Glee Season 5: The Quarterback Episode Review

The Quarterback
Season 5, Episode 3

How can you grieve so much for someone you've never met?

I know. I know. I stopped watching (and covering) Glee in Season 3 just because I didn't enjoy the show anymore, but I'd make a special episode review as this somehow brought closure to Finn's character and Cory Monteith as a person. Of course, there will always be a void in there, especially for fans of the show since Season 1, but it's time to say farewell to our beloved Quarterback, Finn Hudson.

This episode transcended the Glee storyline. It was cathartic, which felt like something jammed its fist into my heart and ripped the lid off a well of old pain. If a tribute was supposed to make you "let it all out", then Congratulations Glee. You officially became the only comedy show that has this innate ability to send a grown man to tears.

THE GOOD:

- Let me say it right off the bat, this tribute episode was perfectly well written and tastefully executed. I could not have been happier at how the show and writers handled this terribly hard situation - managing to capture both grief and positivity in one episode.

- I was also in awe that the whole cast was able to harness their own grief to give the audience this chance to say goodbye. Thank you.

- Kurt's voice over at the top of the episode was spot on. "Everyone wants to talk about how he did, but who cares? That's one moment in his whole life. I care more about how he lived." I appreciated how they simply wanted to show the legacy of the character and not dwell on how he actually died.

- Carole's speech with Burt and Kurt felt so raw and powerful, I completely lost it. "How parents go on when they lose a child? How do they wake up everyday? How do they breathe? You don't get to stop waking up. You have to keep being a parent even though you don't get to have a child anymore". This scene alone was beautifully written and acted from everyone involved. It felt very real.

- I liked how this episode highlighted how different people grieve and I got Santana's storyline. She and Finn had a troubled relationship, but Santana genuinely thought that he was a nice person despite the "outing" debacle in Season 3 and she's grieving over the fact that he died not knowing that. It's moving, especially how she and Sue Sylvester had the same sentiments.

- That locker room scene with Puck and Beiste was pretty intense and emotional. I felt like Puck was more afraid than angry as he no longer has his Quarterback in life to guide him. But what Beiste told him made sense, "It's time for you to be your own Quarterback".

- Sue Sylvester's moment was poignant! She was still pretty feisty and straightforward, but what she said got me thinking, "There's no lesson here. There's no happy ending. There's just nothing. He's just gone. It's just pointless. All that potential.."

- Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) was outstanding and I have a new level of respect for her. I went to the ugly cry during her scenes.

- Memorial plaque was brilliant and the quote "The show must go.. all over the place.. or something" was what he said right before competing against Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions had no songs to perform. It was classic and I felt sad remembering that.

- The final scene with Mr. Schue holding Finn's Letterman jacket crying was absolutely heartbreaking. I'm no fan of Will Schuester, but I felt his pain and sadness. Those kids have always been his heart and I thought it was hard to see him be in such pain. Sad.

THE BAD:

- I understand that Tina's coping mechanism was her grieving onto something trivial, but what did she do to deserve such writing? Ryan Murphy must really hate her.

- Or maybe Ryan Murphy hated Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray) more that he didn't even invite her to appear on the episode. Next to Rachel, Quinn had such a long history with Finn and her absence was just SO obvious.

THE MUSIC:

SEASONS OF LOVE. Perfect song to open the show as this sounded more like a prayer than anything else. I liked that the performance opened with the sophomores and then the seniors and the graduates. The solos were great, but when Mercedes started hollering, the whole thing brought this to something more fantastic, especially when they turned around with Finn's picture at the wall.

I'LL STAND BY YOU. Oh My God. Even before Mercedes started singing, I was already bawling. I remember Finn singing this song and I liked how Mercedes took the song and just went all out as if singing her frustrations and pain because of Finn's death. Powerful.

FIRE & RAIN. This was quite lovely. Loved how Sam sounded, which complemented Artie's voice. Very nice.

IF I DIE YOUNG. The a capella intro was sublime, and how she interpreted this song was a thing of beauty. Also, was it just me or was her scream at the end felt real?

NO SURRENDER. We made a promise / We swore we'd always remember/ No retreat / Baby, no surrender. The song got to me even more because of the lyrics.

MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE. This song seriously changed the entire tone for me. I was able to separate the characters from the actors up until this moment. I somehow felt like the casts' reaction during this performance was how they felt exactly during that moment. It's them crying for Cory and not anymore to Finn the character. Rachel's voice was beautifully raw and I admired her for having the courage to even do this. Thank you!

