GLEE 1.10 - "Ballad"

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Brad Falchuck
GUEST CAST: Gregg Henry, Charlotte Ross, Romy Rosemont, Sarah Drew, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris & Harry Shum Jr.

[SPOILERS] I've felt my affection for Glee slip in recent weeks, perhaps because the novelty's worn off and I'm becoming desperate for stronger stories and deeper characterisation to sustain my interest in-between the songs. "Ballad" was better than last week's cringe-fest "Wheels", mainly because Quinn's (Dianna Agron) pregnancy storyline took steps forward on a few fronts, although I'm beginning to find it irritating how characters are so emotionally erratic just because the story demands it that week...

One such situation arose here when Rachel (Lea Michele) suddenly became infatuated with teacher Will (Matthew Morrison), after getting to sing the ballad "Endless Love" with him. The episode at least made an effort to acknowledge that abruptness, but I still wish Glee would find a way to foreshadow these kind of shifts. How hard can it be? Still, there were some agreeable comic moments, once Will realized Rachel had developed a crush on him. A few years ago, geeky student Suzy Pepper (Sarah Drew) became similarly obsessed and wound up in a medically-induced coma after Will spurned her advances (don't ask), so Will is desperate to prevent history repeating itself by letting Rachel down gently. In true Glee style, this means singing his feelings to her and urging her to listen to the emotive lyrics in a mashup of The Police's "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's "Young Girl" -- the relevance of which went totally over her head.

The best storyline involved Quinn inviting boyfriend Finn (Corey Monteith) over to meet her parents, obstinate Russell (Gregg Henry) and diffident Judy (Charlotte Ross). Quinn still hasn't told them about her pregnancy, likely because it's doubly embarrassing because she's a key figure in the school's chastity club, so Finn seeks Kurt's (Chris Colfer) advice about revealing the truth to the Fabrays during the meal. Kurt is glad to help, mainly because he gets to spend time with Finn (whom he secretly adores), and suggests he serenade Quinn at the dinner table with Paul Anka's "You're Having My Baby" as a way to break the news as softly as possible to his baby mama's folks.

The big theme this week was that singing (particularly a ballad) is a fantastic way to impart your feelings to someone, without feeling silly or getting tongue-tied, but the sentiment ended up looking flawed. I man, it clearly had the reverse effect of what Will intended when he sang to Rachel, whose own attempt to sing Jennifer Paige's "Crush" to him during a car journey lasted mere seconds before he turned her CD off, and Finn's crooning in front of Quinn's parents was met with nothing but shock and anger. It may have been a more honest reaction from people, but it also contradicted the point of the episode -- although I guess the climax with the glee club singing Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" to Quinn and Finn worked with the theme a lot better. But then again, you kind of expect the glee membership to respond happily to this kind of public display of affection, cocooned as they are from reality in the Gleeniverse. Cynical, moi?

Overall, I'd probably have rated this episode higher if it had aired earlier in the season, but I'm beginning to feel a little indifferent about Glee's recent episodes, and it didn't help that Sue Sylvester was totally absent. Jane Lynch's injections of vitriolic wit are just what this show needs more of, to take the edge off the saccharine happy-clappy feel that can stick in your teeth. However, I'm glad Puck's (Mark Salling) revealed he's the father of Quinn's baby to Mercedes (Amber Riley), and seeing Quinn forced to live at Finn's house was a big step forward as we approach the mid-season finale.

Asides

-- The episode gave us a thin explanation for how Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) plans to keep her un-pregnant stomach a secret from husband Will; she's going to pretend she has an unsightly rash she's too embarrassed to let him see. That'll work.

-- I liked how Suzy Pepper appeared to have been ripped straight from a '70s episode of Scooby Doo, at least in terms of her Velma-esque dress sense. More of her, please. And, yes, you may recognize actress Sarah Drew as Kitty from Mad Men.

-- Of all the performers on Glee, I think Corey Monteith is the one I wouldn't be surprised to learn can't sing and is dubbed by another person. There's just something about his performances that sounds more artificial than the others.

-- Dianna Agron's coming along as an actress; she puts across her emotions with a believable conviction the others sometimes lack. I can believe in Quinn's heartache over her unsupportive parents more than most situations the characters tackle, with the exception being Kurt's dealings with his father.

-- Who's the bearded guy who always plays the piano for the glee club? He's so mysterious I think I smell a cult following.

8 MARCH 2010: E4 (HD), 9PM