Glee Recap for “Ballad”: Disjointed, Yet Delightful!
Posted by Michael on Thursday Nov 19, 2009 Under UncategorizedLike many of you, I’ve noticed Glee’s major first season flaw of abandoning story lines (and sometimes characters) as quickly as they are introduced. It’s ok. A lot of new shows struggle to find their footing in the beginning. Luckily, it’s easier to forgive Glee for these hiccups. Throw in a good toe-tapper and I suddenly forget that Will’s wife has been MIA for the last three episodes. Who cares? So what? Let Lea Michele do a little Broadway-style belting and I’ll swear Sue was in this episode along with the other missing teachers. (Whatever happened to the guy with casts for hands?)
This week Glee is back to delivering several songs in an episode. Oh yeah. I love it when we get a great musical moment even before the title screen appears. This week, we got “Endless Love,” sung beautifully by Rachel & Mr. Shue. A predictable teacher/student crush is ensuing – who cares? They’re singing! The following notion will go on to define the episode: Having trouble expressing yourself with the spoken word? Don’t fret. Just sing about it!
On a related note, it’s a shame this action plan can’t be applied to real life. I got the stink eye from some mo fo on the Subway this morning and really wanted to stare back at him with a stirring rendition of “And I’m Telling You… (I’m not getting off this train until you do.)”
I loved this week’s episode, though I’m really just biding my time until Rachel sings “My Life Would Suck Without You.” Since the track listing for the show’s second album has been released, I know my day will come. Click here for the full list.
Below are my 10 favorite moments from last night’s episode. It’s the end of the year, so I’m thinking only in terms of “TOP 10” lists.
1. Susie Pepper is the shit. That bit about being “moderately attractive” was awesome.
2. Kurt plays the piano? Apparently.
3. Singing “I’ll Stand By You” to a sonogram? Um, yes please! I’d love to see more of people singing to inanimate objects in the future – maybe a lamp!
4. Mr. Shue’s Mash-up. This has my father’s name all over it.
(Trip down memory lane alert! I remember fondly the days of listening to “Young Girl” on various oldies radio stations with my Dad as he drove me home from some sort of high school practice. I would always insist on a station change to a “Hit Music” or “Top 40” station. Hilariously, although we generally settled on a station that claimed to spin the “hits of yesterday AND TODAY,” said stations always seemed more focused on yesterday than today. The eldest Lamp can also belt the oldies like no other. Dear co-workers & people forced to sit next to me anywhere in life, you can thank him for the fact that I don’t really know how to sing in my head. I must be heard.)
5. The dynamic between Kurt & Finn is amazing. Kurt calling Finn’s lashing out at him both “compelling & inappropriate” had me in a fit of lolz.
6. Quinn’s Dad just gave her a tsunami-sized guilt trip like only a Glenn Beck-loving parent can do.
7. The single mother saves the day. Let this be a lesson to all those kids out there that think they’re weird because their parents aren’t together anymore. You’re not weird. And you get twice as much at Christmas (in a non recession year). So get over it.
8. Crush! OMG we only got like .8 seconds of that song. Lucky for you, I posted the full song yesterday. Check it out.
9. Mercedes just took this episode to church with her riffs during “Lean On Me.” My hand just rises whenever she sings. It’s involuntary. Testify!
10. Best line of the episode? This week’s award goes to Finn during his trip to the bathroom. “I have to go. They’ll think I’m pooping!” Let’s all turn the cameras on ourselves for a minute here. You’ve all thought the same thing. All of you.
And just in case you missed last night’s emotional finale, when all the Glee kiddies joined hands to sing “Lean On Me,” dedicated to the adorably rhyming Quinn & Finn , here it is!
