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.”

Thanks for reading!

About: Glee “Theatricality”

(RAH)² (AH)³ + [ROMA (1+MA)] + (GA)² + (OOH)(LA)²

When you think of going Gaga the first thing that comes to mind has to be the clothes. Last week’s wardrobe was outstanding…and then there was Rachel’s stuffed animal disaster! Of course I know it was intended to shock and appall us, so job well done there.

Now let’s get down to business. Am I the only one who thought that Gaga was a strange musical choice for such a heavy episode? First we’ve got Kurt and Finn fighting about living arrangements which eventually boils into one of the most emotional scenes I’ve seen on Glee so far. Then, Rachel discovers who her mother is and is dealing with all that drama to the tune of Poker Face. After listening to soundtrack I can understand how that song works in their situation, having to put on poker faces for each other so that they don’t feel so vulnerable…etc. But that was some really heavy stuff. Gaga seems more fit for a fun carefree episode, which we have had plenty of this season. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the episode, I just thought they could have used their resources in a more productive way.

I did love the guy’s rendition of Kiss’ “Beth”. It’s great to see Puck showcasing his talent. He hasn’t gotten much play this season and I think he’s got a pretty strong voice. Actually, kind of perfect for Kiss. I thought it was a creative way to bring Puck and Quinn closer. Their storyline has been put on the backburner a lot this season, and Quinn is due to pop soon (although this show’s timeline is a little foggy), so I’m glad they are bringing their story to the forefront. They are one of those couples that makes no sense together but you can’t help but root for them. Puck may be a douche bag, but he’s our douche bag and we love him. He is so innocent when it comes to love and it’s becoming clear that he loves Quinn and is prepared to love this baby too. I just hope it’s not too little too late for Quinn.

“Theatricality” had what seemed like the fight of the century! I loved the way the situation was handled. I found myself feeling so bad for Finn and the way he was ambushed by his mom. It’s really not fair to ask a teenage boy to leave his life behind and join a new family. It’s something that Kurt’s dad taking him to a few games can’t fix, so I’m glad they let it break. All these emotions that Finn was dealing with seemed to be funneled into his odd relationship with Kurt. Kurt is obviously in love with Finn and seems to think the sun rises and sets with him. So when Finn went off on him in such a hateful way it seemed to physically hurt Kurt. In that moment I felt like Kurt. I was shocked. I never would have guessed that Finn could be that filled with hatred. It shifted my opinion of who Finn was and what he had or had not learned about himself this season. When Burt Hummel intervened I could see Kurt’s embarrassment. He spends his life being different than his peers and his dad has come to his aid more than once. It seems like Kurt wants a “normal” father-son relationship more than anything but he doesn’t seem to realize that he has something better. His father just loves him. Not because he’s the son Burt always imagined having, but because he’s not.

I have really grown to like Burt over the season. He started out as an overly masculine clueless father but his character has really grown over the season. I thought he gave a very strong performance in “Theatricality”. I especially loved his comment after Kurt tells him that he didn’t take Finn’s use of the word “faggy” as a personal insult.

“That’s Because you’re 16 and you still see the best in people”.

Needless to say I was more than happy to see Finn attempt to redeem himself later in the episode when he came to Kurt’s rescue wearing that huge shower curtain. It probably wasn’t what Kurt wanted to hear. It wasn’t an “I love you”. It wasn’t even a proposal for friendship, but it was an “I’m sorry”. Something that needed to be said.

So overall I thought this episode definitely had its moments. If there was one thing I was missing, it was Sue Sylvester! And I could always use a few more songs.

About: Gossip Girl “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”

Let me be the first to say farewell Little J! See you never. I was obviously pretty happy that Jenny got written off the show. At this point she’s kind of a one trick pony. She has spent her time on the show defying all our expectations of just how low a person can sink. Well, she has officially sunk and I can’t say I’ll miss her.

What an episode! If I had to sum it up in one word I would call it “overwhelming”. Don’t get me wrong, I love drama but at some point it’s just too much for a one hour episode. The first half of the season wasn’t exactly packed with drama, I wouldn’t call it boring I just think there could have been more development of more interesting storylines. Apparently, the writers realized this a little late and decided to make up for it in the season finale! These are great story lines with plenty to work with for next season but it would have served them better to spread some of the development out over the season. i.e. spend a little less time on Serena’s dad or Chuck’s mom. Man, these socialites have some mommy and daddy issues! Or even to spend less time on Dan and Vanessa- a story line I doubt anyone found particularly interesting (note my use of past tense). So all that to say I enjoyed the finale, I just found it a little too full.

So let’s just re-cap some of the less noteworthy highlights.

