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The "Glee" Comeback

Lindsay Berg |
February 22, 2011 | 7:10 p.m. PST

Staff Writer

Over the last two weeks, "Glee" has gone crazy.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Ever since "Glee" came back with its special episode after the Superbowl, plot twists have led Finn (Cory Monteith) to believe that he’s the coolest guy at

(Fox)
(Fox)
school, despite his mono, made Sue (Jane Lynch) and the football team fall in love with Glee club and left Quinn (Dianna Agron) without the Cheerios and a boyfriend.

And alhough tonight’s episode of "Glee," entitled “Blame It on the Alcohol” looks very promising, I think its important to take a look at the music from the last three weeks of the show, before "Glee" gets intoxicated.

The Sue Sylvester Shuffle:

The episode started out with an extravagant Cheerio performance to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls,” which should have been sung by someone. "Glee" has done a great job with Perry’s songs, and they could have had another hit (not to mention more revenue from iTunes) if they had one of the Cheerios sing the song. I know that “California Gurls” is not an ideal song to karaoke to, but if that was the case, another song could have taken its place. "Glee" is set in Ohio, after all.

It takes nine minutes for another song. That song is unfortunately “Need You Now.” If "Glee" wanted to sing this Lady Antebellum hit, they should have done so before it was played to death on the radio. Also, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Puck (Mark Sailing) should not have thought it would make them look cool in front of a team of football players. It didn’t.

Their version of the Zombie’s “She’s Not There” was worth the wait. Short and sweet, it was a fun way to incorporate the zombie makeup that the cast already had on. I love when the show gives people a chance to hear songs that they don't necessarily know.

“Bills, Bills, Bills”: need I say more? The Warblers were nowhere to be seen for the first half of the episode, but appear to sing this awesome Destiny’s Child hit. It was completely unexpected, the song choice is pretty random, but Blaine (Darren Criss) pulls the song off.

Before the football team came back together to win the championships, they also performed their own halftime show. I didn’t think that the show could pull off a “Thriller” cover, but I like how they mixed it with the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s “Heads with Roll.” It definitely helped break things up and give the classic song a modern twist. The one thing that I did not enjoy about this song was Finn’s version of the rap at the end.

Silly Love Songs:

Glee goes 10 minutes without a song, but the plot is good this week, so I don’t think that it needed one.

“Fat Bottomed Girls” was offensive to say the least, as Puck pines over another “lardy lady.” Still, the show acknowledges that Puck picked the wrong song, and its always fun to watch and hear Puck serenade someone while Santana goes crazy.  

Next comes Artie’s (Kevin McHale) version of “PYT” by Michael Jackson, as Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) dances in the background. This is a fun song, but even though McHale is one of the more talented singers on the show, the song is nowhere near the quality of the original. Still, I’ll take any opportunity to see Harry Shum Jr. dance.

The next song is my favorite of all three episodes. Although I had not heard the original of “When I Get You Alone,” Darren Criss and the rest of the Warblers do an excellent job with this version. Unfortunately, this scene is very awkward to watch because Blaine is very sure of himself as he serenades a potential Valentine at the Gap, unaware that his love is (clearly) unrequited.

Tina’s (Jenna Ushkowitz) version of “My Funny Valentine,” was just as awkward and not worth mentioning, other than to question why Mike Chang would date her.

Lea Michele helps us look at the T.V screen again, as she sing’s Katy Perry’s “Firework.” Although this isn’t my favorite cover she has done, and I’m certain it was no one’s favorite, she is incredibly talented, and this performance was no exception.

The show ends with Paul McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs,” hence the title. Although Criss does well with this song, I could think of nothing but Moulin Rouge! during the entire song. It’s a cute song, and a nice ending to the Valentine’s Day special. 

Comeback:

"Glee" got Bieber fever, and the hairstyles are not pretty.

It was nice to see Sam (Chord Overstreet) get a solo this episode. And although we haven’t heard him sing all that often, I think that “Baby” was a good song choice for him. He doesn’t seem to have an incredible voice, but it’s fairly smooth, and this performance goes without a hitch. His goofy dancing helps him out. 

The rest of the guys want in on the Bieber experience. The next song, “Somebody to Love” is just as fun as the previous, but Puck’s hair is distracting, if you’re watching the show as well as listening.

Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Rachel have a friendly diva-off, which Sue had planned to destroy the Glee club. Her plan backfires, as the cast of "Glee"  produces another respectable Broadway cover. Lea Michele singing Idina Menzel’s parts is almost as good as watching the two sing duets from last season, when Menzel guest starred. Amber Riley has been missing from the solo performances for a while, and it’s nice to see her make her “comeback.”

Sue and Will visit the hospital and sing “This Little Light of Mine” with some of the kids who are patients there. This is cute and worth a mention, although probably not a listen without the T.V.

Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink) makes her solo debut with the Waitresses’ “I Know What Boys Like.” Her version lacks the spirit of the original, and falls flat. It is equally as hard to watch this performance as it is to listen to it.

The show ends with “Sing” by My Chemical Romance. As the show itself says, this performance would not be good enough to win at the regional competition in New York. Rightfully so, it inspires Rachel to write her own original song for them to perform without the help of her fellow Glee-clubbers. I hope this song will be better than their interpretation of MCR.

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