Gleebasing: Lady Gaga Meets Pseudo-Vampires
Let's hear it for Ryan Murphy, who did the impossible in last night's installment of Glee. He filmed the single best scene of Mike O'Malley's career, produced a Grammy-worthy remix of an already Grammy-worthy song ("Bad Romance") and convinced Cory Monteith to wear a rubber dress. Just give him his Emmy already. After the jump, Movieline assesses the highs and lows from last night's episode and awards bonus points for the best Lady Gaga tribute costumes.
The back half of Glee's first season has taught viewers a few important lessons: frame-for-frame tribute videos never pay off, Broadway star Jonathan Groff is available for hamburger costume walk-ons and sometimes, and RobotoMonteith needs to be oiled for his dramatic scenes -- like in last night's confrontation with Kurt.
When Finn (Monteith) came home to see that his room had been decorated by the cartoonishly gay Kurt, Finn angrily shouted "Everything in this room is so faggy!" Kurt's father (Mike O'Malley, for your Emmy consideration please, voters) stormed into the room and delivered a poignant speech about how he too used to say "faggy" in his unenlightened days but that it is not acceptable in his house. It really was a moving scene, even considering Monteith's limitations.
Elsewhere in last night's plot, the kids expressed themselves by dressing up like their favorite performer who champions self-expression. A bully threatened Kurt with the accidentally hilarious line, "Don't be surprised if my fist decides to express itself on your chin." Schue learned about Lady Gaga via some World Wide Web research, just like your uncool aunt. For some bizarre reason, convenient for last night's storyline, the principal believed in vampires. And Rachel Berry's bio-mom (Idina Menzel) broke up with her bio- daughter. Pain and sorrow were expressed through an acoustic "Poker Face" duet which brings us to the...
HIGH NOTES
· Idina Menzel. Idina Menzel. Idina Menzel.
· The spontaneous "Bad Romance" rendition by the female members of New Directions, plus Kurt
LOW NOTES
· Cory Monteith in Gaga's red rubber dress.
· This groan-worthy line from Finn in the final scene: "We are all freaks together. And we shouldn't have to hide it"
· Can someone please file a missing persons report for Emma Pillsbury and Sue Sylvester?
· The boys in Kiss makeup singing "Shout It Out Loud"
GLEESARY
Gaga (n.) According to Kurt, she's "only the biggest pop act to come around in decades. She's boundary-pushing. The most theatrical performer of our generation and she changes her look faster than Brit changes sexual partners."
Theatricality (n.) The act of "being theatrical." Rachel's birth-mom says that it's "not just about all of the crazy outfits" but about radiating emotion to express what is deep inside of you
POP QUIZ
1. Fill in the blank: When Schue was in high school, he expressed himself by dressing like ______ for a year.
a) An early-career Beatle
b) Mr. Mistoffelees from the musical Cats
c) Vanilla Ice
d) Kurt Cobain
2. Tina's mom won't let her watch Twilight because she says...
a) "Kristen Stewart seems like a b*tch."
b) "It will create unrealistic romantic expectations."
c) "Taylor Lautner is the devil. No one should have that many abs."
d) "I am not allowed to watch anything that Oprah endorses."
3. What look does Mercedes suggest Tina try instead of Goth?
a) Happy meal with no onions
b) Hood rat
c) Biker chick
d) Catholic schoolgirl
4. Shelby Corcoran demonstrates "Theatricality" by...
a) Singing "Funny Girl" while throwing knives
b) Singing "Funny Girl" while eating fire
c) Singing "Funny Girl" in Lady Gaga-esque rubber bodysuit
d) Singing "Funny Girl" in E flat
5. What does Puck suggest as his future daughter's name?
a) Brucey Springsteen
b) Cindy Crawford
c) Jack Daniels
d) Puckette
Bonus Point Recipients
· Brittany (Heather Morris), for dancing in a replica of the Philip Treacy lobster hat.
· Vocal Adrenaline's chantilly lace bodysuits.
· Kurt's Alexander McQueen-inspired "Bad Romance" costume
Answers: 1) d; 2) a 3) b; 4) d; 5) c
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Comments
I still don't buy that out of all the boys in that school, Kurt is going to have a crush on Corey Monteith. Turn in your gay card, Kurt!
Also, Ryan Murphy, you can't have it both ways: you've spent all season wringing creepy laughs from Kurt's pathetic quest to win Finn (comparatively, Mercedes dropper her own never-gonna-happen crush on Kurt in the space of a single episode), and then you act like Finn's the bad dude here?
Good point Kyle! The entire writing of Kurt -- if you look from episode to episode -- is filmsy at best, insulting at worst.
Also, just a question: Didn't Kurt's pro-Gaga rant sound exactly like the one he did about Madonna? Wait, it was the same one, just with some slight changes? Oh, okay.
I feel like Kurt likes Finn because he is the only reasonably attractive straight person who actually talks to him (and in a non-threatening manner). But maybe Mike Chang will turn out to be gay, now that he has technically said two words out loud, so is allowed to have a personality now.
Kurt's dad had a nice scene as a result, but I found it really hard to believe that either Finn's mom or Kurt's dad would've even put Finn in that position to begin with. Moving in together, sure. But sharing a bedroom? He is going to rant at length about how difficult it was to come to terms with his son's sexuality, but is outraged that Finn doesn't happily embrace his new living arrangement? If his spacious 2 1/2 bathroom house only has the master bedroom and a basement, I would be shocked.
i think we can all agree that Kurt's dad really showed some GUTS here.
Yes, Finn's meltdown was detestable, but anyone forced to live with their stalker is bound to use some harsh words. Kurt's creepy manipulative behavior needs to be nipped in the bud before he turns in to some sad ascot wearing, white leather shoe clad, Septuagenarian feeling up unsuspecting pool boys in Palm Beach.
Speaking of creepy, what is with a mother and daughter duet to a song with lines like "I'll get him hot, show him what I've got" and "I'm bluffin' with my muffin". It's an episode about glam acts like Gaga and Kiss, so why not have them sing Bowie's "Golden Years"? Lines like "I'll stick with you baby for a thousand years, nothing's gonna touch you in these Golden Years" work in this situation.
The answer to question #2 should be "a". And in question #3, by "Amber" you of course mean "Mercedes," right?
I was rather surprised they kept the "bluffin' with my muffin" lyric for a mom-daughter duet, too. I mean, seriously, is there a way to interpret those words that I'm missing?
Yeah, I thought "Poker Face" was an awful choice for that duet.
Wow, two of your low notes were my high notes: I surprisingly really enjoyed the KISS tribute, and found Finn in his red rubber number oddly attractive. I must really be having an off week.
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