First off, let me say I tuned in at possibly the worst time of last night's episode – the scene where Karofsky is insincerely apologizing to the Glee Club – and I assumed the worst. This storyline has been dragged on for far too long and I can only stand so much before I want to fast-forward through it (but don't since I review shows in their entirety). I feared the episode's extended running time would affect the overall quality (say by devoting too much time to characters very few people care about). I will say this though, while Glee has certainly tried to preach the importance of self-acceptance before, this episode, bar none, did the best job of addressing it thus far.
After taking a blow to the nose during practice, Rachel is escorted to the doctor by Finn, whose convulsive dance moves were accountable for the accident. The Otolaryngologist (yes I did have to Google what a nose doctor was called) ends up suggesting this is an opportune time for Rachel to get a nose job, since all the Jewish girls her age are doing it – advice that would probably result in an actual doctor's medical license being revoked, and possibly a lawsuit. This egregious guidance shakes Rachel's self-image and eventually leads the Glee Club to have another week dedicated to the importance of individuality. (I'm trying very hard not to overuse the term "self-acceptance", but I'm about as committed to this as Will and Emma are to avoiding the word "really".)
Santana's placement in the episode felt a little too convenient. Allow me to explain…while I'm usually all for her voiceovers, she felt more like she was advancing the plot as a cog in the machine, not an actual character. I guess you could argue her sticking up for Blaine and Kurt last week warranted her visit with them at the restaurant, but to me it was simply a way for her to set the ball in motion for Kurt to come back to McKinley High.
Also wildy out of place was Quinn at the ENT's office. I don't know why she would agree to come with Rachel, unless she was that desperate for prom queen votes, but it did lead to the best number of the night. It was slightly saccharine and the line "you can fix your nose if you say so" was too on the nose (for lack of better term), but "Unpretty/I Feel Pretty" was by far one of the show's greatest mash-ups and possibly Dianna Agron's best vocal to date.
I've never been a huge fan of Finn (his vanilla character or his nondescript vocals) but I thought "I Gotta Be Me" was a nice change of pace. Maybe Corey Monteith wanted to make the most of his screen time since he's been given less numbers since Darren Criss' arrival, but the jazzy arrangement of the song suited him surprisingly well – I see a Puck & Finn collaboration in the works (and no, not another funk number).
Speaking of Blaine, he and the Warblers performed their swan song "Somewhere Only We Know" to Kurt upon his return to McKinley. I still think Criss has a tendency to chew scenery when he performs but since it was played like a goodbye between his character and Kurt, it was a little more understandable given the circumstances. Judging from the recent music release featuring the Warblers, I have a feeling the singing group will be around for a little longer, but this number would've been a good way to go out.
Kurt's cover of "We Never Said Goodbye" had perhaps the strongest connection to the scene it played in (Kurt walking the halls of his former school). I'm sure it was a dream come true for Chris Colfer, as he got to sing a Streisand number by himself for the first time, and his joyful demeanor throughout it made the song that much more enjoyable. I bet he also didn't mind dancing and singing along to Duck Sauce's dumb yet catchy "Barbara Streisand" but I won't complain if it starts a flash mob dance at the Ohio Outlet Mall once more – now I feel like watching the Brady Bunch storm Sears on Youtube.
And of course, we have the requisite Lady Gaga number for which the episode is titled. When comparing it to previous songs the show has covered by the artist, I'd rank "Born This Way" above "Poker Face" and the very brief "Telephone" but slightly below "Bad Romance" – mostly because it didn't showcase as many vocalists and I was disappointed by Santana's exclusion from it (she killed in "Bad Romance", after all). The shirts were a fun way to inject some humor into the proceedings, but Tina's insecurity about her eyes felt half-baked since it's never been addressed before. For me, Tina has always been the preachiest member of the group and I thought they might poke fun at this instead.
Lately, I've been trying to write Lauren Zizes' plotlines off as "intended-to-be-funny but a little mean-spirited" (that's the best way I can describe it), but now I find her unwatchable. I'll admit, I thought the inclusion of her in Regionals and in the following episodes would bring a new energy to the club, and it did for a while, but now she's become someone with very few redeeming qualities. I wrote something similar about Quinn a couple episodes back, but she's undergone a bit of a role reversal since then. I'm glad Lauren apologized for her actions before the episode came to an end, but I'm growing weary of her rotten attitude. To her credit, she did concede to having one on her shirt during the last performance and the first step is admitting you have a problem.
Episode Highlights:
Santana on Fire - Arguably the two best quotes of the night were uttered by a one Ms. Lopez. "Only straight I am is straight-up b*tch" and "Legend has it when I came out of my mother I told the nurse she was fat" were comic gold.
Brittany's Attempt at Spelling Lesbian – Alright, I realize these episode highlights are now the sections where I praise only Santana and Brittany so I promise to mention someone new next week. But I have to give special mention to Brit-Brit for trying to help her friend out in her typical clueless and endearing fashion.
Emma's Therapy Session – This could've been a throwaway celebrity cameo but thankfully the actress that played her (Katleen Quinlan) came off as a very realistic psychiatrist. Jayma Mays was equally believable and praiseworthy in the scene, and it stood out as the episodes' most accurate depiction of someone struggling to overcome a personal deficiency.
This is usually the part where I ramble on about future episodes but since my TV is on the fritz, I've had to rely on Hulu which doesn't seem to include previews for next week. I guess I'll have to live in suspense until then, but I have a feeling if April & Jesse are slated to return one of them might appear at the beginning of May Sweeps.
Note: I'm almost tempted to rate this as a 9 but since the Karofsky story took up airtime that could've gone to Sue I'll score it an 8.5. Here's a link to that Brady reference if you had no idea was I was talking about earlier… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4h7chFGQw8moreless
