Line #26 Recap/GleeS3E6MashOff


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/picture_10.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''"[[WhamLine Hey, Santana, why don't you come out of the closet?]]"'']]
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4	This week on Glee--the single most controversial episode in the show, and the moral low point for two characters.
5	We open with an internal monologue from Puck, revealing that he's fallen in love with Shelby, and we see him catching her eye as she walks past, before he runs through the school, and throws a kid away from his locker, just so he can catch Shelby's eye again--to her amusement. Cue the Van Halen, as Puck--accompanied by Mike, Blaine and Finn on the drums--sings about his feelings for Shelby (although he denies it when asked, stating he just 'really likes Van Halen'). We hit the title card, before seeing a quite ridiculous political ad, wherein Sue claims (amongst other things) that Burt Hummel has a baboon heart. Kurt, understandably is quite upset and confronts her about it, and she tells him that it's impossible to get ahead in politics without smearing the opponents. Kurt refuses to believe it, and tells her that he plans to win the student council election without doing so.
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7	In the staff room, Will and Shelby discuss the rivalries between the New Directions and Troubletones, and note that because they're competing in the same sectionals--one team will likely win, and the other won't, which will only worsen the conflicts, and they decide that the best thing to do is to encourage some friendly competition, namely the OnceASeason mash-up competition. The rival show choirs meet in the auditorium, and already tempers begin to flare, especially among the Troubletones, who believe that this is a ploy to get them to rejoin. Finn asks Santana particularly--as always the ringleader--if they can keep the competition civil, to which she responds by making an unflattering comparison to a whale. Will and Shelby appear, and after performing a heavenly Lady Gaga/Eddie Rabbitt mashup, introduce the idea of a mash-off competition, an idea that is met with general excitement from both teams.
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9	Cut to Shelby's classroom, where Puck presents her with a pumpkin (they were out of apples in the cafeteria), and propositions her, stating that because she's not technically his teacher, he's 18, and Beth needs a dad--not to mention the fact that they're both hot, they should get together. Shelby rejects him, but does reluctantly admit that she needs his help around the house. Meanwhile, in the choir room, the New Directions brainstorm what they should do for the mash-up competition, to which Finn suggests Hall and Oates, and that Rory gets a solo. Blaine backs him up, and after a little reluctance from Rory, all agree. In the corridor, Quinn grills Puck about not trying hard enough to get Beth back, while Rory and Finn discuss Santana's trash talk, Finn stating that she's just trying to get them off their game. Santana herself appears, and after Finn and Rory make some rather pathetic jabs at her, she and Finn decide on a dodgeball match afterschool, to settle this once and for all.
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11	We go to the auditorium, where Rachel asks Shelby to sign her NYADA application, and Shelby acknowledges that with Rachel's incredible track record of extracurriculars and credentials, she stands a good shot of getting in, and Rachel invites Shelby to her first Broadway performance, and encourages her to apply herself. This heartwarming mother and daughter moment ends as we go to the gym, where ND prepare to face off in the deadliest sport known to mankind--dodgeball. Apparently dodgeball doesn't exist in Ireland, as an apprehensive Rory questions what the rules are, to which Puck responds 'Don't Die'. The game begins--along with yet another mashup--and it's clear the Troubletones have the upper hand as they get each member out. All of this would be fine if they just took their victory, but Santana isn't done yet--as an unsuspecting Rory, assuming the game is over, wanders onto the court and is pelted with dodgeballs until he's bleeding and Kurt--for whom bullying is ''always'' a sore spot--calls to the Troubletones to knock it off. Santana is unfazed, but Mercedes's face suggests she thinks this is going a bit far.
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13	As the Troubletones rehearse their Adele mashup, Mercedes asks Santana as group leader (decided then and there by group consensus) to lay off the bullying, a sentiment echoed by Shelby. Santana reluctantly promises to apologise. We cut to the corridor as Santana approaches Finn and Rory, prepared to apologise. However, when she opens her mouth, it turns out to be a BackhandedApology of ''epic proportion'' during which she makes a variety of cracks about his weight, his comparative mediocrity next to Rachel, his singing and dancing abilities, his sexual performance, the fact that he'd likely be riding Rachel's coattails the rest of his life and his weight again. Finn, clearly reaching his limit, asks the one question intending to hit Santana where it hurt: [[WhamLine Hey Santana--why don't you come out of the closet?]]. He proceeds to theorise that the only reason she's such a bully is that she's too scared to come out. Finn, not being the brightest, doesn't consider the implications of having this conversation in a crowded hallway, and Santana, for once, is unable to come up with a response.
