Two more weeks of Glee. And tonight, the Glee club celebrates the music of Stevie Wonder in an episode titled “Wonder-Ful”
It’s a New Direction reunion, as Mike and Mercedes return to Ohio to help the club prepare for the big Regionals competition. Kurt is back in town too, to be at his dad’s side when the doctor delivers news about Burt’s cancer diagnosis. And speaking of daddy Hummel, Blaine approaches him to ask advice on proposing to Kurt! Yes kids we may have a Klaine Proposal in the future! Hooray.
A couple of guest stars appear in this episode. Katy Sagal plays Artie’s mom, who is much more supportive of her son’s directing aspirations than he lets on. And Kate Hudson returns as the skeery dance teacher, Cassandra July. Will she stand in the way of Rachel’s big Broadway dreams?
I’ll be back with a full recap later.
Click to listen to FULL SONGS from Wonder-Ful.
Thanks to the use and abuse of Stevie Wonder on American Idol, I forgot how much his music has meant to me over the years. But, watching this week’s Glee–a tribute to the man’s music–my Stevie love was back. It didn’t hurt that the song selections were A+. Or, to quote the episode title, “Wonder-ful.”
Stevie’s upbeat music was the perfect backdrop to a storyline that was full of hope and optimism, even in the face of fear. Enemies became friends. Bad news had a silver lining. The bright yellow and orange outfits the kids wore in the last number reflected exactly the way this sunny story left me feeling. There will be more drama next week, but for now, all is well in Glee land!
Or maybe it was the return of graduates, Mercedes, Mike and Kurt to Lima that made me happy. Awesome to see Kurt reunited with his old bestie Mercedes. But there’s a new ship in town. Have Kurt and Mike ever interacted this much in one episode? Mike needs to join the gang in NYC ASAP.
And there were plenty of epic Klaine moments in this episode, which certainly helped my mood, as did the return of the wonderful Mike O’Malley as the Greatest Dad in the World, Burt Hummel. Other happy moments included guest stars Katy Sagal and Kate Hudson. Yes, even Cassie July was a ray of sunshine! Now that we’re smiling, let’s dive in, shall we?
One thing: Finn’s absence from the choir room has yet to be explained…
Rachel calls Will, who is at McKinley getting ready for his day. She breaks the news to him first. She got a second call back for Funny Girl. She confesses that she probably got the part after singing “Don’t Stop Believing.” The memories of that first performance fueled a powerful audition. Will wipes a tear from his eye as she thanks him for all he’s done. It’s one of those full circle Glee moments. There are a couple of those in this episode.
A rash of happy news, including Brittany being accepted at MIT, Emma saying yes to Will’s latest wedding proposal (they will tie the knot after Regionals. Sure they will) and Tina being waitlisted at the Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine (It’s her fall back school, in case show biz doesn’t work out), inspires Will to create a lesson around Stevie Wonder. The musician not only overcame obstacles, but epitomizes joy. The club is really into it. And Will does his best to make as many puns out of Stevie Wonder song titles as he can. Yay.
Smack dab in the middle of a cranky conversation with Kitty, Artie lets slip that he’s been accepted at the Brooklyn Film Academy in NYC. But he’s depressed and he’s not going and KITTY BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE. Which means, of course, that she’ll tell EVERYONE.
Meanwhile back in New York, Kurt is crossing the days off of his Men of McKinley calendar (CUTE. Also, It’s April in Glee world right now) until he heads to Ohio to be with his dad who is about to get the verdict on some cancer tests the took. Kurt is so anxious about his beloved dad’s health, that he’s developing OCD symptoms. He’ll only pack socks the color of a light blue sky– because that’s what he’s hoping for. He realizes the crazy is an attempt to control his anxiety in some way. But it doesn’t stop him from tapping his nose 4 times at the stroke of 4:14. Kurt is really scared of losing his Dad and becoming an orphan.
Cut to the next scene. Kurt’s in Ohio now and just strolls right into McKinley through the front door. (So, what happened to the security guards and metal detectors? ) He spots Blaine and his face changes. It still a little awkward, even if it’s easier. And no, there WILL BE NO HOOKING UP ON THIS TRIP. The entire Kurt scene is done in adorable voice over, if you haven’t figured that out already. He meets Mercedes and Mike in the hallway. The McKinley high reunion is in full swing!
