Liz's Instant Glee-Cap - 5x13 - New Directions
So, for some reason, they didn't just call this episode "100.5," or "100, take two." But anyways, here we are again. Continuing the Irish wake for the Glee Club.
There's a trifecta of insane blondes (Holly, April, and Sue) in the teacher's lounge, and I'm not even sure where to go with all of this. Except to say that Holly seems more Holly-ish than last week. Long story short, apparently they plan to take the week to shove music into as many different extracurriculars as possible. Mmkay.
Tina needs to go insane some more, so she still doesn't know about college. She got rejected by Ohio State but wait-listed at Brown? This is when my former-guidance-counselor and former-admissions-counselor brain attempts to explode, but I'll try to get over it for the sake of the joke about her applying to a Jewish college in an attempt to get herself to New York (she *does* know that Brown is in Rhode Island, right?).
Tina tries not to cry in the choir room as Rachel, Sam and Artie are packing up the Glee Club trophies, when Kurt and Blaine run into the room (eeeeeEEEEEEeeeee! Sorry.). Blaine got into NYADA, yay! Though I also like Sam's theory about them secretly getting married and adopting Russian twin babies. Has he been reading our fanfic?
Tina gets all excited because it means they're all going to New York together (apparently she just *is*, okay?), when Sam turns and whacks her on the head with a trophy. Time for this year's installment of Tina Whacks Her Head and Gives Us a Glimpse Into a Strange AU!
OMFG, she is hallucinating everyone into a Friends AU, complete with multi-camera and live studio audience, and I am so delighted I could cry.
WHAT I'M SORRY KLAINE MAKING OUT IN THE BED WHAT I THINK I BLACKED OUT.
It was short but delightful and damn did I love seeing everyone in diner uniforms. (I had seen someone post a BTS pic from that at some point, and as much as it made me squeal, I suspected it wasn’t for real.)
Anyways, back in real time, Mercedes is being a little bit ridiculous in the auditorium making fun of Puck and Quinn. She and Kurt are on stage, and they're talking up a ridiculous "fight" they didn't really have in the lunch line over tater tots but THEN THEY MADE UP, pointedly staring at Rachel and Santana while talking about forgiveness.
So they have a song about forgiveness, and I don't even fucking care the context because it’s a Kurt and Mercedes duet and life is good. They sound fantastic and I have never been so fast to download a song. Though I will say, the non-dream-sequence spotlights on Rachel and Santana were a nice touch. And nothing makes me happier than Kurt's white-man overbite while he sort of shimmies on stage. God I love him.
Bathroom time, because that's where apologies and discussions happen at McKinley. Rachel comes to find Santana with a peace offering. She genuinely wants to put it all behind them, and she wants to offer Santana the part for 10 shows, any 10 she wants after the opening. Santana gives it the big FUCK NO, because she refuses to back down. She doesn’t want a handout from Rachel, she wants the whole damn part because she wants to WIN. And even better if she gets to crush Rachel along the way.
In case I was on the fence before, I am now firmly on Rachel's side in this argument.
Oh Jesus. Holly is dressed as Temple Grandin to talk to the Animal Husbandry club (of which Blaine is, naturally, a member). Thankfully at least a few people seem appalled. How this segues into “Party All the Time,” I have no idea. It all feels ridiculously inappropriate. But the eighties outfits are KILLING ME. And Blaine and Kurt’s dance breaks have me positively cackling. The song is forgettable, and I wish I could stop all of the frantic edits and flashing lights and just see everyone's outfits.
Britt, darling Britt. She's filled the choir room with lilies for Santana and wants the two of them to run away together to an island full of lesbians. Okay, she loves Santana, but she also really doesn’t want to go back to MIT. And she knows that Santana doesn’t actually give a crap about Broadway. Once again, Britt is so wise. It's not so much about running away, it's about knowing what your dream is. God, I love it when Brittany is both a complete space cadet and yet also the most emotionally intelligent person around.
Sam, Blaine, and Artie are doing more packing in the choir room when Tina arrives, bummed out that she still has no plan and no way to get to New York. She feels like such a… loser.
Okay, “Loser Like Me?” This might actually be the most unexpected and interesting "remix" of the two episodes, even if the lip-synching is off. I can always be in favor of Blaine on piano and Sam on guitar and the four of them singing in harmony. I can't decide if I actually like this version, but at least it's something different.
Anyways, Tina is convinced, she's totally going to move to New York without a plan. Yay!
Rachel, meanwhile, can always be found running lines on an empty stage. Santana arrives and finally compliments Rachel on how hard she’s always worked, and acknowledges that sometimes she does things that are just plain wrong. Santana quits the role as understudy, which seems extreme and a little foolish, but I guess I appreciate the gesture. So they should totally sing a song together since they're friends again!
