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"Glee" Recap: "Mash Off"

Alexis Driggs |
November 16, 2011 | 1:33 a.m. PST

Staff Reporter

Mash-ups and mudslinging and dodgeball, oh my! Competition dominates the annual mash-up episode, doing what "Glee" does best by pushing controversial topics to a satirical extreme.

The episode opened with a Puck voiceover as he expressed his love for Shelby Corcoran, and quickly switched into the first and only non-mash-up performance of the episode. Finn, Mike, and Blaine sing backup in a dream sequence of Van Halen hit “Hot for Teacher,” channeling their inner 80’s rock gods. 

Puck easily adopts on a more serious attitude, though, when he expresses these feelings directly to Shelby, telling her outright that he loves her and wants to help take care of Beth. On the other hand, Quinn presses Puck to help her do more to get their baby back, but Puck’s allegiance now lies wholeheartedly with Shelby. He reveals Quinn’s plans to Shelby and apologizes for letting them go on as long as he did.

Shelby seems willing to forgive Puck, but confronts Quinn, telling her she doesn’t understand what it means to be a mother. Shelby tells Quinn she can no longer see Beth, and denies her request to join the Troubletones. 

(Photo courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company)
(Photo courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company)

Will and Shelby receive word that their glee clubs will be competing at sectionals, and in an attempt to promote friendly competition and prevent “World War Glee,” create the mash-off, in which each club will perform a mash-up of their choice. They present the competition with a mash-up of their own, combining Lady Gaga’s “You and I” with Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle’s “You and I,” stunning the members of both clubs. 

Kurt steps in to save Rory with an anti-violence attitude, and he’s not the only one who agrees Santana is taking things too far. Mercedes and the Troubletones confront her, making her agree to play fair. Of course, fair takes on a different meaning for Santana. She apologizes to Finn for her constant ridicule, but her sweet words quickly sour when she adds that she’s sorry New Directions will lose. In retaliation, Finn all-but outs her in the hallways, calling her a coward for hiding her sexuality. The kids are more than willing to play by the rules on-stage, but take matters into their own hands off-stage when Santana takes her insults one step too far. The clubs go up against each other with an old-fashioned problem solver: dodgeball. The match occurs to another mash-up, with New Directions singing Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and the Troubletone’s tackling Blondie’s “One Way or Another.” The number would be a fun, light-hearted one were it not for constant bombardment with red rubber balls, but Santana once again pushes things over the edge by influencing her fellow Troubletones to bombard Rory after they’ve already won. 

The first mash-off performance goes to New Directions, with a quirky combination of Hall and Oates classics “You Make My Dreams” and “I Can’t Go For That,” complete with costumes in ridiculous late 70’s styles, curly ‘fro wigs, and thick mustaches. 

Sue continues the outrageous mudslinging with a few commercials for her Congressional campaign, one declaring that opponent Burt Hummel has a baboon heart and another claiming he married a donkey. When Kurt confronts her about her hurtful messages that, strangely enough, most of Lima is content to believe, Sue gives Kurt a reality check about his own campaign for student body president: he is too nice and his cause is too boring. 

Rachel, another presidential candidate, asks Shelby to write a letter of recommendation for her NYADA application, and Shelby assures Rachel that she already has an impressive resume without being winning the presidency, leading Rachel makes a dramatic decision during the presidential debates. The other candidates have impossible platforms, such as Brittany’s promise to outlaw tornadoes at McKinley, save Kurt, who steps up to the microphone to talk about his new anti-bullying campaign. He vows to ban dodgeball, and reminds the school that violence is never okay. When it comes time for Rachel to give her speech, she withdraws from the race, commending Kurt for being the only candidate to never stoop to mudslinging and pledging to vote for her best friend,.

Unfortunately, Rachel’s message cannot transcend school elections and work its way into the congressional race. A third candidate got wind of Santana’s secret and created a nasty commercial of his own, much more offensive than any of Sue’s petty name-calling. Santana is called into Sue’s office, where the coach, Burt, and Will have put aside their differences to help her. The shocking commercial questions Sue’s morals because she knowingly promoted a lesbian to head cheerleader. Despite the adults’ support, Santana she admits that she still hasn’t told her parents and is not ready for everyone to find out.

The episode ends with the Troubletone’s mash-off performance, a mash-up of Adele’s “Rumor Has It” and “Someone Like You.” It is undoubtedly one of the best mash-ups in "Glee" history, and also notable for being the 300th performance on the show. But even without the merit of being such a monumental performance, this number is so emotionally charged, with Santana and Mercedes singing lead vocals, that it stands as one of the most memorable songs to date. 

Typical Santana, never willing to let sleeping dogs lie, heightens the drama in the final moments of the episode. After the song ends, she climbs off the stage to confront Finn, blaming him for the commercial, and slaps him as silence falls in the auditorium.

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