As the trio enter the choir room, arm in arm, Kitty has taken the floor to sing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” More and more, I’m loving me some Becca Tobin, who has definitely got it going on. Accompanied by the band, and Blaine on piano (out of his Cheerios uniform. Did he quit?), Kitty sings and dances energetically, with help from Jake and Ryder. The entire performance is directed at Artie–a prelude to her revealing to the entire class his acceptance at film school. Oops.
Signed Sealed Delivered – Kitty
Mercedes, who is back in town to help out as singing coach, scoffs at Kitty’s performance. In return, Kitty mocks Mercedes, accusing her of crawling back to Lima after failing in Los Angeles. Kurt sniffs that she’s back in town to make a music video for the album she’s recording. Tina who continues her Season 4 incarnation as the biggest bitch ever, is irritated when she learns her ex, Mike is back to help choreograph. “This isn’t wonderful news. It’s shocking. Now we need some guy to help us dance? Hashtag GleeHatesGirls.” Which is a real-life hashtag tweeted to Glee producers, for various sins that include the girls on the show inevitably being saved from themselves by the guys (See: Finn punching out Brody, Finn outing Santana then immediately transforming into her savior) Hello Meta! Tina wants to know if Kurt is there to lecture the girls on their horrible taste in clothing. “My dad has cancer,” he answers, solemnly. Awkward. Ironically, what the writers have done to Tina’s character this season is a perfect illustration of #GleeHatesGirls. Back to Kitty: She messed with the wrong diva. Mercedes gives Marley the lead vocal, while Kitty is sent to the back of the line.
Artie is super pissed at Kitty for spilling his secret. He confesses to her that he can’t go to college because his mom is freaking out. For some reason, Kitty wants to help Artie, and it baffles him. “I like to mix it up,” she tells him. But then she confesses, “You’d be amazing in film school.” Kitty has a little sweet spot for Artie…
Cut to the Lima Bean where Blaine and Kurt and Mike and Mercedes are having coffee (Kurt changed his mind about returning to the mice-infested Lima Bean!) The topic of conversation is marriage equality. Blaine can’t wait to move to New York (WE CAN’T WAIT EITHER), where marriage is available to everyone. He stops Kurt to tell him he looks “dirty cute.” Blushing is involved. These two can’t quit each other! But do we want them to? No we don’t.
At the table, Mercedes explains that the album she’s recording is called “Hell to the No.” The title track is the song she wrote for Nationals two years before. As Mercedes babbles excitedly about her music video, Blaine notices Kurt obsessively organizing a pile of sugar packets in front of him. Mercedes wants to know what’s up between Kurt and Blaine (just friends) and Mike heard some gossip about Tina and Vapo-rub. Kurt puts down his sugar packets. “Is that really important right now?” Mercedes sooths, “Your dad is going to be fine. We’re here. Trust.” Blaine envelops Kurt’s hand with both of his own, looking at him with the awsomest heart eyes. Blaine is totally the king of the heart eyes. Kurt is relieved to be surrounded by friends.
The bitchy queen duo from “Swan Song” are back. Remember Kurt totally putting them in their place after midnight madness? Good times. Somehow they know Rachel is auditioning for Funny Girl. After informing her that Sutton Foster and Meryl Streep’s daughter are her competition for the role, AND that she is going to need a faculty member to sign off on any out of school activities, they head straight for Cassandra July’s office to tattle.
Backstage in the McKinley auditorium, Mercedes leads the kids in some vocal exercises. She encourages Marley to do more vocal runs, demonstrating her technique for checking breath control by hitting her in the stomach with a maraca. But to really show the group how it’s done, the two divas perform “Superstitious.” Blaine eventually joins them. Mercedes dedicates the performance to Kurt as the rest of the group dance groovily to the music. Mercedes can wail.
Superstitious – Mercedes, Marley, Blaine
Mike and Mercedes stop Jake in the hall to give him props. They want him to star in Mercedes’ music video and also to step it up in glee club. As a sexy triple threat, he should be center stage. He’s a superstar! When he reminds them that he’s just a lowly sophomore, Mercedes asks him if he’s going to argue “with our lord and savior Jesus” who “wrote somewhere in the bible not to hide your light under a bushel.” Not a bible scholar, that one. Jake reminds her that he’s Jewish. So was Jesus! She answers. So that’s settled.
