Glee 5×9 Review: Frenemies

After weeks of waiting, Glee entered the new year with one of the best episodes of season 5 so far. It had its fun moments, drama, and songs that didn’t feel out of place. Not only that, Frenemies gave me something I have been wishing for for a long time: more focus on the New York storyline.

Balancing storylines in two different settings hasn’t been easy for the show. I know there are fans who like the new characters introduced at McKinley, but I have always wanted to see more Rachel, Kurt, and Santana. As usual there were parallels between the two settings as friendships were challenged. Rachel has always been ambitious and getting the lead in Funny Girl was a ‘dream come true’ for her. However, I couldn’t blame Santana for trying out as her understudy. She hasn’t gotten much success in New York compared to Rachel and Kurt. It was fun to see how Rachel tried to make her feel better about everything at the start of the episode, but completely lost it when Santana showed up to audition. Was it wrong for Santana not to tell her? I think the fight would’ve happened even if she had. Lea Michele and Naya Rivera were amazing during their performances of the songs ‘Brave’ and ‘Every Breath You Take’. The voices of the actresses meld well with each other.

Artie and Tina had their own squabble over being valedictorian. The speech they gave in the end really cemented their relationship. The best thing about the McKinley storyline was Sue’s ‘meta’. She mentioned how the kids showed up whenever they wanted, how Arite and Tina stayed in the background only to deliver a line or two, how Tina seemed to have undergone a personality change this season, and a lot more. It’s fun to hear shows acknowledging the mistakes they have made in their writing. It assures the fans that the writers are seeing the inconsistencies too. Teen Wolf could learn a thing or two from Glee.

Kurt and Adam also bonded over a wonderful duet of ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’. In the end, they took a picture together that Blaine ended up seeing. I think there’s trouble in the horizons for the newly engaged couple.

Though Arite and Tina made up in the end, and Kurt and Adam came to an understanding, things weren’t okay between Rachel and Santana. Santana has always had a funny way of showing she cares, but I was not expecting the fight to escalate so much so that Rachel had to leave the apartment. I hope the two make up soon. I love watching Santana, Rachel, and Kurt together as roommates. But it’s Glee, so you can expect the drama to continue for a few more episodes.

What are your thoughts about the episode? Do you think Rachel overreacted? How do you feel about the McKinley freshmen not having much to do this week? Please share!

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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