GLEE: City of Angels (Season 5, Episode 11)

The New Directions are headed to nationals!

From the beginnning of the episode, the theme of remembering Finn  is set when Finn's (former Glee Club

member and leader who passed away suddenly) parents come into the choir room and tell the club exactly what Finn would have said before such a monumental event. They also have decided to come as chaperones.

Before heading to Nationals the GLee club sings "I Love L.A." as an ode to the city in which they will fight for the championship. 

Shawn Baptiste and a member
of Throat Explosion 

Once they ge to L.A., they run into a bit of a snafu as Sue Sylvester has called ahead and warned the hotel not to let Mr. Schue in because he had abducted 1 emotionally disturbed teenagers. At the same time, the New Directions meet Throat Explosion and their leader Shawn Baptiste, an intimidating show choir who has used their acrobatic skills coupled with their amazing vocals to make it to Nationals. Sam heeds the advice of Mr. Schue and steps up as the New Directions leader, trying hard not to be intimidated by Throat Explosion. Tina doesn't seem to appreciate this. 

Mercedes is back and is more successful than ever! Apparently, she got a record deal after Kayne's maid gave the CD to him, then he gave it to Kim and she gave it to Ryan Seacrest who gave it to Sony Records. Now she will be writing six songs for their label and has her own record deal!

Marley is disappointed that she hasn't heard anything back from all the songwriting competitions she's entered. She tells Ryder that she's decided to give up Glee Club and will be joining the Accounting Club when they get back. Nationals will be her swan song but she makes him promise not to tell anyone else.

The picture of Finn that Sam brings along.

That night the Glee Club sneaks on the the stage they will performing on the next day. Sam makes a great speech about Finn knowing that they would make it to this point together. He even brings a photo of him so Finn is there too. Unfortunately, Throat Explosion comes and ruins their moment. Shawn tells them that they have their condolences tonight but the next day they will get no grace or mercy from them.

Carole and Burt, Finn's parent's, have an emotional moment talking about how much they miss Finn. Carole thought being around all of his friends would make her feel happy but its just been depressing her. She thinks that when the senior class graduates she will lose a part of Finn that she can never get back. 

Against Marley's wishes, Ryder tells Jake that she is planning on quitting the Glee Club when they get back. He says he has a few of the songs she entered in the competitions and they're good but he wants t find someone famu who would tell that to Marley. Although he doesn't know anyone famous, he does know Mercedes Jones is pretty much almost famous at this point. 

Getting on the bus to the theatre where Nationals will be held, Sam looks in the briefcase where he's stored Finn's picture and finds it missing. Throat Explosion walks by their bus and Sam demands that Shawn give the plaque back. He says that they don't have it and Blaine convinces Sam to let it go. Sam jumps back on the bus and gives a stirring speech about Finn being inside all of them cheering them on despite his picture having gone missing. 

At Nationals, The Amazonians, a group from Oklahoma City sing "Vacation." Blaine and Sam find their performance good but still believe they can beet them. During the performance, Burt and Carole pack up their suitcases and leave their hotel room seemingly headed back to Ohio. 

Next up is Throat Explosion who do a glorious mash-up of :"Mr. Roboto" and "Counting Stars"with costume changes and dance moves that sets them far above the other groups.

Before the New Directions are set to perform, they gather backstage for a little pep talk from Mr. Shue but are interrupted by Burt and Carole as they return from almost going home. Carole tells them that they are the reigning National Champions and they need to go out there ready to win it

Sam and Kitty singing "America"

The New Directions pour their hearts into performing "More Than A Feeling," "America" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." During their last song, Carole comments that they are singing all of Finn;s favorite songs and a montage of clips of Finn throughout his time in Glee Club intertwines with the live performance. 

Mercedes Jones

Before the results revealed, Mercedes finds Marley and tells her she only has three minutes to throw herself a pity part next time she gets rejected before she needs to pull herself up and writes another song. Mercedes talks about all of the rejection she went through to get to where sh is and tells Marley never to give up because she has way too much talent to let go to waste.

THE RESULTS: 
Vicious Harmony (from Lake Tahoe) takes 4th
The Amazonians take 3rd
New Directions take 2nd 
Throat Explosion is the WINNER

Although the New Directions tried their best, they fell short coming away with 2nd place. 

When they get back to Ohio, they find that the picture of Finn had been mailed back. Apparently, a member of Throat Explosion had taken it but when Shawn found out he was furious, kicked him out of the group and mailed it back with his sincerest apologies. 

As the New Directions gathered around the trophy case in the choir room, they lamented about how much they wanted to win first place for Finn and his parents. Carole tells them that he would have hated to loose to those guys but he would have come into the choir room telling them that even as firs-time show choir singers they stood tall against the best of the best. Burt add that Finn never had the best skills in anything he did but that he always new how to bring out the best in others. 

In an ultra dramatic ending, Mr. Shue goes to Sue's office to await the fate of the Glee Club. He's told that the Glee Club has to go because they lost. Surprisingly, Sue gives him a pep talk that helps to cheer him up. She says, "You didn't loose William, the game is just over."

The show ends with the former Glee Club members in New York, Kurt, Rachel and Santana, finding out the news of the Glee Club being disbanded.

