(Spoilers lurk below.)
After the wackiness of last week, it was good to get a little more down to earth, or at least what passes for “down to earth” on Glee. This was a decent episode, but its good setup was undermined by some subpar resolutions. At least Tina finally kinda got a story all her own, even if it did revolve around her feelings for a gay guy (and Rachel thought that she had a failed relationship with Blaine). It’s going to be a Quinn-level event when Tina finally comes crashing down.
Last week, someone on a message board I frequent said that “Naked” reminded them of season one. And, in terms of tone, it did. I even had the same “this is bad, but I’m enjoying it” reaction that I had for much of that season. But musically and thematically, “Diva” is actually even more reminiscent of season one. It helps the connection that it’s an episode that is, for Glee, unusually rooted in continuity. Kurt and Rachel are at each others throats again, and their competitive duet of “Bring Him Home” brings to mind “Defying Gravity,” which was mentioned. Kurt even cops to throwing it. Blaine mentions his brief fling with Rachel. Santana is moping over a lost significant other, and her duet with Sam of “Make No Mistake (She’s Mine)” brings to mind Mercedes and Santana’s “The Boy is Mine,” which in season one was about Puck. Finn is moping over his breakup with Rachel, which happened about every other episode the first two seasons. And, course, we get to witness a bitter competition among the club members (sorta).
Anyway, Finn is still leading the glee club and, since this is an episode that is not “Swan Song,” he seems to be doing a pretty bad job at it. Through Emma, he steals one of Will’s old ideas and tries to get the kids fired up for regionals by having them compete in a “diva-off.” There seems to be a lot of interest in it, with Blaine, Wade, Brittany, Marley, and Tina all expressing interest in proving that they can be a diva. Unfortunately for Wade, Brittany, and Marley, there apparently wasn’t time in this episode for their competition numbers, and this ends up being all about Tina and Blaine (Heather Morris, while a talented enough singer, doesn’t have a powerful enough voice to seriously compete anyway). They help each other out, as Tina tries to help Blaine clear his head cold (apparently Chinese chicken noodle soup is magic) and Blaine tries to help Tina gain some confidence and pick a song to compete with.
There are some good things about this plotline. Blaine is finally moving away from the “depressed whiny bitch who misses Kurt” persona that has ruled him for most of this season, and Tina is finally showing up at the forefront of a story (and she really is the subject here more than Blaine is). However, it’s disappointing that Tina’s story should once again revolve around a man, as it did in “Asian F,” her previous nearest miss with main character status. However, I can buy it because Jenna Ushkowitz really sells it. She’s completely lovesick over Blaine, and it’s driving her nuts because she knows it’s futile. At the same time she pursues it because she can’t stop herself. When Tina starts crying and kinda latches onto Blaine while he’s asleep, it’s kind of a creepy scene, but it also speaks volumes about what Tina is feeling, and Ushkowitz plays it masterfully.
So I’m comfortable with Tina’s role for the most part, but what’s really disappointing is Blaine. He can’t be so naïve as to not realize that Tina is in love with him. I mean, he literally can’t, because she pretty much told him as much in “Sadie Hawkins.” So Blaine ends up looking like a huge jerk for leading her on and taking advantage of her feelings for him. Both Blaine and Tina seem to have missed the point of this when Blaine apologizes for not being grateful for all Tina’s help (which Tina seems to accept) and then asks her to be his date to Will’s wedding. As far as I can tell, Blaine showed plenty of appreciation for what Tina did for him. Tina had good reason to be mad, but that wasn’t it: she should be mad because Blaine is playing with her feelings. And now that they’re going on a “date,” Blaine gets to string her along even further.
I don’t think that this is supposed to be the audience perception of their relationship, but that’s definitely what it looks like to me.
Meanwhile, Kurt decides to call Rachel out on being bitchy and self-absorbed by challenging her at NYADA’s “Midnight Madness,” a Fight Club style underground sing-off, a concept that sounds much funnier than it turns out to be. I like this because in the past couple of episodes it has become obvious that Rachel and Kurt are drifting apart, and Rachel has always had an ego that will balloon out to massive proportions at the slightest provocation. Of course, this is a lesson that Rachel has had to learn over and over again, so there always needs to be some kind of a new spin on it. This time, when Rachel is defeated by Kurt, she becomes depressed not because she got beaten, but because the perspective gives her a chance to see exactly how bitchy she had been. Kurt forgives her and all is well, now that she’s been knocked down a few notches.
