Glee Review: “The Hurt Locker, Part Two” (Season 6, Episode 5)

Sue’s reign of terror (Love? Questionable adult behavior? All of the above?) continued in the second episode of “The Hurt Locker” two-parter this week. Thanks to the episode’s continued use of Jane Lynch as a, ahem, lynchpin in all of the ongoing storylines, last week‘s ferocious giddiness overflowed into part two, setting up the dominoes for the last half of Glee‘s final season. A random Saw reference didn’t hurt, either.

As Vocal Adrenaline leaves the stage of Sue’s impromptu invitational, she informs everyone that The Warblers will be performing the next day and The New Directions will be the day after. “Wait, this is a three day competition? Where will we sleep?” asks a pair of Warblers after Sue drops the new information on the performers. “Well, I imagine you two will sleep inside one another,” Sue responds bluntly. Her hypnotization scheme with Sam continues as planned, but the sabotage reaches an end when Sam wakes up from his fugue state after Rachel snaps him back from reality.

But everything’s not all sunshine and roses for Rachel. She desperately needs to recruit Kitty, the Santana of last year’s “New Generation,” but thanks to Rachel’s repeatedly uncaring nature to all the new kids – or, as she remembers them: Puck’s brother, Cross Dressing Mercedes, and The One with the Fat Mom – Kitty isn’t her biggest fan. She relents eventually, expectedly, as does ultra-modern gay football jock Spencer, who doesn’t want any of the football players who all know he’s gay, to think that he’s gay for joining Glee Club. False conflict aside, the new group – now six strong – shows an unwavering spirit of fun on stage together in the big final number. Though none have had much individual time to shine yet (barring Samantha Marie Ware’s Jane), they have an inherent chemistry amongst their diverse personalities that’s reminiscent of the show’s early years.

Elsewhere, Sue crashes a date between Kurt and his new, older beau, and, whilst watching homemade footage of Klaine’s best moments, she reaffirms her plans to reunite Kurt and Blaine for good as an inquisitive Becky listens patiently. She’s wondering where Sue got all of the surprisingly detailed footage of the now-broken-up couple, and Sue informs her of innumerable secret cameras hidden around the school. “But this is a dream sequence, how can you film that?” The show’s been hitting the self-aware drum hard this season, but it’s yet to feel trite.