Glee distracts from meh original songs with the UNRELENTING CUTENESS OF KURT/BLAINE!
So, I am two weeks behind on Glee. Surprisingly, this does not bother me too much (probably because I’ve moved onto DAIR from Gossip Girl). However, I was counting on the adorable little “And that’s what you missed on GLEE!” to fill me in on what I missed. We’re at Regionals already? WHO THE HECK IS TOGETHER?! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON. (I haven’t felt this way since the end of Gossip Girl Season 2 decided that plots should move as quick as Chuck Bass onto a prostitute.)
Anyway, my thoughts on tonight’s episode, “Original Song”:
1. Kurt and Blaine.
a. Totally Adorable Song and Dance Teaser. I also love how Kurt called out Blaine’s Rachel-esque “I MUST SING EVERY SONG” complex. I mean, it IS tres annoying, but Blaine IS totes adorable (unlike Rachel), so he gets the pass. Although I hate how opportunistic Kurt’s solo stealing was. I know the quick provision of the tape was meant to be funny, but it came across as cold and calculated.
b. Really? Everyone in the Warblers wanted Kurt to have the duet? I really hope this was the entire glee club playing wingman.
c. HOMG KISSING! SOOOO CUTE!
2. Original songs. I don’t like this idea in principle, but as a plot point, it’s nice. I like that it’s a way to bond against Sue and a way and it’s a way for Rachel to dig deep. But it’s cute for an episode. One of the joys of Glee is recognizing and instantly connecting with a cover song. Original songs take that investment away. Anyway, my rundown:
a. “Only Child”. WIN simply for the line “Only Berry on my family tree”.
b. “Trouty Mouth”. Slightly funny, but if the hole point of this song was to make Brittany jealous, then why did Brittany not even look miffed? Instead she just had fun with Artie. (Also, what the heck did I miss on the Brittana front? SO MUCH WONDERFUL ANGST!)
c. “Big Ass Heart”. I actually really liked this song. It was clever without trying too hard.
d. “Hell to the No”. Totally tons of fun. Really enjoyed this one. You go, Mercedes!
3. UGH, QUINN’S CONTINUED CHARACTER ASSASSINATION. I hate how Quinn is boiled down to a complete user. I totally thought Quinn/Finn would be like Blair/Nate from GG Season 2 (or at least what they should have been): a rekindling of a first love, which is sweet, but not meant to be. She almost had a glimmer of humanity when she rattled off her future life with Finn—so realized, so realistic, so resigned—but it didn’t compensate for her earlier bitchiness. (It honestly seemed like more of a case of “actress trying desperately to make due with a horrible script”.)
4. Regionals.
a. Warblers. After the build up, that duet performance was so unremarkable. You don’t win with that. But I love that they weren’t kidding about having a Pink song. Totes loved.
b. New Directions. Rachel’s song was good (actually more enjoyable than the Warblers’ duet), but the whole performance was uninspired and NOT WORTHY OF REGIONALS. Also, another point of original songs: you have to listen SO HARD to the lyrics so that you don’t miss anything because it’s not a Top 40 hit you’ve memorized now perfectly turned on its head as a plot point.
In contrast, “Loser Like Me” was also a lot of fun, but stay with me for a moment: please compare that to last year’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ (Regionals Version)” with all the solos and unity and performance strength. If anything, “Loser Like Me” would have been a wonderful way to end the show (being full of so many references any audience member would love it), but really, in this setting, the judges would be less “Wow, totally awesome” and more “What was up with those slushies?”
c. The judges these season were too pat and pointed. In comparison to last year’s awesome showing (Total Douche Josh Groban FTW!), they were completely unnecessary and not even that entertaining.
d. Of course New Directions had to win. The season isn’t over yet!
Meh. This episode was saved by Kurt and Blaine’s cuteness. SO CUTE.
