GLEE Fall Finale - Sectionals - Give Me My Remote : Give Me My Remote

GLEE Fall Finale – Sectionals

December 10, 2009 by  

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December. January. February. March. APRIL! That’s how long we’re going to have to wait for a new episode of GLEE. I know the wait seems unfair, but at least we got one hell of a great Fall finale to tide us over until the Spring. Great music. Major plot movement. And a kiss that left me…gleeful.

Kudos to the writers and the director of last night’s episode for taking a step back, slowing things down a bit and giving us digestible and related story arcs rather than the frenzy of plot points usually shoved into an episode of GLEE.  Of course I mean in no way to imply that the episode wasn’t chock-full of hefty storylines, because it was. But the pace at which the stories unfolded had a certain calmness and in turn lent gravitas to each of the arcs. “Sectionals” would have served as a respectable series finale had the show not been picked up for the full season. But it did, and television is better off for it.

Since the very first episode of GLEE, way back in May, we’ve been following McKinley High’s ‘New Directions’ on the road to Sectionals, and tonight we saw the culmination of all their hard work. But as usual with this group of songsters, getting on to the stage proved to be the hardest part.

Rachel and her psychic abilities started to suspect that Puck and not Finn, could be the father of Quinn’s baby. Using a Jewish genetic disorder as her device, Rachel set off to discover the truth. Upon realizing that her suspicions had merit, no one – not even the gleeker party line – could stop Rachel from telling Finn.

In one of the more emotional scenes of the season, Finn confronted Quinn and his best friend Puck with the rumors and demanded to know the truth. A heartbroken and furious Finn left the club and was a no show as the gleekers got on the bus to leave for Sectionals.

Having been disqualified from the competition, Mr. Schue handed the glee club over to the dainty, delicate, and willing hands of Emma Pillsbury. Unfortunately the competition fell on the same day as Emma and Ken’s wedding. Faced with the scheduling dilemma, Emma did what every bride would do, she pushed back her wedding for a few hours so she could chaperone high school kids to a singing competition. Perfectly normal.

Without their leading man, New Directions felt a bit despondent, but Rachel rallied the troops and got them properly amped up for the competition ahead. But that excitement was soon thwarted when it was revealed that their two other competitors took Sue’s advice and stole the set list from the gleekers. The Jane Adams Reform School for Girls took on “And I Am Telling You” – the ballad that Mercedes would have owned – as well as the ‘Proud Mary’ wheelchair dance, which left Artie wheeling himself repeatedly into a wall. And if that wasn’t enough, the Haverbook School for the Deaf took New Directions signature piece, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’.

Left with nothing to sing, the gleekers were devastated and racing to pull together a repertoire. They knew they could end the show with the crowd pleasing ‘Somebody to Love’, but without Mercedes’ solo, and another group number they wouldn’t be able to compete.

It was time for their Captain to step up and take control. This was Rachel’s moment. All season long she let everyone know that she was a star. But now she had to prove it, and the whole glee club needed her to shine.  When Rachel said, “Well, I do have something I’ve been working on since I was four.” everyone knew she wasn’t kidding. All that she went through this year prepared her for this moment. She was going to stand center stage and represent the glee club. But they were still missing one more ensemble piece.

A panicked Emma called Will for advice, but there was little he could do. He did however have an idea of one person who could help. Will tracked down Finn in the locker room and shared some inspiring words. He also left his set of cars keys hoping that Finn would find his way to Sectionals.

He did. And the co-Captain brought with him a new song for the group to sing, inspired by Mr. Schu’s advice.

It was time for New Directions to hit the stage, but not before Emma Pillsbury confronted the advisers for Jane Adams and Haverbrook and ripped them a new one. Go Emma!

