GLEE: Season 2, Episode Four, "Duets"

What's going down?

It's bad news at Glee club as Schue tells the gang that Puck's in juvie for driving his Mum's Volvo into a convenience store and taking off with the ATM. It's not known when he's getting out which means the club is down one member. Finn is angry that they've lost his "bad boy voice and stage presence". Schue, though, takes this as an opportunity to announce the very dreamy Sam as the club's newest member. Kurt is more than pleased at the newest addition, convinced that Sam does in fact bat for him team. This week's lesson? Duets. Apparently a great one is just like a marriage. To heat up the competition a little, Schue offers to pay for the winning pair to have a dinner at Breadsticks.

Later on, Kurt corners Sam at his locker and gives him his own personal welcome to Glee, offering to keep his secret that his incredibly blonde hair is dyed. Sam looks slightly creeped out and insists that he doesn't actually dye his hair. Kurt then asks him to pair up with him for the duets competition; after all next to Rachel he is Sam's best bet for a win. 

In Brittany's bedroom she is enjoying Santana's "sweet lady kisses". She really wants the two to sing a duet but Santana wants her to stop talking and to keep making out. "I'm not making out with you because I'm in love with you and want to sing about making lady babies," she tells her. Santana has her own plan, though, and much to Mercedes' surprise asks to sing with her. However, when she tells her that they'll be "the undisputed top bitches" at McKinley, Mercedes is more than happy to join her.

Finn isn't too happy about Sam singing with Kurt. He's worried that if he does he'll become a prime
target for bullying and will leave Glee and with Puck gone they could really use his voice and of
course dreamy good looks. Kurt thinks Finn is just being homophobic but Finn argues back that after the way he obsessed over him last year, he has an issue with the fact that Kurt doesn't know when no means no. Finn says that it's Kurt's call over who he sings with but from his face we can see he knows Finn's right.

In the choir room Finn and Rachel are practising their duet, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton
John and Kiki Dee, and they are very very good. Finn tells her that he knows they're going to win but for once Rachel doesn't look too happy. She thinks that they need to throw the competition in order for Sam to win, thus meaning that he'll stay as he feels like he belongs.

Mike also isn't happy as he tells Tina that he doesn't know if he can actually sing, let alone sing in
the duets competition. He suggests that she just sing and that he'll just dance around her. Down the hallway, Brittany tells Artie that she's really in to him. She admits that for a while she thought he was a robot but she wants to be his girlfriend because she likes the idea of wheeling him around: "I just want to get you in a stroller".

In the locker room Finn tries to warn Sam off singing with Kurt; Sam doesn't see what the problem is, though. After being sent 60 mp3s of him singing he can tells that Kurt is his best chance of winning. Sam is confused after the reason that Finn talked him into joining is because he said that it would make them gods. "I didn't realise you had such a problem with gay dudes," quips Sam. Finn tells him that it isn't him who has a problem, it's everyone else and that it's their world they're living in. Just as Sam leaves he gets a slushie facial, seeing the real world of Glee. As luck would have it, Quinn walks past and offers to help clean him up in the toilets: "the blueberry one is the worst," she tells him, "especially if it gets in your pants." He tries to flirt with her but comes off
more than a little weird.

Burt is recuperating at home, with Kurt catering to his every need, making him extra-healthy food.
Burt wants to eat at the table but his son won't let him even get up from the sofa. Kurt tells him
about the problem he's having at school because he wants to sing a duet with Sam. When Burt sides with Finn's views Kurt loses it. Burt tells them that until he finds "someone as open and as brave" as him, he's going to have to get used to going it alone.

At Glee, it's time for the first of the duets, as Santana and Mercedes sing Tina Turner's "River
Deep Mountain High". Rachel looks worried, as the pair work well together. Her plan to throw the
competition might not be so easy after all. Later that night the two talk it over. Rachel says they
need to perform a bad song; Finn agrees but says that it also should be offensive. That way they'll
definitely not win.

The next day at rehearsal Tina wants to partner up with Artie, knowing that the two sing really well together. Artie isn't having any of her crawling back to him and tells her that not only does
he have a duet partner but that their working relationship has blossomed into romance. Kurt has an
announcement for them all; now that his duet partnership has been dissolved due to "sensitivities"
he is now singing a duet with the most talented member of the Glee club, himself. Santana doesn't
see how it'll work, as it's too like "vocal masturbation", but Kurt proves them all wrong as he
sings "Le Jazz Hot" from the movie Victor/Victoria.

