About: Glee “Funk”

As we quickly approach regionals Glee took a moment to get funky.

Let me start by saying that I was shocked and impressed that Kurt was capable of some of the notes he hit in “We Want The Funk”. I have come to expect the glass-shattering high notes he so often hits but I did not realize his range.

Jesse. I knew it. We’ve known for a while that Jesse was playing Rachel but in recent weeks it seemed like he had developed real feeling for her. He didn’t want her to be hurt by the situation with her mother and so I thought that maybe he would take the sabotage down a notch. I mean there would still be sabotage, just less. But the egging in the parking lot was heart breaking and it made me wonder what he’s really mad about. It can’t still be the “Run Joey Run” debacle? Sure she secretly made the video with Finn and Puck behind his back but she still chose him in the end. She even spurned Finn’s “Jesse’s Girl” advances (for some reason). But I can’t think of any other reason he’d be so upset with her that he would agree to the public humiliation that he seemed to initiate.

And on that note, I will go off on a little tangent. If the “Run Joey Run” drama is really what Jesse is so upset about then the writers can’t just push that storyline to the back for a couple of weeks and expect us to understand his still feeling betrayed. It’s something this show does a lot; storylines disappear for weeks at a time only to be brought up again out of the blue. Viewers can’t be expected to remember, with enough freshness, how a character is feeling after weeks go by. We need to be reminded if we are expected to care. Now I understand that this show is primarily a musical so I came into it expecting a light and fluffy plot but that doesn’t mean that storylines can vanish into thin air or appear out of nowhere. I still need the development and buildup of the plot. Whew. Tangent over.

Finn and Puck working and Sheets and Things with Terri is one of those out of thin air storylines I was referring to. I thought I said “tangent over”. I will say that while it came out of thin air, I loved the performance of “Loser” it resulted in! Finn and Puck have really great vocal chemistry. I’d like to hear more of that. And see more of it for that fact! Hot!

Will seducing Sue was definitely one of the highlights of the episode. Although I have to say I was a little surprised that he was capable of something so cruel (and hilarious). In the end he did exactly what I knew he would; He made good on things with Sue and even inspired her a little along the way. Classic Will Schuester.

A couple of my favorite lines of the episode

Sue: “Even your breath stinks of mediocrity”

Will: “You know what Wednesday is, right? Hump day.”

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About: Glee "The Power of Madonna"

Let me start by saying that I have never really been a fan of Madonna. I don’t own any of her albums and I only know the words to a handful of her songs. With that disclaimer out there I have to say I really enjoyed “The Power of Madonna”.

I have to admit I was a little worried. Not because I thought that the cast was incapable of living up to the icon that is Madonna, but because I wasn’t sure how they’d be able to weave the songs messages in with the plot. For the most part it seems that the songs used in each episode are picked because of how they portray the things the characters are going through. So, when you decide to write an episode using music by only one artist that makes things pretty tricky. I was really pleased that this decision didn’t take anything away from the episode. I felt like the songs were pretty seamlessly woven into the pre-established story line without much need to create new side plots to accommodate. That’s not to say the episode was without its faults in that department. I did think the “Like a Virgin” story line rushed the Will and Emma plot a little. Just last week she was breaking up with him so that he could figure out what he wanted. This week she’s ready to lose her v-card to him. Not to say I didn’t enjoy that number, because I really did!

Speaking of losing your v-card I was definitely caught off guard by Finn. I knew Rachel wouldn’t be able to go through with things with Jesse because she still has obvious feelings for Finn. I thought Finn wouldn’t go through with it because he really wants to get Rachel back. So I figured the logical choice was to play it safe and have the adults do it. It was definitely an interesting plot twist. Especially since both Finn and Rachel decided to lie to each other. It was a little Dawson’s Creek-esque. Anyone?

I was surprised by the Jesse comes to McKinley High twist. It definitely makes for more juicy plot lines to have the enemy so close. I am, of course, fully prepared to hate his guts I just think that having him around more will be a great source of drama. I am curious to find out what his game is. Does he just want a preview of their set list or is there a larger master plan. I have to believe there is. Sue leaked their set list once before so it would be just lazy to go that route again. It would be interesting if Sue caught on to Jesse’s plot and they joined forces to try and bring the glee club down. Just a thought.

