Glee Season 4 Re-watch - 4x16 - Feud
Hello, friends! It's September! Glee comes back this month! Oh, crap, that means I have three weeks to get through the last seven episodes of Season 4 before Season 5 is upon us. Let's get to it...
FEUD! And not even the family-based kind with the buzzer and the three X’s.
Blaine, Artie, and Tina bring Schue and Will in for a sit-down as some very dramatic music (Carmina Burana?) plays and we see the tension that has festered ever since Finn made his ill-conceived confession. Mostly, Schuester is trying to make Finn his bitch, and Finn is completely on edge and freaking out. So Blartina tells them to sing it out. I almost wish they'd gone full-ridiculous with this like they did on Dynamic Duets. But they never quite commit to the absurdity, which is sort of a shame.
Santana is with Rachel at the OB’s office, and Rachel’s all relieved that her sweeps-pregnancy was actually a false positive. DON’T EVEN EFFING GET ME STARTED ON THIS NONSENSE. This former Planned Parenthood volunteer and fertility nut will lose her freaking mind over this one. Santana is the voice of reason, telling Rachel this is a wake-up call to evaluate some of her choices (and maybe get on the goddamn pill? no?), especially with Shady Brody.
Speak of the devil, he’s in quite the swanky hotel looking for a client. So, naturally, all of the gigolos and their ladies start doing the tango all over the lobby and stairwells. This whole song creeps the hell out of me and I can barely watch it. The end. Brody looks kind of conflicted about his man-whoring ways. Shoulda been a cater-waiter, buddy.
Sue has Blaine in her office, and she’s rambling in her spectacular way about how Blaine has only ever been to a single Cheerios practice, despite signing a soul-binding contract. Or, you know not. The tone in his voice when he says he could probably prove that the signature is a forgery is, for some reason, my very favorite thing. As is the baffled look on his face when he says “thank you?” after she rants about needing a non-threatening gay to lift up her girls. Blaine says he’s not re-joining the Cheerios, Sue threatens blackmail, and Becky smacks Blaine’s ass (which probably has its own trailer on set at this point).
Oh lord, here comes the catfish. Ryder is chatting with “Katie” and Ryder is reasonably cute. I can’t believe they drag this storyline out for SEVEN FREAKING EPISODES, and yet we get to the end of the season without me knowing how Kurt feels about Blaine. Effing new kids eating up screen time.
In the hallway, Unique steps to Ryder to tell him to quit messing with Marley (and isn’t that… interesting, given how the rest of the season pans out?). Ryder gets his transphobia on and talks crap to Unique about being a girl or a boy and it’s just kind of ugly. He rants to catfish-Katie, who suggests a musical duel. The catfishing thing is marginally more interesting to watch now that I actually know the outcome.
In the auditorium, Schue is picking a feud number to perform with Finn. Finn is the adult in this situation, asking why the hell they can’t just talk it out. Schue is pissy and trying to have power, invokes the bro code and makes Finn feel like crap, saying he only ever gave him the gig out of pity. Seriously, Schue, you’re gross.
Blessedly in Bushwick, Santana comes into the loft with a pile of trash to talk about Brody. Rachel is defensive, but Santana cuts through the crap and says it’s ultimately less about creep-man than it is about Rachel Berry losing sight of her dreams and defining herself by the men in her life. Santana’s Psychic Mexican Third Eye is never wrong. Don’t even question it.
OH MY GOD Blaine screaming at Sue is possibly my favorite thing, ever. First of all, I somehow adore Blaine when he is righteously indignant and just straight-up LIVID. There’s the rubber cement hair gel (hahaha helmet head), there’s the identity theft. And then there’s the airplane carrying the “Blaine is on the bottom” sign, and that’s the final straw that makes Blaine’s head explode (or, maybe it would if it wasn’t encased in cement).
There is something about the delivery of, “that’s completely inexcusable! And, it’s not true - not really!” that makes me laugh so hard. I think it’s the fact that it feels like it’s not just a joke on its own, but a little wink to the fandom and fanfic communities, that gets me.
