Wow. I don’t really know what to make of this week’s episode of Glee. Alchohol Awareness Week seemed like an epic fail to me. I can see that this episode is probably going to have a lot of parents knashing their teeth, pulling their hair and rending their garments with the show’s depiction of alcohol useage amongst high-schoolers. If we had to watch the glee club perform a song glorifying drinking when I was in high school, and someone got barfed on, it would have been the funniest thing we’d ever seen. I seriously doubt seeing Rachel, who is routinely Slushied, getting puked on would scare the rest of the school into alcohol abstinence. If parents actually sat down and watched this episode with their kids and then had a talk about the dangers of drinking afterwards, it may have done some good, but the old fart in me thinks the episode was more irresponsible than productive in whatever its message was supposed to be.
That being said, I know a commentor or two will have a few choice things to say about Kurt this week, but I’m not going to be as hard on him as others surely will be. People keep saying what a self-centered jerk he is, but I think these same people forget what it’s like to be a teenager who is trying to fit in, and who is thrilled to have found a kindred spirit, only to see someone else trying to snatch that away. No one has called Santana horrible names for breaking up Sam and Quinn, but Kurt will be called every name in the book because he’s a tad upset that Rachel is going after the guy he’s got a serious crush on (and no name calling at Rachel for insisting Blaine is in to her?). Double standards at play! I can’t blame him for his reaction, but he did come around in the end and supported Rachel’s attempt to move in on Blaine with another (sober) kiss. I’m just glad Blaine got over his alcohol-induced issues and realized that he is who he is, because I really didn’t want them to drag that story out. The only thing that will drag is his relationship with Kurt. Will they or won’t they? Blaine was there for Kurt at the height of his bullying, so it’s only natural that he is feeling affection towards him. Blaine needs to man up and give Kurt an answer one way or another.
Some people may also take issue with Kurt’s attitude toward his dad, who has been entirely understanding and supportive of his son. Kurt may have come off as a bit of a brat when his father asked for an apology for doing something inappropriate, but he never gave Kurt a chance to defend himself. He also didn’t seem to listen when Kurt said nothing happened, and that he only let Blaine stay there because he was drunk. Kurt was being a responsible person, yet he got raked over the coals for doing something that he didn’t do. I think Burt should have listened to Kurt and had some faith in him instead of assuming that there was sexual activity going on under his roof. I don’t think Burt would have had the same reaction had it been Finn and a girl despite what he said. Sorry, but I’m on Kurt’s side this week.
The only thing that really gave me joy this week was Rachel’s God-awful party dress. That … was something.
This week’s songs – available at iTunes:
Don’t You Want Me (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
Blame It (On the Alcohol) [Glee Cast Version] – Single – Glee Cast
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
Tik Tok (Glee Cast Version) – Single – Glee Cast
“Pop music now glorifies binge drinking. Just listen to any hit by pop sensation Key Dollar Sign Ha.” – Principal Figgins
“The Rachel Berry House Party Train Wreck Extravaganza is officially a go.” – Mercedes
“I’ve been dry-heaving all weekend. When my mother asked what the sound was, I said that I was practicing bird calls.” – Santana
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Feb 22, 2011 @ 23:45 EST5EDT
Burt was being responsible, and reasonable, AND fair when talking to Kurt. He heard what Kurt was saying, it just didn’t matter. The kid let another boy sleep in his bed with out telling anyone before hand. He also said that he would also have an issue if Finn let a girl sleep in his bed. What if something were to happen to drunk Blaine (say alcohol poisioning?), burt would be in charge of that. It was poor decision making on Kurt’s part and he has the audacity to be pissed at Burt for calling him out on it. Although not that it is a “Kurt” issue because teenagers do it all the time, but i still have an issue about it.
Also Kurt and Rachael were horrible friends to each other last night, and Kurt was even a bad friend to Blaine last night.
Yeah, I’m going to have to agree that I thought Burt was acting perfectly fine. I’m absolutely positive that, when I was a teenager, I would have gotten at least the same talk by my parents if they woke up in the morning to find a girl in my bed. Even if they believed me that nothing happened, they would have been angry.
Overall, I thought this was a really weak episode.
Yeah, dude, count me in on the Kurt detractors. Every single scene he was in … every single interaction he had with another character, he was in the wrong. Totally out of line in everything that he did, which as, for the most part, been the theme of the entire season. Rare has been the episode or scene where Kurt wasn’t being a selfish prat.
And I find it even more amazing that you’re defending him with Burt! If you step into your teenage daughter’s door, only to find a hungover boy sleeping in her bed, what conclusion do you jump to? Right or wrong about that particular logic leap, you would still be WAY in the right for going off on your daughter for assuming that “that was OK.” You speak of double standards sir, and I think we’ve found another :P
I am sure I am going to get totally slammed for this but some of the stupidest lines I have ever heard uttered in Glee were in this episode. “I drank in high schools so who am I to tell them it is wrong”… YOU ARE THEIR TEACHER AND MENTOR. Sure I drank in high school, I also got arrested for minor in possession and minor in consumption and ended up on probation for 6 months… doesn’t mean that I want my kids to think it is OK to do it. If all Glee was going to show with a drinking episode was that, sure you get a hangover and throw up but drinking is fun…. Geez… i am furious.
I agree, it is up to me as a parent to teach my kids that drinking before they are 21 is not only ILLEGAL but dangerous, but when not only the stupid music they listen to and now a show aimed at teens glorifies it, I am fighting an uphill battle.
WAY TO GO GLEE… TWO THUMBS DOWN
I wore something very similar to Rachel’s party dress, only in powder blue, to narrate my elementary school’s spring music concert. In 1975. She wore it well.
Love love love the friendship of Will and Beiste. We need more of that.
And nice homage to Grease with Becky and the xylophone tones before Sue’s snarky tacky announcement. Made me miss Dody Goodman and Eve Arden just a bit.
*POST AUTHOR*
I knew there would be no one on Kurt’s side in any of this! But I still say, thinking like a teenager he was doing a good deed because Blaine probably lives on the other side of town. He wasn’t going to put him in a cab and send him home like that. Also, it was late, it wasn’t planned, he probably didn’t want to wake his dad and he knew nothing was going to happen between them. Burt is within his rights as a parent to lay down the rules, and what he said to Kurt was being a responsible parent. I still don’t think he actually listened to Kurt, because it was all “I don’t want you being inappropriate under my roof” and “I don’t even know what two guys do together” and he was just uncomfortable. I’m sure he would have been upset with Finn had he brought a girl home, but once Finn explained the situation he probably wouldn’t have been as upset because you can’t let a drunk girl try to find her way home.
Rachel was a much worse friend to Kurt than he was to her. You don’t just start putting the moves on someone your friend likes because of a drunken kiss.
Becky and the “Grease” reference was one of my other favorite things from the episode.
And I agree with Deb 100%. This episode was an epic fail in getting its message across. Will thought “Blame It on the Alcohol” was inappropriate for the assembly but “Tik Tok” isn’t much better. Instead of vomiting, maybe a bold step would have been to have one of the girls collapse from alcohol poisoning. That would have been scarier for the kids. Like it or not, shows like this are influential and it plays to all age groups. It was totally irresponsible.
Kurt is a dick, and I’m starting to think you are the only one on the planet who doesn’t see that.
Burt is awesome.
This episode…. “It’s fine to drink! As long as you are having a good time!” The music was also some of the worst I have ever heard on the show.
However I love the football coach, she is awesome.