Glee: Dynamic Duets (#4.7)

Team Slaine!!!!!  In an episode that dealt with dyslexia (didn't Sam already do that plot?), bulimia, sectionals training, and finding yourself, I think the most daring thing that Ryan Murphy put on television this week, and perhaps all season, is the budding friendship between Blaine and Sam.  It's refreshing to see a straight guy and a gay guy, in high school in particular, becoming best friends.  Typically you just see the gay guy/straight guy relationship as between siblings or as somewhat ancillary (Pacey and Jack had like two scenes together).  Seeing it coming to a complete head, as central to a story, is refreshing.

Overall, this week's episode lacked the emotional punch of last week's, but it made up for it with sheer ridiculousness.  The episode started with the meeting of the superhero club, and a rundown of Asian Persuasion, the Human Brain, and Professor X...err, Y.  Oh, and of course my favorite, Nightbird.

Blaine was the central focus of the episode, and we got to see him return to Dalton Academy, and in the process, we saw the much-loathed Sebastian, and the new head of the Warblers, Hunter (who is admittedly not even remotely bi-curious, despite the fact that he sits around with a giant white cat in his lap).  Blaine, of course, was intrigued (the boy sure loves a musical number), but it didn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that Blaine was going to stay at McKinley-he's their star, and the New Directions members truly love him.  I will say, though, the way he stayed, finally confessing to Sam about Eli (who mysteriously did not get an actual face in the episode), and Sam telling him that just because you do bad things doesn't make you a bad person, followed by their duet, incognito stealing of their trophy, and then another musical number made me, well, glee-ful.  Keep the bromance alive!

I do not share the same opinion of the bromance blossoming between Jake and Ryder, mostly because we have done this before with far more intriguing cast members during the Quinn/Puck/Rachel/Finn stories of the first two seasons.  Now we have a bitchier Quinn, a mousy Rachel, a more put-upon Puck, and a more vanilla Finn.  It's like they took the worst aspects of each character and turned them up to eleven.  Also, and I mean this with all love and sincerity, but the Jake and Ryder characters are clearly, clearly into each other.  I doubt this is some grand twist that's coming in the upcoming months, but the shows' writers had them stripping while singing a song by The Clique and then wrestling on the floor in matching spandex outfits.  It's like something SNL would write for Ace-and-Gary.  So unless this is a genuine twist that is coming for these two, I'm checked out of this story line, except to stop in for the occasional Kitty one-liner.

Before I leave the story, I should mention Kitty's evil plan to make Marley bulimic, which of course is working because Marley has incredibly low self-esteem, despite the fact that she has two (probably gay) "mega studs" competing for her attention (mega stud is in quotations because that was their superhero identity, not because they aren't hot, because they are-clearly we all picked the wrong Glee club to be a part of in high school, because between Blaine, Jake, Ryder, and Sam, it's like the Abercrombie catalog takes Broadway in McKinley these days).  I'd feel worse about it (eating disorders are a serious business), but the show has given us so few reasons to like Marley, aside from the fact that she's sweet, and a "wallflower."  Kitty may be evil, but at least she's got some spunk, and she's the better performer of the two.

There was no Rachel, Kurt, Santana, or Will this week, and three of them I missed (seriously, did it feel even remotely weird that Matthew Morrison wasn't in the episode, especially considering I think this is one of the only episodes he's ever missed?), and I honestly don't remember much more than this from the episode.  Like most of the episodes before the competition eps, this was largely setting us up for everything next week.  There were some great touches throughout-gotta love Finn dressing like Will, the Beiste acknowledging her persistent crying fits, and Brittany's doll head, but I have to say that I'm more excited for next week.

What about you-what'd you think of this week's episode?  Did you like the Sam/Blaine bromance?  Do you also think Jake/Ryder should be a bromance without the 'b?'  Are you also confused by why Tina is so mean so often these days?  And are you stoked that the final missing McKinley member, Quinn, will be rejoining us next week?  Sound off in the comments!