'Glee' Season 3, Episode 3 Recap & Song List - 'Asian F'

"Asian F" featured more character development than we saw in the entirety of season two, stayed on point with previously established storylines, and had some rousing musical numbers over a variety of styles. Can it be? Is "Glee" officially good again?

It certainly feels that way, doesn't it? For the third episode in a row we focused on the auditions for "West Side Story," and the student elections came back for another appearance after being introduced in a big way last week. Three episodes focusing on a single storyline (one that isn't vague declarations of "we have to make it to Nationals, guys!") must be some kind of record for the show.

"Asian F" also continued the trend thus far this season of choosing one or two of the core characters to focus on, and really delving into their goals and wants. Newly-appointed series regular Mike Chang (Harry Shum) was one of the big stars this episode, as his A- in chemistry class (that's an "Asian F") caused his dad to question his focus due to extracurriculars.

Overreaction at the grade aside, it's a far assumption on his dad's part: Mike plays on the football team, is a member of New Directions, is teaching everyone to dance in "Booty Camp," and is trying out for "West Side Story" as well. He's even requested to teach the football team how to dance by Coach Bieste... and he succeeds admirably. How did those guys learn that routine in two days?

Shum definitely had his moments last night: the scene with him dancing and hearing his father discouraging him was a great one, much quieter and more thoughtful than we're used to from this show. Plus, Mike sings! For his audition for "West Side Story," Mike performs "Cool" and does a nice job with the vocals.

And don't worry, everyone: Mike won't be leaving New Directions, because while his dad is kind of a jerk, his mom is nothing but supportive. Weird that Mike didn't know that earlier. Then again, we just met the lady, so what do we know? Maybe she was a jerk too but recently had a head injury that made her all nice.

Things aren't going quite so swimmingly for Mercedes, who is really upping the diva act. First she whines during Booty Camp (Shue is getting very close to becoming a Vocal Adrenaline kind of coach... are we going to see him become a jerk later this season?) and then pitches a fit, sparking a nice group number riffing off of "It's All Over" from "Dreamgirls."

Plus, she has to deal with the whole "West Side Story" thing. The holy trinity of directors can't decide between Mercedes and Rachel, so they decide to have a callback (didn't these kids already audition two or three times? This is the longest audition process ever). When that doesn't get them anywhere, they decide to double-cast the role, giving each of the girls their own full weekend. It's a fair move, but Mercedes pitches fit #2 (or maybe #3) and hands the part to Rachel.

Not only that, but she defects to Shelby's rather empty Glee club, which as of now seems to have nobody other than Sugar in there. Pretty dumb move on Mercedes' part... if she thought she had a problem dealing with Rachel's ego, wait until she gets a load of Sugar.

There were other bits that provided some fun/dramatic moments as well, such as Brittany's "Run the World (Girls)" performance (Kurt's in big trouble) and Will meeting Emma's "ginger supremecist" parents. In one quick scene, Emma's OCD started making a lot of sense and we're starting to see her as someone with a lot of troubles, not just a flighty, quirky love interest for Will. And that's a good thing, because Jayma Mays is one of the (if not THE) best actors on this show.

Another positive note: the songs in this season have gotten back to what they should be, which is expressions of what the characters are feeling. Too many times last year we saw the kids get an "assignment" and then step up in front of the class to sing some dumb pop song that was forced into fitting the episode's theme. This season, the songs have been coming from moments of high emotion that can only be expressed in song (usually, anyway). "It's All Over" and "Spotlight" were great examples, and though I was a little underwhelmed by the cover itself, "Fix You" was a good one as well.

Oh, and here's the short cast list for "West Side Story":

Maria - Rachel

Tony - Blaine

Anita - Santana

Riff - Mike

This week's numbers:

"Spotlight" - Jennifer Hudson - Mercedes

"Run the World (Girls)" - Beyonce - Brittany

"Cool" - West Side Story - Mike

"It's All Over" - Dreamgirls - Mercedes

"Out Here On My Own" - Fame - Rachel and Mercedes

"Fix You" - Coldplay - Will Schuester and New Directions

Brittany line of the week:

None! Zip! Not a single one-liner for her. Nothing for Sue either, who had zero lines. It seems that we have a new contender for Queen of the One-Liners: Coach Bieste. "...And that includes your bat-caves and your bramble patches."