Glee Season 3: On My Way Episode Review

On My Way

Season 3, Episode 14

No, I'm not going to say that this was the worst episode of the series EVER, but this was possibly one of the weirdest. I liked parts of it, but there was just WAY too much stuff going on - it felt like I watched three different episodes put together. Heck, I even had to re-watch it again to assess how I really feel about the whole thing.

My main issue with On My Way episode was mainly the fact that it's still supposed to be Glee and I watch this show to be entertained - mostly for it's humor. It's supposed to be a guilty pleasure, something I look forward to after a stressful day and just laugh and enjoy the music. I admit, everything was done decently and fairly inoffensive, but to use an overused phrase, 'I did not sign up for this!". Glee shouldn't just smack us with being this heavy. Sigh.

Two years ago, Glee established itself as a series that satirized high school life in a snarky and smart way complete with show tunes. The portrayals were indeed over-the-top, but the characters were human enough that it didn't make the series just about stereotypes. But as soon as the fans ate it up and confessed to have identified themselves with the characters, the show became self-conscious and turned it into a life long mission to be a one hour PSA.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with that, but that little snarky, satirical show with a heart of gold that had the power to inspire people, WITHOUT EVEN TRYING, was gone. I loved Glee for the fluff, and not this!

Ok. That introduction went a little too long than usual, but whatever.

THE GOOD:

- To be fair, the whole Karofsky subplot was handled surprisingly well. I was worried that it would be too smarmy or flippant for my liking, but I appreciated what they've done with his character no matter how somber and heartbreaking it was.

- Despite the depressing and humorless episode, this was one of the most well acted episodes EVER thanks mostly to Karofsky and Kurt's performances.

- Shocked at the further progression of Quinn's character to a decent human being. Who knew? As for what the writers did to her, of course that's another story. Haha.

- I like the new and loving Sue, but this show needs a villain. Agree?

- Tina just wants a song. HAHAHA. Burn! 

- Will Schuester notwithstanding - Sorry! I can't stand the guy - the auditorium scene with New Directions was actually quite lovely. Even watching Rory eat peanut butter for the first time reminded me that even mundane experiences can provide joy.

- I know that I'll be discussing this below, but how they used Karofsky's storyline and Blaine's solo of Cough Syrup was brilliant. I normally don't care for Dave, but I felt for him.

THE BAD:

- I honestly thought the whole "Finn photoshop" was pointless and lame, moreso Sebastian's blackmail threat to Rachel.Oh, and Finn's reaction when Rachel didn't want to negotiate with the "terrorists" was plain selfish. Get a grip, you know it's completely edited. The body is too sexy to be you, Finn. HAHA. 

-  It came off so heavy handed that I had a hard time believing Sebastian had a sudden change of heart. He didn't even budge when he physically assault Blaine causing injury that needed surgery. But now, one minute of remorse and Sebastian's not a villain anymore? Seriously?

- I mentioned that I was impressed at how Glee handled Karofsky's suicide attempt, but this was in the wrong episode. Really? A suicide attempt in a Winter Finale of a show called Glee?

- Still, the Berry dads are not working for me. Sorry.

- The whole Finn-Rachel wedding left me annoyingly cold. Ugh! Do they should just do whatever they want, get it over with, I don’t care!

- I also hated St. Kurt Hummel preaching Quinn how her problems are nothing compared to what gay men go through. Look Porcelain, you have NO idea what Quinn really felt that time so shut up! 

- Quinn's accident made me furious. At one point, I felt like it was a cheap effect only to create a cliffhanger, and it felt very insensitive after the incredibly sensitive story of a gay teen's suicide attempt. Yes, the scene made my heart jump, but was it necessary?

- Warblers being the "hero" because they are the one doing something for Karosky when the only "connection" David had with them was when Sebastian dissed him in a club or whatever. Unbelievable! If anything, it should be the New Directions right?

- REGIONALS WAS A HOT MESS! Where was the EPIC feel that I had when they competed against Vocal Adrenaline in Season 1 with the Journey setlist? Heck, I didn't even feel like it was New Directions on stage. A lot of random dancing, rapping and songs that lacked power and coherence. I was even furious at how they made everyone leave the stage for Troubletones instead of just having the New Directions girls back them up. It just didn't make sense.

THE MUSIC:

COUGH SYRUP somehow saved this episode from being a total train wreck. I did love the way they intercut the song with Karofsky' humiliation and suicide attempt. Possibly one of the more powerful performances editing in Glee's history - next to Bohemian Rhapsody with Quinn's labor, which to me was brilliant. Blaine's vocals were lovely and Karofsky's acting was outstanding that I wanted to cry with him.

STAND. Sebastian's vocals sounded a little less auto-tuned, but I was really bored watching it for some weird reason.

