‘Glee’: Jumping for joy, the lie is over
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It was the point of no return. Or as Jessalyn Gilsig (who plays Terri Schuester) called it, the “moment of reckoning.”
I’ve never been shy about my disdain for Mrs. Schuester – she’s manipulative, heartless, shrill and worst of all she singlehandedly destroys Will’s manhood. And as readers are quick to comment, this whole train wreck of a fake pregnancy just added fuel to the fire that became a raging inferno of hate for Terri.
Gilsig’s superb acting isn’t exactly doing anything to extinguish those flames.
In a conversation with Show Tracker earlier, Gilsig said she hoped the episode would be the moment for anti-Terri fans to join Team Terri. Gosh, I hate to break it to her, I’m still not in full-on Team Terri uniform. But she did at least have my attention on the sidelines, as opposed to filing my nails until halftime. Baby steps, right?
For weeks I have been vocal at my need for this pregnancy storyline to be tied up – but I never imagined it would actually happen. There was a point when I believed the writers would see it through all the way to the delivery room, or worse, seeing Terri go as far as stealing Quinn’s baby – I don’t put anything past this woman!
Thankfully, with a sigh of relief followed by edge-of-seat nervousness, I watched the cringe-worthy revelation unfold in front of my eyes.
Once Will found the fake pregnancy pad while looking for something in the dresser there was this moment where he ticked. Maybe it was a lightbulb going off in his mind; after all, I never thought he was that oblivious. It was devastating sitting on the other side of the tube watching him storm into the kitchen and piercing Terri with his tearful eyes. He wanted to be wrong, but he knew well enough that he had been betrayed.
My hate for Terri had vanished. The lie was over. It was done. Matthew Morrison showed another dimension to Will, and did a remarkable job doing so. There was anger and anguish all intertwined in this bitter and broken shell of a man. And he played it well enough where you feared for Terri.
And finally, I pitied her. I saw her for what she was: desperate, defeated, yet somehow defiant. What she did wasn’t wrong in her mind. How could it be? Glee club was ruining their marriage, making Will distant and happy.
Of course the tension between Will and Emma had nothing to do with it, because Terri is undoubtedly vain enough to know she is a knockout. But she is smart enough to know that wasn’t enough to keep Will interested.
After hearing her say the marriage largely worked because Will didn’t feel great about himself, watching him walk out the door was both empowering and heartbreaking. As Emma sweetly said, Will is a ‘lot to lose.’ You can’t fault Terri for fighting tooth, nail and womb for him.
On to the music.
Some Gleeks might still have a sour taste in their mouths from the lack of music featured, but as the kids proved with a rousing rendition of Van Halen’s “Jump,” mattresses aren’t just for ‘sleeping and fornicating anymore.’ And with sectionals coming next week for the finale, I’m hoping they bring their A game; besides, they have the daunting task of whetting our appetites enough to hold us over for the four-month respite -- sorry Fox, a Paula-less “American Idol” won’t do it for me.
With the episode being heavy on Schuester drama, other story lines paled in comparison. The kids not wanting to be in the yearbook? No thanks. Schuester being disqualified for sleeping on a mattress? Silly, and thanks a lot, Principal Figgins, for showing no compassion.
One storyline I have now become fed up with is Sue’s incessant need to destroy the Glee club. It offered me a few chuckles at the beginning but it’s officially ridiculous. What draws so many to Sue’s slithering, sneaky-snake persona is her superiority complex. The Sue that proclaims, “All I want is one day of the year where I’m not visually assaulted by uglies and fatties.” It’s hard to enjoy the superiority complex when you are blatantly ruining the club – it was much funnier (and creative) in the beginning. I want more Sue in zoot suits, for goodness sake!
Now that the moment of wrecking has happened for Terri and Will, what will happen to Quinn’s plan? Does this leave room for Will and Emma to finally make sweet sanitary love? And speaking of hookps, Rachel + Finn ... yes? And will the kids take sectionals or be the losers with capitol Ls that McKinley High thinks they are?
-- Gerrick Kennedy (Follow me on Twitter @GerrickKennedy)
Related:
Complete Showtracker coverage of ‘Glee’
Lea Michele’s ‘Glee’-ful awakening