Glee: Risky Business

Up until last night, I thought Quinn (Dianna Agron) was the weakest link on Glee. Granted, I've been on Team Rachel (Lea Michele) since Day 1. But Agron's acting seemed weak. Her voice seemed fluffy. And the character of Quinn seemed ... incongruous. On one episode she'd spy on New Directions for Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). Then on another she'd bake brownies to raise money for glee club. Her entire existence was a conflict of interest, yet while her boyfriend Finn (Cory Monteith) struggled to balance schoolwork, glee club, football practice, and impending fatherhood, Quinn's issues never really seemed to bother her. She had no real personality and showed no real emotions.

But "Ballad" changed all that. Last night's episode showcased Agron's magnificent acting as Quinn dropped the baby bombshell on her parents—and brought us into the previously-enshrouded world of the Celibacy Club president. She comes from Glenn Beck-watching, mealtime-praying, business suit-wearing parents—played beautifully by Gregg Henry and Charlotte Ross—who hide their feelings, project stressful expectations and, as it turns out, explain why Quinn has been a cold, hard bitch since the start of the series. Agron's emotional soliloquy captured the complexity of teen pregnancy with brute honesty. Depicting a father rejecting his pregnant daughter is powerful, painful stuff, and Glee should be proud that they took the risk.

But by now we shouldn't be surprised that Glee took the risk—the show's success is actually based on all the risks it's taken thus far. A show about show choir (on FOX, no less) was a risk in itself. So was performing well-known songs. So was casting theater actors. So was the topic of teen pregnancy and coming out to your parents and taking drugs at school and marrying for convenience. But so far, it's all added up to awesome. Even when the glee club's signature songs aren't the center of attention (though Finn's "(You're) Havin' my Baby" was awkwardly delightful), which was the case last night, everything is still magnificent—and the risks that fall flat don't necessarily stand out. Susie Pepper, for example, was a little creepy. And random. And Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) didn't really need to be in the episode—she was just thrown in for a few quick eyelash bats. I'm disappointed that Sue Sylvester wasn't in the episode, either, especially given the gravitas of her current storyline. But I'm willing to forgive those discrepancies, because they're just tiny slivers of the delicious Glee pie. Yeah, I went there.

"Ballad" was a drama-heavy episode, with Agron's aforementioned emotional display being the standout scene, but other moments deserve praise, too. The glee club was paired up at random last night to perform ballads, resulting in new, rich interactions between characters. Finn turned to Kurt (Chris Colfer) for advice, Puck (Mark Salling) trusted Mercedes (Amber Riley) with a secret, and Rachel warmed up (however inappropriately) to Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison). The relationship between Finn and Kurt was especially fascinating, if only to prove that a straight guy and a gay guy can, in fact, be friends. The fact that Kurt is lusting for Finn sort of weakens the statement, but it's an important one nevertheless. This new-found friendship symbolizes Finn's shifting loyalty. He's not Joe Quarterback anymore, and Quinn isn't Jane Cheerleader anymore. The episode's final performance, of the oft-cheesy "Lean on Me," was incredibly touching, then, to display the unity that's developed among this group of wildly different students. Finn and Quinn entered a group of outsiders as outsiders, and occasionally still retreat to safety. But they've gradually befriended a group of completely non-judgmental people to help them through a life-changing challenge. It's hard to top a message like that.