Glee: “Duets” [Recap]

Author’s note: big, big apologies for such a delay in this recap. Life gets hectic and sometimes your more enjoyable work has to be placed on the back burner to make a buck. At least we all have the comfort in knowing that the next Glee recap will be a huge one!

Duets: they’re everywhere in the music world. From opera to modern day pop, you can’t help but come across a song where two people blend their voices together in harmony. In fact, it’s gotten to a point where old-timey singers will mix with new artists (think of Frank Sinatra and his “Duets”) or people will use the magic of high-end technology and re-record themselves with singers who have long since passed away (Natalie Cole and her “duet” with her late father, Nat “King” Cole). This episode is chock full of them, and I’ve gotta warn those who are not inclined to musicals or songs that have come out way before the new millenium: there are show tunes featured. If this isn’t your bag, stop reading while you can. But for those of us who enjoy musicals (closet-theater person right here!), then this episode is something we’ve been waiting for.
*cue acapella group* Tina dumped Artie for Mike Cheng. There’s a new kid in school named Sam who’s got an amazing voice, and Finn’s trying to get him to join Glee after he heard Sam singing in the shower. Kurt was called the f-word by Finn, and Burt was extremely angry. And that’s what you missed on Glee. *end acapella*

We start in the Glee room with Mr. Schue apologizing for being late; he was in Principal Figgins’ office. It turns out that Puck is in Juvvie for driving his mother’s car through the front of a convenience store and taking off with the ATM. The group is worried about Puck and what kind of effect this will have on their chance for getting into Nationals (after all, they’re such a small group that any loss could mean giving up). Mr. Schue introduces Sam Evans, the attractive new student from the first episode of the season. “I don’t like Green Eggs and Ham,” is part of Sam’s nervous introduction to the group. There’s an awkward silence, but Finn immediately jumps up and has Sam sit with the group.

Mr. Schue continues with the question: “What’s a duet?” Our girl Brittany immediately answers that it’s a blanket. As Mr. Schue goes on to explain what makes a great duet, Mercedes and Kurt are quietly talking about the new kid. Kurt thinks Sam is gay due to his hair style. In the meantime, Will asks the kids to pair up and perform a duet; to make it interesting, he turns it into a competition with a grand prize of dinner for two at Breadstix. Mercedes asks who Kurt will sing with and you can literally see him plotting something in his head.

Kurt goes up to Sam by the lockers to introduce him and to see if he’s a natural platinum blonde (AKA confirming if he’s gay or not). Sam is uncomfortable. Kurt apologizes and asks if he’ll be his partner for the competition. Sam’s under the belief that duets are always between a man and a woman, but Kurt argues that without his help, no one will be able to win against Rachel and her partner. He’s also disappointed that Sam didn’t catch his vague “Singing In the Rain” reference to the song “Make ‘Em Laugh,” but keeps his offer open.

The next scene has Brittany and Santana (Brittana in some circles these days) lying on a bed, making out – and I’m not kidding on this. Brittany compliments Santana on her kissing, who in turn admits that it’s better than the “scissoring” they’ve been doing lately. The sexy mood gets killed when Brittany suggests they sing “Come To My Window,” which Santana feels would just add to the lesbian rumors floating around school. She inadvertently hurts Brittany’s feelings when she tells her their “bonding” time is just until Puck gets out of Juvvie.

The next day, Santana catches up with Mercedes in the hall and asks if they could partner up for a duet. Mercedes is baffled – they’ve never gotten along, even during that brief stint when she was on the Cheerios. Santana is incredulous: the prize is for BREADSTIX, the place that is legally obligated to keep serving breadsticks (Santana shares a quick story involving a wheelbarrow and an eventual lawsuit against the restaurant). Mercedes reluctantly agrees.

In the cafeteria, Finn shares some concerns he has with Kurt for picking Sam as his partner. He’s worried that Sam will get labeled as being gay, something that will definitely hurt his budding social status at McKinnley. He’s also concerned that Kurt is using the competition as an excuse to try and make a pass at Sam, similar to how he tried to make a pass at Finn the previous year. Kurt argues that Finn is being closeminded about his homosexuality, but Finn stands his ground and warns him that he needs to take into consideration what his actions could do to Sam’s already fragile popularity.

