Re: 5x18 "Back-Up Plan" Watch & Discussion thread

ColferInspired 4/30/2014, 11:10 am

I like that these reviewers are mentioning Chris's episode.

http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/glee-recap-season-5-episode-18/4/

Next week: Peter Pan; June Squibb; written by Chris Colfer. Should. Be. Interesting.

ColferInspired 4/30/2014, 11:32 am

I liked this bit from the EW one.

Me feels EW knows what's going on and they were using some sarcasm.

I lot of reviewers are hating on Rachel.

"It took me a while to understand why Kurt had all the lame verses, while Blaine had the much more exciting bridges and higher harmony on the chorus. June could only be impressed by one half of their “youthful energy,” and since Kurt was given a small sliver of Blaine’s charmed life last week, we’re being set up for the golden boy to get back in the throne-like saddle." ~ EW Recap

ColferInspired 4/30/2014, 11:34 am

"While Kurt seems genuinely happy for his fiancé when good things happen, we’ve never really witnessed the same from Blaine, with him only happy and content in the relationship when he’s the superior one. When Kurt got the Vogue internship, he cheated and, when he started to get attention at school, he had to be coddled back to security." -tvequals com

This is so damn true.

Lottie2303 4/30/2014, 11:38 am

Reading recaps and comment from many media outlets: the general reaction is SO negative. The audience, including some of the most die hard Rachel fans, hate her new arc. People just hate it. Also Klaine starts to get called out more and more.

It feels like the professional reviewers stopped writing for Glee and actually started sincerely recapping. Because the change in tone especially in regard to Klaine really is astonishing.

sheny 4/30/2014, 11:47 am

Good to see those recaps but will they change anything. Ryan Murphy will keep doing whatever he wants, Rachel and Blaine will be successful while Kurt, Santana and everyone else who is not is favourites list will be treated like sh*t.

Ranwing 4/30/2014, 11:49 am

Others have been pointing out is that the biggest issues with the Blaine/June storyline isn't so much that she picked Blaine over Kurt (and rejected Kurt so coldly), but that we're given no reason as to why she's done so. The worst that I can say about Kurt's performance at the dedication was that he was a little overeager once he had to start competing with Blaine for her attention, but he sang well and he's got gorgeous stage presence. But she expressed so much distain for Kurt that just not thinking that he was quite as good as Blaine (given that he was the one selected by NYADA to perform for her) really doesn't explain her behavior.

Buenos 4/30/2014, 11:49 am

Fuck, I'm a die hard Rachel fan and I loathe her current SL now with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Bored on Broadway after only 40 performances??

Patti Lupone would kick her ass still Sunday and Bernadette Peters would slap her senseless.

Who is THIS ???

Glorfindel 4/30/2014, 12:25 pm

My TWoP post(s) :

It’s amazing how much overdue emailing I was able to get done while semi-watching this episode.
What a bore: how pointless, stupid and…disconnected it all was. I tuned out during the songs and during most of the Rachel and Mercedes storylines, because Rachel annoys me to no end lately and Mercedes’ attitude towards the people who give her the chance and plenty of money to make an album irks me too. Plus, being in ‘the showbizz’ myself, the lack of even a hint of reality in their storylines makes me shake my head and roll my eyes half the time. Rolling Eyes

I was a bit more invested in the Blaine/June storyline, frankly because these days a Blaine or Rachel storyline is the only chance of me getting some Kurt snipbits, but while watching this June Dolloway debacle unfold I was mostly trying to figure out what was going on and if there was even a point to it? Also Darren’a acting is as cringeworthy as ever and Fox should be sued for allowing this version of ‘Piece of My Heart’ to be unleashed unto the world. Mad

Rachel really doesn’t deserve what she has, nor does she appreciate it enough. She gets bored of being the lead in a Broadway show after a month? And just when this entitled, spoiled brat finally gets called out on her shit and her lack of commitment and loyalty she gets a new offer and immediately is willing again(!) to jeopardize and betray the very same job she was in the middle of crying ‘pity-me’ crocodile tears over.
And I’m supposed to keep rooting for her? Glee, you’re doing it all wrong. Evil or Very Mad

Singing ‘The Rose’ only for an audition, with no emotional meaning at all, and then even having someone point out that that song wasn’t required nor necessary,…that was a terrible waste.

