By Becca, the Gourmez

This episode was a quiet one after the boisterous fun and drama of “Prom Queen.” Too quiet? I don’t think so. There were some important plot developments (Will’s going to Broadway, Terri’s moving to Miami, Finn and Quinn finally broke up) that needed to be handled softly, so putting them all into an episode where the focus was on resetting Sue’s character from a lumbering, bellowing Godzilla into a somewhat reflective woman who needs new focus in her life made sense. Of course, the bitter truths of Jesse St. James in combination with Sue’s insults before her sister’s funeral still left plenty of room for fans of Glee’s one-liners to get some entertainment. My personal favorite exchange comes after the jump.

Howard Bamboo: What’s my nickname?

Sue Sylvester: Panda Express.

Howard Bamboo: But I’m not Chinese.

Sue Sylvester: Neither is Panda Express.

I also loved when she leaned over his chair and uttered the immortal words of Jean-Luc Picard, “Make it so.”

Jesse St. James took his asshole behavior to a new level while consulting for New Directions, but I love how blatant he is in trying to win Rachel back and not even pretending not to play favorites. His audacity is nearly as appealing to me as Blaine’s obliviousness—the lead Warbler knew his selection of Kurt for a duet would be instantly confirmed by the Warbler Council, after all. It never occurred to him, I’m fairly certain, that they wouldn’t agree with his suggestion of Kurt once they’d accepted the idea of not leaning solely on Blaine for Regionals. What Jesse’s doing with his consulting is not so different and just as much fun to watch, even if I’m not quite as ready to jump the man who loves scarves as I am the one who loves blazers. Besides, watching Jesse confound Mr. Schue with cat drawings and reality show judging techniques was hilarious.

Simon and Paula "getting along."

His well-aimed barbs were laced with the poison of truth (and yes, I used that awful analogy because Brittany thought poisoned darts were the best option for winning in NYC). I’ve often wondered why Finn is the go-to male for duets as Artie, Puck, and Sam have equally appealing voices to my ears, and I give Puck a slight edge in dance moves. Sure, Jesse pointing that out knocked the wind out of Finn’s sails, but the dude needs to fight for his place in the sun just as much as any other New Directions member does. And frankly, I agreed with all his criticisms of the audition numbers, though I’d give Rachel the best song only by a hair over Kurt and Mercedes. I couldn’t care less that he sang a woman’s song, but I thought Kurt was having too much fun performing to actually connect with “Some People,” and Mercedes spent too much time belting and not enough building up intensity. Santana sounded darn good, but she floated through “Back to Black” and didn’t connect with her audience for a second, though I think she’s going to break the piano player’s heart one of these days!

I thought Rachel did too close of a Barbara tribute at the beginning of “My Man,” but she made it awesome and purely Rachel once the music kicked in. That little camera pan around Finn was hilarious. So was Santana pulling Kurt down as he gave Rachel an ovation. Speaking of Kurt, I know I gushed over his fashion a few episodes back, but after these last two episodes, I think he needs a baggy pants and shirts intervention.

The poofy pant and shirt combination.

Were there supposed to be shoulder pads in this camouflaged dress shirt?

Skull pants AND a backless vest? How far the mighty have fallen.

Kurt, what happened to you? Let’s kick it up a notch for Nationals, mmkay? Porcelain, together with Frankenteen, also provided Sue the opportunity for best new nickname of the week: Eddie and Herman Munster!

It totally fits. And aren’t those two great now that they are stepbrothers who’ve gotten used to each other rather than fighting over Kurt’s ill-advised advances and Finn’s closeted homophobia? I’m so glad they’ve firmly taken up the mantle of family instead, which indicates major growth for both characters, in my opinion. Kurt even did his signature head nod of scorn in Finn’s direction when Jesse vetoed helping with Jean’s funeral. It was cute.

Of course, the performance of the episode goes to “Pure Imagination.”

It was sung simply and beautifully, letting the lyrics and emotion of the song work all on their own. I loved it. I can’t say I was broken up by Jean’s death, but I appreciate that Sue has been forced to stop and reconsider how she’s been living life in the face of it. Sue Sylvester is a great character, but her quest to destroy the Glee Club was as tired as Will writing words on his white board—say that three times fast!

To end, let’s talk about those quiet plot points, shall we? Turns out Will wasn’t so sure about choosing the Glee Club over Broadway as we thought! I think this is a great twist, and Emma’s right; he’s in complete denial that he very well may not be going back to Ohio. I can only imagine the reactions he’ll get when he tells the kids his summer plans that may extend into the school year depending on how well CrossRhodes is received. I hope they’ll wish him luck, but speaking as a former teenager who attached quite strongly to some adult figures, it may hurt like crazy to have Mr. Shue go. Terri’s departure is one I won’t feel keenly; the actress has been fantastic, but I don’t know what else could be done with the character. Terri can spring up midseason next year to wreak some havoc, but for now, I think she does need to go. If Mr. Shue has more women troubles, they should go by the names of Emma Pillsbury and Holly Holliday.

Enjoy the sunshine, Honey Badger!

Lastly, Finn finally realized that reuniting with Quinn was a big mistake, thank the Great American Songbook! I’m worried for Quinn, though—I didn’t expect her to still be clinging to popularity hopes for next years’ prom and jealousy of Rachel. I thought she’d turned a new leaf by dancing with herself and having a good time last episode. “Funeral” makes me fear she is primed for a nervous breakdown. What does she have planned for New York?

See you next week for the finale gab!

The Gourmez

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Pictures courtesy of TV-Caps.