S05.E19: Old Dog New Tricks

[ElectricBoogaloo]

In an episode written by series star Chris Colfer, Rachel attempts to salvage her reputation among Broadway gossipers by hiring Santana as her publicist and creating a charity for rescue animals. Meanwhile, Kurt (Colfer) nabs the lead role in a retirement home production of “Peter Pan”.

 

[BizBuzz]

I seriously think the Chris should write all the remaining episodes. I absolutely loved it!

It was so old school Glee!

[madhacker]

I'm going to be first and say that Ryan and Brad should expand Chris's job to part time writer of Glee. He did a very good job, he gave some depth to the characters and ever remembered their history (Sam being homeless for example).

 

And he actually picked songs that fit......

 

As for the finale preview....WTF? Blaine cheats on Kurt again? It's bad enough, it's a girl, but Brittany?  If the season ends with both Klaine and Brittana broken up the fans will be out for blood.....

[camussie]

Decent but nothing spectacular.  Seemed repetitive of about every episode this season especially Rachel's story and really especially in regards to her and Kurt's dynamic.  She was insensitive to him.  Kurt remained above it all.  She ended up making a gesture to show her remorse.  Gee how original.

 

Since Chris specifically said:

"Rachel's been such a main focus of the show for a very long time and I didn't want to give her anything that would come across as repetitive or that would make the character unlikeable or overly compassionate,

 

 

I would say fell short of that goal.

 

Also pretty repetitive in the Mercedes/Sam dynamic (with him being the screw-up that had to make it up to her), even as showed some gravitas, for the first time in a while, when he was talking to Mercedes after he trained the dog.  It was nice to see a more mature version of Sam.

 

The one new thing was Kurt getting a chance to shine which was a nice change of pace   I just wouldn't say it means Chris should take over the writing for the show because I certainly didn't see the episode as miles ahead in quality.

 

And he actually picked songs that fit......

 

 

The songs did fit this week but credit goes to all of the staff as well as Chris as he only picked Kurt's songs.  I especially thought "Werewolves of London" was well chosen so whoever thought of that in the writing room, kudos.  

 

Edited to add - the one time Kurt really really annoyed me was bringing up the dead mother card with Maggie's daughter.   I really loathe it when Kurt gets all self righteous and martyr-y like that.  Just because he lost his mother it does not give him the right to guilt another person into accepting theirs.   I loathe even more how they have character's respond to that version of Kurt - by having them see the light due to his words of wisdom.  The whole thing was cliche and hamhanded that I wish it would have ended up with the daughter not showing up.

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[CleoCaesar]

I had the episode mostly on mute because it just felt so boring and pointless. And it had Chris Colfer singing, which I always mute.

 

I think the promo monkeys are screwing with us re: Blaine and Brittany, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

[caracas1914]

" I really loathe it when Kurt gets all self righteous and martyr-y like that. "

Please, everybody on Glee lectures everyone else, so fucking tired that only the Kurt character is labeled or called self righteous. Artie schooled Rachel and Rachel schooled Jane in the last few episodes among others and yet they are not self righteous, whatever.

Chris picked 3 out of the 5 songs (including TMHT) so not too shabby.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[CleoCaesar]

Edited to add - the one time Kurt really really annoyed me was bringing up the dead mother card with Maggie's daughter.   I really loathe it when Kurt gets all self righteous and martyr-y like that.

 

Kurt always has to be at least one of two things: Martyred, Noble Victim/Hero or Wise Friend Who Will Teach Someone [usually Rachel] Important Lessons.

[caracas1914]

Since Rachel was a bitch this episode wasn't that much of a leap.

[susannot]

The songs did fit this week but credit goes to all of the staff as well as Chris as he only picked Kurt's songs.  I especially thought "Werewolves of London" was well chosen so whoever thought of that in the writing room, kudos.

 

I liked it.  "Werewolves of London" was great.  I was amazed that anyone younger than 50 or 60 remembered that song.  Kurt's interaction with the old people was sweet, and brought tears to my eyes.

[camussie]

Please, everybody on Glee lectures everyone else, so fucking tired that only the Kurt character is labeled or called self righteous.

 

 

The writers, including now Chris, tend to portray his lectures as coming from a place of look at how much he has suffered therefore his words of wisdom borne from pain and suffering should be heeded.  

 

Santana's lecturing is also repetitive in the way they write it - as they generally have it come from a Santana is the "tough love" girl and therefore she is a truthteller.  I criticized that repetitive trope last week.

 

If Chris hadn't included the dead mother card in Kurt's intervention this latest scene all wise Kurt wouldn't have annoyed so.   What really would have saved that whole thing, for me, was if his intervention didn't make one bit of difference and the episode ended on Maggie still not having reconciled with her daughter but having made a new friend in Kurt.  Still heartwarming but also bittersweet.

 

I found myself really, really bored tonight. It's seriously the same thing every damn week with this show. Rachel is mean and shrill and diva-like, one of her friends will pull her back from the edge. Ugh. This show really has become the Rachel Berry and friends show I feared it would be.

