S05.E18: Back Up Plan

[truthaboutluv]

Personally I would think Kurt would be incapable of trusting Blaine based on the fact that he cheated on him but that's just me. Again, I am certainly not in any way suggesting that Kurt and Blaine's relationship is actually a GOOD one or hell that they should even be together. (Of course has there ever been a good relationship on this show - but I digress.) My comments were merely directed at this one particular scene and storyline and just stating how I read the situation.

 

I didn't see it as Blaine "trying to be a good guy", I didn't see it as putting the burden of truth or any particular burden onto Kurt and I didn't see it as more evidence of Blaine's massive immaturity. I saw it as Blaine was in an awkward position and rather than tell the truth, he chose the easy way out to avoid hurting his fiance's feelings. And obviously, as these things often go, it will eventually come back and bite him in the ass. But those were the only motivations I really saw and how I read the scene. Of course, ymmv. 

[caracas1914]

I wonder how Klainers feel when the show keeps on piling on why they (Klaine) shouldn't be engaged now and that maybe Kurt and Blaine should figure out first what they want in life.

Reminds me of Season 3 Finchell.

[MaiSoCalled]

I feel like the show explained Rachel's choices well enough that I could believe she would be so irresponsible. This isn't the first episode to point out that Rachel is too immature for the Broadway role that she has been given. I only hope that it leads somewhere beyond Rachel leaves Broadway for Hollywood.

 

That said, I have a sincere question - why was Santana going on in her place better than Kurt calling a bomb threat or something that would cancel the show? If the show was canceled, would anyone realize that Rachel wasn't in the state? Why didn't Santana lie and say that Rachel was sick/injured/tied up in the basement? Santana solved the immediate problem, the show was able to go on, but she didn't clean up Rachel's mess. Which, as an adult, I appreciate. But as a viewer, I have to question why they didn't try some sort of wacky scheme to cover for Rachel. 

[futurechemist]

Maybe someone more knowledgeable about show biz can answer this.

 

Is it normal for a TV producer to go to a Broadway musical, gush over the lead actress, invite her to LA to audition for a show without A) giving her the script or B) mentioning that instead of a musical TV show it's a sci-fi drama?  That seems like it was designed to mislead Rachel into thinking it'd be a good idea.  I doubt she would have skipped out on Funny Girl to audition for what she knew would be Firefly 2.

 

Clearly Rachel didn't learn her lesson because the moment another opportunity arose, she signaled that she'd be willing to sacrifice Funny Girl for it.

[Lillybee]

This episode reinforced why I have never liked Rachel. OK , she does have a great voice but to me that is all that shines about Rachel.

However, when her agent told her that she had a face for radio may have led her to dump FG for that stupid audition. Hasn't it been shown that Rachel is not the best actor.

[tom87]

The sitution behind and of Rachel's audition was suppose to be for comedy sake not any real take on realism.

 

You know like most of glee.  

 

Are we suppose to think a record producers could really record anything that sounded half way decent with a little radio and mic while walking through the building?   Or that a novice recorndig star would get to just add thier freinds to the album and be the one to present her with a contract?

 

Are we even suppose to believe  that they would dedicate a dance studio to June Dolloway only ot have 2 guys sing instead of dance?

[indeed]

I think Kurt did say at the beginning of the episode that there would be multiple performers, but for some reason, what we got was an announcer who basically said there would only be two...and not of the dancing variety. Not the first time, though, that they can't seem to keep things straight from one scene to another in the same script. And it would make too much sense to expect dancing to be featured in a dance studio. At least we were spared Kurt's idea of dancing (i.e., shimmy shoulders) for one performance.

Edited May 1, 2014 by indeed

[caracas1914]

Rachel on Broadway has had some good comedic moments.

However the comedy would work better if Rachel's Broadway SL didn't turn dramatic and 'serious' before she gets another prize. If the comedy was played throughout so that the other characters look with dismay at Rachel again having more good fortune despite her Diva attitude she could be at least be the character you love to hate. Intentionally.

The joke would be she doesn't learn and is progressively worse. It's hard to sustain that, grant you, but it at least would make current episodes more bearable since everything would be a farce. Think the Alec Baldwin character in 30 Rock.

Unlike Darren, Lea can play comedy so it would be a Broadway "Puppet Master" vibe but where the comedy was played by someone who actually knows about timing. ( I thought Rachel's diva fit in "Opening Night" at the loft cutting Sam's guitar strings, dismantling Kurt's ' Babs' letter was hilarious)

Unfortunately the mood shifts from comedy to angst and the end of her episodes we are suppose to take at face value Rachel's "struggles" and eventual triumph.