You know you’re watching the Rachel Berry show (with a big splash of Blaine, but I’ll get to that later) when another character gets the chance to perform on Broadway for the first time, after a multiple episodes story arc about that, and that other character is not even shown on stage for 10 seconds, nor does it have any real impact in her life or on the musical she’s saving singlehandedly.
After Santana singing Rizzo at a last minute notice in Grease and now Fanny, her reputation for saving shows could probably bring her a succesful career as a swing on Broadway, right? Santana being able to succesfully perform as the lead character in a musical after not rehearsing for it in what… a year?... surely that is even more impressive than Rachel singing DROMP on the fly for a show choir competition in season 1? Not to take anything away from Rachel’s stellar performance back then, but when you compare the 2 and the way Glee handled them it really points out what this show has become now.
Come on Glee, was this really necessary? Rachel already had another understudy: if specificly Santana filling in for Rachel had no significance or consequence whatsoever in the show, why let her do it in the first place? Or was this another showcase of Rachel’s friends being so loyal to her they come to her resque and are willing to clean up after her even when she messes up herself for the umpteenth time, because she is just that special? Which only confirms that this is indeed the Rachel Berry show.

Mercedes apparantly also is very special, and in this episode is also feeling as entitled as Rachel, as she goes against her producer’s advice and hires Santana to sing a duet with her on her upcoming album. At least Mercedes was willing to share her success with Santana, and Santana quickly saw that Mercedes’ producer was right and didn't try to push the issue (but of course entitled brat #2 Mercedes went against that advice anyway), so I guess they get points for having 2 girls work together for a change.
But that producer (yay: sexy Warrick!) better put his foot down when she also suggests a duet with her beau Sam.

BTW: not that I’m complaining or anything, but Sam was completely missing from this episode, and so was Artie. With all the Rachel and Blaine/June overload I found myself actually wishing Artie and/or Sam would show up and randomly burst into song, just to break the dullness.

Since my thoughts on Blaine (and Kurt’s?) storyline are kinda elaborate and this post is long enough as it is already I’ll make a separate post about that.

Buenos 4/30/2014, 12:31 pm

sheny wrote:I hate June whatever her last name was. That old bitch was looking at Kurt the whole time she was talking about having an eye for extraordinary talent. What does she know about talent, her only real "talent" was marrying a rich man. She made it look like she wanted Kurt to accompany her and when he said yes she just turned to Blaine, it was like she did it on purpose to humiliate my poor baby.

The bitch kept on looking back between KUrt and Blaine so I can't blame Kurt for thinking she meant him, or both of them.

IN a way by making June an Ocotogenarian Tina/Sebastian it took some of the tension out but the poor KLainers can't even gush about her anymore. So sad for them. coool

Glorfindel 4/30/2014, 12:32 pm

So June Dolloway adores Blaine but doesn’t like Kurt: fine, it happens. That’s her loss and imo if she’s got such bad taste Kurt is better off without her. This storyline could have been quite interesting if :
1) Kurt actually would get a decent POV and be an essential part of the storyline instead of simply being Blaine’s prop and cheerleader, and…
2) I would have gotten an inkling as to why June hates Kurt so much that she not only refuses to further his career (and Blaine was a bit naive thinking he could ask to include Kurt in the showcase after she rejected Kurt so brutally, but he gets points for trying) but also strongly advices Blaine to break off his engagement with Kurt.
What? Why? quesako

Is it simply because she thinks Kurt is such an awful performer she doesn’t want Blaine to be even associated with him at all, including his private life? Is it because June wants to keep Blaine for herself and she fears Kurt stands in the way of that? And if so, is June’s interest in Blaine more than just being friends and having a young man hanging on her arm in her social circles?
Or is it because she doesn’t like the thought of Blaine being gay, either because she secretly wants to do him herself in her fantasies, or because she prefers him in the closet to better his career chances?

There was no real explanation presented in the show why June resented Kurt that much that she so rudely rejected him and thinks Blaine “settles’ when he stays with Kurt, and after the interviews she gave I got the impression that even Shirley MacLaine didn’t really know what her character’s intentions were here, as she got no directions for it.
Not really motivating June’s dislike of Kurt (which is imo more important even then her motivation for liking Blaine in this storyline) is a cop-out imo. The show practically tiptoed around the whole issue, maybe not wanting to touch either the ickiness of the dubious (romantic) interest of a 80 year old lady for a 19 year old, or June's possible reservations against out, and in Kurt’s case, ‘obvious’ gay men.
With the way it was told in the show all I can take away from this now is that June is a crazy old bat who makes unfounded and harsh, prejudiced decisions on a whim and who’s judgment (e.g. on who’s a star or not) I shouldn’t really take seriously. And with all the guest star and Blaine ass-kissing Glee loves to do I doubt that this was the show’s intent.

