Journey
Season 1, Episode 22
Ok. Now that I've had a good few hours to process what I just saw, I feel I can say with certainty that this was an amazing episode. Yes! It's up there with the best. And after the disappointment that was Funk, this was just.. fantastic! I couldn't have asked for more, really.
This episode single-handedly turned me into an emotional wreck. Seriously. That beginning scene with all the kids in Will Shuester's apartment surprisingly got me, especially Tina's quote about her number of Facebook friends.
The flashback to the day Puck and Quinn slept together was good to finally see. I think most of us were curious about exactly what happened. And it's like I thought - Quinn was feeling horribly insecure about herself, and Puck took advantage of the situation. Yes, he does care about her, but he had to get her somewhat drunk to get her to go along with it. She did give consent, but it wasn't entirely consensual.
Oh, and it was great to see Quinn's mom again after their performance, although it just didn't sound right that she kicked Russell out for infidelity but not for her own daughter. Oh well, better late than never, I guess?
As for the Shelby storyline, I'm honestly on the fence about it. Part of me was glad that she adopted Beth because hopefully that means we'll be seeing more of Idina next season and Quinn can have some interaction with her daughter. However, the other part of me was kind of upset. Seriously. Shelby pretty much just pushed Rachel aside and swooped in on Beth as soon as she had the chance. That has got to hurt a lot for Rachel, especially after she tried to let Shelby in twice. I just hope they form more of a mother/daughter relationship next season.
Now, the FINALE music was probably the best part of this episode. New Direction's Journey medley was phenomenal. I've never been a Journey fan, in fact, I always thought they were kind of cheesy - you know, typical corporate rock - but this cast managed to give me goosebumps when they performed their songs.
To Sir With Love was heartbreaking and this was the part where I almost cried like a girl. Haha. Yes, I'm not going to lie, this performance got me pretty emotional. I also loved that in this number, we saw how Sue got emotional watching the kids sing to Will. Frankly, that could have come across so corny if not played with such great emotion, but they pulled it quite nicely. I thought Jane Lynche just captured the "bully with a heart" thing so well.
Somewhere Over The Rainbow was also touching and sweet, but the Vocal Adrenaline's Bohemian Rhapsody intercut with Quinn giving birth was definitely the best thing the show has ever done. I'm serious. I mean, putting together the song and Quinn's screams was absolutely genius! I found the camera work to be amazing by the switching of points of view and the arrangement of the song in time with the birth was quite good too. I love Dianna's impeccable acting and Puck's face just made me laugh. And while the cover on its own failed to capture the intensity and passion of Freddie Mercury - good attempt though - the scene sequence was done so masterfully! Nothing short of brilliant!
And one last thing: New Direction not winning Regionals didn't surprise me at all - spoilers or no spoilers. Heck, I was even more surprised that it wasn't Sue who brought them down. Haha. But while I seriously adored New Direction's performance, I really think that Vocal Adrenaline deserved their win. They were excellent. If New Direction ever hopes to top them, they're going to have to work much harder on their choreography, because that's where Vocal Adrenaline reigns supreme. Sure, my favorite glee club has them beat vocally, but in the dance department, there's no contest. Vocal Adrenaline has so much going on. They may be soulless automatons, but they know how to entertain an audience and win over the judges. But, what do I know right? Haha.
Needless to say, I'm really excited for the next season, err, sometime this September. Are Rachel and Finn going to finally be together? Are Will and Emma going to somehow get together? Where is Quinn going to live? Will she move back home with her mom or stay with Mercedes? Is she going to give Puck another chance?
Sigh. Glee is like no other. No other show can make me laugh, sing, dance, and cry at the same time! A brilliant, crazy show. Until September, I guess.