In a random classroom Sam is trying to impress Quinn with his knowledge of the solar system. He's
asked her to be his duet partner and when she asks why she should be, he lets the singing do the
talking. The two continue to flirt as he tries to teach her how to play guitar. He goes in for the kiss
but she backs off saying that she just wants to spend the year for herself. Next up it's Tina and
Mike's turn to perform as they do a comical performance of "Sing!" from A Chorus Line, poking fun
at Mike's inability to hold a tune.

"Major Glee party foul, dude," is all Finn has to say to Sam when he finds out that he tried to kiss
Quinn. Sam can't help it; after all, she was sending him "vibes". Finn is still angry; clearly
this is messing up their plan. In the toilets, Rachel corners Quinn about backing out of singing with
him. She tells her that singing with Sam is really her only way of winning the competition and thus
boosting her musical rep. Quinn is wise to Rachel's plan though and asks what's in it for her if Quinn
wins instead of her. It looks like Rachel and Finn's scheming does the trick - later on, the pair make up and agree to duet.

In Brittany's bedroom she and Artie are practicing runs for their duet. However Artie suddenly
decides that he can't do "this", i.e. them, because he still has feelings for somebody, i.e. Tina.
Brittany has her own ideas of how he can get over her and before you know it she's taken poor
Artie's virginity.

Everyone isn't quite sure what to say as they watch Rachel and Finn perform "With You I'm Born
Again" dressed as a nun and a priest. Mercedes says it was "rude", Schue "inappropriate", with
Quinn adding, "I really wanted to punch you both in the face." Looks like their plan is coming
together and they won't be winning that dinner at Breadsticks. Next up are Sam and Quinn, who
perform "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Keeping it simple, the pair are great and there is
obvious chemistry between the two.

Artie breaks up with Brittany, saying that all she wanted was a free dinner. She was just using him
for his voice and that's the only reason she had sex with him, he says. Santana kindly pointed out to him that she'd slept with most of the guys on the football team. Sex might not mean anything to her, Artie says, but it meant a hell of a lot to him and she's just walked all over it. So with that he's pulled out of the duets competition. Brittany looks genuinely upset to have been dumped by him.

At Glee the club are voting for who should win the dinner at Breadsticks. Rachel and Finn get their
way as Sam and Quinn clinch the title. Seeing Kurt's disappointment at rehearsal, Rachel later
approaches him and asks if she can do a duet with him, one she's specially selected. At Breadsticks
Sam and Quinn's dinner isn't going quite so well, as his quirky humour is failing to win her over.
He does start to melt her when he tells her that he doesn't judge her for everything that
happened last year. He does divulge though that he puts lemon juice on his hair, to make it shine
brighter than the sun. We end as Kurt and Rachel sing their duet of "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy" made famous by Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.

11 o'clock number

Tonight's theme of duets allowed us to get a few different musical collaboration. Mercedes and
Santana's belting rendition of "River Deep Mountain High" was fantastic. Tina and Mike gave us a musical theatre classic with their humorous number from "A Chorus Line", and we got to see more of Mike's dancing. Of Rachel and Finn's two numbers "Don't Go Breaking My heart" was by far the best, capturing their cheesy personalities perfectly. Sam and Quinn were particularly cute during their performance and you can see why Santana comments "so fricking charming". My favourite numbers of the night though, were Kurt's spectacular performance of "Le Jazz Hot", which was a real production and his ending duet with Rachel - definitely being one of the show's best performances.

Quote of the week

Brittany on her dinner with Artie: "I was going to order us one really, really long piece of spaghetti
like in Lady and the Tramp. I've been practising nudging the meatball across the table with my nose."

Overall

I really enjoyed tonight's episode, even though it didn't really drive any of the show's plotlines
further. There is yet more relationship drama ahoy though as we see a relationship between Sam
and Quinn beginning to blossom, as well being shown that deep down Brittany does actually have
feelings for Artie. Despite this all the numbers tonight weere up there with some of the show's best
performances and there wasn't any stinkers, unlike some previous episodes.