Gleecap: Mashup!

Ok kids, we have a lot to cover here. Sue Sylvester in love? Rachel and Puck making out?! The Thong Song?! Really???

Mashup was all about in-congruency. This was summed up best by adorable Emma when she told Will that the two wedding songs Will was trying to mashup would never ever go together even though they are "both great songs." This was a not so veiled allusion to her doomed engagement and Emma and Will made googly eyes at each other while they processed the weight of that statement.

In Glee-kid land, the tables were turned as well. McKinley High's self-proclaimed "It" couple were welcomed to the "new world order" with a slushie facial courtesy of hockey player Karofsky signaling their descent into unpopularity. Desperate to regain their status, they turn to the world's most prim guidance counselor for advice resulting in the pair wearing sunglasses for the rest of the episode in an attempt to look cool. Turns out, the popular kids don't care about their sunglasses. They outcast Quinn and Finn for their association with Glee and Quinn's unplanned pregnancy. Will popularity and Glee ever go together? Not quite yet it seems.

Ken spots Emma and Will in a tangled embrace after Will's spirited performance of the "Thong Song". (What exactly was he doing there? Wasn't he supposed to be teaching her how to dance? Oh, I love the contrived situations they create to show off Matt Morrisson's dance skills. Priceless.) Ken gets back at Mr. Schue by scheduling a mandatory football practice during Glee rehearsal. That's cold Ken! All of the Glee footballers choose Glee except *shocker!*, our hero Finn. He just can't handle being uncool. Ultimately, he gets Ken to relent by performing his own version of the "I have a dream..." speech. Finn has a dream that someday he will live in a world where a guy can play football and sing and dance too. For now, he does.

My favorite sub-plot of this episode is a stone cold tie between Sue Sylvester in love with a slimy news anchor and Rachel and Puck's way too brief romance. Sue catches the eye of the Ron Burgundy wannabe while delivering her segment. And who wouldn't want to be with this woman after she defends gay marriage by saying "I, for one, think intimacy has no place in a marriage. Walked in on my parents once and it was like seeing two walruses wrestling." Sue's love affair resulted in a positive chipper Sue and the best lindy hop between rivals I've ever seen. When Sue and Mr. Schue aren't at each other's throats, they make a great dance team! Inevitably, Sue returns to her old ways with renewed vigor after having her heart broken which is fine by me because her dialogue is gold. Rachel and Puck hook up thanks to a dream Puck had where Rachel appears to him in a white dress and a star of David necklace. They bond over their Jewish heritage and raging hormones. Rachel is still stuck on Finn and tells Puck she can't be with him because he doesn't have the guts to sing a solo. Well, he shows her and comes in the next day with a pitch perfect version of "Sweet Caroline" on the guitar complete with brass instruments. Rachel and Quinn both swoon and Finn is miffed. I just wish the writers would have played this plot out instead of nipping it in the bud in this episode. Who cares if they are hung up on other people? Make them jealous and fall in love! That's how teen romance works!

Other wonderful moments that didn't make the cut:

• Kurt's sacrifice for Finn! "Get me to a day spa STAT!"
• Sue's zoot suit!
• Emma's first solo with "I could have danced all night"!

What did you think of this episode? Are you looking forward to a Rachel/Puck duet as much as I am? Was the "Thong Song" as messed up as I thought? When are the pregnancy reveals finally going to happen?! And how are you going to live for the next couple of weeks with no Glee? I want a full report. In the meantime, enjoy this clip of "Sweet Caroline"!