After making a grand introduction to the Cheerios squad with their rendition of 4 Minutes, Mercedes and Kurt are now bona fide members of the popular kids. Problem solved right? Wrong. Sadly they are brought back to the cold, cruel reality of the price so many have to pay to be a part of the in crowd. Sue informs Mercedes she has to either drop10 pounds or she is off the team, sending our favorite diva into a tailspin of self-consciousness and starvation.
Although there were some light-hearted moments in her storyline — including students as life-sized delicious treats and Sues extreme diet plan (which Ive tried in the past, minus the ipecac … lost nearly 30 pounds in a week plus and gained it right back in two) — just like last week when they explored the topic of teen sex, the issue of body image and eating disorders was presented with heart and soul.
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The beauty of Mercedes (played brilliantly by Amber Riley) is that she is confident and sexy in her own skin and the fact that she isnt a sizezero has always been more of a so-what factor than a topic of discussion. Thats why I believe her storyline is so great. Sue also informed Kurt he could stand to lose a few pounds as well, and we saw other girls on the team hoping to lose weight — which, as ridiculous as it was, hit on the extremes of what is happening in high school life. No matter how confident and beautiful you are, you can fall victim to the pressure.Having Quinn, a once star Cheerio before the whole preggers deal, come to Mercedes’ rescue and talk some sense into her gave me my first Kleenex moment of the night — though the blistering rendition of Christina Aguileras Beautiful (perfect song choice) that was soon to follow turned me into a weeping mess. Though her plot ranks as one of the riskiest that theyve done, like Quinns pregnancy (minus the Terri factor), Arties physical disability and Kurts sexuality, it was grounded in a sense of reality.
With Mercedes struggling to find her home in her own body, Kurt wrangled with being comfortable in his own home. After setting up his dad with Finns mom, he quickly resented playing matchmaker once he saw his father had instantly sparked a connection with his crush over a little guy talk. Finn in turn struggled with his mother getting her groove back with Kurts father because he didnt want to replace the only home he knew. Again, incredibly touching. Thankfully the writers eased up on Kurts lust for Finn, which is cute and all but kinda creepy now that their parents are bumping uglies.
The dynamic of Chris Colfer and Mike O’Malley as father and son cant get any better. OMalley continues to be nothing short of perfection in the role, though it pains me to see him during commercials hawking cable. And with a second week of Kurt having a solo, this time completely stealing Rachels thunder with his take on A House Is Not a Home, this seems to be a welcome notion that the supporting characters will not only have deeper storylines but additional time to shine vocally, and I doubt there is one Gleek that will turn that down. Who else loved Finn chiming in during A House Is Not a Home, and singing to the father he never knew?
But I must say the best part about Home was undoubtedly the return of Kristen Chenoweth as April. The last time we saw April was the same way we are reintroduced to her: bigger than life, drop-dead gorgeous and boozed-up. This time she has a little money by playing the role of mistress to some old geezer, who oddly owns a skating rink. I continue my love affair with Chenoweth that started in college and while I dont need to defend her brilliance, I will. From her spunky duet of Fire with Schue, to the heart-achingly lonely coo of “One Less Bell to Answer which segued into a fantastic reprise of A House Is Not a Home and of course her bone-chilling take on Home, where Im sure Stephanie Mills is somewhere applauding, I fell in love with her again. I spent a fair share of time shouting “Do it already” to my TV screen during her scenes with Will — inappropriate, yes, but they make one heck of a hot couple even if they wound up as one big hot mess. Is it in bad taste to predict an Emmy nomination in her future?
Was I the only one surprised by the absence of Rachel from the action? I guess even a diva such as Rachel Berry has to take a seat in the back from time to time to recharge.
HUBBLE IMAGES Hubble Picture And Video | Hubble Space Telescope Images.