Wow. I don’t even know where to begin. I’m still a bit verklempt from this week’s Glee. Talk about a change in tone from last week’s Britney Spears episode. Sure, we had a couple of funny lines at the beginning, and the grilled cheese sandwich was kind of amusing, but once Kurt’s dad fell ill, the show just grabbed for the heartstrings and would not let go.
I have to get the whole “Grilled Cheesus” sandwich out of the way because, while it was certainly used as a means for Finn to gain some faith, it all came off a bit too jokey in the context of everything else going on around him. I mean, he gets mad at Kurt for being the last to find out about Burt’s heart attack, but he still continues to pray to his sandwich for frivolous things. Even Puck prayed for Burt while Finn was praying to become quarterback again (not mention his desire to feel Rachel’s boobs). If Finn says Burt is the closest thing to a father he’s got, then you’d think he would put some of this energy into Burt’s health crisis. Finn is turning out to be almost as self-centered as Rachel (but at least she sang a song for Burt).
I have to give credit to Ryan Murphy and the show’s writers for tackling such a touchy subject as faith and religion. We’re living in a climate now where the religious right is trying desperately to “take the country back to its Christian roots,” so for a popular television program to tackle the subject and offer so many different viewpoints takes guts, especially when the child of the sick parent declares he doesn’t believe in God. I think the subject of God and religion was shown from many different angles, but in the end it was more about faith, and I hope people who watched the show could see that and don’t try to turn it into something more specific to suit their own needs. After all, Kurt actually did have faith … in his Sikh acupuncturist. And I really loved Sue’s scenes this week with her sister and Emma, and that final moment as the group sang “One of Us” was the perfect final touch to the episode.
Song choices this week were also spot-on. Rachel’s rendition of “Papa Can You Hear Me” from Yentl sent shivers down my spine. I loved the segue from the lake to Burt’s hospital room, and all of Kurt’s friends taking turns praying. Mercedes’s reasoning that they were of different faiths, so one of them should take was amusing in a tense moment. Finn’s “Losing My Religion” was probably a little obvious after his own faith was shaken by Emma’s explanation for all of his good fortune, but the song that stands out this week and will stay with me for a long time was Kurt’s version of “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” Man! Talk about giving new meaning to something. They took a happy, jaunty ditty and turned it into a plea from a son to a seriously ill father and it just tore me up. I loved Kurt’s time with his dad at the end, feeling the guilt and regret of their last conversation. I don’t think I took a breath throughout that entire scene but I was happy to breathe a literal sigh of relief when Burt wiggled his finger. I just hope that this whole incident isn’t ignored in the weeks to come because to see Burt up and about next week will just cheapen this amazing episode.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Oct 05, 2010 @ 22:51 EST5EDT
What a depressing episode!
Best line ever…
“God doesn’t exist and if to me he seems like a jerk.” – Kurt
I don’t think the episode was depressing. Sad? Yes, but at least Burt showed signs of recovery at the end. Makes you think about conversations you have with loved one, though, and how you would feel if the last one you had ended on a bad note and something happened that never allowed you to take back anything hurtful you may have said. That would be depressing.
I agree, it didn’t depress me. Finn praying to Grilled Cheesus was the funniest, most inspired thing I’ve seen on TV in a long time so that carried me through the episode. And I thought it was a great ending — I wasn’t liking how they were all pushing their beliefs on Kurt, but for him to come to a respectful understanding about it and then for Kurt to find something he believed in — him and his dad — it was perfect. My only complaint is that I really didn’t like the music in this episode.
Oh, and Chuck’s title makes me think about George Michael (I’m sure it’s supposed to!) and how Finn singing “Faith” would have been completely appropriate when he wanted to touch Rachel’s boobs. Hey Brett, I said boobs! :-)
This was the first episode of the season with music I actually liked–and I’m not a believer. Kurt’s “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was touching, and reminded me of a similarly slowed-down version sung in the movie “Across the Universe” (although that time the theme was more about yearning to be openly gay, not to get one’s father back). I spent the whole episode cringing, waiting for the inevitable moment when the writers would shove Kurt into a church somewhere, and he’d change his mind about not believing in God. I was relieved that although they did get him into that church, he didn’t have a TV-typical reversal at the end. I thought he was a bit rude to his friends in pushing away their heartfelt attempts to console him, but they went too far pushing their beliefs on him, too.
I appreciated that they continued to give Sue a little nuance, instead of making her the all-around cartoon bad guy. Also, Emma’s seen again as a competent guidance counselor instead of the overall freak show she was in season 1. Good character development there.
I can no longer stand to listen to Rachel sing a solo, so I skipped the Yentl number. She’s an unbearable character. Why they don’t give Mercedes more chances to sing the lead, especially with the great job she did in this episode, is beyond me. I loved hearing “Only the Good Die Young”, although Puck’s voice wasn’t quite up to the task. They continue to pick songs for Finn that fit well within his limited voice and range.
Overall, this was the best episode of the 2nd season for me, by far. The series continues to be so uneven. I really disliked the Britney episode, and had no positive feelings about the premiere. I hope we get more like last night.
This was a fantastic episode. One of the best, I thought. And you make some good points, Chuck.
“Papa Can You Hear Me” completely blew me away. Whether Rachel’s character is annoying or not, how talented is Lea Michele??
If you’ve lost your Dad, as I have, this Glee really resonated.