Gleek Out: It’s Like Cool Epilepsy!

Glee, hairography, television, TV, Eve, Jane Addams Academy, sectionals, True Colors, Imagine, Haverbrook School for the Deaf, Crazy in Love, Hair, Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Diana Agron, Mark Salling, Santana, Brittany, cool epilepsy, Strawberry Shortcake, recap, gleek out

Don't say I never listen to you guys! Yesterday, one of you expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a Gleek Out for last week's pre-Thanksgiving episode of Glee. I was hoping no one would notice the glaring absence of our regular recap, but I guess I can't get off that easy (so true in so many ways). This belated run-down goes out to you, BradleyD33!

"Hairography" finally gave us a glimpse of McKinley High School's competition for the ever-so-anticipated "Sectionals" episode. Guest star Eve played the role of Grace Hitchens, a rival glee club director for Jane Addams Academy. There were makeovers, deaf choir performances and sexting. And it totally didn't suck as much as the episode from two weeks ago! Let's examine it, song-by-song…

– Dewitt

To watch or read more about the episode, follow the JUMP:

  1. "Bootylicious" (Jane Addams Academy): For a song celebrating booties, it's pretty ridiculous for Rachel to deduce that the Jane Addams girls are relying on hairography. Would the pervy straight male judges at sectionals really be looking at their hair? I didn't really believe that these students or their director would choose such an old or blatantly sexual Destiny's Child song, but I'm not complaining if Michelle Williams got a cut of that check. It was a fun number overall, even if the lead vocals were a little too thin. And what was up with them choosing such ghettofabulous names like "Shedonda" and "Aphasia"? I kept getting the feeling that those names were submitted by white writers making fun of "weird black names".
  2. "Papa Don't Preach" (Dianna Agron): I'm usually not a fan when Quinn takes the lead vocals, but this one got points for relevancy and being a good match for her slightly timid voice. Though a part of me wishes she had performed this with more passion (and in front of her father), the toned down, acoustic approach seemed appropriate for the moment. And while we're talking about Quinn, how lame was it that Puck was sexting Santana? I understand that they're trying to develop her character and all, but why would he cheat on his baby mama with her when he previously stated that he's into older women? I think I just need to accept these plot holes and move on. This development was solely intended to manipulate us into rooting for the Quinn/Finn pairing. Unfortunately, I still don't care about those two building a relationship on her lies. 
  3. "You're The One That I Want" (Lea Michele): This would have been much funnier if Kurt hadn't specifically mentioned Grease when he gave Rachel a makeover. Otherwise, this seemed appropriate for her character, considering her blatant insecurity and musical theater background. The unfortunate side-effect of this plotline is that it made me loathe Kurt, one of the few characters I have a soft spot for. This line almost redeemed him: “Most of the time I can’t stand to be in the same room with you. Especially this one, which looks like where Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobby come to hook up.” Seriously, does Chris Colfer have different writers than the rest of the cast? Because him and Jane Lynch always get the best one-liners.
  4. "Crazy In Love"/"Hair" (Full Cast, led by Amber Riley & Kevin McHale): Others have considered this the worst musical moment in the entire series, and I'd have to agree. Presumably, this number's horribleness was wholeheartedly intentional, but it just left me wishing the Jane Addams girls had sung "Crazy In Love" instead of "Bootylicious". The hairography was predictably a hot mess. Oddly, it wasn't any less crazier than Beyonce's own stage show. I forgive the producers for making us sit through this, solely because the build-up to this moment included one of the season's best lines yet. While teaching the rest of the glee club how to flip their hair, cheerleader Brittany excitedly exclaims, "It's like cool epilepsy!" It may have not been politically correct, but it was still fucking hilarious.
  5. "Imagine" (Haverbrook School for the Deaf, joined by Amber Riley and Full Cast): I feel really bad, because I think this was supposed to be more touching than it came off. A part of me thought this plotline was a little condescending to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, though this may have had something to do with the fact that my mysterious watching partner cracked up when this number began. I "imagine" that I'm getting my aussieBums in a bunch over nothing, because I've heard many folks saying that this scene to be very powerful. I thought this arrangement was pretty decent. In fact, it's a shame that the version they're selling on iTunes doesn't include the deaf students. 
  6. "True Colors" (Jenna Ushkowitz): I was surprised to see Tina take lead vocals for a song they're supposedly singing at sectionals. She was realistically a little shakey, but it added charm to the "stripped" performance aspect they were going for. Rachel or Mercedes would have overdid this one, and if it were any other episode, I'd say Kurt should have taken the lead on this one. But it wasn't any other episode. And Kurt was a total cuntface in this episode. Ugh! Sorry, I'm still upset about that…

0 thoughts on “Gleek Out: It’s Like Cool Epilepsy!

  1. Aphasia is actually the name of a mental disorder characterized by an inability comprehend language or speech. That makes it the coolest ghetto name ever.

  2. imagine was a terrible preformance for the sole purpose of it being sung by one (deaf) person. i mean…its a glee club, count some of them at least hum or something.

  3. OMG! I LOVE YOU DEWITT!!!
    This is why I wanted to have your opinions B/C my BF totally loves the show even though he tries to hide it cause he thinks it makes him like even more gay…if that were possible…but moving on he doesn’t like to dive into the characters like I do so when I was trying to explain my feelings on Kurt he wasn’t having it and went on to playing some computer game.
    My feelings on this episode where that it was really good, I totally love Brittany though I have to say her getting tazered and cool epilepsy lines don’t come close to “Coach Sylvester didn’t tell me to do this.” or last weeks “Ballad is a male duck…I bet the duck is in the hat.” I died with those lines. My largest qualm with this episode I believe is yours to, KURT! The past couple episodes they have made him seem so smart and comfortable with himself, yes last episode he was a litle wierd on the whole I’m only helping Finn to get close to him so he turns to me stuff, but all in all he was a normal 16 year old gay boy to me. This episode made me want to kick the developers and writers in the nuts…or va-jay-jays. When I was 16 I may not have been as out as Kurt is, but I knew that having feelings for a straight guy was a bad idea, yes tehy happened anyway, but I still knew that it could never be and I was smart enough to move on as best I could. I feel a lot of gay men were the same. For Kurt to go all childish after all of his other profound moments irked me to no end. To sabatage* Rachel then tell her after she confronts him about it that neither of them have a chance and they need to get over it makes no sense! If he knew that then he shouldn’t have fucked with her like that. He should have either fucked with her and they develop his character into more of a bitchy gay, or he should have explained to her his feelings about Finn and how he knew they could never be and then tried to help her find a new man. To just twist everything around was stupid on the writers part and it made me Hate Kurt.And I know that you sdon’t like Terri but this episode really amde me kinda like her , but just a little, just her inner monlogue stuff. Her sister Kendra though is amazing. “What are you an exorsist?” I laughed so hard…oh and “…we are totally normal!” *said with crazy eyes as they harrass a teenage mother*
    All i nall a good episode just a stupid and poorly thought out Kurt portion.
    Thanks again Dewitt. I hope you read this. Taht way you know I didn’t ask you to post for nothing. Kiss Kiss

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