Those involved in the educational system have plenty of reason to be offended by "The Spanish Teacher," but those of Latin descent may have even more beef. Will and the guys massacre "La Cucaracha" in a silly performance. Later, Will's "A Little Less Conversation," an Elvis number by the way, is not any better. Both have mediocre vocals and unacceptable costumes. Adding bulls into the dance in the latter song is terrible.
But "The Spanish Teacher" does have a handful of redeeming qualities. For one, Santana (Naya Rivera) is as angry at the racism and the injustice as any viewer, and she shows it. She puts Will in his place, and tells him just how wrong what he's doing is. In this, she serves as the voice of the audience. Thank goodness Glee chooses to include this position.
Also, most of the Latin music is actually quite good, owing mainly to the fact that Rivera and Martin perform it. Their "La Isla Bonita" is exciting, and Martin's "Sexy and I Know It" lives up to its title. By showing an alternative to the bad performances, Glee somewhat salvages the plot, even though it can't save the character of Will this week.
Martin does pretty well in his acting gig. There really is nothing to complain about in his character of David, nor the way he plays the role. While it is regrettable that David did not sing any Ricky Martin songs in "The Spanish Teacher," perhaps this can be corrected in a future appearance. And if David starts dating Holly Holiday (Gwyneth Paltrow), it could be a perfect match up!
Other plots in "The Spanish Teacher" come out better than the A story. Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) go to Emma for advice, and after giving them some very funny pamphlets, Emma advises them not to talk to each other for a week. They sort of break this rule when Mercedes sings "Don't Wanna Lose You," and Sam comes back with "Bamboleo / Hero." If there is anything Glee delivers as a recurring message, it's that music can speak louder than words. But the pair does not have any actual conversation for seven days.
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Article comments
1 - pbandjamr
What is going on with Tina she wasn't in half of the Michael episode and she was in the Spanish teacher ep. Tina is a main character but oddly shes really like a minor character.
Also I don't like how pucks Mohawk is being grown and the there like combing it over either keep it short and up like in season 1-2 or just have it long and spike it up
2 - Jerome Wetzel
You're right about Tina, but she's always kind of been like that. And I don't mind it, because I don't really care for her.
3 - Franklin
I agree with all your points, however, I actually wanted more Spanish music and/or by Spanish artists. I did think La Isla Bonita and Sexy And I Know It were good performances but I would have perfered songs by Spanish singers, anyone from Celia Cruz, Selena, Marc Anthony, hell, even Jennifer Lopez or Christina Aguelira. I appreciate that The Spanish Teacher had Gloria Estefan and Enrique Igelsas and Gipsy Kings mash up in the episode, but this episode lacked one main thing: Spanish.
4 - Franklin
Preferred**** dumb auto correct.