Glee - Prom Queen

I haven't written much about Glee this year. Part of that has to do with more contemporary song choices and part of it has to do with storylines I've felt have stalled as the show has struggled through something of a sophomore slump. That's not to say the season hasn't provided some good moments, both musical and dramatic. And what better way to kick both into high gear than with a prom episode?

There's actually quite a lot I like about this episode including the return of Rachel's (Lea Michele) former beau Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff) - during a musical number no less! This episode also gave us a nice scene between Kurt (Chris Colfer), his father (Mike O'Malley), and Blaine (Darren Criss) as well as a sucker-punch of abject cruelty at the end of a perfect night in the way only a group of mean-spirited teenagers can accomplish.


I thought the song choices were a little more varied, and I'm even willing to forgive Glee for jumping on the Rebecca Black bandwagon with their own version of "Friday" (which was actually kinda fun). The juxtaposition of the fallout of prom queen from multiple characters points of view was also well handled. I also liked the decision of Brittany (Heather Morris) not to take Artie (Kevin McHale) back, even given his sweet public apology.

Is Sam (Chord Overstreet) still as colorful as beige carpet, even given his homeless storyline? Yes. Did the episode leave the Jesse/Finn storyline hanging without any conclusion? Yes. Did the retconning of the entire cast as juniors bother me? Hell yes. But the show did give us a series of lowkey musical numbers including the first A capella number between Rachel and Jesse (who makes a much better companion for Rachel than Finn ever will). From here we gear up for nationals for the season's final two episodes. Let's see if Glee can go out on a high note two years running.