SOUND OFF: GLEE's Night Of (Stevie) Wonder

Superstitions be damned - Glee Season Four is going out on a high! The last handful of episodes have managed to make a major mark while affording us ample opportunity to enjoy what we have come to know, love, expect and eagerly anticipate in any episode of FOX's hit musical dramedy series most of all - awesome performances. And, BroadwayWorld got its umpteenth shout-out last night, too!

Writings On The Wall

While some would argue that the "Superstition" lyric by Stevie Wonder describes GLEE, lo, eighty-seven episodes into its run - the one referring to "the good things in your past" - they would be outright wrong in their assessment making that claim. Yes, Glee continues to sparkle and shimmer in unexpected ways, at unexpected times and with unexpected players acting it all out - take last night's "Wonder-ful" episode, for instance. Ostensibly a tribute to R&B pioneer and all-around music royalty Stevie Wonder, the episode not only managed to contain seven of Wonder's most celebrated and fondly remembered tunes, but, also, develop a significant number of plotlines in doing so, amping up the drama for the finale next week. While the split-focus Nature of Glee 4.0 thus far may cause some to bristle, it is the name of The Game and the way of the show at this stage, so go with it or don't - Glee is still heading in the right direction and further evidence of that is presented each week. It is more consistent than ever, actually, with the outlandish character arcs, Camp stlyings, over the top characterizations and stingingly real-to-life moments of truth all enacted entertainingly - and, from time to time, less so; but, more often than not, more so - with all of it pointedly punctuated by some of the best performances anywhere in the entertainment landscape by a veritable stable of revolving original superstars and guest-starring notables, all singing some of the world's best-loved songs; all with joy. Such is GLEE. While the recipe and its description may seem laid on thick, the proof is in the pudding - and the writing is on the wall - Glee is still really good.

As the series prepares to bid adieu to Season Four and head into two upcoming seasons - yes, you read that right; two more have been ordered - the groundwork has been established at this point to take the series further, even four dozen more episodes down the line - or more. While dramatic consistency has never been paramount, the overall vibe of the show remains poignant and strong and its themes timely and oh-so apropos - take last night's episode and its eloquent and illuminating display of a father and son dealing with growing up gay, a cancer scare, a wedding proposal and a Motown dedication, for example - complete with copious cheers, tears and some fears finally allayed. The relationship between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and his father, Burt (Mike O'Malley), has remained a consistently strong and groundbreaking Hallmark of the series and both actors continue to shine in their moments together and in their shared storylines, as well.

Completing the depiction of the largely New York City-set portion of the show and its various character's lives last night, Rachel (Lea Michele) prepared for her big FUNNY GIRL revival callback - if we remember, she previously won the producers over with a passionate and plaintive "Don't Stop Believin'" in an evocation of the S1 showstopper and its subsequent showings. Guest star Kate Hudson as bitter, bitchy and fabulous NYADA instructor Cassandra July gave Rachel a scare at first, but ultimately with a pleasing pay-off - complete with a pulse-racing and positively hair-raising Motown hit to add to the booty (so to speak, ahem).

Additionally, the third reference to BroadwayWorld on last night's show was a ruby red cherry on top to our ever-continuing love affair sundae with GLEE. This relationship is Built to last! After all, whose Glee coverage is, was and always will be more comprehensive (and better) than anywhere else?! Look no further than last week's world premiere SOUND OFF exclusive first listen to Jane Lynch with ANNIE's "Little Girls" (available here) for proof!

As for the McKinley High goings-on, many college plans were revealed and graduation gears put into motion - will Brittany (Heather Morris) really attend M.I.T.? What about Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and her lofty academic plans? And, also, what of Artie (Kevin McHale)'s NY film school dreams? - though we will have to wait until next season to see that all start to play out, of course, given that next week is the season finale.

"Wonder-ful", written by co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Wendey Stanzler, was precisely that - delivering on the tremendous promise of a Stevie Wonder-themed show and a worthy successor to such stupendous Glee tributes as the Britney Spears and Madonna hat-tips, to say nothing of the Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston extravaganzas of late. The fact that Kurt's storyline treaded upon some new ground and provided some particularly pertinent social commentary was an added bonus. Also, who could not be moved by Katey Sagal's appearance as Artie's mom? An arresting episode managing to effortlessly encapsulate entertainment value more or less to the nth while still telling a coherent and compelling story while doing so. Is this the episode of the season? No. Was it just about exactly what Glee should aspire to be, all in all? Yes, indeed. While last week's incredible show was a series-high only achieved a few times a season, if that, this week gave us the comfortable and reliably enjoyable experience like that which we have come to know and love - yet another clear-cut reason that FOX has extreme faith in the series, no doubt; the fact that the series remains as strong as it always was, excelling even further in many new areas all the while and changing and growing while it does so.

Getting down to the basics of the plot, though: Kurt and Rachel's storyline tended to hold the majority of the screen time last night, while returning original gleeks Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.) strutted their stuff onstage with the new and old members of New Directions back in Lima, OH. Jake (Jacob Artist) and Mike cut a rug appropriately awesomely, for sure, while Mercedes dominated the musical side of the show with her sensational singing of some Stevie Wonder staples - namely, "Superstition" and "Higher Ground"; without even making mention of those seriously impressive wails out of the blue (with some blue skies and blue socks thrown into the overall dramatic stew, too).

Kurt's ode to fatherly guidance and love, "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" was a heartrending moment to savor - a relationship too rarely depicted onstage or onscreen, as a matter of fact. Kate Hudson as Cassandra surely surprised us all in her suddenly near-maternal turn - and shocked Rachel, too - especially in the case of her upbeat and soulful performance of dance favorite "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" in honor of Rachel's big Broadway callback for FUNNY GIRL. Who knew the wickedest witch outside of WICKED actually had a beating heart beneath the glitter, sweat and bared décolletage? All the more reason the sexy musical sequence hit its target - and turned up the heat. New Directions also excelled with the three other endlessly lovable and luxuriously melodic Wonder singles - Jake and Marley (Melissa Benoist)'s spirited "I Wish"; as well as the energetic opener, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)", led by Kitty (Becca Tobin); and, the gorgeously sung, gamely enacted and genuinely uplifting closing song, "For Once In My Life", led by Artie. Truly, the only thing missing from the Wonder-fest was Rachel taking on that Epic Barbra Streisand/Stevie Wonder collaboration for the record books, "All Is Fair In Love" from her seminal THE WAY WE WERE album. S5, perhaps? Well, that's less than six months away!

Yes, the writing is on the wall - signed, sealed, delivered; Glee is ours and remains the most consistently engaging and overwhelmingly enjoyable series for the particularly performing arts-inclined among us. And, let's be totally honest: for pretty much everyone else, too.

Next week? A surprise marriage - but, who will it be tying the knot? Will it be Will (Matt Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) once again or could it be Kurt and Blaine (Darren Criss)? Furthermore, what about Finn (Cory Monteith) and how will his absence impact Rachel's relationship with roommates Kurt and Santana (Naya Rivera), to say nothing of philandering ex Brody (Dean Geyer)? Creator Ryan Murphy has boasted of "many cliffhangers", too, for next week's finale, so there is a lot to look forward to, no doubt. Oh, yeah - and Regionals!