(no subject)
Glee Tonight:
First of all... I don't think I like LJ-commenting while watching. Too distracting.
I noticed about halfway through the episode - even left a comment on it - that there were a couple key things that made this probably the tightest episode since the pilot.
One, the A plot was actually focused on the Glee club itself. The mashup competition (and the complacency the group was feeling before that) was really the catalyst for the drama in the episode (Well, except for Terri's presence, which I'll get to in a second). The benefit to structure/pacing for the episode was that the use of songs was able to actually push along the plot (rather than feeling like a pause or intermission from it) in a way that we haven't really seen since the pilot.
TwoEverything took place at the school. With the exception of Sue's initial visit to Terri (which brought the school to Terri, in a way), every scene took place at the school - to the point of ridiculousness, really. (Ken proposing in the lunchroom? Terri and Quinn discussing secret baby adoption in the hallways?) This just made the episode so smooth, and allowed all of the show's wonderfully crazy plotlines to cross.
Also, with Terri... I liked her better this episode than any before. Well, maybe like is the wrong word - I didn't find myself as annoyed whenever she was on screen this episode as I have before. I think the reason her character has been such a hate-to-hate (as opposed to love-to-hate Sue) is because, no matter how you feel about the Teri/Will relationship, up until this point, any scene focused on the two of them was a scene that took the focus off of the glee club. With only forty-two minutes in each episode, giving Terri more than a few of them has always felt like giving up something - something much more enjoyable - in the show.
On whole Terri/Will/Emma/Ken thing
The only person I really feel 100% sympathetic for at this point is Ken, and who would have seen that coming from the pilot episode? Sure, he's an unattractive guy with poor social skills, but he's also about the only person who's been totally honest about his feelings and his relationship intentions. The proposal was awful, but completely Terri's fault for bullying him into it (how is that for irony - the coach of the football team is the adult being bullied the most in this show).
Like I said earlier, Terri, for one of the first times on this show, I felt a slight twinge of, well, not really sympathy, but perhaps empathy towards. Yes, she brought 90% of this situation on herself because she couldn't bring herself to talk to her husband about her insecurities... but I've finally pinpointed why she's done everything she's done. Terri started off wanting Will to prove his love for her (by providing her with money and comfort), and then moved on to feeling like she needed a baby to hang on to him. Not to mention she has to be feeling insecure about what a Lima Loser she's turned into. (Does she genuinely want to give Quinn a chance for a better life than she's turned out to have?) Now, of course, she's kind of crazy, and went about reacting to her situation in a completely inappropriate way... but at least I can see her motivations now.
Now Will... Remember how crazy Terri sounded in the early episodes, talking about how she had needs (like a craft room and a glue gun that works), and how she needed Will to pay more attention to them? Well, if we've learned anything about Will since then, it's that he could care less about the needs of other people around him if they won't get him ahead. Dump the Glee kids (not once, but twice) to pursue his own career? No problem. Antagonize Rachel because she got in his way? Doesn't even realize it. Bringing in April Rhodes was pretty self-explanatory. Finn? First he blackmailed the kid into joining Glee, and now, while he may be acting buddy-buddy with Finn over the whole "we're both going to be dads!" thing, the truth is, as a teacher he has a responsibility to be more than that. He shouldn't be gossiping about Finn with Emma - he should be dragging Finn (and Quinn) into Emma's office to make sure they're set up. (Not to mention either getting the parents involved or finding out if there is a legitimate reason as to why the kids don't want to get the parents involved.)
Even with Emma, he's being selfish. Their conversation in the hall? Will was basically asking Emma to give up her relationship with Ken for him, but without offering her anything in return. That pissed me off, and I'm really not a fan of infidelity ships, especially when there are marriages involved.
Emma... Emma, Emma, Emma. Unfortunately, you deserved almost every word that came out of the crazy, lying woman's mouth this evening (minus some of the crazy. and the lies.) Emma seems to be see-sawing back and fourth between realizing that she needs to stay away from Will, and going for the full-force flirting. Also, she needs to realize that if she's not honest with Ken about their relationship and her feelings for him, she's going to start coming off just as crazy as Terri. Is faking a marriage better or worse than faking a pregnancy?
Oh, right, the other characters... Quinn's line about Terri giving her money felt like a sucker-punch after the way they built up sympathy for her character throughout the episode. I want to hope for a Quinn-Rachel friendship, but I have a feeling that - and Quinn's words to Rachel about what she'd do if the situation were reversed - are going to set us up for an even bigger OMG moment of Quinn returning to Mean Girl status in a future episode. Finn, well, I found myself wondering if there was something actually wrong with him.
The theme that I'm taking away from this episode is consequences.
- Will found out the consequence of not paying enough attention to your wife is to have her show up at your school
- Emma found out the consequence of entering into a fake relationship is that real feelings can develop on the other side.
- Terri was finally caught out in one of her crazy schemes, lost her second job, hopefully lost her loyal minion in Howard, and lost a lot of respect in her husband's eyes.
- Finn, Rachel, and the Glee Club Kids found out in today's after school special that taking the "easy" way out with drugs has consequences.
- Quinn found out that the consequence to being mean to people your whole life is that not a lot of people actually like you when you need them.
- And finally, Will found out that the consequences of not paying attention to the needs of other people around him can lead to awful things. Like Sue becoming co-director of the Glee club, and Emma getting engaged to Ken.