-Serena and Nate “take a break”. Bring on the Dan and Serena love!
- Vanessa and Dan are probably broken up at this point. And a resounding “who cares?” rang across the land!
- Serena and Dan kissed. We knew that would happen eventually.
- Dorota had her baby.

Now on to the plot points worth talking about…

Chuck and Blair…we were so close. I knew they couldn’t get back together this season. Drama like that deserves to be stretched out. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t on the edge of my seat as Blair made her way to the Empire State Building. Or that I didn’t squeal when Chuck pulled the engagement ring out of his pocket. They had me wanting what I knew we couldn’t have. That, my friends, is good drama.

Now about Chuck; I don’t know that I really blame him for this. Am I grossed out that he slept with Jenny? Absolutely. But he was distraught. He thought the only woman he’s ever loved rejected him. I can’t say I blame him for his promiscuous behavior. Jenny on the other hand should know better than to mess with a man that Blair has dated, is thinking about dating, or has ever talked to for that matter. Bad decision all around!

If Dan and Vanessa weren’t broken up before you can bet they will be when Vanessa gets back from Haiti and finds Georgina carrying Dan’s seed. My instincts are telling me that the baby isn’t Dan’s. Judging by the men Georgina seems to surround herself with, Dan is probably the most upstanding, responsible one of them all; thus making him the best candidate for a father figure. Either way I can’t decide how I’m feeling about Georgina’s return. I just know she can’t be trusted.

Then, to top that off Chuck goes and gets himself shot! Could this be a catalyst for a Chuck and Blair reunion post summer break? Maybe a bit soon but here’s hoping!

Thanks for reading!

About: Supernatural “Two Minutes to Midnight”

We are getting dangerously close to the moment we’ve all been waiting for the entire season. But just when we thought we knew what had to be done the tables turned and we’re back in limbo.

At the beginning of the episode the mission seemed fairly simple- all things considered. Find Pestilence and Death and get their rings. It was supposed to be the next step that was difficult. But when the boys wiped Pestilence off the map so quickly (with a little help from Cas, who I was more than happy to see again) I began to get worried. I knew it was a little too easy. Taking on two horseman in one episode seemed a little rushed for Supernatural; not a show that tends to rush plot lines. But I had no idea what kind of twist was in store.

Before I go on, I do want to say that I loved the sequence of Death walking down the street to “Oh Death” (by Jen Titus if you were wondering, and I was). That was one of the most haunting scenes I’ve ever seen on Supernatural. I’m getting chills just thinking about it!

So Pestilence is taken care of. Then, we find out that Bobby, in true Winchester fashion, has decided to loan his soul to Crowley. I can’t say I blame him considering the outlook of things, but come on! Haven’t we learned by now that this soul selling business is never a good idea? Besides, I’m not sure that I trust Crowley yet. I’m still feeling betrayed by Ruby who turned out to be exactly what instinct told us she was. The good news is that Bobby can walk again, for now. But I bet he’d be willing to make a permanent crossroads deal with Crowley if it meant the use of his legs for ten years. I’m starting to think that was in Crowley’s plan to begin with. Let Bobby feel what it’s like to walk again and he’ll never want take his soul back leaving Crowley with the “insurance” to keep him safe from the Winchesters.

How suspicious was it when Crowley led Dean to the location of Death only to find out he wasn’t there? Crowley could not have been more un-phased by that realization. Did he just not care or was he not surprised? I can’t see the point of writing the wrong location into the plot unless there was a reason for it. And Crowley did eventually lead Dean to Death when he didn’t have to so it seems like he wasn’t planning on breaking his deal but is there more to the first location than they let on?

Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Castiel is now a human! This is just a problem that I don’t know what to do with. At this point there’s no way Cas is going to get his Angel mojo back unless the moment I’ve been hoping for actually happens. God’s triumphant return! I’m still hoping that God will come back to save the day and reward Cas for being his most faithful servant. But I’m an optimist. Well, either way at this point Cas is now about as helpful as Bobby.

Now on to the biggest problem of all. Death. I think we all knew that Dean’s sneak attack on Death was not going to work but I guess he had to try. (Lately it seems like all the demons and horsemen have a spidey sense that detects Sam and Dean. I don’t remember that being something that demons were capable of earlier in the series. I could be wrong though. But I digress…) Then, when Death told Dean to sit down and eat pizza with him (Chicago style pizza!) I started to get nervous. I thought for sure that Dean was going to put his butter knife to use until the conversation took a turn. Death is a slave to Lucifer, that wasn’t a surprise, but the fact that he’s older and far more powerful was. How did Lucifer manage to trap death in the first place? The fact that he wants Lucifer in the hole was also a shocker. Once I knew that, I knew what had to come next. Dean had to promise that Sam would say yes to Lucifer. The exact thing we don’t want to happen. Because now we have a problem; either Sam does what Death wants or Dean dies. If Sam says yes to Lucifer, it’s likely that he’ll “die” as we know it. So now we just have to hope that Cas was right about Sam’s strength because it’s clear that he is the only one who can end this.

