Glee: The Breakup

Posted by: Mike Walkey  •  October 8, 2012 @ 7:40am

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

Three episodes in and I haven't felt Glee has been breaking much new ground this season. And you can hear me groan at the sight of Marley and Jake bonding at school about being poor at the beginning of this episode. But then things kicked into high gear.

After last episode's cliff hanger "Brodygate" scene, where Finn arrived at Rachel's apartment just after she and Brody shared a kiss, it was not surprising to see this week's episode was entitled "The Break Up". But to my surprise, and perhaps shock, Finchel was not the only couple that broke up this week! We actually had five, count em, five (!) this week, but more on those later.

GLEECAP

Tensions are running high the morning after "Brodygate"; aka Rachel and Brody sharing a kiss. Finn tells Rachel he was semi-honourably discharged from the army for shooting himself in the leg – which explains what the heck he was doing in NYC. His explanation for not calling Rachel? He was backpacking in Georgia. Finding himself for four months? And there's no phones in Georgia? Anyways, he's not as sweet on New York as Rachel is. Tagging along with Rachel to watch her at school doesn't help either. It just makes Finn feel more like an outsider.

Finn's not the only surprise visitor. After feeling lonely (and perhaps guilty?) Blaine shows up to surprise his fair maiden Kurt with an earlier than planned visit. So Finchel and Klaine decide to go on a double date to Callbacks a karaoke bar popular with NYADA hipsters.

Awesome, I thought. Here's a perfect opportunity for a Frody Sing-Off, just like I was predicting last week! But something else was cooking in Finn's head: he ends up talking Brody and Rachel into a duet together. What's his game? Maybe he wants to see if there's any chemistry between them since he doesn't actually know that they kissed. The duet was pretty steamy, but I didn't think they went overboard. But sure enough, after the song, Finn has his suspicions.

Whatever tension there was in the Finn-Rachel-Brody triangle was overshadowed by Blaine's performance of "Teenage Dream". What began as a heartfelt serenade to his lover, turned into an uneasy emotional plea. I was getting uncomfortable just watching it.

And so the long walk home. And two revelations came out: Rachel tells Finn about Brodygate, and Blaine tells Kurt he hooked up with a random. Ouch! That one came out of left field. Needless to say it was an awkward night. By that point the double date needed a break up song and the song of choice was No Doubt's "Don't Speak". A Pretty solid choice, if you ask me. And thus marked break ups number one and two of the episode.

Back in Lima, Will gets on the Blue Ribbon Panel and is headed to D.C. He and Emma get into a fight because he wants Emma to go with him and she refuses. At first it just seemed like an unresolved fight, but by the end of the episode it looked like Wemma was broken up. Break up number three! I don't know if there was a deleted scene we missed, but they were both on that stage with the rest of the break up singers.

If Will is off to Washington, it looks like Finn (?) could be his replacement. While visiting old friends and mending his broken heart at his old high school, Finn found time to conceive the New Directions' fall musical – Grease. Boy how original, Finn! Anyways, it wasn't stated in the episode, but as it turns out, Finn will be directing the upcoming production in Will's absence. Hopefully this new role for Finn will help him overcome this self defeating personality he's inherited. When Rachel made it official in the auditorium with a firm "We're done!" all Finn could counter with was how little he's got: no job, no girl, he's nothing! It looks like Finn needs Grease more than ever at this point.

Finchel's scene in the auditorium was a tough exodus, but at least they talked about it. The shot of Kurt throwing the card of Blaine's apology flowers into the waste basket looked like the final nail in the coffin for Klaine.

As for Brittana, they seemed to be the most civil in the episode, in a very mature and poignant scene in the choir room where they both agreed that it's not working between them.

For those of you counting at home, that was four break ups. I know, I said five. Did you forget about Jake and Kitty? So did I. But I guess they were technically break up number five, planting the seed for a potential Jake and Marley romance, if anyone actually cares at this moment!

Breakups may be an end to a relationship but it's also a beginning in a new direction (pun intended) for the parties involved. I'm looking forward to some new and interesting storylines to follow in the upcoming weeks. With Will off to Washington, Finn the new Schue, Rachel's NYADA escapades, Blaine's tenure as student body president, and Kurt's foray into the fashion world, it looks like healthy fresh starts for some of Glee's main characters.

Tags: Glee, Walkey Talk

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