Cut to the Glee room. Rachel is rehearsing “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Finn and some of the music students. They share a moment together and feel confident that they’ll win the competition for sure. Rachel’s attitude suddenly drops and Finn tries to cheer her up. She asks Finn to throw the competition with her; Sam needs to win so he gains confidence and the team will gain confidence for Nationals. Finn’s pleased to see this side of his girlfriend but feels she’s doing this for an ulterior motive.

Tina is with Mike in the library, trying to convince him that they can win the competition. Despite his excellent dancing skills, Mike lacks vocal talent and points this out to her. Tina really wants to win the dinner at Breadstix – the only dinner dates the token Asian couple has had are with Mike’s mother, eating dim sum. She’d like to have something else besides dumplings and chicken feet, which Breadstix will provide – plus, his mother won’t be there. Mike feels that they should go to see an Asian therapist to work out their problems – they’ve been fighting a lot lately. Tina’s annoyed that he suggested an Asian therapist.

Meanwhile, Brittany asks Artie to be her boyfriend. He’s understandably confused – she’s never attempted to even talk to him during their time in Glee. She offers a weak apology for her actions: she originally thought he was a robot due to the wheelchair. When Artie questions why the sudden interest, she admits that she enjoys the thought of pushing him around, particularly in a stroller.

Sam and Finn are in the boy’s locker room. He tells Finn that Kurt sent a bunch of files of him singing and that he was impressed. Finn warns Sam that singing with Kurt is a death sentence in the school, and Sam’s offended. He asks Finn why he had tried so hard to get him to join Glee when it appears that he wants to have him quit; he thought joining the group would make him popular. Finn admits that the transition is slow, but singing with another guy would really hurt his social status. Upset, Sam leaves the locker room only to geta face full of slushie. Quinn happens to pass by and helps Sam clean up. He asks her why she joined Glee; she tells him that she enjoys singing, but that the group was really supportive during a rough patch in her life. Sam thanks her by complimenting her eyes.

At the Hummel home, Kurt serves his dad a heart-healthy meal. He tells his dad he’s going to watch over his dietary habits from now on. Kurt tells his dad about Sam and how they’ll be singing a duet together, and Burt asks if Sam is gay. Kurt answers that he’s not sure, but mentions how Finn tried to talk him out of their partnership. Burt has the same concerns as Finn: that he’s not doing it for honest reasons, but as an excuse to try and make a move – he discovered that Kurt hadn’t been completely honest about what happened last year through Finn’s mother, Carole. Kurt feels that his dad doesn’t want him to find happiness, but Burt suggests that his son wait to find another openly gay man who could return his affections instead of trying to act them out on an unrequited crush.

During Glee, Mercedes and Santana perform “River Deep-Mountain High” with a dance routine. The team reacts positively to their performance. Santana makes the announcement that she and Mercedes have ordered custom bibs for their victory meal. Rachel throws Finn a look.

We cut to the locker room, where Sam’s taking a shower. Kurt shows up unexpectedly and Sam is noticeably uncomfortable. Kurt tells him that he’s got nothing to worry about and announces that Sam should find another duet partner. Sam asks if he offended Kurt in some way, and Kurt admits (in a very subtle way) that he didn’t have honorable intentions. He wishes Sam the best of luck for the competition, and snidely remarks that a certain shampoo will help bleach hair to a more platinum color.

Finn and Rachel are in her bedroom, trying to think of a way to lose. Rachel is frustrated – because both of them are the leads of the group, there’s no real way for them to throw the competition. Finn comes across an idea that they sing a really bad song – something on par with “Grease 2.” He even suggests that they make it offensive, which will guarantee their failure.

In the hallways, Tina asks Artie if he would mind being her duet partner. She suggests that they could have a friendly dinner together once they win and admits that they haven’t talked much recently. Artie takes pride in this moment by telling her about having Brittany as his partner and his girlfriend and wheels himself past her.

Mr. Schue opens up the floor for the next duet, and Kurt announces he’ll be singing a duet by himself. Santana mentions that singing a duet by oneself is vocal masturbation. He’ll be performing from Victor/Victoria, so he’ll be covering both the female and male part, and sarcastically asks Santana to pay attention. He sings “Le Jazz Hot!” dressed in a male/female costume in the auditorium, complete with backup dancers borrowed from Cheerios.

In an empty science classroom, Sam tells Quinn that he loves astronomy and gets planets wrong. He asks Quinn to be his duet partner and plays the guitar for her. He asks if she knows how to play and offers to teach her. He tries to kiss her, but Quinn rejects him. She tells him that she’s not ready to get involved with anyone and wants to spend this school year focusing on rebuilding her social status without having to worry about Santana during practice and Rachel during Glee rehearsals.

