GLEE: Season 2, Episode 7 - The Substitute

What's going down?

"Let me stop you right there. It's Principal Sue." Worrying words for both staff and students of
McKinley. Apparently Figgins has come down with a particularly virulent form of monkey flu all the
way from Borneo and will be out of action for the foreseeable future, leaving her in charge due to
some clever blackmailing of local politicians. Her first order of business? "Destroy the Glee club."
Unfortunately for Will, just as Charlotte sneezed monkey flu onto Figgins, the same thing happens to
him.

Later on at Glee, Will isn't feeling too well. He tries to power through it but when he looks at the
club and sees (completely adorable) younger versions of them, it's clear that he needs to go to the
nurse's office. The next day Will is holed up at home with a nasty fever. Who should come over to
look after him but Terri? "I'm probably revealing too much, but I do still love you", she tells him. Will
makes it pretty clear that he doesn't feel the same and tells her to leave. She goes but not
before giving him "Singin' in the Rain" to watch, his favourite feel good movie.

Kurt and Mercedes aren't happy. In Schue's absence, Rachel has taken over the Glee club, asking
them "what songs they'd like to hear (her) perform at Sectionals". Mercedes is also upset that Kurt's bailed on their plans to go bowling, in favour of hanging out with BlainE. Mercedes questions him if they're a couple but he insists that it's just nice to have someone, like him, to talk to. The bigger problem, though, is taking down one Miss Berry and Kurt has just the way to do it.

Introducing Holly Holiday, the new Spanish teacher, subbing for Schue, played by none other than
Gwyneth Paltrow. She's the kind of teacher who tries to relate to the kids, stating "I'm the cure for
The Common class." Kurt interrupts and asks her to take over Schue's Glee duties. After last week's
English class, where she gave an impromptu performance about conjunctions, he thinks she'd be
perfect. "I thought you'd never ask," she says.

At Glee, news of the substitute Schue has been spread and the club are busy buttering the floor
and planning to swap names in preparation. Finn isn't pleased with this; he says if they want to win
at sectionals, they're going to have to take it more seriously. Fortunately for Holly, it's Rachel who
bears the brunt of the buttered floor: "at least I didn't fall and break my talent." She soon wises
up to their tricks and it's clear to the club that they've met their match. As soon as she tells them
that she wants them to sing the songs that they want to sing, everyone is suddenly much more
cooperative. She picks up Puck's request to do Cee-Lo Green's smash hit "Forget You" and treats the club to her own rendition of it. Very nice, Miss Holiday, very nice. By the end of the song, the whole club is up dancing - well, except Rachel.

At football practice Bieste is telling the boys off for spraying athlete's foot medicine in each other's
eyes. None of this matters, though, as Sue walks in and tells them that as of 4pm, the football team is disbanded. "Well. if you're cutting the football team, then who are your Cheerios going to cheer for?" It's clear Sue hadn't thought about that one as she tells Bieste she'll get back to her later. Racked by humiliation by the Bieste, Sue writes in her diary that she needs a cause. She wasn't able to replace all chairs with sharp objects, in attempt to stop sitting, so instead she decides to ban tater-tots, to crack down on the school's obesity.

Schue and Mike perform an incredibly energetic, comedic and acrobatic rendition of "Make 'Em
Laugh" from "Singin' in the Rain". Unfortunately, it was all a dream, as Will wakes up to hear his
front door buzzing. It's Rachel, complete with germ mask, who complains to him about Holly. "I'm
not worried about someone coming in and usurping me, you kids love me", he says, though panic
strikes when Rachel points out that Sue doesn't and that she's taken quite a liking to Miss Holliday,
as the two bonded over red wine and bleaching their hair. Rachel encourages him to get better asap, for his own sake, as well as hers.