(An aside - I’ve heard people complain about the way Blaine is objectified in a totally inappropriate way in this episode by Sue. There’s ass-smacking, there’s the sign... in the real world, of course that’s sexual harassment, not to mention the whole teacher-vs.-underage-student thing. But seriously? Is that REALLY the most horrifically inappropriate thing Sue Sylvester has done in four seasons? Are we JUST NOW calling the realism of her actions into question? Come on.)
At any rate, Sue challenges Blaine to a Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey sing-off, and I wonder how many times they had to do this scene to get it without cracking up. Honest-to-god, where is my box set of Glee bloopers?
Jake and Marley have a marginally cute conversation and try not to fight about Ryder kissing Marley anymore. And... I might almost start to care about them a teensy bit now if they hadn’t been forced down my throat for the last 15 episodes. Marley thinks Jake is silly for worrying that she’ll leave him for Ryder, and I don’t actually think that’s the worst idea.
Ryder and Unique feud with “The Bitch is Back/Dress You Up” and I think it’s one of the more successful mash-ups that Glee has ever put together. The songs sound great together, Ryder and Unique sound great together (hmm). They’re delightfully mad at each other. The more I watch, the more I think these two are probably my favorites of the newbies.
Schuester is sitting in the corner like a petulant child, glaring at Finn across the room. Grow the fuck up, aren’t you supposed to be a teacher?
Peacemaker Blaine tries to get Ryder and Unique to shake hands after they sing, but Ryder refuses to acknowledge Unique identifying as a girl, so this shit ain’t over. Props to Jake, who calls Ryder out in front of everyone for being a douche. Frankly, I think the douchiness comes out of left field for Ryder, who was previously a mostly-cool guy. But it’s a believable thing in the context of a teenaged boy faced with someone like Unique. I’m glad they said the ugly things out loud so that they also had the opportunity to shoot them down.
Sue and Becky practice their Minaj faces. Sue as Nicki is freaking ridiculous and hilarious, and I will always love Sue and Becky together.
Santana shows up at NYADA, where apparently Cassie is too hungover and Brody is teaching class again. He asks how the hell she got in, and she gives him a thoroughly appropriate blanket rule: “don’t apply logic to Lopez.” But you do not fuck with her adopted family, Brody, so you best step off and move out. She writhes around and does “Cold Hearted” with the dance class girls on Kurt’s West Side Story audition scaffolding (more or less). There’s even a string section and some fans to blow her hair around. It’s perfectly Santana, perfectly Glee.
Straight into another song, Schuester dramatically introduces the NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys feud for himself and Finn. The other boys dance and sing backup without a commitment to either side, and the girls spectacularly scream at the front of the stage. Finn and Schue alternately catfight and perform, I’m not sure which is the dream sequence. But all I can see is Blaine dancing in the “Bye Bye Bye” ropes (oh yes I most certainly remember when that original video came out, back when MTV actually played videos much of the day). I... didn’t even know that was a thing for me, but apparently it is. Yum.
The mash-up doesn’t work that well, musically, it’s not that cleanly done in the performance, and Schuester just looks like he’s out for blood and it’s icky. Apparently it’s the fighting that’s the actual dream part, because it looks for a second like they’re going to hug it out. But the song ends and Schuester can’t bring himself to do it.
Santana comes home to the loft to announce she’s gotten a job tending bar, but Rachel and Kurt are waiting for her and look none too pleased. Loft family meeting time. Kurt, hilariously, “we just got off the phone with Brody. Did you just confront him at NYADA with a a Paula Abdul song?” as though that sentence would ever make sense in any universe other than Glee.
Somewhat pained, they ask her to move out. Santana shoots back that, despite not actually liking them that much, they are her family. “I haven’t lied to you in months. And I’m smarter about other people than the both of you, you have to trust me.” I will almost never go against Kurt, but Santana is 100% genuine and right here.
Santana storms out to crash with Lena Dunham, taking Rachel’s comforter. Kurt’s “bitch took my pillow” is delightful and he is once again criminally underused in this episode. Seriously, if you’re going to manufacture feuds for people, you can’t give one to Kurt? That’s a crying shame.