 

 

Some of it was repetitive, especially in Rachel's story.  The writing for Sam was better than it had been in a long long time.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[charlieboo]

So, what? They ran out of human causes-of-the-week to lecture us about and are now turning to animal causes?  Oh, and of course, old people.

 

The only thing they didn't hit us over the head with was an old gay dog.  Because dogs are people too.

Edited May 7, 2014 by charlieboo

[Myrna123]

If Chris hadn't included the dead mother card in Kurt's intervention this latest scene all wise Kurt wouldn't have annoyed so.

Right--because the best way to connect with someone who's estranged from their mother is to tell them about that one time you lost your goldfish.

 

I get that it was a cliched and easy story.  Colfer probably just wanted to act on screen with June Squibb and he had to write some kind of words around that.  I don't begrudge him, but then, I like Colfer and Kurt a lot, so he generally gets the most generous benefit of the doubt possible from me.  What some people see as self-righteous preaching, I see as caring.  I think he was the feminine, nurturing energy in his household after his mom died (and up until his dad married Carol) and that's how he reacts to people he knows in various situations.

 

But then again, when so many viewers call him Saint Gay or whatever, I tend to think Kurt is just behaving in a basic, decent kind of way that virtually every real person I know would behave, so I'm always a bit perplexed that what I tend to see as just sort of baseline, acceptable human behavior is perceived by some as blatant unrealistic saintliness.

[camussie]

Right--because the best way to connect with someone who's estranged from their mother is to tell them about that one time you lost your goldfish.

 

 

How about he stay out of it entirely or if he felt he had to intervene he bring up how full of life her mom is?  Bringing up the dead mother was essentially say to Maggie's daughter yeah she may have been a crap mother but be grateful you have her because you could have been like poor poor me whose mother died when he was a young child.   You should really listen to me because, unlike you, I know what real pain is when it comes to mothers. Still, even more annoying than Kurt playing the dead mother card, was Maggie's daughter falling for that particular guilt trip.  

 

But then again, when so many viewers call him Saint Gay or whatever, I tend to think Kurt is just behaving in a basic, decent kind of way that virtually every real person I know would behave, so I'm always a bit perplexed that what I tend to see as just sort of baseline, acceptable human behavior is perceived by some as blatant unrealistic saintliness. 

 

 

Because his "decentness" and help is often written as coming from a place of this guy knows real pain so the other characters would be wise to heed his words.   There is also the very repetitive dynamic in his interpersonal relationships - where his friends and loved ones are the screw-ups in their interactions with him while he rarely wrongs them.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[heyerchick]

Considering this was Chris's first ever episodic TV script, and this is Glee, I think he did well. I found the episode to be warm and funny, both fun and touching. His characterisation was good, especially for Sam. I understood he wanted to be respectful of the writers and their creations, I  thought he was generous to his castmates, and what he came up with certainly had more awareness of character and continuity than most episodes we've seen for the past few seasons. I found the Sam/Mercedes relationship to be the best written it has been, it made a change for the girls to be helping each other instead of tearing each other down, and it was wonderful to see Kurt happy. I really enjoyed the episode, and I think that, as with his novel writing, Chris will only improve. A solid first effort.

[Myrna123]

Because his "decentness" and help is often written as coming from a place of this guy knows real pain so the other characters would be wise to heed his words. There is also the very repetitive dynamic in his interpersonal relationships - where his friends and loved ones are the screw-ups in their interactions with him while he rarely wrongs them.

But he does know real pain--it's not like he's faking that his mom died. And in the context of high school that's probably one of the more tragic experiences a child might face and fear. There's a reason virtually every Disney cartoon kills off mommy in the first few minutes.

I don't find Kurt lacking because he rarely wrongs his friends and loved ones. Pretty much everyone I know goes through most of their entire lives not wronging other people. I don't see that as a character flaw.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Myrna123

[heyerchick]

I wish I went through life filled with glitteringly original philosophical truth bombs to drop on people at the slightest provocation, but I'm with probably 99% of humanity in being mostly boring and cliche-ridden in trying to find some sort of common ground when difficult life shit comes up. Yes, it's obvious for Kurt to make that callback to his mother in a conversation with Maggie's daughter, but it's also real. I think it's just what we do. We fall back to what we know.

 

I think I would have preferred Maggie's daughter to not turn up either - but that's not really how Glee works. And this was very definitely an episode of Glee. I think Chris tried hard to be respectful not just to his castmates and their characters but to the writers room. I think for an episode of what is most often a live action cartoon, this had more authentic moments than most.

 

If this was Santana's send-off, it was a good one. She kicked ass from start to finish.

[camussie]

I don't find Kurt lacking because he rarely wrongs his friends and loved ones. Pretty much everyone I know goes through most of their entire lives not wronging other people. I don't see that as a character flaw.

