- Title: Glee – The Substitute
- tv.com: link
She had me at “Conjunction Junction.” Last night’s episode of Glee, appropriately entitled “The Substitute” found Sue (Jane Lynch) temporarily in charge of the school and Will (Matthew Morrison) home sick in bed. Meanwhile, the Glee Club found themselves a new friend in free-spirit Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow) who earns the club’s trust by catering to their choice of music (as well as offering them everything from free tacos to marijuana).
What Works: The short sequence of “Conjuction Junction” was terrific, and surprisingly Paltrow’s version of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” was actually pretty enjoyable. Paltrow’s character may have been little too off-kilter, but certainly fit into a school district that keeps Sue Sylvester around, and her appearance really infused the episode with energy (similar to Kristin Chenoweth‘s appearances in the first season). I also enjoyed the flashbacks to Will constantly pushing for yet another Journey song as the kids pleaded for anything else.
What Doesn’t: While I’m all for the show bringing some classic showtunes back into their repertoire the dream sequence of “Make ‘Em Laugh” came off a bit flat, and although the “Singin’ in the Rain“/”Umbrella” mashup worked better it didn’t quite measure up to the show-stopping final number of other episodes. And, thankfully, the tator tot battle subplot died a mercifully quick death.
Final Word: Although the episode had it’s issues, and really lacked a great stand-out number, there was plenty to enjoy. Given recent heavier episodes dealing with bullying, harmful gossip, and the near-death of Kurt’s father, it was nice to have the show go for broke and just be fun.