Catfish-Katie gives Ryder a lesson on accepting other people’s truth, and then asks for a shirtless pic and that’s a little creepy, buddy.
Blaine and Sue’s “I Still Believe/SuperBass” sing-off is a delight. Blaine gets his sweet little Mariah Carey groove on, and he’s adorable as always, but it’s just the right kind of intentionally silly even if I can’t put my finger on exactly what makes it so (there's a little arms-out spin that definitely helps it along). And then Sue shows up with Cheerios and costumes and blacklights and it is OUTRAGEOUS and awesome and I feel like I’m hallucinating. And Blaine gets pushed out of the way and looks like he can’t believe what the hell is happening. “This is so not how this works! You’re not playing fair!” is probably his slightly-whiny and indignant internal monologue. He tries to re-take the stage and sing his little Warbler heart out, but he is powerless against the army of Cheerios. It’s a freaking riot, the whole thing.
For the first time in two years, Blaine Warbler loses a singing competition, and he can't believe it.
In the darkened school, Marley finds Finn packing up his things and comes to say thanks. When he says he doesn't know what he's going to do, Marley blessedly delivers what Finn needs to hear: "dude, you really need to grow a pair." He hadn't been doing half-bad as a thoroughly unqualified choir director, but he let the Emma/Schue nonsense send him swirling back into his never ending well of self-doubt. For four years, Schuester and Glee and McKinley have defined him, and now that he's leaving for good, he feels lost. Marley tells him he's a natural teacher, with or without Schue's approval. Finn gives the excuse that he doesn't have a teaching degree, and Marley says, with a heavily implied DUH, "go get one!"
I loved this scene when it aired. I'd like Marley more if she did stuff like this all the time. And Finn was finally finding his way and finding a direction that actually suited him. And now, now it just makes me so very sad that we won't get to see this through. Finn was getting there. I really believed that he could become a good teacher, and that he could be really happy doing it. I'm so heartbroken that it will never happen.
Ryder gathers his fellow newbies to make his apologies for being such a dick. Hs football metaphor to Jake about fumbling the ball "but you know I have good hands" makes me laugh in a totally inappropriate way. He apologizes to Unique - even if he doesn't fully understand her truth, he can fully accept that it IS her truth. Even Kitty shows up in support and I have possibly my first flicker of not hating her. They go on about carrying the torch when the seniors graduate and OH MY GOD GLEE, I get it. They're sticking around, apparently, even though I want season 5 to be almost entirely New York-based. Whatever.
Blaine, having lost the sing-off, is back in his Cheerios uniform and his ass gets its contract-mandated close up for the week. (I am NOT complaining, in case you wondered. Which I don't think you did.) Sue lectures him on the importance of honoring commitments while he grimaces and rolls his eyes, and the multiple times she uses his middle name in this episode feels like another wink to the fic-writers. That she tosses him a red thong is less like a wink and more like a gigantic Christmas present with a bow on top.
He walks out in sad slow-mo, but starts to grin and returns to real time. Sam meets him in the hallway and this is all apparently an elaborate BLAM plot to bring Sue down from the inside. I love the idea of the two of them scheming. Anyone want to place bets on whether this EVER becomes an actual thing? Yeah, me neither. Too bad.
Brody gets a horror-movie edit down a hotel hallway where his client of the evening turns out to be Santana. But more than just blowing his cover, she's flown Finn in to kick the ever loving shit out of Brody. I have several HUGE problems with Finn's involvement, here. First, the violence is neither necessary nor particularly consistent with Finn's character as we have come to know him. This is a guy who kicks a music stand, he doesn't beat someone to a pulp. Second, if ANYONE deserved to throw a punch and (literally or metaphorically) stomp on Brody, it was RACHEL. Santana lectured Rachel earlier in the episode about letting other people define her, but Santana is making Rachel's choices for her just as much as anyone else. Third, I was appalled by Finn's "stay away from my future wife" at the end of the ass-kicking. Appalled because I feel like the show wants me to take this as a terribly romantic gesture, and that is all kinds of fucked up. It's not defending someone he cares about with: "I know how amazing she is and she's too good for you and doesn't deserve to be treated like crap." That, I could respect at least a little. Instead, it boils down to, "stay away from her because she's mine." And, I'm sorry Finn, but right now, she's not.
