This totally has all kinds of spoilers for this episode. I’m going to talk about it all. So yeah, you’ve been warned.
Oh, just because
I have to admit, I get pretty excited about the episodes where Darren Criss is the guest mentor. He’s so good with the contestants, and so interested in them, that it’s a joy to watch. Plus –total fangirl. Sorry.
But this one was a bit extra interesting, because there were boys left than girls and the theme was duets, or “pair-ability” which Criss admits early on “isn’t really a word.”
I was excited, and anxious to see how this would play out. The only openly gay contestant is Alex and boy-howdy is he gay. I mean, I love that, but it could certainly cause problems if he gets paired with a boy to sing a romantic duet, and that boy (these contestants are all younger than anyone on the Glee cast) has any issues. And what isn’t an issue when you’re 18?
Alex and Matheus
I needn’t have been worried. For the first song, they sang “Need You Now” and Alex was paired with Matheus. Matheus admitted to being uncomfortable, but he quickly got over it. And that’s good for him, because the last person you want to see you dropping the ball because you can’t cope with singing to another dude is probably Darren Criss (unless, of course, it’s Ryan Murphy). By the time they finished the song, the two were outright flirting, and it was cute.
Alex actually took an interesting step in his duet with Hannah and dressed in drag for the performance, a fact that fascinated Ryan Murphy. He pulled it off fantastically, talking to the camera about how he’d love to play female parts and how he expects there are quite a lot of men who would like to as well. Are there? Also, Alex rocks in drag.
Can we just talk about the awesome that is that jacket?
Ok, Cameron. Cameron, I didn’t fall for your “I’m such a nerd” act when you started and I only really liked you when you danced badly. But now? YOU ARE SUCH A FREAKING BABY. At the end of “Baby it’s Cold Outside,” Lyndsay kissed him, which was sweet and appropriate to the song and the feel of the video and he kinda lost it. He cried, and he called his mother, because he felt like he was cheating on his girlfriend. He even tried to pass the whole incident off as him being a super-awesome Christian. And this is a guy who wants an acting job? He’s going to have a meltdown about having to be in a fictitious relationship? I was actually super surprised at how tolerant Ryan Murphy was about the whole thing.
Oh, and Damian. I have a soft spot for him for many reasons. One, he sounds like a dear friend of mine. He even has some similar facial expressions, which is hilarious. Two, because he really seems to be coming out of his shell and he’s funny. Three, the way he stuck up for Matheus in this episode. I don’t think any other contestant has shown that kind of integrity. Oh and four? He wore bright yellow wellies while they performed “These Boots are Made for Walking.” Perfect.
I’m starting to realise that my addiction to The Glee Project has a lot to do with getting to know Ryan Murphy just a little bit. His off-hand comments are fascinating as are his incredibly spot on insights into the personalities of the contestants. I find myself wishing he had a lot more screen time, even if I almost always disagree with him.
Deconstructing Glee 
I really, really wish I could go here with you, but I just don’t think I can. I will enjoy reading your take on it, though, if that helps!
Do it! Come on… 😉
***THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THESE COMMENTS*****
“By the time they finished the song, the two were outright flirting, and it was cute.”
I think Matheus really stepped up to the plate on this, and then Alex turned around and slammed him/teased him for being able to hit high notes. I’m so glad Damian stood up to RM for Matheus (even if it felt a little like tattling); and, I’m really impressed that RM called Alex out on it. I can’t remember the exact words, so to paraphrase, RM said that everyone on Glee works their guts out and to be a member of Glee means supporting your fellow castmates, not tearing them down. IMO, Alex behaved like a bitchy Diva and should have been cut instead of Matheus.
Lindsay just reinforced my previous assessment of doing whatever is necessary to get where she wants to go. She saw the kiss between Sam and Marissa (which was a specific direction given by the music video director) and unilaterally decided to do the same thing with Cameron, without discussing it with him ahead of time. Maybe if she’d given him a heads up (oh, that’s an awful pun), he wouldn’t have been so distressed about it. Having said that, he did act like a baby about it; I mean, really….crying?? Calling mommy??? I, too, was surprised at RM’s tolerance seeing as he said he still isn’t all that impressed with Cameron and doesn’t understand why Zack and Robert pull for him each week. RM also mentioned wanting to write a Christian character…didn’t he already do that with Quinn? That comment kind of confused me.
