SPOILER ALERT

Hey Gleeks,

It is definitely safe to say that “Glee” has pulled a complete 180 degree turn-around from  last week. After the disappointment of an episode of Britney Spears video remakes, the Glee we know and love has returned to us.

The episode begins with Finn making a grilled cheese sandwich. As he is about to eat his delicious sandwich creation, Finn discovers a grill burn mark that looks like Jesus, which Finn takes to calling “Grilled Cheesus,” hence the episode’s title. Throughout the episode, Finn prays to Grilled Cheesus; asking to win a football game, to get to second base with his girlfriend, Rachel, and to be made quarterback again. Finn’s faith in God and Jesus is restored when each of the wishes come true.

Meanwhile, Kurt faces tragedy when his father, Burt, has a heart attack. New Directions want to surround Kurt with their love and prayers, which are, of course, expressed through song. The club faces unexpected resistance from Kurt and expected resistance from Sue Sylvester. Both Kurt and the Cheerios coach have been given plenty of reason to lose faith in the idea of God. Kurt has faced insults from church-going supposed followers of God for being gay, while Sue has trouble believing that a higher power would let her “handicapable” older sister, whom Sue adores, be taunted for her difference.

Kurt comes to find faith with the help of Mercedes, when she brings him to her church service, where Kurt is embraced by the congregation. It’s not God that he has regained faith in, but the sacredness of his relationship with Burt. The two survived being put through hell at the death of their mother and wife.

Finn is disappointed to realize that it was not Grilled Cheesus that made his wishes come true. It was a simple matter of having a coach that pays attention to the team, being brave enough to verbalize emotions, and sheer coincidence that allowed the wishes to come true.

The music was absolutely stunning in this episode. I admit that some of the church songs did not have the same impact on me as it probably did for those who have grown up hearing the songs in church. I have never even heard some of the songs, like “I Look to You,” as I share a religion with Rachel and Puck, Judaism. However, the sheer beauty of the songs and the skill it takes to sing them is something anyone can appreciate.

While REM’s “Losing My Religion” is one of my all-time favorite songs, Corey Monteith as Finn’s voice was wrong for the song. His voice is too low and rough for the iconic song.

For the first time, I can say I agree with Sue Sylvester. Don’t kill me just yet, though. Even with the circumstances, the faith theme for the songs this week completely ignores those who do not have a defined faith or who do not have faith. The beauty of “separation of church and state” is that it accepts everyone of all or no faith, and Mr. Schuster ignored the one without faith, Kurt, and I think Kurt had every right to be upset. When someone is going through such a terrible time, forcing ideas on them can do more harm than good. If you notice, Kurt found faith when no one was forcing it on him. If you don’t agree, I want to hear it. Feel free to comment away on this or any topic.

For such a deep episode that questions the reason for our existence, the episode deserves an extra “Of The Week,” so here are your not two, but three “Of The Weeks:”

Song of the Week

This was an incredibly close call, but Chris Colfer as Kurt singing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” edged out the group rendition of “One of Us.” The arrangement of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” was the same one used in the 2007 film, “Across the Universe.” The slower tempo completely changes the song’s emotional tone, and the context completely changes the meaning. In the original version, it is an upbeat song about a guy liking a girl so much that he would be happy to just hold her hand. In the “Glee” version, it is a tear-jerker about how the simple gesture of a father holding and squeezing his son’s hand, as he did at Kurt’s mother’s funeral, could tell Kurt that his world is not completely shattered.

Moment of the Week

There was no competition this week. When Burt, who is still hooked up to hospital machines and cannot yet open his eyes, squeezes Kurt’s hands, “Glee” reached a moment of perfection that has not been seen since early in season 1. The idea of losing Papa Hummel is a horrifying concept, and to see that it is more than just machines keeping Burt alive lifted the spirit in every way possible.

Now,  on to the bonus “Of The Week!” Normally, I stick to just a song and a moment of each episode to focus on, but there was a line that was so beautiful and summed up the episode’s message so perfectly, it deserved its own “Of The Week.”

Line of the Week

The episode’ whole point is that it does not matter what name your faith has, whether its Jesus, God, Allah, or any other name. It does not even have to be a higher power. It can be a regular person or thing, like Jean (in Sue’s case) or Burt (in Kurt’s case). The point is that faith in someone or something is what inspires the will to live. Now I’d like to leave you all with the line of the week:

“To each his own, but you gotta believe in something.” – Amber Riley as Mercedes

http://www.hulu.com/watch/181761/glee-grilled-cheesus

Till next time, Gleeks.
Alissa

Alissa Mesibov can be reached at [email protected]