 

 

I would say in most healthy relationships it is a fairly even split between who screws up or does someone "wrong."  It can be as small of a wrong as being insensitive to how busy someone is or not realizing that something is important to someone else.  One of the problem with the writing for Kurt is he is very rarely written as the insensitive or wrong one.  It is always his friends or family who are insensitive or do something wrong in their interactions with him.  It would be nice to see that switched up every now and again but RM and team seem intent on keeping the character above such things as insensitivity to loved ones, selfishness, etc.  

 

It is repetitive and boring.  Similarly I feel one of the problems for the writing for Santana is she can say and do heinous things and her friends just forgive her because she is just keeping it real.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[tom87]

 

 

Just like one of the problems for the writing for Santana is she can say and do heinous things and her friends just forgive her because that is just Santana being Santana.  

But Rachel  just being Rachel is always wrong.

[heyerchick]

Actually, I think Rachel did pretty well this episode. She didn't get the nudge to 'do the right thing' from one of her friends, she made her own mind up after that run-in over the photogenic three-legged dog. Her giving credit to Kurt and Santana for the part they played in the Broadway Bitches adoption party was entirely unprompted.

 

One of my favourite moments from the episode was Rachel's impassioned announcement that SHE had always been her cause, and Kurt's aside "Inside voice, honey." Made me laugh out loud.

Edited May 7, 2014 by heyerchick

[camussie]

I wouldn't say that.  For at least two years has not been wrong when it comes to those she clashes with professionally.  

• Cassandra, who was I think was right about her suck dancing, was to clearly be ignored because she was borderline crazy.  On top of that Rachel proved, with her showcase win, all she needed was her voice.  And the whole relationship ended with Cassandra singing her praises.
• Carmen has proved to be wrong about Rachel leaving NYADA the way she did
• Rachel was proved to be right in her professional feud with Santana

 

Where Rachel is almost always wrong is in her interactions with Kurt, but then again so is everyone.  

 

She didn't get the nudge to 'do the right thing' from one of her friends, she made her own mind up after that run-in over the photogenic three-legged dog.

 

 

No.  It just took some stranger point out how shallow she was being. To me that was the only difference than the story she had in "New New York" with Artie where she gave up the car to show her friendship.  I actually think her story in this episode was almost an exact replica of her story in that episode.  Substitute redheaded woman with Artie and substitute her giving Kurt/Santana credit with her giving up her car to take public transportation with her friends and you have the same story.  Rachel is self involved.  Rachel learns a valuable lesson about being more sensitive.  Rachel demonstrates what she learned through some heartwarming moment with her friends.  

 

Another comparison is "Bash" which had a similar set up.  Rachel did Kurt wrong.  Some event/person intervened showing her how shallow she is being resulting in either a straight apology or some sort of action to make up for her selfishness.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[tom87]

I wouldn't say that.  For at least two years has not been wrong when it comes to those she clashes with professionally.

Where Rachel is almost always wrong is in her interactions with Kurt, but then again so is everyone.

 

Sorry I meant wrong like it is wrong for Rachel to be who Rachel is but Santana gets a pass casue that is just how Santana is, Rachel does not get that same pass.

Actually, I think Rachel did pretty well this episode. She didn't get the nudge to 'do the right thing' from one of her friends, she made her own mind up after that run-in over the photogenic three-legged dog. Her giving credit to Kurt and Santana for the part they played in the Broadway Bitches adoption party was entirely unprompted.

 

One of my favourite moments from the episode was Rachel's impassioned announcement that SHE had always been her cause, and Kurt's aside "Inside voice, honey." Made me laugh out loud.

But was it nesscary yet again?     It is just old.   I guess I was hoping new eyes from a different writer would have come up with something different for Rachel.

 

At this point unless she gives up a lung to Kurt some fans won't be satisfied so why keep digging the hole deeper.

Edited May 7, 2014 by tom87

[caracas1914]

Actually Kurt was wrong in his dealings with Elliot assuming he was out to sabotage him and even had to apologize.

As far as Rachel and Blaine, well yeah, they're usually the fuck- ups when in dynamics with Kurt, but it could just be because , well, because they are major fuck-ups with him.

It's hard to expect them to win the prizes and acclaim all the time and be right , still I wouldn't mind Kurt being a major asshole if he got an actual storyline on Glee and won something.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[SourK]

My relationship with Glee at this point is two parts hate-watch, one part hoping to see a good musical number. That said, I found this worse than usual, and Kurt telling that random woman that she had to forgive her mother and butting into their relationship ranks right up there with Mercedes telling Kurt he had to go to church, or everyone telling Quinn she couldn't smoke under the bleachers, in terms of me giving fictional characters the finger.

[caracas1914]

That has to be the most unhygienic restaurant ever: people dancing on the counters and being puppy central.