This week's music (in chronological order):

-"I Love L.A." — New Directions & Mr. Schuester — original by Randy Newman
-"Vacation" — The Amazonians (A glee club from Oklahoma City) — original by The Go Go's
-"Mr. Roboto/ Counting Stars" — Throat Explosion (A glee club from Fort Wayne, IN — original by Styx/OneRepublic
-"More Than A Feeling" — New Directions  — original by Boston
-"America" — New Directions  — original by Neil Diamond
-"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" — New Directions — original by U2

PREVIEW: Anita Sarkeesian to Speak at HPU

Anita Sarkeesian to Speak at HPU

Mayeesa Mitchell

Photo: TedxWomen
Anita Sarkeesian presenting a TEDxWomen in 2012

Have you ever thought about how women are depicted in video games?

Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the video blog "Feminist Frequency" has.

Sarkeesian is a Canadian-born media critic, video blogger and devout feminist who travels throughout the country presenting her ideas on the depiction of women in media with special focus on video games. She will be speaking on the topic Tropes V. Women in Video Games at High Point University in Phillips School of Business room 120 at 7pm Thursday.

The lecture Sarkeesian will present is part of Communication Week, which includes six events hosted by the Nido R. Qubein School of Communications during the week of March 31.

The events during Communication Week include: the First Amendment Free Food Festival, a lecture by Pulitzer Center speaker Jason Berry, a video game tournament, a lecture on crisis PR and the School of Communications awards banquet.

Last year's Communication Week which included: a lecture by Pulitzer Center speaker Daniel Grossman, viewing and discussing the documentary "Reel Bad Arabs," and a lecture by Emmy-winning h
ead of Fox World Cup Soccer.

Last year's events were attended by many students who were interested in learning about multiple aspects of the communications field.

This year's events, including Sarkeesian's lecture are expected to have even  bigger turnouts. Be sure to mark your calendar and be in attendance for these educational and insightful events.

TWISTED: Danny Indemnity (Season 1, Episode 15)

Karen find out that Vikram is dead.

In this episode, Vikram's father is finally found. Jo and Danny go into the woods to the place his body landed when he fell of the cliff only to find that he isn't there. They expect the police to be showing up and they decided to tell the truth but the police never come. Danny heads home to tell his mom that he knows Vikram is dead but Chief Masterson. That's when both Danny and Karen find out that Vikram's body was discovered in a car accident. Danny is just as surprised as his mother to find out that piece of information.

When Jo gets home she asks her mom to tell her why Chief Masterson wants her to go down to the station and make a statement. Her mom tells her not to worry about it and defends Vikram. That's when Jo finds out that Vikram died from a car accident where he had been drinking — or at least it had been set up to look that way.

Karen Desai seems just a bit to eager to have the case of her husbands second death wrapped up as quickly as possible. Could that be because of all the bad hes done or because of all the good that will in his death? At the police station, she tells Danny that his father had a $10 million dollar life insurance policy and they were going to be set for life because of it.

Danny and Jo meet to discuss the odd turn of events. Danny tells Jo about the insurance policy and says he is glad that he didn't come forward about his dad's death because people would have thought he did it for the money.They begin to believe that whoever moved the body is trying to protect them. Jo thinks its her mom because of the conversation she overheard where her dad asked her mom to come down to the station. Danny thinks its his mom because she would do anything to keep him safe. Finally, they think about the possibility of someone not wanting to help them. They come up with the idea that someone may be blackmailing them and decide that they have to find this person.

Jo runs into rico and Andie at the diner.

Later, Jo runs into Rico and Andie at the diner and they start talking about the amazing night they had after a great homecoming dance. Jo seemed just a tad bit jealous. Could that be because she misses her best friend or is she realizing that she liked Rico more than she thought? Bus she forgets about all that when she bumps into Charlie on her way out of the diner and they have a short flirty exchange. Jo takes the coffee she ordered to her dad and finds out that they've already released Vikram's body for burial. Jo does a little digging by asking her dad if he thinks there was foul play involved. He says he's not sure but she doesn't have any evidence that there was any. Jo goes on to ask her dad about the conversation he had with her mom about giving the report. He won't tell her what happens because he feels she should hear it straight from her mom.

Next, we see Tess sitting with Karen having told her that she knew Vikram was alive. Tess apologizes profusely but Karen is very upset. She accuses Tess of sleeping with Vikram and threatens to call the cops after when she denies it. Karen's so mad that she throws the casserole Tess brought over out the front door just a little too soon after Tess walked out of it.

There's a great scene shift as the glass container that the casserole was in shatters when it hits the pavement and turns into the dirt being thrown over Vikram's casket. Danny is at the cemetery with Lacey reflecting on the fact that he's lost his father twice in six months. Lacey tries to cheer him up and tells him that he should come out about not killing his aunt. Of course, Danny disagrees saying that he's already kept the secret this long so why change that now.

Next, we see Jo talking to her mom about the situation of the police report again. This time, she insists that he mother answers the question. But Job isn't too happy with the answer. She finds out that her mom knew about that Vikram was alive through all the time Danny was running for the cops for having allegedly killed Reginia. She's immediately devastated and starts arguing with her mom. During this time, Karen reveals that she owed Vikram because he helped her during a hard time in her life.

