Re: 4x10 "Glee, Actually" Watch & Discussion thread

[ChrisColferFan1]

As long as Burt did not blame Kurt in any way for Blaine's cheating,Burt is in my opinion a great dad.

[Catt24]

I'm calling it now... They will kill off Burt by next season so Kurt will have NO choice but to get back with Blaine.

I had to laugh when Blaine asked if Kurt was happy to see him, I was like, "oh yeah, I'm always happy to see my cheating exes during the holidays!"

I can see why Kurt was annoyed and distant. He hears that his dad has cancer, he's being confronted with major losses (his mom & his relationship with Blaine), and the one thing that has him grounded, his father, is being threatened. Plus, I don't think Kurt has truly "forgiven" Blaine, in the sense that the pain from the cheating has dissipated, it's still there, but Kurt hasn't really confronted it (at least not on-screen).

This episode was ridiculous even by Glee standards.

I'm sick of Marley and don't care for her faux paus eating disorder. Sue is beyond hopeless, so can't they put a fork in her already--she's done! Brittany SUCKS as a character, and I think BOTH Santana and Sam could do so MUCH better than her.

But I'm glad that Puck is moving to Lima

[fantastica]

i was so happy seeing so many kurt and burt i thought it was a great episode, and then, the klaine meeting feels so forced and awkward, and the bram wedding thing is so stupid, and the nail in the coffin was just like I predicted - blaine is going to NYADA. I just want to puke! that gave me little hope of seeing Adam being around long because he's already a senior and next year it will be blaine and the pips again. god please I really hate this show now!

the puckerman bros are so cute and I love their song the most. the last song was a sleep inducer. over all the episode the very blah (minus the bkurt part.

[fantastica]

klaine shouldn't be there at all. pure fan service. it's just so awkward for them to be together. the last phone call was miles better. now the writers don't even know how to write for them. everything is just so forced and unnatural and made me squirm like I want to get out of here.

so let me get out of here. it ruined my xmas. consider the last xmas episode was one of my fav one, and klaine was quite adorable in it.

[fantastica]

this is so American! my parents would slap me if I lick any food from my fingers.

also notice that they are using the fox cup. shameless self-promotion.

i have to focus on the good thing because the bad parts really ruined the episode for me, but at least I am happy to see kurt and his finger-licking good eats.

[CloveGlee]

I would like to rename this episode.

Let's call it....

Glee....SERIOUSLY?????????

Open mouth. Shut mouth. Speechless.

[M&M]

I am having a hard time finding words. Just on an episode level, it was terrible. Lame storylines, boring, and a ton of bad acting (Darren was awful! although part of that may have been the ridiculous script).

Burt, oh Burt. You have cancer. Why am I not surprised. Kurt even looked more resigned to it, as if saying to himself, "wish I was surprised, but considering that something good just happened, I have to have something bad happen to make up for it."

Also, so annoyed with the Blaine/Burt interaction. Blaine will keep an eye on Burt. Ew. Also, betting on Kurt, because you know, he is the town joke. Just no. And Blaine was downright creepy this ep. The weird stares and the frickin' NYADA thing. I seriously think he is stalking him now. And following Kurt to another school, Blaine? Because that worked so well for you before.

I can't even comment on the other parts of the ep. Marley continues to suck and be boring. Puck and Jacob? Huh? It's just all sucked.

[M&M]

Someone on ONTD_Glee just pointed out that Ryan Murphy's dad died of prostate cancer... Kurt and Burt are based on their relationship...

[sheny]

I'm not upset about Blaine being in NY or Burt telling him first about his condition. I think he just wants to make sure that if something happens to him, his little boy won't be all alone. He has Finn and Carol, but I don't think they understand him the way his father does. Blaine is probably the person Kurt loves the most after his dad and having him close even just as a friend may help easing the pain he feels because of the bad news.
I don't find the way Blaine looks at Kurt creepy. He is still in love. I would probably be upset if he didn't look at him like that. I want him to feel bad for losing Kurt. Being so close, but unable to touch and act like before must be painful for him. Good. Keep suffering Anderson. But the spoilers about what Blaine will do in the next episode, make me want to slap him again. I won't forgive him soon, maybe never actually, but I accepted the fact that they get back together eventually.

[ColferGirl]

If I take this episode at surface level, I enjoyed it. If I dig even slightly deep into it, it becomes a frustrating offensive awful mess though.

I'm ignoring the Bram plotline because there was nothing to salvage there and I'm starting to hate Brittany AND Sam (well, Sam when he's with Brittany - when he's apart from her, his brain cells are restored). Their storyline was a shining example of everything wrong with Glee.

