Glee 5×11 Review: City of Angels

The Nationals started for New Directions this week and they had to go up against the awesome Throat Explosion. Not only that, the episode also paid a tribute to Finn Hudson (played by the talented Cory Monteith till his untimely death). It was fun but the whole thing felt repetitive after a while. How many times can you watch rival high schools battling it out through singing on your TV screens?

The whole Marley, Ryder, and Jake love triangle seems to have come to an end, and hopefully it will stay that way (but you can never be sure because it’s…Glee!). I liked Marley deciding to stay single for a while and the two guys accepting it and mending their own friendship. Many fans thought of Marley as the ‘New Rachel’ when she made her debut in Season 4. But this week we saw that their dreams are definitely different. Rachel wants to make it big on Broadway while Marley is more interested in writing her own songs. Mercedes provided the much needed support to the young girl and advised her not to be sad about rejections. The music business is tough but if you keep at it you will ultimately achieve your dream. Compared to Rachel and Santana’s storyline in NY, Mercedes’ development makes the most sense to me. Many talented singers find their big break at a very young age, just like Mercedes (okay, maybe not ‘just like Mercedes’). But it’s still easier to digest than seeing a one fresh high school graduate getting the lead in the Broadway version of Funny Girl, and the other becoming her understudy.

Sam had a lot to do this week. Are the writers trying to turn him into the new Finn? There are rumors that Rachel and Sam might hookup. So, are the writers trying to fill Finn’s shoes? I hope not! I would rather see Rachel getting over Finn’s death naturally and focusing on her career. I am fine with Sam as a character but he isn’t the one I would be interested seeing in the NY storyline.

Anyone remember Unique’s Catfish storyline from Season 4? Ryder was very certain he would be leaving Glee club after the Nationals because of what Unique did. But there was no mention of it in this episode. The whole thing hasn’t been mentioned for a long time now. I am still waiting, Glee. Give me more Unique!

The standout performance was definitely by Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) who played Jean-Baptiste, the lead singer of Throat Explosion. I enjoyed listening to the amazing performances of ‘Mr. Roboto/Counting Stars’. Finn’s parents also showed up. It can’t be easy for parents to see their dead son’s friends living their lives but the show handled the whole situation quite well.

In the end, the New Directions sang all of Finn’s favorite songs but were unable to win the competition. This in turn forced Sue to end Glee Club. It was refreshing to see the kinder side of Sue’s personality, and she really tried to make Will see how much his club had achieved in the past four years. I loved her “You didn’t lose, the game is just over” line. So, is this the end of Glee Club? Next week is the show’s 100^th episode and the original cast is returning. I am expecting them to fight for the club to continue.

What did you think of the episode? Are you sad the New Directions didn’t win? Please share your thoughts.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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