About Last Night: Glee Goes "Bad"

Tuesday, May 4, 2010
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Glee, "Bad Reputation"

I used up most of my sentence-forming ability on this and this earlier tonight, so I'm going to recap last night's Glee, "Bad Reputation," via a short list of hits and misses. (Spoiler alert, obviously.)

Hit: Rachel's "Run, Joey, Run" music video
I'm sure some of you will question my judgment after reading this next part, but I think Rachel's story-song music video actually topped Sue Sylvester's pitch-perfect "Vogue" redo. It was just so hilariously cheesy and over-the-top—much like Rachel herself. Finn, Puck, and le Groff were genius as well, and I died a little when Sandy made a cameo as Rachel's gun-wielding father. Plus, the video set the stage for one of the episode's most important emotional moments—a confrontation between exes Rachel and Finn. (Not to mention that squeal-inducing Puckleberry scene. Swoon.)

Hit: Artie and Co.'s impromptu library performance of "U Can't Touch This"

I happen to have a soft spot for this song—in part because it reminds me of my little brother (right)—but that's not why I'm counting it as a hit. Artie and Co.'s ridiculous choreography, coupled with those billowing Hammer pants, was seriously cramazing. It also featured some of the glee club's most underused stars, so...win.

Hit: Brittany being Brittany
I keep meaning to make a list of the five best Brittany-isms, but it's impossible. There's a new "best" every week. Last night's was: "I had a cold, and I took all my antibiotics at the same time, and now...I can't remember how to leave."

Miss: Rachel's rendition of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
This one kills me, readers. I really, really wanted to love it. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is one of my all-time favorite "bad" songs (right up there with "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"), and Lea Michele nailed the vocals. I liked the back and forth between Finn and le Groff, too. But something about the staging of this number just didn't work for me. I think maybe I've just been ruined forever by the literal video version (below). It's basically the best thing ever created. (Teaser: There are ninjas. And football players. And Fonzie clones. And references to Harry Potter and Lord of the Flies.)


Miss: Sue getting "Physical" for Olivia Newton-John
Jane Lynch is one of Glee's best assets. But I think the show sometimes relies too heavily on her for comic relief and runs the risk of nullifying her appeal altogether. It also occasionally overdoes the big-name guest-star thing. Newton-John's appearance on last night's episode felt at once random and contrived, which is no slight against the actress—I thought she was perfectly entertaining. I just didn't really get why she was there. Sue Sylvester doesn't need gimmicks—she is a gimmick. And I mean that in the best way possible.

Draw: Mr. Schue channeling Vanilla Ice on "Ice Ice Baby"
Look, I love Matthew Morrison and fully support him getting more opportunities to showcase his vast vocal stylings, but, honestly, I'm kind of over his repeated detours into hip-hop. "Ice Ice Baby" would have been a miss, but it was saved by the glee-club kids' dancing (way to go, Other Asian!) and by Artie's "Word to your mother" at the end. Let's put a rap (ha!) on Mr. Schue's rapping and give someone else (my brother, for instance) a shot at the crown.