Season 2, Ep 13 - Comeback
As Will revels in his recent victory over Sue, his elation is curtailed by news that the Cheerios coach is taking her Nationals defeat so badly she may have resorted to committing “Sue-icide.” Will and Emma rush to Sue’s condo where they discover the coach in the throes of a Gummi-vitamin overdose; while Emma tries to convince Sue all is not lost, Will is less sympathetic about his rival’s downfall. At McKinley, Sam invites Quinn (who has managed to convince her boyfriend that her recent bout with mono was the result of rescuing a choking Finn by giving him mouth-to-mouth) on a date to Color Me Mine; she accepts but is clearly still undecided about her future with him. Sensing that he may be losing the girl of his dreams, Sam sends a tweet to teen heartthrob Justin Bieber asking for advice about girls; the reply is immediate: “It’s all about the hair.” Sam knows what he must do. Later, with his coiffure in a perfect Bieber style Sam’s one man band “The Justin Bieber Experience” performs at a Bat Mitzvah; the teenage girls go crazy for him. At school Sue is back to her old rampaging ways; Will and Emma discuss the coach’s spiteful behavior. Will worries that without the cheerleading competition to occupy her time; Sue will direct her attention wholly at destroying the Glee Club. Emma thinks Sue should try to raise her spirits through “the healing power of song;” to that end she suggests the coach spend a week singing with the Glee Clubbers. Will balks at the idea until he realizes that if Sue is in his class, he will be able to keep a close eye on her. Sue agrees; in order to “alleviate (her) crippling depression and lackluster joie de vivre,” she’ll try anything.
In the choir room the gleeks don’t like the idea of Sue joining their ranks but it is already settled. Will tells the class that the governing board for Regionals has assigned a theme for this year’s competition: part of their score will be based on how well the teams interpret the theme “Anthem.” Sam raises his hand and, noting “That kid’s an epic talent,” suggests they do a Justin Bieber song. The others in the class initially scoff at the suggestion but when Sam performs Bieber’s “Baby, Baby, Baby” the girls begin to swoon and the guys – noting the girls’ reaction - begin to see the light. In the hallway Rachel approaches Brittany; apparently Rachel – in her attempt to launch a social comeback and “dominate popular discussion” – has paid Brittany to make her “signature look” (consisting of leg-warmers, plaid skirts and reindeer sweaters) popular amongst the other students. Rachel is disturbed to discover that the ex-Cheerio is wearing the “leg” warmers on her forearms and as such is defeating the entire purpose. Brittany agrees to wear the outfit correctly tomorrow and until then will tell anyone who asks that she got her fashion inspiration from “copying Rachel Berry.” In the locker room Sam checks his hair. Artie, Puck and Mike enter and tell him they want to join his tribute band; evidently their relationships are suffering from “the standard post Valentine’s Day lull” and they hope “the power of four Biebers” will help reinvigorate their love lives. Finn enters and reminds them that “Justin Bieber sucks;” nevertheless the guys are set on their course. Sam agrees to let them join him but notes they’ll need to figure out what to do with Puck’s Mohawk hair.
Sue sits in her office writing in her journal; we learn that she is hatching a nefarious plan to “destroy the Glee Club from within.” She sets her plan in motion by first asking Mercedes for advice on how to become a diva and then asking Rachel the same question; after hearing their council Sue begins to sow the seeds of discontent by telling each of her mentors that one has been badmouthing the other’s talent. This leads to a confrontation between the girls that culminates in the challenge and acceptance of a “diva-off.” In the choir room the girls are shocked to see the “new and improved” Justin Bieber Experience consisting of two new mop-haired additions and Puck: who wears a hoodie with bangs sewn to the front. The guys perform their anthem assignment: Bieber’s “Somebody to Love;” as before, the girls go nuts but Finn remains unimpressed. Afterwards it appears that the guys’ plan has worked: their girlfriends show a renewed interest in them and it looks like Quinn is prepared to finally choose Sam over Finn. Appearances aside, Santana slithers up to Sam and – suggesting things are not as peachy between him and Quinn as he would believe – invites him to join her at Breadstix. Puck approaches Lauren; having still been unable to seal the deal with her, he asks what he has to do to “get” her. She says she may have a proposition for him. Later, Rachel is horrified to discover that all the girls in school are now wearing leg-warmers on their arms; she confronts an apologetic Brittany who agrees to come to school the next day dressed “exactly” like Rachel’s “sexy-librarian-schoolgirl-chic” look.