[heyerchick]

I would say that this was a solid episode in keeping with the broader series, and one I found enjoyable. I could wish Chris had gone a little more off piste, particularly on the Rachel storyline, but his real anxiety to be respectful to the writers and their creations overruled. The actual Kurt storyline was pure wish fulfillment. Chris expressed some of the frustrations he apparently shares with many Kurtsies, which naturally struck a chord with me, but some of his expressions of those frustrations were a little 'writerly.'  We don't, as a rule, speak the way we write. Glee veers between brutal PSA and schmaltzy sentiment, and while I agree with others that I would have much preferred more shading and a bittersweet, ambiguous ending to the Maggie-Claire storyline, I can also see that Chris wanted to celebrate and present something hopeful. He's a total novice at writing episodic television: he did some things well - characterisation (Chord Overstreet in particular should send him a fruit basket), continuity, humour, finding a reason to have a song and consciously equipping the performers with guitars and sheet music (which made me laugh). I think Chris's own naivete and lack of certain life experiences, as well as his being a rookie TV writer, showed in some of the choices he made for Kurt and the old people, but Chris works hard at his craft, be it acting or singing or writing, and I look forward to seeing future episodes by him. It's been a long time since an episode of Glee left me with a smile on my face, which this one did.

Edited May 7, 2014 by heyerchick

[coolbeans3131]

 

God. The season finale looks terrible. Like last season's finale was pretty terrible. But the way they are trying to get viewers is a tease of a Blaine/Brittany hook up? Yeah, no.  Whatever it is, real or not, whatever it just seems like a wrong one to go to try and get people to watch. 

I agree. Why would they show that in the preview? Who is the audience that is so excited to see that? Brittany fans? Blaine fans? GA? I doubt it.

[ShadowDenizen]

Mixed feelings about this episode.

 

It was better than almost all of the season to date, so "Kudos" to CC for that.  The dialogue was fair to good (I agree that Chord Overstreet owes CCC big-time!!), and it's nice that prior elements of the show (Kutrt's mom, Sam's homelessnes, etc.) were remebered and called upon.  And Chris' love for both old-folks and dogs was absolutely front-and-center, and I appreciated that.  And (more comments in the spoiler thread) I enjoyed reading his thoughts on the episode, and teh arc of Kurt in general.

 

The bad? It was a little (Well, OK, more than a little) heavy-handed. The scenes between Blaine and Kurt were tolerable (while I like both Chris and Darren in their respecitve roles, I"m no longer convinced they should be togehter), and the episode managed to cover many old hoary television cliches. (I might have also hoped for a more ambigous ending with mother + daughter, but I guess the intent was for an upbeat episode more than a realistic one.)   I know CC coudn'y drastically change the lay of the land, but a little more progression would have been nce; no-one really experienced anything new or really grew in the course of the ep. (Of course, this is Glee, so I shouldn't expect miracles.)

 

And? Granted, I'm biased, but seeing the whole cast dancing with puppies? Even my cold, Grinch-like heart melted a little. And they really seemed to enjoy it, for the most part (the cast, anyway, not necessarily the puppies.) 

 

And even after 4 seasons, I still do think (YMMV may vary of course), that Darren Criss oozes charisma; even as his character gets butchered consistently, DC alwasy seems positive and upbeat in any press items I see/hear. (And I've said it before, but IMO, having seen him perform live, the small screen really doesn't do him justice or capture his infectious enthusiasm for whatever he does.)

Edited May 7, 2014 by ShadowDenizen

[Jessie monster]

For someone that hasn't been to college/spent a large amount of time in the writers room, I thought Colfer did a decent job. The best characterisation of Sam in forever, he got to be a goof and have some depth, both of which played well.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Jessie monster

[heyerchick]

I'll say this for Chris's writing of Sam: Chord Overstreet was engaged throughout, which stood out in comparison to his sleepwalking through his scenes in the most recent episodes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

the one time Kurt really really annoyed me was bringing up the dead mother card with Maggie's daughter.   I really loathe it when Kurt gets all self righteous and martyr-y like that.  Just because he lost his mother it does not give him the right to guilt another person into accepting theirs.

This is a pet peeve of mine on tv and in real life. No one has the right to tell you how your relationship with anyone should be. If you have a crappy parent/sibling/friend who you choose not to have a relationship with anymore for whatever reason, that's your choice. You are not obligated to have a relationship with anyone ever, and you especially aren't obligated to have a relationship with someone just because someone else tells you that you should. You can't help who you're related to but you can choose to surround yourself with healthy relationships and you can choose not to continue having someone in your life who has treated you badly.

 

Sam is an idiot. First of all, the dog tore apart the house because Sam was not watching him. You don't bring home a rescue dog and just let him wander all over the house unsupervised, ripping apart everything in sight. It is your responsibility as a dog owner to get the dog adjusted to his new environment. That doesn't mean you bring home the dog and then plop yourself in front of the tv to play video games while completely ignoring what the dog is doing. Secondly, getting a dog to walk on a leash is not the same as training him not to chew everything in the house. Lots of dogs will follow along if they're on leashes. That doesn't mean the dog is instantly obedient at home.

