Episode 'Glee' Season 2, Episode 22 - 'New York' Recap

The episode starts with some pretty snappy, snarky jokes, which is nice to hear again from the show. But then we're reminded how little sense "Glee" makes nowadays, as the kids are tasked with writing two original songs, which I guess they're going to learn and rehearse in the next 24 hours before the competition begins. That's a good idea.

While Will sneaks off to check out the theater that's housing "Crossrhodes," the kids leave their hotel room to find inspiration for their songs, which involves dancing around and singing a Madonna song.

Back at the hotel, the guys have a guy talk in which Puck and Sam tell Finn that he should totally ask Rachel out. So he does, by text. Classy.

Will, meanwhile, is in the theater performing a Matthew Morrison song (how postmodern!) and somehow has a spotlight. Guess one of the tech guys is hanging around. A random dude tell him he has talent.

Finn and Rachel go on a romantic New York date and meet Patti LuPone in the restaurant. The rest of the scene plays out in old-school "Glee" irony, as the guys are there to sing "Bella Notte" from "Lady and the Tramp" as Rachel turns her back on Finn before he can kiss her.

In fact, it looks like the episode will cover a lot of New York pop culture, as Kurt and Rachel have a "Breakfast at Tiffany's." That leads the frenemies to break into the theater that houses "Wicked" and sing a number together, as Glinda and Elphaba. Good thing that security guard was a jaded yet understanding one.

Cheyenne Jackson is back to be hilarious and have a conversation with Will about not telling his kids about his broadway career. But the kids already know. Will says he already had his moment on the stage...and doesn't seem to care that it was for an empty theater. So I guess he's sticking around.

Rachel and Sunshine have a bathroom meeting and make amends. I guess the theme of this episode is Rachel being nice to people that she usually hates. Sunshine then goes up and performs a better solo than even Rachel could do. Really, if this weren't a fictional show, any team that had her would win.

Rachel breaks Finn's heart backstage, which is probably a bad idea right before their duet, which is an impressively well-prepared original song for having been written only hours ago. They finish it off with an on-stage kiss that makes the whole audience disappear, then reappear in stunned silence. I guess kissing is generally frowned upon in show choir competitions.

"Light Up the World," the other original song, is a straight-up Katy Perry knock-off, but apparently catchy enough to get the entire audience standing and clapping to a song they've never heard before. Another impressive song for having been written less than a day ago.

The results are up, and Vocal Adrenaline is in for sure. The group walks in slow motion over to the posted results, only to find that they're not even in the top ten. Were we just blueballed again by "Glee"? Are we going to have to wait until the end of season three to see these guys win anything?

Kurt recounts the rest of the trip to Blaine, just because they needed to fit Darren Criss into the episode. He drops the L-word on Kurt, and we get another big reveal...Sam and Mercedes are dating! Santana and Brittany also patch things up too.

Finn is feeling bad about costing the group the championship by kissing Rachel, but they both decide it was worth it. Looks like season three will start with the two together again. Everybody's real proud of their 12th place finish.

I suppose it's a fitting end to the season. Having the group win Nationals now would have put a big fat bow on things, and there would be nothing left to aim for in the final season. It might seem like this was a real letdown as endings go, but you have to remember: This is "Glee." It's about the loveable loser.

Even if that means having a shoddy ending.

Song List:

"I Love New York" - Madonna

"Bella Notte" - "Lady and the Tramp"

"Still Got Tonight" - Matthew Morrison

"My Cup" - Original

"For Good" - "Wicked"

"Yeah" - Usher feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris

"As Long As You're There" - Original

"Pretending" - Original

"Light Up the World" - Original