Don't be afraid to express yourselves here, Gleeks. I've found a spot behind this jump where our wild theatricality won't freak out the normals!

Casting call for Heavy Metal the live action movie
  • Casting call for the live action "Heavy Metal" movie

I'm an old grouch. I can literally think of dozens of performers I would rather see teach the kids at William McKinley High the importance of expressing yourself with theatricality. Is there going to be a Björk week? A Grace Jones week? A Karin Dreijer Andersson week? A Cyndi Lauper week? A Toni Basil Week? A Marilyn Manson week (can't you picture Rachel and mom's "Dried Up, Tied & Dead to the World" duet)?
No, the kids want Gaga and Gaga they will get. Find some icons who aren't slumming it on the Celebrity Apprentice, old man!

My disenchantment with Lady Gaga noted, this episode was fine, if a little self-serious. The kids need to express themselves so they take costumes famous people wore and wear them. Cool, whatever. We get to see Tina all bubbled-up and Artie the spaceman and who am I to tell them they are not special snowflakes? I stopped taking grumpy notes after the "Bad Romance" number which was, all things considered, pretty awesome. I enjoyed all this attention being brought to Gaga's lyrics. "I'm bluffin' with my muffin," cooed the coach of Vocal Adrenaline. "I'm not lyin', I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'."

What did you guys make of that "Poker Face" scene? I was torn. The actors killed it and delivered what is probably the best piano duet of "Poker Face" around, but the emotionality of it seemed supremely silly. I kept thinking of this:


Like I said, overall I thought this episode lacked the humor that normally makes the sappiness of Glee palatable. Sue Sylvester was nowhere to be seen. The best we get are the football twins threatening people in ways that only happen on TV. "How about my fist meets your chin? Nyaah, see?"

Then there's Kurt and Finn, the odd couple. Just as I'm glad that Glee is beaming out messages of tolerance and self-expression to middle schools everywhere, I've liked how they've handled the "It's OK to be gay" stuff. Forgive me, though, for identifying with Finn's treatment of Kurt like a loony stalker. I think the whole acceptance angle would read a little better if Glee's writers hadn't actually made Finn's paranoia totally justified - Kurt did set up his dad with Finn's mom in an elaborate plot to see Finn naked. It's like a Don't Ask, Don't Tell supporter's nightmare. The gays will stop at nothing to infiltrate our bedrooms and redecorate!

Buuuuut yes, Finn is a jerk for calling Kurt's furniture throw "faggy" and Glee is more interested in making that point than exploring the psychosexual depths of Kurt's on-again-off-again obsession with William McKinley's most constipated drummer (did y'all see him scrunching his face up during the first Kiss number? Gets me every time).

I thought the Kiss/Gaga parallel was pretty ingenious. Not a knockout number, but kind of fun. It also led to Quinn and Puck naming their baby Beth as a little gift for her adopted parents. "Beth as in the power ballad?" they will exclaim. "How thoughtful of you! Now we don't have to think of a name!"

As always I missed the adult drama that was so front-and-center at the start of this season. Seems like Glee has decided that it's bread is buttered primarily with the kids and they're the ones who deserve the most screen time. We'll see how it all pays off at regionals next week. Who's excited?

Stray notes and quotes

I am glad this ep wasn't tonally all over the place. I'll take the tone it struck last week over this one, though.
We knew that William McKinley had the most easily manipulated principal in the world, but we did not know that he is afraid of vampires.
"You don't need an appointment at Supercuts. They luuuhhve walk-ins."
"You look terrible. I look awesome."
"The reason I'm here in a shower curtain is because of you."
"We done disturbed a freak hive!"