I'm not sure if the writers set out for it to come across like this. Finn starts off just talking, telling Brody to get the hell out of Rachel's life. Brody gets the first shove before it escalates into throwing lamps and punches. But even if Finn didn't fly to New York with the express purpose of physical assault, it still takes a nasty turn and I don't find it the least bit OK as a would-be step in the Finchel arc.
And for yet another jarring transition, Finn isn't even out the door and finished kicking things before the big happy New Directions group number starts. Once you get over the emotional whiplash, "Closer" is one more to add to the list of delightful, upbeat, casually-choreographed final performances of this season. We get a body roll from Sam, Blaine leaping into a laundry cart, and all of them pulling a Breakfast Club out in the seats of the auditorium. It's not my favorite group performance of the season, but that's actually a pretty high bar, and it's still quite good.
But we can't go to credits yet, because Ryder needs to ask catfish-Katie if they can meet. She goes offline instead of answering. Dun dun DUN.
All told, I rather enjoyed Feud. Not on my all-time top-five list, but generally a pretty good episode. There were enough things that bugged me that I’m not likely to re-watch it much - Schuester is a disgusting human being, Ryder’s trans-phobia seems to come out of nowhere, and a big NO on Finn’s clandestine trip to New York. But I love LOVE Blaine vs. Sue. I love Santana defending her family-by-choice in the way she knows how, even if they don’t exactly appreciate it yet. And I love Marley helping Finn find his calling, even if it now breaks my heart in the wake of losing Cory and, by extension, Finn.
And the catfishing thing... I have mixed feelings about it. I don’t inherently hate it as a plot line. But it goes on for so long that it makes me mad about all of the interesting stories Glee has NOT been able to sustain over that many episodes. And why not? It’s not that the potential isn’t there. That’s what bugs me - not that the catfish story exists, but that other stories don't.
FEUD! And not even the family-based kind with the buzzer and the three X’s.
Blaine, Artie, and Tina bring Schue and Will in for a sit-down as some very dramatic music (Carmina Burana?) plays and we see the tension that has festered ever since Finn made his ill-conceived confession. Mostly, Schuester is trying to make Finn his bitch, and Finn is completely on edge and freaking out. So Blartina tells them to sing it out. I almost wish they'd gone full-ridiculous with this like they did on Dynamic Duets. But they never quite commit to the absurdity, which is sort of a shame.
Santana is with Rachel at the OB’s office, and Rachel’s all relieved that her sweeps-pregnancy was actually a false positive. DON’T EVEN EFFING GET ME STARTED ON THIS NONSENSE. This former Planned Parenthood volunteer and fertility nut will lose her freaking mind over this one. Santana is the voice of reason, telling Rachel this is a wake-up call to evaluate some of her choices (and maybe get on the goddamn pill? no?), especially with Shady Brody.
Speak of the devil, he’s in quite the swanky hotel looking for a client. So, naturally, all of the gigolos and their ladies start doing the tango all over the lobby and stairwells. This whole song creeps the hell out of me and I can barely watch it. The end. Brody looks kind of conflicted about his man-whoring ways. Shoulda been a cater-waiter, buddy.
Sue has Blaine in her office, and she’s rambling in her spectacular way about how Blaine has only ever been to a single Cheerios practice, despite signing a soul-binding contract. Or, you know not. The tone in his voice when he says he could probably prove that the signature is a forgery is, for some reason, my very favorite thing. As is the baffled look on his face when he says “thank you?” after she rants about needing a non-threatening gay to lift up her girls. Blaine says he’s not re-joining the Cheerios, Sue threatens blackmail, and Becky smacks Blaine’s ass (which probably has its own trailer on set at this point).
