Glee wants to "Hold on to Sixteen"

     FOX's Glee presents "Hold on to Sixteen." Finn (Cory Monteith) and Rachel (Lea Michele) are worried about Sectionals, so they travel to Kentucky to bring back Sam (Chord Overstreet), whom they find working as a sexy dancer. Sam agrees to return to McKinley, though Blaine (Darren Criss) isn't pleased, feeling shoved out of the group. Finn makes peace with Blaine, and the New Directions win Sectionals. Quinn (Dianna Agron), who decides to keep Shelby's (Idina Menzel) secret, at least for now, convinces Will (Matthew Morrison) to fold the losing Troubletones back into the group, with the caveat that they get to perform a number at all future contests. Thus, the band is back together again.

     The most glaring thing wrong with "Hold on to Sixteen" is Quinn's conversion back into the good girl. She is ready to spill the beans on Shelby, but a few words from Rachel change her mind? And they're friends now? Though, kudos to Rachel for calling Shelby "Beth's real mom," which she definitely is. Shelby also tells Quinn that she needs to enjoy being a teenager, a concept that Sam echoes to Quinn earlier in the episode. But it just doesn't gel. Quinn acts nice at the end, but all that keeps coming to mind is, "What's her angle?" Is her character so ruined that she cannot be seen as a decent human being anymore? Or is it intentional that Quinn is merely acting that way to further her next schem
e?
     Mike Chang's (Harry Shum Jr.) first, and probably only, real character arc comes to an end in "Hold on to Sixteen." Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) makes it her personal mission to convert Mike Chang Sr. (Keong Sim) into a believer in his son's dancing. And, of course, she does, even though Mike Sr.'s outlook is much more realistic. This entire plot in "Hang on to Sixteen" is cheesy, and yet, still heart warming. Sometimes a little cheese is OK in a series like Glee, and this is probably one of those times. Let's just hope Glee doesn't shove Mike back into the background for the rest of the season.

     And Tina will never, ever make it as a professional performer of any notability. That's not a slam against Ushkowitz, but rather, her character.

     Annoyingly, it does not appear that Blaine's stalker with the "CW hair," Sebastian (Grant Gustin), is going away. He pops up again in "Hang on to Sixteen," and his exchange with Kurt (Chris Colfer) is quite fun. Yet, he feels like an unnecessary hindrance, and the series would be better off without him.

     Sam's return is welcome, if a bit weird. This is the guy too shy to wear the golden underwear in Rocky Horror last fall, and now he strips down to them in a lecherous crowd, voluntarily, every day? It's also odd that Sam's parents (including Smallville's John Schneider) allow him to go stay with friends and transfer back to a high school four hours away. Top that off with Sam's come back performance of the country talky "Red Solo Cup," and the whole reunion is a little forced. But that doesn't matter, as viewers will be as happy as Santana (Naya Rivera) is, as evidenced by her amusing insult list, to have Sam back.

     When Sam last leaves Ohio, he is in a relationship with Mercedes (Amber Riley). Upon coming back in "Hold on to Sixteen," he vows to win her heart once more. This is complicated by the fact that she already has a boyfriend, albeit one who never gets, but deserves, much screen time. The best part about the inevitable showdown may be if Shane (Lamarcus Tinker) gets some actual story, and maybe even a song. However, Sam will probably win in the end, since fan favorite Overstreet is back to (potentially) stay.

     Sam's rejoining of the New Directions is beneficial, to be sure, though definitely not the only reason that they win Sectionals. With Rachel out of commission, almost every group member gets to sing solos. It's a true team effort, which may be why it sounds fantastic, perhaps even their best Sectionals yet! That, and the fact that they do a Jackson medley, perfectly suited to their voices, including "ABC," "Control," and "Man in the Mirror." Well, admittedly "Control" is a little out of synch, but the opening and closing are awesome from start to finish.

     Small note: glee clubs choose their set lists months before competition and work the same songs tirelessly. Yet, in Glee, the kids pick material days, or hours, before going on. They would never place, let alone win, in the real world.

     Sectionals is a rousing affair, as usual, though lacking any really fun guest judges. Harmony (The Glee Project's Lindsay Pearce) leads her group, the Unitards, in "Buenos Aires." The crazy girl seems very happy to get third, out of three, bragging that she is only a sophomore. Hopefully this means Harmony will return, maybe transferring to McKinley for the next two seasons of Glee? Still, happy about getting last? Come on!

     The Troubletones get the short end of the stick this week. They are overconfident in a win, and are crushed when they don't get it. And only one song is shown in "Hold on to Sixteen," as opposed to all three being seen for the New Directions. Considering that this group is made up of major characters, why are they cut short? Even worse, the New Directions laugh about having things in the bag when the girls sing "I Will Survive," and any take back of those comments when the song morphs into a mash with "Survivor" is on the cutting room floor. This makes our heroes look petty and cruel.

     It is nice that everyone comes back together again with "We Are Young." Though Quinn only delivers her proposal to Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany (Heather Morris), they bring Sugar Motta (Vanessa Lengies) along with them. This is acceptable, since Sugar is a recurring role. But what about the rest of their girls, the ones with no names or speaking roles? Are they just abandoned? That doesn't ring right with the spirit of the whole Troubletones subplot. While it makes sense from a practical perspective, this could have been handled slightly better, perhaps with a humorous scene in which the others feel betrayed by the defectors.

     Lastly, if Rachel is only allowed into the school to pick up work during her suspension, as she claims to be, how comes she spends most of "Hold on to Sixteen" there? Is she really skulking around, risking further punishment? Sneaking in for Sectionals, sure, I could see that. But she isn't even acting like she's trying to hide!