I don't know this song, but I already love it. They sound fantastic together, and I just love watching everyone’s reactions in the seats. But is it just me or is all of the lip-synching kind of off today? Anyways, I'm glad the feud is over.
Not-at-all shockingly, Sue has gotten a butt-ton of letters complaining about Holly's absurdly inappropriate stint with the animal husbandry club, and says this whole singing-with-the-extracurriculars thing is over. Will, equally not-shockingly, is super pissy at Holly about it. Because all of the women need to beg for his forgiveness? MEGHRHG.
Honestly, though, Schue just wants to stop fighting. It's done, let's move on and at least enjoy the end of the year. Holly, however, is not done. She calls on Artie and his film equipment.
REALLY? I mean, I kind of knew Glee would have to sing "Just Give Me a Reason" at some point. But never in a million years did i expect it to be PUCK AND QUINN and for it to actually be remotely appropriate. I don’t care a lot about the two of them, and I really never shipped that pairing too much. But I appreciate closing the circle on something that started way back at the beginning of Season 1. Warm fuzzy feels all around. Hell, even Santana ships it.
Rachel's slightly sad face watching them makes me really sad, though.
It’s official, though. This was the last song to be sung in the choir room. Glee Club is officially over.
But an engraved invitation on his desk invites Schue to the REAL last meeting of the Glee Club. And no, this THIS is the full circle moment. I will try not to cry.
OH GOD, they made a video ostensibly for Will's KID. I'm so anti Schue, but god this is cute. All of the old and new New Directions are telling stories and talking about the things Schue and the club meant to them. Sam and the sweater-vest and white board crack me up. And the bit about Kurt and Blaine and babies and Quinn being the egg donor - JESUS, the writers really have been reading the fanfic, haven’t they? Ugh, I hate Will Schuester, but this is so darling and I seriously might cry.
Naturally, the video ends and Rachel comes out to start singing “Don’t Stop Believing.” Once again, holding back tears and missing Finn. And Kurt’s voice was so low I actually jumped from my seat on the couch. HOT DAMN. (Also, Kurt Hummel, did I just see you smack Mercedes’s ass?)
The song is sweet and a lot of people get in on it, including Schue. And as it ends, Holly and April show up at the back of the auditorium to remind us there was absolutely no reason for them to be there. Like, at all.
In the empty choir room, the five new kids finally get their moment to speak and say goodbye to the club. I feel sad for them that it had to end this way, but not sad enough to want to change it. Anyways, their moment gets cut short because...
FUCKING GRADUATION FUCKING FINALLY.
Oh, and in the middle of the ceremony, Tina tells everyone she got into Brown and she's NOT going to New York. Oh. Kay. That was… weird. Though I do love Britt getting her official walk across the stage thanks to Santana. (And that Kurt was there to hug Blaine, whose parents continue to not exist.)
After graduation, Santana finds Brittany in the bathroom (of course) and announces that she and Britt are still going to run away and go on some fabulous vacation with magic money, but at the end of it all, she wants Brittany to come to New York with her.
Much as I don’t like to admit it, having the final scene be Sue and Will in the totally empty choir room is a good moment. Once again, Sue is the voice of the writers and of the people, talking about how Will really did touch a lot of lives in that room, even if it’s time to move on.
Schuester takes a bow to the empty room as the voices of the past literally echo in our heads. “Being a part of something special makes you special,” says Season 1 Rachel. We even get Finn from Nationals. Oh, it’s all so bittersweet, and there I go again.
Well done, Glee.
Overall, I have to say that this felt like a pretty successful episode for what it meant to accomplish. We needed to say goodbye and thank you to McKinley and all it did for us over the last several years. And we needed to launch these graduates into something new and set the scene for what’s to come. All in all? Mission accomplished.
Low points, frankly, were anything involving Holly and April. There was no reason for them to be there. None. Holly’s song was slightly enjoyable for the visual spectacle, but completely pointless. And it could easily have been Artie’s idea to make the video, not Holly’s, so it really felt like a waste. Ah well, no episode of this show is ever flawless.
Anyways. Thumbs up from me, and I remain really excited about the rest of this season. Even if the promo leaves me with a LOT of questions, I’m still beside myself with anticipation.
Liz’s Instant Glee-Cap rating: A solid 3.75 out of 5. This was an episode mostly for the fans that might not stand on its own all that well, but dammit, it did what it set out to do for the audience it intended. Bonus points for serious nostalgia.
Liz’s Instant Song Downloads:
“I Am Changing”
“Be Okay”
(undecided on “Loser Like Me” and yet another version of “Don’t Stop Believing,” though Kurt’s voice will probably sway me on the latter)
See you next week, friends!