I liked the *concept* of Artie's storyline and his dream, but not the offensive execution. I thought Kevin rocked his solo, it was a fun and entertaining scene and I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the "what if?" scenarios - not the implications that Artie walking somehow would bring ruin to others, but just imagining an AU of their lives, is interesting to me. I felt really bad for Artie when he said he fell and had to cry out for quite a while for someone to help him. Rachel was cute as a librarian. Kurt's faces during Artie's solo were priceless. I was really sad when Kurt said he was held back a year because of the severity of his bullying, and he'd only go to school about twice a week...and how ruthless Finn looked when he and the other jocks were bullying him. (Although I find it weird that Artie thinks it's weird *Kurt* is still there in school, but not Rachel or Puck or Finn....?)

I liked the Puckerman brother storyline. I when they gave Puck an easy-in to come back to Lima. On the one hand it makes sense and its realistic - not all moving away plans work out, and I liked Puck's reasons for coming home, to be with his family - but it just seems like an excuse to have his character intrude on storylines even more. Otherwise I liked the brotherly affection between him and Jake, and I liked seeing their mothers reconcile.

I actually really loved Marley and her mom's story. I'm so glad *someone* cares about Marley and getting her help with her eating disorder, even if her mom *should* care about that out of anyone. And I'm glad something is being done to get Marley help. I thought their scene was very sweet, with Marley singing to her and her mom saying that was the best gift she could be given. And even if it's happened before, Sue being unexpectedly giving, I thought Sue's kindness toward them was really lovely. As was the staging for the final number.

Now, onto Kurt. I loved the little scene with Kurt, Burt, and Rachel. I thought it was very cute of Rachel to insist that Kurt come with her and her dads on their cruise so he wouldn't be alone on Christmas. Sure that shouldn't be possible last-minute like that, but it was a sweet gesture anyway. Seeing her and Kurt putting ornaments on the tree was really precious and I loved that too, and Rachel's joy at seeing Burt and the Big Apple ornament he gave them (also, her misty eyes at hearing a story about Kurt's childhood). I loved Kurt's own joy at Burt's arrival, and his subtle expressions of remorse as Burt told the story about his mom and the Christmas trees. Although, I can't believe they brought up Kurt's mom again and STILL DIDN'T TELL US HER NAME OR CAUSE OF DEATH. RIB keep dangling that right in front of my face, and every perfect opportunity they have to reveal it, they don't take. It wouldn't be so hard to slip into a dialogue, just a "That first Christmas after Kurt's mom _____ died of _____", boom, it's done. *sigh* The story of little Kurt trying to hang ornaments even without a tree, and not smiling once after her death until they got it, and then Kurt finding the perfume ornament and saying how much he loved the way his mom smelled (rare Glee continuity) ....

I cannot believe they gave Burt prostate cancer. I was shocked when I heard it. How much hardship and pain does Kurt have to go through until RIB deem it enough? And in typical Glee fashion, they should have given that revelation more gravity and depth than it was, and spent more time on it. Although Kurt's immediate expression and "I think I'm going to be sick" was still a punch to the gut. And the reveal that Ryan Murphy's dad died of prostate cancer, and Kurt and Burt are based on himself and his dad's relationship.....the odds are stacking against us now. If RIB kill off Burt, it will be the saddest episode of Glee ever - on the one hand, Chris would act the hell out of it and it'd be phenomenal, but I don't think I could handle that amount of heartbreak in Kurt's life. Why can't anything be easy for him? Why can't he ever be happy without some sort of horrific blow attached to it?

Other than the revelation, I loved all the Kurt and Burt scenes, their warm holiday moments. I really liked the direction they went with the Klaine scenes, or at least how Kurt acted in them. Kurt seemed distinctly hesitant and distant, melancholic, from Burt's revelation and also still from the hurt he suffered from Blaine. But he does care about Blaine, so there was genuine affection still there, just tempered by his complicated state of mind right now. Their "heart to heart" didn't go how I expected it to at all - in fact, I'd say they didn't even have one, not really. It feels like they're definitely just friends now, and Blaine said as much, but not having their breakup definitively concluded is giving Blaine all sorts of hope that you can see all over his face and in his voice. Especially his heart eyes during the HYAMLC song, and expression when he asked about NYADA. I expected the NYADA thing, but I'll still be seriously pissed if Blaine gets into NYADA on the first try, when Kurt didn't. And we all know he will.