Back at the Desai house, Danny tries to convince his mom that Vikram manipulated Tess into helping him. She doesn't really go for it and Jack helps to change the subject. The insurance agent rings the door bell and asks for Mrs. Desai and Daniel. That's when they found out that Vikram changed the policy without Karen knowing. Vikram left the money in a trust in Danny's name with Karen as the custodian.

According to the policy, Karen can't do anything with the money unless its for Danny's welfare or she gets permission from him. Danny feels uncomfortable with this and tells his mother that she doesn't have to ask him to spend the money because it belongs to both of them. Lacey warns Danny that he's going to get a whole new group of "friends" at school once they find out what happened. And of course, that's exactly what happens. Danny gets fed up with hearing all this talk about money especially when Andie pushes the fact that he should be using his money for good and helping with the charity event Jo's mom is putting on. He agrees and devotes to buying 6 ticketat $500 dollars each.


Chief Masterson is at the salvage yard getting ready to sign off Vikram;s car for demolition but noticed that the window was down when he crashed on a night that was about 30 degrees. This makes him suspicious and he decided to hold of on demo-ing the car.

Danny come home to find that his mom went on the ultimate shopping spree. Most of the stuff is for him but there's a diamond bracelet that she bought for herself as well. dAnny is a little taken aback by the fact they that got all this stuff just because his father died. Karen gets a bit angry and tells him the man he thought he knew never existed. Karen seems to be very bitter about he deceased husband. A huge turn of events especially since she wasn't willing to deface her marriage when she thought he was alive.

At the charity event, Danny pulls Jo aside and tells her that he thinks his mom is responsible for Vikram's body being moved. He says that she might have gotten Jack to help since she wouldn't be able to lift the body herself (personally, I think Jack is the one who did it but not with Karen's knowledge).  His reasoning is his belief that she's a bit too happy to have this insurance money. He thinks she is protecting him from himself but Jo isn't so sure. Regardless, she believes that their secret is safe if this is the case.

Danny goes back into the event and bids $10,000 on a painting knowing that his mom wouldn't be pleased about it but also can't really do much about it. He seems to be trying to get under her skin to see if she will crack, especially when it comes to this money.

As always, Charlie is the one to bring Jo out of her thoughts and into the positivities of life after the event ends. They bond over the fact that they both have secrets that stem from what they thought was doing the right thing. Charlie convinces her to do something spontaneous by having a skipping rock contest with him at the lake. She agrees and makes him promise not to cry when she beats him.

Andie is raving about the gift that Danny gave while Rico is walking her home. Ric tries to point out all of the things that he did during the auction  and then hands her an envelope with $53 which is all he could scrounge up at such short notice. Andie becomes over run with emotion and kisses him.

While Lacey and Danny are walking home, she finally points out that he hasn't been himself over the last few days. She tells him that he needs to talk to someone about what's going on with him and instead of telling her what's happened, he walks off (probably the worse thing he could do in that situation). He heads over to the diner to talk to Jo but when he gets there, he sees her with Charlie and decides not to go in.

Chief Masterson and Karen get into an argument over the whole Vikram thing when she gets home from the charity event. Finally, Karen says that she owes Vikram everything that she has with her husband. He's a bit confused and asks why. she goes on to explain that she had gotten pregnant while they were apart before they got married and she put the baby up for adoption. Vikram was there for her during that time and kept her secret till his death. She was afraid to tell her husband once they got back together because se thought he wouldn't love him.

Danny asks his mom about her involvement
in covering up Vikram's murder. 

Cliff hanger: When Danny gets home, he walks straight up to his mom and tells her that he knows she arranged his dad's 'little accident'. "You know, you know I killed dad," he says to Karen before the screen goes black.

GLEE: Trio (Season 5, Episode 10)

 This episode of Glee was all about the Trios (interesting progression from the duos in the Frenemies episode) In edition to some more great covers of the most famous trips song, this episode included: love, friendship and plenty of conflict (much like every other Glee episode). Here's the breakdown:

 Will and Emma: The episode starts with Will and Emma running out of their classrooms and into the Faculty Bathroom. By the way they're squealing running down the hall, it's pretty clear they're going to do something naughty. Unfortunately, they forgot to lock the bathroom door and Becky walks in on them after hearing some noises. Next, we see Will and Emma sitting in Sue's office like a couple of delinquent teens. They apologize for the mishap and go on to explain that they are trying to conceive a child. Much to their disappointment, their bathroom escapade didn't make that dream a reality. While sitting in the lunchroom, Will is talking to Shannon Beiste (the football coach) about wanting to have children and Sue joins in the conversation. They both explain to him that if he wants this to happen he's going to have to get his already worrisome wife to relax. So, he goes home and begins to convert their craft room inot a nursery. Emma comes in and says its bad luck to do that before the baby comes but Will tells her not to worry. During a glorious rendition of "Danny's Song" they get ready for the love making. Later in the episode, Will is packing for Nationals and tells Emma she should start too but she says she's not going to go. Confused, Will asks her why she would want to miss an opportune baby making time. And she says because they've already made one (this is the part where we yell and scream in GLEE! -see what I did there *winky face*). This baby takes the Schuester family to three members (hence the trio).


