Quite a rollercoaster episode! Spoilers in the next post…
I liked the Lulu song. Who is Josh Groban (sp?) anyway? Is he a made up celebrity for the show?
Surely thou jesteth. Nobody could know Lulu and yet draw a blank on Josh Groban.
I have to admit, I misted up a little during “To Sir, With Love”. I really liked this whole episode.
Good episode overall–I, um, got something in my eye a couple of times before it was over.
I thought the songs all sounded great–but they were mostly pretty well-worn songs. “Bohemian Rhapsody” in particular has been done to death. The Journey medley was okay and a nice throwback to the pilot, but I would rather have heard something different from them. Shue’s cover of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Over the Rainbow” was nice, but again–it’s been covered a lot. The kids singing “To Sir, With Love” was a good choice.
I like how, once again, it doesn’t matter how hard the kids prepared all year long for the competition because the judges are petty and shallow and in some cases totally unqualified. I love that the show is willing to totally subvert its own premise for a good laugh. I didn’t expect New Directions to come in third (I was banking on a tie for first with ND and Vocal Adrenaline both moving on), but once they did I knew that Sue would end up convincing Principal Figgins to give New Directions another year. Probably smart to have them lose at Regionals. If they are too successful in this first season, there won’t be anywhere for the show to go in the future.
Good to see Josh Groban again (Sue: “Kiss my ass, Josh Groban!”). Olivia Newton John did a good job playing a celebrity snob, though it doesn’t fit too well with her earlier appearance, does it?
I did like the way they intercut Quinn giving birth (O mamma mia, mamma mia!) and the Bohemian Rhapsody performance, so I can understand why they used it. I was glad that she went through with giving the baby up for adoption. It was nice that her mom showed up to support her.
It was cool to see Emma again, and I loved seeing her in a shouting match with Figgins in defense of Will and the kids.
Looks like they are going to re-air the season from the beginning on Thursdays this summer (I’m not sure yet if they’re going to show every episode). Looking back, I think those first 13 episodes before they took a break were a good bit better than these back 9. Those first episodes felt a little edgier, a little more satirical, and a little less earnest. I hope they get back to that tone next season.
{sob, sniff} Teared up at the Lulu song? I started tearing up at the first Journey song. I agree that they needed to not win this year - gives them a lot more wiggle room next year.
I can’t understand how New Directions came in third. Sue voted for them, and I thought Josh Groban was leaning towards them as well. Olivia Newton-John liked the one that covered her song, and the other guy liked Vocal Adrenaline. I’m not about to try to sketch out the scenarios and do the math to figure it out, but it seemed odd, unless they all decided to be dicks because they hate losers.
Props to Olivia Newton-John for being willing to play herself being a total bitch. At least assuming that she was in on the joke and it’s not something like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.
Bohemian Rhapsody was brilliantly done. The intercutting between the hospital and the stage was amazing. The way it matched the lyrics and dancing was one of the most incredible things I’ve seen on a sitcom. Although that’s got to be the shortest labor ever.
Great episode all around, though the ending felt a bit forced. They stick around for another year just because Sue’s got a heart? I’d have loved to see Emma get the best of her. It just feels somehow unsatisfying that after suffering for a year of Sue’s capriciousness, the glee club achieves their goal not through besting her in any way, but because she’s also fickle. It’s like one of those Greek myths where the lesson only seems to be that the Gods just like to fuck with people because they can, but sometimes they decide to mitigate it somewhat, and there’s really nothing that humans can do about it. Or the Book of Job, if you’re a cynical minded atheist.
That said, they did make it work. I think I might watch this again on Hulu before the week’s out. And, apparently am going to now be spending my Thursdays catching up on the first thirteen episodes.
This was the first episode of Glee I’ve ever seen, and I was duly impressed. I may have to acquire the rest of the episodes.
I was wondering how the voting went also. Three groups, 4 judges and win, place or show judging. How do you end up in last place if one of your votes is for first?
When they said the name of the third, unknown choir I thought I misheard. Sue’s hilarious winner reveal speech was the highlight of the whole show. “Everyone knows that the choir is the best. . . I can’t even finish that sentence.” and “Second place-- the ridiculously named Oral Injection!” Sue steals every scene. What did she call New Directions? Your misshaped children?
Gotta admit, Vocal Adrenaline’s staging of Bohemian Rhapsody was fanfreakintastic. Was the hospital in the same building as the competition? Cuz everyone was prepped and ready to go in the delivery room in less than 2 minutes.
So. . . do Black Guy, Other Asian and Really Stupid Cheerleader ever get a solo?