The next duet goes up to perform in front of the group: Mike and Tina. Mike is visibly nervous, but Tina offers a comforting word. They start performing their duet: “Sing!” from “A Chorus Line.” It’s the perfect routine for them: Mike’s poor vocal skills fit the male part to a tee and makes up for it with dance. In the areas that require singing, Tina fills in. At the end of the song, Mr. Schue shows his pleasure at their routine (especially at the fact that Mike actually made himself heard), and Tina looks smug.

Finn and Sam are working out together and Sam admits that he tried to kiss Quinn. He realizes that if Puck ever finds out about it, he’ll get beat up. He quietly asks if Finn still has feelings for her, and Finn denies it – he’s in love with Rachel. Finn asks if Sam could keep his personal feelings on the DL and try to pair up with Quinn. He argues that by placing second in the competition would basically cement Sam’s standing with the group.

In the girls’ bathroom, Rachel asks Quinn if the rumor that she rejected Sam is true. She’s trying to convince her that Sam is Quinn thinks Rachel is plotting and Rachel admits she doesn’t think Quinn has the talent to beat her, but it would provide healthy competition. Quinn goes to find Sam to apologize and tells him he needs to get on the ball if they’re going to win.

Back to Brittany’s bedroom, where she and Artie are rehearsing. She’s having a hard time hitting the correct key, and he mentions that Tina didn’t have a problem with pitch when it came to singing cover songs. Artie is uncomfortable; he realizes that he still has feelings for Tina. He apologizes and starts to leave. Brittany seems to understand his pain and offers to comfort him. She lifts him out of his wheelchair and places him on the bed. Artie is amazed – he can’t understand why she would try to seduce him, especially since he’s not sure if he can perform in the way that she wants. Brittany states that since he’s on the football team, he was bound to sleep with her eventually.

Back at Glee, Rachel and Finn are singing “With You I’m Born Again.” He’s dressed as a priest, she’s dressed as a school girl. Mike claps once, but Tina stops him. Everyone is horrified and offended by the costume choice and by their performance. Rachel and Finn feign shock. Mr. Schue asks for the next duet. Sam and Quinn stand up and perform “Lucky.” They have a moment with each other as they’re singing and end up holding hands; Kurt looks on longingly – that could have been his hand holding Sam’s.

Cut to Artie and Brittany: he’s breaking up with her, and she’s confused. He accuses her of just wanting a free dinner and of using him for his voice. She tells him that she honestly wanted to be with him and had been fantasizing about having a “Lady and the Tramp” moment: “I’ve been practicing nudging the meatballs across the table with my nose.” There’s a quick cutaway scene where Santana had told him that Brittany just wanted him for sex, and he’s hurt by it – he felt that the moment had meant something and was particularly special because of his handicap (he didn’t think he would be able to do anything like that). He tells her that he’s pulled out of the competition. Brittany tries to apologize, but Artie wheels away from her.

The competition is over, and Mr. Schue holds a vote: the winners are Sam and Quinn. Rachel sees that Kurt is disappointed, and goes to comfort him at his locker. She tells him that they’ll win Nationals this year because they have him on the team, and that he’s not alone. She then asks if he’ll sing a duet with her for fun.

Quinn and Sam are at Breadstix, having dinner. He tells her that she’s brave for coming back to the same school after what she’s been through; he would have transfered to another school instead of dealing with the stress. He tells her that he knows what it’s like to have a horrible secret, and she asks him point blank if he’s gay. He laughs and admits that he does bleach his hair with lemon juice – he hoped people would think he was a surfer. She puts away the certificate and tells him he needs to pay; a gentleman always pays on a first date. One booth over, Brittany is eating dinner by herself; she noses the meatball to the other side of the plate.

Kurt and Rachel are singing “Again/Get Happy,” which is fitting for the two divas of the group. They’re also dressed for the occasion: both are wearing outfits that are similar to the original duet performed by Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand (possibly the two biggest divas who have ever graced the Earth).



As I mentioned earlier, this episode was a real treat for viewers who love all aspects of song. Most of the selection came from show tunes, so I can almost guarantee that it was die-hard Gleeks (those who have lived through choir) who got the most from it.

The next episode will possibly the biggest one yet to date and is most likely the one that has gotten the most media hype even before it has even aired: ROCKY HORROR!