GLAD YOU CAME. Musically, this was better than Stand - mostly because this is a stronger song than that - but I didn't like Sebastian's voice here. Good thing the choreography was pretty solid and Sebastian was quite the dancer.

FLY/I BELIEVE I CAN FLY was interesting. It was a decent copy version to The Sing-Off's Afro Blue rendition. Rachel and Artie were good and somehow I enjoyed Santana's rapping. I love Blaine, but he should just let someone else do the rapping. Just saying.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU (STRONGER) made me furious. Why did the New Directions had to give way for the Troubletones? The girls should've just joined them since they were actually the Sectionals winner right? On it's own merit, the vocals were good and the choreography was stunning, but I can't even!

HERE'S TO US. Another odd performance. Yes, Rachel sounded amazing, but aren't the solos supposed to be at the beginning. It sort of ruined the upbeat momentum, totally anticlimactic and made the whole New Direction set list a bit of a mess.

Glee Season 3: Heart Episode Review

Heart

Season 3, Episode 13

Eh. I was very underwhelmed with this episode as so much didn't work for me. Sure, there were some good parts, but for most of it, everything just felt like an afterschool special for me. Nothing absolutely memorable about the episode aside from a little twist that was kind of strange.

THE GOOD:

- I love Sugar's character! Pure. Silly. Hysterical. Plus, her "love triangle" with Rory and Artie - though I couldn't take seriously - surprisingly works.

- While I still don't buy Santana and Brittany as a couple - mostly because of Brittany's acting - I actually agree with Santana's argument with Principal Figgins. Obviously, there's double standards and it's kind of nice to see Santana stick it yet again - last week it was towards Mr. Schuester, which was pretty EPIC!

- The whole dinner with Hudson-Hummel/Berry was hysterical. What came after that was totally different story. Haha.

- Rachel' nightly ritual was hilarious. Classic Rachel Berry.

THE BAD:

-  Somehow, the Berry dads didn't work for me. Maybe it's the way the characters were written or the acting itself. I don't know. To be honest, I was kind of uncomfortable watching them.

- I don't understand why Kurt kept on whining about not being able to communicate with Blaine when he was just at home recuperating from an eye injury. It was like he was in New York doing a musical or something. Haha. The guy wasn't in a coma, for goodness sake! Get a grip!

- I admit, Joe Hart's character has a better introduction than Rory, but I thought Samuel (Joe Hart) di worse than Damian (Rory) in terms of acting and singing. I just didn't believe in his character profile. If it was me, Cameron should've been the Christian dude and I'll have Samuel play a new and more interesting character - maybe someone who's always stoned? I'm kidding.

- I enjoyed their story a couple of episode ago, but I'm pretty much done with it. Seriously. It was just too dragging and Mercedes excuses for not being with Sam were dumb! If she loves him she should be with him. Gawd! It's not as if she was married to Shane and it was just a little kiss. She doesn't need to go brandishing herself with a Scarlett letter and denying love because she's so ashamed!

- I don't think the writers have any idea what to do with Artie's character no? He was first paired up with Tina, but he just ignored her when she admitted that she didn't have a stutter. Then, he dated Brittany but he called her stupid. Haha. It was then Becky's turn but Artie came up with a lame excuse to not see her anymore. Now, it's with Sugar and he just got "dumped" over Rory. Haha. Can't. Even.

-  Oh, and why was Artie in Sugar's party? Did he go with some invisible date? I mean, Sugar said one couldn't go without a date. So, it didn't make sense to me that Artie was there. Haha. It's silly, I know.

- Karofky's plot was actually the worst thing about the episode. Sure, I kind of saw this one coming, but I had a weird feeling in my stomach when they revealed that he was really Kurt's admirer. I don't know. They made it look as though Karofsky HAS to fall in love with Kurt because they both are gay. To me, I think they can play it better without that. Besides, you can't abuse someone and then say you love them, that's sick!

- I get what they're trying to say, but Glee should really leave religion alone. It feels very trivialized and too preachy. Just saying.

THE MUSIC:

L-O-V-E. Wow. Mike Chang' voice improved tremendously and of course, Tina sounded really good. This performance was actually cute, which was interspersed with a couple of cute scenes between Rory, Sugar, and Artie. I'm not mad. Haha.

LET ME LOVE YOU was possibly one of Artie's best covers to date. It suits perfectly with his voice, and while the production wasn't as bombastic as some of his other performances, this was still pretty cute - again, for lack of a better term - complete with the guys dancing as back up.

STEREO HEART. Decent. I enjoyed Sam's shockingly believable rapping. It kind of bored me though for some reason. Shoot me!