     In a night of many great lines, one in particular stands out: "I started the Dalton branch of Fight Club, which I obviously can’t talk about." ~ Blaine


     Tune in next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET for Glee's Christmas special! Also, watch Community this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC for a fun parody of the series.

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Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "Hold on to Sixteen" on Blogcritics.

Glee embarks on "The Purple Piano Project"

     FOX's Glee season premiere is "The Purple Piano Project." Will (Matthew Morrison) gets three purple pianos, and randomly places them around the school. He hopes spontaneous performances by the New Directions will help identify students that just cannot stay away from music. This is needed, because the club has lost three members, including Quinn (Dianna Agron), who has a whole new look, and is hanging out with the "skanks." But Sue (Jane Lynch) is now running for Congress on an anti-arts education platform. Sue tasks new co-Captain Santana (Naya Rivera) with destroying the pianos, leading Santana to be kicked out of glee club.

     Last year, Santana quits the Cheerios because Sue goes too far, siding with the New Directions. This year, she does an about face. While Quinn is actually the one who inexplicably burns a purple piano, Santana is blamed for the incident, and doesn't deny it. What happened to the girl who loved glee club, much as she hated to admit it? Surely she's still in there. Could she only have been participating for Brittany (Heather Morris), and once rejected, care less about the music? It certainly doesn't appear so in the multiple numbers this week that Santana jumps up and shakes her booty around. As such, hopefully the exile will only be temporary.

     Quinn's defection, from both the New Directions and the Cheerios, is more understandable. After all, she has had a rough couple of years and just wants to start over. Hanging out with the group that she chooses isn't the best idea, but it also isn't unrealistic for a teen girl who is long struggling to find her identity. With all of the set backs Quinn must overcome, one is left hoping that she finds happiness more than wanting her back in any specific club. That could happen, when Shelby (Idina Menzel) returns with Quinn's daughter, demanding that Quinn clean up before the two can have a relationship. At least, that's what the preview for next week appears to be setting up.

     Sam (Chord Overstreet) is also gone as of "The Purple Piano Project." Overstreet chose to leave Glee when not upgraded to series regular, and the script reflects that Sam's father got a job and they had to move. This makes sense, given the financial state the family is in when last seen. Zizes's (Ashley Fink) defection makes less sense, as she is a valuable part of the club, and brings a unique personality to the mix. Then she just up and leaves, breaking poor Puck's (Mark Salling) heart in the process. Bad form!

     Sadly, the talent pool at McKinley does not provide quick replacements for the four missing members. Only one girl, newcomer Sugar Motta (Vanessa Lengies, Hawthorne), tries out. She has Asperger's, and thinks she is far better than the rest of the New Directions. Her rendition of "Big Spender," completely out of tune, begs to differ. Will is faced with the possibility, for the first time, of not letting a student who tries out into the group. But finding something for her to do besides sing does not go over well.

     The one bright spot in the membership game is Blaine's (Darren Criss, now a series regular) transfer into the public school. A performance of "It's Not Unusual" quickly secures him a position in the glee club. He transfers because he loves Kurt (Chris Colfer), who practically begs him to switch schools, until Blaine does, and then Kurt worries that this will hurt their relationship. Truly, picking a new high school is an extreme choice for a teenage beau. This could seriously backfire in the long run. And yet, Glee's penchant for happy endings, as well as strong fan feelings for Kurt and Blaine's pairing, might just assure that it works out.

     Kurt's major worry in "The Purple Piano Project" isn't his love life. He and Rachel (Lea Michele) learn, much to their dismay, that the Julliard does not have a musical theater program. Emma (Jayma Mays) suggests another NYC school, and sends them to a mixer for wannabe applicants near by. The two go in with much confidence, but a fantastic performance of "Anything Goes / Anything You Can Do" by Harmony (The Glee Project contestant Lindsay Pearce) and her friends leaves them feeling more than a little intimidated.

     The moment in the car between Kurt and Rachel is one of the surest, sweetest times shown in their friendship, and in all of Glee. It shows just how much they have come to care about each other, and with one another for support, they actually stand a chance at making it. Plus, again, Glee strives for happy endings. Surely, they have talent. Their "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" proves that. But they also need luck and encouragement, the latter of which they can help each other out with.

     Will needs no encouragement to stand up to Sue in her would-be reign of terror. Faced with losing his job and the program he loves, Will goes on a full-out campaign against his nemesis. Delivering a glitter bomb, he makes a public statement that Sue will not get away with what she is trying to do. Unfortunately, his stunt back fires, driving Sue's rising poll numbers even higher.

     This particular plot in "The Purple Piano Project" matches what is really going on in Ohio and other areas. Tea Partiers, angry at everything government, but with no plans to actually change anything for the better, demand cuts across the board. Suddenly teachers and valuable programs like arts education become the villain. With no regard to the actual benefits, and with general ignorance, they want change. Ohio has cut many teaching jobs and arts programs lately in response to that. Given Sue's personality, she is the perfect candidate to please such a crowd, much to the detriment of the public good.

     There is a positive response to Will's bold actions, though, and that concerns Emma. With her neurosis, the couple is having trouble connecting in the bedroom department. Emma is very turned on by this aggressive, passionate Will, who won't let Bieste (Dot-Marie Jones) fight his battle for him. With a few more of these activities, there should be no more problems for them, sexually.

     All in all, "The Purple Piano Project" proves to be a really good time, with fun happenings such as a food fight and wonderful performances of "We Got the Beat" and "You Can't Stop the Beat" by the New Directions. Keep up this level of light humor, along with appropriate emotional impact, and season three will be great.


     Watch Glee Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

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Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "The Purple Piano Project" on Blogcritics.