And Finally, Some Appreciation for the Not-Changs

[lookninjas]

Note: This recap got into some discussion of racism, mental illness, and child abuse (if you've seen the episode, you know exactly who I'm talking about right now.) There's also some relatively minor speculation on the possibility (possibility, because I'm not willing to judge just yet, but I'm worried) that Mercedes' relationship is more harmful

Comments

[wemblee]

magical poop-stealing water chairs

Idk if this a reference to something I haven't seen or you just made it up but it's amazing.

[specialj67]

It was Brittany's description of toilets from the episode.

[wemblee]

How did I miss this?! Failure.

[crown_of_weeds]

I really, really think that Mercedes being sick was at least in part a Dreamgirls ref. As well as being quite...she was sick, or hurt, or self-sabotaging, or whatever, playing up to the Mercedes Will sees in his head, but the point was still made that EVEN THEN, it unequivocally doesn't matter, she's been treated unfairly. It's...bold? I don't know. Unexpected, for me.

It looks like Ian writers Mercedes, primarily, which I find fascinatingMy view of Mercedes is generally that so few people treat her with any genuine kindness or affection that she's starved for it. She responds very, very strongly to small gestures. I don't see Shane as being...I don't have the same reaction to him that I've seen in a lot of people. I think he's encouraging her to stand up for herself--her own personal You Matter. I like him, I think

[lookninjas]

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Shelby isn't back on the show so she can be the one to invariably point out that Will's turning a little too Vocal Adrenaline for his own good.

I don't have a problem with him saying that Mercedes (or Kurt, for that matter) need a little extra dance work. They're not as bad as Finn or Puck (Puck's little moment in "Cool" was hilarious), but they both need improvement. However, pushing her after she's run to the garbage can to puke? "Your best isn't enough; you need to do better"? Man's starting to drift along the road to twenty-four hour rehearsals and IV drips. And if anyone in this show is going to know what that road looks like, it's going to be Shelby.

Still not sure about Shane; like I said, it's entirely possible that he's just sort of parroting what he's learned/been told from being part of football, and doesn't quite realize that it simply doesn't apply to theatre work. Still bad advice, though.

[crown_of_weeds]

You know, I've been wondering about Shelby serving that purpose as well! I...I think that could be really interesting, and I can definitely see it being set up from even 3.01. Will...Will is doing some interesting things this year. He's really forgotten what he said the Glee Club's original purpose was. And the way he delivers his lines about your best not being good enough, and they way they've been filming his confrontations with students--Quinn, Mercedes...that isn't how you shoot or act a sympathetic or ultimately reasonable and correct character

[lls_mutant]

I thought the same thing about Mercedes and Shane. I wonder if the writers realized what they were doing? because if they did, that really would be an interesting plot for Mercedes, and I'd enjoy them exploring that. But if they didn't... ::gleeheaddesk:: But yeah. MAJOR alarm bells

[lookninjas]

Mine too. It was interesting, it was complicated, and hopefully it's setting us up for more interesting and complicated stuff for the rest of the season.

What I loved about that Emma/Will moment was that he flat-out admitted that he has no idea what he's doing. He doesn't know how to help her. The best he can do is be by her side in that moment. I thought that was lovely.

With the benefit of a week's hindsight, I kind of love that Mercedes isn't just hugging and making up with Rachel. Because Kurt wasn't wrong when he said that Rachel was going to start pushing her friends away if she insisted on making everything an epic competition. At the same time, though, I wish Mercedes hadn't lashed out at everyone else along the way. Will, yes. Rachel, sure. Kurt and Finn and Puck and Quinn and Tina and Brittany and Mike? They didn't deserve that. They have the same problems she does. And I hope we don't see more of that coming from her, because that was a let-down.

[lls_mutant]

Yeah. I still love Mercedes because we know her, but if this week had been my introduction to her, I wouldn't like her much at all. I really wish that the show would just address the dropped Kurt-Mercedes friendship. Even just a conversation or a line that they've grown apart. But then, they can't get a pair of stepbrothers to have a conversation in three episodes, so

[midasu]

Kurt was wearing sequins because he was one of the dreamettes. The other dudes were the businessmen guys.

[lookninjas]

See, but Finn and Mike's solos were sung by Dreamettes in the original, so if that's our criteria for being a Dreamette in the fantasy sequence, then they should have been in sequins. And if we're going by the simple metaphor of Booty Camp Teachers being the businessmen and Booty Camp Students being the Dreamettes, then Finn and Puck should have been in sequins.

So I guess what I'm saying is that Cory needs to put on some damn sequins.

[midasu]

You just blew my mind. I literally gasped out loud. You are completely correct.

[rena_librarian]

Yes, I agree--Shane (is that his name? I hadn't actually ever caught it yet) is egging Mercedes on, and it felt like a rehash of Night of Neglect. You're quite right--she'll listen to anyone who flatters her, which is...mildly unsettling, potentially very very bad. =/

I know all about being the girl who loses herself when with a guy--and it's easy to miss while it's happening. After my marriage fell apart and I was alone, after the day or two of absolute sick depression, the next thing that happened to me was a sudden surge in creative output. And it was like--oh, I remember this, why have I set all that aside so long? So yes, I can completely relate to that, and I hope Mercedes sees it sooner rather than later.

Oh LORD Kurt and Blaine. They deserved to kiss; they wanted to kiss; and it wasn't safe. I got teary

[flamingquill]

Okay, comment crashing (just a bit) but about Emma being a pray-er-- did that seem out of left field for you because she generally hasn't been presented as religious, or because her religious beliefs have never manifested as prayer before? Because if it's the first, I think they did mention it in Grilled Cheesus, when she yelled at Sue for taking Kurt's complaint to the school board. They haven't gone back to it since, unless I'm forgetting something, but since I was not a fan of how Emma acted in that scene with Sue, I hadn't thought about it for a while.

[rena_librarian]

Hey, the more the merrier! =) I think it was a little of both, mostly the latter. I do vaguely remember her being pro "everyone should have some kind of spirituality, whatever works for them" in Grilled Cheesus (and vividly remember her explaining to Finn that it wasn't the sandwich answering his prayers). Like I said, though, it fits with what we already know about her, it just surprised me. It maybe would've been less surprising for her to mention her prayers in passing than for them to show her actually getting down on her knees. (I pray frequently, but can't remember the last time I knelt to do so.)

[lookninjas]

I think that part of the problem, though, is that Will was trying to be nice at the beginning of the scene, and obviously had been for some time. He didn't really lash out until it became obvious that not only were Emma's parents hateful to other people, they were seriously upsetting her. Lashing out might not have been the best approach, but as someone with a short temper, I kind of sympathize with Will's position.

And to be fair, I doubt Emma would have prepared him if he'd told her about it ahead of time. I think she would have just put it off. And then put it off. And then put it off some more. And while that's her right... IDK. I can see Will's side, too, under the circumstances.

And Office Krupke is SO FREAKING WRONG for Kurt Hummel that I'm honestly kind of astonished. It's as wrong as is possible to be.

(I'll love the hell out of this if he goes out there and kills it, though. Take that, stereotypes!)