 

Fine, Sam was very responsible with his siblings when they were homeless, but has he shown himself to be responsible since he moved to New York? He didn't pay the gas bill, he didn't take out the recycling, he brought home a dog after Mercedes said no (which is not cool even if you are just roommates, not boyfriend/girlfriend - you are bringing an animal into your living situation so everyone who lives there needs to be okay with it). He has been acting like an irresponsible teenager in New York, so it's not surprise that Mercedes doesn't want to subject a dog to that.

 

Mercedes isn't being mean. She's being realistic. Sam already can't handle doing simple tasks like taking the recycling from the kitchen to the curb, so how can she trust him to walk and feed a dog at least twice a day? And if he doesn't, that means she will be the one who ends up doing it which isn't fair to her. She also brought up a very valid point - if she is out on tour and Sam is busy with work or even sent out of town to model, who is going to take care of the dog?

 

Best part of the episode: PUPPIES! Singing and dancing with puppies! I also loved the use of "Memory" and the headshots of the actors when they were younger.

Edited May 7, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[marcee]

So sick of Rachel "learning" the same lessons OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER again... and never actually LEARNING anything.

[caracas1914]

Santana as a publicist has so much potential. 

 

Her attempts to "redeem" Rachel were hilarious.

 

Alas.

 

Farwell Naya and fly  free!

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[RemoteControlFreak]

What an awful episode, even by Glee standards.  Old people are a cliche combination of cute and stupid. Kurt is a saint. Rachel is a shrew.

 

And is it just me or is Amber Riley becoming a progressively-worse actor as time goes on?

[caracas1914]

Eh from the previews this episode will be easily surpassed next week with stupid plot and cheap twists.

Was surprised that Chris has been the only writer in over a year to give Sam a brain. Praises for that.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[LastScorpion]

I haven't seen all the episodes this season, but this was far-and-away the best of the episodes that I have seen.  I thought it was funny.  Santana looked gorgeous in every outfit. (It's really too bad they're getting rid of her.)  "Werewolves of London" was terrific!  I really loved everything that happened with Sam -- to me it seemed like realistic behavior for a guy his age; he was responsible for his brothers & sisters, but he is easily distracted and forgetful sometimes, and he and Mercedes don't have the ideal lifestyle to take care of a dog, and they had to find somebody else to take McConahey.  Perfectly cromulent storyline!  My favorite part was the explanation of where Dani went -- Roller Derby State Championships Yay!!!

[Glorfindel]

Chris' episode wasn't perfect, there was some dialogue that felt a bit heavy-handed, and I agree that the mother/daughter storyline was sugarcoated, but compared to the usual crap the Glee writers give us imo this was one of the better ones of season 4 and 5.

With the wiggle room Chris was given for this episode, having to continu Rachel's and Samcedes' storylines and not being allowed to change anything drastic in the canon before the season's finale, I think he did very well. He gave Kurt the main story (and don't forget that he was asked specificly by the writers to write for Kurt, because he knows him so well), but the other storylines got practically equally as much screentime, although lesser songs, but I don't begrudge Kurt his 2nd (almost) solo this season.
There was continuity, good characterisations, serious talks between the characters (like Samcedes), an emphasis on the friendships instead of mere romantic relationships, (dark) humor, the underdogs theme Glee started out with, the good use of the songs in the stoylines, and everyone of the characters getting something to do (although Blaine was mostly supporting, but I suspect Chris wanted to stay as far away from any Klaine/crisscolfer backlash as possible).
To me it had the feeling of old Glee.

 

I loved the way 'Memory' was used in this episode, with the old folks reminiscing their past, and the camera even showing their old pictures to highlight their heydays. It made me tear up, as I understood that Chris was honoring the real actorss achievements and legacy along with their characters'. With the theme of 'Peter Pan' being not wanting to grow up/old I thought this storyline had a beautiful sentimental symbolism.

And letting those old folks sing Madonna's 'Lucky Star' to top it off, while Kurt (or better: Chris) was having a jolly good time flying in that harness, made it perfect imo.

 

As mentioned, the solution to the mother/daughter storyline was a bit of an easy fix, but Maggie did start apologizing to her daughter when she saw her, admitting her blame, so the reconciliation wasn't all one-sided coming from the daughter. Sometimes it just takes 1 person making that first step, even when it's prompted by an intrusive and kind of a naive/trusting youngster.

I think Kurt just is that person who cares and tries to help, even when his help seems unwanted, ill-adviced or even misguided. He gets upset and huffy when his friends don't seem to care for him likewise in return (and they often don't). I don't get how being a nice guy in general, despite some heavy setbacks and heartbreaks in his life I might add, brands Kurt a 'martyr' or earns him the nickname St. Kurt so easily.