With Mr. Schu listening in through Emma’s cell phone, Rachel emerged dramatically from the back of the theater and broke into a stunning version of Barbra Streisand’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade” that would have made Babs proud. As she and her fellow gleekers made their way to the stage, a teary eyed Will listened with pride. The performance ended with the crowd on their feet. But New Directions was just getting started.  Finn’s last minute music suggestion of The Rolling Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, once again had the crowd on their feet, but this time it was mid-song as the audience couldn’t help but stand up and dance to the music. Another well deserved standing O! But was it enough to win?



As the cameras took us, documentary style, behind the closed doors of the judges room, we got a hilarious look at the deliberation of the three, completely unqualified judges. Cult fandoms collided as TRUE BLOOD’s Anna Camp, who plays Sarah Newlin on the HBO show (as well as Pam’s sister on THE OFFICE), came to GLEE as one of the judges.

Having been affected by Emma’s speech, the adviser of the Jane Adams school, tried to do the right thing an attempted to confess to the judges, but their minds were made up. McKinley High’s New Directions won Sectionals!! Yay Gleekers!

Later in the day, as Will was getting ready for Emma and Ken’s wedding, an apologetic Terri let her husband know that she is going to counseling (albeit it at the local community center), and that she wants to make their marriage work. Unfortunately for her, Will isn’t sure he can see a future together. I wouldn’t get too excited. They are still married, so I’m not sure Terri Schuester is going to disappear anytime soon. But here’s to hoping.

The Schuester’s aren’t the only ones whose love life is in ruins. After realizing that Emma put being there for Will above her own marriage, Ken called off the wedding to Emma. When Will found her in the reception site (which also served as the local VFW), Emma confessed that she didn’t take over the glee club for the kids, she did it for him. She told Will of her feelings for him and then told him that she resigned from McKinley. Having hurt Ken so badly, and being so heartbroken over Will, she didn’t think she could stay in the school any longer. As she walked away, Will stopped her to tell her that he just left his wife. Not wanting to be the rebound, Emma couldn’t be with Will just as his marriage was dissolving.

Back in school on Monday, Principal Figgins finally got a set and fired Sue Sylvester as the coach of the Cheerios before suspending her from the school. An irate Sue confronted Will and vowed to get back at him for what he took from her. “You are about to board the Sue Sylvester Express. Destination – Horror!

Having being reinstated as the head of the glee club, Will returned to the music room where the kids presented him with the sectional trophy. They also had another surprise in store for their mentor – a rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” complete with bits of choreography reminiscent of all their musical numbers to date. A very sweet moment.

While the kids were singing, the lyrics really hit home for Will. As the music played in the background Will ran to look for Emma. He was devastated when he found her office empty and completely cleared out. But as he walked away he saw her standing at the end of the hall. He ran to her and without hesitation kissed her like every woman deserves to be kissed.



Fade to black…until April. How cruel.

Incredible musical numbers. Sassy and snarky dialogue. Emotional confessions. I’m not sure you can ask for any more. The fall finale of GLEE was perhaps the best episode of the season, which is good because it’s going to have to tide us over for a few months.

Before we get to Amber Riley’s jaw-dropping performance of “And I’m Telling You”, a few parting quotes that just can’t be ignored…

  • Brittany: “Sex is not dating. If it were, Santana and I would be dating.”
  • Emma (about her wedding): “We just pushed it back a few hours. Now it doesn’t have to happen in broad daylight.”
  • Sue: “I’m reasonably confident you’ll be adding revenge to the long list of things you’re no good at, right next to finding a hairstyle that doesn’t make you look like a lesbian.”
  • Will: “You make a beautiful bride.”
  • Rachel: “I’m going to give you a hug now.”
  • Finn: “Don’t play dumb, you’re too freakin’ dumb to play dumb!”
  • Kurt: “Damn her talent.”

And now…Ms. Amber Riley.



