Will's "Don't Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl" is better. His gestures at the start of the song are patronizing, but after that, it's easy to see why both Rachel and Emma (Jayma Mays) swoon. Even when trying to communicate a message to turn off the girl, Will is working his sexy magic. He's so convincing, that both women even forget to be jealous of each other's attentions towards him, and concentrate only on the way they feel about Will. Perhaps he should have said things with something other than a song.
Which brings up the other major problem with this episode, besides bending plot to fit selected music. It is perfectly understandable that sometimes characters in Glee will choose to express themselves through music, rather than talk it out. It is less understandable when those characters keep making a point of saying that only a song can communicate what they want to say.
It's simply not true, and by doing it so blatantly, and talking about how they are doing it, so much in a single episode, it comes awfully close to ruining the device. "(You're) Having My Baby" is honestly the final straw, as Finn could say something far more elegant than performing that particular ballad in front of Quinn's parents. Too much.
The other unrequited romance story is quite a bit better, and fits the characters. Kurt plainly has a thing for Finn throughout season one, though Finn will never see Kurt as a sexual interest. Poor Kurt has to understand that Finn can never be with a guy the same way Kurt has no desire to be with a girl. But as a naive, lonely teenager, Kurt is taken in by Finn's talent and looks, rather than thinking logically through the situation. It's a bit sad, as both guys deserve to be happy, and if Finn was gay, Kurt could likely make him so.
But at the same time, just being friends is also beneficial for the pair, so it works out. In "Ballad," the real beginnings of that friendship are apparent, as they bond over having a deceased parent. Though different people, their family situations of one adult gone by circumstance, not choice, and the other doing their absolute best to love and take care of the child, are very similar. It's something they can both relate to, and it really makes their bond seem real and strong. Obviously, to those who have watched Glee past this point, the seeds are planted here for their long-term relationship.
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