Tina, Blaine and Sam: As they start to realize that their Senior year is coming to a close, this trio wants to live their last days to the fullest. They start by singing "Jumpin, Jumpin" (a song originally done by one of the greatest trios of all time — Destiny's Child). After the song, Tina breaks down crying because she once again realizes how fast her days of singing in the choir room are coming to an end. Sam and Blaine try to cheer her up and when Artie comes over to help they push him away (there goes that conflict!). Later Tina sees Blaine and Sam trying on their graduation gowns and looses it again. She complains that she won't see them again after they graduate (which isn't true according to recent Glee history). To cheer her up once again, Blaine suggests getting a senior lock-in approved by the SGA board as their last hurrah. The idea does get approved by SGA but is shot down (along with all their hopes and dreams) by principal Sylvester. When she finds out, Tina falls on the floor, curls in a ball and laments over the event that was planned less than 24-hours ago that she has lost forever. To cheer her up this time, Blaine and Sam decided to have their own unsanctioned lock-in with just their trio. They climb into the choir room window that night and have a great time running through he halls singing "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in cheerleading attire (Sam disturbingly in a girl's uniform). That is until Becky shows up and turns their trio into a quartet without giving them much of a choice. After playing Twister and getting hyped up on energy drinks with Becky, Blaine realizes that Sam and Tina have been gone for a while. He travels down the halls to find them and discovers them making out in a classroom. He runs down the halls in disgust, unwilling to talk to either of them. The next day in school, Sam and Tina apologize to Blaine saying that they just needed to get it out of their system. He eventually accepts the apology and they invite Artie to sing "Hold On" with them for one of their last performances in the choir room. 

Rachel, Elliott and Santana: Here's where the majority of that conflict comes in. At the end of the last episode, we saw Rachel move out of the apartment was sharing with Kurt and Santana when Santana got the role for her understudy in Funny Girl. Well, Rachel moved in with Elliott (also known as Starchild). She begins using him as her personal gay assistant or "best gay" as she puts it. He gives up his bed so she can be comfortable, delivers her tea and her dry cleaning. Although she';s clearly using him, he joins her in singing"Barracuda" (could this be the start of a friendship between the two?) Later, Elliott goes to Rachel's old apartment to fetch something for her and runs into Santana who decides to pay him to help her with things. They try to settle these disputes at the Spotlight Dinner where the song "Gloria" has been requested. As both Rachel and Santana push their way into the spotlight and try to win Elliott's friendship, they end up pushing him just a bit too far. He decides to drop out of the band for as long as they're feuding. Later, after Rachel searches for her scented candle in what has become Santana's intimates drawer, the ladies have a moment where they realize that they don't really have anyone but each other in this big city. Unfortunately, this doesn't lead to the conflict resolution that they seem to be working towards throughout the scene. They end off the wallowing in their loneliness while singing "Hold On".


Kurt, Blaine and Elliott: So this is the only trip that actually has anything to do with singing. When Elliott decides to quit the band, Kurt decided that it would be better to work with Elliott and Dani than the frenemies Rachel and Santana. (He's been surprisingly calm throughout their entire ordeal even to the point of taking Rachel's personal attacks.) So he disbands "Pamela Lansbury" and creates "One Three Hill". They sing "The Happening" (By an even more famous trio — The Supremes) as their opening gig. Their voices blend surprisingly well together and they use their song selection to indirectly speak to Rachel and Santana as well. Lastly, they rehearse a new piece that Kurt has brought to the group which happens to be "Hold On" (the song that  everyone else in the show is singing at the same time).


This week's music (in chronological order):
- "Jumpin, Jumpin" – Tina, Blaine & Sam – original by Destiny's Child
- “Barracuda” – Rachel & Elliott – original by Heart
- “Don't You (Forget About Me)” – Tina, Blaine & Sam – original by Simple Minds
- "Danny's Song" – Will & Emma – original by Loggins and Messina
- “Gloria” – Rachel, Elliott & Santana – original by Laura Branigan
- "The Happening" – Kurt, Elliott & Dani – original by the Supremes
- "Hold On" – Artie, Tina, Blaine, Sam, Rachel, Santana, Kurt, Dani & Elliott – original by Wilson Phillips

I'm Sorry

I'm sorry....
I've really been slacking on my blogging job lately. I think I bit off more than I can chew trying to cover five different shows so I'm going to refocus my posts. Since I've only made posts about Twisted and Glee, I'll only post on those shows from now on. I'll catch up on the last three episodes for each show (before Tuesday hopefully) so I can get back on tract.

My Favorite Reviewing Websites

As a consumer, I've read reviews for years now and that's helped me as I begin to review television shows for this blog. Reading reviews is a great way to know exactly what you're going to be getting into, whether it be in the industries of fashion, entertainment, or literature. While I don't have a favorite author or journalist who writes reviews, I do have a few favorite websites. 

Here's my go to websites for reviews in literature, movies, television and broadway plays. 

Literature

Entertainment Weekly  keeps up with more of the young adult books that I never seem to get to old for. Here's a recent review about "The Invention of Wings."

New York Times is a bit more analytical about their books and I prefer to read more non-fiction book reviews on their website. Don't forget to check out the Best Seller list as well.