While this plotline works better than Blaine and Tina’s, to a certain extent one has to ask what the point is. I guess it was nice finally seeing some cracks in Rachel and Kurt’s relationship, considering that they’ve been best BFFs forever ever since season two. I was expecting part of it to be about Kurt being a little jealous of the attention that Rachel is giving Brody, though.
Bringing up the rear in the C plot is Santana, who has come back to town because she’s upset that Brittany is dating Sam. Why she’s so upset that it’s Sam in particular is never really made clear. Because he’s a guy? Because he’s kinda dumb? Because Santana used to date him? Because he could unhinge his jaw and swallow her whole? I don’t know. I did like their confrontation over her, even if Sam and Brittany’s relationship hasn’t really earned the gravity that Santana and Brittany’s has. Santana’s scene with Brittany, on the other hand, was the best scene in the episode. Even if the writing didn’t earn it, Naya Rivera and Heather Morris onscreen together are always magic. While Sue offered Santana a job as an assistant cheer coach, Brittany convinces Santana that she should move to New York, which is more her style.
While I like the idea of Santana moving to New York purely because I’d like to see her on the show more, the series has not really offered us a good explanation as to why she should go. I asked this question at the end of last season in my review of Goodbye: what is she hoping to do there? We know why Kurt and Rachel went to New York, but Santana has never really expressed interest in Broadway (or in anything else other than being a lesbian and a bitch, really), so what is she doing there? What are her goals? She is as lost as Finn in many ways, she just doesn’t seem as bothered by it.
I did like her entrance into Kurt and Rachel’s apartment. “What are you doing here?” “Moving in.”
Also happening in this episode: Emma has a panic attack about planning for her wedding, and Finn decides to snap her out of it by kissing her. Speaking of callbacks to season one, I’m getting a mental image of Will decking Finn. I’m not sure where they’re going with this, but it can’t be anywhere good. In the meantime, Emma better get her meds adjusted.
Overall, I’d call this a good episode. It wasn’t without its flaws, but thematically, for the most part, it was pretty well put together. A lot of it was about changing relationships: Blaine and Tina, Rachel and Kurt, Santana and Brittany, Emma and Finn. Santana and Brittany’s relationship evolved, Rachel and Kurt’s faltered and then got stronger, and the other two are disasters waiting to happen.
Musically, this episode was strong thematically if not artistically. “Diva” was easily the worst, pulling us way out of reality with a song that just isn’t that good. Blaine’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” was good, but unfortunately, Darren Criss is no Freddy Mercury. I think its telling that Glee‘s previous Queen songs were mostly ensembles, since it’s very hard for a single person to impress with a song originated by Mercury, who had a ludicrously good voice. The main exception is season one’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” sung primarily by Jonathan Groff. But Criss doesn’t even have Groff’s voice and, as talented as he is, “Don’t Stop Me Now” comes across as a pale imitation because his voice just isn’t powerful enough to carry it. Similarly, “Bring Him Home” invites unfair comparisons to season one’s “Defying Gravity,” which was far superior. The highlight was Santana and Sam’s oddly sad and brooding “Make No Mistake (She’s Mine),” which worked thanks more to Naya Rivera than Chord Overstreet, but I think that they both sold their feelings for Brittany. Santana was regretting that their relationship had to end, while Sam was quietly telling Santana that she is with him now, and that’s the way it’s going to stay. Close behind are Tina’s “Hung Up” (which seemed a little mean-spirited) and Santana’s “Nutbush City Limits,” which was just a ton of fun. Santana’s “Girl on Fire” seemed like it was trying to channel Rachel’s “Roots Before Branches” from season three’s “Goodbye,” which Rachel earned but Santana did not.
Other thoughts:
I liked how Emma just kept talking while the glee kids started arguing with each other leading into the musical number, which resulted in the funniest punchline of the episode: “And that is how I made the manager cry at the Cheesecake Factory.”
The scene with Blaine and Tina in Blaine’s bedroom was already creepy enough before Blaine fell asleep and Tina started unbuttoning his shirt and mounted him. Luckily she just wanted to put some vapor rub on his chest for his cold, but it was pretty uncomfortable, and it was meant to be.
Finn describes himself as a “manboy,” which pretty much describes the box they’ve put him into for any fourth season episode not named “Swan Song.”
Santana seemed very different from the mature, adult woman who broke up with Brittany in “The Break-Up.” I guess striking out with that girl in Louisville really did a number on her.
Kurt’s victory over Rachel was “the closest in Midnight Madness History?” What, does their history only stretch back to last Tuesday or something?
Tina earned her victory here, but I hope they give her something to do in the future that isn’t mainly mooning over a guy. I know, I’m impossible to please.
Sue’s explanation for how the graduates keep showing up back in Lima: teleporters.
