Glee Recap

With a title like "Naked," I was expecting this week's Glee to be a lot more racy. While we do get to see some spectacular pecs (lookin' at you, Sam), the episode's theme also refers to emotional vulnerability. Marley loves Jake but is afraid to tell him, Artie is ashamed of his body, and while Sam isn't ashamed of his body at all, he is terrified that it's all he's got. Yes, it's a very special episode of Glee, and one of the cheesiest I've seen in a long time.

The Warblers have been disqualified from sectionals ('roid rage), and New Directions is clear to take their place. To help raise money, Tina suggests a Men of McKinley calendar, prompting the boys to try on a variety of sexy, seasonal costumes. Meanwhile, Rachel's having a crisis of conscience when a peer asks her to go topless for a student film. Let's break down the highlights and listen to a playlist of tracks from the episode after the jump.

Welcome back, Glee fans! After a long, long hiatus, McKinley High and NYADA are back in session. With the prom looming, Tina motions to hold the first annual Sadie Hawkins dance so the boys can find out how it feels to sit around the telephone and wait for someone to call. This, predictably, causes extreme anxiety and a high-stakes singing challenge. Over in the Big Apple, Kurt is thinking about joining the Adam's Apples — that is, the choir club at school.

This episode has a little less Finn than I would have liked, but we get plenty of Sam, his luscious lips, and his crazy conspiracy theories — one of which looks like it might be the glee club's ticket back into Sectionals. We even get a particularly creative version of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back." Get a playlist of music from the episode and read over the highlights from "Sadie Hawkins" when you read more.

Call it throwback Thursday, because this week's very special holiday Glee episode gives us a blast from the past as Artie pulls an It's a Wonderful Life and dreams that he can walk. A couple of characters we haven't seen in a while show up, some bearing fake babies, and we see what a miserable place McKinley High is sans song and dance. Meanwhile, back in reality, Kurt's dad comes to New York for a quick visit and brings along a Blaine-sized surprise. Sam and Brittany believe the apocalypse is imminent and make some rash decisions — well, almost — and the Puckermans get some quality time together.

Ever since checking out all the behind-the-scenes pictures of "Glee, Actually," I've been really excited about this episode. Though the stories feel a little disjointed to me, it's undeniably festive. Get my take on all the highlights from the episode and a playlist of the holiday tunes after the jump.

Oh, holy night, indeed! This week's Glee brings a host of developments: Rachel gives the performance that will define her career at NYADA, Kurt gets a chance to fight for his place alongside her at the school of his dreams, and the glee club hits a rough patch in the wake of Marley's meltdown on stage at Sectionals. Big bad Sue is back in her original form, taking over the club's room and forcing all the glee clubbers to find new extracurricular activities. I haven't even gotten into the budding blond romance among our McKinley High students! (I'll give you a hint: it involves a Cheerio and a gentleman who keeps a ChapStick caddy in his locker.)

Though "Swan Song" is a little light on tracks, the ones it does feature are inspired choices. We even get a hint at the upcoming holiday episode with a spirited rendition of "O Holy Night" from Rachel. So joyous are this week's moments, so goose-bump-inducing the episode's tunes, I may have actually shed a tear. Let's go over the highlights and check out a playlist with all the songs from the episode (minus "Something Stupid" by Frank & Nancy Sinatra, as it's not available on Spotify) after the jump.

I feel like the season just started, and already it's time for sectionals on Glee! The old crew is back in town and hitting up Breadsticks for the holidays. They're also just in time to lend Finn a hand mentoring his students (thank goodness, too; can you imagine Finn trying to teach choreography?). While the new class is consumed with learning the moves to "Gangnam Style," Kurt and Rachel make an oath to have the best Thanksgiving ever, but they get more than they bargain for when Kurt invites Isabelle over for dinner and she takes the liberty of inviting a large handful of friends.

Marley is still struggling with her newfound eating disorder, and its effects become apparent in a major way that puts the Glee Club's reputation in jeopardy. Jake (aka Lil Puck) and Ryder are still vying for her attention, but she's a little too busy getting the spins from food deprivation to notice. I've put together a handy playlist of all the songs from this week's episode and am recounting the highlights of "Thanksgiving" when you read more.

