Glee "Grilled Cheesus"

This week’s Glee more than makes up for last week’s lack of story. The theme this week is spirituality, and in true Glee style it’s explored in manner both serious (Atheist Kurt dealing with his father’s heart attack and the aftermath) and tongue-in-cheek (Finn inadvertently toasting himself a “grilled Cheesus” and later asking it for some alone time with Rachel’s boobs).

Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel (Puck). Mark Salling’s got a lot of presence in this performance. I wish he had more solos.

I Look to You – Whitney Houston (Mercedes with Tina & Quinn). Another supporting player gets a solo! And it’s a Whitney song too—how great to finally have one. And from Amber Riley—how perfect. Shame they cut the song really short.

Papa, Can You Hear Me? (From “Yentl”). Barbra Streisand (Rachel). Lea Michele always nails the showtunes and it’s nice to hear her really do one right. It’s not as good as her last Barbra song—the utterly awesome “Don’t Rain on My Parade”—but it’s pretty decent.

I Want to Hold Your Hand – Beatles (Kurt). Chris Colfer turns an upbeat ‘60s classic into a strings-backed ballad about the love between father and son. Glee is often at its best when it reinterprets songs in new ways and this doesn’t disappoint. Great performance from Colfer too. The video montage includes scenes of Kurt as a child, and the child actor was really well cast.

Losing My Religion - R.E.M. (Finn). Cory Monteith is great as Finn, but he's just not a great singer. He goes for it here, but doesn't quite nail it.

Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel (Mercedes and her church choir). Second big number for Riley this week is set in Mercedes' church, when she convinces Kurt to come with her for some spiritual healing. I'm not a big fan of this song, and the gospel rendition, while well done, doesn't really do it for me.

One of Us - Joan Osborne (New Directions). The full cast comes together for a nice rendition of this song.