Glee-cap - Nationals (don't stop believing??)

SPOILER ALERT!! If you haven't seen tonight's Glee, read no further. I will dish and I will divulge. Go watch it and then come back and read, okay?



So, yes. I was looking forward to this episode for two reasons: 1 - Patti LuPone's cameo and 2 - those great big, colorful shots of the gang frolicking at Lincoln Center (although, can I say, when I tried to dance on the fountain at Lincoln Center, I got YELLED AT by a security guard). The episode, much like the rest of the season, seemed to be a little bit all over the map. It seemed like they were trying to cram everything into that one tiny little hour - Will's big Broadway decision. Finn and Rachel's big relationship decision. Nationals. New York City. The rivalry with Vocal Adrenaline. Maybe they should have had a two hour, or two part finale? Or maybe that's the trouble with such a big ensemble with lots of co-existing storylines?

We've got the gang in NYC for Nationals, but there's a little bit of a problem. You know those amazing original songs they're gonna sing? Yeah. Those haven't been written yet. Major essay crisis. The kids are sequestered in their hotel room, tasked with writing these huge show-stoppers (complete with arrangements and choreography) WITHOUT any assistance from Mr. Schu, who has gone off to perform with April Rhoades in a grrrreeat biiiig brrroooaaadwayyyy shoooowwww! And suddenly the show is a Matthew Morrison music video. Not that I'm complaining.


Cut to - New Directions says FTS to hanging out in the hotel room (Brittany's original song "My Cup" wasn't going to cut it, awesome as it was) and goes out to find inspiration on the streets of New York City. Montages ensue. Later, back in the hotel rooms, the boys try to get to work. Finn pines for Rachel. In their room, the girls have a pillow fight.


Finn asks Rachel out on a big, splashy New York City date. They meet The Patti at Sardis. Patti goes all Yoda on Rachel, telling her to never give up on her dreams. And then she leaves. What the what??? Why would you invite this Broadway legend to be on your big huge New York show and NOT HAVE HER SING????? This is my question. I will take whatever she wants to give me, but honestly, Glee. A little bit of a fail there, I think. And no so-called "diva off" either. Patti wins, Lea. Every time.


Anyway, blah blah blah. The romantic NYC date doesn't go exactly as planned. No songs are written. Tick tock tick tock. Kurt wakes Rachel the next day for Breakfast at Tiffany's. Then they break into the Gershwin Theater and sing a duet on the Wicked stage. A sidebar here - when I was on a choir tour back in high school, our chaperone PUT TAPE ON OUR HOTEL ROOM DOORS so that we wouldn't go sneaking around. So, we were in Minnesota, not like there was a lot of happening nightlife we could have gotten to, but still. We were under lock, key, and masking tape (no lie). Mr. Schu's kids are running around, breaking into theaters, and he is none the wiser. But wait!! He decides he loves them and doesn't want to go to Broadway after all. Yeah, I'd choose being a teacher in Ohio over being an actor in New York too (NOT).

There is a brief moment where Quinn is all wonk, wonk, wonk, I just want somebody to LOVE me, sniff, sniff!!! Well, hello, honey, you had Finn once before, but you cheated on him, remember this? Lied to him about being the baby daddy etc. Then you had Sam, who was willing to do that pottery thing with you, and was frontman of the Justin Bieber Experience (duh. Why didn't you guys do THAT for Nationals? Nobody would have beaten the Bieb!) but you ditched him for Finn. Brittany and Santana try and comfort her a little bit (no, not that way!) and then tell her that she will feel SO MUCH BETTER if she gets a haircut. Wait, huh? Then later we see her with new hair. It's cute. But will it make someone love her? I think they missed a moment there, to kind of get to the heart of Quinn's character and make the audience feel like she's not a total manipulative beeyotch. There could have been a cute, girls' day out montage in NYC. Shopping! Hair cutting! Bonding! Making us like Quinn! Still, not enough time, and we've still got songs to write!!!

Eventually, after a big old group hug, they get down to business and crank out those songs. And not a moment too soon, because here we are at Nationals!! The competition seems almost like an afterthought. We see some random girls' choir (insignificant, and a big time waster since we know nothing about them, why do they get airtime??), and then Vocal Adrenaline does their thing. Then it's New Directions' turn. They sing a great original song (written by Finn. Who knew he had it in him, indeed?) but Finn gets overwhelmed by the moment and plants a big old smooch on Rachel. After she has just told him that she loves him, but she loves her future dreams more. Whoops.

It turns out that kiss not only cost them the National championship, our team SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER doesn't even make the top 10. Well, damn. Does this mean we have to do this whole thing again next season?

Kurt retells the whole story to Blaine (what the hell happened to the Warblers, anyway? Didn't they tie at Regionals/Sectionals?) at the coffee shop where they run into (aawww!) Mercedes and Sam. Blaine's on his way to an audition at Six Flags (there's a Six Flags in Ohio?) and Kurt's busy working on a new musical "Pip, Pip Hooray" about Pippa Middleton. That line, a little throwaway, was possibly the best moment of the whole episode (don't tell Patti).

All in all, everyone seems pretty okay with coming in 12th. Because, as Brittany tells us at the end, the competition wasn't even really the point. And what was the point? Acceptance, which is a pretty fair evaluation of the season. Acceptance for Kurt, for Brittana, for Puck and Lauren. Acceptance of Sam's family circumstances. And that no matter what, the New Directions is one big, kind of dysfunctional family. They may steal each other's boyfriends/girlfriends and threaten to quit every week but they love and accept each other.

Until next season.