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SOUND OFF: GLEE Gets It Together Thanks To Father Figures & Friendship

By: Jan. 30, 2015
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Today we are recounting the highlights of this week's brand new episode of GLEE.

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Father Figure

"I will be your father figure / Put your tiny hand in mind / I will be your teacher preacher / Until the end of time," George Michael's iconic 1980s smash "Father Figure" eloquently relates. The same can be said of the protagonist of FOX's musical comedy series GLEE, McKinley High's (former) glee club coach Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison). Besides being the musical guide for the gleeks of New Directions, Mr. Schue - as he is commonly known - also acts as an adult ally of the teenage performers, offering comparably wizened insight and life experience along with generous portions of chart hits and the Great American Songbook to his charges. Almost everyone on the planet can cite a specific teacher or parental figure in their own lives who influenced them in a major way at a crucial point of adolescence, steering them in the right direction so that they may find an avenue by which to pursue their dreams, and Mr. Schue certainly fits that bill for many members of the McKinley High glee club - as further evidenced on tonight's new "The Hurt Locker, Part Two" episode of the series, penned by Ian Brennan and directed by Barbara Brown.

Of course, the central conceit of the episode was centered on Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) - former cheerleading coach and now principal; her wrath exacted on the glee club even more vicious than her general nefarious school-wide reign of terror (and fire extinguishers) - and her plan to further humiliate the gleeks in the most public and shameful way possible; this time, on their own turf, no less. And, as any attentive GLEE viewer knows, gleeks shine in one place in particular outside of the once fatherly, warm surroundings of the (former) glee club rehearsal room - the stage. As we saw in last week's first part of the double-header, Vocal Adrenaline left the audience (mostly McKinley High students) in shock and awe following their spirited and funky performance of two 80s hits, The B-52s "Rock Lobster" and Devo's "Whip It". How can the New Directions ever hope to compete with that - particularly since they technically lack the proper amount of students to even officially enter the various glee-related competitions coming up all too soon (Sectionals and Nationals, most important of all, natch)? Yet, while Vocal Adrenaline gave an expectedly well-practiced and pert performance, polished to a brilliantine sheen, they lacked the heart and soul so amply apparent in the best competitive turns by the New Directions - lest we forget their iconic cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" from early on, let alone their stupendous, thrilling and outright spine-tingling "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" and "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" (both songs by rock legend Jim Steinman) which won them the national championship once upon a time. Can they ever reach such heavenly heights again? Judging from the fierce competition offered up onstage at the Invitationals, the answer could very well be no. Then again, this is a series about underdogs and it is the final season... and, as we saw by the close, the dogs had their day.

First, the Warblers kicked off their grand Invitationals appearance with a butch and boisterous "My Sharona" (The Knack) followed up by 80s-tastic Dead Or Alive hit "Right Round (Like A Record)". A rainbow-hued light show along with some spirited and athletic choreography only abetted the strong performance further, making The Warblers look like fearsome foes to the impressive Vocal Adrenaline, let alone the potential embarrassment awaiting New Directions given their ongoing plight that only turned a corner midway through the events of the dramatic episode. On that note, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) briefly continued to explore their recently introduced relationship - coming as a direct result of Sue Sylvester's hypnosis. Nonetheless, Rachel did not take Sue's bait this time - a slew of shoddy song selections designed to deliver the gleeks to certain doom. Whew. At least one disaster was avoided, at least. On the other end of the relationship spectrum, fan-favorite couple Klaine - aka Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss) - were unexpectedly forced to address their floundering partnership, currently consciously uncoupled (to turn a phrase from GLEE's own award-winning guest star Gwyneth Paltrow) via a malfunctioning elevator. Or, was it? After all, Sue has sought out to see the twosome reunited at all costs - and, just like Jigsaw in the SAW horror movie franchise, she always gets what she wants and demands. Well, almost. And, sure enough, the ice between the two began to melt all too quickly once trapped together for a few hours. All signs point to Klaine getting back together in the end - and fans can now subsequently emit a well-earned sigh of relief and/or ecstasy at that news (and that kiss).

On the friendship side of the series, with comrades both new and old, Lea and Kitty (Becca Tobin) found some common ground despite their contemptuous and frosty relationship - what else; performing - while Sam and S6 addition Spencer (Marshall Williams) shared some sports talk (and a little masculinity posturing discussion, too). A familiar face from the very first season of the series also made a surprising return, Michael Hitchcock as Dalton Rumba - no longer a deaf choir instructor, now a comical cop. Of course, Hitchcock has directed several episodes of the series, as well, adding a pleasant meta-narrative to his appearance. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, generally positive role model Mr. Schue shared a heartfelt exchange with new New Directions coach Rachel prior to the McKinley gleeks taking the stage at last, even though he was technically allied with the other side - with heart-tugging results.

And, of course, then there was the triumphant trio of tunes that New Directions finally enacted as their Invitationals entry - an 80s mega-medley comprised of Roxette's sonorous pop frippery "It Must Have Been Love", George Michael's unique Middle Eastern-influenced stunner "Father Figure" (all too apt a song choice given the events of the ep, as discussed) and the moving Air Supply ballad "All Out Of Love". Kitty and Spencer proved to be showstopping leaders to kick off the medley with Roxette, while the rest of the new recruits (some brand new) showed off notable singing and dancing skills, too - Jane Hayward (Samantha Ware), Roderick (Noah Guthrie), Mason (Billy Lewis Jr.) and Madison (Laura Dreyfuss). Surely, Guthrie's smoky and bluesy vocals were ideally matched with the George Michael earworm, ditto the saccharine musings of Air Supply to the sweet if slightly creepy portrayals of Mason and Madison as played by Lewis and Dreyfuss, making a clear case that the newly reformed New Directions will be able to take it all to the next level. But, will they? Well, we will all have to stay tuned for the final handful of shows to be sure. In the end, teamwork and a passion for performance saved the day - and obviously won New Directions the unofficial but confidence-building Invitationals. Suck it, Sue!

Next week? Fall in love with the music and lyrics of Burt Bacharach and Hal David all over again on an all-new Valentine's Day themed episode, "What The World Needs Now".


Photo Credits: FOX




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