Other characters on the show do similar stuff all the time (like the kids being guilt-tripped by Sue and Sam for being excited about making a local tv special instead of volunteering at the homeless shelter on the same day, Rachel had that whole speech calling out Sue 2 episodes ago, and in one of Blaine's first episodes he seeked out Burt to tell him to educate Kurt on gay male sex). But somehow Kurt can't be a basically good person who takes the high road most of the time, but he also can't be flawed and call out someone else or feel sorry for himself when he feels left behind. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

At least Kurt bringing up how he missed having a mom to explain to Clara why he cared that she was estranged to Maggie was imo a much better reason to bring up his mom's death than Burt using that trump card to pressure him to accept Blaine's proposal, ugh.

 

Rachel's storyline was on the one hand repetitive, but on the other hand it fitted her characterisation and storylines of the past episodes, and it was at least done in a funny way, with cute dogs. It also showed the girls' friendships (and involving Sam, Artie and Blaine as well) in an actual active and effective way, instead of giving mostly lipservice and saccharine speeches of how wonderful friends everyone is with one another when the show regularly shows me otherwise in canon.
The way Kurt was woven into Rachel's storyline was in a way also repetitive, but it pointed out some things that I think many Kurtsies wanted Kurt to say for a long time as their conflict was seen from Kurt's POV for a change (where he usually just reacts to whatever Rachel's doing). In the end there was mutual reaching out from both sides (with Kurt calling Rachel to apologize while Rachel already made some arrangements to surprise Kurt), so none of them really had to grovel or be the only guilty party.

 

What stood out for me especially and what I really love Chris for is how he wrote for Sam this episode, reminding everyone (the writers too?) that once upon a time (in seasons 2 and 3), Sam wasn't as dumb as Brittany and took care of his family.
I also liked how maturely Samcedes handled their conflict, but without their storyline getting too heavy-handed because there was some fun in it too (like Artie feeling so uncomfortable being caught in the middle).

[Joystickenvy]

I thought all the plots were silly, which is fine for Glee, and the Rachel stuff was definitely yet another retread of the Rachel learns a very important lesson that she will promptly forget so that she can learn it again SL, but I still enjoyed the episode more than most.

I did not care for Mother/Daughter storyline for all the reasons stated above, however I really enjoyed Chris' songs and performances with the oldsters.

I'm not going to judge Chris' ability to write a normal show based on this effort. If this is the last of Santana, that final season is gonna be hard to get through. Chris & Naya were the only saving graces left on the show for me.

[camussie]

I don't get how being a nice guy in general, despite some heavy setbacks and heartbreaks in his life I might add, brands Kurt a 'martyr' or earns him the nickname St. Kurt so easily.

 

 

It is how the show treats both Kurt's setbacks and advice.  For one they show tends to write Kurt as having the heaviest burden of anyone on the show to bear despite the fact that he had a loving father who not only supported him in any way he could but who also supported (and it seems continues to support) a pretty expensive lifestyle (designer clothes, a land rover, an expensive NYC education).  Along those same lines the show has always treated the bullying Kurt receives as some how worse than the bully every other character receives.  Yes Kurt was shoved in a locker, pushed around, and even had his life threatened, but I fail to see how that is worse than Artie and Puck both being locked into a port-a-potty (Puck overnight), and Artie being shoved down the stairs.  Seems to me the stair thing is just as life threatening, if not more, than what happened to Kurt but all of those were played for laughs.  Case in point Artie oh so funnily saying to Puck please don't shove me down the stairs again.

 

Granted a lot of that is because of the show's inconsistent stance on bullying but that inconsistency often boiled down to gay bullying = bad.  All other kinds of bullying = played for laughs with Kurt being written as the avatar for every victim of gay bullying ever.  

 

Even if I bought that gay bullying is the worst bullying of all, I don't see what other burdens he has had that are heavier than other characters.  Yet I often feel like the writing is skewed to tell me poor Kurt has suffered so much compared to others. Sure he lost a parent but so did Finn.  For that matter both Puck and Quinn are essentially fatherless.  Sure he didn't get into NYADA (for all of one semester) but in the mean time he got a kick ass internship.  As a side note, for me, that internship especially against the poor poor Kurt story they are apparently trying to sell now.  Sure he doesn't have a June sponsoring him but surely he is making a ton of contacts in the fashion world that would also be good for some "ins" into NYC's performing arts culture.  The two are pretty intertwined after all.  

 

Then there is how the show writes almost every other character in relation to Kurt (save Elliot this year).  They wrong him and end up having to make it up to him.  It is rarely Kurt messing up in the relationship.  

 

There is also  his trusty soapbox.  I wouldn't mind that so much if every once in a while character's were turned off by his lectures instead of being moved by his so called words of wisdom (same goes with Santana and her truthteller persona).  

 

Finally, one other factor for me is how Chris plays a lot of these scenes or maybe how is directed to play these scenes.  If I am supposed to see a guy coming from an earnest place, I often don't see it. I see a guy who considers himself the authority on whatever subject he is lecturing about (be it bullying or parent/child relationships) and the person he is talking to would simply be foolish if they ignored what he seems to consider sacrosanct words of wisdom.  