And Blaine… I don’t get why he felt he needed to lie to Kurt about there being a part for him on the showcase too?
Kurt never even expected or assumed that he would be part of the showcase. And although Kurt admitted he was a bit jealous he wasn’t resentful that Blaine got this opportunity, even when it was his well-earned chance to perform for her in the first place. Kurt put the blame of his exclusion and rejection solely on June, knowing very well she didn’t like him and only wanted Blaine (though God knows why). Heck, Kurt even thought that Blaine getting handed fancy diners and performances from June was Blaine “taking one for the team”! (WTF?) blinkk

(Oh Kurt, what have they done to your fighting spirit when it comes to your career ambitions? You’re only constantly propping up and saving your bf and bff’s careers while they don’t really do things to deserve your loyalty.)

There was absolutely no need for Blaine to lie to Kurt about being part of the showcase, as Kurt basically presented him an easy way out on a silver platter right on the spot! All Blaine had to do was say that it indeed sucks that June only wants Blaine, but hey: it’s a great career opportunity and who knows what will come out of it in the end, not only for him but for Kurt as well? He even could have told Kurt (the truth!) that he tried really hard to get him in the showcase too but June said no, the bitch.
I also would have fully understood Blaine keeping from Kurt that June wanted him to break off the engagement, as this would actually spare Kurt’s feelings, and it’s not something Blaine would take into consideration for even a second (and Glee better not prove me wrong on this in the next episode, as that would make Blaine look really, really bad).

Blaine getting something out of a career opportunity Kurt initially worked for wasn’t a problem, as Kurt didn’t resent Blaine for it and shrugged his own rejection off seemingly easy. June wanting to spend so much time with Blaine wasn’t a problem either, as Kurt was okay with that too (up to certain understandable limits). June telling Blaine that he was better off breaking the engagement off also wasn’t a problem, because she didn’t demand it from him nor threatened to stop supporting him if he didn’t do it. Kurt not being included in the showcase was not a problem either, as he obviously didn’t even think he should be.
So Blaine being in a tough spot now with his lie and it boiling down to him having to choose between career and love soon is solely his own fault because he himself made it a problem.

In this issue Kurt was behaving very maturely and honest, while I can only conclude that Blaine acted immaturely and even selfish in a twisted way, because leading Kurt on like that was a cowardly and selfish thing to do as Blaine didn’t even have the guts to possibly disappoint Kurt for a brief moment (though Kurt seemed fine with it already!), but it will now only hurt Kurt a lot more when he finds out the truth in the end after having built up all those expectations.
And this is coming on top of Blaine whining about and not being able to handle Kurt becoming stronger and more popular than him only 2 episodes ago. dryy

Will Blaine go so far as to actually have Kurt prepare a song with him for a few weeks and let him dress up for the showcase, when Blaine knows it’s not gonna happen while June’s still in charge, and will he do nothing to correct his mistake/lie till right in the middle of the showcase itself? (Come on, this is Glee: I’m 99% sure it’s gonna play out that way.)
Will Blaine even tell Kurt he wasn’t supposed to be in the showcase, or will Kurt never find out about that when at the very last moment Blaine chooses to sing with Kurt after all? And should I then be expected to let out an enormous sigh of relief, wipe a tear from my eye and applaud Blaine for not being a total ass in the end, although he probably was an ass to Kurt up untill 3 minutes before and June afterwards? :angry:

Buenos 4/30/2014, 12:40 pm

Ha, for once my prediction was on the money:

Update: The overnights were not misleading. FOX’s “Glee” indeed slipped to a new series low in the adults 18-49 demographic Tuesday.

Tuesday’s episode delivered a 0.8 adults 18-49 rating with just 2.35 million viewers. While the viewership count narrowly bested the 2.30 million mark delivered by the “City of Angels” episode on March 11, the demographic number is the lowest ever delivered by the show. The previous low, set by multiple season five installments, was a 0.9.

fantastica 4/30/2014, 12:49 pm

people in the demo group (such as yours truely, ha!) had better things to do than wasting time on something that's neither good nor makes any sense.

it will be sad however if this crap hurts Chris' episode - usually a bad episode ruins the next one as people tunes out completely the next time. regardless, I will definitely watch chris' episode. i will mark my calendar, set up an alarm and make sure there's absolutely nothing to distract me next tuesday.

brisallie 4/30/2014, 12:50 pm

As for Rachel arc, some people who were so happy she had her opening night last week, that her dream finally came true, now are disliking what's going on. It can be understood dreams can change sometimes, but she's been on Broadway for three weeks and is already bored? So she finally has reached her all life goal and now she thinks is not for her? I'm sorry, but as much as I try to understand he has ambitions, and possibly feel she needs more now, I think her ego goes up to her head and is not allowing her to make proper decisions.