Movies

Rotten Tomatoes is a great place to connect to all of the reviews written by major papers in one place. For example, here's the review page for "The Monuments Men."

New York Times is also more analytical in talking about movies but that doesn't mean they can;t be whimsical. Here's a great review of the new Muppets movie.

Television

The Hollywood Reporter keeps up with everything in the entertainment realm. Their reviews are to the point and include valuable information. Here's one about a show I'm going to cover on this blog, Mixology. 

Broadway plays

Being from NYC, I like to keep up with all the happenings on and off Broadway. The New York Times is a great resource to do this. Here's a review about "50 Shades! The Musical", a parody that lightheartedly ridicules the 50 Shades series. 

TWISTED: Home Is Where The Hurt Is (Season 1, Episode 14)

Once again, Twisted 's murder mystery story line revolves around the constantly changing relationships. During this episode, we see that Lacey is finally willing to show her true emotions for Danny. She's convinced that she's going to get him to ask her to homecoming because  she believes there's nothing standing in the way of them being together anymore. Unfortunately, Danny isn't exactly on the same page because of his guilt of killing his father and keeping it a secret. Jo tells him to ask Lacey to prom but when Charlie confirms that he likes Lacey, Danny gives him the go ahead to ask her to homecoming.

Charlie's crush on Lacey that has been building in the last few episodes finally comes to a head when he asks Lacey to homecoming. Much to his dismay, she denies with the explanation that she's going with someone else. Charlie has a feeling its Danny and tells Lacey that Danny gave him permission to ask her. At this point Lacey is super confused and calls Danny to apologize for all the things she had done. By the end of what turns into an argument, Danny asks Lacey to homecoming.

Andie Dang

Rico is also trying to follow through on his crush by asking Jo to homecoming as 'friends'. Danny tells him to just go for it but before he can Jo tells him that she's signed them both up for homecoming committee. He gets excited because he thinks it confirms that Jo wants to be spending time with him. Andie, a cute mathematician that we've never seen before this episode clearly shows interest in Rico but he's too focused on Jo to pay her any attention. When Andie signs up for homecoming committee, Jo notices her crush and talks to her about it. Later, Jo tells Rico that she thinks he should be with someone who really likes him and pushes him to ask Andie to homecoming.

Danny and Lacey dance at homecoming.

At homecoming, the night seems to be going well for Danny & Lacey. Well, until Danny is elected prom King and almost uses the time for his speech as a reason to tell the secret of him killing his father. As Danny storms out of the school both Jo and Lace follow him. Once again, Lacey is confused and out the loop but this time she isn't willing to put any effort into trying to understand. Later in the show, Danny goes to Lacey's house to set things right. She doesn't really want to hear it but he kisses her and she melts in his arms.

Charlie approached Jo at the punch bowl

Rico and Andie had a great time. She even said he was "better looking than Leo" (DiCaprio!). Andie goes on to say that this is the happiest night for her life and Rico agrees. Across the room, Charlie has spotted Jo dressed to the nine's (thanks to her friend Lacey!). He approaches her with a corny line that isn't typical and introduces himself. He keeps his distance until the end of the night when she's helping to clean up. According to him, Jo doesn't smile enough and so he does a little dance to make her smile. It seems like this is the beginning of new romances for both Rico and Jo.

But the teenagers aren't the only ones who have love interests. Danny walked in on his mom and Jack (his father's old friend) kissing. Danny handles the experience gracefully an later reminds his mom that she deserves to be happy. Danny goes to Jack's house to ask for some insight about his father and ends up asking him to help him fix the car in his garage. It seems like he does this so that his mother will have an excuse for Jack being around. While fixing the car Jack takes on some fatherly duties and gives Danny advice about Lacey. It's during this scene that we learn that Vikram's life insurance policy is worth $10 million. (Would Danny have felt any differently about killing him if he knew that?)

Jack Taylor and Karen Desai

Not only are there romantic relationships going on but there are also some friendships are seeing develop and grow. The first is with Jo and Lacey. They've finally put aside all their differences and are becoming friends again. Jo even says it while her and Lacey are getting ready for homecoming together. She says, "This is what it would have been like, if everything hadn't happened." We also learn that Charlie and Danny have a history. This episode was the first time that Danny actually saw Charlie and it seemed like something bad had happened between them. But as the show goes on, we see that they were cell mates in juvi and apparently, Danny helped Charlie keep a secret. Now that Danny's back at school, he and Charlie are bonding over their past experience, being the new kid and playing soccer.

Throughout the episode, Chief Masterson is continuing the search for Vikram. But he decided to take a moment of rest so that he could spend time with his wife, Tess. While at the table he gets a call from his debut sheriff about a voice mail left on Vikram's phone. Much to his surprise, its his own wife's voice. They get it into a huge argument about why she was lying to him and none of her excuses helped. Later at the house, he comes storming in saying that she's going to give a complete statement the next morning. Minutes later, he gets a call that Vikram is dead and Tess is just as surprised as he is.

The cliffhanger: The police force finally found Vikram's body. Does that mean Danny's secret is going to come out soon? Oh, and we still don;t know who that mystery man is!