This might be the last time we talk GLEE for a while. Talk to me about last night’s episode. What will happen now that Finn know about the baby? Will this pave the way for him and Rachel? And what’s to come of Emma and Will after that breathtaking kiss? Thoughts on last night’s music? So much to talk about. The comments are open…

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Comments

18 Responses to “GLEE Fall Finale – Sectionals”

  1. Lelolai on December 10th, 2009 9:56 am

    Tay-sachs is not a “fake Jewish genetic disorder”. Look it up. http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/tay_sachs.html

  2. Jaime on December 10th, 2009 10:09 am

    Best episode to date if you ask me! It took me a good hour or 2 to unwind when it was over!

  3. samsmom on December 10th, 2009 10:25 am

    Sue: “I’m reasonably confident you’ll be adding revenge to the long list of things you’re no good at, right next to finding a hairstyle that doesn’t make you look like a lesbian.” Best line of the night. I love Sue.

    I thought the episode great. There is only one thing that has me worried…When Mr. Schue was getting ready for the wedding and Terri told him she has been tired lately. They better not make her prego for reals now.

    This is by far my favorite new show of the season. I am glad it was picked up and I am so excited about the casting news that I won’t mention because it could be a spoiler. April seems so far away. Stupid American Idol.

  4. Give Me My Remote on December 10th, 2009 10:26 am

    Lelolai – Thanks for sharing that fact. I just assumed that she was making that up, but I should have checked. I’ve included the link you provided in the post above.

  5. savedbythetube on December 10th, 2009 10:38 am

    A million goosebumps last night! Most of them thanks to Miss Amber Riley. I loved Emma standing up to the cheating glee coaches, the principal finally sticking it to Sue, Mr. Shue listening to the kids perform on a cell phone, and pretty much everything that comes out of Brittany’s mouth.

    I’m glad all of the secrets are out in the open now, and we can start sifting through the aftermath in April. Argh April!

    And I’ve never necessarily been a strong Mr. Shue/Emma ‘shipper (though I do love them), but when he was running down the hall, I looked down and found myself standing up. Haha. Gotta love those moments.

  6. Amanda on December 10th, 2009 11:15 am

    This episode was so, so, so good. I teared up repeatedly. And then again when I rewatched it. Pretty much everything I wanted to happen, happened, and it was glorious.

    Is it April yet?

  7. Lelolai on December 10th, 2009 11:24 am

    There was so much to love about this episode. My first impression was that it wrapped up all the story arcs so neatly that it’s almost like Ryan Murphy expected that the show might be canceled and would only get those 13 episodes. I’m glad he was wrong.

    I liked the way several characters broke out of their caricature selves and did things in service to others (except for Sue of course, but we expect that). Quinn is so upset that she’s hurt so many people and decides to stand on her own. She also admits to the group that Sue had sent the Cheerios to spy on Glee. Corey as Finn had some good scenes where his character finally stood up for himself and then later proved to be a true leader for the group. While Rachel admitted that giving the solo to Mercedes was right, Rachel still held back a bit (she says “the room loves you”, not “I” loved you, and she throws a quick criticism of Mercedes’ song choice. Both Amber and Lea gave amazing performances.

    In another blog some folks mentioned that the final performance of the Kelly Clarkson song was a dance “mash-up” of all the performances they’d done in the season. I did not catch that and will look for it when I watch the episode again.

    Here is my wish for the rest of the season, ok wishes. 1. I hope that Fox realizes their mistake and brings the show back sooner than April. 2. I would love it if Emma really did quit the school. The could keep her around by maybe having Will and Emma move in together (or at least date). Then the position of school counselor would be filled by Kristin Chenowith (who’s character had undergone rehab). C’mon, now that they will have Idina as a regular, we’ve got to also have Kristin on as a regular.

    And Kath, thanks for putting the info on Tay-sachs disease up.

  8. Patty on December 10th, 2009 12:18 pm

    This episode was brilliant and makes up for some of the unevenness in the last couple of episodes.