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15	We cut to another of Sue's ridiculous political ads, where she stipulates that Burt is married to a donkey, thus rendering him unfit for public service. This angers Burt, but Will reassures him that he is the people's candidate. Meanwhile, Puck is over at Shelby's, where he's supposedly helping her construct a cradle, but in reality is using it as more of an excuse to babysit Beth, and he confesses Quinn's scheming. Back in the [=McKinley=] auditorium, the New Directions perform their high-energy Hall and Oates mashup, before we go to the gym, where speeches for student council elections are beginning. Naturally, Kurt is the only campaigner with an actual platform (Brittany only pledging to ban tornadoes at McKinley and pledging to go topless on Tuesdays), and he promises to ban dodgeball as the first step to a zero-tolerance bullying policy. Rachel, in a surprising show of selflessness from her, withdraws from the election and requests that all votes go to Kurt. Kurt thanks her afterwards, and asks her why she did it, to which she replies that she can't imagine New York without him. Quinn, meanwhile, goes to visit Beth, but instead gets a very much earned TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from Shelby, who tells her how selfish she is for trying to take her baby away from a mother who loves her, and tells her that parenthood is entirely about self-sacrifice.
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17	The next day at school, Brittany tries to tell Santana that she should probably back off of Finn, to which Santana replies that 'manatees have thick skin', the hallway confrontation seeming to have little consequence. However, the opposite is quickly proved when Becky summons Santana to Sue's office, where Sue--for once in her life taking responsibility for her actions--apologises for starting the congressional campaign off on the wrong foot--namely by smearing Burt--which confuses Santana, until Burt shows her an advance tape of an ad run by a third opponent, Reggie 'The Sauce' Salazar. The ad accuses Sue of not standing for family values like she claims to, namely by promoting a lesbian--Santana--to head cheerleader. You see, Salazar has a niece at [=McKinley=], who happened to overhear the conversation between Santana and Finn, and told her uncle. Santana tearfully chokes out that she hasn't even told her parents, before sprinting off, as the sound of the Troubletone's Adele mashup fades in, and we see them onstage, Mercedes and Brittany looking on in concern as Santana's face clearly spells out her pain and turmoil. This all comes to a head as she sees Finn lean over to whisper something to Rachel, and the episode ends with a tearful Santana telling Finn that now ''everyone'' will know, and slapping him across the face.
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19	!!Songs performed:
20	* "Hot For Teacher" by Music/VanHalen, performed by Puck and the boys
21	* "Yoü and I/You and I" by Music/LadyGaga / Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle, performed by Shelby and Will
22	* "Hit Me With Your Best Shot/One Way or Another" by Music/PatBenatar / Music/{{Blondie\|Band}}, performed by Santana and Finn with the Troubletones and New Directions
23	* "I Can't Go For That/You Make My Dreams" by Hall and Oates, performed by Quinn and Finn with New Directions
24	* "Rumour Has It/Someone Like You" by Music/{{Adele}}, performed by Santana and Mercedes with the Troubletones
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26	!!Tropes include:
27	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: 'Hey Santana--why don't you come out of the closet?'
28	* ContrivedCoincidence: That all the people running for Senate have relatives at [=McKinley=], and that the girl decided to tell her uncle about Santana.
29	* EnforcedMethodActing: Only the director knew that Santana was going to slap Finn before it happened - really, he mouthed it to Creator/NayaRivera during the filming. After the first take, Creator/CoryMonteith told Naya that for the re-takes she should continue actually slapping him, rather than use a stage-slap.
30	* ForcedOutOfTheCloset: Santana by Finn, and then on TV by Salazar.
31	* ForgivenButNotForgotten: Upon Finn's death, fans found ways to forgive him. Mostly this was reasoning that Santana forgave him, and after the event was out and proud and didn't care who knew, as well as providing the viewership with Brittana (albeit mostly in the background).
32	* {{Jerkass}}: Finn outing Santana. Also, Santana herself, for her treatment of Rory.
33	* [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown Dodgeball Them While They Are Down]]: Santana deliberately takes things too far and injures Rory. At the sight of his blood, everybody except Santana feels as though they took it too far. Santana just laughs.
34	* WhamLine: "Hey, Santana, why don't you come out of the closet?"
35	* [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief Unwilling Suspension of Disbelief]]: Have we noted how implausible some elements of pretty much every plot line in the episode seem?

Context Recap / GleeS3E6MashOff