The Gleecap is a brand new column dedicated to recap and review the zany antics that occur in each episode of the television show Glee. Blog posts will be released each Wednesday following an episode. Beware, there will be spoilers.
Story Overview
So. This week’s episode of Glee brings a leprechaun, Finn’s only major screen time of the season so far, and the most uncomfortable closing shot to ever end an episode of a television show ever.
For fans of this summer’s The Glee Project, Damian McGinty, one of the two winners, made his entrance as Irish exchange student who part-times as a leprechaun in order to get Brittany’s “Pot O’Gold.” He is desperate to make friends and, despite his sunny attitude, does not immediately succeed in that endeavor.
The episode also lends heavy air time to the stories of Brittany and Santana. Santana, growing more bold with her affections for Brittany, seeks to make their relationship feel more real, sorta. In her newfound bravado, she, after spending an episode insulting everyone within the tri-state area, departs with Brittany to Ms. Corcoran’s glee club.
Villain Quinn makes a triumphant return to forefront of story lines when she tries to booby-trap Ms. Corcoran’s apartment for Child Protective Services to take Beth away. Puck, like any good henchman, initially goes along for the ride but ultimately sabotages Quinn’s sabotage.
Lastly, Sue still wants to take down glee club—on a state level. In threatening to shut down the school’s musical, she accidentally invokes the terrifying power of Burt Hummel. So now he is running for Congress.
Characters
Rory – I really liked Damian by the end of The Glee Project this summer. Unfortunately, I cannot say quite as much for his character yet. His naive optimism was endearing. His loneliness and homesickness were endearing. His quest for Brittany’s “Pot O’Gold” was creepy. Seriously, why did the Glee writers give Rory all of Mr. Schuester’s skeezy plot material? Make his story more about friendship and less about dirty undertones and I’ll be sold. Also, Glee wardrobe, cut it out with the green. We get that he’s Irish. Your subtlety is not lost on your audience.
Finn – Despite not having much of his own storyline this episode, Finn was featured heavily. I really like how he’s one of the few characters to not be a member of the Cult of Blaine. I like how he’s stepping up as a leader of Glee club. I like him developing a feistier relationship with Santana. I really like how he’s taking Rory under his wing. And none of this development had to do with Rachel. Amazing.
Quinn – I really wanted to pity her when she went off about the “perfect” rant. I really wanted to. But I couldn’t. The Quinn Pity Well was tapped last season.
Santana/Brittany – Tonight was a cute window into their possible future. Some of Santana’s lines about Brittany were beautiful. Some of Santana’s insults towards Sugar and Rory did, however, feel almost a little too mean even by her standards.
Puck – It was going so well. He’s been gradually getting more awesome and complex over the seasons (yes, even Season Two). Tonight’s episode showed much of that. He, wanting the best for Beth, surpassed his desires for his child’s benefit.
And then that closing shot happened.
Glee writers, you have just traversed down a really dangerous path. A student kissing a teacher? That’s scandalous in a very scary way. Sure, it makes some sense with Puck’s character, but I really question how much that storyline can really advance the show’s integrity.
Songs
“Bein’ Green” by The Muppets: In a million years I would never expect a song by Kermit the Frog to ever grace this show. Lyrically, the song made sense. There’s a layer of gravity added to the song when it isn’t sung by a puppet. Vocally, I’m not too sure. It was nice. It was sweet. But it wasn’t powerful enough nor did it feel perfect for Rory’s voice.
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” by Katy Perry: I knew it wasn’t going to be long before they wheeled out another Katy Perry song. And, to no one’s shock, it was sung by Blaine, whose reasons for performing it were somewhere the lines of “You guys, don’t be so bummed out, I have a song with a menage a trois for us to sing!” Sure, the song is a fun, Top 40 hit that doubtless many fans will buy. It just felt random. I do, however, appreciate Santana calling out New Directions for being “The Blaine and Rachel Show.” Amen, sister.
“Waiting For a Girl Like You” by Foreigner: I really liked this cover. In a strange way, the song had a haunting, heartfelt feeling to it. Puck did an excellent job, and, unlike “Last Friday Night,” it fit beautifully in context with the show.
“Candyman” by Christina Aguilera: The Andrews Sisters + Christina Aguilera + Sassy Santana and Mowdown Mercedes = Excellence. I would argue that a performance like this is Glee’s forte. It takes a distantly recognizable song, tweaks it a bit, and adds in some edgy, powerful voices to pull it off. Very impressed.
“Take Care of Yourself” by Teddy Thompson: There were two things I liked about this song: the non-falsetto, and Kurt and Rachel’s reactions to the falsetto. The first half of the song was much better suited for Rory’s voice than his earlier song, and it allowed him to express power and emotion necessary for the song. Unfortunately, that falsetto did not do him any favors. Fortunately, Rachel elbowing Kurt and Kurt’s general reaction were a riot. So I can forgive the sudden jump in octave.
One-Liners
“Did you airbrush out your jowls?” – Kurt Hummel to Rachel
“I am literally horny with fear.” – Sue Sylvester
“Doesn’t my presidential campaign need continuity?” – Brittany S. Pierce. Since when can she say all of those words? In a row?
“You’re just itching to kick him in the Warblers.” – Santana Lopez
“Lord Tubbington snuck out and I found him at Arby’s.” – Brittany S. Pierce.
“She’s everything that’s good in this miserable world.” – Santana “D’awwww” Lopez.
Overall Score
The song quality was mixed. The story lines were, aside from a few sweet moments, very weird. Rory’s introduction felt forced. Quinn’s sympathetic moment was ineffective. The Puck/Shelby moment was, in the terms of a small child, icky. Finn’s sudden leadership and the scant, yet cute Brittana intimacies were the few redeeming moments for the episode. This episode was not worth a month’s wait.
“Pot O’ Gold:” C+