What an episode! I can’t wait to see how the season will end!

Thanks for reading!

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.”

Thanks for reading!

About: Supernatural “Point of No Return”

Happy 100th! It’s hard to believe it’s already been 100 episodes but at the same time I feel like I’ve known these boys forever. Can you believe how far this show has come since the woman in white? What a trip!

So let's talk about "Point of No return". I really enjoyed this episode. There was a lot time spent on the relationships between the characters and how they've evolved over the seasons. But most of all I think "Point of No Return was about Faith; faith in family, faith in what is right, and faith in yourself.

The spare Winchester is back! I have to say I really liked Jake Abel as Adam Milligan (Winchester). He not only looks and talks like a Winchester but he’s got the devil-may-care attitude down to a tee. I was glad to see them bring his character back. While things don’t look good for him at this point, I don’t think this is the last time we’ll see Adam Winchester (more on that later).

If we learned anything from “Point of No Return” it was that you do not want to piss off Cas. Dean got a royal ass kicking that was not totally undeserved. Cas has sacrificed everything for Sam and Dean. While I understand Dean’s feelings too, no matter how selfish they seem, Cas is not ready to see these boys fail. I think he’s secretly holding on to a shred of hope that the God he has served for who-knows-how-long will intervene. I am definitely holding on to that same hope.

Last night’s episode also had some very heartbreaking moments and what I thought was some really great acting. When Dean told Bobby that he wasn’t his father he may as well have slapped him across the face. Bobby has been such a great help to these boys over the years and he has been more of a father to them then John ever was. Bobby has kept going for these boys even after he was paralyzed and more recently forced to kill his own wife, again. I obviously, don’t think Dean meant what he said but it was selfish of him to say regardless. It seemed like Dean had a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself last night. I was surprised by what Dean said to Sam about not believing in him. We knew that Dean never really forgave Sam for abandoning the family to go to school. He also has never trusted him in the same way since the demon blood addiction and alliance with Ruby. But for Dean to come out and say something that hurtful to Sam was a really low blow that couldn’t have come at a worse time. I guess I hadn’t realized the depth of mistrust Dean had for Sam. Sam has spent a long time trying to make up for his mistakes and to have that go un-noticed by Dean must have been very hurtful. (Look at me forgetting that these aren’t real people) And Sam has clearly never lost his trust in Dean. I thought his decision to bring Dean along to save Adam was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. But clearly, Sam knows Dean better than I do. I will say that I was glad to have the boys really talk about their trust issues. For so much of the season they have pretended that these deeper issues aren’t there. They’ve had a lot on their plate and I guess their trust in each other can’t take precedence over the apocalypse but these are issues that they needed to sort out if they are ever going to fight as a united front.

My roommate and I were discussing whether or not Adam Winchester’s character was created specifically for the purpose he served in “Point of No Return”. Did Kripke know back in season four’s “Jump the Shark” that he would use Adam as the Zachariah’s bait to get Dean to agree to Michael’s proposal? It seems like a huge thing to introduce another Winchester brother only to kill him off in the same episode. I think Kripke is more creative than that. I also don’t believe that Adam is dead now. I would be a little disappointed if they brought him back just to kill him off for a second time; although, multiple deaths seem to run in the Winchester family. I think Adam will pop up again at a moment when Kripke has us thinking that all is lost. Although, I'm not sure how things can get darker for the Winchester’s at this point.

Another question I discussed with my roommate (are you sensing a theme?) is whether or not we think Michael is all that bad. We met Lucifer who is obviously no good but so far, Michael is yet to be seen. This makes me think that maybe he’s not all bad. In fact, maybe God is using Michael- I still think God is testing the Winchester’s faith. Maybe not so much their faith in God, because that seems shot to hell at this point, but maybe their faith in what is right and their faith in each other which seemed to be the main theme of “Point of No Return”. In this episode, it looked like God sent Zachariah on the mission to resurrect Adam which was maybe supposed to be a hint at God’s position on the subject of Dean as Michael's vessel. But I really wonder if God knew how everything would play out. I wonder if he knew Dean would end up in that room and would have to make the decision to accept Michael’s proposal and fail or continue to fight for what he thinks is right. Either way, I refuse to believe that God has “checked out”.

I am very interested to see how things play out as season five comes to a close. Either way, the boys will be back next season so I’ll find hope in the fact that they can’t die, yet.

Here’s to 100 great episodes and counting!

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!

Thanks for reading!