First of all... I don't think I like LJ-commenting while watching. Too distracting.
I noticed about halfway through the episode - even left a comment on it - that there were a couple key things that made this probably the tightest episode since the pilot.
One, the A plot was actually focused on the Glee club itself. The mashup competition (and the complacency the group was feeling before that) was really the catalyst for the drama in the episode (Well, except for Terri's presence, which I'll get to in a second). The benefit to structure/pacing for the episode was that the use of songs was able to actually push along the plot (rather than feeling like a pause or intermission from it) in a way that we haven't really seen since the pilot.
TwoEverything took place at the school. With the exception of Sue's initial visit to Terri (which brought the school to Terri, in a way), every scene took place at the school - to the point of ridiculousness, really. (Ken proposing in the lunchroom? Terri and Quinn discussing secret baby adoption in the hallways?) This just made the episode so smooth, and allowed all of the show's wonderfully crazy plotlines to cross.
Also, with Terri... I liked her better this episode than any before. Well, maybe like is the wrong word - I didn't find myself as annoyed whenever she was on screen this episode as I have before. I think the reason her character has been such a hate-to-hate (as opposed to love-to-hate Sue) is because, no matter how you feel about the Teri/Will relationship, up until this point, any scene focused on the two of them was a scene that took the focus off of the glee club. With only forty-two minutes in each episode, giving Terri more than a few of them has always felt like giving up something - something much more enjoyable - in the show.
On whole Terri/Will/Emma/Ken thing
The only person I really feel 100% sympathetic for at this point is Ken, and who would have seen that coming from the pilot episode? Sure, he's an unattractive guy with poor social skills, but he's also about the only person who's been totally honest about his feelings and his relationship intentions. The proposal was awful, but completely Terri's fault for bullying him into it (how is that for irony - the coach of the football team is the adult being bullied the most in this show).
Like I said earlier, Terri, for one of the first times on this show, I felt a slight twinge of, well, not really sympathy, but perhaps empathy towards. Yes, she brought 90% of this situation on herself because she couldn't bring herself to talk to her husband about her insecurities... but I've finally pinpointed why she's done everything she's done. Terri started off wanting Will to prove his love for her (by providing her with money and comfort), and then moved on to feeling like she needed a baby to hang on to him. Not to mention she has to be feeling insecure about what a Lima Loser she's turned into. (Does she genuinely want to give Quinn a chance for a better life than she's turned out to have?) Now, of course, she's kind of crazy, and went about reacting to her situation in a completely inappropriate way... but at least I can see her motivations now.
Now Will... Remember how crazy Terri sounded in the early episodes, talking about how she had needs (like a craft room and a glue gun that works), and how she needed Will to pay more attention to them? Well, if we've learned anything about Will since then, it's that he could care less about the needs of other people around him if they won't get him ahead. Dump the Glee kids (not once, but twice) to pursue his own career? No problem. Antagonize Rachel because she got in his way? Doesn't even realize it. Bringing in April Rhodes was pretty self-explanatory. Finn? First he blackmailed the kid into joining Glee, and now, while he may be acting buddy-buddy with Finn over the whole "we're both going to be dads!" thing, the truth is, as a teacher he has a responsibility to be more than that. He shouldn't be gossiping about Finn with Emma - he should be dragging Finn (and Quinn) into Emma's office to make sure they're set up. (Not to mention either getting the parents involved or finding out if there is a legitimate reason as to why the kids don't want to get the parents involved.)
Even with Emma, he's being selfish. Their conversation in the hall? Will was basically asking Emma to give up her relationship with Ken for him, but without offering her anything in return. That pissed me off, and I'm really not a fan of infidelity ships, especially when there are marriages involved.
Emma... Emma, Emma, Emma. Unfortunately, you deserved almost every word that came out of the crazy, lying woman's mouth this evening (minus some of the crazy. and the lies.) Emma seems to be see-sawing back and fourth between realizing that she needs to stay away from Will, and going for the full-force flirting. Also, she needs to realize that if she's not honest with Ken about their relationship and her feelings for him, she's going to start coming off just as crazy as Terri. Is faking a marriage better or worse than faking a pregnancy?
Oh, right, the other characters... Quinn's line about Terri giving her money felt like a sucker-punch after the way they built up sympathy for her character throughout the episode. I want to hope for a Quinn-Rachel friendship, but I have a feeling that - and Quinn's words to Rachel about what she'd do if the situation were reversed - are going to set us up for an even bigger OMG moment of Quinn returning to Mean Girl status in a future episode. Finn, well, I found myself wondering if there was something actually wrong with him.
The theme that I'm taking away from this episode is consequences.
- Will found out the consequence of not paying enough attention to your wife is to have her show up at your school
- Emma found out the consequence of entering into a fake relationship is that real feelings can develop on the other side.
- Terri was finally caught out in one of her crazy schemes, lost her second job, hopefully lost her loyal minion in Howard, and lost a lot of respect in her husband's eyes.
- Finn, Rachel, and the Glee Club Kids found out in today's after school special that taking the "easy" way out with drugs has consequences.
- Quinn found out that the consequence to being mean to people your whole life is that not a lot of people actually like you when you need them.
- And finally, Will found out that the consequences of not paying attention to the needs of other people around him can lead to awful things. Like Sue becoming co-director of the Glee club, and Emma getting engaged to Ken.