Glee Review: Lots of Luck, Santana

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A funny, touching, entertaining Glee episode that didn't feature a single line from Sue Sylvester?!? I never thought I'd see the day.

But that's exactly what transpired on "Silly Love Songs," as the show stopped feeling like a Public Service Announcement for a week and actually focused on well-paced, well-written relationship developments among its core characters.

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It's no secret that I wasn't a fan of Sunday's post-Super Bowl episode and I can explain why: on that installment, it felt as though the storylines were constructed after the musical numbers. It's clear the show wanted to base everything around the Thriller mash-up at halftime and worked out from there. Storytelling suffered as a result (little build-up to the Quinn/Finn kiss, Karofsky somehow being embraced by Will simply because he was good at singing).

Compare that to "Silly Love Songs." We spent a great deal of time with characters this week, actually delving into the Kurt/Blaine dynamic, for example, instead of just watching Kurt ogle his crush during a Blaine solo (seriously, does any other Warbler sing?!?).

It was refreshing to get to know Blaine a lot better, especially considering Glee addressed how he's seemed a bit too perfect this whole time. Turns out, he's as confused as most high school students. He just hides it behind his confident singing ability.

It's all about the characters coming first. Every performance this week tied perfectly into relationship drama that has been playing out all season (Rachel pining/getting over Finn on "Firework," Kurt standing strong in the face of loneliness on "Silly Love Songs," Puck making it clear how much he likes "Fat Bottomed Girls." Okay, almost every performance.)

I never felt preached to at any point, despite the fact that Kurt and Rachel both passed along an important message about not relying on someone else for your self-worth. But the message was organic, it flowed from their recent experiences, not from a contrived musical number or sudden development.

Also, Lauren was hilarious. I'm fully on board Team Luck. And what a nice showcase for Santana. She was humanized while also keeping her edge... and looking incredible in a candy striper outfit.

A great Glee episode overall. The music was reflective of various individuals' struggles and triumphs, which ought to be the goal every week. I'll say it again: characters need to come first.

Now, let's reincorporate Sue, sprinkle some sarcastic one-liners into the mix and finish season two strong!

Silly Love Songs Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (138 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 12 Quotes

I'll just marry an NFL player. They're super reliable.

Santana

I had a cat thrown at me in a nursing home once.

Kurt