Writers: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck, and Ian Brennan
Grade: A-
They definitely need to start fleshing out Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and Artie more. They barely even have lines! I like Finn and Rachel quite a bit, but that doesn’t mean I want them to be front and center for every episode.
Terri is still obnoxious. Everything that comes out of her mouth makes Will look as stupid as she is. At least she’s pretty upfront about her expectations and demands, so I can barely even accuse her of being manipulative. I don't think her lie to Will was pre-meditated. She just couldn't bear to disappoint him after the speech he made. Some of that was simply not wanting to experience the pain she would feel at his reaction, but I think part of it was a genuine desire to spare him the disappointment. And I also believe that even though she's shallow, lazy, and materialistic, she does love him. She just also wishes he made a lot more money so she could do nothing but play in her craft room all day and bitch and moan about taking care of the kids, if they ever have any.
Will is still far from my favorite himself. One of my bigger issues is that Terri’s behavior doesn't even register with him. If he noticed it but shrugged it off, that would be one thing, but she throws a selfish hissy fit or asks how many Christmas trees will be in the backyard (and if they come in different colors because she might be expecting a girl?!), and he doesn't even bat an eyelash. I was looking for a reaction, and you could argue that he flicked his eyes in her direction a couple of times, but that about it. Maybe he's just so used to it that it barely registers anymore, but she’s so irritating and selfish that it's hard to watch their dynamic. I don't think he's doing either of them any favors by letting her have her way and refusing to challenge her expectations.
His stupidity also extends to much of what happens at school—flirting with Emma without realizing she has genuine feelings for him (or in spite of her feelings, which is even worse), not picking up on the bullying going on right under his nose, etc. Morrison is likable in the role, so on the surface, I like Will. But when I really start looking at him closely, the guy seems almost completely oblivious to the true nature of the people around him, which makes him hard for me to root for.
I’m not currently rooting for Will and Emma to hook up because despite their lovely chemistry, what they're doing is rather creepy. Good for Emma for calling Will on their not-so-innocent flirtation (though she probably only did so because Ken called her on the ooky flirtation with a married man).
Rachel’s comment to Emma that Finn “doesn’t even notice me” was charmingly out-of-touch with reality considering that he offered to take her backpack and generally pays very close attention to her when she speaks. He also thinks she has a nice figure, according to one of his voiceovers from the pilot.
As for the kiss they shared, I’d say they were both a bit in the wrong. Rachel knew he had a girlfriend and tried to seduce him anyway, so I put just as much blame on her for trying it as I do on him for falling for it. They’re just kids, though, so they get a pass from me. And if that was Rachel’s first kiss, at least it was a good one, despite the heartache that may come from it.
I think Rachel's got a typical shallow, lusty high school crush right now—Finn's cute, he's tall, he's popular, and he can sing reasonably well. To her credit, she's at least putting some effort into getting to know him, rather than just pining from afar, so there may end up being some substance to it.
For his part, Finn seems rather uncontrollably and inexplicably attracted to Rachel. He was pretty clueless and sincere until she put her hand over his heart and he realized it was “beating pretty fast,” and even after that he was still sincere, just also very horny very quickly. I didn't see much in Monteith’s performance that indicated Finn was being consciously manipulative, though he obviously realized that “something” might happen. Yes, Rachel hinted a couple of times in the episode that she’d go further than Quinn, but I think Finn’s primary motivation in kissing Rachel was curiosity, not an expectation or hope that she was going to put out. (Though I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s given a voiceover in the next episode or two that completely negates my interpretation.)
Rachel’s final number initially confused me because it seemed too over-the-top for the context, but eventually I realized it’s perfect for Rachel’s personality. She’s a high-strung drama queen, so of course to her, having Finn kiss her and then be back with Quinn the next day would feel like he “cheated on her.” The girl’s got little in the way of a realistic perspective, so the song is a perfect audio-visual way to showcase her overreaction to what happened.
Overall, I enjoyed this one, but I think I liked the pilot more. For now, whatever flaws the show has are minor things I can overlook, because I wasn’t expecting something mind-blowingly brilliant in the first place. I was expecting something bright and fluffy that I don’t have to think too hard about, and despite how dark some of the humor is, that’s what the show gives me.
Random Stuff
-Hmmm, wonder if the dork with the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the episode might be a future Glee member?
-Loved Rachel immediately cottoning onto the fact that Emma was talking about Will and turning to look at him, rather than it just being a joke for the audience because Rachel’s too self-absorbed to even notice.
-Also loved Finn trying not to laugh after Figgins told Sue she had to clean up her spilled smoothie.
-Emma’s pamphlets: OUCH! THAT STINGS!, DIVORCE: Why Your Parents Stopped Loving You, I Can’t Stop Touching Myself, RADON: The Silent Killer, My Mom’s Bipolar and She Won’t Stop YELLING, WOW! THERE’S A HAIR DOWN THERE!, SO YOU LIKE THROWING UP: Understanding and Overcoming Bulimia
-I’m confused as to why the football jocks who make up the male portion of the Celibacy Club can put up with that frizzy-haired nerd in their club, but insist on throwing Kurt in a trash bin on a daily basis…
-I have no idea why, and maybe I’m completely off base and crazy, but for some reason, I took Finn’s comment about checking “under the bed” to make sure Rachel wasn’t “hanging out under there” as a clever way of saying he checked to make sure she didn’t have a dick. Really, though, can you blame me for taking it that way, rather than literally, with Quinn calling her “RuPaul” and “Manhands”? I think it works both literally and as a euphemism, so maybe it was a double entendre…
Quotes
Terri: “I have a question about the trees. It’s always been my dream to cut down my own Christmas tree—how many Christmas trees will we have in the backyard? And do they come in different colors? Because obviously we’re expecting a family, and I have a real sense that it might be a girl.”
Terri: “This is where our daughter or gay son will sleep.”
Emma: “Rachel, did you just throw up?”
Rachel: “No.”
Emma: “You missed the toilet.”
Rachel: “The girl who was here before me left that. I tried, but I guess I just don’t have a gag reflex.”
Emma: “One day when you’re older, that’ll turn out to be a gift.”
