Analysis of "Furt"

Thanksgiving Holiday got in the way, and now I am even more behind in my analysis. Sigh.

So this will have to be more stream of consciousness writing than usual. Which is hard for me because its such an important episode. But here goes.

If I could only use two words to describe Glee, it would probably be these two: "brilliant" and "flawed." A Gleek I am, but even I can admit that the show isn't perfect. Even though I'm a proud "Kurtsie" (Chris Colfer's term for his dedicated fans), I agree with many people who found the episode uneven and rushed.

Let's mention the rough spots first. Sam and Quinn promising themselves to each other after only six weeks? And after everything Quinn went through in season one? Just seems way too fast. Yes, there were very sweet moments in their storyline this week, and the promise ring worked well with the wedding, but this plot seems rushed to me. And as someone else commented, I do wonder a bit about Sam's motives. He does seem to really care about Quinn, and he has acted honorably toward Kurt, but his desire to be the big man on campus makes me question his integrity just a bit.

Rough spot number two. Sue marrying herself. Just didn't get that. What was the point? I guess it was supposed to be humorous, but I didn't find it that funny.

I understand that Carol Burnett made an appearance as Sue's mother to show that Sue herself was bullied. I did get that. But I just didn't feel that she was enough of a bully. To me she was more of an absentee mom. Unfortunately I think her talent was a bit wasted in this episode.

And now for the good stuff, with a few more negative mentions. Burt and Carol got married! And for the most part the planning, the ceremony, and the reception were a joy to watch. Romy Rosemont and Mike O'Malley as Carole and Burt were awesome in this episode. The walk down the aisle was so much fun! For me, Artie and Brittany almost stole the show from Burt and Carole. I'm still on the fence about the Artie/Brittany romance, but every time the camera went to them in this episode they were doing something absolutely adorable.

The engagement and wedding did seem rushed to me. But I am so happy that Carole and Burt got married. I hope the show will continue to explore how this marriage will effect Kurt and Finn...not just their relationship as brothers, but also the fact that Kurt has a mother figure again and for the first time in his life, Finn has a father figure.

Some people complained that Carole and Burt's vows were directed too much at the boys and not enough at each other. While I think that is a valid complaint, and I also agree that both Carole and Burt should have talked more about Finn, I especially loved Burt talking about how he and Kurt really weren't living after Mrs. Hummel died.

Make no mistake, I was thrilled at how Kurt-centric this episode was. It absolutely worked for me. But I was surprised. And I can understand the criticism, especially people who feel that Finn got the short end of the stick. His mother barely mentioned him in her vows, and Burt didn't mention him at all. But Carole glowingly talked about Kurt.

The status of Burt and Finn's relationship has not been discussed since Burt threw Finn out of his house during the "Theatricality" episode in season one. We don't know where Finn has been living, and we weren't even sure that Carole and Burt were still together, although she was at the hospital when Burt had the heart attack. When they announced their engagement to the boys, Burt said he was looking for a house where they could each have their own room. Are we supposed to infer that they have been sharing a room, even after what went down in "Theatricality?" I don't think so. Most likely Carole didn't sell her house yet, and Finn has been living there.

When Finn danced with Kurt, that scene immediately became one of my all-time favorite Glee moments. I had the same posture and look as Mr. Schue as he sat at the reception, face resting against his hand, watching the scene with a mixture of pride, surprise, and delight. Furt signals the full circle that Finn and Kurt's relationship has taken since the beginning of the show, from relative strangers to a one-sided, painful crush, to "brothers from another mother." It was an unprecedented moment in television history, and it was wonderful. In the final episode of the pivotal three episode bullying storyline, Kurt gets a new brother, a new mother, and love and acceptance from his glee club family.