I really liked the music. I was duly weepy at To Sir, With Love. Bohemian Rhapsody was wonderful - EW said 4 dancers were hurt during rehearsals, and I can see why.
I think my favorite part was the “crowning” bit of choreography. I laughed my ass off at that!
It was a masterful synergy of writing and acting that brought Sue around to give the kids another shot. It could have seemed completely contrived and discordant, but the writers’ tying up Sue’s own ego with New Directions*, along with Jane Lynch’s delivery, made it work. (It was still a bit contrived, but it was in an emotionally believable way. Also, I can forgive quite a bit in exchange for the dumping of standard tropes.)
I thought Diana Agron did a really good job of imitating labor, and I was happy, (even though the timing seems off) that they had her sitting up, not flat on her back. I had also noticed that they showed her holding her belly a couple times during the competition day, like she was uncomfortable. So to fanwank, she might have been in early labor all that day, which fits better with her water breaking when it did.
And Oh. My. God. that baby in the nursery was cute! I don’t know if it was the same one they used in the delivery room scene, but the sleeping baby was an attack of shock and awwww.
*Did you notice the sign at the beginning? “Support our New Directions” heheh.
God, I am of the correct age that I recognized the song from the introductory chord and did the pavlovian production of moisture starting right then. A lovely moment.
And, as everyone has observed, the intercutting of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and labor was amazing.
What did Rachel’s mother (that was Rachel’s birth mom, right? I missed a slew of episodes in this half of the season) say she was going to name the baby?
The baby’s name is Beth. That’s what Puck wanted to name her, and Rachel’s mom liked it.
I hated that rushed and contrived adoption story. So Rachel’s mom can’t bring herself to have a relationship with Rachel, but then she adopts a baby so she can start all over again? Seems really cruel to Rachel.
Yes, that was Rachel’s mother. She named her Beth after Puck told her the name in front of the nursery window (I don’t know how much you’ve been watching, but back in the Theatricality episode (2 eps ago?), when the boys were doing KISS songs, Puck sang “Beth” to Quinn when they were deciding what to name the baby).
I agree with you here. I feel sorry for that baby, actually. Idina Menzel is really wonderful playing that character, but the character herself seems like an incredibly selfish person. She regrets that she missed out on raising Rachel, but instead of trying to connect with this already-self-realized person who is her daughter, she decides to start all over with a ready-made baby.
I totally agree. Shelby is just awful. “Sorry, disposable daughter, I didn’t get to change your diapers so our relationship is canceled. I’m going to the baby store for a replacement.”
Just remembered a great laugh-out-loud moment. When Will asks if Emma’s passion is just about the kids, or also something else, and she immediately says, “No.” Jayma Mayes just nailed that, and we had to pause for a minute to finish laughing.
He was at first, but after they all argued a bit about who was best he said something like “OK, now I’m confused.” That made me think that he was considering changing his vote.
Actually, I thought the opposite. (About the short labor, I mean.) My wife and I are always joking about how most TV labors are about a minute or two before the baby pops out. When the song was over I said “Wow, that labor took a whole five minutes!” She said “I was wondering when you were going to say something”, and I replied “I was waiting for the song to finish.”
Nah, I’m just old. I even skimmed the Wiki page on him and I have no clue who he is. None of his songs rings a bell, although I rarely know song titles, and I never saw Ally Macbeal, where he apparently also did some TV work. I do like it when celebs play themselves as jerks, so I enjoyed his bit in this episode.
Since “Kiss my ass Josh Groban!” is mentioned (but can’t be mentioned enough) my other favorite Sue-isms were
[about Will’s hair]“I keep expecting racist animated Disney characters to jump out and sing about living on a bayou”
and
“You break into tears more than Michael Landon on a Little House on the Prairie sweeps week”.
and
“I am seriously going to puke in your mouth”
Loved seeing Sue dissed by real celebrities (and a newscaster), and actually a believable incentive to why she’d vote for New Directions. Nothing makes allies quicker than a common enemy.
And a third or fourth or whatever “Bohemian Rhapsody + Quinn’s Labor= Perfect”. I was afraid she was going to have some kind of wacky “trapped in a subway during a power outage and surrounded by Elvis impersonating nuns” TV birth and instead they didn’t break step in getting the baby here. So I wonder if Puck and Quinn are going to be a couple now.
Couldn’t have cared much less about Shu’s Over the Rainbow song- once Jason Castro has done it it’s over.
Wasn’t that also the guy she dated, who cheated on her? Double burn!
Just a random thing I’ve noticed - they like people with rhyming names on the show. Kurt and Burt, Quinn and Finn, Sue and Shue.
Also, is Josh Groban from Beta-Zed? Those are some seriously black eyeballs he’s got there.