GLEE: Frenemies (Season 5, Episode 9)

Glee's first episode back since the winter break was centered around Artie & Tina, Rachel & Santana, and Kurt & Elliot. Each pair's friendships were put to the test for different reasons. I've decided to chronicle the episode by focusing on each pair separately. Also, check out the end of the post for the awesome music that was included in this episode!

Artie and Tina during their
sing-off performance of "My Lovin'"

Artie and Tina: The episode begins with Artie and Tina eating their weekly Tuesday lunch in McKinley's auditorium. Artie says that he's going to miss these lunches with his friend when he's at film school in Brooklyn and she's a Brown University. Tina admits to him that she's gotten waitlisted. Artie tries to cheer her up, deeming each other lunches until graduation as encouragement lunches and begins singing 'Whenever I Call You Friend'. Later, both Artie and Tina are called into Principal Sylvester's office. There they are told that they are tied for valedictorian because they both have perfect attendance, the same GPA and the same extracurricular activities. Because their can only be one valedictorian,  Principal Sylvester tells them that they will have their valedictorian speeches judged by a panel to decide who will have the prestigious position. Once they leave the office, Tina tells Artie that he should take the loss for her because being valedictorian will help her get into Brown but Artie isn't willing to. In the choir room, they continue their feud by competing in a sing-off to decided who will have a solo at nationals. While they're singing 'My Lovin', Tina accidentally pushes Artie's wheelchair over causing him to fall out of it. When it's time for them to present their valedictorian speeches, they both proclaim that the other person should be the valedictorian. During the speeches there is a scene step-back that shows Tina apologizing to Artie for her behavior in the choir room and them making up. In the end, they are able to keep their friendship in tack but Blaine is given the position of valedictorian. He decides that he's going to sing a song instead of giving a speech and he wants them to sing with him because he knows how much they both wanted to be valedictorian. At the end of the show,  the three of them sing 'Breakaway' together and we can assume that that is the song they have chosen to sing for graduation.

Rachel and Santana singing 'Brave' during a photoshoot
 for New York Magazine.

Rachel and Santana: The first time we see these two, Santana is opening  up to Rachel about her feelings of insignificance while serving rude customers at the Spotlight Diner. Santana applauds Rachel on being a true friend despite all of the horrible things she said and did to her in high school. Rachel invites Santana to work as a model for the photoshoot she will be in for the cover of New York Magazine and Santana gladly accepts. During the photoshoot, Santana has what we later find out is a fantasy scene where she and Rachel sing 'Brave'. It's possible that she was day dreaming about this because she was willing herself to be brave enough to do something that would make her famous in New York. Later, Rachel  tells kurt that she can't rehearse that night because she has to sit through the auditions for her understudy. Santana uses Rachel's absence from the rehearsal as her excuse to get out of it as well/ Looking back on it, it seems that she had already premeditated her next step and that's why she couldn't be at rehearsal. During the auditions for Rachel's understudy, the director calls out Santana's name. Santana gives an amazing performance of 'Don't Rain On my Parade' while leaving Rachel flabbergasted. When they get back to the apartment, Rachel immediately demands answers from Santana about why she audition for the understudy position without telling her. Santana's defense is that she knew Rachel was going to react this way and decided to do it after the audition so she couldn't stop her. The fight heats up and eventually leads to Rachel slapping Santana right before she gets the call that she's got the part. They continue to bicker by singing 'Every Breath You Take' during rehearsal after being told that they have to play nice with each other if they expect to get famous. Back at the apartment, Rachel and Santana face off and put Kurt in the middle by making him determine who should leave. In the end, Rachel decided to move out but not before telling Santana that they "were never and will never be friends." Throughout the episode its hard not to believe that Santana is just being the same conniving person she was in high school. Did Rachel's impending fame get to be too much for her? Did she pick the fight on purpose? Where they ever truly friends?

Kurt and Elliott make-up after a long day of opening up
and getting to know each other.

Kurt and Elliott: The first time we see Kurt in this episode, he's on the phone complaining to Blaine about how Elliot is trying to take over his band. Blaine tells him to 'keep his friends close and his enemies closer. When both girls can;t come to rehearsal, Kurt uses that opportunity to spend the day with Elliott to get a feel for his true intentions. While learning about Elliott's musical background, Kurt learn's that he plays guitar and asks Elliott to teach him. They go to a guitar store and impromptly perform 'I believe In A Thing Called Love'. Kurt lets down his guard a bit and enjoys the time spent with Elliott. Finally, Elliot opens up and tells Kurt that he knows Kurt thinks he;s trying to take over the group. Elliott reassures him that he's just happy to be a part of the band. He says he's really glad he met Kurt and they take a picture to commemorate the moment in their new found friendship (see gif above). Elliott  kisses Kurt on the cheek for the picture and Kurt squeals about how cute it is. Back at McKinley High, Becky asks Blaine, in her crude sarcastic way, if he had broken up with Kurt. Of course, Blaine replies "no" and Becky shows him the picture, stating, "your fiance is getting some a**." This could certainly put a damper on Kurt's relationship with Blaine and friendship with Elliott in the future .

