Just about the only series to air a brand new episode on Thanksgiving, Glee avoided the holiday completely in the uneven "Dynamic Duets." Instead, the "Thanksgiving" episode is scheduled for next week. Did presidential politics screw up the schedule? And, if so, why not just air two episodes on Thanksgiving, getting things back on track, and filling the holiday void, especially since there were no other new episodes of anything else airing to compete with? Weird move, guys.
Sectionals is only a week away, so new interim director Finn (Cory Monteith) tries to figure out a theme for the New Directions. His Foreigner idea sucks. Bieste (Dot-Marie Jones) advises Finn to pay attention to the new superhero club that many of the students, and she, have gotten involved in. Finn does, asking the singers for "Dynamic Duets," and he finds acceptance as their leader.
Finn's plot is really well done this week. He is coming into his own, and Glee finally addresses the recent grads-acting-like-seasoned-adults problem. He also gets a really touching moment with Bieste, which, when combined with his sweater vest combo at the beginning of the episode, makes it feel a lot like Will (Matthew Morrison) has never gone. And yet, by the end of the episode, Finn realizes that he needs to be himself, in a subtle plot point. When he does, he begins to soar.
I guess that means that getting Finn to be the director that the New Directions is what it needed to prepare the group for Sectionals. They are days away, and they still haven't chosen their music. Yes, cohesiveness of the ensemble and having a defined dynamic are very important, but so are the songs themselves. In reality, groups spend months rehearsing the same pieces, not choosing their numbers at the last minute. This has been an ongoing issue with the series that continues to bug me here, even in the midst of a pretty good plot.
What gives me great hope for Sectionals is the final song of "Dynamic Duets," "Some Nights." It's an energetic, inspiring number that makes use of most of the members of the group. Rather than having a stand out star, like Rachel (Lea Michele) is for the first three seasons, the new New Directions rely on everyone to pull their weight. If "Some Nights" is any indication, they have really come together as a group, and have a great shot at the competition.
Except, where is Unique (Alex Newell) this week? I understand that recurring characters won't appear in every episode. And s/he didn't need to do the costume thing because his would have been a female, and that story would have felt like a retread of last week. But in an installment about embracing one's self, and the integration of everyone as one, having one of the most stand out members of the glee club MIA is an extremely glaring omission. Bad move, Glee.
.jpg?t=20130517094513)
Article comments
1 - daveprez
This superhero club is actually shown in a previous episode. When they are running for class president it shows all the clubs blaine joined and gave a little nudge to "Dr. Horrrible"
2 - Nishant
Your reviews never seem to take into consideration any willing suspension of disbelief!
3 - Jerome Wetzel
daveprez - Oh, you are right! I wonder at the ease with which the members gave up control of their club when invaded with the New Directions. It would have been amusing to see a scene where this happens. I still don't think we'll ever see them again.
Nishant - I suspend disbelief every time I see the kids break into song in the hallway. :) I just think there should be a line. Glee asks us to suspend disbelief more than other shows, and in unnecessary ways. Still love the series, but it could definitely improve on that front.
4 - cnote
I totally agree that having Unique omitted from the entire episode was a bad move!