Glee Review: Saddest. Hour. Ever.
An episode of Glee does not have to be full of cheer in order to be full of quality, that's for sure.
But my goodness, "Home" made Dead Man Walking look like Happy Gilmore!
There were no numerous ballads, no big song and dance numbers, and no use of some of the show's most entertaining characters: Emma, Puck, Rachel and even Jesse.
Kristin Chenoweth returned as April and, trust me, you'll have difficulty finding a bigger fan of this adorable, talented actress than yours truly. However, this character was thrust into the spotlight after months away, featured in a whopping three numbers, none of which were especially uplifting.
It was a lot to handle.
In many ways, episodes of television shows are only allowed to have a set number of dramatic scenes. Otherwise, they begin to feel heavy-handed and overwrought. By the final tearjerking moment, viewers are often left numb.
This installment fell into that trap. There was Quinn bonding with Mercedes; Kurt complaining to his father; Finn pleading with his mom; Finn arriving a truce with Kurt's dad; Will and April sharing their loneliness with each other.
It was all too much for a single hour. Heck, Brittany and Sue were limited to just a couple hilarious quotes each!
Moreover, I adore Kurt and Chris Colfer's performance as this troubled teen. Yet this was the first time (I hesitate to say) I flat out didn't like a character on the show.
Kurt's dad has been nothing but supportive. The episode that featured these two most prominently, "Preggers," might be my all-time favorite. But what exactly was Kurt asking of his dad this week? To not be himself? To treat Kurt like someone different and special?
Burt Hummel's stance is simple and admirable: I love you, son, no matter who you are and what you do. I won't try to change you, please don't try to change me, and we'll be a regular father/son.
Isn't that what all kids want from their parents? I understand Kurt felt left out when his dad watched sports with Finn, but I took exception to Kurt actually making him feel guilty to his face.
Enough negativity, though! The episode featured a number of top-notch performances. I'm trying to decide if I liked "Home" or "Beautiful" more.
I also LOVE the fact that Sue's Down Syndrome friend is a recurring character on the show. That makes her more than a prop to make Sue seem more human. It's great that Sue treats her just like any other Cheerio, too.
As I outlined above with Kurt and his father, isn't this the goal of such a relationship? To just be treated like everyone else? Equality for all, says Sue Sylvester! Well, unless you're fat.
What did you think of the episode? Am I being too harsh? Or did you also yearn for at least one fun dance number? Check out a few quotes from "Home" below and sound off on it:
April: I haven't had a drink in 45 minutes. | permalink
Burt Hummel: I hate Duke like I hate the Nazis. | permalink
Sue: On assembly days, I arrange for the rest of the school to be fumigated, so the gym is the only place with clean air. | permalink
Santana: Weren't roller rinks outlawed in like 1981 for being totally lame? | permalink
April: I'm gonna go get myself a bikini wax. And I'll see you tomorrow. | permalink
April: Will Schuester?!? I just had a sex dream about you. | permalink
Brittany: I'm pretty sure my cat is reading my diary. | permalink
Sue: I will no longer be carrying around photo ID. Know why? People should know who I am. | permalink
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
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Rachel: You're so talented, Santana. You're like the most talented person I know, obviously with the exception of me and Kurt, but your voice, it's electric!
June 10th, 2010 4:05 PM
Those of you who hated this episode are missing the point entirely. This is a transitional state for these characters and transitions are rarely easy. The purity of Kurt's voice coupled with the brilliant staging of Will's and April's lonely lament showed the incredible depth this show can have. This is not just another "High School Musical" sitcom. This was ground breaking television and one of the best episodes in a somewhat disjointed second half of the season.
May 2nd, 2010 6:44 PM
I agree with the comment above, I am so glad that Becky is becoming a regular- its such a powerful move towards that inclusion of people with disibilities- Remember the person before the disability- The language we use is very important :) Say 'Sue's friend that has down syndrome'... as opposed to Sue's down syndrome friend"... just making people aware! Glee rocks!!!
April 30th, 2010 11:12 PM
I watched it.
Didn't like it.
Watched it again, cried.
Didn't like it.
Watched it 5 more times. Think it's one of the best yet.
Think of home.
Love you Glee. Always challenging us.
April 30th, 2010 11:30 AM
just to address the kurt issues - i think its always good to keep in mind that the characters are teenagers. ur right kurt is absolutely not being fair to his father. were you always fair to your parents when you were 16? we were all there once and we all had to wait till we got at least into our early 20s to realize what assholes we were when we were teens. we ofen self-centered, demanding, a little irrational. but thats no secret. i think "hate" is a strong word but i do think teenagers can be hard to put up with. his dad was honest with him and kurt just didnt get it. hes 16 tops. he has a lot to learn.
April 29th, 2010 11:26 PM
I completely disagree. Glee proves that it can be serious as well as silly and light-hearted. People who say they don't like the 'cliche' story lines just don't appreciate the seriousness and heavy impact that it has.
I think Chris Colfer is amazing, I seriously recommend his performance alone for Emmy consideration. Kurt Hummel is a delightful character, and seeing him so vulnerable makes my heart break right alongside with him.
I can totally understand why he would be jealous about not having the seemingly easy relationship Finn and his dad have, after spending a life time of wishing he could make his father proud of him, even if he is different to what his father expected of a son.
I knew Kurt had a great voice, angelic almost, but his version of 'A house is not a home' actually had me in tears. I cannot praise him enough, but that was so different to the usual show-tune chick flick songs you'd expect from him. I love the different range of emotions he can express, and when
April 29th, 2010 4:25 PM
Where was Emma? After all that happened with Will and Emma last week, I was looking forward to them really wanting to date, or just being cute together. But then... Emma never showed up! She wasn't even dancing at the assembly, as she does at every assembly, which didn't make me too happy even though Beautiful by Mercedes was gorgeous and gave me goose bumps. But after the April/Will duets (sooooo many....) i think that Will might be the one who needs some therapy. In the last few episodes he's had four different women on that couch! And he was upset over Terri when Kurt was singing, then again when he put her picture away, which you could probably take as a good sign but seriously. The best part of the episode was the promo for next week with the "Nobody's safe!!!" line
but as always Glee is fabulous
April 29th, 2010 1:30 PM
what happened to quinn and puck.. they are main characters right? they totally need more screentime..
April 29th, 2010 6:01 AM
i think what hurts Kurt the most is that Finn and hes dad can bond so easily while he has to tries so hard but doesn't get the same relationship.
p.s i loved this episode even though it was different to the usual happy go lucky episodes.
April 28th, 2010 6:41 PM
by the way, Finn was a total douch this week, I really tyre of trying liking him as a character
April 28th, 2010 6:38 PM
When I read that who loved Wheels was going to love this episode I was really excited, afterwards I saw the promo and I got skeptical. Then I saw the episode and was really disappointed.
I was so glad that mercedes was getting her first centric episode, but it was never really about her, her storyline was so rushed that we didnt get to know mercedes any better. Her rendition of Beautiful was still mesmerising to hear.
I love Chenoweth, but this wasnt the right episode for her to be in. Will's and April's performance in Will's house was so long it got annoying, 5 minutes!! How can they show half of Beautiful and a full-on five minutes of such a forgettable song? Still love April and her witty lines though.
Even though I would have prefered seeing an episode all about Mercedes, since Kurt already had one, he was the upside of the episode. From the ackwardness that was his first solo performance in months(we could totally relate to Finn's embarassment)to his jealousy towards the realti