Prom Queen

Glee Episode Review

In which there is a dancing queen. The Glee kids go to Prom and there is much melodrama.

What Happened

Figgins announces that he needs Glee Club to do the music for Prom. Will caves when Figgins offers to contribute towards the trip to Nationals.

Kurt asks Blaine to go to Prom with him and Blaine hesitates. He asked a boy to a dance at his old school and they were badly beaten afterwards. Burt suggests that Kurt is going a bit over the top, but I shush him because Kurt looks so good in that kilt it would be a shame not to wear it somewhere. At school, Karofsky apologizes again to Kurt, who is busily convincing himself that his fellow students have let go of their hatred and moved toward indifference.

Rachel and Mercedes suggest that Sam goes to "Prom on a Budget" with them. Rachel later gets a shock when Jesse St. James returns, having flunked out of UCLA. Finn objects to Jesse taking Rachel to Prom, but Rachel explains that it's not Finn's business anymore.

Still... Rachel and Finn spend most of Prom exchanging anguished glances until he starts a fight with Jesse and Sue kicks them both out. Quinn is devastated because she needs Finn to be her Prom King and blames Rachel. Santana is likewise upset when she loses, convinced that the other students didn't vote for her because they somehow know she's a lesbian. Brittany tells her that all anyone can guess is that Santana is not being true to herself.

Karofsky wins Prom King. Kurt wins Prom Queen. Convinced that it is some kind of cruel joke, Kurt runs out into the hallway, but then changes his mind and returns to claim his crown.

Karofsky can't handle the idea of a first dance with Kurt and flees, so Blaine steps in as Mercedes and Santana rock into "Dancing Queen."

The Good

• Rachel and Jesse. I liked "Rolling in the Deep." It had great mood and fit the characters.
• I like the Sue / Artie bits. It throws back to the Sue of old who had a monopoly on the copy machines. It's out-of-left-field in relation to the rest of the season for her, but as a standalone moment - I love her complaining that he's no fun to interrogate.

The Better

• Karofsky's apology. Obviously heartfelt. See. I knew he'd be more intersting when he got dialogue that wasn't "Me thug, you gay."
• Brittany was affected by Artie's sweet serenade, but didn't cave on ending the relationship.
• Kurt's bravery. Took a while to get there, but it was worth it.

The Best

• Kurt in a kilt! Adorable! And Burt doesn't think it's a good idea? Bite your tongue, man.

What Did I Think?

I usually ignore spoilers because it's more fun to see things as they unfold. But it was inescapable when the news that Kurt would be voted Prom Queen hit the twittersphere. So it kind of colored my perception of his little speeches at the beginning of the episode of how much more accepting his fellow students were being. I once said Colfer can look sadder than anyone I'd seen, but here he simply bubbled over with joy and goodwill over the thought of Prom. It was definitely a Ponyo moment.

As plot points go, there are questions. Like how do you manage a write-in campaign for Kurt without any of his friends hearing about it? (Or why Figgins didn't just lie and say someone else's name?) Who was behind the campaign? An "overwhelming" number of teens don't just spontaneously decide to vote for one person who is not even on the ballot. Was it Sue? Was it even really a joke, for that matter? Kurt took it as such, but in the minute between Figgins reading the name and Kurt running out, everyone there looked pretty shocked. There was no slow motion pointing and laughing like someone had just pulled something off. It was dead silence.

I liked the scene with Blaine in the hallway after the announcement while Kurt tried to decide what to do. (Even if it was a real "Always got time for the drama" moment. The whole Prom gets put on hold while the Glee kids have their respective meltdowns.) Setting the "how" of Kurt being elected Prom Queen, the "why" of it was so that he could step up and face his peers instead of hiding away. It also gave Blaine a chance to do the same and dance with Kurt instead of hiding on the sidelines. And in that, it was very satisfying.