- Title: Glee – Heart
- tv.com: link
It’s Valentine’s Day and love is in the air as Sugar (Vanessa Lengies) throws a Valentine’s Day bash at Breadsticks and Mr. Shue (Matthew Morrison) challenges the Glee Club to perform some of the world’s greatest love songs as a final tune-up before Regionals.
We also finally meet fathers Berry as Rachel’s gay dads (Jeff Goldblum, Brian Stokes Mitchell) show up to (at least on the surface) support Rachel (Lea Michele) and and Finn’s (Cory Monteith) upcoming nuptials. In truth, however, their feelings are mixed on the teen marriage much like those of the the Glee Club.
Other stories include Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) coming down on Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris) for kissing in the school hallways, Kurt (Chris Colfer) surprised to discover his secret admirer isn’t Blaine (Darren Criss) but Karofsky (Max Adler), Rory (Damian McGinty) and Artie (Kevin McHale) fight over who will take Sugar to her party.
This week also sees Mercedes (Amber Riley), Sam (Chord Overstreet), Quinn (Dianna Agron), and new home schooled student Joe Hart (Samuel Larsen), reunite the Christian Club known as the “God Squad” and perform vocal valentines around the school (including Gym Class Heroes‘ “Stereo Hearts,” and a “Cherish” mashup blending the two songs by The Association and Madonna).
Other music numbers include Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) performing a duet of Nat King Cole‘s “L-O-V-E,” Artie sings Mario‘s “Let Me Love You,” Rory sings Michael Bublé‘s “Home,” Rachel and her fathers perform “You’re the Top” from Anything Goes at a dinner party with Burt (Mike O’Malley) and (Romy Rosemont), Blaine, Brittany, Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes sing The B-52’s “Love Shack,” and in oddly timely performance (given Whitney Houston‘s death this past weekend) Mercedes sings “I Will Always Love You.”
Although the return of the “God Squad” and their moral dilemma is an interesting plot development, neither the story nor the resolution is all that well handled. And if Rory and Sugar weren’t bad enough it seems the show has saddled itself with yet another one-note character in Joe.
I’ve been waiting to see Rachel’s fathers for awhile and the show does a fun job with casting but it looses some steam with their nefarious scheme (especially when the scheme itself fizzles out without any definite conclusion). Although the episode’s is packed with plot too often it goes for easy answers instead of letting some of these threads play out more naturally.
Even with some story issues the Valentine’s Day episode entertains and includes quite a few performances. Mercedes’ rendition of “I Will Always Love You” steals the show, and not only because of Houston’s recent passing. At least musically the show seems full-steam ahead to Regionals.