There's a trifecta of insane blondes (Holly, April, and Sue) in the teacher's lounge, and I'm not even sure where to go with all of this. Except to say that Holly seems more Holly-ish than last week. Long story short, apparently they plan to take the week to shove music into as many different extracurriculars as possible. Mmkay.
Tina needs to go insane some more, so she still doesn't know about college. She got rejected by Ohio State but wait-listed at Brown? This is when my former-guidance-counselor and former-admissions-counselor brain attempts to explode, but I'll try to get over it for the sake of the joke about her applying to a Jewish college in an attempt to get herself to New York (she *does* know that Brown is in Rhode Island, right?).
Tina tries not to cry in the choir room as Rachel, Sam and Artie are packing up the Glee Club trophies, when Kurt and Blaine run into the room (eeeeeEEEEEEeeeee! Sorry.). Blaine got into NYADA, yay! Though I also like Sam's theory about them secretly getting married and adopting Russian twin babies. Has he been reading our fanfic?
Tina gets all excited because it means they're all going to New York together (apparently she just *is*, okay?), when Sam turns and whacks her on the head with a trophy. Time for this year's installment of Tina Whacks Her Head and Gives Us a Glimpse Into a Strange AU!
OMFG, she is hallucinating everyone into a Friends AU, complete with multi-camera and live studio audience, and I am so delighted I could cry.
WHAT I'M SORRY KLAINE MAKING OUT IN THE BED WHAT I THINK I BLACKED OUT.
It was short but delightful and damn did I love seeing everyone in diner uniforms. (I had seen someone post a BTS pic from that at some point, and as much as it made me squeal, I suspected it wasn’t for real.)
Anyways, back in real time, Mercedes is being a little bit ridiculous in the auditorium making fun of Puck and Quinn. She and Kurt are on stage, and they're talking up a ridiculous "fight" they didn't really have in the lunch line over tater tots but THEN THEY MADE UP, pointedly staring at Rachel and Santana while talking about forgiveness.
So they have a song about forgiveness, and I don't even fucking care the context because it’s a Kurt and Mercedes duet and life is good. They sound fantastic and I have never been so fast to download a song. Though I will say, the non-dream-sequence spotlights on Rachel and Santana were a nice touch. And nothing makes me happier than Kurt's white-man overbite while he sort of shimmies on stage. God I love him.
Bathroom time, because that's where apologies and discussions happen at McKinley. Rachel comes to find Santana with a peace offering. She genuinely wants to put it all behind them, and she wants to offer Santana the part for 10 shows, any 10 she wants after the opening. Santana gives it the big FUCK NO, because she refuses to back down. She doesn’t want a handout from Rachel, she wants the whole damn part because she wants to WIN. And even better if she gets to crush Rachel along the way.
In case I was on the fence before, I am now firmly on Rachel's side in this argument.
Oh Jesus. Holly is dressed as Temple Grandin to talk to the Animal Husbandry club (of which Blaine is, naturally, a member). Thankfully at least a few people seem appalled. How this segues into “Party All the Time,” I have no idea. It all feels ridiculously inappropriate. But the eighties outfits are KILLING ME. And Blaine and Kurt’s dance breaks have me positively cackling. The song is forgettable, and I wish I could stop all of the frantic edits and flashing lights and just see everyone's outfits.
Britt, darling Britt. She's filled the choir room with lilies for Santana and wants the two of them to run away together to an island full of lesbians. Okay, she loves Santana, but she also really doesn’t want to go back to MIT. And she knows that Santana doesn’t actually give a crap about Broadway. Once again, Britt is so wise. It's not so much about running away, it's about knowing what your dream is. God, I love it when Brittany is both a complete space cadet and yet also the most emotionally intelligent person around.
Sam, Blaine, and Artie are doing more packing in the choir room when Tina arrives, bummed out that she still has no plan and no way to get to New York. She feels like such a… loser.
Okay, “Loser Like Me?” This might actually be the most unexpected and interesting "remix" of the two episodes, even if the lip-synching is off. I can always be in favor of Blaine on piano and Sam on guitar and the four of them singing in harmony. I can't decide if I actually like this version, but at least it's something different.
Anyways, Tina is convinced, she's totally going to move to New York without a plan. Yay!
Rachel, meanwhile, can always be found running lines on an empty stage. Santana arrives and finally compliments Rachel on how hard she’s always worked, and acknowledges that sometimes she does things that are just plain wrong. Santana quits the role as understudy, which seems extreme and a little foolish, but I guess I appreciate the gesture. So they should totally sing a song together since they're friends again!
