Well that’s just mean! The fourth season finale of Glee most unpopular year, ‘All or Nothing’, gave us a proposal and a triumphant slow-mo victory – but neither were the ones we were expecting. Blaine has yet to pop the question and we’re left completely clueless as to whether Rachel won her dream role in ‘Funny Girl’ or not. Is it too cruel for the show to leave us hanging? Well it would have been had they not been renewed, but we know we’ve only got a couple of months to wait. Be patient.
The episode itself was just as confusingly vacant as the rest of the season has been, with the mirroring of this Regionals win with last year’s Nationals just insulting long-time fans who consider that episode the best Glee ever got (i.e. me). I won’t begrudge the new guys their win, however, and appreciated how the performance was constructed around Brittany’s tearful farewell rather than anything this new New Directions has achieved over the last year. The song choices weren’t my favorite, but it just about convinced as a winning group effort.
More important was what was going on between the characters, as Ryder’s catfish finally revealed herself. Despite a brief attempt by Marley to take the blame, it soon becomes clear that Unique was the real culprit, and Ryder takes it as well as you’d expect. This has the potential to be one of season five’s strongest storylines, but that’s providing the matter isn’t dropped or mishandled in some way – for Glee that’s asking an awful lot. Despite vowing to never speak to her again, there was a smidge of sexual chemistry in their accidental hug and there’s no denying that they had a connection, virtual or not.
With Kurt and Santana both in Ohio there wasn’t much New York action. We dropped just long enough to witness Rachel’s powerhouse rendition of a Celine Dione number in front of the ‘Funny Girl’ producers, with them simply telling her that she’ll know their decision in due course. A lot of people will be frustrated by this cliffhanger, but I think it was a good idea to leave things undecided over the summer. I doubt she’ll get the starring role she’s after, maybe an understudy or part of the chorus, so having her hear the answer would have left things on a down note I’m sure the writers wanted to avoid.
As for Kurt and Blaine, I was genuinely surprised that there was no proposal. Assuming that we’ll be taking a break in time between the events here and the events of the season five premiere, the worst thing the show could do is skip over the thing entirely. A lot of people were waiting for this, with a lot of people interested in gay rights and same sex marriage probably tuning in just for the one storyline, so it’s a bit strange for the writers to shun the most bu ed about element of the episode to the sidelines. I enjoyed the process of shopping for the ring, as well as the dinner, but would have liked a little more.
Another strange but unavoidable omission was Finn’s absence from Will and Emma’s wedding. It’s weird and creepy that the only people they wanted there were the glee kids, especially since most of the people in that choir room have known the couple for less than a year, and it’s even sadder that Rachel, Finn and Puck were all uninvited from the ceremony. I get that it had to be that way, but the otherwise sweet scene seemed a little rushed and last-minute as a result. Wemma are now man and wife, however, and I guess that’s all that matters to patient fans of the couple.
There was also a shock exit this week, with Heather Morris’ off-screen pregnancy removing Brittany from the show for a while (if not forever). She was at her ‘quirky’ best in this episode, and I was satisfied with the fairly balanced way in which she made her way out. The best part was that she and Santana didn’t have a big, grand farewell scene – the silent walk off stage after Regionals was a wonderful gesture towards all of the Brittana fans, and was done in a way that wouldn’t insult supporters of Brittany and Sam. She’s one of the originals, so deserved an entire episode dedicated to her character.
What did you think of the episode? Were you surprised there was no proposal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Glee Season 4 Review “All or Nothing”
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