But I personally thought the "betting" over the Vogue magazine was a really adorable moment. Seems like something my dad and brother might do whenever they watch football during the holidays, and I bring out a book to read. I don't know how I feel about the apparent closeness between Burt and Blaine. I hope Burt's affection for him is based completely and entirely on how much Blaine loves Kurt. Burt likes Blaine because he feels he and Blaine are kindred spirits - people who love and adore Kurt. If likes Blaine just for Blaine, and is all buddy-buddy with him in Lima while Kurt's in New York, my image of Burt will shatter. Maybe I shouldn't since opinions/headcanons are opinions/headcanons, but I always hate when certain fans try and act like Burt is, and should be, Blaine's father too - Burt is KURT'S father, thank you - so I'm nervous as to what this may lead to, especially if speculation about the hummel house set being trotted out for an episode in the near future is somehow for a Blaine and Burt scene. If it is, it better be a scene that's about Kurt - much like their conversation in "Sexy" was - and not how awful Blaine's family is, or Blaine getting advice on non-Kurt related things, or them hanging out, etc.

But for the most part I loved Kurt's "act" of the episode, therefore I enjoyed it. Since Kurt scenes are all that matter.

I'm not upset about Blaine being in NY or Burt telling him first about his condition. I think he just wants to make sure that if something happens to him, his little boy won't be all alone. He has Finn and Carol, but I don't think they understand him the way his father does. Blaine is probably the person Kurt loves the most after his dad and having him close even just as a friend may help easing the pain he feels because of the bad news.
I don't find the way Blaine looks at Kurt creepy. He is still in love. I would probably be upset if he didn't look at him like that. I want him to feel bad for losing Kurt. Being so close, but unable to touch and act like before must be painful for him. Good. Keep suffering Anderson. But the spoilers about what Blaine will do in the next episode, make me want to slap him again. I won't forgive him soon, maybe never actually, but I accepted the fact that they get back together eventually.

Spoiler:

[Vir Cotto]

Well, the Bram story was painfully stupid. The Marley Sue story was just painful. I did, however, enjoy the Puckerman brothers. The Hannukah song was fun, and Jacobs Artist has a very nice voice. Eh, maybe I'm so desperate for the original cast members that I'm willing to accept anything.

The Kurt/Burt story was ruined by He Who Must Be Worshipped Constantly or He'll Have Meaningless Sex With a Lighthouse. And, who's voice does he plan to use to audition for NYADA? This is suppose to be a school for Broadway hopefuls, and lest we forget, somebody wasn't even capable of singing Maria in WSS last year (hint: it sure as hell wasn't Kurt). What are they going to do, have Carmen rave on him after he derps out the latest top 40 hit? God, this show.

I'm tired, and I've never been happier for a hiatus.

[sheny]

If I take this episode at surface level, I enjoyed it. If I dig even slightly deep into it, it becomes a frustrating offensive awful mess though.

I'm ignoring the Bram plotline because there was nothing to salvage there and I'm starting to hate Brittany AND Sam (well, Sam when he's with Brittany - when he's apart from her, his brain cells are restored). Their storyline was a shining example of everything wrong with Glee.

I liked the *concept* of Artie's storyline and his dream, but not the offensive execution. I thought Kevin rocked his solo, it was a fun and entertaining scene and I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the "what if?" scenarios - not the implications that Artie walking somehow would bring ruin to others, but just imagining an AU of their lives, is interesting to me. I felt really bad for Artie when he said he fell and had to cry out for quite a while for someone to help him. Rachel was cute as a librarian. Kurt's faces during Artie's solo were priceless. I was really sad when Kurt said he was held back a year because of the severity of his bullying, and he'd only go to school about twice a week...and how ruthless Finn looked when he and the other jocks were bullying him. (Although I find it weird that Artie thinks it's weird *Kurt* is still there in school, but not Rachel or Puck or Finn....?)

Puck barely graduated last year with Quinn and the others help. Now she is death and the Glee club doesn't exist so he probably failed. Finn wasn't the smartest one too. He said it himself when he talked to Ryder. So he failed too.
Maybe Rachel graduated but stayed in Lima and works in McKinley's library.

Spoiler:

This storyline reminds me a lot of Finchel in season 2. Rachel cheated on Finn with Puck, then asked for his forgiveness and was all over him in the next episodes planing how to win him back. Then in BIOTA she kissed Blaine and went on a date with him and even started dreaming about their future children. Finn was totally forgotten for an episode or two. It looked like she moved on, but in "Original song" she was heartbroken again when she found out about Finn and Quinn, she cried and wrote a sad song. I expect something liked that to happen.

Spoiler:

I don't like Bram as a couple, but I enjoyed their part in the episode. Especially Sam, he has worked a lot over his theory and later when he turned on the computer and saw it the 22nd. The wedding scene was stupid and their vows were just awful.