Were you looking forward to a Thanksgiving episode of Glee? You'll have to wait until next week, because this week's episode is all about caped crusaders. We get to meet members of McKinley High's Secret Society of Superheroes, including such characters as Sweet and Spicy, Tarantula Man, Asian Persuasion, and The Human Brain. Sound weird? It kind of is. "Dynamic Duets" has lots of action, but not necessarily the kind I like to see in Glee. The whole superhero hook is a bit of a miss for me, with the exception of the Pucker-Man (who can save me from a burning building anytime). The episode is completely Ohio-centric, so no updates from Kurt and Rachel in New York City, but I imagine they're watching a Streisand flick and lamenting last week's epic fail of a trip.

Blaine is (temporarily) lured back to Dalton Academy by the evil Warblers, Finn gets decked out in plaid to teach the glee club, and we get to hear Sam's Bane voice. Find out what else went down on Glee this week and get a Spotify playlist of all the episode's songs when you read more.

If you were watching this week's episode of Glee and thinking to yourself, "Hey, this feels familiar," you're right. "Glease" is the word, and it isn't the first time the kids of McKinley High have paid tribute to the classic musical. We were reminded of this during "You're the One that I Want," a traditionally upbeat number that becomes pretty bittersweet as we flashback to season one when it was Rachel and Finn singing to each other as Sandy and Danny. It's really hard to get used to these new kids when the ghosts of New Directions past keep haunting the halls. Luckily, it sounds like Rachel and Kurt are staying out of Ohio for good following a disastrous trip to the old stomping grounds.

Also in this episode: Kitty plants some major self-doubt in Marley, Ryder plants a big one on Marley, and everyone

Can you hear it? That faint harmonizing? That's the sound of Glee's evolution. Torches are being passed, roles are being cast and redefined, and fresh blood is taking over McKinley's stage. This week's episode ends Glee's long hiatus, and everyone is feeling the sting of change, especially Blaine, who's experiencing his first epic heartbreak after ending his relationship with Kurt. But enough sadness. There's a musical to cast! Now that the New Directions' first class has moved on, the club has to find some new peeps to put on the best rendition of Grease ever! Good thing they'll be under some experienced tutelage.

That's right, not only is Finn returning to his old stomping grounds, but also, he and Artie have recruited some old friends to assist with the audition process. Though some familiar faces returned, this week's episode really belongs to the new kids on the block. Jake and Marley's flirtation hits a speed bump, and it's not just Kitty. Let's break it down and listen to all the songs from the episode after the jump.

There aren't very many gleeful moments on Glee this week, but there are a lot of sorrowful ones. Last week's cliffhanger put Finn at Rachel's doorstep in New York, and we find out that he's been discharged from the Army already. As he struggles to find his place in Rachel's new life, a depressed Blaine also pops by Chez Bushwick say hello to Kurt (am I the only one who realizes how far away Ohio is from New York City?). Neither of these unexpected visits ends well. Meanwhile, Santana and Brittany are going through growing pains, and Mr. Schue and Emma are at a relationship crossroads as well.

This episode, in one heart-wrenching, fell swoop, perfectly encapsulates the pains of moving on after high school. It's like the first Thanksgiving when everyone comes back home but things just aren't the same. Based on the previews, I anticipated that the end was near for Rachel and Finn, but I didn't think everyone's relationships were going to shatter into a million tiny pieces. My heart hurts. Let's talk about it after the jump.

Just when you let your guard down and start thinking, "Hey, aside from all that spontaneous music-making, Glee's a pretty realistic show," episodes like this week's take a sharp turn into Fantasyland territory. Sure, it's business as usual at McKinley High, but over in New York, Kurt is living the dream. He snags a dream internship at Vogue working for editor Isabelle Wright (guest star Sarah Jessica Parker) and manages to provide Rachel with a once-in-a-lifetime makeover. Let's go ahead and pick apart this implausible episode one insane occurrence at a time.

Reigning student body President Brittany S. Pierce isn't about to turn over her power just yet, so she again recruits Artie to run with her. Blaine throws a wrench in her plan when he, too, decides to run. Can you feel the tension? I can. Let's review all the episode's highlights when you read more