The next day in the gym, Puck watches Lauren at wrestling practice; she asks for his advice on how to overcome her nerves when performing her anthem solo for the class. He gives her his secret: imagine her audience dressed only in their underwear. He notes it’s not about sex; it’s about seeing them as vulnerable. As Brittany roams the halls dressed in her full-Rachel, Sue relishes the impending diva-off and prepares to witness “a bloodbath.” Unfortunately for Sue, Rachel and Mercedes’ duet of the “Rent” song “Take Me or Leave Me” fails to deliver the malice she had anticipated; instead the two singers find so much joy in the song they end up laughing and hugging each other. Will can’t help but notice Sue’s displeasure at the turn of events; he confronts her and says that if she is truly interested in making a comeback, there is something important she needs to see.
The next night Will brings Sue to a local hospital; he says once a month he goes to the pediatric cancer ward and sings with some of the long-term patients. After a little convincing she agrees to accompany him; along with the children they sing the gospel classic “This Little Light of Mine.” Despite the children’s illness the song is full of hope; even the stoic Sue Sylvester can’t help but be emotionally affected. The following day Rachel lights up when she sees virtually every girl in school is dressed like her; her buoyancy dissipates however when she learns that – despite the ex-Cheerio’s attempt to give Rachel the credit - Brittany is being lauded as “the trendiest girl in America.” Brittany doles out some tough love and tells Rachel she’s just not a trendsetter: “When people look at you, they don’t see what you’re wearing … they see a cat getting its temperature taken.” In the choir room Lauren performs her anthem: The Waitresses’ “I Know What Boys Like;” despite a less than confident start, she soon heeds Puck’s advice and finishes strong. All the kids converge on her and offer congratulatory praise. Afterwards Sue approaches Will and regretfully informs him that despite his instruction, none of the kids have actually performed an “anthem;” she asks if she can sing one with the caveat that the kids sing with her. Will agrees.
At Breadstix, Sam sits with Santana. She tells him Quinn’s story about getting mono after giving Finn mouth-to-mouth is a lie and offers that he is simply “choosing” to believe it because he wants to be with her so badly; the fact is Quinn cheated on him. Santana gives him a chance to even the score by taking her as his “mistress.” In the auditorium Sue joins the gleeks in a rocking version of My Chemical Romance’s “Sing;” for once she seems to be comfortable – perhaps even pleased – to be part of something larger than herself. Later Quinn prepares for her date with Sam until he informs her that he knows the truth about her and Finn; he tells her that he is now dating Santana. Quinn is stunned. Will tells the class that – thanks to Sue – they’ve found their anthem for Regionals. As the sole voice of dissention Rachel contends that while “Sing” is a good song, it’s not good enough to beat their competition; she suggests they write an original song to bring to the contest. Will puts Rachel’s suggestion to a vote but it is soundly defeated. Later Will is shocked to learn that Sue has taken a new “part-time gig” as coach for New Directions’ rival Glee Club “Aural Intensity;” she says, “See you at Regionals.” In the hallway Finn approaches Rachel; he tells her she was right about needing to write their own song in order to be competitive. She suggests they write it together but he maintains that she’s “the trendsetter” and needs to do it herself. She wonders if he really believes in her that much; he replies, “More.” Rachel walks away glowing.
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