There's something I read, yeah Rachel might be one of a kind, but sometimes what tv shows, producers, filmmakers prefer is someone who is commited to his job, who's responsible, who has passion to learn. I'm sure Rachel is someone who is driven by ambition and passion, and that something I used to like about her...but lately, I'm sorry but I don't see what are her motivations anymore, as I said previously, it seems her ego goes up to her head, and also the immediate fame she's getting, and who know maybe now she's dreaming about being a HW star, but how serious is that? For how long will she be eager to get that?

I want Chris episode to be watched by lot of people. A twitter campaign could help?

Buenos 4/30/2014, 1:21 pm

Unfortunately Brisalie it's too late, I'm sure Chris episode will get very low ratings, and TBH, I can't blame the GA for bailing on the show. They are not "addicted" like us...LOL.

The only thing left is to guess if FOX will give Glee only 13 episodes or a full 22 or 24 for Season 6. With these numbers, I'm thinking Glee may only get 13 more episodes.

Ranwing 4/30/2014, 1:25 pm

Aaannnnddd.... the rating slide continues. Last night The Back Up Plan got a grand total of.... wait for it.... 2.35 million views with 0.8 adults 18-49. Lowest of the season and now beats City of Angels for the worst ratings.

I wouldn't count on a full season next year. They'll be lucky to get half a season to wrap things up before FOX finally pulls the plug.

fantastica 4/30/2014, 1:26 pm

^ i am sure fox really want to cancel the show if they could. we don't know the detail of the contract. if glee will be given a full 22/24 episodes next season, it only means that this is absolutely spelled out on the contract, not something fox would have done if a new contract is to be drawn out NOW.

however i am absolutely certain that next season the time slot will be given the absolute worst in the whole week. maybe a friday night or something - a time where hardly anybody will be watching.

Jellyrolls 4/30/2014, 1:27 pm

fantastica wrote:people in the demo group (such as yours truely, ha!) had better things to do than wasting time on something that's neither good nor makes any sense.

it will be sad however if this crap hurts Chris' episode - usually a bad episode ruins the next one as people tunes out completely the next time. regardless, I will definitely watch chris' episode. i will mark my calendar, set up an alarm and make sure there's absolutely nothing to distract me next tuesday.

I'll be at Disney World when Chris' episode airs, and I've already arranged my schedule so that I'll be back in my room in time to watch it live.

fantastica 4/30/2014, 2:04 pm

^ good girl! Smile

Chris can count us loyal fans to be there for him. unfortunately most GA are gone, if not all gone, and chances are they won't come back because they won't even know it will be Chris' episode.

sheny 4/30/2014, 2:14 pm

I still don't understand why June had to give Kurt false hope when she wanted only Blaine from the start. She looked Kurt straight in the eyes when she said the $25,000... line like the invitation was directed at him and then she just crushed him.

5x18 "Back-Up Plan" Watch & Discussion thread - Page 4 Tumblr_n4ur3uQTkc1qfcrrfo1_250

5x18 "Back-Up Plan" Watch & Discussion thread - Page 4 Tumblr_n4ur3uQTkc1qfcrrfo4_250

Was that supposed to be funny? I know I'm probably overreacting but that moment seemed so cruel. I still can't get over it.

Ranwing 4/30/2014, 2:20 pm

It was cruel. There was absolutely no need for her to handle that this way. She should have made it clear that it was Blaine she was inviting and not let Kurt walk into the buzzsaw like that. But I got the feeling that she enjoys crushing people at least as much as she enjoys fostering those that she judges worthy.

My problem with June wasn't that she was cruel. I love Sue, Cassandra and Santana and they could give June lessons on how to emotionally decapitate a person. But she wasn't funny. She didn't have an OTT kind of personality that elevates the baneal cruelty into that black comedy territory that Glee used to excel at. I think about how Cassandra would get right in Rachel's face and tell her that she sucked and I'd chuckle. This just leaves me cold. And it's not because Kurt is the one on the recieving end of her rejection - I loved it when Sue would give it to Kurt with both barrels. It was that it wasn't funny. It was cold and dry and too serious to work.

fantastica 4/30/2014, 2:20 pm

intentionally misleading to play up the dramatic effect. dumn!