Oh lord, here comes the catfish. Ryder is chatting with “Katie” and Ryder is reasonably cute. I can’t believe they drag this storyline out for SEVEN FREAKING EPISODES, and yet we get to the end of the season without me knowing how Kurt feels about Blaine. Effing new kids eating up screen time.
In the hallway, Unique steps to Ryder to tell him to quit messing with Marley (and isn’t that… interesting, given how the rest of the season pans out?). Ryder gets his transphobia on and talks crap to Unique about being a girl or a boy and it’s just kind of ugly. He rants to catfish-Katie, who suggests a musical duel. The catfishing thing is marginally more interesting to watch now that I actually know the outcome.
In the auditorium, Schue is picking a feud number to perform with Finn. Finn is the adult in this situation, asking why the hell they can’t just talk it out. Schue is pissy and trying to have power, invokes the bro code and makes Finn feel like crap, saying he only ever gave him the gig out of pity. Seriously, Schue, you’re gross.
Blessedly in Bushwick, Santana comes into the loft with a pile of trash to talk about Brody. Rachel is defensive, but Santana cuts through the crap and says it’s ultimately less about creep-man than it is about Rachel Berry losing sight of her dreams and defining herself by the men in her life. Santana’s Psychic Mexican Third Eye is never wrong. Don’t even question it.
OH MY GOD Blaine screaming at Sue is possibly my favorite thing, ever. First of all, I somehow adore Blaine when he is righteously indignant and just straight-up LIVID. There’s the rubber cement hair gel (hahaha helmet head), there’s the identity theft. And then there’s the airplane carrying the “Blaine is on the bottom” sign, and that’s the final straw that makes Blaine’s head explode (or, maybe it would if it wasn’t encased in cement).
There is something about the delivery of, “that’s completely inexcusable! And, it’s not true - not really!” that makes me laugh so hard. I think it’s the fact that it feels like it’s not just a joke on its own, but a little wink to the fandom and fanfic communities, that gets me.
(An aside - I’ve heard people complain about the way Blaine is objectified in a totally inappropriate way in this episode by Sue. There’s ass-smacking, there’s the sign... in the real world, of course that’s sexual harassment, not to mention the whole teacher-vs.-underage-student thing. But seriously? Is that REALLY the most horrifically inappropriate thing Sue Sylvester has done in four seasons? Are we JUST NOW calling the realism of her actions into question? Come on.)
At any rate, Sue challenges Blaine to a Nicki Minaj vs. Mariah Carey sing-off, and I wonder how many times they had to do this scene to get it without cracking up. Honest-to-god, where is my box set of Glee bloopers?
Jake and Marley have a marginally cute conversation and try not to fight about Ryder kissing Marley anymore. And... I might almost start to care about them a teensy bit now if they hadn’t been forced down my throat for the last 15 episodes. Marley thinks Jake is silly for worrying that she’ll leave him for Ryder, and I don’t actually think that’s the worst idea.
Ryder and Unique feud with “The Bitch is Back/Dress You Up” and I think it’s one of the more successful mash-ups that Glee has ever put together. The songs sound great together, Ryder and Unique sound great together (hmm). They’re delightfully mad at each other. The more I watch, the more I think these two are probably my favorites of the newbies.
Schuester is sitting in the corner like a petulant child, glaring at Finn across the room. Grow the fuck up, aren’t you supposed to be a teacher?
Peacemaker Blaine tries to get Ryder and Unique to shake hands after they sing, but Ryder refuses to acknowledge Unique identifying as a girl, so this shit ain’t over. Props to Jake, who calls Ryder out in front of everyone for being a douche. Frankly, I think the douchiness comes out of left field for Ryder, who was previously a mostly-cool guy. But it’s a believable thing in the context of a teenaged boy faced with someone like Unique. I’m glad they said the ugly things out loud so that they also had the opportunity to shoot them down.
Sue and Becky practice their Minaj faces. Sue as Nicki is freaking ridiculous and hilarious, and I will always love Sue and Becky together.
