Glee Season 4 Re-watch - 4x22 - All or Nothing

[liz_in_progress]

Much as I might like to pretend otherwise, Season 4 did not end with "Wonder-ful." So, here we go. "All or Nothing."

Fair warning: I did not like this episode. And apparently, I felt very strongly about how much I disliked it, because this might be my longest recap, yet. Go me.

Comments

[flaming_muse]

In public, when I talk about Glee I try to focus on the things I like or that work for me, but I cannot tell you how many capslock-filled emails I sent Stoney this season, and especially after 4x22. Usually I feel like I have a good handle on what the writers are trying to do, even if they don't always succeed, but here I have no clue. Are we supposed to be swept up with Blaine and think this is all the best idea? Because I'm totally with you that it seems like he isn't paying any attention to Kurt and his feelings at all and since WE GET SO LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT, even something like that tiny supposedly cut line that would have added so relatively much, we CAN'T be on Kurt's side because he doesn't HAVE a side, and I feel like he's been robbed of all of his agency

[flaming_muse]

I am so glad to know you in this fandom, I have to add! :)

[liz_in_progress]

*mwah*

Me too. I feel lucky that I've gotten to know you.

[liz_in_progress]

GOD YES, all of this. I agree that the show is treating Kurt like a thing to be obtained. I don't actually think that BLAINE believes that. I really do think he adores Kurt, that he's closer to Kurt right now than the show is letting us see, that he wants to EARN Kurt's love and trust. I think he's going overboard in the way he's choosing to do it, and I think he's somewhat blinded by his determination, but I think he (more than anyone except maybe Burt) understands Kurt's value and worth

[theromanticnerd]

Wait, what? Blaine said "Thank you" in the restaurant? Gotta go back and watch it, because, damn, boy. If you keep running at things head first, you'll hurt yourself and others

[liz_in_progress]

I didn't catch the "thank you" until this re-watch, either. And only then because I kept rewinding 10 seconds to try to watch each of their faces to try and describe how they reacted to Liz's comment. When I heard it, it really just made me feel sad. Oh, Blaine, honey

[manningstar]

This episode was incredibly frustrating. And I found I was so focused on certain things that I just hated that it was hard to enjoy anything at all. Probably the biggest hate for me was Brittany leaving Kurt out of her shout outs. First of all - he is there in the room. I don't think she thanks everyone who isn't in the room, but he is right there. And she talks about all kinds of people she's barely had interactions with and not Kurt? That was just painful. The other really awful part was yelling at the screen as the seconds ticked away at the end and I realized there would be no resolution to the Kurt and Blaine story

[liz_in_progress]

I think a lot of people thought it was Unique in the catfishing story from the beginning, but when I first watched, I wasn't as sure as some. On the re-watch, since I already knew the outcome, I watched Unique a lot in the background while the story was happening. And I felt like there was so little reaction from her that I wondered if *Alex* even knew that Unique was the catfisher. I dunno.

And yes, leaving Kurt out of Brittany's goodbyes was incredibly weird. The writers didn't give us any indication that it was done on purpose (no reaction shots about the oversight, nothing to suggest that they thought Britt did it out of malice or simple forgetfulness), but that's a hell of a thing to miss. I mean, HE'S STANDING RIGHT THERE. I'd forgive it if Kurt was in New York and she just didn't mention him. But she mentioned EVERY other person in the circle. It was glaring.

[ext_2131594]

Sista, preach

[liz_in_progress]

I can excuse Blaine wanting to get engaged. I think it's a bad idea, of course, but I can make it jive with my understanding of who he is and how he works. Big feelings, big gestures, with a particularly earnest view on social issues. I get that part, even though it's crazy.

But as flamingmuse said above, what I really don't like is that the WRITERS are treating Kurt as some kind of prize to be won, an object to be obtained. Because we are getting nothing from his side, no sense of whether he'd be on board with any part of this. And that's not cool.

The whole Brittany thing didn't land. I wouldn't have minded pieces of it - I don't mind Brittany + absurdity. But somehow none of it worked, and there was too much of it, overall. And the glaring oversight of Kurt was really problematic for me.

[out_there]

Artie is the boy next door who builds robots and whose virginity she takes (cue WTF face from Blaine)

That is actually one of my favourite moments in this whole episode. I kind of love when the writers (or, okay, maybe just the actors) remember the character history and that Blaine wasn't at their school for the whole Artie/Brit thing.

This is not how mature adults function.

That could basically be the subtitle of Glee. I mean, nearly all of their adult character are terribly immature, irresponsible human beings. With the notable exception of Carol and Burt.

did you hate “All or Nothing” as much as I did?Actually, I disliked it so much I never watched the end of the episode. I simply couldn't be bothered. ...and that's saying something. I have watched SV and SGA and Prison Break for fandom, but Glee is on a fine, fine thread of caring. Breaking up Kurt and Blaine was forgiveable, but the way that most of the episodes of this seson seem really unclear and uncertain... just doesn't work well for me. The sad thing is with

[liz_in_progress]

Agreed, Glee can be a wildly uneven show, and it threatens to derail me multiple times per season (sometimes per episode).

But it seems that I really can forgive a multitude of sins when they get the emotional connection right. And when they get it right, they NAIL it. And that's why I keep coming back.

But that's also why I can't seem to forgive "All or Nothing." If you didn't make me connect, emotionally, then I'm not going to be as forgiving of the other nonsense.