Friday, October 5, 2012

'The Break-Up' by Glee

This was a big week for Glee being one of the most important episodes in the series, and it may have been one of the best episodes Glee has ever done (at least since the first season). As you can guess from the title, it was break-ups galore for some of the most popular couples on television. Klaine, Brittana, Wemma and Finchel all suffered some kind of hardship that will leave you bawling your eyes out. The episode was (nearly) perfect in every way, especially the music.

Finn is in New York and Rachel decides he should come shadow her during school to see if he'll fit in at NYADA. It's obvious that this is not the path for him. At the same time Blaine is basically being ignored by Kurt because he's busy with his job at Vogue. Finn and Blaine begin singing, and it chronicles their loneliness and hurt feelings. It's really a beautiful duet, and for once Finn actually sounds pretty decent. The big moment, however, comes when we see Blaine chatting with a guy named Eli who call's him "sexy" and asks if he wants to "come over." Uh oh!

Finchel and Klaine head to the local karaoke bar where all the NYADA students hang out. Rachel wants to sing with Finn, but he tells her to sing with Brody instead. Rachel and Brody do a really great piano version of the amazing Demi Lovato song. Their vocals together are really great, and it's nice to have someone who can actually sing (unlike Finn). It's clear, though, that Finn knows there's more between the two than Rachel's letting on.

One of the most emotional moments came when Blaine decided to perform an acoustic rendition of 'Teenage Dream' (the first song he sang when he met Kurt) in front of everyone. If you didn't cry while watching this then you're heartless. It was painful to watch because you knew Blaine had done something wrong, but you could see how much he loves Kurt. Darren Criss is an amazing actor and performer, and this one performance has to be the highlight of his career.

This is the big moment we were all dreading. Finn finally confronts Rachel and she tells him that she has feelings for Brody. Blaine tells Kurt that he has been so lonely and he was "with someone." Finn and Kurt both flip out, and they all begin singing. It's a gut wrenching moment because you know it's not going to be alright. I really liked how they filmed this sequence in the park, and then back in bed. It was a really great way to switch between each character. The song was superb as well. No Doubt is a hard one to tackle, but they all did it justice. It was beyond emotional, and I could not have been happier with it. 

This was probably my favorite moment of the episode because it completely shocked me and blew me away. It's been obvious that the long-distance relationship wasn't working for Santana and Brittany, but Santana comes clean and tells Brittany that they should "take a break" (but I think we all know how that turned out in Friends). It was a little unexpected, but what blew me away was Naya Rivera's acting skills, and the way she sang this popular Taylor swift tune. The song might not have been the right fit for Naya's vocals and the country twang, but it worked. It hurt me to see the two so upset. Even Brittany showed emotion and I actually felt for her for once.

This is one of Coldplay's most famous songs ever, and I was excited to see it being done. But maybe I shouldn't have been so happy since it plays in a beautiful meta scene where all the troubled couples are on stage singing. But did anyone notice how all the couples stood next to each other except for Finchel? I'm assuming that means that Finchel is the only couple that will be permanently broken up. I definitely see Klaine as being the Ross and Rachel of Glee. They're destined to be together. The song was really beautifully done, and added a very chilling effect to the performance. They did Coldplay proud. It brought together all the emotions from the episode and brought it all to a dramatic finale.

I can't begin to tell you how happy I was with this episode. It was by far one of the best episodes they have ever done and I think it's because of plot, plot, plot. Everything just made sense and felt so real. It had the same superb quality of writing the first season had. Seeing these couples have their rocky moments was beautiful and upsetting to watch. Can we talk about Klaine for a second? Why did they break-up (or did they?) because Blaine cheated?! Really Ryan Murphy?! Why did Blaine have to be the bad guy and Kurt comes out looking like a saint? Last season Blaine almost broke up with Kurt because he was sexting another guy and he made Kurt feel horrible about it. But then he goes around and cheats? It just doesn't make any sense. Their break-up would have been okay if it had been handled like Britanna's, but Ryan Murphy had to show another side of relationships. Ugh! I could not be any happier about Finchel breaking up, though. I really hate Finn (and that military story-line was beyond ridiculous), and the last few minutes were amazing when Rachel shredded Finn to pieces. It was amazing! It's great to see her stick up for herself and be a woman unlike the crybaby she's been for the past three seasons. I still can't get over the Brittana break-up scene. It was just so heart-wrenching. Why did they have to break up? With Wemma, Will got the position on the Arts Education Committee so he'll be going to Washington, but Emma refuses to go. It was really a lackluster plot line, and I don't think anything will ever really come of it. I think the rest of the season is going to be very different without these couples. It'll be interesting to see what happens as we progress. On a side note, where do these kids get the money to fly back and forth across the country?! I can only afford to go back home once during the year and these guys just seem to hope back and forth between Ohio and New York like plane tickets don't cost $1,000. Unfortunately, we have to wait until November 8th for the next episode, but it'll be worth the wait because the Glee Club will be doing Grease for the school musical!

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