Glee's prom episode had all the cliche staples: Shocking prom queen reveal? Check. Girl fight? Check. Fist fight over a girl? Check. Awful music? Cheeeeecccckkk.
If we're looking at it the way I tend to look at this show, though, it was actually a pretty successful episode. That is, it showed us the cheesiness of the high school experience in a very authentic way, and I felt like the characters all acted their purported ages for once (I sometimes feel like they forget the New Directions members are only 17, on average). Rachel was pretty fantastic this episode, from selflessly helping Finn with his corsage dilemma to coordinating Sam going to prom on the cheap (and inadvertently getting Mercedes her "Cinderella" moment), to the look of genuine heartbreak on her face as she watched Kurt go up to accept his Prom Queen crown. Quinn continued her trend of being whiny and kind of one-dimensional, though I did like the obvious conflict in her feelings during the bathroom confrontation with Rachel. I like that this season has tried to really drive home the point that Quinn feels as insecure as any other girl (if not more so), but I think now it's been beaten into us just a little too much. Move on with this character, writers, there's so much more she can be, and Dianna Agron has a lot of potential that you're risking overlooking. One other disappointment was Puck, who I feel they consistently shortchange on this show. He started out with that moment of insight (using that term loosely) about his supposed loss of badass-ness due to his relationship with Lauren, and I was hoping that would head to a moment of genuine understanding for him (i.e. that he's willing to sacrifice his reputation because he really likes his girlfriend, or something similar), but instead we just got another petty attempt at coolness, and a manipulation of poor Artie (yes, I know he made a choice, but Puck should know better by now). In any event, I just want more from Puck that isn't trite or silly, because I think they've dropped a lot of inadvertent hints at his compelling character, and have scarcely delivered on any.
The Kurt storyline was compelling as always (but that might be largely because Chris Colfer has blossomed into such an incredibly watchable performer), and I loved that they added some dimension to Blaine's character (though I am hoping we'll get an actual last name for him some time in the future-- it can't actually be "Warbler", right?). I loved the two of them uniting against the hardships they've both faced, and for the first time it really felt like an equal partnership (I think there were early concerns, mine among them, about Kurt jumping into a relationship with the first gay "mentor" figure he encountered; but in this episode it really felt like they each had a lot to offer one another, and Blaine seemed a lot less idealized than usual). I definitely felt sympathy for Kurt, but I also admired his strength, and I think the show actually sent a really great message out to the teen viewers who might find themselves enduring similar struggles; I really appreciated Kurt's coming to understand that the bullying might never fully go away, but that he could be strong in the face of it and realize that the support of his friends is much more powerful.
The song covers this episode were an even split as far as I'm concerned. Rachel and Jesse's rendition of "Rollin in the Deep" was a showstopper and enjoyable to watch as well as listen to; "Isn't She Lovely?" as performed by Artie was downright precious; and I really liked the use of Blaine on "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend..." during the climax of the dance. However, both "Friday" and even "Dancing Queen" seemed too over the top given the context, and as much as I love a good Rachel Berry ballad, the song she sang (basically just to Finn) didn't seem like the best choice for a slow dance tune.
And since I haven't talked about it, I'll say a little about the return of Jesse St. James. His arc in this episode seemed pretty boring all things considered, but since he's back for two more I'll be interested to see what happens between him and Rachel. I just hope they aren't planning to use him exclusively as a Rachel/Finn reunion device; Jonathan Groff is much too talented for that.
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