Writers: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan
Grade: A+
Plot-wise, this episode was a little thin, but I guess that’s to be expected when the entire point of the episode is to pay tribute to Madonna. I didn’t really believe that anyone was genuinely empowered by the end of the episode, at least not in any lasting way. This was possiblyy the most fun episode since the premiere, though, so I can let that go easily enough.
I was already annoyed that Finn and Rachel were both poised to lose their virginity in the same episode, so imagine my massive eyeroll when Emma made the same offer to Will. The little writerly symmetry of Will/Emmma and Finn/Rachel annoys the hell out of me. Then I saw the payoff, which was the “Like a Virgin” number, and I was like, “Well shit… this is FUCKING AWESOME!!!” Easily the best number the show has done yet, and the editing was Emmy-worthy. The little beat at the end where Emma, Finn, and Rachel stared at themselves in the mirror, nearly paralyzed with fear, was absolutely perfect. Of course it was a fantasy sequence, because if losing the big V was as fun as that little music video, it wouldn’t be such a big deal—we’d all lose our virginity at 13 and never look back!
I did think it was a bit of a cliché that the guy went through with it while the two women chickened out, but considering that they had three couples potentially hooking up, someone had to actually do the deed. Maybe Finn had the least to lose. Emma is utterly smitten with Will, so if she jumped the gun and had sex with him before she was ready, it could ruin their relationship. And I can’t imagine that the writers would have let Rachel lose her virginity to Jesse considering that it’s pretty obvious that he and the Vocal Adrenaline coach are manipulating her. At least Finn sleeping with Santana simply was what it was—no emotional investment, no nefarious scheming.
I also thought it was interesting that when Rachel lied about sleeping with Jesse, Finn didn’t try to one-up her by telling the truth. I’m guessing that’s because they both lied out of shame. Rachel is embarrassed that sex is such a big deal to her, while Finn is ashamed that he gave his virginity up to someone who doesn’t care about him at all.
As for what Jesse St. James and Shelby Corcoran are up to, the most obvious scheme is that he’s going to charm Rachel into falling for him, then dump her right before Regionals so she’ll be too devastated to perform, or at least to perform well. And by joining New Directions, he’s now in perfect position to spy on everything they do and undermine them from the inside. I’m unclear on whether Jesse will be able to immediately switch back to Vocal Adrenaline considering the school enrollment aspect, but he’s their star, so he must have some kind of trick up his sleeve that will allow him to change allegiance quickly.
Other Stuff
-I don’t know who came up with WWMD, but hee.
Quotes
Quinn: “Would you please stop talking? You’re grossing out my baby.”
Brittany: “When I pulled my hamstring, I went to a misogynist.”
Kurt: “Mercedes is black. I’m gay. We make culture.”
Will: “You don’t need to sleep with me to prove anything. You took ownership of you body on Friday when you told yourself you weren’t ready. And then ran out of apartment with no shoes on…”
Emma: “Did you bring them? They’re my favorites.”
Kurt: “As an honorary girl, I have to agree.”
