What’s Sue’s ultimate plan to reunite the two? Lock them in a fake elevator with a creepy Jane Lynch-as-Jigsaw doll prompting them to kiss passionately or suffer an increasing amount of heat and pheromones pumped into the ersatz elevator. The show’s best at either its most heightened insanity (a tiny, horrifying Sue-lookalike doll rolling in on a tricycle is definitely one) or when it shows its basest, raw emotions (“The Quarterback,” anything with Kurt and his dad). It’s the middle ground where it becomes a middling, false copy of itself (this season’s premiere, for instance). They’re leaning far more on the heightened bits this season, and though it’s yet to run out of steam, it could ultimately result in a flash-in-the-pan season of quirky fun if no grand, emotional substance gets baked in soon.
It all leads to the big finale, with The New Directions getting a leg-up on the competition thanks to Kitty’s hacking of Sue’s computer to learn her most emotionally resonant songs (Air Supply’s “All Out Of Love,” triggering memories of her time auditioning for Star Wars and Pretty Woman, of course) and subsequently taking first place. Vocal Adrenaline isn’t the happiest with their teacher afterwards. One of the most interesting, and least explored, story beats so far this season is Will’s slowly losing his grip on his new group of students.
Their business-as-usual vibe introduced early in the season was a pretty depressing site for Mr. Shuester, who’s used to grand emotional gestures presented everyday in the Glee Club, and Vocal Adrenaline’s lead – rightfully pissed at starting his final year in the group with a loss – finally confronted Will about his wavering loyalties at the episode’s end. It’s a tricky balance in a show’s final season to give everyone their time to shine, but the arc – which addresses everything from Will’s growth over the seasons to loyalty versus passion – deserves to be fleshed out a bit more even amidst the already-crowded plots of the show.
“A good nemesis only makes you better,” Will mentions to Rachel as he imparts some wisdom about treasuring her time at McKinley (you know, for the second time). He’s referring to Sue and Rachel, but the same could be said of the show as a whole. Though some of its “villains” still feel manufactured (Burt and Klaine’s break-up), others have elevated the show on multiple fronts (Sue’s epic Hurt Locker re-introduction as HBIC for the goofiness; Will’s warring ideals for the seriousness). “Honestly, what we accomplished in this week made it feel like two weeks,” Sue says with a wink and a nudge to Becky, back scheming in that locker of pain, and right she is.
Turns out her epic Saw-inspired elevator trap wasn’t the end of the road in her quest to reunite Klaine once and for all, it was just another notch in the checklist of weekly schedules of scheming that she has laid out like a sort-of jump-suit wearing Carrie Mathison. “We still have six more weeks of scheming,” she lets an increasingly befuddled Becky, and everyone at home, know. “Depending on network preemptions.” Hopefully that’s not just another meta throwaway gag and Lynch stays in the vague forefront of Glee as we hit the homestretch.
A good nemesis only makes you better, after all.