Hannah did a great job in both of her performances. I’m glad to see her start to believe that she can be sexy.
Sam and Marissa ROCKED their performance…right now I believe it will be one of them that ultimately wins the Project. Which makes me a little sad, because I really like Damian, too. He did a super job with “The Lady is a Tramp”. When he grins and winks at the camera…;lsdfja;sdfj;sdfj.
Zach’s comment to Ryan, “You’re going to have to start killing off your darlings.” really stuck a chord with me. The remaining episodes are going to be really tough on all of them, as well as the remaining contestants.
I don’t dislike Lindsay. I’m not crazy about her, but man she can sing, and act, and she’s very pretty. And I don’t think she goes too far. That kiss was perfect for the video they were doing. I have to say, that whole episode cemented my otherwise vague dislike of Cameron.
I think when RM says he wants to write a Christian character, I’m guessing he means someone full-on, who might actually cause friction in the group. Like a keen little evangelical kid who really believes he should be sharing the good news, converting his friends, not dating people who aren’t “saved”, that kind of thing. I mean Mercedes, Sam and Quinn are all meant to be vaguely Christian (or church-going) but none are especially devout.
Yes, the kiss was appropriate for the song, but it’s the way she went about it that bothers me. She could have taken Cameron aside and said, “Hey, we need to up the ante here. What do you think about a quick kiss at the end of our song?” instead of blindsiding him with it.
“Like a keen little evangelical kid who really believes he should be sharing the good news, converting his friends, not dating people who aren’t “saved”, that kind of thing.”
You forgot to mention condemning gay relationships. I don’t think an evangelical kid would even consider joining a glee club, as some denoms frown on singing, dancing, theater arts, etc. It would sure cause friction and stir things up. I’d find it really irritating to watch, and that’s not why I watch Glee. 🙂
I suppose I’ve probably a reasonably unusual perspective on all this.
In my school, the show choir was largely made up of evangelical kids and a few others. But the local evangelical church had a huge choir and orchestra and they also put on a musical once a year. So, there was a lot of cross over. That said, there were really no out gay kids, although there were certainly gay kids and certainly people who felt that shouldn’t be an issue.
But it would be interesting to see how Ryan Murphy would approach that, especially considering he’s known to be a church-going guy.
I do not understand the fawning all over Cameron. He is a sissy, self serving, insincere, and has no depth of character. His only acting so far as I can tell is this little nerd affectation. I cannot see him playing a range of roles, or even a range of emotions. He is a sheltered little brat and Zach and Robert clearly have a crush on him. Even when they put him in the bottom where he belongs, they nearly apologize to him. Get over this guy, he needs to go. God forbid he got paired with a boy for the pairability show, wonder how that would have gone over with his ‘religiion?’ ( I believe his ‘christianity’ is as much an act as his ‘nerd’ affectation.) He’s 21. Going on 12.
Wow, it’s actually a little scary how similar my feelings towards this ep were (which I just put up in an LJ post) to yours in this post. (http://needsmoregreen.livejournal.com/8041.html if anyone else wants to read–keep in mind it’s long and rambly…)
I still don’t get what anyone sees in Cameron, or why he keeps getting through when he’s so alarmingly mediocre.
Hannah and Alex were my favourites and both need to end up on the show (some part of me kind of hopes some of the runners up will get tiny guest spots, just maybe). They both just owned it, regardless of bitchiness or anything else. (And Alex in drag, oh my god, YES.)
I think Hannah and Damian are my two overall favourites so far, as well as Alex because “LBGTs gotta support LBGTs” or something.
I don’t know how I feel about Lindsay, sometimes I think I hate her but then she either belts amazingly or looks gorgeous and I forget that I hated her…
Great liveblog of the show!
Alex is amazing in drag. Really, he has a calling.