Glorfindel 4/30/2014, 2:31 pm

Jellyrolls wrote:
fantastica wrote:people in the demo group (such as yours truely, ha!) had better things to do than wasting time on something that's neither good nor makes any sense.

it will be sad however if this crap hurts Chris' episode - usually a bad episode ruins the next one as people tunes out completely the next time. regardless, I will definitely watch chris' episode. i will mark my calendar, set up an alarm and make sure there's absolutely nothing to distract me next tuesday.

I'll be at Disney World when Chris' episode airs, and I've already arranged my schedule so that I'll be back in my room in time to watch it live.

I think I'll stay up (the episode starts at 2 AM here), and live tweet to help the ratings. I'll just try to free my schedule the next morning to get some sleep.

And I will be buying the episode and all its songs on iTunes (I have an American iTunes account).

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

Blaine’s test feels so false as to be a dream, weightless, passing the time between real stories. I wonder if the producers even have the power to reject their shipper fanbase anymore. More power to them if they can actually make creative decisions for themselves, but it’s going to take some work to convince me that Blaine and Kurt are actually in danger as a couple. Not because they’re so obviously in love. Compare Kurt’s ebullient reaction to Blaine’s good news with Blaine’s reaction to Kurt’s at the beginning. “Oh my god, Kurt. That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you,” he says, looking like he just picked up the putrid scent of the sidewalk. But without Finn and Rachel, without Brittany as a regular and possibly Santana too, without Mr. Schu and Sue Sylvester and McKinley High, without even a reliable New York core, Kurt and Blaine are the last bastion of stability on Glee. Come to think of it, that’s practically an argument for why they will break up, isn’t it?

AVclub

brisallie 4/30/2014, 2:36 pm

Buenos wrote:Unfortunately Brisalie it's too late, I'm sure Chris episode will get very low ratings, and TBH, I can't blame the GA for bailing on the show. They are not "addicted" like us...LOL.

The only thing left is to guess if FOX will give Glee only 13 episodes or a full 22 or 24 for Season 6. With these numbers, I'm thinking Glee may only get 13 more episodes.

I see. I just had a moment of hope and thought that doing a campaign might had help. And I wish to be like those GA and not been an "addicted".

2 million viewers? That's what CW series has.

@sheny, all what I could say about June is that she's a socialite who I've no idea how she picks her 'pets', and I think she actually don't care for what other people feel, so probably that why she didn't have the consideration to explain straight forward the one she wanted in her event was Blaine and not Kurt. The boy was so hopeful and joyful, and all she said nastily was 'not you'.

YaoiChick 4/30/2014, 2:54 pm

Ranwing wrote:It was cruel. There was absolutely no need for her to handle that this way. She should have made it clear that it was Blaine she was inviting and not let Kurt walk into the buzzsaw like that. But I got the feeling that she enjoys crushing people at least as much as she enjoys fostering those that she judges worthy.

My problem with June wasn't that she was cruel. I love Sue, Cassandra and Santana and they could give June lessons on how to emotionally decapitate a person. But she wasn't funny. She didn't have an OTT kind of personality that elevates the baneal cruelty into that black comedy territory that Glee used to excel at. I think about how Cassandra would get right in Rachel's face and tell her that she sucked and I'd chuckle. This just leaves me cold. And it's not because Kurt is the one on the recieving end of her rejection - I loved it when Sue would give it to Kurt with both barrels. It was that it wasn't funny. It was cold and dry and too serious to work.

I also think in regards to Sue, Cassandra, and Santana is that the other person can fight back, insult them back if they choose to do so. Kurt couldn't do that with June since most likely it would ruin his carrer before it started. I think that, for me at least, knowing Kurt couldn't even defend himself considering he (and us) don't even know why she hates him is why watching scenes of her talking either to him or about him made me physically sick to my stomach.

valkeakuulas 4/30/2014, 2:57 pm

I did take the convo between this money hag (I refuse to call her anything else) and Kurt and Blaine was somewhat private because you see people starting to mingle. That doesn't mean the band didn't hear, or the people near them hearing it.

But I found her comments to Blaine about "I don't think the world needs to see that [Kurt]" was much more terrible because Maclaine delievered it with such distaine that it made my back shiver with rage.

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