Will’s out, Holly Holiday is in — temporarily. And Principal Figgins is out, Sue is in — temporarily. Mercedes slowly slips from Kurt’s attention, and Blaine becomes his focus. Emma is oddly still nowhere to be seen in this episode, but Will’s ex-wife Terri makes an unexpected guest appearance. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of her; the character is just extremely bothersome.
The episode began with Sue declaring herself “Principal Sue” because she’s subbing for Figgins while he’s sick. I hate the ongoing “look, see how mean Sue is” bit. Writers, it’s getting a tad old.
Terri honestly needs to leave the show for good. I can’t stand her, or the idiotic baby voice she spoke in while trying to take care of Will. I hate her for taking advantage of him; she’s manipulative for seducing him and I hope she never comes back, as per Will’s request.
Rachel once again felt the need to mope when someone threatened her power in the Glee club. The second Will walked out the door Rachel tried to take over New Directions club with a pompous, domineering attitude. What a surprise, right? Never could have seen that one coming.
As soon as Holly, Will’s actual substitute, walked in with a bright attitude and strong pipes, Rachel felt the need to exclude herself from the fun. She behaved a little better by her “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag” duet with Holly, but Rachel still has some work to do to get on my good side.
In a different dynamic, the Kurt/Karofsky plotline is a little strange. Between the incessant bullying and underhanded flirting, it just hurts to watch. Kurt and Blaine, on the other hand, are good together.
After several Breadsticks outings with Blaine, Kurt brought Mercedes along so she could feel included. This begs the question of why exactly the relationship needs three people. Their dinner conversations are entertaining to watch, but if I were Mercedes I’d probably just get up and leave the table.
At least Mercedes is trying to find someone so she can lose her third-wheeling training wheels and actually have her own relationship. After Kurt tried to set her up on a date with Anthony the wide receiver, Mercedes rejected the idea but eventually decides to try things out with him. More power to her.
And finally, Holly. Gwenyth Paltrow’s guest appearance was no disappointment. Surprisingly enough, Paltrow has a great voice in addition to stellar acting talent. Her rendition of “Forget You” by Cee-Lo Green was so catchy that I still find myself listening to it on repeat throughout the day.
Nonetheless, my favorite number of the episode was the “Umbrella/Singin’ in the Rain” mash-up. Instead of just dancing, this performance actually incorporated props and scenery, which helped the number go above and beyond the novelty of — get this — having two songs mixed together.
Overall, though, I was quite satisfied with the episode. The choreography and the diverse singing voices, by which I mean not just Rachel, made the episode very enjoyable.
