The Glee kids go to Regionals for their showdown with Vocal Adrenaline...with Sue as one of their "celebrity" judges. Quinn has her baby. The final fate of the Glee Club is determined.
WHAT I LIKED
There was very little humor in this episode, which was appropriate for the subject matter...high school kids are usually that tense about a competition, and add to the fact what was on the line...yeah.
New Directions' performance was spot on and a TON of fun to watch, and the reactions from the crowd...and the judges...were believable.
Although I wish Vocal Adrenaline was more than the Jesse show....I refuse to believe VA are the be-all end-all of show choirs with only one lead vocalist...the juxtaposition of their performance with Quinn's labor and birth did have some nice moments.
Quinn wanting Mercedes in the birth room. Good payoff to their building friendship over the course of the second half of the season.
Quinn not keeping the baby. That felt right.
In an evening with little humor, the judges room had some really funny moments. And the end of the scene...especially the words from Ms. Newton-John...planted the seeds for what was to come.
New Directions losing. The only believable way to end things. As a former producer of a vocal competition, the judging and how it played out is entirely believable to me. And it gives New Directions somewhere to go for the coming year.
The auditorium scene. A final thank you for what Will tried to do (at least at the time). Unlike many, I didn't cry during the episode, but that scene came close.
The Sue/Will scene. Perfect sense...both the grudging respect Sue showed and the fact that, well, there's be no Coyote without the Road Runner. It gave them the story reason to keep Glee together without the Glee kids winning/placing.
The end scene. It really displayed, wordlessly, the connections and friendships that have developed over the course of the past year, along with hints of what's to come.
WHAT I WAS 'MEH' ABOUT
Pretty much everything involving Emma tonight. I'm not actively hoping Will doesn't end up with her...especially after that hall scene that really felt forced. Really not an Emma fan at the moment.
The scene with Quinn's mom felt WAY too conveniently timed, and I didn't buy the attempted reconciliation. The well-timed water breaking allowed the writers to avoid that question for right now.
That was a really fast delivery...especially since most of the moms I know talked about being in labor for nearly 24 hours or more. Even assuming Vocal Adrenaline did untelevised numbers, that's really pushing believability...
WHAT I HATED
...but not nearly as much as Shelby adopting Quinn's baby. In a word, bulls&#t. The adoption process is nothing like that, it's too convenient an ending, and it really shows how selfish and heartless Shelby is by avoiding the daughter she gave birth to just because they didn't "grow up together" in favor of this new bambino. Bull cookies. I defend a lot of the plot holes and outlandishness of the show ("Seinfeld" suspended disbelief just as often, if not more, than this show), but that was just too over the top.
LINE OF THE NIGHT
Tie:
"Your hair looks like a briar patch. I keep expecting racist, animated Disney characters to pop up and start singing about living on the bayou." (Sue)
and...
"Kiss my ass, Josh Groban..." (Sue) (I don't care what was said after, that just makes me giggle every time I hear it.)
THE MUSIC
The Journey songs were very well sung, and I liked the interplay between the singers during both the mash-up and the "Don't Stop Believing" revisit...that key change was really cool.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" was...dull. Well sung, yeah, but nothing different than what I'd hear from Queen. Jonathan Groff has a good voice, but I really don't get the love for him as a performer, at least not based on what he did here.
"To Sir With Love" was one of the five best tracks of the year. Appropriate to the story, and really well sung...the arrangement made the song seem not dated, which is hard for music from that era.
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was the version originally performed by Hawaiian singer Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole. I liked the singing, but didn't love it except for Matt's harmonies with Mark. But it, again, got the point across for the scene.
MY FINAL THOUGHT
It's going to be a long summer.
Until next time, don't stop believin'
(NOTE: With Fox's reruns of the series this summer from Episode 1, I will probably do reviews as they air, although they'll obviously have the benefit of what's going on later in the series to draw from.)
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