GLEE 1.13 - "Sectionals"

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Bryan Falchuk
GUEST CAST: Jenna Ushkowitz, Eve, Anna Camp, Patricia Forte, Michael Hitchcock, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, Bill A. Jones, Dijon Talton, Harry Shum Jr., Josh Sussman, Peter Choi & Thomasina Gross

[SPOILERS] I thought we'd never get there, but it's finally time for Sectionals. The first half of Glee's mostly entertaining, but often frustrating season drew to a close, with an episode that didn't quite achieve the joyous feeling of a mini-climax (maybe they're saving that for the finale?), but the usual mix of energetic songs and witty dialogue just about hid the narrative bumps in the road...

Will (Matthew Morrison) couldn't attend Sectionals because of last week's faux pas with glee club being paid for starring in a TV advert, but Emma (Jayma Mays) agreed to take the kids after she managed to delay her wedding to Ken (Patrick Gallagher) by a few hours. However, a number of problems inevitably arose as the competition loomed: Finn (Corey Monteith) discovered that Puck (Mark Salling) is the real father of Quinn's (Dianna Agron) baby, so turned his back on the club; and once New Directions arrived at the contest they realized Sue (Jane Lynch) had leaked their set list, because their competitors were performing all their routines. Can they pull together and come up with three brand new performances at the last-minute?

Of course they can, this is Glee. Predictable is its middle name. I dearly wish the show was more skillful with its plots and characterisation, as it could be something very special with a Freaks & Geeks quality to the drama, but there's enough good-humour and likeability to just about cover its many cracks. It's disposable TV, truth be told, with only the songs having much longevity thanks to the wonders of iTunes, but I'm happy to be entertained and made to giggle for an hour every week. It's reliable in that regard.

Stand out moments in this episode were: Mercedes (Amber Riley) convincing Rachel (Leah Michele) she's a great "balladeer" by belting out Dreamgirls' "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", a 24-style split-screen phone call for multiple characters, Rachel's wonderful solo performance of Funny Girl's "Don't Rain On My Parade" (the title bursting with subtext in light of everyone's cheating), the acidic barbs from Sue ("Bring it on, William. I am reasonably confident that you will be adding revenge to the long list of things you're no good at; right next to being married, running a high school glee club, and finding a hairstyle that doesn't make you look like a lesbian"), and the funny realization that the judges deciding the winner were just a clueless black lady, a bimbo (True Blood's lovely Anna Camp), and the smarmy TV news anchorman who dated Sue. I find Glee to be at its best when it takes the edge off its saccharine nature by throwing cynicism into the mix, so revealing that the judging panel for these supposedly illustrious sectionals were an indifferent bunch of ignoramuses gave me a smile.

If there was one thing I didn't like about "Sectionals" it was the fact the competition didn't lure me in, mainly because the event had no credibility the moment all the rival schools were shown to be cheats. Even if the glee club had lost, they'd still have won in my mind. I'd have preferred a genuine sense of competition, with all the schools putting on great performances, so the winner felt slightly in doubt. The writers could even have pulled a Rocky and had Will's show choir lose honourably -- but maybe they're saving that for the Regionals finale, so Glee can climb the mountain to victory in season 2? It also disappointed me that they weren't awarded the trophy at the event itself, as it only became clear they'd won when they surprised Will with the trophy in their rehearsal room later.

Overall, for all its many faults, "Sectionals" benefited from the simple fact it was the culmination of a dozen episodes' buildup and ended the torturous Quinn/Puck/Finn triangle. There was even time for the ridiculous Emma/Ken marriage to fizzle out, as Ken cancelled their nuptials over the fact she chose to help Will's glee club on the day of their wedding, enabling Will to finally make a move on Emma now he's officially left Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig). But perhaps the best move this episode made was to have Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) suspend Sue from her job, having been shown incontrovertible evidence that she tried to ruin the sabotage sectionals, if only for the look of astonishment on Sue's face that Will actually won a battle, before swearing revenge.

Looking ahead to the back half of season 1, I hope Glee's writers have taken stock of what worked and what failed, and aren't going to rest on their laurels because Glee's current form proved such a hit. It may be very popular, but it could be a whole lot better. They need to ditch preposterous storylines that weave through most of the episodes, and replace them with plots containing more substance and plausibility. Glee's worrying lack of consistency regarding its characterisation also needs to be addressed. But above all, just make it fast and fun, with plenty of songs and special guest stars. The best episodes have been those that told a largely self-contained storyline, included lots of recognizable covers, and gave Sue plenty of verbal ammunition.

Glee returns to Fox on 13 April, and 19 April on E4 in the UK. In light of that small six-day gap, I'll continue to follow the British broadcast. In the meantime, it's likely I'll be reviewing Glee's "Road To Sectionals" DVD just prior to season 1 resuming, so check back for that.

29 MARCH 2010: E4 (HD), 9PM