If I ignore the things Sue said about Marley's mother I liked her a lot in this episode. It was nice of her to help.
I'm glad Marley's mom is doing something to help her daughter. She was absent in the last episode. I didn't see her in the choir room after Marley passed out on stage which was very strange, because she was in the audience.

Burt and Blaine betting on how long Kurt will watch basketball was funny. The moment Blaine asked Kurt about NYADA was awkward. Why exactly NYADA there are other schools in NY? I think he want's to go there to be closer to Kurt.

I can't believe how spoiled Becky is. It was funny the first couple of times. Now I find it extremely annoying.

I forgot about Artie. Poor thing, I felt so bad for him. Kevin's solo was very good, his moves were great. It's a pity he can't do this often, but I'm glad they finally remembered him. I loved the Artie/Kurt scene, because I love seeing Kevin and Chris together. I hope for a duet some they.


Who Is The Best Male Singer On Glee?
If someone wants to vote. Chris is in 2nd place for now. He probably won't win, because Darren has over 50% of the votes. But 2nd place of all the Glee guys including the guest stars is not bad.
And Chord is before Jonathan Groff. Are these people crazy?

[brisallie]

I'm just downloading the episode, but I can't avoid to read your comments to have a general idea of what I'm going to see and you know... I regret . Because I can't believe that Burt has health issues again, how is possible they keep making Kurt suffer?

[valkeakuulas]

I tried watching the entire episode, but the so, so sad beginning threw me off the wagon big time. Crying, sad faces and generally feeling totally upset for Artie and Kurt. That dramatic music and the sheer sense of violence when Kurt was bullied again was agony. That scene went right up there with the Karofsky stealing the cake topper scene. And for the love of god I do get why RIB+ writes Kurt unhappy because Chris' face is just so out of this world when he plays the sad, unhappy, distraught Kurt. And we did see that a lot in this episode.

This storyline with Kurt remembering his mother and Burt telling him about his cancer just hits too close to home and the way Chris portraits Kurt's pain with these subtle facial ticks is just too much for me to try and write about it. Maybe if I didn't feel the connection with Kurt's SL this much I'd be able to analyse it more. The Klaine parts mostly just flew past me because I just kept thinking Kurt having to face to world completely alone if the cancer turns out to be the death of Burt. Cancer is a slow killer and the thought of seeing Kurt lose is father gradually during S5 might be painful enough for me to give up Glee. I don't think they can do that well or realisticly in a disjointed show like Glee. Give Kurt some space dammit, please!

I do get that Burt might have thought it was a good idea to "gift" Blaine to Kurt at christmas but for some reason I must go with the camp of Burt not knowing the whole story behind the break-up, which is fine. I might not tell that kinds of gruesome parts of a break-up to my father either. So actually Burt's decision to talk to Blaine makes all the sense: he's making sure that both Rachel "For your first holiday season together." and Blaine are going to be there for Kurt no matter what their status' are. Which makes me again scared that Burt isn't telling the truth. Maybe it's because O'Malley is such a good actor, or that Shankman made a conscious decision to give Burt these look and glance moments, but remission and getting it early can mean all sorts of things. *hides under a blanket and starts to hum, they cannot do this to Kurt, no, no, no* I don't want to go there and this probably belongs to the spoiler chat anyway...

That scene with them watching basketball was quite endearing and funny and I found it interesting...and Klaine definately had a moment, a moment where both of them had individual thoughts as well. But I didn't feel they were making fun of Kurt in any way because I can totally understand Burt and Kurt having had this kind of match watching scenarios way before Blaine even entered the picture. Burt does know his son after all, better than Blaine has been able so far. The longing gazes Blaine gives Kurt while setting the table were, I don't know weird. Like I've said, Darren gives the best puppydog faces in Glee and he was fully on for the ice skating and the dinner scene. Kurt was hesitant, but still he's just heard that his father has cancer and his ex is right there, in-your-face-kinda way, even thought Kurt did suggest the talking part himself. I wonder though if they cut something out, or might there have been something more written between these two. I wish someone stole the cut out files from the Fox editing suite as often as they seem to steal the scripts and call sheets. Klaine is friend-zoned right now and hopefully stays there for quite awhile...preferrably well into S5, please. I can stand dabbles at the line though, IF it comes from Kurt's side.

