Gleewind : S01E14

Just The Facts: After a several month hiatus the season picks back up on the 13th of April with an episode entitled Hell-O. It's a reintroduction to the core cast, while also giving us better intros to the secondary cast, and giving us a few new characters to be fascinated with. Fresh from their 1st place finish at Sectionals, New Directions is ready and rearing to go, and so am I. Nine episodes from the close of Season One, and Fourteen episodes left to Gleewind, A lot of shit happens and childrens have a lot of shit to do before they go to their regional competition, which will mark the end of the season.

Fresh from their first place finish at sectionals, the glee kids are feeling good and looking good too. They're on top of the world! Nothing can bring them down. Except a slushie in the face. Yes, the new episode starts with our old favorite, slushies for Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt. Will and Figgins have a discussion about the ongoing status of New Directions. Figgins argues that the Cheerios need the use of the auditorium as well as New Directions, to which Will rebuts that they don't even have a coach anymore. Which is when we dscover that Sue has weaseled her way back into her position as Head Coach of the Cheerios and Head Pain in Will's Ass. Will is warned that if the glee club doesn't place at regionals, the club is dead. Will is suspicious of Sue's reinstatement.

It is basketball season in Ohio now, as Football season ended with Sectionals. Ironically, this isn't the case in the future, when we return from the glee holiday break, it will still be football season, but I won't talk about the continuity, which sucks major balls of ass. Finn is looking for a fresh start, and he's feeling depressed. it seems that Rachel is embracing this relationship with Finn. Oh yeah, apparently, Finn and Rachel are dating. I'm not sure how it happened, and frankly, neither is Finn. I've definitely been in this situation before.  Ken is not doing so well after the break up with Emma. Will is mostly confused and retarded. I'm hating him more and more lately.

After cutting off some poor kids ponytail, Sue explains to Will that she drugged and blackmailed Figgins into reinstatement. Essentially. She drugged him, stripped him, and took photos of them together in bed to use as future blackmail fodder. It's rpetty twisted, and we see the scene no less that fifteen times over the next nine or so episodes. She swears to destroy Will. Will is not concerned. Will explains to the glee club that they need to find a new way to market themselves. He assigns them some homework, to find a song to perform that has Hello in the song title. In Emma's office, she and Will discuss the future of their relationship, and realistically, it delves pretty deep into Emma's creepy OCD. Will suggests they go on a date, and Emma agrees to meet him at his place where he'll cook dinner.

Sue confronts Brit and Santana about their lack of action with regard to stopping glee club. Acknowledging that Rachel is the glue that holds glee club together, she suggests attacking Rachel by getting to Finn. She orders the girls to steal Finn away from Rachel in order to shame Rachel into leaving New Directions. Speaking of Finn, he and Will ahve one of their father-son moments in the auditorium. Finn sings Hello, I Love You, by The Doors. It's not a great rendition, but i actually like the song, so I'm willing to give it a listen when it comes up. It is illustrated by a montage of school scenes. After his song, Santana and Brittany invite him to dinner with them, on a date. Which is weird. He accepts. He then breaks up with Rachel which leads to a terrifying diatribe from her, "You're a scare little boy. You're afraid of dating me because you're afraid it will hurt your reputation though you'd never admit it is very important to you. You hate what Quinn did to you, not just because it hurt but because it was so humiliating. I just see you for who you are, unlike you who can only see me as this silly girl who made a fool of herself in our first glee club rehearsal. And that's where you lose Finn. because if you take a sec to look at me you'd realize that I'm the only person in your life who knows you and accepts you for who you are, no matter what."

That afternoon at glee club rehearsal, Rachel sings Gives You Hell. It is fucking hilarious. I love the looks she gives Finn through the entire piece. Despite the fact that the title doesn't have Hello, Will lets her finish the song. The rest of the Glee Club, sans Finn, joins in with the chorus. I actually love the performance and the song itself makes me giddy when I hear it. Mike Chang finally steps up to the plate and does some fly ass dance moves. Matt Rutherford kind of fails at standing out though, which is disappointing. I feel like he could have been a great character after some time. For the sake of trivia, Mike performs his first solo line ever in this episode. On a more serious note, Will reveals that Vocal Adrenaline won their sectional competition, which prompts Rachel to go to the local library to look up Hello songs.

She meets the HUNKAHUNKA STEAMING MAN Jesse St. James. Played by the fabulously gay singing sensation, Jonathan Groff! Jesse St. James is the lead male vocalist for Vocal Adrenaline. The actor also starred opposite Le Michelle on broadway, but that is not important. What is important is that at 18 or so minuts, we get to hear the two of them sing Lionel Richie's Hello. he regularly puts on impromptu concerts for the homeless and public library attendees. "It's so important to give back." The performance is heavenly. I don't care what anybody ever says, Jonathan Groff is a vocal music God. This is some of the best lip syncing in the entire show, and frankly I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't synced at all. They share a moment and Jesse asks Rachel out for a date.

"There was a mouse in mine."

At Breadsticks, Santana, Brit and Finn have their date. Finn is bored, and kind of insulted at this whole situation. He can't help but think of Rachel. This is the origin of Brit's best line ever, "Dolphins are just gay sharks." Eventually the girls banish Finn to the car after he defends Rachel from their accusations that she looked like Pippi Longstocking only Israeli. This cuts to a HORRIBLE scene at Will's place with Emma. They slow dance and he gives some sort of speech about them starting a new relationship free from the previous stigma of their friendship and professional relationship. They make out for a while. She freaks out because she's a virgin and is afraid of being touched. He agrees to take things a lot slower. Finn apologizes for blowing off Rachel, and she blows him off for the sake of Jesse. Naturally, after spending so much time with Rachel, Finn does what she would do. he tattles on her to Will.

Vocal Adrenaline rehearsal is going according to their usual plan. They're performing Highway To Hell when Will shows up to speak to their director. Their director, played by Idina Menzel, a musical theatre Goddess, berates them for not giving good enough showface. "You want to look so talented it's literally hurting you." She wants, "a look that's so optimistic it could cure cancer." Will and Shelby have a conversation about Jesse and Rachel's relationship. Shelby assures Will that the heart wants what the heart wants and that there's no funny business. Except for the part where she's manipulating shit. They make out in Will's apartment, because he's a skanky manslut. It's weird how very little Idina Menzel looks like Lea Michelle. Keep that in mind.

Artie, Kurt, Mercedes and Tina attack Rachel for dating Jesse. They tell her to break up with him until Regionals are over. Rachel agrees to break up with Jesse after they give her the ultimatum of glee club of Jesse. Sue calls Rachel into a spare classroom where she meets a group of unfortunate students, including Lauren Zizes. After hearing about some of the horror stories, Rachel decides to go for it with Jesse, keeping the relationship a 'secret' i put that in gigantic air quotes because it's not much of a secret at all. After a brief scene where Terri and Emma fight in Will's apartment we find Rachel and Jesse at the Carmel High stage. They discuss the future of their relationship. He puts her mind at ease, and says that he's not trying to play her. Shelby watches from the wings with an eerie Wicked Witch of the West look in her eye, ironic, right? If you didn't get it, you're not allowed to read my blogs anymore. Go kill yourself.

Forty-five minutes in, we get the closing song. New Directions sing Hello, Goodbye. Their costumes are amazing for this number. I always prefer their simple costumes over the elaborate ones. This goes back to show choir in high school, when I preferred the black and white costumes over the outrageously flouncy ones. And, that's what you missed on Glee.