Glee

Season 3 Episode 3

Asian F

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Asian F
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Mike's future in New Directions is challenged after his parents ask him to drop out because he received an A- (the Asian F) on an exam. In other news, the auditions are heating up for the musical, West Side Story, and Will wonders why Emma doesn't want him to meet her parents who are in town visiting.

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FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

SUBMIT REVIEW

  • What has happened to this show?

    3.0
    By rgibson2, Dec 01, 2011
    8.5 or 9? No way?

    Glee has gone so off track. What made it a fan favorite was the greatmusic sung by energetic, talented young people. This season startedwith the Prom Queen turning herself into a "skank" only to turn herselfback into a "Prim Queen (typo intentional)" for the sake of herillegitimate child.

    Last week was all about West Side Story and who would get the lead, featuring a pairing of Rachel and Kurt, the former laughed during Kurt'sdismal attempt at being masculine.

    This week we are tortured with more of the MHS's casting of West SideStory.

    The highlight was the character development of Mike Chang. Very welldone. Another bright spot was Brittany's school rally for "Girls". Thatroutine was what made Glee great. Energy. Dancing. Fun.

    Lowlights featured an ego-bruised Mercedes. A rueful Rachel. Then thewhole debacle with Emma's parents. Okay, now we know why she has OCD, but is this the end of her and Will?

    Fed up. Last season after each episode I'd run to iTunes to downloadmy fav's from this week's episode. At least I'm saving money!

    For me, next week is do or die.

















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  • This episode is part rip-off and part stereotyping. And why don't Rachael and Mercedes swap song styles once in a while?

    4.0
    By InkHeart18, Nov 15, 2011
    Season 1 was good because it broke a lot of teenage stereotypes; areligious cheerleader and an OCD councilor were excellent new concepts. But this episode seems to be nothing BUT stereotypes: scholar driven Asians whose very attitude is the episode title, and Dreamgirls soulsinger diva attitude with Mercedes. It's like they wrote the episode just to do the number likening Mercedes to Effie White.

    I mostly am upset about how the character of Mercedes is written. It's great that she realizes her star power and demands fair treatment. But by now we know she's an excellent soul singer, so can they mix it up and give her something different? Her big numbers are usually songs done by Jennifer Hudson or Beyonce - why don't we hear Marnie Nixon, Bernadette Peters,or Barbra Streisand from a non-white on this show?moreless

  • Awesome...

    9.5
    By WinterType, Nov 03, 2011
    ***SPOILERS***

    Yes, Glee is finally back with a fantastic episode, the best since season 1.Emma's storyline was quite heartbreaking, we met her and they are downright aweful. Jayma is such a terrific actress and she really brings so much to that character, she can break your heart so easily.But I still don't really feel Will's support and she could really use it, but I'm glad she is in so many scenes lately, they should keep that up.Mike's storyline was also quite interesting and we got to meet his parents too. He got an A- (also known as 'Asian F') and his father wants him to quit the Glee club.He tells his mother that his dream is to be an artist, and his mother gives him her support, as she herself always loved dancing.It was nice to see Harry in an actual plot of his own and to hear him sing (which wasn't that bad) but I really wish Tina would get some kind of a storyline.

    Rachel now also runs for senior class president, which really pisses Kurt off, as he already has a hard time with Brittany, who is also running for it.Rachel realizes that she might not get the part of Maria (which she ends up getting).

    Mercedes was back to her bitchy, diva days, even though I can kind of understand her dislike towards Rachel, as she is becoming more and more unlikeable, downright annoying. But this time Mercedes got hers with a great performance of ''It's All Over'', and in the end she joins Shelby's club.

    Things I really liked:- No Sue, her plot right now is ridiculous, love Jane but even she can't help it at the moment.- Mike's ''halluzination'' of Tina, really sweet scene and his dance with his mother.- Emma's last scene with Will, where she starts praying.- That Mike actually got the part of Riff, and Blaine the part of Tony.

    Now to the musical performances:- ''Spotlight'' sung by Mercedes was great, she has a great voice = B+- ''Run the World (Girls)'' sung by Brittany & Santana was not my cup of tea, as I really don't like this song, but it fitted quite well = C-- ''Cool'' sung by Mike was really surprising and the performance was top-notch = A-- ''It's All Over'' sung by almost all of them was fantastic, definitely the best in this episode, apart from Kurt (didn't quite fit in) = A- ''Out Here on My Own'' sung by Mercedes & Rachel was also amazing, because their voices are just perfect = A- ''Fix You'' sung by Will was the least enjoyable, it fitted but I didn't like the way he sang it = Cmoreless

  • Solid script, strong direction, amazing numbers ... when Glee hits its mark, it hits hard.

    9.0
    By Bob_Scrivens, Nov 03, 2011
    In episodes past, there was definitely a feel for when issues were being forced in. (When they all wore self-esteem-boosting T-shirts while singing "Born This Way"? Yuck.) The impositions were false and a little After-School-Special-y. But when the issues come from within the story and the characters, and if the writers and director and the choreographers are onboard, the result is a pretty shocking bump in quality.

