Glee - Loser Like Me & Homecoming - Review - "Reviews and Best Song Polls"

Glee began its final season with two back-to-back episodes that felt like a real return to what made us fall in love with the show to begin with. For me, it was characters I could root for because they were the underdogs and songs that made me want to sing along and dance routines that made me feel a little like I was watching either a great music video or a 1940s musical. In addition, when the show was really great, it was able to highlight injustices - like bullying. In the second episode, the show visits discrimination in a satisfyingly complex way. And of course, there's also lots of inappropriate humor but some of that is even directed at itself.

Loser Like Me

One of the reasons “Loser Like Me” feels like a return to the show’s roots is because it was written by the showrunning team of Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuk and it was directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode begins with Rachel’s (Lea Michele) television show That’s So Rachel being cancelled after one episode. After 3 months in seclusion, Rachel returns to Lima only to discover that her dads are getting a divorce and selling the family home.

The opening scene ends with the first musical number – a solo of “Uninvited” by Michele as she’s escorted off the lot by golf cart. There’s a terrific shot of a poster for her show disappearing down a long alley way. That scene is actually mirrored by the ending song in the second episode as Rachel takes another golf cart ride.

This episode really sets the stage for the coming final season and sets up an interesting three way competition between the New Directions directed by Rachel and Kurt (Chris Colfer), Vocal Adrenaline let by Will (Matthew Morrison) and the Warblers led by Blaine (Darren Criss).

One of the developments that I really didn’t like is that Blaine returned to Lima after Kurt broke up with him and Blaine flunked out of NYADA. Did we really need to have them break up again? This is a pet peeve for me – I simply hate on again/off again couples (it’s why I stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy!). Kurt returns to Lima after he realizes that he’s made a mistake and wants to get Blaine back. Unfortunately, it’s too late because Blaine is now dating Karofsky (Max Adler). While I’m annoyed with the storyline, both Criss and Colfer deliver terrific performances, especially in the flashback to their breakup.

Sue has completely eradicated the arts and humanities at McKinley. As always, her over-the-top 3-Point Plan is hilarious. Rachel goes over her head to Superintendent Harris (Christopher Cousins) and gets permission to reinstate the Glee club. Kurt switches his 3rd year work study for NYADA from staging a play at a retirement home to helping Rachel with the New Directions. Sue vows to make their lives a living Hell by the end of the episode.

I loved them staging an intervention and screening Rachel’s show, so we get to see how horrible it is. There are cast members for Mercedes, Brittany – complete with a wagon full of cats, Kurt, and guest star Carrot Top as Blartie. It’s a really interestingly ironic way for the show to poke fun at their own New York episodes. It’s hilarious when Rachel says that the planned songs were cut from the show because I felt like we were not getting enough of that over the last season.

Morrison has a couple of terrific scenes. I adored the scene with him dancing around his apartment with his adorable red-headed baby. However, Morrison is always best when acting as mentor to his students. He gives Rachel two great pieces of advice. He tells her that the power of a bow and arrow is created by the bending of the bow. He tells her that life’s challenges are what bends her as a bow – and are what make her stronger. All she needs is to find a purpose – an arrow to put to her bow.

         Will brings her a clipping that says “Priority #1 – Help the Kids.” Will Rachel finally be able to put someone before herself? It’s the one thing the character has always been missing. It’s also interesting because when Rachel visits Will, you can see at the end of the Vocal Adrenaline practice that the kids there aren’t interested in connecting with Will the way the New Direction kids were.

My favorite part of the episode may have been the return of the Warblers. It was fantastic to see a terrific song and dance routine – something so many recent episodes had been missing. Vocal Adrenaline also turn in a great song and dance routine. It’s also hilarious that while Will can’t get them to do a Journey song, he does get them to do Van Halen! The final song by Michele is also a great choice and fits in wonderfully thematically with the episode them. Rachel is used to being a loser and an outsider – out in the cold. She may have gotten used to the spotlight, but she’s not lying when she sings “the cold never bothered me” – not even a slushie…

Homecoming

Ryan Murphy wrote “Homecoming” which was also directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode uses a terrific gimmick that it borrows from A-ha’s song “Take On Me” so we have drawings and real life merging throughout the episode – not just during the performance of that song. The episode also features the return of almost the entire core original group of New Directions – Puck (Mark Salling), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Mercedes (Amber Riley), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), Artie (Kevin McHale), Santana (Naya Rivera), and Brittany (Heather Morris).

The episode focuses on the recruitment of the new New Directions. Will has everyone over for dinner and they agree to make their competition friendly – which of course can’t last! It seems like they may be setting Blaine up to be a “bad guy” at least for part of the season. In fact, there’s no shortage of people who may prove to be obstacles for the New Directions. We find out that Kitty (Becca Tobin) is still at McKinley and didn’t get transferred like the rest of the New Directions because she clearly hates the New Directions after Artie treated her badly in their breakup. We also have Spencer (Marshall Williams) the post-modern gay teen – who likes football, hates Glee club, and is free to be a dick if he wants to be! He turns down Sue’s attempts to get him to sabotage the club though.

We also meet Jane (Samantha Marie Ware). Her parents have won a law suit to allow their daughter to attend the all male Dalton Academy and now she also wants to be a Warbler. This was one of the more interesting storylines they’ve had in a while too. I liked that Blain finally came over to Will’s exhortation to “be on the right side of history” and fight for Jane’s right to join the Warblers. It was equally believable, however, that Jane would get cold feet about forcing her way into a club that didn’t want her. I’m hoping that Blaine will realize sooner rather than later that Rachel didn’t “poach” Jane.

Regardless, Ware can really sing! I loved her number with the Warblers – so part of me is disappointed that she didn’t stay at Dalton. The other new recruit is Roderick (Noah Guthrie), and he also has a terrific voice. Both Guthrie and Ware are also credible actors. Rounding out the New Directions are Mason (Billy Lewis Jr) and Madison (Laura Dreyfuss) McCarthy. We don’t get to see them do a whole lot in the episode, but as they are Cheerios, we can assume they can dance!

I liked the scene in which the gang goes to appeal to the Tea Party Patriot Club. I didn’t like that once again we see Tina as over the top. It’s funny that Mercedes is never as annoying when she does the same thing. My favorite moment in that scene, however, is when Quinn takes back her muffins and then bumps into Sam (Chord Overstreet) on the way out. As Agron leaves the room, she is laughing so hard! You can tell that the actors were having a great time being back on set.

I pretty much loved every song in this episode. “Take On Me” was spectacularly clever and well done with the special effects. I loved Jane with the Warblers for “Tightrope” and how she took Rachel’s advice and got every one of the Warblers up and dancing with her. Which made it all the more shocking when they still voted against her! I adored seeing the Cheerios – old and new – back on the field, dancing and singing!

        And I also very much liked the final song for two moments in particular. The first, I’ve already mentioned. In the first episode, we begin with Rachel singing in a golf cart and being exiled, locked out of the lot by herself. This episode brings that full circle as Rachel rides a golf cart with her friends to the heart of the homecoming bonfire. And I also like the four newbies coming down the hallway whistling together – it’s already easy to see them forming a bond with each other.

All in all, I think this was a great start to the final season. Our characters may be back where they started, but they now have a chance to do it right. I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that quick success had made some of them just a bit obnoxious! More importantly, though the show has returned to what it really does best in these episodes – tell a story, possibly with a worthwhile moral, but with terrific songs and dances! What did you think of the first two episodes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to vote in the two polls for your favorite song in each episode!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.