Sue has on her mind.  She wants Brittany, Santana, and Quinn to quit New Directions forever.  Luckily Finn is around to talk some sense into them.

Meanwhile, Coach Bieste grows tired of the constant fighting amongst her football players.  The ones in New Directions are always getting crap from the ones who aren't.  She comes to Mr. Schue for a solution, and together they decide to make the football players participate in glee club.  Maybe if they knew what it was about they might respect it.  Naturally this doesn't go over well, and the other football players decide they would rather be off the team than sing and dance, leaving the glee club girls to play in their place.  Finally after both the glee club and the football team "walk in someone else's shoes" so to speak, the two groups unite in a spectacular half time show.  But as the episode ends, it proves to have been only a band-aid fix.  Karofsky seems set on never joining the club and never apologizing to Kurt who he's tormented so much.

And speaking of Kurt, he seems happy as a clam over at Dalton Academy with Blaine.  The two of them even attended the McKinley football game together.  And while we're on the subject of relationships, Quinn kissed Finn... which makes me wonder what will happen with Sam.  Or Rachel.  Looks like the next episode should be full of high school drama!

The Pros:

• I really liked The Warblers' rendition of the Destiny's Child song "Bills, Bills, Bills."  There's something about boys in school uniforms singing a capella that just really makes me happy.  Plus I've become a really big fan of Darren Criss who plays Blaine.
• Everything with Sue and the canon was just hilarious.  When that dummy of Brittany shot out in charred little bits and pieces... oh my goodness, so funny!  Then Brittany saying she didn't want to die "at least not until One Tree Hill ends."  Ha ha!
• Also, Sue's angry fit of rage that caused her to tear up Figgins' office was pretty darn comedic.  Even better when right after it cuts to Mr. Schue telling Coach Bieste, "You should have seen her..." and then Sue barges in and does the same thing all over again.  Awesome!  Even Brian (the Glee-hater) couldn't stop laughing.
• The half-time show was pretty epic I must say.  Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is done to death, I know, but mashing it up with Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Heads Will Roll" helped it to be a cut above the rest.  A really great song, and who doesn't love high schoolers dancing around in zombie makeup?

The Cons:

• The opening routine with the Cheerios dancing to Katy Perry's "California Girls" was a bit underwhelming in my opinion.  Hard to imagine since it involved BMX bike stunts and lots of pyrotechnics including boobs shooting flames of fire, but it was so hyped up and then not shot in a way to really maximize on the stunts.  Plus it had been circling the web forever already.  Sigh.  It was all an attempt to keep the football fans from changing the channel once the Super Bowl ended.
• I'm not sure I want Finn and Quinn to get back together.  I liked that they were both moving on...
• Not enough Kurt and Karofsky.  Sure Karofsky was in the episode plenty (being a jerk as usual) but I was really hoping that he would run into Kurt somehow in the episode.  I don't care if he apologizes or if they fight or if they kiss or whatever, I just want something to happen to move things along.  And I'm still not sure as to what Kurt's relationship is with Blaine.  Are they dating?  Are they just friends?  I need some clarification here.

The Gleek Critique: "A Very Glee Christmas" Episode

Santana and Finn decorating the tree.   Image property of Fox.

by Jack Garcia

It's Christmas at McKinley High!  The teachers are doing a Secret Santa amongst the staff, and Will draw's Sue's name out of the jar.  Oh boy.  What to get his enemy?  A robot dog?  A soul?  He decides on a fur-lined track suit, only to discover he isn't the only teacher to have drawn Sue's name.  Turns out Sue rigged the whole thing.  She hates Christmas, but loves presents.  When everyone tries to take their gifts back, she becomes a very literal Grinch and steals Christmas.

Meanwhile, to raise money for a charity, the glee kids go classroom to classroom singing Christmas carols.  They get a shoe thrown at them, so they give up pretty quickly.  Besides, they have more important issues to deal with.  Like the fact that Brittany still believes in Santa.  Artie doesn't want to tell her otherwise, and encourages the other club members to play along.  But when Brittany asks the mall Santa to make Artie walk, everyone realizes that "playing along" might be harder than they all expected.

However, all ends well.  Sue's heart grows three sizes, Will doesn't spend Christmas alone, and Artie walks... sorta.  It's a Christmas miracle!

The Pros:

• Black Santa.  Awesome.
• "Baby, It's Cold Outside" sung by Blaine and Kurt.  Adorable.  Can't these two fall in love already?  And I love how Kurt explains their relationship:  "We're just friends.  I'm in love with him but at least he's gay.  I call that progress."
• Sue Sylvester dressed up as the Grinch, while stealing all the presents and destroying the decorations at school was just spot-on hilarious.  Having Brittany enter dressed like Cindy Lou Who and catch "Sue the Grinch" in the act was also very funny.  Thank you, Dr. Seuss.
• Beiste's scene with Brittany was tender and sweet.  Dressed as Santa, Beiste let Brittany know that sometimes we can't get exactly what we ask for.  Sometimes we get patience instead.

The Cons:

• With Jewish students like Rachel and Puck I feel that they could have incorporated some Hanukkah into the episode.  Just saying.
• Everyone still hates the glee kids.  What's annoying, is that I don't exactly buy it.  I think high school kids would love having class interrupted for any reason at all, even if it's a choir singing Christmas songs.  It's not like the kids sound bad.  Geeks or not, their voices are impressive.  When will the other students recognize that?
• No more Glee until February...  :(