No more tears!
Blaine's older brother Cooper Anderson (Matt Bomer), a Hollywood commercials actor, comes to Lima for a visit, and while in town gives an acting masterclass to New Directions. Quinn returns to school in a wheelchair, but hopes to regain the use of her legs. When the members of the glee club do a "senior ditch day" at Six Flags, she and Artie go instead to a skate park for some wheelchair excitement. Quinn recruits Joe Hart to join New Directions.
Next Time: Well you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man, no time to talk.
Songs:
- "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John, performed by Quinn and Artie
- "Hungry Like The Wolf/Rio" by Duran Duran, performed by Blaine and Cooper
- "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera, performed by Blaine
- "Up Up Up" by Givers, performed by Quinn and Artie
- "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye feat. Kimbra, performed by Blaine and Cooper
Tropes:
- Disabled Snarker:Artie: Push! Puuussshhh!Quinn: That sounds familiar.Artie: See, it's just like giving birth!Quinn: (laughing) You wouldn't know! Ha!
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The duet of Blaine and Cooper starts innocuous enough, with Cooper gradually understanding that it's Blaine ranting about him. The extent of the hurt he inflicted, hits him like a brick in the second verse-“Now and then, I think of all the times you screwed me over, but had me believing it was always something that I’d done”
- cue immediate tearful apology by way of the chorus.
- Enlightened Self-Interest: Sue coaching the glee club is because she wants her baby to soak up optimism, and because if she can get them to win she can have the Cheerios! back.
- Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Quinn's attitude to her temporary paralysis.
- The Reveal: Quinn's alive!
- Shout-Out: Blaine's brother is Cooper Anderson, named for Anderson Cooper.
- The Cover Changes the Meaning: Givers' "Up Up Up" is a great song, and it's pretty much about growing up and going into the world. In the episode, Artie and Quinn's version doesn't really have a meaning to speak of besides it's a fun song and the roller coaster they can't ride is going up, up, up. Significantly, also, the song is the only time on the show that a lyric has been unnecessarily changed (i.e. not to remove unsanitary language or swap pronouns): the original had the lines "got to get yourself aligned/fix your spine", but Artie changes it to "mind".
For obvious reasons, which also shows that beyond the musical performance the actual characters and their reality are acknowledged - Artie would be sensitive enough to not sing that to Quinn, which is taken into consideration by the people making the show. - Wheelchair Woobie
