As New Directions puts the shooting behind them, in a variety of odd ways, to prepare for Regionals, Rachel (Lea Michele) prepares for "the culmination of every dream" she's ever had by trying out for the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, with the unexpected help of Shelby (Idina Menzel) who shows up at Miata to help her daughter land her dream role. Finn (Cory Monteith) and Puck (Mark Salling) begin a teenager's dream version of college together (all partying all the time), Coach Beiste (Dot Jones) convinces Will (Matthew Morrison) to forgive Finn, and Roz Washington (NeNe Leakes) takes over the Cheerios proving to be every bit as loudmouthed, crazy, and annoying as the departing Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch).
Concerned with Mr. Shue's choice to play it safe with a set list of "Dream Weaver," "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and"You Make My Dreams," Blaine (Darren Criss) convenes a secret meeting of the Glee Club which only angers the slow-burning Mr. Shue even more causing him to lash out at the group. To pick up her teammates spirits, Marley (Melissa Benoist) asks Unique (Alex Newell), Sam (Chord Overstreet), and Blaine to perform one of her songs with her in the auditorium.
Despite not taking college seriously and declining Mr. Shue's offer to return to the Glee Club, Finn gets a wake-up call from Puck (of all people) who makes it his job to stick around and make sure both he and his best friend prove the naysayers wrong and earn themselves a pair of college diplomas. The episode ends with Finn's return to New Directions, Mr. Shue's apology for his recent behavior to the Glee Club, and Marley performing another original song, "Outcast," with Kitty (Becca Tobin), Jake (Jacob Artist), Unique, Ryder (Blake Jenner), and the rest of New Directions.
After the heavy drama of the last episode "Sweet Dreams" embraces the original wackiness of Glee that's gotten lost in some of the soap opera style plots recently. Sam pretending to be his own twin doesn't quite make sense, but the bit works because of how the other characters accept it. The fantasy of college is way too over-the-top, but the episode manages to reign it back in and allow Puck, rather than Finn, to be the voice of reason and experience. The sense of family and togetherness is also as strong as it has been since the end of the show's first season. We also get Blaine beginning to suspect Becky (Lauren Potter) knows far more about the shooting than she's telling.
Other songs include Rachel and Shelby's duet of Emeli Sandé's "Next to Me," Finn and Puck leading a frat house in a rendition of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" which earns them a spot in the fraternity, and for her addition piece Rachel chooses a Glee Club standard by performing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" which earns the talented Miss Berry a call back for the lead role in a Broadway show. With a pair of original songs, which are actually pretty good, it's the performance of Journey (which features several of the original New Directions members singing back up in Rachel's mind) that is the perfect callback and reminder of what made the show great and a reminder that maybe there's still a little Glee magic left as the season gears up for Regionals and beyond.
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