Random thoughts on Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel and friendship

[wowbright]

I was thinking about this stuff this morning. This isn't a thesis or anything, mostly just observations and wondering. Spoilers through the end of Season 3, mild speculation for Season 4. (I know nothing about Season 4, and don't tell me.)

Comments

[mimiheart]

I think, in general, girls tend to slap the 'best' in front of friend before boys do. Not that boys never do

[wowbright]

Yeah, I wouldn't expect him to have a heart-to-heart with Rachel or Mercedes. But I'm getting the sense that, if they all continue along the same trajectories personality-wise, he will have more respect for adult Mercedes than he will for adult Rachel.

I'm hoping, however, the Rachel doesn't continue on the same trajectory. I found her behavior in Props and Nationals really despicable, and, yes, I'm bitter that she was rewarded for/despite it in Goodbye. (Although, to be fair, Carmen didn't see her bad sportsmanship at Nationals, just her performance.)

I agree that Kurt and Rachel began to connect earlier than when he met Blaine. I don't think it's a coincidence that it really took off right after Grilled Cheesus, which I consider the beginning of the end of his "besties" friendship with Mercedes.

[mimiheart]

For sure.

The only thing that's going to make Rachel change her trajectory is if something knocks her off her entitlement pedestal. As long as she gets everything she ever wanted because she wants it, she'll never change. She has flashes of, "Oh, that's not how it's supposed to work..." And then it happens again and again and again. Girl has had everything handed to her on a silver platter her whole life. Even the bullying she suffered she turned in her fantasy world in her head into a magical amazing thing that was her ticket to greatness. In some ways, that could be a positive thing, but for her it fed into her entitled URGH. She needs *not* get a part in something. She needs to fail. She needs to see that she is not the greatest thing since sliced bread, and maybe she will earn Kurt's respect long-term.

Mercedes and Kurt will be long-term friends because she knows how to grow.

[jakia]

I think Kurt is somewhat infatuated with the idea of what his relationship with Rachel should be. She gets him, what with the whole "having two gay dads" and "being socially ostracized for most of middle school and early high school" type thing. And when Rachel is good, she is *so* good, and he really would call her his best friend.

However, when she's Not Good (see also: trying to date Blaine, running for class president) she's completely and utterly terrible, and I think Kurt feels more disappointed in her than anything else. She's pretty good at making it up to him, though (singing a duet on the Wicked Stage, stuffing ballots and getting suspended because she wanted Kurt to win so badly) so he forgives her pretty easily

[wowbright]

Yes! I think Kurt is very much someone who tries to focus on his peers' potential, rather than who they are now. He gets that they are teenagers and could still grow up to be better than they are right now.

He does this somewhat with adults, too, but I think he gives up on them sooner.

I wouldn't say that his relationship with Mercedes lacks affection, but I think both Mercedes and Kurt tend to be pretty emotionally independent, so it's easy to grow apart. Rachel is super-needy, so she makes sure that her friendship with Kurt continues.

[whiterose0328]

The friendship between Rachel and Kurt is interesting. I think it came about because of Finn initially. Since Rachel and Finn were dating, I'm guessing she was seeing Kurt a lot and she must have noticed that she had a lot in common/interests with Kurt. She really doesn't do that much with it. I mean, they do sing together in 'Duets' but you don't actually see how close they are until after Kurt transfers to Dalton, with her hugging him and telling him how she misses him at Sectionals (is that the first one) - after she had learned about Finn and Santana. She didn't have no one to talk to and Kurt was around so she latched on

[likeasouffle]

Kurt and Mercedes were friends when they came into Glee Club.

Were they? I always assumed they had just met via glee club as of the pilot, and then found they had common interests. Or is that what you meant?

They drifted apart in Season 2, starting (I think) in Grilled Cheesus, when Mercedes unintentionally did all the wrong things in trying to help Kurt to deal with his father's coma.

I totally agree with this.

Kurt's resentments against Mercedes bubble to the surface and he's a bit of a douchebag to her.

Remind me what the examples are of Kurt being a douchebag to Mercedes? (I have no doubt that he was, I just can't remember.)

Still, Kurt feels grateful for their friendship and feels like he needs to find her a replacement before he dumps her. He tries to set her up with random (cute) black jock. Mercedes wonders why Kurt picked someone black.

I always related this to the lines of dialog that went something like "It's just nice to have someone to talk to." "What's that supposed to mean?" "I mean someone like me." Kurt has

[wowbright]

For comparison, he's also done one duet with Finn and five with Blaine. Eeeenteresting.

So Mercedes is his step-sister and Rachel would be his sweetie if she were a guy or he were straight or bi. (That is my crack conclusion. Or maybe it's serious. I can never tell with me.)

Kurt and Mercedes were friends when they came into Glee Club. Were they?

I thought they were already friendly, but maybe not ... I guess I'll have to go back and watch the pilot again. Life is hard.

Remind me what the examples are of Kurt being a douchebag to Mercedes?

Well, douchebag might be strong (it wasn't like when he gave Blaine the "You're gay!" freak out), but it's implied in The Substitute that he pretty much drops her for social stuff after he starts hanging out with Blaine, until the three of them have that awkward dinner at Breadstix (and I've assumed that his hanging out with her continues to be a lot less frequent for at least the next few months). And instead of being like, "Hey, I've met someone I have a lot in common with and this is really

[likeasouffle]

I can't remember where I read that meta about Mercedes, sorry. :(

So Mercedes is his step-sister and Rachel would be his sweetie if she were a guy or he were straight or bi. (That is my crack conclusion. Or maybe it's serious. I can never tell with me.)

This was totally my first thought. Actually it kind of works if you consider that Finn was Kurt's unrequited crush and Kurt was Mercedes' unrequited crush. Crush = one song. Sweetie = 5 songs. But I don't know in what universe Rachel and Kurt could be sweeties. They're about as good for each other as... Rachel and Finn. LOL.

Ah, good reminders about Kurt's douchebaggery. Plus he kept standing her up because he kept already having plans with Blaine. Not that I can blame him. Hot flirty boy vs kind of distant, overbearingly Christian friend? No contest.

[lavender_love00]

This is a really interesting commentary. I think that Kurt probably feels that he has more in common with Rachel. Also, they're in high school - my friend groups in high school changed a lot between freshman and senior year. So that's one possibility.

I think the way you put Rachel's NYADA audition as self-sabotage is also interesting - do you feel like she did it to herself? Like, unconsciously on purpose? I always feel like sabotage is a purposeful act.

I like to think that Rachel will mature in college - that she'll come to an understanding of how the world really works, that she'll see that she's talented, but so are a lot of other people. I think she'll learn to work hard and hopefully accept no's gracefully ... and I think Kurt has hope for that as well. I think Kurt is best friends with the girl he wants Rachel to be (which does come out on occasion.) Rachel's such an intense character - when she's good, she's Really Good, but when she's bad, she's a truly horrible person.

[wowbright]

My friends changed once a year on average. So, yeah, it's interesting that fandom has made a big deal about the "continuity" or lack thereof with the Kurt-Mercedes friendship and the Kurt-Rachel one. And apparently I'm doing the same, lol; although what I'm really interested in is understanding how Kurt relates to people, who he decides to let close, and what that means.

(I may be trying to figure out how much of a role either of them will play in Kurt's life this summer, or preparing my mind for some big future fic. It's hard to know with me, sometimes.)

I hope many good things for Rachel's character. But I am in a weird place right now. Every time I listen to "The Boy Next Door," I hear it like he's singing it to her sometime in the future, to clarify to her that he is no longer her "best gay."

Not saying that's what's gonna happen. It's just what happens in my head ...