I have Rachel thoughts … (spoilers galore for the episode, and skip the first footnote if you don’t want to read a very vague possible spoiler for the future)
I, for one, was surprised Rachel hadn’t already quit NYADA. Or figured out some way to get class credit for being in a Broadway show. Independent study? Something?
But then I started thinking about it, and why wouldn’t she stay in school and do her show? Or, more to the point, why wouldn’t it occur to her that doing both might be beyond her abilities: Kurt’s working at the diner and (last we knew) still interning at Vogue.com, and starting a band, and going to NYADA (and if “I’m Still Here” is any indication, he’s doing pretty damn well there). There’s also Blaine, who can do basically anything he casts his eye upon;[1] the people around her that she most identifies with are massive multitaskers.
What she doesn’t see is that Blaine manages his time down to the second, and that Kurt can tunnel-vision his way through any task, and maybe she’s, you know, not them. A Broadway show and a school like NYADA both demand excellence. If you say you’re going to do both, you’re going to have to do them both extremely well. Because your producer and your professor/advisor will give you a little leeway, but only if you’re perfect … or close to. They don’t care about each other because they don’t have to. It’s your problem, not theirs.
And so Rachel is apparently the sort of person who can’t manage both things. And she’s not an out of the box thinker like Kurt.[2] It’s okay to not be as … ahem … control-oriented as other people are, though. And it is Broadway, after all. Broadway wins over college, yes.
That said, while I can see leaving, I think the burning-bridges way she did it is going to be a problem later on. (My current theory for Rachel’s storyline is that Funny Girl is going to tank. Or it’ll do okay, but she’s going to get horrible reviews. I could be wrong, but I’m just not sure where her serious conflict is going to come from, otherwise.) Because Carmen’s got a very good point–she has no foundation. Rachel has her dream role because she’s perfect for this part. She’s been preparing to be Fanny Brice forever. But NYADA can teach her how to be perfect for other parts. Native talent is a good thing, but training will get you further with it.
Who knows, though; it’s Glee. :)
I still like Sam and Mercedes, though I felt like … I like how their story played out this week, I think it was saying interesting things about race and general cluelessness, there were times where it did so very awkwardly.
And Kurt. Oh, wow. Do not underestimate the anger in Kurt Hummel. I said last week to the Lovely Husband, Kurt is their Willow: if he’s hurt or captured by vampires, the group will rally around no matter what else is going on. But Kurt’s got more in common with veiny-Willow than overalls-Willow than people might expect.
And Blaine broke my heart. “Not While I’m Around” was a lovely choice, I thought, because nobody gets protected in Sweeney Todd. It’s Toby’s song, and Toby is that show’s tragedy, and just … ow.
And, finally, my huge and ridiculous crush on Burt Hummel continues apace, matching my huge and ridiculous crush on Keith Mars in every respect.
1[back] Although that may be coming to a quick end, apparently?
2[back] Who I’m willing to bet would be all about asking for his Broadway debut to be an independent study; he’d come to the meeting with Carmen armed with a proposal, essay ideas, and a color-coded spreadsheet Blaine made for him that includes possible due dates and his rehearsal schedule.
Laura E. Price 