[tanita_mors]

this was a very uneven episode. out of the 5 storylines, two very very weak in my mind (marley and her mom - so melodramatic and not really emotive because we barely effing know them and simply don't effing care and the bram mayan apocalypse bullshit)

the artie "a wonderful life homage" needed more comedy imo. it felt far too depressing and while i really like artie, he ain't the glue of glee to me. but i did enjoy the bit as whole, particularly seen terri the terrible back and alcoholic will.

i felt the the kurt storyne had the most emotional resonance. i hate that once again kurt can't be fully happy for more then a single episode. if he has everything in his professional life, then the personal one must suffer and vice-verse. did it really have to be cancer. also, i don't trust the baroness not to try to milk this one out for all it's worth. i'm not buying burt's assurance that it's curable just yet. kurt was taken aback by blaine and frankly i still feel that blaine is the one who wants the relationship back on track, while kurt is over it. i didn't see that shot as kurt going in for a kiss in white christmas, but that's a subjective thing so ...

my second favorite storyline is the puckerman brothers. they were great together. and that dinner with the their moms was just brilliant. also, i see people do remember that puck has a sister. the storyline felt silly at start, particularly with all the bull crap puck was saying and that number at paramount studios, but I really enjoyed it after the reveal that he isn't all that successful and that he is probably coming back to lima. and the scene with their moms and the moms together at the end are my favorite after kurt/burt stuff.

bram mayan apocalypse - the less said about this stupidity the better. am i to assume from beiste's wording that she and probably most of the faculty consider sam and brittany special needs kids. not very shocking for brit sadly, but rather insulting for sam. and that dig at jenna's acting talent - NOT COOL SHOW. it's one thing for fans to have opinions on the actors but it's another to actually insult your employes in their own show.

marley rose and the poor and sad melodrama needs to effing end !!! NOW !!!! the only thing that made this storyline less disgusting then bram was the great acting by the goddess that is jane lynch. that woman can turn absolute shit into gold.

all in all, this was a bit too melancholic/idiotic episode for my taste. it had a few good moments, but that was pretty much it.

[Ireth]

I was quite confused when they switched from one story to another because they kept going back and forth in time and I was like "Is it after Christmas now...no it is Christmas" everytime.

As for the actual stories, they were kind of interesting because I was watching most of them casually. The only story I really cared about was obviously Kurt's, and on the whole it was cute (Burt's arrival and the memories of Kurt's mom were perfect)...but why do they have to give Burt cancer? Is everyone who visits Kurt in NY be like "Surprise!...oh and I also wanted to tell you I cheated on you/have cancer/killed all the kittens in the world and you may be next"?!?! And Blaine's auditioning for NYADA...I guess Klaine will be back next season?

[Ranwing]

I feel like in order to really critique the episode, I have to pretend that it was actually five different episodes. With Christmas being the only thing holding the whole thing together, it was so disjointed that I didn't feel like I was watching one show.

Artie - This was one of the more successful segements and I liked getting a look into the head of a very underutalized character that really doesn't get a whole lot of focus. I found it entirely understandable that even though he has been dealing with his paralysis for a very long time and seems very well adjusted that there are the times when his limitations hit him very hard and we see the anger and frustration come out (it's happened before). I have issues with the execution (like poor Kurt being so beaten down that he had to repeat a year of school and Quinn dying "of a broken heart"), but otherwise it worked out pretty well. Do have a quibble about Artie being the "glue" holding ND together, as Artie has been shown many times to be just as selfish and self-absorbed as anyone else in the group but I appreciated the whole "what if" senario. Was nice to see crazy Terri return (and demanding Will's paycheck). Rory made for a cheap laugh and then I spent the whole time just ignoring him. And Finn keeps showing me that he's far better without Rachel in his life that he ever was with her. Like his continued progression into being a decent human being.

Marley - The girl is the perfect defination of "too stupid to live" and I just cannot stand her. She is so absolutely bland and listless that I honestly just feel nothing but irritation each time she's on my screen. So much of this just makes no sense. I do like her mom, though, and she's got a very Burt-like demeanor - will do anything for her kid who's the center of her universe. Wish that her daughter was worthy of such devotion and not such a whiney, wishy washy little twit. A few minor quibbles... I would expect that because her mother is an employee of the department of education that Marley would have half-way decent medical coverage and most plans do cover outpatient psychiatric care so I don't quite get why they have to pay for Marley's treatments out of pocket. And that's an awfully nice house for a family supposedly in total poverty. As for Sue, we get this each year... Sue starts out super selfish and then gets into the spirit of the season. Yes, the whiplash treatment of her character is difficult to handle sometimes, but being that I like her and I don't question that she's got a heart, I can deal with the inconsistencies with her character. It's not enough for me to get worked up over.

Brittany and Sam - The less said about this better. This was an insult to my intelligence.

The Puckerman Bros - This was one of my favorite storylines of the night. I'm actually enjoying the relationship between the two brothers and how hungry they both are for that family connection (though I keep wondering where Puck's little sister vanished to). And getting both their moms to recognize that it's not the other woman they should be venting their anger at (and I loved how they bonded at the end over their two sons). Really wish that they'd find something good for Puck to do so that he's not just hanging around the high school helping out his little brother.