Mercedes is once again upset that Kurt has blown her off for Blaine. She becomes even
angrier when she sees that Sue's tater-tots ban has come into effect. She storms into Sue's office
and demands to know why she's done this. "Nutrition at this school is abysmal," she says and it's
clear she's right when she shows Mercedes some broccoli and she responds that it's "a toilet brush". Mercedes though is adamant that she's getting her tots back.

Rachel isn't happy with Holly, partly due to the bruise she gained whilst playing gangster rap
musical chairs. "Rachel, you suck! My god you're like a total drag!" she tells her. To make matters
worse, Puck walks past and Holly openly gives him the answers to the pop quiz she'll be giving
next period. "Maybe I should be like you, all fun and never worry about the consequences," Rachel
ponders. Holly agrees, she has all these great ideas for Glee club but she never gets to actually do
them. She wants to do a number that's "upbeat and glamorous with a good dance beat". Holly tells
her to name the song and she can perform it. When she says she needs a partner for it, Holly happily agrees to do it with her. Bet you can't guess what song it is.

Terri visits Will again. He asks her if she's happy and she says she feels for the first time that maybe she could be happy. When she returns the question he answers that honestly he isn't and that he stills feels like he's searching for something. When she offers to use rub-in menthol on his back, he is more than a little reluctant but he eventually gives in. Before he knows it, things start to heat up between the pair and they spend the night together.

At school the next day, Mercedes continues her rant against the school's new choice. Kurt has
something to take her mind off it - he's set her up on a date. He understands that his new
friendship with Blaine is making her feel left out, so he wants to help. Kurt has set her up with
dreamy footballer Anthony but Mercedes is dubious due to the fact that he's one of only "five black
guys at this school". Still preoccupied with the tot situation, Mercedes stands up on the table and
soon the whole hall is in protest screaming "tots, tots".

At Glee the next day, as promised, Rachel and Holly perform a glamorous, upbeat number - "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag" from the musical "Chicago". Dressed to kill, the pair absolutely knock it out of the ballpark. Will has returned to school, still not completely better again. When Sue sees him she tells him that there's no reason for him to be there. "My kids need me," he tells her. Sue thinks otherwise: "the kids prefer your substitute and so do I." Will can't wait until Figgins comes back but it's looking unlikely; since Sue started her healthy eating campaign the school board has been flooded with praise for her. Looks like Principal Sue is here to stay, now that Figgins has been fired and she's been formally offered the position. "As my first official act as full-time principal, you are fired." Poor Mr Schue.

Mercedes is thirdwheeling it at a dinner with Kurt and Blaine. Whilst the two are talking at a hundred miles an hour, she is struggling to keep up. Blaine tries to include her in conversation but it doesn't go so well when Kurt suggests they name their "favourite 2010 Vogue cover". Her mood is cheered though when she finds out they serve her beloved tots at Breadsticks as well.

Holly has decided to paint the choir room yellow when Will walks in. Holly is sorry that they had
to meet like this. The kids love you, you're obviously a great teacher, she tells him. Will disagrees, if she really thought that she wouldn't have taken his job so easily. "You're a substitute, of course you can paint murals and let the kids sing whatever they want, and you're never there when they have to deal with the hangover of all that fun." Holly insists that a teacher needs to be in tune with what the kids care most about - themselves. He argues that it's a teacher's job to show them other points of view besides their own. While she might feel sorry for him, teaching jobs, especially in the arts, are hard to come by and she won't let this one go.

Sue has called Mercedes and Holly into her office. She isn't happy that Holly openly let Mercedes
go and shove tots up the pipe in Sue's precious Le Car, causing $17,000 worth of damage. Sue is left fuming when she asks Holly what punishment Mercedes she should receive and she responds, "I was going to suggest clapping erasers but you guys are mostly dry erase here". Sue insists
that she'll be pressing charges against Mercedes; Holly isn't too bothered as long as it isn't
her going to jail. When Mercedes leaves Sue turns to her and says, "You have absolutely no idea what you're doing, do you?" No, she really doesn't.