Mike and Mercedes dub Jake a Superstar
Cut to the doctor’s office where Kurt, Burt and Carol are awaiting test results. Kurt is pacing and yelling at Burt about his outfit. He was supposed to wear light colors under his flannels! Kurt is clearly losing it. But just at the point where Burt begins to lose it too, the doctor walks in. He wastes no time to deliver the good news. Burt’s prostate cancer is in full remission. He’s essentially cured. SIGH OF RELIEF. There are happy hugs all around. “I wasn’t ready to leave you guys yet,” says Burt. “Things aren’t finished, right? You getting married…grandbabies…” Kurt smiles… Burt is just so happy he’s not going to miss it.
Back in the choir room, Kurt nervously waits for Burt, whom he’s invited in for a special surprise. This is another one of those full circle moments. The last time Kurt sang for his dad was when he was in the hospital and the moment was full of despair. But now, the vibe is all about second chances. “Sunshine of My Life” is a song Burt used to sing to Kurt when he was little. It made him smile. Now Kurt is going to return the favor. Want to know who else was smiling? ME. Ear to ear. Kurt’s ode to his Dad is as sweet and charming a thing as you’ll ever see on Glee. Chris Colfer is like a herd of unicorns, a collection of rainbows and a basket full of puppies all rolled into one. And, Burt + Kurt = LOVE.
Sunshine of My Life – Kurt
As the rain pounds outside the window, Rachel is in a NYADA studio frantically studying her audition lines. Cassandra catches her as she walks by and can’t help but stop in to torture Rachel some more. Cassie teases that she found out about Rachel’s callback via Barbra Streisand. It turns out Rachel’s audition is scheduled at the same time as her dance midterm. Rachel begs Cassie to let her go. She complies, but only because she plans to drop by to watch Rachel blow her first Broadway audition. Cassie agrees to reschedule her mid-term to the next morning, assigning her the most difficult dance she can think of. Rachel better be there, ready to dance.
Back in the Lima choir room, Mike introduces someone special he feels can lead the Glee club to victory. Sam begins to get up out of his chair. NOPE. It’s Jake! Little Puckerman joins Mike for some fancy footwork on “I Wish,” Jake sings lead, with Marley adding taking the “You nasty boy!” shout out. Pretty sure I said this last week–Jacob Artist’s talents have been mostly wasted this season. It’s very cool to see him front and center and dancing with the incredible Harry Shum, Jr.
I Wish – Jake, Mike, Marley
After, Mike and Kurt go searching for Mercedes. They find her in the auditorium, on the phone, arguing heatedly with her record producer. She gets some bad news–her record release is on hold. Cut to slimy British producer attempting to persuade Mercedes to show more skin during a photo shoot. She refuses. Cut back to McKinley. There will be no record unless she agrees to another shoot. It hits Mercedes that she’s going to struggle with image her entire career. Does she stick to her guns, and insist TPTB accept her as she is, even if it makes the journey harder?
Oh! It’s Artie’s house! He enters to find Kitty sitting with his mom, played by Katy Sagal. Uh oh. It turns out mom had no idea Artie was accepted to film school until Kitty spilled the beans. Having caught him in a mess of lies, Kitty leaves Artie to sort it out with his mom, who is as cool as…well, Katy Sagal. She’s totally on board with him going to film school in New York. The truth of it is–it’s Artie who is afraid. He also feels guilty leaving his mom, who he feels gave up everything for him. Mom reminds him that he’s brave and self directed and will manage just fine in New York. And he’s going to New York. And if he ever implies again that she’s an old hag, she’s gonna tip him over. Love it. ARTIE’S GOING TO NEW YORK! MAKE ROOM IN THE LOFT, KIDS!
Rachel arrives at her mid-term, bracing herself for the worst. But what she gets instead is a HUGE surprise party! It turns out that Cassie July isn’t so bad after all. She put Rachel through her paces and she came through with flying colors. NYADA is family. They complete against each other, but also support each other and celebrate when there is big news. Much to Rachel’s shock, the class is waiting for her with signs and they cheer and support her. THEY are going to get her through her first call back. The horns break out, and Cassie breaks into a spirited performance of “Uptight.” It’s joyful, really, with Cassie eventually twirling an ecstatic Rachel around the dance floor. The shift in Cassie’s personality is a little abrupt. I always felt there was some big time envy and resentment behind Cassie’s mean girl attitude. I guess those issues are resolved. But this number? Is A+ nonetheless. Oh. Here’s a game. How many So You Think You Can Dance alums can YOU spot!