[aradia22]

OK, thank you, guys. I thought I was going insane. Rachel has been talking about being a Broadway star for forever. In the five seasons of this show, I do not remember her mentioning TV or movies until this moment. Are we making this into season 3 of Smash? Because I can't. I CAN'T.

 

That said, I do like the brief dose of "reality" injected into this episode with Rachel having a face for radio and Mercedes not having a single for her album. They're trying. Kind of.

[indeed]

I just remember Rachel being quite unwilling to go to LA (when Finn suggested it in S3). Her future was in NYC and on Broadway. But now that she thinks she's conquered it...all bets are off.

Not that I needed Sam, but I don't think Mercedes even mentioned him, and as much screen time as Samcedes has been getting lately, it seemed weird he wasn't there at all.

Edited May 2, 2014 by indeed

[jaytee1812]

I just remember Rachel being quite unwilling to go to LA. Her future was in NYC and on Broadway. But now that she thinks she's conquered it...all bets are off.

 

I would've thought performing the same show night after night was what she dreamed of. This was a kid who knew exactly what the theatre world entailed. (unlike the writers of Glee).

[romantic idiot]

The writing for Rachel is making her increasingly unsympathetic and unlikeable. I just don't understand the thinking behind it. I love her, and I'm still rooting for her to have some sort of comeuppance. Richly deserved at this point.

I agree. I love her, but she's very quickly heading into Alicia Florrick territory for me. The only reason she's not there yet is because 19 year old vs 40 year old mother of 2 teenagers.

 

 

OK, thank you, guys. I thought I was going insane. Rachel has been talking about being a Broadway star for forever. In the five seasons of this show, I do not remember her mentioning TV or movies until this moment. Are we making this into season 3 of Smash? Because I can't. I CAN'T.

Seriously - Ryan Murphy does realise that Smash (deservedly, IMO) failed spectacularly, right? Why is in competition to create the besets Karen Cartwright ever?

I would've thought performing the same show night after night was what she dreamed of. This was a kid who knew exactly what the theatre world entailed. (unlike the writers of Glee).

On the other hand she'd never heard of NYADA and didn't know Cats had closed. That girl has never been able to research.

And finally, I'd like to conclude by saying that it should be obvious to all the Rachel Berry failed that TV audition, obviously because she didn't take Jesse's notes to heart.

[aradia22]

You know now that I finally sat down to watch the whole episode, it wasn't so bad. There are horrible episodes and spectacular episodes and this just fell somewhere in the middle. Yes, Rachel running off to L.A. and lying was frustrating. But I enjoyed her two songs this week and Piece of My Heart was fun if not terribly well sung. The end of the episode had a lightness that I feel like episodes have been missing lately. It was kind of cheap for Rachel to get a development deal but it left me feeling happy (partially because it means Jim Rash might come back). Mercedes was kind of ridiculous this week. You can't in one breath talk about how difficult it is to be a successful recording artist and then keep making demands. Like, all the time. Like, worse than Rachel. I'm glad there was no drama with Santana taking over as Fanny for one night. That speech from Sydney was great. As frustrating as it was for Rachel to go L.A., I think it was worth it to have some real conflict for once. I liked that it was resolved with him saying that he tried to fire her and he hadn't just forgiven her. Also, I did laugh at the audition in L.A. 

 

I'm guessing next week has something to do with Broadway Barks?

[CleoCaesar]

it was resolved with him saying that he tried to fire her

 

I liked the scene with Sidney but I wonder how smart of a move firing his star would have been. The one who is (apparently) a breakout star and getting rave reviews.

 

I haven't watched any of the post-season 2 episodes up until "Frenemies" so I don't know how Rachel usually acted on set, but it seems like Sidney thinks highly of her. Firing his lead over one transgression (albeit a big one) a month into the show's run just seems like an overreaction to me.

[Higgs]

Rachel was NOT depicted as being bored with FG. She was shown to have been spooked by a vision of the future in which she would BECOME bored and be very limited in her opportunities for artistic growth

I beg to differ, the whole point of the number "Wake me Up" was to convey the numbness of Rachel doing the same thing over and over and over again.

