'Glee' recap: Gwyneth Paltrow fever -- catch it!

We were all ready to hate Gwyneth Paltrow on “Glee,” practically buttering the floor for her to slip on, but dang if we didn’t end up not only admiring her appearance but also actually starting to like her. The actress we’ve long regarded as the epitome of patrician entitlement, what with her admirable Hollywood lineage, elite New York prep school education and irritatingly early success, not to mention her willowy blondness and blond willowiness,  showed the world that she not only could sing and dance (she already did the “Whoa, she can sing?” thing at the CMA Awards last week, when she performed the title song from her forthcoming movie, “Country Strong”), but also had a serious sense of fun.

Raise your hand if, like the kids of McKinley High, you found yourself -- first grudgingly, then increasingly enthusiastically -- embracing Paltrow as the wacky substitute teacher Holly Holiday.

We managed to keep a skeptically arched eyebrow in place throughout the Lindsay Lohan-inflected Spanish lesson and the snappy taco-and-toke talk. But once the music started, we were won over.

Paltrow had us at Cee-Lo.

The show cleaned up the words of Cee-Lo Green’s viral masterpiece “Forget You” (the television- and radio-friendly title) but lost none of the joyous flip-off spirit of the thing. And Paltrow moved so spiritedly through the number, mixing it up with the up-on-their-feet glee clubbers that we found her mid-song hair-flip almost charming and forgave her for the way she can shamelessly rock a miniskirt after two children. (Though, really, is that fair?)

Other unforgettable Paltrow moments:

1)    Foil in hair, wineglass in hand, watching “Animal Hoarders” with Sue as Rachel looks on, aghast.

2)    High-fiving Puck -– “Righteous!” -- while confronting Rachel in the hall for being such a drag, then gamely agreeing to perform a song that’s “upbeat" and "glamorous, with a good dance beat” with her: “I thought you’d never ask; it’s kind of my catchphrase.”

3)    Performing that upbeat, glam number, “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag,” from “Chicago,” with Rachel. Those deliciously glam costumes! The sequins! The boas! The swingin’ fringe! But Chris Colfer steals the scene just with the look on his face as he watches. How does he do that?

4)    Her response as Sue rips into Holly and Mercedes for the $17,000 in damage done to her 1979 Le Car in a tater-tot-stuffed-in-tailpipe protest. When Sue informs them that she’ll be meeting with her lawyer, Gloria Allred, about pressing charges, Paltrow's clueless rat-a-tat with Sue -- “So am I going to jail or … ? ” “Undetermined,” “Great” -- is really priceless.

5)    The wolf-ish gleam she elicits from Will when she (chastely) tells him that she’s all about the one-night stand.

6)    That punch-in-the-face flashback: “Cameo!”

7)    The chuckle she gives when Terri shows up and starts talking baby talk to Will. (And by the way, the thermometer in the Vaseline? What the … ?)

8)    “Mary Todd Lincoln in the house! My husband was probably gay, and I’m bipolar, which makes me yell things like, ‘That teapot’s spreadin’ lies about me’ or ‘That can’t be my baby because I don’t love it.’”

9)    The mash-up of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” It’s the least cloying Will Schuester has been in a long time: Paltrow’s sassiness undercuts his overripe sweetness. And all that splashy dancing. It may be my favorite “Glee” group number so far this season.

And you? Did you catch Paltrow fever? Or did she leave you cold?

-- Amy Reiter

Photo: Will (Matthew Morrison) and Holly (guest star Gwyneth Paltrow) perform the "Umbrella"/"Singin' in the Rain" mash-up in "The Substitute" episode of "Glee." Credit: Adam Rose / Fox

Comments

[Jenneu]

I have to say it: I completely utterly agree. She too won me over at Cee-Lo and then capped it all with her Mary Todd Lincoln. She was the fresh infusion of fun, singing/performing chops, and personality that the uneven season needed. Spot on Amy.

[Gleek82]

Once again, you read my mind. I've never been a Paltrow fan. But she finally turned me!

