Glee Review: I Found a Journey Song We Haven’t Done Yet!

Glee can’t have just any ol’ regular guest star on their show, as demonstrated last season. They need Oscar-winning actors like Gwyneth Paltrow to crank things up to the next level. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about Gwyneth and her culinary lifestyle – personally, I was neutral – but I really thought she did a stellar job as substitute teacher Holly Holliday.

Sad thing is, Gwyneth’s appearance was nothing more than a promotional stint to get more people to go see her country movie. It was basically a way of saying, “Hey, look at me! I can sing! Now go see my other movie and hear me sing some more!”

But despite being nothing more than a clever marketing ruse, Gwyneth’s substitute teacher shook things up a little on Glee. A nasty illness is going around McKinley High and Principal Figgins falls ill. His replacement is none other than Sue Sylvester. Or should I say Principal Sylvester? Schuester also catches the nasty bug and is replaced by carefree, fun-loving Holly Holliday. Basically, the complete opposite of Schuester. Not only does Holly take over his Spanish classes, but she also becomes in charge of Glee club after the Gleeks overthrow Rachel from her self-appointed position as leader.

Holly Holliday is all about letting the kids in Glee do what they want. Unlike Schuester, she allows them to pick their own songs, most likely because she has no idea what she’s doing. But it works for a while and the kids let loose and have fun. Rachel also finally gets to perform her “glamorous” number from Chicago.

Meanwhile, we probably already knew this, but Will Schuester is a weak man! When he’s ill, his ex-wife Terri comes rushing back to his side to nurse him back to health. Well, she has ulterior motives in mind also. Terri and Schuester hook up for a one night stand, but by the end of the episode, he’s banished her from his life again. Stop being so easy, Will!!

In other news, Principal Sylvester is no longer temporary! Her first order of business was to fire Schuester and keep Holly instead – and that lasted all of five minutes. Holly realizes she’s not cut out to be a teacher like Schuester and the kids vouch for him and beg Sue to bring him back.

Other moments from the show:

Schuester and Mike Chang perform “Singin’ in the Rain” because…well, why not? It was awesome!

The Gleeks plus Schuester and Holly perform a mash-up of “Umbrella” and “Singin’ in the Rain” to make things more contemporary. I usually love Glee mash-ups, but not so much this one.

Kurt is still BFF with Blaine, only now Mercedes is starting to feel like a third wheel.

For another opinion on this episode, check out Apple’s Mom Does A Mean Robot by Alana D.

Season 2, Episode 7: The Substitute (originally aired November 16, 2010)

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Tuesdays at 8pm on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro.