Acafellas

'Acafellas' shows us more of Will's backstory, as his parents are introduced. In the past, Will dreamed of being a performer but settled on being a teacher so he could still inspire people. After the Glee Club gains three new members, Will forms a group with his friends called Acafellas so he can see what it's like to perform. This causes a severe strain on his Glee duties, as he shows up less frequently, thus forcing the club to find a new choreographer.

The cast performances are all very good, with there being a good amount of standouts. Matthew Morrison is okay as Will Schuester, but the character takes a somewhat bizarre turn this episode when he decides to form a boy band so he can follows his dream of being a performer. I don't mind Will wanting to chase his dream, but considering how committed he wanted to be to the Glee Club, it's sort of surprising that he would drop everything at the first chance he got. It's completely out of character for him. Jane Lynch is great as Sue Sylvester, as we see more of her plan unfold along with more of her humorous side. Jayma Mays is great as Emma Pillsbury. In this episode, Emma does what she does best and gives important advice to Will that continues to help him make the right choices in his personal life. While we don't see much development of her relationship with Ken, it's clear that she is still hung up on Will. Jessalyn Gilsig is fine as Terri Schuester for her brief time on screen. It's nice to finally see her start to support Will, even though we know it won't last long. Patrick Gallagher is still pretty good as Ken Tanaka, and Stephen Tobolowsky's return as ex-Glee Club director Sandy Ryerson is nothing short of hilarious. Lea Michele is great as Rachel Berry, as we see more of her leadership skills so she can repair the damage that Will caused by leaving Glee Club. While she ultimately regrets her decisions, seeing her stand up for the Glee Club was great and showed how much she cares for them. Cory Monteith is great as Finn Hudson, but we see a different side for him, as he sticks up for Schuester as opposed to hiring a new director. While this puts a strain on his 'relationship' with Rachel, he ultimately wants to do the right thing but feels that having Mr. Schuester guide them is the best way to do that. Dianna Agron is pretty good as Quinn Fabray. Since she's a spy for her cheerleading coach, we don't see a lot of good in her in this episode until the end, but it shows her character growth. Chris Colfer is amazing as Kurt Hummel. Besides being just comic relief, we finally get to learn more about him and his preferences, and he has a touching coming out scene with Mercedes that is still one of his best scenes of the entire series. Colfer paved the way for more storylines like this, and it shows. Amber Riley is great as Mercedes Jones, and she has a pretty interesting storyline this episode when she falls for her friend without knowing he is secretly gay. While it's hard to watch because it's so awkward, it's clear that she just wants to find love since it's hard for her to find because she has low self-esteem due to her being an outcast. Mark Salling has a pretty funny role as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman, as we learn that he is a big fan of cougar moms and also has a passion for singing as well. Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz are fine as Artie Abrams and Tina Cohen-Chang. Naya Rivera is fine as Santana Lopez while Heather Morris as Brittany has literally no speaking lines. Iqbal Theba is again very funny as Principal Figgins. The guest stars in this episode have some of the most interesting roles. Victor Garber is great as Will's dad. Though we only see him in this one episode, it's clear that he's a lot like his son, as he wants to follows his dream of being a lawyer but doesn't have the guts. By the end of the episode, he vows to do so thanks to his son inspiring him. Debra Monk is fine as Will's mom, but Josh Groban is hilarious as himself. Though he's only in the end of the episode rejecting Sandy, it's a hilarious scene, and he does well.

The storyline isn't the greatest in this episode, as it mainly focuses on the Acafellas. While the premise isn't a bad idea, it felt too early in the series and felt too out of character of Will at this stage. I think the most interesting storyline was between Kurt and Mercedes. While it was pretty awkward for the most part, it ends on a positive and compelling note. Mercedes was the first person that Kurt came out to, so the fact that he was able to build enough confidence to tell her even though he wasn't ready to come out to the school, it was incredibly brave and moving. The romances pretty much take a backseat in this episode since it wouldn't work too well for the overall story, but it wasn't a bad decision.

If I had to pick the best overall musical performance for this episode, I would probably say 'I Wanna Sex You Up'. Even though Amber Riley kills it singing 'Bust Your Windows', I'm not a big fan of the song, and I felt the group performance just worked better and showed off multiple great voices as opposed to just one. 'Acafellas' is a pretty enjoyable episode just for the humor aspect alone, but seeing more of the minor supporting characters really helped.

Pros: -Kurt/Mercedes storyline -Guest stars -Cast performances -Decent musical performances -Humor

Cons: -Will's commitment to Glee Club -Some cringeworthy dialogue

8/10 "Great"