HOME was pretty good! It's kind of depressing, but Rory sounded really good. Oh, and was it just me who's a bit tired of him singing songs about being sad and missing home? Haha. Change it up a bit, Rory!

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. Purely coincidental. When I heard her version - that's prior to Whitney Houston's passing - I thought Mercedes did well enough to allow people to appreciate the amazingne that was Whitney. I was pretty impressed that she could pull off the same arrangement and the key changes. If only Mercedes can act to save her life...

YOU'RE THE TOP was ok. That's all.

CHERISH/CHERISH. Possibly my favorite performance of the episode. I like that the whole number was effortless and very lighthearted. 

LOVE SHACK was fun! I absolutely adored this number - it's quirky and the whole production was just entertaining. There's just a certain level of "happiness" in this performance. How I wish I was part of Sugar Shack! Haha.

Glee Season 3: The Spanish Teacher Episode Review

The Spanish Teacher

Season 3, Episode 12

This episode was all kinds of filler, but because I came into this episode with EXTREMELY low expectations - I didn't really care much about Ricky Martin and I don't understand Spanish - I found the episode somewhat entertaining. It's not great and possibly nowhere near my favorite, but it was still better than some of the episodes from Season 2.

THE GOOD:

- Surprisingly, I found Nene Leakes' character kind of refreshing. Yes, she's basically playing with her own swag, but that attitude kind of worked for her character. Plus, that smackdown with Sue was pretty epic!

- Not into the whole adult storyline, but this one had a nice balance between drama and comedy. Nice!

- Ricky Martin hasn't lost any of his appeal. I was impressed with his acting skills and his hair. Haha. Should Glee give him another episode to appear? I'm not sure, but he pretty much nailed his guest appearance with this episode.

- I did love Emma's pamphlets. I thought ALL of them are pretty hilarious - if a bit offensive at times. Oh, and I love how she stuck by them and how Coach Bieste stood up for Emma. The dynamics was pretty nice.

-  Sue Sylvester was just endearing in this episode for some odd reason. Her storyline of wanting to have a baby was hysterical especially everyone's reaction to the idea. Yes, I can't help myself to feel sorry for her sometimes - imagine how lonely she must be! - but her new "character" is working a little better now because of two things - her relationship with Becky and Nene Leakes. Haha.

- I was glad that Kurt's advice was towards Finn - about the need to figure out who he really is. So far, what everyone has been telling Rachel is that marriage is going to hold her back. Well, it' nice for Kurt to actually got to the real reason why Finn made the decision he did. That conversation was actually pretty great.

- Watching Santana stick it - and rightly so - to Will Schuester was probably the BEST part about this episode. Hey, her speech - no matter how hurtful - was justified. Santana, Marry me already!

THE BAD:

- A couple of things: How could Will possibly get hired as a Spanish teacher and maintain his job for years if he didn't understand Spanish? How can he suddenly transfer to a history teacher position? Why did Figgins even consider him for tenure - along with Sue - if he was doubting their abilities as teachers? Dumb.

- Will Schuester's character is just getting sadder and sadder. I don't know, but I'm starting to see parallels between him and Finn. It bothered me that he didn't care that he was totally unqualified for his job teaching Spanish. Plus, how he treated Emma and her precious little pamphlets were kind of annoying.

- Ok. The Sam-Mercedes storyline is now becoming a little pointless. Why is Mercedes still with Shane? Is she incapable of breaking up with someone? Really?

- Not a fan of most of the performances. Just saying.

THE MUSIC:

LA CUCARACHA was eh. Pretty funny, but  I just can't get into the whole Will Schuester storyline. Sorry.

SEXY AND I KNOW IT was fun and awesomely performed by Ricky Martin himself. The giddy enthusiasm made the performance more entertaining than usual.

DANG DIGGY DIGGY. Yes, it was just the Cheerios dancing, but the routine was hilarious! Haha. And the smack down after that was delicious! Nene Leakes you rock!

DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU was vocally great, but I just got bored with it. Hmm. A little dynamics on the editing or something would've helped this to be a total snoozefest.

BAMBOLEO / HERO. Pointy shoes notwithstanding, I thought this was a good mash up. Sam sounded terrific and the choreography was "interesting". That is all.

LA ISLA BONITA. Wow. Those lasers! Haha. I'm more and more impressed with Santana - if that's even remotely possible with all her awesomeness. Riveting. Sexy. Lasers. Haha. Enough said.

A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION. Thank God, this performance was meant to be awful! But still, I wanted to punch Will for ruining this precious Elvis classic and for making Brittany and Mike look like idiots. *pukes*