Edited May 8, 2014 by camussie

[Coxfires]

I loved the line about how the old ladyplanned to play Peter was the only ones whose hips were strong enough to endure the harness. And Tim Conways' about being sure you have your teeth, cracked me up. And Kurt's "she dropped...out" (oh honey, couldn't say she dropped dead).

The Maggie/Clara reunionis the biggest quip I have, I didn't like this part of the plot, although Kurt's actions makes sense with who the character is. I agree that Kurt/Maggie being each other families would have been better, and Clara not showing up might have been a little harsh but less saccharine.

I really liked the rest of the episode, notably how Chris wrote for Sam/Chord. Thanks for reminding us that between S4 trainwreck, Sam was a decent character and not a simpleton just because they had to pair him with Brittany.

Too bad Nayagate happened because her moving to a publicist career would have been a nice and unforeseen move, but we can't always get what we want. And too bad Chris didn't snatch this opportunity to give us a Kurtana duet.

And thanks Chris, for not making Kurt an instant megasuperstar, but showing him happy to do something he loves, as low-scale as it is.

It certainly wasn't perfect, but a very, very remarkable effort for a first time

 

@camussie: while I get what you say about Kurt without agreeing 100% with it, it is just as true with any of the other characters. Blaine playing woobie-me and being handed everything without trying. Rachel always getting second chances because she is Mrs Special Snowflake even when she fucked up big time. Santana never ever being called out on her bitchiness... the show just doesn't see where these points don't resonate necessarily in the audience, but I don't think Kurt can be singled out when it comes to this particular defect in writing.

[caracas1914]

"I don't get how being a nice guy in general, despite some heavy setbacks and heartbreaks in his life I might add, brands Kurt a 'martyr' or earns him the nickname St. Kurt so easily."

This a thousand times.

Funny he referenced his own life experiences and with the loss of Finn it certainly makes sense that loss of family would resonate with the character.

He told Maggie's mother he lost his own mother and for that the sainthood projections are off the charts like a pack of Pavlovian dogs dragging a Rachel though the streets of New York.

I must say that little black dress Rachel was wearing was darling! Thank God indeed for underwear.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[camussie]

Santana never ever being called out on her bitchiness... the show just doesn't see where these points don't resonate necessarily in the audience, but I don't think Kurt can be singled out when it comes to this particular defect in writing.

 

 

I criticized the predictable and grating writing for Santana last week.  How I find it annoying that she can't ever support someone without first qualifying it with how much they suck  and why, given that tendency, people still bother to listen to her.   I have criticized improbable second chances lazy writing for Rachel more times than I can count.  This week the repetitive and grating writing for Kurt was on full display so I criticized it

 

Funny he referenced his own life experiences and with the loss of Finn it certainly makes sense that loss of family would resonate with the character.

 

He told Maggie's mother he lost his own mother and for that the sainthood projections are off the charts like a pack of Pavlovian dogs dragging a Rachel though the streets of New York.

 

 

Because not only did he think that qualified him to dispense some advice to Clara regarding a situation he really knew nothing about (in that oh so arrogant you should listen to me because I know of where I speak tone he uses) but even worse that Clara hopped to once saint Kurt dispensed his words of wisdom.  I don't really care that he lost his mother or even Finn because I still don't think that makes him an expert on difficult parent/child relationships yet some how that is what the show wanted me to believe it did.  It was annoying and preachy not to mention lazy, unimaginative writing.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[caracas1914]

Wow so I guess referencing your characters life experiences is a no no. Sure seems he offered his advice and was fine with the daughter initially rejecting it.

Maybe it's me but Kurt telling Maggie's daughter he lost his mother at the age of 8 wasn't the equivalent of saying " screw you, I've suffered more than anyone in the universe so you must do what I say".

The projected anger is amusing to say the least.

People offer advice all the time, people can accept or reject, that's how those things usually work out. Obviously something hit home since the daughter went to the performance.

Btw the daughter in essence threw Kurt out so I don't see how her agency was stripped from her by talon like angel wings.

I get that everything was too patly resolved but nobody held a gun to the embezzling and bitter daughter's head. Was the advice unsolicited, of course. In human existence and especially in Glee, Kurt is hardly the only character to do that. Finn was quite a "leader" of that "manly" trope.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[Coxfires]

But the character didn't say he was an expert on parent/child RL, he talked through his own prism, coming from his youth and his own forgiving nature. Him not understanding that you can hold a grudge just coincides with what has been written when he forgave Karofsky, Blaine's cheating, Sebastian's actions and even Santana's bitchiness. And from the reactions it elicited it did not paint him as a saint, but as someone opinionated, and human, because people comparing their own experience with someone else's, as misplaced as it can be, happens all the time in real life. Everyone does that.

