Glee Episode 8: An Ode to Family

I thought I'm gonna lose you! Your recent episodes have not been so good and were more like stand-alone musical tribute to major artists bound to deliver a message / topic of the week rather than continuing the storylines about the characters that we have come to love in Season 1. Millions of gleeks out there must have hoped high for New Direction's singing and dancing without "true" direction to come to a halt! Just quite in time, just before the year ends, Episode 8 arrived with a big rescue and I must admit, you had me won over again. The sizable laughs, sentimental moments, the tears and the solid performances of the cast coupled with swift and coherent plot movements still proved that there are plenty of reasons not to give you up - just yet. I am back to Glee!

Glee's new episodes will kick off in January 2011. Before that, let me just share to you what I think is Glee Season 2's best episode so far. EPISODE 8. ¹So what happened in that one hour that felt 30 times more eventful that your average TV hour? Well, Burt and Carol get married. Sue is visited by her long-lost, Nazi-hunting mom. Karofsky gets expelled for bullying and threatening Kurt, then re-admitted. Kurt transfers to Dalton Academy. Finn declares himself and Kurt brothers. Sue steps down as principal after almost marrying herself. Sam and Quinn make a pact. And New Directions looks ahead to crucial Sectionals for next week’s show.

Truly, Season 8 more than made up for the its recent so-so episodes not by featuring bigger stars or showcasing grander musical scenes but setting drama/comedy moments that show its characters beyond being a choir cast or nasty intructor. ²Sue’s mom returns to Ohio after her Nazi-hunting duties are finished, but her daughter does not exactly welcome her with open arms. The more we learn about Sue, the more her abrasive and often absurd behavior makes sense. Her “life is tough, get a helmet” attitude is a result of having to basically fend for herself and parent her disabled sister while her parents were off doing something they thought was more important than family.

Finn's uncomfortability with Kurt's homosexuality came to end with the wedding of their parents. After Kurt's bullying incident that has enbroiled the whole choir guys except Finn in a fight, Finn realized that being Kurt's brother, he has the moral obligation to defend him from any physical and emotional distress caused by Finn's detractors. He made a promise when he's supposed to do a speech for his mom and dance with her but changed his mind. Instead he talked to Kurt and apologized for not being a real brother. It was all so sweet.

This particular episode also featured songs which didn't overpower the moments they're in but rather complimented the emotional ambiance of the scenes. The ebullient Marry You by Bruno Mars, performed by the cast while they danced and sung down the aisle at Burt and Carole’s wedding was a charming performance. Finn’s version of another Bruno Mars' song Just the Way You Are as a touching toast to loyalty, love, family and sheer appreciation, was totally tender and emotional. Check out the songs performances below:

Glee cast performing Marry You.

Glee cast performing Just the Way You Are.

This episode really focused on story, and we as the audience, were richly rewarded. I’m not sure if it all going to end well, but with episodes like this, I will certainly stick around to find out.

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