Glee Report Card: Pot O’ Gold

It’s a new month, a new Glee, and a new character I don’t hate at all. The Glee Project winner Damian McGinty made his debut as Rory on Tuesday night’s episode “Pot O’ Gold”—and he gave the best performance of the night! But it wasn’t all rainbows and clovers. In fact, aside from Rory’s standout number, most of the episode’s songs were sadly lacking.

“Bein’ Green”
Performed by Rory
Originally performed by Kermit the Frog

Cute, Glee. Real cute. Yeah, “Bein’ Green” was a great choice for the Irish exchange student—both on-the-nose and kind of absurd. I just wish it had been a better introduction to the character of Rory. Having watched The Glee Project, I know that McGinty has a ton of personality, very little of which was on display here. Maybe I’m grumpy because this felt like an ad for The Muppets—in theaters Thanksgiving!—or maybe I just can’t buy that the girls of McKinley wouldn’t be all over an Irish cutie.

Grade: B

“Last Friday Night (TGIF)”
Performed by Blaine and The Glee Club
Originally performed by Katy Perry

We get it, Blaine—you love Katy Perry. But after last season’s electric “Teenage Dream,” “Last Friday Night” just felt like a half-assed attempt at injecting some fluffy pop back into the show. I’ve actually enjoyed Season 3’s move toward Broadway and slightly more obscure numbers, but I guess they need to do Top 40 every once in a while. I still think Criss is charming as shit, and I’m happy to see him getting lots of solos. This particular song was just completely forgettable. And please, no “E.T.”

Grade: C+

“Waiting for a Girl Like You”
Performed by Puck
Originally performed by Foreigner

And again, here’s a performance that should have been better than it was. I love Mark Salling, and he did a solid job with this acoustic version. For me, there was something awkward about the way Puck was singing to his daughter and to Shelby—I get that the slippage was intentional, but did no one else find that slide from paternal to romantic unsettling? That having been said, I have no problem with the insanely creepy Puck/Shelby pairing, and I look forward to killer duets in the coming weeks.

Grade: B-

“Candyman”
Performed by Mercedes, Brittany, Santana, and The Troubletones
Originally performed by Christina Aguilera

As a standalone number, “Candyman” wasn’t bad. It actually sounded a lot like Christina’s version, so points there, if that’s what they were going for. But as a showcase for McKinley’s new all-female singing group, it just wasn’t that impressive. I wanted to see The Troubletones do something they couldn’t have done if they’d stayed with the Glee Club. Also, where did the other girls come from? Because I feel bad for being such a hater this week, I’ll throw in some extra credit for the outfits.

Grade: B

“Take Care of Yourself”
Performed by Rory
Originally performed by Teddy Thompson

Damian McGinty doing Teddy Thompson? I am melting. All bias aside, I thought this song did a much better job of showcasing McGinty’s charm. First because it’s a better (or at least more nuanced) number, and second because it allowed him to show more range as a singer and an actor. I did think it was a little odd that he professed his love for American music and went on to do a song by a British folk-rocker, but maybe that was the joke? Oh, who cares. See above re: melting.

Grade: A