    The themes -- ambition, expectations and shame -- were all organic, and all integrated naturally with the characters and the music.

    Let's start with Mike Chang, who, do date, has had little to do but dance. This week, we learn that he has a brain and a heart, and parents who, in their own way, want what's best for him. His father wants him to go to Harvard (requiring flawless grades, which Glee Club is impacting on). But after some credible and moving soul-searching, Mike has decided to dedicate himself to performance, which his mother (who knows what it is to let a dream die) backs him up on. (It's an old story, yes, but a worthwhile one.) In the past, the consequences for being in the show choir were mostly limited to getting slushee'd, but this story starts a new dimension: How far are these characters willing to go, what might they give up,for what they love, especially given the small, fleeting payoff?

    The eponymous conflict was Mike's story (it's great to see new depth and hear him sing), but this episode and its themes found themselves centered on Mercedes. It's a treat when they give Mercedes a song, and here we get not just a solo song, we also get an ensemble-lead AND a de-facto duet. Amber Riley nailed all of them. And she also got to let out some frustration that's been building since the first day: playing second banana to Rachel grates on Mercedes' pride. She is growing angry with her treatment (to the point of not taking the shame of sharing the lead with her rival); clearly, her ambition is already costing her.

    Rachel herself is having her ambitions thwarted. Having set her sites on the super-competitive NYADA program, she comes to depend on getting the lead in West Side Story. Finding herself outshone by Mercedes, she sets her sites on the Class Presidency. Wherever she sets her ambitions, she follows through with a naked greed, which, while not endearing, is credible, and well-played by Lea Michele. She actually gets called on her behavior by Kurt: What is ambition going to get Rachel in the long run?

    The grand ambition, though, is Will Schuester's. There is a slightly scary edge to the character since losing Nationals; he is changing from Buddy Teacher to Demanding Coach. This change is also credible: he resembles many a coach in any competitive field. It's a welcome change, even as he starts to strain the club with high expectations. He is also expecting more out of his personal life, getting a so-wrong-it's-funny intro to Emma's parents. The episode ends with Will (falteringly) singing "Fix You," a well-chosen song for a man who's turning into something of a control freak ... what will he get for his ambition?

    All the songs this week were well-chosen -- each was part of the story, rather than some random soundtrack (cf: Darren Criss singing "It's Not Unusual" for no-damn-reason) -- and each (except the last) was given a spectacular performance. There was Amber Riley's triple-threat, and Mike astonishing "Cool". But the real "oomph" came from Brittany wearing kicker boots topped by crotch-high gym socks topped by a PVC micro-mini, and dancing like a demon in a deliciously-wrong display of youthful vigor. The song had negligible value, but he delivery was a pure "yum!" And that was before the first commercial break. With those numbers from Amber Riley and Heather Morris, that's how you get the hour off on the right foot.

    The little touches in the show mostly worked: Mike dancing with his mom, Coach Bieste uber-coaching the football team ("I kicked a fire hydrant when I heard that they cancelled Ace of Cakes!") and Chris Colfer's stunning vocal stab in Mercedes' song. Misfires include the frustrated-lead-joining-the-rival-club plot (essentially done with Rachel in Season 1; c'mon, we all know where this is going) and Santana perfunctorily back in Glee with no decent explanation (expedited story; yawn).

    It's been a while since we've had any Glee that did much more than pass an hour. More like this, please.moreless

  • It's ok...

    8.5
    By greysncis2010, Nov 03, 2011
    Episode tonight is ok, it's a bit better than the previous episodes at least. I like it that after 3 years, the story line goes to Mike! First time that I heard Mike Chang sing! He's not bad at all, and as always, he has dances very good.

    The story line is the same, nothing has changed much. Rachelle is still as selfish in this season as she was in the first season. It would be good if by now she has learned to give up some things for her friend, like giving up the school presidency for Kurt. I like Mercedes standing up against her, though. Too bad she lost the part to Rachelle (again sigh...)moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

Dianna Agron

Dianna Agron

Quinn Fabray
Chris Colfer

Chris Colfer

Kurt Hummel
Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch

Sue Sylvester
Jayma Mays

Jayma Mays

Emma Pillsbury
Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale

Artie Abrams
Lea Michele

Lea Michele

Rachel Berry
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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

Donny Most

Donny Most

Rusty Pillsbury

Guest Star

Valerie Mahaffey

Valerie Mahaffey

Rose Pillsbury

Guest Star

Tamlyn Tomita

Tamlyn Tomita

Julia Chang

Guest Star

Iqbal Theba

Iqbal Theba

Principal Figgins

Recurring Role

Dot Jones

Dot Jones

Coach Shannon Beiste

Recurring Role

Ashley Fink

Ashley Fink

Lauren Zizes

Recurring Role

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Goodbye
Ep 21
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Asian F
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Ep 1
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