Glee Feels the Love, and Some Pain

This week's Glee was all about the love, as New Directions got together to celebrate the wedding of Kurt's father and Finn's mother. Speaking of Kurt, this episode represented something of a climax for his latest story arc, which has found him suffering the brunt of a bully's punishment of late. Of course the bully, whose name is finally revealed as David Karofsky, has been struggling with his own feelings, and a few weeks ago actually kissed Kurt when they were alone in the locker room.  

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After threatening to kill Kurt if he ever tattles to anyone, Karofsky begins to habitually target him, and it becomes a problem. Rachel notices Kurt's consequent slump and urges Finn to do something about it. He blows her off by saying it would be better for him to support Kurt in private, but he's really just thinking about his own reputation. Meanwhile, Mike, Artie and Sam confront Karofsky in the locker room, demanding that he stop. An altercation goes down and Sam gets a black eye. Quinn finds it really sexy, and everyone else realizes that the Kurt issue is getting worse. Finn is embarassed for not leading the charge and sitting out the scuffle.

Of course, it wouldn't be an episode of Glee without a special guest star, and this episode delivered with comic legend Carol Burnett. Burnett plays in the role of Sue's long-estranged mom, who returns after years of Nazi-hunting to be present at Sue's wedding. Right, about that- for some reason, ol' Ms. Sylvester, the narcissist that she is, is marrying herself, as well as acting as the officiant. And, since she still begrudges her mother so much, she's walking herself down the aisle as well. Burnett definitely is getting on in years, but still possesses so much of that same charisma and comic timing that made The Carol Burnett Show such a wild success. She and Jane Lynch shared an enjoyable duet of "Ohio" from Wonderful Town before her short-lived guest appearance came to a close.

Meanwhile, Kurt's dad Burt pays a visit to the school brush up on his dance moves with his son and Finn. While the three men practice with each other, Karofsky catches sight of this from the hallway, making a derisive gesture towards Kurt. Burt demands to know why he's picking on his son, and eventually Kurt fesses up and tells his dad that Karofsky threatened to kill him. Without a word, Burt goes after the bully. He throws him into a locker, but the confrontation ends there. A meeting is called in Principal Sylvester's office, with Kurt and his parents, and David Karofsky and his father. Sue hears both sides of the story, even though Kurt still won't speak the truth about Karofsky's kissing him, and she proceeds to expel the bully from school. However, she invites them to appeal to the school board if they find her punishment extreme. They do just that, and Karofsky gets green-lighted back into school.

As New Directions keeps practicing up for sectionals, Kurt enters looking forlorn. He thanks everyone for standing up for him, and tells everyone how honored he is to have such great friends. He also expresses how nice it is to have a new brother as good as Finn, who orchestrated the glee club's rendition of "Just The Way You Are" at his parents' wedding. He then breaks the devastating news to his teammates, tellling him that his parents have paid for him to transfer to Dalton Academy, with its zero-tolerance policy toward bullying, and his new gay friend Blaine. The team then realizes the hidden danger of Kurt's leaving- that he'll inevitably fall into the ranks of the Warblers, a rival glee club at Dalton. While it's good news that Kurt will be free from the bullying of Karofsky, everyone is anxious and pertubed at the prospect of one of their most talented singers leaving.

Next week: More drama unfolds as New Directions enter competition at sectionals.