Last night’s episode of Glee – season 4, episode 21 – is the second to last episode of the season. Did it live up to the hype?
Oddly, the first scene of this episode is a phone call between Rachel and Will, in which Rachel reveals that she wanted to tell him – above all other people, including Kurt, her parents, and Finn – that she had her Funny Girl callback, and that if she gets the part, it’s because of him. She recounts her initial audition and what she experienced while singing “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and gives him all the credit for making that happen, which would all be very sweet if the original performance of “Don’t Stop Believin’” was done by the glee kids of their own volition after Mr. Schue bailed on them and they decided to keep going anyway. So, thanks for trying to cut and run, Will, your initial lack of commitment made Rachel a star?
Whatever. Will takes the good news to New Directions, who are all ecstatic to hear this – even the newbies, who barely know Rachel – and he rounds up some other stories with a bit of cheerful exposition: Brittany’s touring MIT, having received early acceptance, and Will himself has re-proposed to Emma and they’re going to try get married again after Regionals. Let’s see how that works out for you, buddy. Tina also announces that she’s been wait-listed for veterinary college as a “fall-back”, you know, “in case” she doesn’t “decide” to pursue acting. Schue, relieved that not all his mediocre students will end up chasing dreams of stardom that they aren’t likely to achieve, deems this news “Wonder-ful” as well, as background musics starts to swell and he introduces this week’s theme – Stevie Wonder.
Everyone seems pretty stoked, but Kitty catches up with Artie after the lesson and asks why he looks so depressed. She suspects it’s because he spent all of Guilty Pleasures Week – which was, what, five weeks ago now? – ogling her and getting nowhere, but Artie informs her that no, Glee’s quickly nixed Kittartie plot is not the reason he’s down, but thanks her for bringing it up again and reminding him of the confusing inconsistencies of his world. He tells her, in fact, that he’s gotten into the Brooklyn Film Academy, but when Kitty looks thrilled for him, he follows it up quickly by saying that he won’t be going. When Kitty asks why, incredulously, he says he doesn’t want to talk about it, and that he doesn’t want her to tell anyone. Come on. This is Kitty. Don’t you people ever learn?
Meanwhile, in New York, Kurt, who’s never had the most stable inner workings of the mind, is counting down the days until he goes home to be with his dad for the results of his cancer treatment, and his anxiety and OCD is off the charts. As he returns to Lima, he comes to visit McKinley and his inner monologue discusses his feelings on Blaine – that there will be absolutely no hook-ups this time, but that it still feels weird seeing him, but not as weird, and he can’t tell if this makes him feel sad or not. Sounds like Kurt is moving on, but is grateful to have support this week – not just from Blaine, but from Mercedes and Mike, both also returned to Lima for the week and visiting the glee club alongside Kurt.
The New Directions alums bust into rehearsal and witness Kitty’s performance of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” which she directs at Artie, who looks on, sceptical, and then downright taken aback when Kitty has Jake and Ryder lift her crotch-first over Artie’s face. Kitty, of course, uses the opportunity to reveal and “celebrate” Artie’s acceptance into film school. Everyone’s happy for him, but Mercedes cuts to the chase – that the performance wasn’t that great, and that they need to up their game for Regionals. Kitty mocks Mercedes, asking why she should take advice from someone with shattered dreams crawling back to her hometown, but Mercedes takes it on the chin, calmly sussing Kitty back and saying that Schuester asked her to come back and do vocal coaching. She sits back smugly and lets Kurt explain that she has her own album coming out and that she’s home to organise the first music video. Sam, that dude who, you know, got Mercedes noticed by the industry, and was her great supportive love, congratulates her in a way that sounds like this is the first he’s heard of any of this, so that’s cool and not weird or anything.
Mike Chang adds that Schuester also asked him back, too, to choreograph for Regionals. Tina takes exception to this, reciting rather drone-ishly how wrong it is that they need “some guy” to come show them how to dance, even referencing the #gleehatesgirls hashtag and the fandom complaints of the secondary treatment of many female characters on Glee this season. Once again, Glee, you can’t solve problems by referencing the fact that you know about them and not actually changing anything, but this is followed up by one of the funniest moments this season, in which Tina accusingly asks Kurt what he’s here to lecture them about, and he just blinks at her and says “My dad has cancer.” The room pauses awkwardly, I literally laugh out loud, and I am so strongly reminded of another similar Kurt moment, from season one: “What do you say when you pick up the telephone?” “No, she’s dead, this is her son.”
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