The Cutprice Guignol

After such a great episode last week, Comeback…feels more like a step down than a return to form.

It’s not a terrible episode or anything, but it does feel very average for Glee at this point, which is probably one of the worst things Glee can be; it should be big, coming out swinging whenever it gets the chance, but everything here feels a bit by-the-numbers for me.

Okay, well, one part of it doesn’t, and I guess it’s worth discussing here – the Sue-icide plot. I remember a lot of critics calling this storyline offensive and in bad taste when it came out, and I don’t even disagree with that – using a suicide attempt as a punchline really isn’t very respectful to people who’ve been through it, but as someone who has, I have to admit, I find this really fucking funny? I certainly wouldn’t argue with anyone who finds it hurtful, because it is in foul taste, but it also feels completely in character for Sue; she really would do something this outrageous to get attention, and as long as the show frames it through that lens of something a villain would do, I don’t mind it. I think that the context of a later suicide plot the show would do next season with Karofsky – which is very well-handled and respectful – makes me a little softer on this joke, even though I get why it’s so controversial.

The rest of the Sue plot this episode is alright, but very much feels like a functional moving into place of pieces for conflicts later in the season. I usually really enjoy Will and Sue together, but there’s a slightly empty saccharine-ness to Will’s attempts to help her that rings hollow to me, not the best use of either of their talents, and the climactic performance of SING by My Chemical Romance is a flannel-clad flop (even if it does reach through history and wrench me back to trying to get my high school boyfriend to give the Danger Days album a shot).

Anyway! Elsewhere in the episode, Sam tries to win Quinn’s heart by starting a Justin Bieber tribute act, a moderately fun plot if only because it capitalizes on the great chemistry between Finn and Quinn from last week. I’m not a big fan of Chord Overstreet’s performance style, but his version of Baby is spot-on, maybe because it’s inherently bathed in a good amount of cheese and silliness that fits with his stage presence. The group the guys form after seeing his performance is pretty entertaining, and, even if the plot ends with the strange twist of getting Sam and Santana together, at least we know we’re going to be getting Trouty Mouth out of it soon.

Performance-wise, my never-got-over-watching-Rent-when-I-was-thirteen ass obviously loves the Take Me or Leave Me duet between Amber Riley and Lea Michele.

I truly do love this duet in almost any form in comes in, and these two are just showing off here – both in character to each other, and to the audience. Some of my favourite numbers in Glee are just these fun, loose classroom performances, and this is such a great example of why they work when you get too such incrddibly talented singers together to pull them off.

So, yeah, Comeback squeaks in under the wire for me – there’s just enough decent stuff here, even if it all feels a bit muted compared to an excellent episode last week. Less a comeback, more a comedown, but we’re still going – even if I must face up to Gwyneth Paltrow’s return next week.

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(header image via TVLine)