As far as songs go my top pick for the night would have to be Rachel and Finn’s rendition of “Open Your Heart”. I think they are best when they want to be together but can’t. There is a great tension between them at this point and I love to see Finn fight for what he wants, I just hope they don’t lose that chemistry when they finally get together.

As for my favorite quote of the episode, you can bet that it will almost always come from Sue Sylvester-

“I thought I smelled cookies from the tears of elves weeping that live in your hair.”

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About: Glee “Hell-O”

After the longest hiatus known to man, Glee is finally back! While last night’s episode was not the most artfully crafted where plot was concerned I was so happy to have Glee back that I almost didn't care.

They threw a lot at us in the first few minutes of the episode. There were a few new couples, well maybe no new as much as “official”; Will and Emma, Rachel and Finn, Quinn and Puck. It was a lot of information to get at once but none of it was necessarily unexpected. But as quickly as they threw these couples together, they tore them apart.

Emma reveals to Will that she’s never been “intimate” before, something he seems to take pretty well, so why the unexplained make out session behind enemy lines? That was by far my least favorite thing about “Hell-O”. I’m sorry but didn’t Will just realize that Emma was the love of his life? I was so confused about this moment that I had myself convinced it was some kind of dream he was having out of sexual deprivation. At least that would have made sense. Needless to say, I don’t know where they were going with that and why it came out of the blue.

I was so proud of Emma for making Will take time to find out who he is and what he wants. She already knows who she is, recognizes her own flaws where cleanliness is concerned, and is working to correct them. I am a little concerned about the timing of when Emma will find out about Will’s infidelity. It seems pretty clear that these things don’t go unnoticed in shows. Eventually, Emma will find out about it and hopefully it won’t be a make or break moment in their relationship. Although, I guess that’s where the best drama comes from.

Finn never ceases to amaze me with his stereotypical dumb jock attitude and general gullibility. He’s so insecure in himself and now the two people he trusted and cared about most have betrayed and humiliated him. But his constant fear of being perceived as an outcast is one of the most frustrating things about him. You would think he’d have learned by now that popularity has never brought him real happiness. Yet even through his density (am I allowed to use this word like that?) he continues to charm me. He somehow remains this naïve boy who is just learning life’s lessons at a slower pace than his peers; a contemporary Forest Gump with singing and dancing. So how could we be mad at him for breaking up with Rachel to sow his wild oats? And how could we not want Rachel to take him back immediately after his change of heart?

I think we all knew from the beginning that Jesse James was no good. Sorry Rachel but a dream guy that also happens to be a huge fan of your work and is coincidentally the lead singer of your arch rival glee club is not the best person to choose for a boyfriend! I do feel bad for her because it seems like she’s always getting her heart broken. For so long Finn spurned her advances, and then she tried to make him jealous by going out with Puck who it turned out was using her too. Then, in a momentary lapse in judgment she fell in love with Mr. Shu. Let’s just say she hasn’t had much luck with love this year. It’s really too bad because she is the kind of character that really puts her heart into everything she does. She may be painfully annoying at times, and a bit of a control freak but she really is a sweet girl. It seems like Finn is beginning to see her for who she is and accept her. And it sounds like he’s willing to put up a fight for her which he may have to if he finds out about Jesse James. Although I am curious to see how they handle the fact that Finn isn’t over Quinn yet. Or was his speech to Rachel at the episode's close supposed to show us that he's put Quinn in his past?

As far as my favorite song of the episode- Finn’s rendition of “Hello, I love you” was one of the best performances I’ve heard from him this season. I am fighting the urge to download it on itunes tonight!

After seeing Sue Sylvester’s Vogue video I could not be more excited to see how they handle the Madonna episode next week. Jane Lynch is a genius! Her comedic timing never fails.

Thank goodness we're back from hiatus and rolling on toward regionals!

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