Now the important stuff... Kurt.

Yeah, Kurt can't ever have a real win without it being swiftly following by yet another of fate's kicks in the ass, but given that I work for an oncologist and I understand just how treatable early stage prostate cancer is (if it hasn't had a chance to spread at all, the survival rate is nearly 100%), I know that rationally it's not great news but if they had to give Burt cancer, at least they gave him one of the most treatable kinds with great odds for a long life (as opposed to something like leukemia which is what I see a lot of). But for Kurt who already had to deal with one major health crisis with his father and the death of his mother, it's the worst news possible and I can completely understand his response. The one thing that Kurt is most terrified of is losing his father and I appreciate the fact that Burt waited until he could see his son directly to give him the news (rather than over the phone) and reassure Kurt that this was something that can be treated successfully. I'm glad that Burt handled it this way so that he could give his son the assurance that he needed because if this was done over the phone, all Kurt would be doing would be worrying and obsessing over the news since he wasn't in a position to help.

I'm almost thinking that he brought Blaine for the same reason. Having Blaine there gave Kurt a distraction (and we'll discuss whether it's a good or bad distraction in a little bit) so that he wasn't spending Burt's whole visit doing nothing but talking about Burt's health. And I certainly can see this giving Burt an excuse to be visiting his son a lot more since one of the single best cancer hospitals (Memorial Sloan-Kettering) is in NYC and I can certainly see Kurt insisting on having his father go there for treatment.

And I utterly adored how delighted Burt was in celebrating Kurt's acceptance by NYADA and that he is probably going to have that baseball cap glued to his head. He'd always been the been Kurt's biggest cheerleader in supporting Kurt's dreams and it was almost as gratifying to see his response to Kurt finally achieving his hard-won goal as it was to see Kurt's last week.

Now... Blaine... I'm going to cut Burt a whole lot of slack about dragging Blaine to NY because I've reached the conclusion that Burt may not know the real reasons that the boys broke up. Kurt has a long history of keeping things from his father in order to save him stress and I think that given the circumstances, this is the kind of thing that Kurt would not broadcast. I would wager that the only ones who know about the cheating right now besides the boys are Rachel, Finn and Sam. Kurt has always been a very private person with his emotional pain and he doesn't try to get sympathy from others. And knowing Burt, he would never allow Blaine anywhere near Kurt if he knew that Blaine had done this. If he thinks that the breakup was due to a mundane disagreement, or because of the pressures of being apart, I can understand why he would try to facilitate a reconciliation of sorts. Burt wants nothing more than to see his son happy and for a long time, Blaine did that (again, we can debate the negative aspects of their realtionship). Given his health scare and knowing how his son would respond, it's understandable that Burt would want to try to bring the boys back together. And Burt has a history of making hasty emotional decisions after "facing death" (like proposing to Carol directly after his heart attack). I can totally understand his outlook that life is too short not to grab happiness while you can (and this supports my belief that he doens't know that Blaine cheated on Kurt).

Blaine arrived clearly very hopeful that things might start to improve between him and I almost felt a tiny bit sorry for him. Almost. He's making all the right noises about not overstepping boundries, asking permission and trying to make sure that Kurt was okay with him being around (and later on, applying to NYADA), but it was very, very obvious that Kurt was not entirely comfortable with the situation. He's trying to move past the anger and forgive, but Kurt's nowhere near that point yet and having Blaine there, in his personal space, has got to be extremely difficult for Kurt. When Blaine asked at the skating rink if Kurt was happy to see him, there was that slight hesitatation in Kurt's answer that really spoke volumes about how he really feels. Blaine's presence is putting Kurt on the spot, but he won't make a scene in front of his father who clearly was trying to do something that he thought might make Kurt happy.

Kurt's discomfort with Blaine, I think, is also the reason that we saw Blaine taking the lead in the vocal performances. It was an indication that Kurt was willing to play along right now to keep the peace, but he wasn't fully engaged. There were too many times when he wouldn't meet Blaine's eyes, when he would deliberately look away when Blaine was trying to catch his attention. And when they and Burt were watching the basketball game, Burt was positioned between them, almost as a buffer. Kurt may mentally want to keep his friendship with Blaine, but he's not at the stage yet where the infidelity can be put firmly in the past and not color his whole outlook on how he sees Blaine. And given Blaine's longing looks at Kurt, he's clearly hoping for a lot more than Kurt is able to give at this stage. These two are a very long way from being okay with one another and it was painful to watch.

