Surfing Geek Life: Glee – “The Spanish Teacher”
Something that’s amazing about Glee is that, just like New Directions, it can bounce back from a low point (like last week’s “Michael”) and deliver a quality performance − and that’s just what happened with this week’s episode, “The Spanish Teacher.” While the appearance of guest star Ricky Martin did add some extra spice to the show, the main success of this episode was that it brought the show back down to Earth a little bit; I was reminded that, at its core, it’s a show about high school students and their teachers. Ian Brennan (probably my favorite of the writers, especially after this season’s “Asian F”) could have easily gone the flashy and flamboyant route, but instead he chose to include some realistic, human moments to make it a strong point of the season.
Warning: you’re now approaching spoiler territory, so enter at your own risk!
The imperfection of the adults is not new territory for Glee, but we get to examine and question the qualifications of the main McKinley staff members in this episode. In fact, Sue and Will both find out that complaints have been filed against them − and let’s be real, it should have happened long ago. The pressure’s on because both are up for a tenured position at the school, but both need to shape up; each needs to get outside help to step up their game. In Sue’s case, it’s Olympic bronze medalist/synchronized swimming coach Roz Johnson − the archenemy that we heard would be coming this season − and the results are hilarious. It’s nice to see the tables turn on Sue for once, and Roz’s routine really does make the Cheerios look way better.
Between this, and Sue’s desire to father a baby using her frozen eggs from the 70′s (currently frozen in the meat section of the supermarket) and Will’s sperm, maybe we’ll continue to see Sue grow a bit as a character. Her snappy one-liners are funny (though sometimes tiresome), but when she shows her human side, Sue Sylvester is honestly one of my favorite characters . I’m not really sure how I feel about her pregnancy plot. She solicits the male members of New Direction for their sperm before she asks Will, and it just ventures a bit too much into Shelby Corcoran territory. At the end of the episode we find out Sue wants will because, if kindness is genetic, she wants her child to have his positive traits (aww!) and not the mean streak she knows she has. We’ll see what happens. After Terri’s fake pregnancy and Quinn’s drama as a baby mama, we’re kind of getting baby overload in this show.
Meanwhile, Will has to attend night school because he’s a crappy Spanish teacher. Bordering on offensive, with his performance of “La Cucaracha” (a Taco Tuesday tradition, according to him). It’s here that he forms a bromance with teacher David Martinez (Ricky Martin), who happens to love to sing; he learned English from Solid Gold! David suggests that Will have the glee club perform songs by Latin artists or with Spanish lyrics, to show that he can engage his students in learning Spanish − and for once, we actually have an assignment that is meaningful to the plot! Will, however, continues to be super unintentionally offensive and Santana rightfully challenges him for perpetuating racist stereotypes. Can she be any more flawless? As for David Martinez, he is absolutely charming and makes all the girls (and Kurt) swoon. The way the episode ends totally sets it up so that Ricky Martin could join the cast permanently; I kind of secretly hope that David takes Will’s place next season. Sorry, Matthew Morrison.
The episode isn’t all about the adults, though. We get some more time with Sam and Mercedes trying to figure out their complicated emotions, with the help of Emma. She suggests that they not speak (or text, or Facebook, or Tweet) for a week and then re-examine their feelings. All I have to say is that somehow, I’ve become a Samcedes shipper. It’s not only nice to see the writers pick up an abandoned plot (the way they wrote out Chord Overstreet after his contract drama seemed really sloppy), but they are so cute together. Come on, Mercedes, we know you just got with Shane to try and get over Sam, so listen to your heart.
I’m hoping we see a cute, satisfying ending to their story arc in next week’s “Heart” − the Valentine’s Day episode where we’ll finally meet Rachel’s dads, and (rumor has it) see Brittany and Santana kiss for the first time! OMG! I get the feeling I better have some tissues on hand, because I think it’s going to be a tearjerker. After that, there’s only one more episode before the seven-week hiatus (UGH!), so here’s hoping that things are leading up to a high note (no pun intended) before then!
The Songs:
- “La Cucaracha” (Traditional) performed by Will with help from the boys − This is the offending (and offensive) performance that drives Santana to file a complaint! Will is dressed in a poncho and sombrero like he’s Ugly Betty or something, and he and the boys sing with stereotypical Mexican accents. Good for a chuckle, but mostly I was offended on Santana’s behalf. 2/5
- “Sexy and I Know It” (LMFAO) performed by David Martinez − I’m normally not a big fan of LMFAO, but I was totally into Ricky Martin’s Spanglish version of the tune. Throw in shots of the girls and Kurt looking at him dreamily and it was a fun time. 4/5
- “Don’t Wanna Lose You” (Gloria Estefan) performed by Mercedes − Outstanding. Amber Riley is so talented and I love seeing her get more screen time lately. She sings a gorgeous rendition of this song, arranged with brass in the spirit of a Burt Bacharach tune, which suits it much better than the 80′s tinged original. 5/5
- “Bambaleo/Hero” (The Gipsy Kings vs. Enrique Iglesias) performed by Sam and the boys − The token mashup of the week. It’s not terrible, and it’s nice to see Trouty Mouth take the lead, but the “Mexican hipster shoes” (in Finn’s words) are pretty ridiculous. 3/5
- “La Isla Bonita” (Madonna) performed by David and Santana − Two Latin sensations sharing the stage? Amazing! I love Santana, so I’m a bit biased; however, they give Madonna’s song a dancier twist that works really well. 5/5
- “A Little Less Conversation” (Elvis) performed by Will − Maybe it’s because he went after David and Santana, but there was something lackluster about Will’s solo…and as much as I like Mike and Brittany, I don’t know WTF was going on with their Running of the Bulls-inspired choreography (complete with bull horns). 2/5
Best Bits & Quotes:
- “Ooh, I’m bilingual!” − Brittany, after Will gave the week’s assignment. I love a good Brittany joke, as long as it’s not overdone.
- “With whose vagina?!” − Roz Washington AND Santana, after learning of Sue’s intention to give birth. Really, Roz’s entire scene with Sue is A+ and I’d quote it all here if I didn’t want you to watch it for yourself.
- Mercedes, Rachel, and Kurt watch Twilight together (not stated outright, but it’s obvious); Mercedes identifies with being caught between two men, and Rachel identifies with finding her one true love (which leads to her dropping the engagement bomb; a subplot that thankfully doesn’t dominate the episode.) Also, Kurt’s response to the girls acting too serious: “Our periods don’t come until the end of the month.”
- Emma’s pamphlets are always hilarious. We see a bunch in this episode (Will and Emma even have a minor fight relating to them …yes, you read that right), the best being give to Mercedes and Sam: “So You’re a Two-Timin’ Ho” and “So You’re Dating a Two-Timin’ Ho,” respectively.
- “Why don’t you just dress up as the Taco Bell chihuahua and bark the theme song to Dora the Explorer?” − Santana, upon witnessing Will’s offensive performance of “A Little Less Conversation.” Helping her case is the fact that Will is dressed, in his own words, as “an authentic Spanish matador” (which led to Finn confusing him for Kurt).
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