That Clara should have hold her ground and not come to the performance would have been a better choice in writing, that I agree with. But I've seen far laziest and unimaginative writing from Glee, and that was from experimented writers, not first-triers. I'd have been very surprised if Chris had penned anything perfect.

[camussie]

Wow so I guess referencing your characters life experiences is a no no. Sure seems he offered his advice and was fine with the daughter initially rejecting it.

 

 

Sure he can reference it but for him to act like it made him qualified to dispense advice to Clara is where it annoyed.  It was his arrogance that bugged (although as I said before part of that comes from how I think Chris Colfer plays scenes like that because i think I am supposed to see earnestness when usually I see arrogance). Even more than that it was Clara seeing the light and making a beeline for the retirement home because Kurt knows pain, real pain, so what he said is wise beyond his year.  That pat ending was the worst of it.  

 

Was the advice unsolicited, of course. In human existence and especially in Glee, Kurt is hardly the only character to do that. Finn was quite a "leader" of that "manly" trope.

 

 

And when Finn got the contrived hero edit I criticized that as well. I see no reason not to criticize bad writing for Kurt, even if Chris Colfer wrote the episode, when I haven't held back when it comes to bad writing of others.  

 

But the character didn't say he was an expert on parent/child RL, he talked through his own prism, coming from his youth and his own forgiving nature.

 

 

Sure he didn't explicitly say it but in how he approached Clara and his whole demeanor during the conversation that is how he came across to me.  

 

And from the reactions it elicited it did not paint him as a saint, but as someone opinionated, and human, because people comparing their own experience with someone else's, as misplaced as it can be, happens all the time in real life.

 

 

I think the sum of the story, especially him being the reuniter of families and Maggie explicitly saying I didn't believe in second acts until you painted him as a saint.  Add on the repetitiveness of Rachel doing Kurt wrong so that she has to make it up to him by the end of the episode and for all of Chris saying he wanted to not be repetitive a lot of the episode was just that.  What wasn't was Kurt getting a chance to shine in his own production and the writing for Sam.  The rest - par for the course for the whole season.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[caracas1914]

Funny I didn't hear Finn being labeled "St . Finn " and he was pretty much the Glee patron "saint " of unsolicited condescending advice and intervention, especially with women.

Advising Santana in Coming out in IKAG dragging the whole friggin Glee choir to help him, that was beatification at its best.

Though dragging Rachel to go see a paraplegic football player to teach her humility was a close second.

Hell compared him Kurt is small fry; surprises me why the nickname " Pope Finn" didn't stick.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[camussie]

No there were just rightful complaints, from many including me, that he got the unjustified hero edit several times, in particular in IKAG  Don't see how that is any different than the St. Kurt moniker, a moniker that is born of both the fact that Kurt is almost always portrayed as the wronged party and that RM and team made him an avatar for gay bullying, which was treated as the worst type of bullying.  I will continue to use it as long as the writers continue to write Kurt as almost always the wronged party.  When they start treating him like a real human being who makes mistakes I won't view his character as being written as some saint.  

 

Even with the hero edit Finn was too often given, the one place he was never right was in his conflicts with Kurt.  He, like most every other character on the show, ended up doing Kurt wrong one way or another and having to find some way to make it up to him.  

Edited May 7, 2014 by camussie

[tom87]

Finn was annonted the hero  more than once though.

[caracas1914]

Doubt if Kurt and Finn had hardly anything to do with each other after season 2.

Though I loved their brief interaction in The Breakup right before Finn left the loft. They seemed like two "brothers" comforting each other, it was nice to see. Alas far too brief exchanges until the end.

Edited May 7, 2014 by caracas1914

[camussie]

Finn was annonted the hero  more than once though.

 

 

Who is arguing he wasn't and that it wasn't justified many a time?  But just because that was annoying doesn't make the writing for Kurt any less annoying.  They can both be annoying as can:

• Rachel getting unjustified second chance after second chance and being written like that no one compares in talent to her especially when they deliberately tank the competition in her favor (see the FG auditions or her understudy being incompetent)
• As can the repetitiveness of Santana is the bitchy tough love person so she should be listened to
• As can what I found the most annoying repetitive crutch of all on Glee - Brittany written as some sort of special unicorn therefore when she did things like out her girlfriend on Youtube or cheat on Artie it was all forgiven because she just didn't know better.  

Edited May 8, 2014 by camussie

[Coxfires]

Kurt was called out by Finn and Burt in Duet for being too predatory towards Sam. He was called out by Blaine for being biphobic in BIOTA. He was called out by Burt when he wanted to break him up with Carole. He was called out by Mercedes regarding their treatment as Cheerios and told her "I was wrong" after she sang Aguilera's song. He was called out by Isabelle about not being forgiving enough to Blaine. He was called out by Eliott for his behaviour in Frenemies. He was called out (Santana-style) by Santana for not understanding that his own experience wasn't hers when It came to coming out. He was called out on not owning his unicorn-ness by Brittany when he dismissed her for his campaign as President. But I guess that doesn't count.