[Glorfindel]

With giving Burt cancer just so he had more parental and emotional leverage to shove Blaine back in Kurt’s face (“Forget that Blaine cheated, Kurt: make up with him before I die!”), Kurt being made unhappy again right after one of his rare wins, creepy Blaine still not giving Kurt some time and space, and wanting to apply to NYADA next year (and we all know he will get in on the first try and steal all the solos)….. that was just awful.
Even the contrived cuteness of White Christmas and the awesomeness of Chris and Mike’s acting together couldn’t stop me from looking at my screen horrified and shaking my head in dismay while watching this story unfold.

I can only hope that Burt doesn’t know about the cheating, because else this ruined Burt for me. And even if Burt doesn’t know about it: I don’t like how he told Blaine about his cancer before Kurt, and brought him as a ‘Christmas present’ for his son. If Kurt needs someone to help him through Burt’s illness and to keep an eye on Burt, he has a very good step brother at the ready: Finn, and Rachel of course.
I get that Burt would like the Klaine friendship restored, but this was Kurt's call, and not his. The least he could have done is ask Kurt if he was okay with Blaine coming to New York and staying in his appartment over Christmas! Kurt wanted a talk with Blaine, but I doubt he wanted to be stuck with him in his personal space for days!

And why do things always just happen to Kurt? Kurt’s ‘uplifting’ Christmas storyline was offensive and totally robbed him from any agency in what should have been his story to begin with.
Jeez, give the kid a break. Can’t Kurt enjoy life for a few weeks without getting even more trouble heaved upon his shoulders and having to tolerate his cheating ex in his own appartment for Christmas, because almost dying daddy says so? Ugh.
Kurt just could react (instead of act) to everything that was dictated to him: and then they didn’t give him any time to give a proper reaction at all! It is, once again, Chris’ sublime and 100-emotions-at-once acting, that gave us more info on how Kurt’s feeling than the script itself. And thank God that Chris kept Kurt wary and at a cautious distance from Blaine. At least he is still thinking about Kurt first and foremost. The writers are just propping up Blaine again, sacrificing anyone and anything to get there, including Burt and Kurt’s dignity/power as an independent character.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for the rest of the episode:

The whole flirting/bragging of Glee with both ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘Love Actually’ only showed how badly written Glee is in comparison to these movies. The writing was even worse than last week’s!?!

Artie’s AU was not as good or as long as it could have been, although I loved that Kevin got some meaty stuff, and he can handle it very nicely! Really, Arite should be one of the main characters in Lima now.
Seeing the old characters acting together again made me melancholy. And I was surprised to notice that I actually missed Rory. The reaction of the characters (especially Kurt) when Artie sang ‘Feliz Navidad’ reminded me that they lost the magic of old. But seeing Kurt get slammed against the lockers again, and his subdued voice, like he gave up the fighting for his identity….. darn, Chris is a good actor (and so is Cory, as I hated this Finn bullying my bb).

Bram was just plain stupid, and not in a cute way. Glee insulting Tina/Jenna like that was a low and cheap shot. Beiste was nice, though (but do they have to keep her eating like a pig?)

Seeing the Puckerman brothers together was nice too: they really look like brothers. Going to L.A. together was stupid (did you all see the cameos of Ian Brennan, Zach Woodley and Adam Anders, and probably other crew members as well?), but the Breadstix scene with their moms was absolutely lovely: best part of the episode. I'm glad Puck is back, but really wanted him in New York instead of in Lima.

Marley’s mom is no Burt by a long, long shot. She is too nice, too sugary, too ‘proud’, and Marley idem dito. Like Melissa’s voice when she sang acapella, though.
And apparently Sue grew back a heart again. Meh, been there, done that, and it never sticks. Poor Jane for having to put up with this, it must give her whiplash.
There was not enough Rachel in this episode (again). There are times when I hated all the attention Rachel got in comparison to the others, but Glee really needs her to anchor the show, along with Kurt and Finn (and once upon a time Mr. Schue).

[Divalicious]

I watched when I got home early this morning, so my brain may have been tired, but I kind of liked the episode, mostly.

First, a shallow note, Kurt looked gorgeous throughout, especially that first outfit. We marvel on how blue brings out his eyes, but we forget about his wonderful hair. Yum.

Okay, moving on. Bram was supposed to be sweetly stupid, and that it was. Again, not invested in Brittana, and I thought Brittney looks so much better with her hair down, the high pony should be outlawed on this show. Just not a good look. These two are "special" students, as per Beiste, Sam because he believes, Brittney because she has limited intelligence. They are more equal than Santana and Brittney ever were. I did fast forward through their song, though.