[CM]

My wife and I loved her and hope she comes back. To steal a phrase from my wife.."she is really funny, does she ever do comedy?" This was the best show in months. There was no preaching or point to catch....just fun.

[Dee Smith]

How can you not love this episode if you love music? The Cee-Lo number is one of my favorites. But the number from Chicago is great too. All in All great entertainment!

[jesse]

Nope, still find her annoying. Hope to God she doesn't come back to Glee. Another episode of the Gwyneth Paltrow show would be too much to take.

[leroy]

While the show started out well, I didn't like how Paltrow took away the story line from the other characters. There were funny moments with Rachel wearing the mask and those little kids in the beginning, but then the story grew flat. I know the show is over the top, but the whole tater tot story line for me was lame. A special guest star should add to the show, and not take it over.

[EEM]

Sorry, not gaga over Gwyneth, or this episode. I couldn't help but feel this was all about promoting Gwyneth Paltrow's upcoming film. (She's sure getting lots of exposure, first singing at the CMA Awards and now tapping into the Glee audience). Kudos to her, but as for Glee, the story lines were contrived, and the musical performances only so so (Lea Michelle barely sang in her one number). And how gross was that, watching Will and Terry and their fetishes? Yuk. Yes, agreed, Glee is deliberately "over the top," and sometimes it's fun and funny, but this time it all fell flat, including Sue Sylvester's story line about becoming principal and firing Will. There are hits and there are misses. This one definitely struck out.

[Cassie]

I truly enjoyed the episode. I was a little apprehensive about yet another guest star (others have more or less been pointless) but the character was great and Paltrow was terrific in the role.

The parts with Will and Terri were a little skeevy and I could have done with the Kurt-Mercedes-Blaine-homophobic jock storyline. Although Sue banning Mercedes' beloved tater tots was an integral part of the A story (that being Holly Holliday).

I didn't mind that the rest of the characters were basically just background characters this week. If the focus had been on Will or Rachel, then yawn. But the combination of the Holly character plus Paltrow's acting made it a great episode. Had a lot of what had been missing throughout season 2 (and the back nine of season 1).

[Sara]

Loved it. I was also totally ready to be irritated by her but loved the whole show. Forget You and Singing in the Rain/Umbrella were fantastic.

[Joanne]

Can't stand her. Can't stand Bristol. Both should stop screwing up shows I love.

[markiejoe]

Never mind Gwyneth. She was fine. BUT.......

If that costumer doesn't start dressing Kurt like a high school boy in Ohio instead of like a drag version of the Gorton's of Gloucester fisherman, I'm going to personally seek him/her out and administer some B's.

Clue to the clueless costumer: If a high school kid is the only out gay boy in his school, and if he is being taunted and teased mercilessly because of the aforementioned, then he should NOT be dressing more and more each day like a Gucci-clad street hustler. And where the he!! does he get the money for those outfits anyway? Just tone it down a little, please. The first season's Kurt was fine. And actually made sense.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

[Elena (2)]

I agree with Leroy when in his comment he says that "a special guest star should add to the show, and not take it over". And teachers should NOT perform in Glee Club: students do!

[greg]

Let's just say I hope Will gets sick a whole lot more!

[Jujubee3of5]

Amy Reiter. Now that was a well written review.
My sentiments exactly.
I resisted jumping on the Gwyneth bandwagon.
"Paltrow had us at Cee Lo."
That's hilarious.
What else have you written? I'm gonna Google you.

[Maya]

so this episode was by far the best one of the season....

it made my heart do enormous flips of joy!
best guest start one too

it was not too much not too little (But wasn't it strange for Gwen to have an indian accent speaking spanish? did anybody hear that? haha)

but i cried of laughter throughout the whole thing and i loved the songs

i wish every episode of glee was like this..

my favorite moment was the Blaine and Kurt talking and Mercedes only hearing "gay gay gay, omg i talked and a little purse came out of my mouth"

also when Kurt tries to hook up Mercedes with the one of the only five black guys at the school....haha classic