Santana shows up at NYADA, where apparently Cassie is too hungover and Brody is teaching class again. He asks how the hell she got in, and she gives him a thoroughly appropriate blanket rule: “don’t apply logic to Lopez.” But you do not fuck with her adopted family, Brody, so you best step off and move out. She writhes around and does “Cold Hearted” with the dance class girls on Kurt’s West Side Story audition scaffolding (more or less). There’s even a string section and some fans to blow her hair around. It’s perfectly Santana, perfectly Glee.
Straight into another song, Schuester dramatically introduces the NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys feud for himself and Finn. The other boys dance and sing backup without a commitment to either side, and the girls spectacularly scream at the front of the stage. Finn and Schue alternately catfight and perform, I’m not sure which is the dream sequence. But all I can see is Blaine dancing in the “Bye Bye Bye” ropes (oh yes I most certainly remember when that original video came out, back when MTV actually played videos much of the day). I... didn’t even know that was a thing for me, but apparently it is. Yum.
The mash-up doesn’t work that well, musically, it’s not that cleanly done in the performance, and Schuester just looks like he’s out for blood and it’s icky. Apparently it’s the fighting that’s the actual dream part, because it looks for a second like they’re going to hug it out. But the song ends and Schuester can’t bring himself to do it.
Santana comes home to the loft to announce she’s gotten a job tending bar, but Rachel and Kurt are waiting for her and look none too pleased. Loft family meeting time. Kurt, hilariously, “we just got off the phone with Brody. Did you just confront him at NYADA with a a Paula Abdul song?” as though that sentence would ever make sense in any universe other than Glee.
Somewhat pained, they ask her to move out. Santana shoots back that, despite not actually liking them that much, they are her family. “I haven’t lied to you in months. And I’m smarter about other people than the both of you, you have to trust me.” I will almost never go against Kurt, but Santana is 100% genuine and right here.
Santana storms out to crash with Lena Dunham, taking Rachel’s comforter. Kurt’s “bitch took my pillow” is delightful and he is once again criminally underused in this episode. Seriously, if you’re going to manufacture feuds for people, you can’t give one to Kurt? That’s a crying shame.
Catfish-Katie gives Ryder a lesson on accepting other people’s truth, and then asks for a shirtless pic and that’s a little creepy, buddy.
Blaine and Sue’s “I Still Believe/SuperBass” sing-off is a delight. Blaine gets his sweet little Mariah Carey groove on, and he’s adorable as always, but it’s just the right kind of intentionally silly even if I can’t put my finger on exactly what makes it so (there's a little arms-out spin that definitely helps it along). And then Sue shows up with Cheerios and costumes and blacklights and it is OUTRAGEOUS and awesome and I feel like I’m hallucinating. And Blaine gets pushed out of the way and looks like he can’t believe what the hell is happening. “This is so not how this works! You’re not playing fair!” is probably his slightly-whiny and indignant internal monologue. He tries to re-take the stage and sing his little Warbler heart out, but he is powerless against the army of Cheerios. It’s a freaking riot, the whole thing.
For the first time in two years, Blaine Warbler loses a singing competition, and he can't believe it.
In the darkened school, Marley finds Finn packing up his things and comes to say thanks. When he says he doesn't know what he's going to do, Marley blessedly delivers what Finn needs to hear: "dude, you really need to grow a pair." He hadn't been doing half-bad as a thoroughly unqualified choir director, but he let the Emma/Schue nonsense send him swirling back into his never ending well of self-doubt. For four years, Schuester and Glee and McKinley have defined him, and now that he's leaving for good, he feels lost. Marley tells him he's a natural teacher, with or without Schue's approval. Finn gives the excuse that he doesn't have a teaching degree, and Marley says, with a heavily implied DUH, "go get one!"
I loved this scene when it aired. I'd like Marley more if she did stuff like this all the time. And Finn was finally finding his way and finding a direction that actually suited him. And now, now it just makes me so very sad that we won't get to see this through. Finn was getting there. I really believed that he could become a good teacher, and that he could be really happy doing it. I'm so heartbroken that it will never happen.