Marley and Millie, Burt and Kurt. Parents names must rhyme with their child if you have a recurring role on Glee. Marley is just too damn perfect, where even Sue can't insult her, when Brittney was putting out the truth to the kids w/Sam she was the one they couldn't insult. That is getting old fast. I can't imagine the show going three years with this. It is hard enough that Rachel is a "one in a billion talent", but Marley is an even greater gift to the world, apparently. That in itself keeps me from caring about this character.

Also must comment, don't believe this relationship as much as the Burt/Kurt one, for one, Mike is a much better actor than whomever plays the Mom, and Marley, while a good actress, is no where near Chris. Yes, they give him angst, because he literally is the only character who has the fine muscle control in his face to make it subtle. Not even Cory gets those expressions, although he does a great job getting Finn's mood across.

I took Artie's dream as a way of him feeling more of a part or center of Glee. It is true, he has been there since the beginning, he never left because of being sullen or not getting featured in Competitions. He directs their plays and events. He is a good team player and deserved a featured story. I do like that they've managed to get Artie out of the chair once a year to show Kevin's moves. Kurt's reactions in the song where so spot on, I can see why the director showed two reaction shots from him, I think everyone else only got one.

First two years of the show I didn't give a damn about Puck. Last year he seemed to embrace the character, and while I didn't think I would miss him when gone, I kind of liked him. Now, seeing him interact with his brother, I really like Puck. When he stopped looking for ways to be a man, he found a way to become one. Because he was instrumental in these two women realizing their anger at one stupid man kept brothers apart, and why were they punishing their kids for him. It will be interesting to see if Puck's screen play actually gets done, maybe Artie will direct it. It may lead no where, but it might also be the seed of something next year.

I actually didn't mind Blaine being there, and agree with the idea that Burt doesn't know what happened. Just like when they had their disagreement before, Burt probably thinks that they have a mild misunderstanding now. It is sweet that Blaine will keep an eye out for Burt, but isn't Finn also still in Lima? Supposedly living in the same house? What happened to Congress? Out of session? We will probably find out the same episode they finally say Kurt's Mom's name.

I think the reason we didn't get to see too much ice skating on Klaine's part during the song was because of Chris not being a skater, and they probably just didn't have enough usable shots. I thought his voice was lovely. People were saying it was too high, or sounded differently. But I have a Boze sound system on my TV, so I get all the nuances. Burt and Kurt do have the most honest relationship of any parent child on television, IMO. Not that there are a lot of teen/parent stories out there outside of comedies. Or I am just not watching the right ones. I loved how Burt just came right out, it felt like a real thing. Kurt's reaction felt like a real thing as well. These two are magic. We all need more Burt/Kurt in our lives. I think this was also a Christmas gift to himself by Ryan. He lost his father, but I really think he wrote that Kurt got to keep his, and to know what is important. Because his kind of cancer is survivable, especially when caught early.

I do wish they didn't compartmentalize the episode so much, and I had to wait til the end to see more Kurt, although the betting was cute, especially that Burt won. He knows his kid, even if his kid tries to protect him from his biggest heartaches. Blaine trying out for NYADA, big surprise. I am just hoping Adam hits big, and then works as a teacher the following year. Kurt deserves a triangle. So do we. Only if it is well written. But then again, triangles mean more screen time for Kurt, and that is always good. Chris delivers.

[sheny]

Kurt has a Christmas he’ll never forget

Source

[bayth]

I can really hate Blaine now. He talks about NYADA with Burt present - so that Kurt can't say "NO!" Then, when they are getting ready to eat, Kurt and Blaine go to pull out the chair for Burt and Burt CHOOSES to sit in the seat from Blaine? So, Kurt and Blaine have to sit next to each other? WTF? Kurt puts his hands on his hips as the camera pulls to the left. AUGH. Kurt clearly doesn't want Blaine there. Blaine is going to end up getting everything that he wants (that Kurt wanted originally and lost). With a whole team of writers - this is the best that they can come up with? THEY SUCK...

Why do I put myself through this. Only for Chris. Only for Chris.

[Glorfindel]

Kurt has a Christmas he’ll never forget

Source

Those drawing are spot on. Perfect.

[sheny]

If Blaine applies to NYADA and gets in the from the first time, I hope it's because he auditions in front of someone else. I will be mad, but It will easier for me to accept if he gets in because another NYADA professor likes his performance. Just not Carmen again.

[sheny]

[ChrisColferFan1]

If Blaine applies to NYADA and gets in the from the first time, I hope it's because he auditions in front of someone else. I will be mad, but It will easier for me to accept if he gets in because another NYADA professor likes his performance. Just not Carmen again.

I agree 100%.

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