This week's music (in chronological order):
- “Whenever I Call You Friend” – Artie & Tina – original by Kenny Loggins
- “Brave” – Rachel & Santana – original by Sara Bareilles
- “My Lovin” (You’re Never Gonna Get It) – Artie & Tina – original by En Vogue
- “Don’t Rain On My Parade” – Santana – original from the musical Funny Girl
- “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” – Kurt and Elliott – original by The Darkness
- “Every Breath You Take” – Rachel & Santana – original by The Police
- “Breakaway” – Artie, Tina & Blaine – original by Kelly Clarkson

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Due to lack of wi-fi during my spring break excursions, I have fallen behind on my posts. For that, I sincerely apologize to my readers but I promise to make it up to y'all within the next week.

Here's a list of the episodes I've missed in order:

2/25-Glee: Frenemies
2/25-Twisted: Home Is Where the Heart Is
2/26-Mixology: Tom & Maya
2/27-Scandal: Ride, Sally, Ride
3/04-Glee: Trio
3/04-Twisted: Danny Indemnity
3/05-Mixology: Liv & Ron
3/06-Suits: Buried Secrets
3/06-Scandal: We Do Not Touch the First Ladies

Be on the lookout for these posts this week!

An Artistic Band of Misfits: Glee's Eclectic Cast

In honor of Glee's return to television., I've put together a simple cast list that explains a little about where each character's' storyline left off in December.


Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist): Characterized as "the new Rachel", Marley has taken over as the lead singer of the New Directions with most of the solos. She has the persona of the "girl next door" and an innocent naivete that makes her very loveable. Through this season, we learned of her insecurities surrounding her mother's job as the lunch lady at William McKinley High School. Her additional insecurities include her mother's weight (she easily weighs over 300 pounds) and her fear of gaining weight (or becoming like her mother). Marley's was dating Jake , a smooth dancer whose even smoother with the ladies, before he cheated on her with a cheerleader. Additionally, Marley learns that her friend Ryder also has feeling for her and he's willing to do anything to convince her that he's worth her love.





Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist):  The half Black, half Jewish, singer, dancer and guitarist with "bad boy" tendencies was originally introduced as the half brother of former Glee Club bad boy, Noah Puckerman (better known as Puck). Although Jake is rough around the edges, he has a fear of living in his brother's shadow at McKinley and screwing-up his future. He hides his insecurities by being a macho man with the ladies and becomes known as the school's resident "player". When he meets Marley, he tries to put aside his player ways and focus only on her. He succeeds until he's succumbs to the temptation of Bree, a conniving cheerleader, after teaching the cheerleading team a dance routine. Once Marley finds out, she breaks up with him and he goes off the deep in by choosing to go right back to his former ways, eventually sleeping with the entire cheerleading team. After Bree's pregnancy scare, Jake finally sees the error of his ways and begs Marley to take him back.

Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin): A member of the Cheerios, McKinley high School's cheerleading squad, Kitty is a mix of former New Directions, Quinn and Santana. Known to run the school like Quinn and guaranteed to give an ample amount of sass at all times like Santana, Kitty's character has evolved over time. First seen as the popular girl who was too good to hang with the losers, she eventually joins the Glee Club and finds true friends but she didn't quite know how to be one herself. After getting jealous of Marley for winning the role of Sandy in the school's production of Grease, she convinces Marley that she's gaining weight while also pretending to be her friend. When Marley faints at Sectionals in November, Kitty finally sees the error of her ways and eventually apologizes. We even see her taste n men evolve. She starts with many short relationships that don't really go anywhere but then gets to know Arti, a wheelchair bound future director. At first, she doesn't want their relationship to be public knowledge but as she accepts it herself, she chooses to profess her love for Arti publicly.


Arti Abrams (Kevin McHale): Although bound to a wheelchair due to a car accident he was in when he was young, Arti refuses to let his disability stop him from reaching his dreams. He plans on being a world renowned movie director and is well on his way after directing the school's production of Grease. Through the semesters, he's had his fair share of love interests including: Tina Cohen-Cheng (who broke up with him in the lunch line), former New Direction member Brittany Pierce, and his current girlfriend Kitty Wilde.









Tina Cohen-Cheng (Jenna Ushkowitz): Originally the token Asian who didn't say very much Tina has come into her own and found her place in Glee Club. Now that all the "big stars" of the Glee Club have graduated, Tina feels that it is her time to shine. She tends to be a bit bossy lately and extremely sassy. She was even voted prom Queen this year. Unfortunately, her love life isn't as up-and-coming as her personality. During her freshman year, she dated Arti and later she was in a long-term relationship with Mike Chang (she broke up with him after deciding she didn't want to be in a long-distance relationship). Most recently, she developed a crush on Blaine which would have probably been all good and well if he wasn't gay and still in love with his (then) ex-boyfriend Kurt. But she got over it and they're now close friends.




Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss): Originally a member of the Dalton Academy Warblers, New Direction's rivals, Blaine transferred to William McKinley after beginning a relationship with Kurt. He was bullied in the past because of being gay but now he is confident and proud of being gay. He's almost perfect in every way. He's extremely involved at McKinley. Having been a member of the Cheerios and the water polo club. He is now the senor class president. In season four, Blaine and Kurt broke up after Blaine cheated on him. But in season 5 they reconciled and Blaine proposed to Kurt. Kurt said yes and they are currently planning their future wedding through phone calls and frequent flyer miles.





