GLEEWind - Episode 1.21 "Theatricality"

(PROGRAMMING NOTE:  This episode was chronologically filmed AFTER next week's episode "Funk", but the programming decision was made to exchange the order - thus the reason for my misnumbering)

QUICKIE OVERVIEW

After Figgins threatens Tina with expulsion due to her goth-style dress, Mr. Schu assigns the class to show theatricality through performance of Lady Gaga...however the boys, minus Kurt, have different plans.   Finn and his mom move in with Kurt and his dad.  Rachel figures out that Shelby Corcoran, Vocal Adrenaline's director, is her biological mother.

WHAT I LIKED

• Did they just do an entire episode without one peep out of Sue Sylvester? Really?
  
• Figgins is afraid of vampires.  That was amusing.
  
• Lea Michele did some very nice, subtle acting in this episode.  Her realization that Shelby was her mother played out on her face as Shelby sang on stage, and the emotional issues from both sides through the show felt real, if a bit rushed.
  
• You know who has the best shot at an Emmy?   Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel.  The scene in the bedroom was intense, powerful stuff that should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that Burt Hummel loves his son, no matter what.  Even if he doesn't understand what his son is going through, he understands pain and someone being hurtful, and he took no quarter with Finn in that situation.   Although the setup was a bit forced (more later), Mike's work in this series should at least give him consideration for Best Supporting in a series.
  
• Will's scene with Shelby.   The unspoken subtext is that there is a respect between them as educators that can become a friendship over time if the writers allow it.  And Will demonstrates that he's definitely looking out for the kids as students before singers.
• Puck's musical apology...I liked that it wasn't a plea to keep the baby, which would have been too http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1353013062898353221much...but just to be a part of the birth of his son.   I was touched...as was Quinn, I'm sure.
  
• The boys as KISS - fantastic. 
• Tina's rant on Principal Figgins...she's funny when she gets worked up enough to go off on someone.  Wonder if that's going to be a standard "quirk" of hers.
  
• The end scene in the hallway.  Both the show of compassion towards Kurt from Finn, and the togetherness of Glee...remember, there's three other guys that this could have repercussions for that are on the football team...I really dug it.  And I hope its the start of Kurt and Finn finding a middle ground.

WHAT I WAS 'MEH' ABOUT

• Well, that was a quick wrapup of the Rachel's Mom sitch.   I know, Idina isn't a regular, but the plot felt forced, and I think it would have been more effective leaving it more open and asking Idina back for next season.  Also, it's kind of jarring to go from that scene in the rain with Jesse of Shelby really wanting to reconnect to wanting to DISCONNECT.   Not sure how I feel about that yet.
• As I read the "big scene", much of Finn's anger was about Kurt's romantic advances moreso than about Kurt as a person.   Add to that that Finn was basically backslapped into this situation (I'm sorry, this is a discussion mom and son should have had on their own, not the way they did it here), and I get Finn's frustration.   What Burt saw as pure homophobia was Finn deliberately using those words to get his point across to Kurt...which is the completely wrong way to do it, but I at least understand Finn's anger, and I don't think the situation is as black and white as it was portrayed here.
• Where was Jesse?   I think the producers missed this when they swapped episodes, which tells me Jesse rejoins VA next week.
• OK, they got the GaGa out of the way, and the scene with Rachel and the stuffies was kinda funny, but again, a little too gimmicky.

WHAT I HATED

• Nothing, really.

LINE OF THE NIGHT


"My mom won't even let me watch Twilight. She says she thinks Kristen Stewart seems like a bitch" - Tina.  PREACH ON SISTER!!!!!

(HONORABLE MENTION:  "She changes her look faster than Britt changes sexual partners." - Kurt.  "It's true." - Brittany)

THE MUSIC

"Funny Girl" really showcased Idina Menzel well even though the song itself didn't really fit the story much, to my ears.  "Bad Romance" (Which I had bet would have closed the show on a normal week) worked, and it was neat to see the performance come off as a bunch of high school kids paying tribute to Gaga rather than it being really polished, which was nice.  "Shout It Out Loud" was the most fun song of the night to me (editors note, I can't stand Lady Gaga, so that's probably affecting my outlook), watching everyone in Kiss regalia.  "Beth" was really nice with Mark Salling on the lead (with Cory taking a snippet of the lead to reference his situation a bit with Kurt).   And I've heard a lot of folks question "Poker Face" as the duet between Lea and Idina, but for me it worked.  It took the tension out of what they were going through emotionally, and both relaxed into a really nice musical moment that gave both of them, in a way, a sense of closure.

All told, not their strongest episode musically, but nothing was overly bad.



MY FINAL THOUGHT

The memory of this episode was the Kurt/Burt/Finn scene, in much the same way as Will discovering Terri's lie was the memory of that episode...intense, uncomfortable, and hard-hitting in what you're left with.  I think that this isn't the end of the tension between Kurt and Finn, but I do think Finn realized he spoke too soon in anger and is legitimately trying to be better.

I'm not sure how I feel about Rachel/Shelby wrapping so quickly...both know, yet both realize that it's too late to get what both wants out of a relationship...so they decide to just go seperate ways?  I hope that this isn't the last time this is referenced.

With two episodes left until Regionals (and with this having originally meant to be the penultimate episode), I really don't know what to expect yet for the finale...which is cool, being kept guessing isn't a bad thing.   Next week looks interesting...Will and SUE?!?  Uhhhhh...

Until next time, don't stop believin'.