"Special Education" Analysis

“Special Education” Analysis

After a six week drought, gleeks were treated to two big episodes in as many days. Great news, but it also means I need to get my ass in my gear on these analyses. I really want to write about “Silly Love Songs” first, but since my opinion has changed on certain characters and storylines, I need to catch up first. Hence, here is the analysis for “Special Education.”

I have watched the episode several times, so my thoughts have changed since the first viewing. I understand now that it was supposed to be a rather uncomfortable episode. Life in Glee land was supposed to feel off kilter. So many changes have occurred in quick succession. Finn and Rachel have broken up. Kurt has transferred to Dalton Academy. Lauren Zizes has joined New Directions as a “warm body” to cover Kurt’s absence. And Rachel is mad at Santana for sleeping with Finn. Well, Rachel being angry at Santana is nothing new. But anyhoo…

It was an interesting dichotomy from last season’s Sectionals, when the club was united in its determination to overcome the damage wrought by Sue leaking their set list to the other groups. In this episode they did finally work together to pull off two good performances, one much better than the other (more on that in a minute). Neither song had the fire and heart that “Don’t Rain on My Parade” and the Journey medley had, but again, I think that was intentional. In order for Kurt to continue being a source of competition, the Warblers and New Directions had to tie, and that is exactly what happened. They can’t have the appearance of being clear winners at Regionals; they have to look beatable by the Warblers and the returning Vocal Adrenaline to make the competition interesting.

My prediction is that New Directions will win or tie at Regionals, but lose at Nationals this season. What I don’t know is who their competition will be at Nationals, and how long Kurt will be with the Warblers. It’s a very complicated issue for me. I really like the Warblers. I am rooting for Kurt and Blaine to get together. But New Directions is not the same without Kurt, and never will be.

Good news or bad news first? Let’s go with the bad first. My least favorite elements of the episode:

Lauren Zizes
Don’t like her. And when I say that, I mean I don’t like the character. The writers haven’t given me a reason to like her yet. She’s not nice to anyone. She’s a part of New Directions now, but she thinks glee club is stupid. I am so frustrated that she is there and Kurt is not. Yes, the “seven minutes in heaven” with Puck was cute. But otherwise Lauren has caused nothing but turmoil. Of course, if she wasn’t there, New Directions would be ineligible. Would I rather see Jacob in the club? No way. Karofsky? Hell no! So for now we have Lauren. More on Ms. Zizes in a future analysis.

Brittany, Artie, and “the comb”
Another storyline that was supposed to make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but really didn’t. Now, I wasn’t nearly as upset by this as I was with the Artie “rewalk” Christmas storyline. I WAS glad that Brittany wasn’t cheating on Artie. I DO like them together. I just think there is a danger here of making Brittany too ditzy. I think her one-liners are hilarious. I like the character a lot. But first still believing in Santa Claus, and now putting real faith into a magic comb? When does the character cross the line from silly into a concern about a possible mental impairment? And when does the routine start to get old? I don’t want Brittany to become the Chrissy Snow (Three’s Company character played by Suzanne Somers) of Glee.

“Time of My Life” performance
I just hate to complain about the musical numbers, because Lord knows I can’t sing a note, so I should be the last person to criticize. But this is a show about music and singing, and I am writing an analysis. So here goes, even though I feel guilty. I didn’t like it. Diana Agron is a beautiful, talented actress, and she has a very sweet voice. But her and Chord dueting at Sectionals? This did not work for me. Her voice is not strong enough. They sounded very good together on “Lucky” in the “Duets” episode, but that is a different kind of song. I was disappointed in Chord’s voice as well in “Time of Your Life.” This is an iconic song from an iconic movie, and the odd country twang I heard from Chord was too different from Bill Medley’s raspiness for my taste. The I-tunes version of the song is better because it includes more of the cast singing and less of the duet.

And now for the good:

Including ALL the Glee “kids” in the episode
Hooray! Whether Ryan Murphy listened to the criticism or was planning to do it the whole time, I was so happy to see that everyone either had a storyline or a significant singing part in this episode. Of course some people were still more visible than others, but basically everyone was featured. Hopefully that made all the fans happy, at least for a week.

The Warblers singing “Soul Sister.”
I really like that song anyway, and the Warblers did justice to it. Darren Criss is a heck of a performer. Its difficult to be so torn between wanting Kurt back with New Directions and enjoying the Warbler scenes and performances. I just wonder if the fact that Blaine gets every Warbler solo will start to feel old soon.

I don’t know how or when Kurt will make his way back to New Directions, but I think his struggle to conform at Dalton will be a factor. For now he is choosing safety over individuality, but I don’t think he’ll have to do that for long. Kurt Hummel doesn’t belong in gray pants and a navy blazer with red piping. And he’s not going to be happy being a background Warbler for the rest of his high school life.

If Blaine and Kurt do get together, I think jealousy/competitiveness could be their downfall. Blaine is obviously accustomed to being the star of the Warblers. If Kurt starts to steal his thunder, or if Kurt isn’t able to do so, trouble could ensue. I would think it would be difficult for two members of a glee club to date. Obviously there are several couples in New Directions, but in each case there isn’t a competitive factor in their relationships. Mike knows that Tina sings better than he does. Finn still gets most of the male solos, but he knows that Rachel is the powerhouse singer, etc. But we all know how much Kurt had to fight for solos when he was in New Directions. Blaine seemed to be trying to help, but could his “pep talk” about fitting in and not trying to stand out also have been a calculated attempt to dissuade Kurt from future solo tryouts? In addition, while many of the comments I’ve read about Blaine reacting negatively to Kurt’s theatrics during his audition either saw the bit as humorous or Blaine trying to help Kurt, I took it quite differently. For me it was another example of Blaine and Dalton Academy attempting to change Kurt, to squash his personality, his individuality. I mean, of course Kurt was channeling Ava Peron (and Madonna!) during “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.” How would Blaine have felt if Kurt advised him not to make those faces during “Soul Sister?”

“Valerie”
Definitely better than “Time of My Life.” I’m glad Santana got a solo, and I thought she sounded great on the Amy Winehouse song, but for me the stars of the performance were Brittany and Mike and their fabulous dance routine. Wow! Overall I am so amazed by this cast. How do they maintain their energy for the hours (and hours!) it takes to shoot a scene like that? So impressive.

Kurt and Rachel
What a joy it is to watch their friendship develop. Rachel could not have been more right when she said to Kurt in the “Duets” episode: “You and I are a lot alike.” Of course Kurt was offended at the statement! They both exude such a compelling mix of confidence and vulnerability. In this episode Rachel toggled back and forth seamlessly between totally obnoxious and completely endearing. I thought “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” was a strange choice, but when I listened to the lyrics, they really fit nicely in both Rachel and Kurt’s storylines. I was annoyed when Rachel overpowered him on the end note, and then I laughed to myself and said, “Of course she did! She’s Rachel!”

I thought the scene in the lobby before the Warblers performance was spot on. Rachel and Kurt hugged each other, then looked away and giggled nervously. When Rachel said, “You were my only real competition,” and Kurt said, “That’s true,” I think they were both overlooking Mercedes. But again, that would be pretty in character for both of them.

Rachel reminding Kurt to smile during “Soul Sister,” then she and Mercedes urging the audience to give the Warblers a standing ovation was the heart of the episode. The look on Kurt’s face said it all. He was away from New Directions, but he wasn’t forgotten. His friends were still rooting for him, even though technically he was now the competition. What a huge step for Rachel that was!

gleekette