Glee-cap: Not So Silly Love Songs

By Zara

Ladies and gentlemen, GLEE IS BACK!

We’ve suffered through so many episodes that are centered around infamous guest stars, commercial themes, or certain artists that we’ve lost touch with our favorite characters a little bit. But this week, that changed.

Sure, there was a theme – Valentine’ Day – but it actually worked to bring certain forgotten storylines to the forefront once again.   It was packed with emotional twists, ideas about the human condition, authentic portrayals of high school life, and of course, killer musical numbers.  In honor of the V-day tribute, I’ll break this recap down by couples…but since this is Glee, and nothing is ever simple, some of the couples implicate more than two people.

So here goes:

Artie and Brittany: So cute.  I think the reason I like these two so much is because they don’t try get all One Tree Hill, let’s-say-I- love-you-on-the-first-date-ish.  They’re age appropriate.  Nothing major happened with them, but I’m a fan.

Blaine, Kurt, and Jeremiah: Blaine has a secret crush up his sleeve…I spent the majority of the episode hoping that it wouldn’t be Kurt (because that would just be way too obvious) and it wasn’t. Blaine is in love with a junior manager at The Gap, so he has the entirely too uptight Warblers get crazy and serenade him at work.  The guy rejects him, so Kurt jumps in and confesses his feelings for Blaine.  Blaine tells Kurt that he’s “not good at romance,” letting him down without really letting him down.  It’s typical guy behavior, and if you ask me, Blaine is just trying to string Kurt along. I mean, we all learned in ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ that when you really like someone, you get over your issues and try to make it work. Maybe someone should get Kurt a copy? Anyways, I’m happy that this whole thing played out the way it did because Glee is doing a great job of showing that homosexual pairings function just like guy-girl couples do.  I mean, how many of us have been on the receiving end of that kind of roundabout brush-off?

Mike and Tina:  Just kind of…weird.  And was Tina trying to insult Mike during her awkwardly tearful rendition of “My Funny Valentine?”  RUDE.

Puck, Santana, and Lauren:  If there’s any supporting evidence for the idea that guys will pursue the girl who seems to be the most unattainable, this is it.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Puck has a legit connection with Santana – there’s a reason that he’s been going back to her throughout the entire series.  But the thing is, he’ll never commit to her because, well, she’s kind of obsessed with him.  Puck has a history of actively pursuing girls (Quinn, Rachel, Mercedes) with his smooth voice and sick guitar skills, and this week, he added the ever-reticent Lauren Zizes to the mix.  I’ve gotta say, homegirl is AWESOME.  Out of all the ladies, she’s the smartest. She doesn’t fall for anything Puckerman throws her way; she respects herself and makes him work for it.  In Puck’s words, she’s a badass. And I just loved when she told Puck: “I look like America.”  PREACH.

Finn, Quinn, Rachel, and Sam:  Okay, first of all?  QUINN SUCKS.  She cheated on Finn, which was one thing – people make mistakes, and Quinn just had really, really terrible luck with hers.  But more than what she does, it’s the way she does it that bothers me.  Like when she looked at Finn (after already kissing him twice) and said, “you realize this makes me a cheater” – UM, IT’S NOT LIKE YOU’VE NEVER DONE IT BEFORE!   This is another example of how people always want what they can’t have. Finn could kiss virtually any girl at McKinley, but he wants Quinn because she’s putting up a fight (but really she’s just a manipulative you-know-what sometimes.)

So, Finn and Quinn kiss a lot, he gives her mono (which he contracted from a revenge-seeking Santana), and Sam and Rachel catch on to what’s happening.  Quinn refuses to break up with Sam, but keeps Finn around as her side piece.  Finn is actually kind of sweet to Rachel, gives her a star necklace, and tells her she might be better off on her own for a little while.  And Rachel’s reaction is great…and real. She’s heartbroken, but some part of her believes what he’s saying.   Anyway, Rachel and Finn are obviously the Rachel and Ross of our generation  so I don’t think this is an end – sure, Quinn makes him ”see fireworks,” but is that really the foundation for a healthy and stable relationship?  I think not.

Mercedes and Whitney Houston:  Mercedes really brought a healthy dose of feminism this week.  After calling Kurt and Rachel out on being too boy-crazy, she pointed out that some of the most talented and accomplished women did their best work without men by their sides.   Personally, I think this was a jab at other teen-centric TV shows, which put entirely too much emphasis on relationship drama.

I don’t think this episode could have possibly aired at a better time.  A lot of people tend to sink into depression around Valentine’s Day, and  “Silly Love Songs” may be  exactly the thing to take away some of that pain.  Just like Rachel who admits that Quinn is prettier than her, we’ve all had that moment when we’ve felt inferior to a girl who gets the guy we want. But the truth is, you could be as fiery as Santana, as sharp as Kurt, as talented as Rachel, or as supportive as Mercedes and still have things fall right through your fingers, and watching this play out onscreen will help lonely hearts everywhere realize this.  So be like Rachel and sing “the world’s greatest love song” to yourself once in a while – you deserve it.

Best lines:
Santana: “I’ve had mono so many times, it turned into stereo.”

Blaine: “I’ve never made such a big fool of myself – and that’s saying something because I used to perform at theme parks.”

Best performance:
I’m going to have to go with “Fat Bottom Girls.”  So good, so fun, so Puck.