Zach's Gleecap - Sectionals

Mid-season finale, folks, and we made it all the way to sectionals. With emotions high, let’s hope that the talent is higher.

Suspicions mount that something may be up with Quinn and Puck. Rachel claims she’s slightly psychic about all this, but everyone seems to know except for Rachel. The team agrees not to say anything to Finn until after sectionals.

Emma’s pushed her wedding back “so it doesn’t happen in broad daylight” – now she can be the glee club advisor for sectionals, but Ken doesn’t seem to understand. Sparks fly between Will & Emma. Rachel sows some seeds of doubt in Quinn’s mind, and Will introduces the club to their new sponsor. Mercedes sings that Jennifer Hudson song, and everyone but Rachel is thrilled (seems like this episode should have been titled “Everyone But Rachel”). But Rachel doesn’t play the bitch card, and she lets Mercedes do the number.

Finn voices concern about the end of the approaching end of the season, and Rachel suddenly spills the beans on what we can only assume is the whole baby drama – we’ll have to wait until after the commercial break to find out. When we get back, Finn’s roughing up Puck, demanding the truth. Continuing the show’s streak of men yelling at women who are lying about pregnancy, Finn rages, Quinn cries, and Finn quits. Rachel feels awkward and tries to apologize to Quinn, telling her that she wanted to be with Finn, but Quinn reminds her that “now neither one of us can have him.” Puck pops in and says he’ll be there, but Quinn says he’s too stressful and declares she “want[s] to do this alone.”

It turns out they got that wheelchair-capable bus, and they’re replacing Finn with Creepy Jewish Jacob the Reporter, who no one really wants to sing. The bus leaves without Will or Finn. The positive mojo at the convention center crashes and burns when the juvie school does all of New Directions’ numbers. Will confronts Sue on the leaked set list, and she gloats over the imminent fall of the glee club, reminding us why she’s one of the best villain on television. “Bring it on, William.”

Will pays Finn a visit, and all that investment in character the show’s been doing starts to pay off. Will tells Finn that “you can’t always get what you want” – I think I know what song they’re going to do… Suspiciously, Will leaves his keys with Finn. Meanwhile, Emma corners the advisors for the other glee clubs, but no one’s ashamed of what they did – even accusing Emma of “deaf racism.” In the green room, Brittany confesses she leaked the set list to Sue, but we’re more upset about what’s going to happen when New Directions takes the stage. Rejecting Artie’s proposition for some “def poetry jams,” Rachel gets voted to sing the ballad, while Quinn puts up “Somebody to Love.” Finn arrives just in time, giving the kids a new song and saying, “We’re best when we’re loose.” (Is that a crack at Quinn?) Realizing that he’s not going to get into Rachel’s pants, Jacob relinquishes his spot back to Finn.

Rachel lets loose with the appropriate-if-unsubtle “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” and Will – who must have the greatest reception in the world – listens via cell phone to the knockout improv’d performance. Is anyone clear on the rules of glee performance? As awesome as Rachel might be, just how many solo numbers is a club allowed? And how many spare wardrobes does the average club bring? – New Directions seems to have 15. When they start belting out “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” The Rolling Stones never sounded so whitebread, but the performance is pitch-perfect as always. Quick cuts into the audience let us know that the other schools’ coaches are miffed: the audience are on their feet, and for good reason.

The judges deliberate, but none of them really seems to know what they’re doing: a Miss Ohio runner-up, news anchor Rod Remington, and a “state paid cynic” can’t seem to agree on anything. Just as the JD coach wants to come clean, Rod Remington emerges from the deliberation room with Miss Ohio’s e-mail address and a selected winner.

Will and Terri have an awkward moment in which Will says he’s going to the Kenma (Ken and Emma) wedding while Terri confesses she’s seeing a therapist. But Will can’t come around so quickly and leaves for the wedding. But the reception isn’t great news – Ken dumps Emma after she goes to sectionals, and Emma confesses she did it all for Will. Worse, Emma’s resigning because it’s going to be too awkward. But Will stops her, probably because he’s dying to know who won sectionals.

Instead of insisting (as always) that “my hands are tied,” Figgins calls Will and Sue for a meeting, revealing that “There’s an orgy of evidence” against Sue for selling the set list to the other schools. Figgins removes Sue from coaching Cheerios for besmirching the name of William McKinley – “the greatest president who ever lived.” The triumph is short-lived when Sue vows to return “hell-bent on [Will’s] destruction… destination Horror.”

Finn shows Will the trophy – they won! But it’s not over; there are regionals to go through, but first New Directions has a special number to perform for Will: something about belonging together and sticking together and togetherness unheard of since High School Musical 3. Will charges after Emma, but is it too late? Of course not – it’s the happy ending we’ve all been waiting for.

Verdict? This episode made it terribly obvious that the show was only intended to be a thirteen-episode miniseries. This might be one of the most satisfying finales I’ve seen in my life, even if nothing too unpredictable happened. With every plotline wrapped up, the show’s ready to head in some new directions (pun intended).

I’m curious where the show goes next, though. I mean, obviously regionals are the next step, but how many of our favorites are coming back? There doesn’t seem to be a place for Ken, Terri, or (worst of all) Sue. Is the Finnchel (Finn/Rachel) romance inevitable? How much longer will Quinn keep doing things her own way without anyone’s help? (More importantly, where’s she going to stay?) I’m eager for the return of “Glee” in April, but I’m ultra curious about how it’s going to sustain itself.

If nothing else, Brittany the educationally underprivileged cheerleader stole the show.