Uptight (Everything is Alright) – Cassandra July
Mercedes leads Mike and Kurt into the choir room. After everyone settles, she tells the group the sad story of the record producer who didn’t respect her as an artist. She confesses that in order to hold on to her integrity, she’s decided to split with the label–OVER THE ALBUM COVER. Which seems pretty silly. The lesson should REALLY be that the world of show business is full of compromise. But that wouldn’t be very romantic would it? In short, Mercedes has decided to sell her music on her own (She got out of that deal pretty easily). She hands out CDS to the class, more or less asking them to be her street team.
Mercedes holds on to her integrity by taking…wait for it…THE HIGHER GROUND. She promptly rips into the song, pretty much showing it who’s boss. Sam jumps up to show off some stripper moves. Kurt fans himself with his CD. Mid performance, Mercedes rips off her jacket to reveal a sleeveless dress. What was that about not wanting to show any skin? She tosses it to Kurt, who puts it on! Mercedes finishes the song with her arms outstretched. Hot.
Higher Ground – Mercedes
OMG YOU GUYS. Blaine waits nervously for Burt ,whom he’s summoned to the auditorium. When he arrives, Blaine hands him a box. It’s a rainbow equality pin. Gay rights have been Burt’s top issue at Congress. And of course, he’s all for gays having the right to marry. That opens the door for Blaine to address the topic at hand. “I want to formally ask your permission to ask Kurt to marry me,” says Blaine, somewhat confidently. Burt turns around after fastening the pin to his shirt in the mirror.
“You kiddin’ or are you nuts?” asks Burt. “Kurt is my soulmate,” insists Blaine. “I know that I’ve hurt him badly, but I also know if I want to get him back, I have to do something bold.” And thank GOD Burt is the voice of reason. While he’s happy that Blaine loves his son, he’s totally NOT ON BOARD with Blaine’s plan to propose. “You’re still kids! Didn’t you learn ANYTHING from Finn and Rachel?” asks Burt.
“They are completely different!” Blaine argues. And yes they are. Before they broke up, Blaine and Kurt were easily the most stable and functional couple on the show, which is a reason why fans were so enraged when the producers broke them up with a fucked up cheating scandal. Nevertheless, they are still teenagers. Blaine’s desire is a mixture of needing an attention-getting gimmick to get Kurt back, and giddyness at finally being allowed to marry. It’s heady stuff, but Burt is there to talk him down off the ledge. Burt explains that everything changes after marriage, which makes divorce way more painful than just breaking up with someone. There’s a difference between marrying a person and marrying an idea. But Blaine is afraid of losing Kurt, that he won’t be there if he waits. Burt promises that if he and Kurt are meant to be, then he shouldn’t worry.”When two people love each other the way you two do,” he says, “Everything works out.” Oh Burt. How are you so FLAW FREE? However, Blaine does not look convinced.
Mercedes is finishing up a singing class, when Artie announces, in his most unintelligible ghetto speak, that he’s full of PASSION and y’alls better meet him in the auditorium at 4 pm for a little somethin’ somethin’. He and Kitty smile at each other knowingly. NEW BESTIES.
Cut to the NYADA dance studio. Rachel arrives bearing a gift she bought at a Broadway flea market. It’s Debbie Allen’s original cane from the movie Fame. Would that be something you’d pick up affordably anywhere? Rachel thanks Cassie for pushing her so hard, busting her ass, making her a better dancer. Cassie admits that she saw something special in Rachel in that very first class. “That’s why I’m so relentless,” she says. The whole “Brody thing?” Cassie only slept with him because of his abs. Rachel insists that Cassie’s are better and admits to being really really nervous. Cassie is certain Rachel will get the part. They hug goodbye. Frenamies forever!
Back at McKinley, Blaine stops Kurt in the hall. He wants to ask him something really important. He begins what sounds like a proposal. “This is going to take a lot of courage,” says Blaine, “considering our complicated history.” He hems and haws until Kurt urges him on, “Go ahead! You get kind of cute when you’re nervous.”
“Will you…” asks Blaine awkwardly, as Kurt looks on expectantly. But then the question turns into a request that Kurt stay in town through Regionals. TROLLED BY RYAN MURPHY ONCE AGAIN! But of course, Kurt planned to stay! The two head down the hall, arm in arm. “This is a wonderful, wonderful week,” says Kurt.
“With you in it,” says Blaine. “It’s a wonderful life.” KLAINE FOREVAH AND EVAH!
They enter the auditorium as Artie launches into a performance of “For Once in My Life” with the rest of the club. Yo. Kevin McHale can really sang, people. Eventually, everyone ends up on stage and the episode ends in a total love fest.
For Once in My Life – Artie