Wade Adams (Alex Newell): Better known as Unique, this transgendered character bring all the sass and diva status that walked across the graduation stage with Mercedes Jones back to the choir room. Originally the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline, another one of New Direction's rivals, Unique transferred to William McKinley at the beginning of season four because she wasn;t feeling accepted at the old school. Most days, you can find her dressed in drag reminding Marley (her best friend) of her worth. Unique wasn't always so confident. When Wade first appeared on the show (in season three), he was nervous to sing his solo during Nationals. Now as Unique, his confidences has been tested and tried. Especially when Sue said that Unique couldn't use the women's bathroom and bolts a porter potty to the choir room floor. Additionally, Unique's confidence lacked in the romance department as well. Especially when she created a fake online profile to talk to Ryder because she couldn't tell him that she had a crush on him.

Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner): A football player and basketball whose singing talents were discovered by former Glee Club member, Finn Hudson. He was the star of the schools production of Grease and later found out that he has dyslexia.Like many other the other Glee Club members, he works through his disability and remains confident despite it. He had a crush on Marley while she was in a relationship with his best friend, Jack but later moved on after he develops an online love interest who turns out to be Unique catfishing him.








Samuel Evans (Chord Overstreet): Better known as Sam, this "fish-mouthed" football player was discovered by Finn in the locker room shower. Known for his athletic abilities, impressions, and blond hair, Sam comes for a poor family which leaves him homeless for a period of time. During season two, Sam dates former Glee Club member Quinn Fabray but breaks up with her after he find out she cheating on him with her ex-boyfriend, Finn. In season three, there's talk of a fling between him and Mercedes Jones in June before he moved. When the Glee Club discovers that he's moved back to Lima, they find him stripping at a local strip club. After returning to the New Direction's, Sam wins over Mercedes over and they begin dating. Once she graduates they apparently break up and Sam develops a crush on his then best friend and former Glee Club member, Brittany Pierce. They date until she leaves to attend MIT. During this season, he develops a crush on Penny Owen, the young and slightly ditzy school nurse. He asks her to prom and she accepts the offer.


Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera): This feisty Latina has graduated from William McKinley and went on to the University of Louisville on a cheerleading scholarship but dropped out and is now living with Kurt and Rachel in NYC. Santana was co-captain of the Cheerios during her time at McKinley High and never failed to fill the room with her sass. She had relationships with multiple Glee Club members including Finn and Puck before discovering that she prefers women and began dating Brittany. Now she's taking dance classes at NYADA while working at the Spotlight Diner (NYC's premier show tunes diner) and doing small acting jobs. She's also dating Dani, a co worker from the diner and fellow member of Kurt's band Pamela Lansbury.





Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer): William McKinley's first openly gay student has come into his own since graduating from McKinley. He was bullied (even more so than the other New Direction's) due to his being gay. Regardless, Kurt left his mark on McKinley having been a member of the New Direction's and spending brief moments of time as a Cheerio, a football player, a Warbler. Now that he lives in NYC with Santana and Rachel, he's attending NYADA while working at the Spotlight Diner. He previously held an internship at Vogue.com. Kurt is engaged to Blaine.








Rachel Berry (Lea Michele): A star that  has lived and breathed show choir music since she was a young girl watching Barbra Streisand  on the couch with her two dads. When she was a member of the New Direction's she was one of the original members and received the most solos. In high school she dated Jesse St. James (the lead vocalist of Vocal Adrenaline) and fell in love with Finn Hudson, even to the point of almost abandoning her NYC dreams to marry him. Through the seasons, she's really come into her own. She started as a modest, confident-about-her-music-insecure-about everything-else, slightly naive and single-minded small town girl. Now she's dressing edgier and proclaiming her place in the spotlight. After moving to NYC and beginning classes at NYADA, she auditioned for the broadway play Funny Girl and earned the lead role. She is also apart of Kurt's band.



William Schuester (Matthew Morrison): Affectionately known as Mr. Schue, Will is the faculty adviser for the New Direction's. He's constantly encouraging the kids to let their uniqueness be their strength instead of their weakness. Will receives a lot of flak from the other teachers, especially, Sue Sylvester but just like the kids, he rises above it. He was originally married to Terri but eventually divorced her after she faked a pregnancy to get him t stay with her. will eventually falls for Emma Pillsbury, McKinley's guidance counselor with a severe case of OCD. They get married by the end of season four.







Sue Sylvester (Jamie Lynch): The former Cheerios head coach is also the arch enemy of Mr. Schue. She doesn't believe in the Glee Club and has done everything within her power to crush them. She's best know for her creative insults and high regards of her own accomplishments. We've learned through the semesters that Sue also has a soft heart due to helping to raise her disabled sister Jean. She was fired from McKinley after she took the fall for Becky who accidentally shot a gun inside of the school. Eventually she came back and got the current principal fired. She took of the temporary vacancy and enacted her hatred on the Glee Club from her new position of power. During the end of season four, Sue was granted the position of principal  permanently.




Other notable characters:

Becky Jackson is Sue's assistant
and an honorary member of the 
Cheerios. 

Dani is Santana's girlfriend as well as
a co-worker and fellow band member
of Santana, Kurt and Rachel.

Elliott Gilbert is better known as
Starchild and is a member of the
Kurt's band, Pamela Lansbury.