I don't know this song, but I already love it. They sound fantastic together, and I just love watching everyone’s reactions in the seats. But is it just me or is all of the lip-synching kind of off today? Anyways, I'm glad the feud is over.
Not-at-all shockingly, Sue has gotten a butt-ton of letters complaining about Holly's absurdly inappropriate stint with the animal husbandry club, and says this whole singing-with-the-extracurriculars thing is over. Will, equally not-shockingly, is super pissy at Holly about it. Because all of the women need to beg for his forgiveness? MEGHRHG.
Honestly, though, Schue just wants to stop fighting. It's done, let's move on and at least enjoy the end of the year. Holly, however, is not done. She calls on Artie and his film equipment.
REALLY? I mean, I kind of knew Glee would have to sing "Just Give Me a Reason" at some point. But never in a million years did i expect it to be PUCK AND QUINN and for it to actually be remotely appropriate. I don’t care a lot about the two of them, and I really never shipped that pairing too much. But I appreciate closing the circle on something that started way back at the beginning of Season 1. Warm fuzzy feels all around. Hell, even Santana ships it.
Rachel's slightly sad face watching them makes me really sad, though.
It’s official, though. This was the last song to be sung in the choir room. Glee Club is officially over.
But an engraved invitation on his desk invites Schue to the REAL last meeting of the Glee Club. And no, this THIS is the full circle moment. I will try not to cry.
OH GOD, they made a video ostensibly for Will's KID. I'm so anti Schue, but god this is cute. All of the old and new New Directions are telling stories and talking about the things Schue and the club meant to them. Sam and the sweater-vest and white board crack me up. And the bit about Kurt and Blaine and babies and Quinn being the egg donor - JESUS, the writers really have been reading the fanfic, haven’t they? Ugh, I hate Will Schuester, but this is so darling and I seriously might cry.
Naturally, the video ends and Rachel comes out to start singing “Don’t Stop Believing.” Once again, holding back tears and missing Finn. And Kurt’s voice was so low I actually jumped from my seat on the couch. HOT DAMN. (Also, Kurt Hummel, did I just see you smack Mercedes’s ass?)
The song is sweet and a lot of people get in on it, including Schue. And as it ends, Holly and April show up at the back of the auditorium to remind us there was absolutely no reason for them to be there. Like, at all.
In the empty choir room, the five new kids finally get their moment to speak and say goodbye to the club. I feel sad for them that it had to end this way, but not sad enough to want to change it. Anyways, their moment gets cut short because...
FUCKING GRADUATION FUCKING FINALLY.
Oh, and in the middle of the ceremony, Tina tells everyone she got into Brown and she's NOT going to New York. Oh. Kay. That was… weird. Though I do love Britt getting her official walk across the stage thanks to Santana. (And that Kurt was there to hug Blaine, whose parents continue to not exist.)
After graduation, Santana finds Brittany in the bathroom (of course) and announces that she and Britt are still going to run away and go on some fabulous vacation with magic money, but at the end of it all, she wants Brittany to come to New York with her.
Much as I don’t like to admit it, having the final scene be Sue and Will in the totally empty choir room is a good moment. Once again, Sue is the voice of the writers and of the people, talking about how Will really did touch a lot of lives in that room, even if it’s time to move on.
Schuester takes a bow to the empty room as the voices of the past literally echo in our heads. “Being a part of something special makes you special,” says Season 1 Rachel. We even get Finn from Nationals. Oh, it’s all so bittersweet, and there I go again.
Well done, Glee.
Overall, I have to say that this felt like a pretty successful episode for what it meant to accomplish. We needed to say goodbye and thank you to McKinley and all it did for us over the last several years. And we needed to launch these graduates into something new and set the scene for what’s to come. All in all? Mission accomplished.
Low points, frankly, were anything involving Holly and April. There was no reason for them to be there. None. Holly’s song was slightly enjoyable for the visual spectacle, but completely pointless. And it could easily have been Artie’s idea to make the video, not Holly’s, so it really felt like a waste. Ah well, no episode of this show is ever flawless.
Anyways. Thumbs up from me, and I remain really excited about the rest of this season. Even if the promo leaves me with a LOT of questions, I’m still beside myself with anticipation.
Liz’s Instant Glee-Cap rating: A solid 3.75 out of 5. This was an episode mostly for the fans that might not stand on its own all that well, but dammit, it did what it set out to do for the audience it intended. Bonus points for serious nostalgia.
Liz’s Instant Song Downloads:
“I Am Changing”
“Be Okay”
(undecided on “Loser Like Me” and yet another version of “Don’t Stop Believing,” though Kurt’s voice will probably sway me on the latter)
See you next week, friends!