Glee: Regionals!

Klaine gets kissy!

Now this is what I’m talking about! This was the Glee I’ve come to know and love. Lots of music. Loads of fun!

I’m a huge fan of The Warblers and Maroon 5, so opening the show with the Warblers singing Misery was perfect.

Klaine … or is it Blurt???
Now, I had heard rumors that The Grim Reaper would be visiting Glee in this episode, but I never expected that he’d come for Pavarotti the canary, the Warblers mascot and Kurt’s constant companion. Poor Kurt was heartbroken but it lead to a very respectful cover of The Beatles "Blackbird". What made the song even better was Blaine’s (Darrin Criss) expressions during the song. Midway through, it seemed as if he was seeing Kurt for the first time, as if the blinders had been removed and he was finally seeing what had been there in front of him the whole time.

He ended up asking to perform a duet at Regionals … with Kurt. And since those Warbler boys are just a bunch of softies, they handed the duet to Kurt without a pesky ole audition. At their first rehearsal, Blaine fessed up, telling Kurt he was using the duet as “an excuse to get to spend more time with you.” And before you know it, they kissed … and kissed again! Woo-Hoo! I think I’m going to go with Klaine, sounds classier than Blurt.

Original Songs
Meanwhile over at New Directions, Rachel was still struggling with her songwriting task. Her first endeavor was the horrific, “Only Child.” Finn wisely suggested that she dig deeper and try again. The entire group got into the act however after they received a cease and desist letter from My Chemical Romance, telling them they couldn’t use “Sing” (and you just knew Sue was behind it, which she was). Mr Shue encouraged the group to try their hands at writing an original song. The results were a very mixed bag.

“Trouty Mouth” was Santana’s ode to her boyfriend Sam’s fish-like lips. He was NOT impressed. Next up, Puck performed his homage to girlfriend Lauren, “Big Ass … Heart.” She was impressed but I don’t know why, the lyrics were more offensive than Puck’s cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottom Girls.” Next up was Mercedes with a sassy “Hell to the No,” the only song, of the three, I could hear myself listening to. Yet, it still wasn’t a good fit for Regionals.

So, Shue led them through a brainstorming session that helped them pen their second song for Regionals. The first was penned by Rachel after Quinn indelicately explained to her why she was back with Finn and planned to stay with him. Quinn gave a sobering view of their future – Finn would take over Burt’s car repair shop, she’d go into real estate. Rachel? She'd be too big for Lima. She’d move on and they’d stay put ... together. Reality bites.

Regionals
Let’s start with the judges. Back for another round of choral competition was local anchor and man-about-town Rod Remington. This time he was joined by “former Tea Party candidate and home schooler” Tami Jean Albertson (Kathy Griffin) and former stripper-turned-Carmelite nun Sister Mary Constance (the divine Loretta Devine). Griffin’s character, a clear Sarah Palin knock-off seemed a little dated, but Remington and Sister Mary Constance had a few good lines. Last year's Regional judges were funnier.

Aural Intensity kicked off the festivities with a very energetic “Jesus is My Friend” – Sue’s attempt at pandering to the judges (which Mary Constance saw right through). Thankfully, that was the only Aural Intensity number we had to endure.

The Warblers were next and started with the charming and simple duet of Hey Monday's song "Candles". It was nice. It was good, but it wasn’t a favorite. I am not a fan of Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” but I did really enjoy the Warblers version.

Of course, the best were last. Before hitting the stage for her solo, Rachel reminded Finn that it was last year at Regionals that he told her he loved her. She also told him to listen closely to the words because she meant all of them. With that, she hit the stage and performed “Get It Right” where she tapped into the pain of having her best not be good enough. Finn did listen intently … maybe a bit too intently by the look on Quinn’s face.

The rest of the gang joined her for “Loser Like Me,” a catchy and infectious tune, inspired, in part, by Sue and her incessant bullying. The audience filled with foam fingers in the shape of an L were a nice touch.

Picking a winner wasn’t hard … so New Directions is headed to Nationals in New York City.

While Kurt was bummed to have lost, finally getting his man seemed like a damn good consolation prize. And speaking of prizes, the club gave Rachel the MVP award for the work she did on Regionals and her original song. She was truly touched (and I got a little misty).

All in all, I really enjoyed this episode… I will definitely be playing it a few more times … especially since we aren’t getting any new episodes until April 12!

My Mission
As Season 2 comes to a close, Mercedes is the only major character who has not had a love interest. It can’t be a weight issue because they hooked up Lauren and Puck. Besides, in real life, big girls have boyfriends. She’s pretty. She’s talented. She’s got personality. Why wouldn’t she have a guy? I think they should hook her up with one of the Warblers.