Gleek Out: Journey

After twenty-two episodes of musical goodness (or musical badness, depending on who you ask), the first season of Glee has finally come to an end. Did the series live up to the potential hinted at in its pilot? Well, it depends on who you ask… but there’s no denying that it was an overall success.

The road to Regionals was long and winding, paved with plenty of ups and downs. And now that the event is finally behind us, what did you think of the final results? Don’t be shy! We sure as hell aren’t when it comes to our opinion..

– Dewitt

To watch the episode, read more and hear the songs, follow the JUMP:

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FULL EPISODE:

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Faithfully (Cory Monteith & Lea Michele): As emotions run high at Regionals, Finn confesses to Rachel that he’s in love with her. The two lovers proceed to frolic off onto the stage, performing this number about being together “forever”. Um, how much do you want to bet that they’ll break up within the first five seconds of season two?

While I’ll admit that these two have a pinch of romantic chemistry, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a “harmonious” vocal performance. Quite simply, their voices just don’t blend well with one another. Lea‘s got extremely powerful pipes. Cory‘s… well, he’s Cory. And yet the show consistently insists on pairing them together. Oy! (3 Points)

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Any Way You Want It / Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’ (New Directions): To hammer home the point that the journey is more important than the destination, Schuester decides that the club should perform a medley of songs by Journey. It kicks off with “Faithfully”, and then moves on to this little mash-up.

Initially, I was worried this would be another moment of Lea Michele and Cory Monteith wanking one another’s dicks, but thankfully a few additional cast members stepped up from their back-up singer status. While points are rewarded for a tearjerking entrance by Quinn’s mother and a successful merging of these two songs, a half a point is deducted for essentially murdering “Any Way You Want It”. (4 Points)

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Don’t Stop Believing (New Directions): OMG, do you get it? This is the first song they ever performed together on stage! It really is all about the journey. And you know what? This is a song by Journey. Isn’t that a strange coincidence? I bet the writers didn’t plan that one at all.

If I were the sentimental type who had an undying love for the show, this probably would have been touching. However, revisiting this song reminded me of the months after the premiere of the pilot, during which self-proclaimed “gleeks” (who had only seen one episode at this point) replayed this version until someone begged them to stop.

I wanted this to be more of an ensemble number. Though most of the main cast members had their opportunity to shine, it would have been great to have seen them open the number or at least have more prominent solos. I mean, wouldn’t it have been amazing if Mercedes unexpectedly sang the opening lines of this song? Just sayin’. (3 Points)

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Bohemian Rhapsody (Jonathan Groff & Vocal Adrenaline): Continuing on the theme touched upon with “Another One Bites The Dust”, Vocal Adrenaline turns out another Queen number for Regionals. Also, Quinn‘s water breaks, and she’s rushed to the hospital with her mother and Mercedes in tow.

The genius behind this scene was in the editing. As the group sang the lyrics “let me go”, the camera flashed to Quinn shouting out the same thing. This pattern continues until the song’s conclusion, when we’re finally left with a baby and lingering thoughts of Jonathan Groff running his tongue along our taint. (4 Points)

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To Sir, With Love (New Directions): [MONDO SPOILER ALERT] After coming in last place at Regionals, the group is convinced that they’ll never meet again. They band together to perform this tribute to Mr. Schuester, as an attempt to show him how much they’ve learned from being in the club.

The song comes from a 1967 Sidney Poitier film, which means the reference probably went over most of the audience’s heads. It’s also rather unlikely that any member of New Directions would have known this song. Even so, this performance was quite charming, if not a little too cheesy. (4 Points)

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Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Matthew Morrison & Mark Salling): In a “surprise” turn of events, Sue Sylvester saves the club from extinction. This leads to a celebratory song, as Schuester thanks the students for their performance of “To Sir, With Love”.

It’s a shame that I absolutely loathe this version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, because this might have been remotely enjoyable. Israel Kamakawiwoʻole‘s original version was great until it suffered through mediocre American Idol renditions and a heaping handful of overexposure. And now Glee is contributing to said overexposure. Sorry. (1.5 Points)

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BREAKDOWN OF POINTS SYSTEM:

• 5 Points = Excellent or exceeding expectations in regards to vocal performance, choreography and arrangement. Fits well within the context of the episode, and potentially better than the original version.
• 4 Points = Not too shabby! May not be entirely on par with the original, but a fantastic effort by the actors and vocalists.
• 3 Points = Tolerable. Did not induce eye rolls or kept them to a minimum.
• 2 Points = Could be a variety of factors, including poor song choice or lackluster performance. Boring or uninspired. May be an insult to the original artist.
• 1 Point = Absolutely painful. Couldn’t wait for it to be over.