TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “Mash Up”

By CARL CORTEZ / Contributing Editor

Posted: November 16th, 2011 / 09:24 AM

Naya Rivera in GLEE - Season 3 - "Mash Up" | ©2011 Fox/Adam Rose

Stars: Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Ushkowitz
Writer: Michael Hitchcock
Director: Eric Stoltz
Network: Fox, airs Tuesday nights
Original Telecast: November 15, 2011

GLEE manages to stay on course with its latest episode “Mash Up” and by on course, I mean, not following up last week’s pretty good episode “The First Time” with a total suck-fest.

“Mash Up” is anything but, even if the episode is a bit wobbly at times.

The focus of the episode are political campaigns, both off-campus with Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) vs. Burt Hummel (Mike O’Malley) and on campus between Rachel (Lea Michele), Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Brittany (Heather Morris).

Smear campaigns are a big part of things, as well as the first annual “Mash Off” where Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Ms. Corcoran (Idina Menzel) decide to pit both of their groups in a friendly little competition.

The competitive nature gets really vicious with Santana (Naya Rivera) who is on a verbal rampage against everyone (there’s also a pretty evil dodgeball game too), but then is inadvertently outed by Finn (Cory Monteith).

Meanwhile, Puck reveals to Ms. Corcoran, what Quinn (Dianna Agron) was up to by setting her up with child protective services. This comes to a head by episode’s end where Quinn gets a mouthful (yes, it’s about time Quinn was put in her place – again).

The song choices are pretty uneventful. I did like Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” early on, and the Mr. Schue/Ms. Corcoran mash-up of the two different versions of “You and I” (Lady Gaga and Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle) was also quite good.

I guess the best that can be said is that GLEE finally feels much more focused than it did last year. The stories aren’t as preposterous and there seems to be a nice divvying up of storylines for all the principal characters.

That said, “Mash Up” does feel a bit like filler. It has some good scenes, some okay songs, but aside from Santana getting outed, the rest of the episode feels a bit dull.

I still feel like the show has separated us from liking most of the characters by their dumb actions over the last two seasons, and so really feeling invested in anyone is getting harder and harder to do. Even when Santana is outed, you still don’t feel much because as a character she’s been so ugly to all those around her most of the year (she’s become the teen equivalent of Sue Sylvester). There was still some sympathy for her when she sang “Songbird” last season to Brittany, but like Quinn’s antics this year and Rachel’s egomaniacal aspirations, it’s all starting to wear me down and bore me to tears.

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Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “The First Time”

Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “Mash Up”
Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “Pot O’Gold”

Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “Asian F”

Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 – “I Am Unicorn”

Click on Link: TV Review: GLEE – Season 3 premiere – “The Purple Piano Project”

Click on Link: 10 Songs (or Themes) We’d Like to See GLEE tackle in Season 3

Click on Link: Exclusive Interview with GLEE and GLEE PROJECT executive producer Dante Di Loreto

Click on Link: Exclusive Interview with GLEE and GLEE PROJECT choreographer Zach Woodlee

Click on link: The Scoop on AMERICAN HORROR STORY

Click on the link: AX’s look at THE PROBLEM WITH GLEE – AND IT’S REAL “AGENDA”

Click on the link: AX’s exclusive interview with KEVIN McHALE
Click on the link:AX’s exclusive interview with HEATHER MORRIS