Ryder gathers his fellow newbies to make his apologies for being such a dick. Hs football metaphor to Jake about fumbling the ball "but you know I have good hands" makes me laugh in a totally inappropriate way. He apologizes to Unique - even if he doesn't fully understand her truth, he can fully accept that it IS her truth. Even Kitty shows up in support and I have possibly my first flicker of not hating her. They go on about carrying the torch when the seniors graduate and OH MY GOD GLEE, I get it. They're sticking around, apparently, even though I want season 5 to be almost entirely New York-based. Whatever.
Blaine, having lost the sing-off, is back in his Cheerios uniform and his ass gets its contract-mandated close up for the week. (I am NOT complaining, in case you wondered. Which I don't think you did.) Sue lectures him on the importance of honoring commitments while he grimaces and rolls his eyes, and the multiple times she uses his middle name in this episode feels like another wink to the fic-writers. That she tosses him a red thong is less like a wink and more like a gigantic Christmas present with a bow on top.
He walks out in sad slow-mo, but starts to grin and returns to real time. Sam meets him in the hallway and this is all apparently an elaborate BLAM plot to bring Sue down from the inside. I love the idea of the two of them scheming. Anyone want to place bets on whether this EVER becomes an actual thing? Yeah, me neither. Too bad.
Brody gets a horror-movie edit down a hotel hallway where his client of the evening turns out to be Santana. But more than just blowing his cover, she's flown Finn in to kick the ever loving shit out of Brody. I have several HUGE problems with Finn's involvement, here. First, the violence is neither necessary nor particularly consistent with Finn's character as we have come to know him. This is a guy who kicks a music stand, he doesn't beat someone to a pulp. Second, if ANYONE deserved to throw a punch and (literally or metaphorically) stomp on Brody, it was RACHEL. Santana lectured Rachel earlier in the episode about letting other people define her, but Santana is making Rachel's choices for her just as much as anyone else. Third, I was appalled by Finn's "stay away from my future wife" at the end of the ass-kicking. Appalled because I feel like the show wants me to take this as a terribly romantic gesture, and that is all kinds of fucked up. It's not defending someone he cares about with: "I know how amazing she is and she's too good for you and doesn't deserve to be treated like crap." That, I could respect at least a little. Instead, it boils down to, "stay away from her because she's mine." And, I'm sorry Finn, but right now, she's not.
I'm not sure if the writers set out for it to come across like this. Finn starts off just talking, telling Brody to get the hell out of Rachel's life. Brody gets the first shove before it escalates into throwing lamps and punches. But even if Finn didn't fly to New York with the express purpose of physical assault, it still takes a nasty turn and I don't find it the least bit OK as a would-be step in the Finchel arc.
And for yet another jarring transition, Finn isn't even out the door and finished kicking things before the big happy New Directions group number starts. Once you get over the emotional whiplash, "Closer" is one more to add to the list of delightful, upbeat, casually-choreographed final performances of this season. We get a body roll from Sam, Blaine leaping into a laundry cart, and all of them pulling a Breakfast Club out in the seats of the auditorium. It's not my favorite group performance of the season, but that's actually a pretty high bar, and it's still quite good.
But we can't go to credits yet, because Ryder needs to ask catfish-Katie if they can meet. She goes offline instead of answering. Dun dun DUN.
All told, I rather enjoyed Feud. Not on my all-time top-five list, but generally a pretty good episode. There were enough things that bugged me that I’m not likely to re-watch it much - Schuester is a disgusting human being, Ryder’s trans-phobia seems to come out of nowhere, and a big NO on Finn’s clandestine trip to New York. But I love LOVE Blaine vs. Sue. I love Santana defending her family-by-choice in the way she knows how, even if they don’t exactly appreciate it yet. And I love Marley helping Finn find his calling, even if it now breaks my heart in the wake of losing Cory and, by extension, Finn.
And the catfishing thing... I have mixed feelings about it. I don’t inherently hate it as a plot line. But it goes on for so long that it makes me mad about all of the interesting stories Glee has NOT been able to sustain over that many episodes. And why not? It’s not that the potential isn’t there. That’s what bugs me - not that the catfish story exists, but that other stories don't.