Holly visits Will for some advice. He says that he was too harsh on her before and that she has the
right to teach however she wants. "I'm a terrible teacher," she bursts out, insisting that Will not
tell her otherwise. She tells him about what happened with Mercedes and explains that every time
things get serious she "retreats". She didn't used to be like this, but after one particular
problem child, "an attractive Biggie Smalls" punched her while she was subbing for a maths class,
she decided that she has to "keep things moving" and has been that way ever since. After admitting that she lives all parts of her life like this, Will questions her if she's lonely or not. "It works for me but it doesn't work for those kids. I'm resigning," she says.

Unfortunately for the pair of them Terri chooses this moment to come in. "Hi, I'm Holly
Holliday." "Are you a porn star or a drag queen?" quips Terri. She continues to turn up the crazy
prompting Holly to leave. Will steps up and asks her to leave, admitting that last night was
a mistake and that he knew it as soon as it had happened. He also asks her not to come back, even when she says it's his last chance, he remains indignant. "I swear to God you're going to regret this," she threatens.

At school Mercedes has snuck herself some tots in. Kurt thinks she's being crazy after what
she did to Sue's Le Car. He has further harsh words for her, "I'm not breaking it off with Blaine,
I really like him. You're substituting food for love, Mercedes." He tells her that until she finds
somebody she needs to look after herself and have a bit more self-respect. With that she goes off
to find the footballer Anthony who Kurt tried to set her up with. Just then Dave comes up and
threatens to kill Kurt if he tells anyone about how he kissed him. "You kissed me," Kurt retorts.

"I'm returning you to your position," Sue tells Will. One of the qualities of a great leader, she says,
is "appointing trusted lieutenants and clearly Miss Holliday was not up to the job." Though Will
makes "the under-flaps of her breasts burn" his kids sure love him, they all came and blubbed to Sue about how they wanted him back. "The one thing I've learnt during my time as president is that you can't force public opinion." Sue has also agreed not to press charges against Mercedes as long as the club help to restore it to mint condition.

The club cheer at the return of Will to his beloved Glee. Straight away he makes them focus on the
upcoming sectionals and it's clear that some of the club miss Miss Holliday. "I know she was fun,"
Will says, "but we both agreed that this is what was best." He tells them that the only thing that
made him feel better whilst he was ill was "Singin' in the Rain" and wants to incorporate it into
a possible number for sectionals. The kids are reluctant so he goes to Holly to ask for her help in
making it more contemporary. We close as the club, alongside Will and Holly, perform a mash-up
of "Singin' in the Rain" and "Umbrella" by Rhianna.

11 o'clock number

My favourite number of the night was definitely the club's mash-up, with Will and Holly on
lead, blending an old classic with a more contemporary staple. This is closely followed by Rachel
and Holly's duet; I can't help but love it when the show do bigger, showy Broadway numbers.
Also, Rachel needs to dance more. Holly's rendition of "Forget You" was both fun and sassy and
let's be honest who would have thought that Gwyneth Paltrow could have pulled that one off?
Finally "Make 'Em Laugh" by Will and Mike certainly did make us all laugh, please let's have more of
happy Will. Mike, as ever, was on top form with his dance moves.

Quote of the week

Brittany: "Mr. Schue taught me the second half of the alphabet. I stopped after M and N. I felt they were too similar and got frustrated."

Overall

Gwyneth Paltrow certainly gave this week's episode a breath of fresh air, as she threw herself into
the song and dance routines. From all the cameos the show has seen, Holly Holliday was a good fit to the show, in comparison to some others - though how likely you would be to find a teacher like her is questionable. I didn't like Will and Terri's hook-up, the less we see of her, the better, though I've a feeling that it won't be the last time. Poor Kurt, the bullying from Dave appears to be getting worse after their surprise kiss last week - though I'm excited to see if his friendship with Blaine is going to blossom into anything more.

 

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