glee: smiles and mattresses

I don't usually write full recaps or reviews of the Glee episodes. One, because they're just too fun to watch, and I don't want to risk over-analyzing. But also, there isn't a coherent plot sequence for the most part. This doesn't bother me, but it makes critiquing plot points unnecessary.

But last night, one of the major stories came to a head. Mrs. Shuester was revealed!

Overall, the first part of the episode moved pretty slowly. No music for nearly 30 minutes? Unacceptable. However, I liked hearing Emma talk about her reasons for marrying Ken. The whole thing seems rushed, so it was good to hear her thinking behind it - as cooky as the whole idea may be. And the yearbook photo drama was a good reminder that - even though they're really coming together as a group - these poor kids are still social pariahs at school. But how great was Quinn blackmailing Sue for their page in the yearbook? And poor Rachel posing alone for the captain photo. I have to say, every time I think I'll start getting annoyed by her, I just end up loving her more.

All of this going on and leading up the mattress commercial scene, which I loved, made the Shuester fight seem a little out of place. We've been waiting for the pregnancy hoax fall out for a while now, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. A really great scene between Matthew Morrison and Jesslyn Gislig though. It's was good to see such anger come out of Will - there was no way he was crawling into his shell for this one. It's the first time we've seen Will really acknowledge how poorly Teri treats him. I'll admit, my heart did break a little for her, but she definitely had it coming. Our marriage works better when you don't feel good about yourself? Really Teri?

Kicking Mr. Shue while he's down after he slept on one of the mattresses seemed a little too nutty. Couldn't he have just paid for the mattress? Glee loves the convenient story lines, and I won't fault them for it.

As for the musical numbers, Rachel and Finn's first "Smile" performance wasn't my favorite. It seemed like they just stuck it in there for a an extra song. "Jump" was super fun, and the second "Smile" was very sweet. I'll be downloading both of those.

And our friend Sue. I was hoping Will would punch her more than ever during this episode, but the "fatties and uglies" monologue was hilarious.

Lastly, a quick shout out to Heather Morris as Brittany. They're always quick, but her lines have been making me laugh more than any others lately. Her delivery is perfect.

So, in the end. The kids are going to sectionals without Mr. Shuester. Emma and Ken are about to head down the aisle. And the fate of the Shuester marriage and Quinn's baby remain to be seen. Next week is the midseason finale, then we have to wait until April for more!

Oh, and congrats to the show earning number one in the ratings for their timeslot! Smile!