Glee Season 3: The Purple Piano Project Episode Review

The Purple Piano Project

Season 3, Episode 1

No, this episode wasn't the greatest episode of Glee ever, but I have to say that this was a much better season opener than Audition last year. There were storylines set up for different characters and none of which felt forced, it had a flow and a purpose to it that hasn't been there since Season 1, the writing seemed more structured and this actually felt like a TV show episode with a number of story arcs instead of "lessons of the week". Haha.

Admittedly, there's still something missing, which I can't put my finger on exactly, but I wasn't expecting anything of this caliber after the mess that was Season 2. Looks like a promising start to a great season.. or maybe not, since I mentioned that also last year! Haha.

THE GOOD:

- The new Quinn was kind of interesting and, to some extent, very refreshing. I laughed at her Ryan Seacrest tattoo and her interaction with The Holy Trinity - Santana and Brittany - cracked me up! I wonder what the writers are up to with Quinn this time.. 

- I'm not a fan of repeats, but the first scene with Jacob as a "journalist", which they obviously used for Season 2, was a pleasant surprise. It somehow gave the series a sense of cohesion

- Sugar Motta was an annoyingly hysterical version of Brittany! Epic audition! Sure, it wasn't the best - and probably the worst one EVER on Glee! Haha - but I love her spunk. Besides, they have Mike Chang in the group, so WHY NOT??

- While I never felt like the chemistry between Kurt and Blaine was forced last season, I thought that they seemed much more genuine in their scenes. Just saying. 

- Blaine as part of the New Directions this early on was actually quite unexpected. Seriously. I was expecting it to be something more drawn out a la Kurt transferring to Dalton Academy with all the drama of bullying and whatnot, but they didn't go there, so THANK YOU! Haha.

- It was hilarious to see the Rachel and Kurt clones bouncing around with their talents and ambitions. The stereotyping of their characters was delicious. Oh, and I love that the writers tackled the insecurities head on. This scene was brilliant!

- The scene between Kurt and Rachel in the car was brilliantly acted and their chemistry was so palpable. They're both unbelievable characters. Say what you want about Lea Michele, but she can make me laugh like an idiot and then suddenly break my heart in a snap.

- Lindsay Pierce of The Glee Project kicked ass! How she didn't win over - at the very least Sam - was beyond me. Here's hoping that we'll see more of her. I thought she did the role of Harmony some great justice.

- And as I've said in my introduction, I was happy to see a more structured storyline this time and a relatively good set up to most of the characters. I just hope Glee will ontinue with the story arcs and not just pick up the lucky ones.

THE BAD: 

- Sue Sylvester bored me to death!! Sorry. She's officially irrelevant. Next!

- Lauren Zizes suddenly out of Glee club? Why? Yes, I wasn't a big fan of her before she entered New Directions, but she proved herself to be worthy of a good arc for her character. Her scene with Puck was handled really well, but I can't believe the show let her go..

- Emma and Will living together? Did I miss something? I don't know. There wasn't enough story about them in Season 2 that somehow warranted this big of a move. I guess, it would've been better if we saw them actually progress as a couple no?

- Will's sexual frustration with Emma felt VERY pushed. Seriously. How did he follow Sue's cue and talk about this in the middle of a work related discussion? Fine, he was understandably exasperated, but why on earth would he open up like that to Sue and Figgins?

- Mercedes dating that big dude, Marcus, seemed a little out of place. Plus, his dialogue freaked me out a bit with the "cocoa babies". Oh no.

- SAM! Just another throwaway line to where he was, just like the black dude from Season 1. Sigh.

THE MUSIC:

WE GOT THE BEAT was a fun performance. Rachel, Santana and Brittany sounded really good, but I somehow didn't like the set-up prior to the musical number. I also didn't think they did anything special or better with it.

BIG SPENDER. This Sugar Motta audition was live, out of tune and EPIC! Haha. I'm sorry, but I watched this scene a couple of times and I laugh everytime!  

DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD was cute. Of course, both Rachel and Kurt sounded fantastic, but I was a little iffy with the song choice. I don't know. It's too random, I guess?

IT'S NOT UNUSUAL. I said it before and I'll say it again, I loathed the original, but Blaine's too adorable to hate this performance. It was cool, fun and had that hip vibe to it. The choreography complete with the Cheerios was also quite amazing. Oh, and Blaine and Santana looked good together!!

ANYTHING GOES/ANYTHING YOU CAN DO. Sensational!! Lindsay Pierce (The Glee Project) killed it. As much as I hate to admit it, this performance could actually rival some of Rachel Berry's memorable numbers on Glee - something Sunshine Corazon wasn't able to do. And yes, watching Kurt and Rachel during the performance was just too funny.

YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT. Not their best group performance ever, but it was really good. Rachel sounded beautiful with the opening verse and when the energy picked up, I was positively overwhelmed. Plus, it's always nice to see Mercedes and Tina taking a verse or two with the song. Very nice.