The latter quote is a complete misrepresentation of Rachel's fundamental attitude. The episode begins with Rachel being not merely happy, but ecstatic, with FG. It's only AFTER her agent paints a picture of her future as a NEVER ENDING nightmare of nothing but Fanny that she sings "Wake Me Up" in response.

Rachel auditions for a role that, completely unbeknownst to her, normally demands a non-singing statuesque sexpot. The development deal, based on her life, couldn't be more different or unrelated, and with the screenwriter coming to meet her in NYC and the usual lead time to production, need not interfere in any way whatsoever in her carrying out her contractual obligations to FG.

The underlying message Rachel conveyed to Finn was that she did not think she would be acceptable in Hollywood. ("Broadway is where people go to do work, Hollywood is where people go to have work done", suggests primarily a lack of confidence in her ability to compete in a place where conventional physical beauty dominates, and where LuPone, and virtually every other Broadway belting babe, would have gone in a heartbeat if, like Chenoweth or Foster, they had a face and acting skills that could survive close-ups, or anyone had merely asked.) Now that Hollywood has come calling, and having watched the leading ladies of "Parks and Rec", "New Girl", "Big Bang Theory", and "Glee", Rachel figures why not her. Why not, indeed, for what performing artist has ever refused an invitation that provided the possibility of orders of magnitude greater audiences and wealth. And, given the current propensity for Broadway producers to give leading roles to movie/TV stars, no matter how unsuitable, the shortest path from Fanny to her next musical triumph in NYC might well run through LA.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Higgs

[aradia22]

 

Why not, indeed, for what performing artist has ever refused an invitation that provided the possibility of orders of magnitude greater audiences and wealth. And, given the current propensity for Broadway producers to give leading roles to movie/TV stars, no matter how unsuitable, the shortest path from Fanny to her next musical triumph in NYC might well run through LA.

YUP. I say that as someone who watched The Playboy Club (Laura Benanti), Go On (Laura Benanti), Smash (Megan Hilty/Jeremy Jordan), Pushing Daisies (Kristin Chenoweth), The New Normal (Andrew Rannells) and a ton of other shows I probably shouldn't have watched initially to support the Broadway talent involved. But I couldn't get into Bunheads (Sutton Foster) after the first episode

killed off Cameron

. The lure of TV and film is very strong for those reasons. It's debatable whether the shooting schedule of a TV show/movie is less strenuous than starring in a Broadway show. And while you're gambling on the success of a TV show, a lot of actors talk about the job security it affords. I'm not so sure about the second statement. I mean, yeah, Michelle Williams in Cabaret but I don't think Sutton got Violet or Audra got Lady Day from being on Bunheads and Private Practice.

[camussie]

I might understand Rachel being all hot and bothered for a TV role and feeling trapped in and bored by "Funny Girl" if it had been running for more than a month.  But it hadn't even been a month since opening night.  Her wanting to focus on the next big opportunity at the expense of this opportunity just makes her look like a unprofessional little child.   She rightfully got dressed down for that behavior, but like with what Carmen said to her, she now she has the choice to ignore it because she has her development deal and doesn't need her job on "Funny Girl" to keep working.  

[jaytee1812]

I might understand Rachel being all hot and bothered for a TV role and feeling trapped in and bored by "Funny Girl" if it had been running for more than a month.  But it hadn't even been a month since opening night.  Her wanting to focus on the next big opportunity at the expense of this opportunity just makes her look like a unprofessional little child.   She rightfully got dressed down for that behavior, but like with what Carmen said to her, she now she has the choice to ignore it because she has her development deal and doesn't need her job on "Funny Girl" to keep working.  

 

I was just thinking the same thing. 

 

I don't understand why they didn't have Funny Girl open around the time of the Katy/Gaga ep. Being bored of it by know might actually come over as a decent plot point. Though granted, these writers haven't met a decent plot point they like since about halfway through season 3.

[caracas1914]

It's only AFTER her agent paints a picture of her future as a NEVER ENDING nightmare of nothing but Fanny that she sings "Wake Me Up" in response.

 

Doesn't negate she had been playing the role on Broadways since the opening  for less than a month.  IF someone saying she is going to be playing the role for 10 to 15 years to see her already terrified of that prospect would not only make Patti Lupone beat Rachel senseless as if she was Andrew LLoyd Webber but Bernadette Peters would tar and feather her for good measure.

 

Rachel would be basking her BW success, if that was truly her dream.   Wanting to move forward after laughably one month shows the writers wrote themselves into a corner and as usual, were lazy as shit in getting out of it.