The Gleek Critique: "The Purple Piano Project" Episode

Rachel singing the intro to "You Can't Stop the Beat," image property of Fox.

I started my day with a text from my friend Rebecca saying, "Happy Glee Day!"

Yes, that's how excited we gleeks are about the start of Season Three!  Don't judge.

So Mr. Schuester is trying to motivate the glee club after their loss at Nationals last year, so he's come up with a crazy scheme to let their inner musician shine through!  Purple pianos are placed sporadically around the school, and every time they pass one they are supposed to break into song!  Crazy, right?  And Mr. Schuester is naive enough to think that this will recruit people...

However, instead of turning kids on to music, it's turned them off.  In fact, the purple pianos have motivated Sue Sylvester to run for political office with a personal vendetta against the arts in schools.  Mr. Schuester is appalled of course, and it seems like those two will be at odds forever, even despite last year's emotional truce at Sue's mother's funeral.  Sue is just evil, I guess.  So evil that she's roped Santana back in to the dark side.  She and the other Cheerios torched one of the pianos and Mr. Schue had to kick her latina butt out of glee.

Meanwhile Rachel and Kurt go to meet up with some other kids who love musical theater, and lo and behold, there are other talented people in the world!  They start feeling like they are simply big fish in small ponds and that perhaps they aren't good enough to ever make it on Broadway.  And they aren't the only ones unsure about their futures.  Finn has no idea what he wants to do, and Quinn suddenly thinks she's a rebel.

But at least they have Blaine now!  Yes, folks, he has left Dalton and joined McKinley High!

The Pros:

• "I have pepperoni in my bra."  "Those are your nipples."  Ha ha ha!  Sorry, but that was just funny.
• Will's Superman lunchbox.  Love it!  And it's adorable how Emma packs it for him, while he's making lunch for her.
• I'm happy that Kurt and Rachel are friends now.  I feel like last season they hated each other then loved each other at random, but their touching scene together this episode makes it seem like their friendship is real!  No wonder Ms. Pilsbury handed them a "Me and My Hag" pamphlet...
• Great songs!  The mash-up of the Broadway classics "Anything Goes" and "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" was phenomenal!  Loved that girl's voice (even if her face was kinda creepy).  I also really enjoyed "Ding Dong The Witch is Dead" and "You Can't Stop the Beat" featuring lots of Rachel Berry!
• I'm happy that Blaine is at McKinley now!  That means I can see more of him.  And was "Unusual" great or what?  Loved it!
• Quinn's Ryan Seacrest tattoo.  It's so weird that it's awesome.
• Mercedes has a boyfriend! Yay!
• All in all, I'm feeling positive about Season Three!

The Cons:

• Quinn suddenly being a "bad girl" with pink hair, tattoos and a smoking problem just seemed a bit... sudden.  And unbelievable.
• Santana needs to pick a side already!
• I'm getting SO TIRED of the school not recognizing that the glee kids are talented and awesome!  Seriously?  You're going to throw food at them?
• Sugar's singing voice!!  AAAH!  So awful!  I'm also unsure whether or not I'm going to like this character.