Glee Season 2, Episode 21

Glee Season 2, Episode 21

Television Review

By our guest blogger, Catherine Fuentes

The penultimate Glee episode of the season took a drastically different tone and sentiment than most every episode that came before it: Tuesday’s episode of Glee was both incredibly moving and emotional, and it came from the most unlikely of sources, Sue Sylvester.

Sue Sylvester’s sister passed away, which turned my beloved sharp-tongued Sue, into an emotional wreck, capable of very few zingers. As much as I love Coach Sylvester, her character is a bit one-note… not that I’m complaining. The death of her sister, and the raw emotions it conjured up, added depth to Sue that I never saw coming.

Again, we found ourselves with an episode of Glee that paid more emphasis to the drama and the relationships between the characters and the development of the characters than to the music. Even though I don’t care to be reduced to tears by an episode of Glee, somehow this was worthwhile for me.

Music wise, the performances were very cut and dry – pretty much all of them were staged as auditions to become the solo singer at next week’s nationals competition. Mr. Schuester and the newly appointed show-choir consultant, Jesse St. James, were judging the soloists, who were fantastic… even if Jesse would never admit to it.

First Santana sang a very emotional “Back in Black,” which of course, Jesse deemed as not emotional enough. I’m most impressed with Santana when she’s making sassy one-liners and singing emotional songs, since I always forget how talented she is. I loved this one from her – it wasn’t quite “Landslide,” but it was still beautiful.

Next, Kurt tackled Gypsy’s “Some People,” which Jesse deemed as being too “girly,” which shows how little he understands Kurt and the glee club in general. Singing a song originally performed by someone of the opposite gender is what they do – and it’s why I like them so much. Sure, Jesse had a point: Broadway legends have made their mark on that song, but I thought Kurt was fantastic.

Mercedes sang “Try a Little Tenderness,” which was my least favorite of the three, solely because I love the original, and I love Otis Redding so much. Personal preferences aside, Mercedes absolutely killed it – Jesse and Mr. Schue were even nodding approvingly throughout the performance – but again, Jesse found something to critique, saying that she doesn’t “want” it enough.

Rachel came last, singing “My Man” from “Funny Girl,” which was a rare moment where I sat there in awe of Rachel / Lea Michele. Normally I find her theatrical performances to be a bit grating, but this one was simple, her voice was amazing, and she reached a point of emotion I felt she was incapable of reaching. Jesse gave her rave reviews, going as far as telling her she’d be the selection because he was so instrumental in the process. As it turns out, no one got chosen, and Mr. Schuester wants their nationals performance to be a group-driven original song, which is what got them to nationals in the first place.

The other musical number of the night came in Sue’s sister’s memorial service, planned by Kurt and Finn, who after hearing the sad news, shared their condolences to Sue, who was quite shocked to see them. They helped Sue deal with her grief – planned the funeral, cleaned out the sister’s nursing home room, and were there to support Sue when she wasn’t yet ready to be supported.

After hearing that Sue’s sister’s favorite movie was Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, the entire Glee club sang the key song from the movie, “Your Imagination,” a song that will forever remind me of horrific Gene Wilder and why I am so terrified of that movie. Most of the glee club members took brief solos on this song, reminding me just how talented they are as a bunch – and just what sweet, generous kids their characters overwhelmingly seem to be.