Glee Review: Making a Comeback!

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For the second consecutive Tuesday, Glee recaptured the fun-loving, toe-tapping, knee-slapping tone that made me fall in love with it in the first place.

And on an installment aptly titled "Comeback," I can pinpoint the reasons why:

The Justin Bieber Experience. Now this is how you do a tribute episode! Both Bieber songs fit in perfectly with the ongoing storyline, while the show managed to honor this artist and simultaneously mock him. Not too badly, as Glee clearly respects what the 16-year old has accomplished. But the incessant gushing was clearly a wink at Bieber and his related, scream-inducing Fever.

Tribute Band

Santana vs. Sue. You won't find a bigger fan of the latter, Sue-per character than yours truly. But the show veers toward the ridiculous when too much attention is focused on the cheerleading coach's schemes (shooting girls out of canons, dressing up like The Grinch, etc). Santana is actually a far more logical villain, as she's a member of New Directions and can worm her way into relationships and situations. See tonight, for example.

She's no slouch in the one-liner department, either, telling Sam that he has "full visitation rights" to the twins that "reside on her rib cage" and thinking James Earl Jones shot Martin Luther King.

Moreover, this episode actually incorporated Sue into the bigger picture, doing it realistically and intriguingly: she's the vocal coach of Aural Intensity?!? Oh, the possibilities.

Puck's hair.

The I am Too Depressed to Open This Pamphlet.

The Finn/Sam rivalry: I could question how Finn immediately went from being the inspiring leader of the football team on the post-Super Bowl episode to someone unabashedly trying to steal a fellow student's girlfriend... but I'd rather pretend that episode didn't exist and just take in the feud between this pair. There's no lesson trying to be taught here. It's just an enjoyable back-and-forth.

No Kurt. It's not Chris Colfer's fault, but this character sucks the fun out of every scene. As I outlined in my most recent column, Ryan Murphy isn't shy about admitting to an agenda when it comes to Kurt. And that's fine. It occasionally has its place. But it can also make Glee feel more like a Sunday School lesson than a musical comedy.

Artie's Post-Valentine's Day girlfriend funk theory.

Sue's plaid track suit.

The hospital visit. Because most of the episode was filled with jokes that addressed serious issues (i.e. Brittany stealing Rachel's comeback thunder via her unique style choice), Will and Sue's singalong with the cancer patients came across as adorable, rather than preachy. It was a beautiful respite from the laughter and a reminder, as Will himself said, that glee club can be very weird at times, but it can also do a lot of good.

I'll never forgive you for this, William, Sue said through tears. Great stuff.

What did everyone else think? Are they actually teasing a reconciliation for Finn and Rachel already? How awesome is Lauren? Discuss the episode in our Glee forum, in the Comments section below and download your favorite Glee music from it now!

Comeback Review

Editor Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.4 / 5.0 (132 Votes)

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

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Glee Season 2 Episode 13 Quotes

Will, you have more grease in your hair than the guy behind Wikileaks?

Sue

I'm committing Sue-icide.

Sue's journal