When it comes to Glee, I’m pretty sure I love the things most fans hate and hate the things most fans love. For instance, I loved “Run Joey Run.” So it should come as no surprise that while most people praise the Kurt storyline from this week’s prom episode, I found it preachy and ridiculous. First, we’ve seen no sign that the entire school would bother working together to pull such an involved prank on Kurt, and second, if they really hate gay kids, why did everyone applaud after Kurt’s acceptance speech? Is every homophobe really just one tacky joke away from embracing the gay?
Read My Recap of “Prom Queen” >>
Regardless, I’m here to look on the bright side of “Prom Queen,” so here are the five things I loved the most.
Rachel’s Songs
Not one, but two Rachel Berry songs in this episode, and one was a duet with Jesse? “Rolling in the Deep” and “Jar of Hearts” were two of my favorite songs from the entire season, mostly because we actually got to hear these gifted artists sing. So many of the other performances are drowned out with electronic backing and auto-tuning, so it was great to actually hear people sing for once.
Brittany’s Self R-E-S-P-E-C-T
After Artie sang his prom proposal, I was scared that Brittany would prove just how stupid she is by taking him back. But no, Brittany proved herself to be the strongest woman on Glee by sticking to her guns and working on herself. She also revealed a surprising insight on Santana’s awesomeness at the end. Brittany is usually dumber than a box of rocks, and I’m sure next episode she’ll go back to being a total moron who feeds her fat cat hot cheese, but for one episode, she was the smartest person in school.
Burt Hummel: World’s Greatest Dad
As far as I’m concerned, Kurt’s dad is the show’s most perfect character and absolutely everything he does is right and good. So when he tried to give his son some practical advice about not actively trying to attract negative attention to himself, it echoed my thoughts exactly. He’s supportive but reasonable — a pragmatist, not an idealist.
The History of Jesse St. James
I was a bit confused about how or why the show decided to turn Jesse into a total airhead, but I assume it’s because the Glee writers can’t resists making characters stupid for a cheap laugh like they sometimes do with Sam. However, when returning after a year-long absence, I was happy that the show remembered enough about his backstory, particularly the shout-outs to “Run Joey Run.” But as I’ve said, I genuinely liked that song the first time around, so there’s no need for Glee to apologize to me or America for it.
The Slap
If you saw the previews for “Prom Queen,” the slap may have been a disappointment because FOX built it up so much like it was the single most dramatic moment ever when, in reality, it was a bit silly. But I liked that Quinn finally got some of her rage out (though she should really be slapping Finn), and I loved that Rachel was into it, because it totally is the kind of overly dramatic gesture she gets a kick out of.
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