The tears that I shed as I watched the reception scene were more for Chris Colfer than for the fictional Kurt. Less than two years ago Chris was in high school, being bullied every day, dealing with, as one article describes, "the unfortunate trifecta of being overweight, gay, and wearing braces." He described himself recently on the Ellen show as the "insignificant, sad, lonely kid I was in high school." And now here he is, on a hit television show, a GQ man of the year, an Emmy-nominated actor, earning praise from critics, adoration from fans, and an entire cast of new friends. Chris Colfer's life is the epitome of an "It Gets Better" video for the Trevor Project. The look on Kurt's face as Finn started the song, then held out his hand to dance with him; I have to think that Chris was feeling those same emotions.

I have mad respect for Cory Monteith. Cory is twenty-eight years old, and he actually dropped out of school in the ninth grade. So he has next to no experience with what high school life is really like, he hasn't been a teenager for nearly a decade, yet he is able to communicate the conflicting emotions of a guy in that situation so well. As I've mentioned before, Glee is groundbreaking for its exploration of the angst boys face in high school - peer pressure to be athletic, to have a good body, to have a hot girlfriend, to be mean to certain groups, to not be gay.

Kurt and Karofsky's scene at the lockers was positively chilling. That mix of hatred and desire that swept across Karofsky's face - wow. Very powerful. I was so happy to see both Will and Sue finally step up. The storyline adds another layer to Sue's wonderfully complicated personality, that she would make a decision to give up the power of being president - principal - in order to help protect a student. And not just any student, but one who quit her beloved Cheerios. Although Kurt did help her with the "Vogue" video. I'm glad Kurt spoke up about her calling him "lady," and although I'm not sure "porcelain" is much better, it is cute and kind of fits him, if you don't think of a toilet when you hear the name.

The meeting with Burt and Karofsky's father Paul was not the epic confrontation I was expecting. But there might be fireworks to come. Regardless, I absolutely love Burt, and Mike O'Malley. His dance down the aisle was the cutest thing.

I've read two kinds of criticism regarding Kurt in this episdode. Number one, someone was confused about how strong he was when he confronted Karofsky in "Never Been Kissed." Why he was so tough two episodes ago, and now he's running away to Dalton Academy. Well, that's pretty simple I think. He wasn't being threatened with murder two episodes ago. Karofsky's abuse has steadily increased during this season. He is appearing more and more unstable. I have been teased and I have been intimidated in my life, and believe me, you know the difference. You can feel intimidation in every part of your being. Intimidation is a very frightening thing, because it can be subtle and difficult for others to see. But when its happening to you, it can overshadow everything else in your life.

The second criticism was someone not understanding why Kurt would leave McKinley when he finally had a support system in place. His friends in glee club, Will, Sue, his dad and new stepmom, even his new stepbrother were all promising to help. But again, if you have never been intimidated, its hard to know what that feels like. You don't feel safe, period. That look between Karofsky and Kurt in Sue's office when Karofsky was expelled spoke volumes. I believe Kurt fears that Karofsky will be more unhinged than ever when he returns to McKinley. He will blame all of his problems on Kurt. And support systems aren't failproof.

Although I think it will be very interesting to see what happens to Kurt at Dalton, I am very sad to think of him competing against New Directions at Sectionals. I would assume that New Directions has to win in order to advance to Regionals, so they will always be able to say that they won without Kurt. Once again, we saw the limits of Rachel's burgeoning altruism. She was the first glee club member to suggest confronting Karofsky, but she was also the first (and only) person to be more concerned about Kurt joining the Warblers rather than why he was leaving, or the fact that he was leaving at all.

My favorite line of the episode:
"Finn, I've been planning weddings since I was two. My power rangers got married and divorced in so many combinations, they were like Fleetwood Mac." Kurt

And one more thing: Loved the "Lost" references. :) Daniel Roebuck, who played Paul Karofsky in the episode, was on "Lost." Burt mentioned the show when he talked about honeymooning in Hawaii, and Kurt was wearing an airplane pin when he and Burt confronted the Karofskys in Sue's office.

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