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SOUND OFF: GLEE's Got Friends In Carole King & Alanis Morissette

By: Jan. 16, 2015
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Today we are recounting the highpoints of tonight's GLEE's tribute to two iconic pop songwriters via the emotional "Jagged Little Tapestry".

You've Got A Friend

"Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend / When people can be so cold," Carole King's legendary TAPESTRY standout "You've Got A Friend" eloquently expresses - and the message is much the same for FOX's long-running musical dramedy series GLEE. A shameless celebration and erudite examination of outcasts, GLEE is and always has been about embracing one's otherness - that is, taking pride in how we set ourselves apart from each other, but at the same time also relishing what brings us all together, as well. And, what brings the gleeks of McKinley High together - and often the rest of the school population, as well - is a shared love of music and performance. Fittingly, tonight's "Jagged Little Tapestry" took that pertinent idea of individuality one step further by not only showcasing the aforementioned King 70s touchstone but also the sage pop wisdom of another legendary songwriter and performer with a particularly unique and striking worldview as fondly remembered by another age-group - the incomparable Alanis Morissette. Both capable of creating commanding, sturdy, instant earworm melodies with notably singular lyrics and presenting them with a pronounced homespun, heartfelt, world-weary perspective, the marriage of King and Morissette in a surprisingly effective series of mash-ups over the course of the hour proved to be an effective and incisive choice by the creators - especially with arrangements this seamlessly elegant and memorable and an episode theme so appreciably applicable. Plus, with the series coming to a close so soon, the topic of "best break-up album" is all too apropos, no?

On first glance, one would not immediately assume that these two pop titans would fit together so masterfully in mash-up form, yet GLEE music master Adam Anders proves naysayers wrong yet again. Such are the glories still to be reaped on GLEE, even more than 100 episodes into the run of the wildly uneven but always entertaining series. No, the ratings for the season premiere were not impressive (3 million live viewers is a far cry from the nearly 10 million more afforded to Season 2 when the show was at its pop culture apotheosis, truth be told). Nevertheless, the music is what has kept GLEE afloat and afire - albeit sporadically so during the nadir of Seasons 4 and 5 - and "Jagged Little Tapestry" evidenced once again why even music that might not be the prime choice for a series aimed at a target demographic who definitely were not yet born when King's TAPESTRY originally premiered in the early 1970s and likely weren't even born when Alanis Morissette's heyday of JAGGED LITTLE PILL (20 years old this year) and its hit follow-ups during the late-1990s can still manage to make a major mark when presented by the talented cast and ever-inventive creative team involved with the series. Bringing the music of all generations to the currently upcoming generation is ostensibly what GLEE clubs are all about - and what GLEE itself has defined itself by doing all along, both on the series and in reality. And, if only for that, all involved should be acknowledged, appreciated and championed. Kanye West, Vanilla Ice, Cole Porter, Barbra Streisand, Kander & Ebb, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, Stephen Sondheim, Nicki Minaj, Ricky Martin, Britney Spears and beyond - GLEE has tackled it.

Indeed, there are no two ways about it: GLEE may currently look like the underdog as far as ratings and audience interest is concerned, at least compared to the halcyon days of yore, but we have been at the party long enough by now to know that that could very well and very likely change overnight - or, perhaps it will go out with a whimper instead of a shout. That said, I would bet my bottom dollar that there is much more, well, glee, still to reap and certainly some worthwhile performances to enjoy as we head into the final 10 hours of the series ever. Case in point: last night's sensational "You've Got A Friend"/"You Learn" mash-up providing Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and company with a touching and wittily arranged capping showstopper that not only capsulized the intention of the emotional episode itself, but also the series as it currently stands. Highs, lows and everything in between, for six years, like a good friend, GLEE has been there - and, as we wipe away a tear or two, the time to say goodbye looms large on the HORIZON as made painfully clear in the Brad Falchuk-penned, Paul McCrane-directed episode. Dramatically, the hour was packed, as well - the Brittana engagement (oh, yes), Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) revealing a transgender transformation, Becky (Lauren Potter)'s return and new romance, the evil alliance of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and Spencer (Marshall Williams) and much more.

Morissette's moody "Uninvited" opened the new season last week following Rachel Berry (Lea Michele)'s unceremonious firing from her live sitcom THAT'S SO RACHEL and tonight's episode was buoyed by a similarly sorrowful song sequence - one of two non-mash-up selections showcased in tonight's show, actually - acting as perhaps the final duet for one of the most beloved couples on the series, Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss). "It's Too Late" and don't they know it - but, sentiment aside, it was a fine farewell we will remember fondly for the couple if this is really the end of their relationship for good. Nonetheless, it seems unlikely Klaine will dissolve without a reunion before the final reel - if not much sooner. Rumor has it a wedding is coming up - and it seems likely now that it is not theirs given tonight's Brittana proposal. We will have to wait and see, though - and hear. On that note, the lovable lesbian coupling of Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris) was similarly afforded a duet, too, though this one was much more fun and funky - Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket" mixed with King's "I Feel The Earth Move". Enjoyably playful and flirty whereas Kurt and Blaine's musical pairing was much more straight-faced and serious - and justifiably so, given the dramatic context of each.

As for the rest of the songstack, King's heartbreaking ballad "So Far Away" provided fine musical fodder for Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and Quinn (Dianna Agron), while the heady and wise words of love implicit in King's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and Morissette's "Head Over Feet" merged miraculously to form the basis for a doubly impressive musical moment via the passionate performances of new gleek and real-life Broadway baby Samantha Ware and fellow McKinley high addition Billy Lewis Jr. on the songs. Indeed, Ware already has shown more promise than perhaps any new gleek since Darren Criss way back in Season Two - she is simply sensational and whatever she sings next is well worth anticipating. Similarly, Mason and twin Madison (another familiar face from the Great White Way, Laura Dreyfuss) complement the corps of New Directions well and should prove to be a viable and perhaps quite valuable addition to the songs and story coming up in the next several weeks.

"Mash-ups aren't always pretty, but they're worth the risk," Rachel commented at the end of the ep, and much the same could be said for GLEE - it's not always pretty, but it never fails to entertain; and, more often than not, inspire. Evoking one of the best episodes of the series in its early days, "Duets", tonight's mash-up mania on GLEE was effortlessly engaging while continuing to set in motion the various events that will signal the ultimate conclusion of the series as we know it. While that information may be hard to take for the most dedicated and diehard gleeks among us, when the pill is served up with such sonorous and sweet spoonfuls of sugar such as in "Jagged Little Tapestry", it makes the final lap feel VICTORIOUS even if it is shaping up to be not quite as triumphant as we would have guessed it would be six seasons ago. Just as in life, we won't know the ending until we get there - and who knows what's in store. In any event, like most of the best desserts, GLEE has always been enjoyed best in the moment anyway - and tonight was yet another tasty, if fleeting, treat.

Photo Credits: FOX

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