Ah, Glee. Even with the ridiculousness of Sue Sylvester’s shenanigans — and we have to admit by this point she has gone from a great villain to a cartoon character — this was a pretty solid episode that stuck to the story and spared us a lot of nonsensical musical interludes.
Yes, I feared this would become a total Bieber Fest (if that’s not copyrighted, it’s mine!) as Sam tried to woo Quinn and then the rest of the guys, except for Finn, had to get in on the act to get their girls back after the Valentine’s Day high they were on. Thankfully there were only two Bieber songs — does he really have any other hits besides those two? — and then Lauren Zizes hit one out of the park with her rendition of The Waitresses I Know What Boys Like (maybe we’ll get a glee club version of Christmas Wrapping next Christmas).
I’m really enjoying the whole Puck/Lauren story because it’s fun to see Puck want something so badly that he just can’t get. I was afraid Lauren was going to be the real outcast of the group because of her size, but so far she’s been great thanks to some good writing and a terrific performance by Ashley Fink. It also looks like someone might be taking the criticism of Rachel’s recent inexcusable behavior to heart by trying to bring her back to a somewhat likable person. I don’t know if her method – paying Brittany to dress trendy and credit the look to Rachel — was the best step in the right direction, but as all of her efforts backfired, making Brittany a stronger person in the end, Rachel’s proposal to write an original song for regionals did make her look good … at least to Finn.
And speaking of comebacks, let’s hope the writers have finished making Sue even more absurd from one week to the next. Seriously, would any teacher who throws a student against the lockers (and this is after trashing the principal’s waiting area) still be employed? Yes, we have to overlook these over-the-top moments or at least put them into some kind of context that culminated with this week’s episode. After threatening to commit “Sue-icide,” Emma suggested Sue join the glee club. Of course, that was Sue’s plan all along, and she tried hard to sow the seeds of division but Rachel and Mercedes only found common ground during their Diva-off.
Will saw what she was doing, took her to a pediatric cancer ward, melted her heart, got her to participate in a number … and then the other shoe dropped as Sue told Will she is now coaching New Directions’ rivals at regionals, Oral Intensity. As Will’s world began to crumble, Quinn’s did as well when Sam told her he knew she cheated on him and he’s now dating Santana. Will Sue be any good at coaching, or will this ensure a win for New Directions (they have to get past the Warblers, Kurt and Blaine first)? How long before Sam realizes he’s made a huge mistake with Santana and will Finn try to get back with Quinn or Rachel?
I think this episode was aptly named because it did bring the show back to some good storytelling and laid some groundwork for rivalries and relationships that will carry the show to the end of the semester.
“Dude, that hair makes your mouth look even bigger.” – Puck, commenting on Sam’s Bieber ‘do
“I gotta get that girl on my Cheerios.” – Sue after Sam’s Bieber solo
“You know there’s only one ‘i’ in diva, Rachel, and that ‘i’ is me.” – Mercedes
“Most teachers think by cutting class I might improve my grades.” – Brittany
“Listen Rachel, I’m going to give you some tough love right now. You’re not a trend setter. When people look at you they don’t see what you’re wearing. They see a cat getting its temperature taken, then they hear it screaming.” – Brittany
This week’s songs (available on iTunes):
Baby (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
Somebody to Love (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
I Know What Boys Like (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
Take Me or Leave Me (Glee Cast Version) – Take Me or Leave Me (Glee Cast Version) – Single
Sing (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Feb 15, 2011 @ 23:21 EST5EDT
Maybe we can just call Sue a “villainish cartoon character” and be happy with that. I so love the lines that come out of her mouth, and notably missed her last week. Of course a teacher would be fired for throwing kids into lockers. But Chuck. It’s “Glee!” I think a teacher would be fired for half the looks Mr. Shue gives the girls when they cut away to him while they’re performing! You have to suspend belief completely while watching “Glee.” I think that’s why a lot of people don’t like it.
But. Just when you hate Sue, you see her take care of her sister, or enjoy the moments with the cancer kids, or volunteer to step down as principal to try to help Kurt with bullies.
It’s pure fantasy. And I think you make a great point by saying that the spins that are happening in the storyline will be well worth watching!
Tara, I was thinking the exact same thing last night. No matter how cartoonish and absurd Sue Sylvester’s character becomes, Glee is still worth watching for those very small moments such as when she is reading a story to her sister, or being kissed by a child in a cancer ward. Those small moments, Jane Lynch’s superb acting and the joyful emotion on her face at those times always reduces me to tears.
I don’t care what we call Sue, as long as we are calling her that less. The first 13 episodes of the first season were as good as Glee will ever be, and that was pretty damn good. Once those episodes aired, and Ryan Murphy discovered how much America liked Sue, he increased her presence in the show significantly.
To all of our detriment. Sue, since then, has been the perfect example of “too much of a good thing.” I’m not sure where I read it, but someone said last week that that episode of Glee was great because it got back to the Kids, and the Adults played only a minor, supporting role.
Which is how it should be. It is a show about a high school glee club. Who SHOULD be the main characters?
*POST AUTHOR*
It does seem like Sue is over-used but there have been plenty of episodes where she doesn’t even appear – like last week. And then people complain that she’s not on. That’s always the danger of creating a character that takes on a life of its own. I’m psyched that she’ll be coaching a rival glee club because then I think the story will get back to its roots of showcasing the glee club and what they’ll do to win regionals. I would like to see more of the promised rivalry between Rachel and Sunshine (from the first episode this season) and their respective glee clubs – especially after hiring Cheyenne Jackson as the rival coach of Vocal Adrenaline for what amounted to a walk-on role with one line – but that’s gone nowhere. It seems now that they pushed Vocal Adrenaline aside so they could introduce this new club that Sue will be coaching.
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m not hating on Sue, just pointing out that the character has gone from a, yes, cartoonish villain to just a plain cartoon. I mentioned in my Super Bowl show post that I’d finally let go of all of my issues with the show and just enjoy it for what it is. But I think they reeled her back in by the end of the show this week and at least, I hope anyway, she won’t be trying to shoot someone from Oral Intensity out of a cannon! I like her plotting against Will and glee like Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The cannon was too much, but that’s when I just let go and enjoyed the ride (although I’m still wondering where that mysterious hockey team came from). You’re right, though, they stretch credibility with her and then make her so totally human that I think that’s where I was having issues – it was just too far to swing from one extreme to the other. But I’m over that. I’ll still point out when it’s ridiculous, but I’m not going to get mad about anymore.