    I loved the road to sectionals – the first 40 minutes was really fun. But I thought – are we going to be left hanging? Did they win? What’s going to happen this next twenty minutes? Well! The confrontation between Terry and Will was great and a nice continuation of his Angry Will character development of the last couple of weeks. I have been avoiding spoilers for GLEE as much as possible becuase I find I enjoy the show more when I don’t know what the musical numbers in advance so I had no idea! I didn’t look at Volume 2 so I didn’t know the songs and they picked. I wondered how they were ever going to choose from their vast catalog!

    The kiss was most unexpected and well worth the wait I must say!

    I went straight to iTunes after the show and downloaded the new CD. I had to have Don’t Rain on My Parade! And I am so going to be the first on my block to buy the first have of the season after Christmas!

  9. strunkette on December 10th, 2009 12:20 pm

    I LOVED this episode. Sectionals were finally here, everything was out in the open, Sue got her comeuppance and Will & Emma kissed. Its crazy we have to wait longer for the back 13 than we did during the summer. Boo ;(

    If Teri is preggo I will flip! How could she be…she wouldn’t let him anywhere near her during the fake pregnancy. I think it would be a horrible plot development.

  10. Sara V on December 10th, 2009 12:32 pm

    This was an amazing episode. I loved every minute of it and can’t count the number of times I got goosebumps during the performances.

    I loved when Emma accused the coaches of cheating and the guy said that it was just a coincidence that they choose “Don’t Stop Believing” because of its popularity. After all it is the number 1 downloaded song on itunes of all time. Ha ha. I love when shows put in stuff like that.

  11. Katey on December 10th, 2009 12:44 pm

    “Haverbook School for the Dead”?? Cutest typo ever! *lol*

  12. Carli on December 10th, 2009 12:57 pm

    Love how all the kids’ relationships were left open. Did not love how quickly Will wanted to be with Emma. That was just wrong, IMO. I want to marry Lea’s version of “Don’t Rain On My Parade”! WOW. It was even better when you added in her performance. Loved bringing the choreography from all the other numbers to the ending number of “My Life Would Suck Without You.” And as a PR shipper, I loved the non-verbal meeting of the two in the hallway. So much chemistry those two have (I feel like Yoda).

  13. Lelolai on December 10th, 2009 12:58 pm

    @Katey, yeah and the school is run by Georgia Lass!

  14. I on December 10th, 2009 5:05 pm

    My only problem: Lea/Rachel singing with an accent that isn’t hers. Just like with “Smile”. I get that Streisand and Allen both have accents, but is it really necessary? Singing with her normal accent would have been fine. Maybe even better.

  15. Karen (Kath's sis) on December 10th, 2009 5:23 pm

    Loved it Loved it Loved it!!!!!!!! Sigh….off to watch again!

  16. toast with JAM on December 11th, 2009 12:28 am

    I thought the exact same thing when Terri said that she was tired lately. Of course she’s pregnant. Funny how she gets dumped for not being pregnant when she was really pregnant!

  17. tw111 on December 11th, 2009 12:26 pm

    OMG, Terri had better not be preggers…. I am so over her and the whole storyline there. Will and Emma just belong together, let them have drama somewhere else.
    Sue was over-the-top mean in this one…. I almost didn’t like her for real this time. I can’t imagine how they can bring her back after she’s been fired?? And will Puck figure in the story as a major player now that Quinn has nixed raising the baby with him?
    This was just a great episode…. Brittany slayed me every time she deadpanned, Kurt’s facial expressions were killer, and Figgins was hilariously smug. I wish they’d bring it back sooner than April, though….

  18. Lelolai on December 11th, 2009 2:36 pm

    If they made Terri pregnant for real, then Will could not possibly be the father and she’s been sleeping around on him. She has kept him away from her for months now. Remember the scene in bed where she’s got a wall of pillows between her and Will? He tries to touch her hair and she freaks out.

    Oh and I agree, Chris Colfer (Kurt) has the BEST facial expressions. At the beginning when Rachel is telling them how she is psychic, his expression just cracks me up.