Thankfully, this week’s episode of Glee started on a lighter note than the last. I think if the school violence episode had been tonight, I don’t know that I could have handled it. Instead, we got to see Finn starting his new life at the practically Ivy League University of Lima. Apparently everyone there majors in the Harlem Shake. I liked seeing Finn sort of happy, even if he is basically just a carbon copy of Will Schuester with his penchant for cardigans and messenger bags. It was there he was reunited with his former best friend/teammate/enemy/girlfriend stealer Puck, who has suddenly entered the world of college mid-semester with an equally low GPA and no explanation for how any of this is possible.

Rachel was back in all her Berry glory, doing overly confident voice overs about her destiny to become the next Barbra. If she was wearing kneesocks I would have died and gone to heaven, thinking it was 2010. 

Back in Lima, the Glee club was still managing to weird it up with all of their idiosyncracies. Tina is onto the next big thing, steampunk (which I thought had already run its course- after all it was a them on an episode of America’s Next Top Model like, two seasons ago), Unique is popping pills- birth control pills, that is, Sam is pretending he has a twin brother and forgot what shampoo was, and Blaine is just putting up with all of it.

After taking the rap for Becky last week, Sue Sylvester had been replaced- by a peppier than ever Coach Roz, aka Rich Bitch Nene Lekes rocking her best finger wave. Mr Schu fell back into his pattern of giving the Glee club, once again, horribly dated overly themed numbers while Marley pined to sing her original material, circa two years ago. 

Will decided to finally put the past behind him and pay Finn a visit at college, where he had um… adjusted quite well. Finn refused to accept Schu’s apology, and for a moment I was crushed that all my former favorite Gleeks really were moving on, much like people do in real life post-high school. Tear. 

Cut to Rachel, who was preparing for her Funny Girl audition in a fury. What was the perfect song for her to sing, and more importantly, is there even a Barbra song left we haven’t heard her belt in the Lima High auditorium? One cannot solve these conundrums alone. Fortunately, Rachel’s biological mom showed up at her school in a completely different city than when we last saw her, just in time to coach her and of course, engage in a little top 40 mother/daughter duet, which I loved. That Emilie Sande number was the perfect choice for their lovely vocal blend. I swear, being in the prescence of that amount of natural talent (even on tv) is enough to make you crazy. 

Back at U of Lima, Finn and Puck were singing their freshman hearts out with a pretty good rendition of “Fight for Your Right.” My heart skipped a beat to see Finn drumming again, even thought I was a little confused how the entire frat party could hear him, sans microphone. He even out-Schued himself as the only guy in the place rocking a tie while everyone else was drenched in beer. Apparently this was a very accepting frat, as they immediately invited them to be brothers (not pledges, brothers) despite their Glee club ties and suspected homosexuality.

Marley called everyone to the auditorium for a sad song party, and they proceeded to sing about being besties forever while I tried to figure out when Marley had time to take music theory and compose harmonies while she was having an emotional breakdown with a side of bulimia. And can we agree that the song kind of sucked? I felt like it was just a sadder version of the Golden Girls theme song. Mr. Schu was doing his teacherly duty of spying on them from the wings and wondering when it was exactly that he stopped believing in his kids and their talents. For singing, not writing music of course, because let’s face it, all the original songs they’ve ever done are mediocre, at best. 

Finn was just barely attempting to plug in a computer (okay, if he can’t figure this one out, then maybe college is not for him) when Rachel called and interrupted him with a very important question… about herself. And her audition. You can take the girl out of Glee club…

Finn advised her to go back to her roots, and go back she did. With a piano bar version of the song that started it all, “Don’t Stop Believing.” As she sang, her original gang (which at first seemed like was excluding Artie, but there he was, on the sidelines again, strumming the guitar) appeared magically behind her, like a musical mirage, and for a second, I was reminded that Mercedes ever existed. It was a touching little number, although I don’t know if it really showed off her pipes the way other songs have in the past. But for nostaligic Gleeks like me, it was just what the doctor ordered. Apparently, the directors liked her, and they were kind enough to wait until she had finished to shut down the house lights. 

Despite his dream to become a teacher, Finn was already screwing up his chance by sleeping through classes and resorted to taking advice from Puck, who apparently isn’t even enrolled in school at all. 

Back at Lima High, Coach Roz was displeased at some of the Cheerios she inherited, namely Gay Blaine and Adult Baby Becky. I don’t even remember what other insults she hurled because she talked so fast. 

Mr. Schu continued to lurk around the auditorium, reveling in the days of competitions past. Finn surprised him by showing up and negotiating a deal that he would come back and help him, under one condition- he wanted to be treated like a teacher. Get over yourself, Finn. Teachers aren’t even treated like teachers, and they’ve completed more than two weeks of higher education, unlike yourself. 

Back at the ridiculously oversized Brooklyn loft, Rachel was waiting by the phone to hear the results of her throwback audition. As Kurt attempted to derail her Broadway career by stuffing her full of cookies fresh out of the oven, she got The Call. She had made it. She got a callback. Her life will never be the same. Or will it..?

Who knows where this road will take us. Now that we know Finn is going to be out soon, there’s only so much left for that storyline this season, and Brittany’s already showing! I don’t know where Ryan Murphy is taking us for the end of season four, but now that we know we get at least two more to go, there is so much that could be done. 

See you next week as we count down to the season finale!

~L