What The F?

Last night's episode, entitled "Asian F" left me thinking, "what the F is wrong with what used to be the best show on television?".

Mike Chang and his dad are in Principal Figgins office because Mike's dad is concerned over Mike's A-, an Asian F, on his chemistry test. He demands Mike be drug tested and insists that he is on fast track to academic ruin. He wants him to quit the Glee club and all other extra curricular activities, including his girlfriend, and focus on his studies.

When Mercedes new boyfriend Marcus spies her hugging Rachel in the cafeteria, he questions why she would hug her rival for the female lead in the school play right before the audition. He tells her to believe in herself because he believes she is better than Rachel and something inside Mercedes changes. She pulls out the Diva within her and nails her audition with a wonderful rendition of "Spotlight". A more serious Mercedes impresses Coach Bieste, Emma and Artie.

Will finds a stash of bridal magazines in the pantry and confronts Emma. He agrees that, yes, they are possibly headed for marriage, so he wants to know why has he not met her parents? Emma wants to avoid the topic completely and tells Will, her parents are dead. "They're ghost parents," she replies when Will explains that she was just on the phone with them the night before.

While Mike continues to be conflicted over his father's disappointment in him, Tina is the opposite. She encourages him to audition for "Riff", the second male-lead, a role that is more than just dancing and tells him to be honest with his father about his love of the performing arts. Mike ends up in the dance studio working out the demons in his head and decides to audition despite his father's strict protests. He performs, "Cool" from West Side Story with some help from the football team as backup dancers. This was a treat for all major theatre geeks like myself and a validation of the talent of this young cast.

Then there's Kurt. He confides in Rachel that while no one else has entered the race for class president, he believes he has the clear edge over Brittany. No one takes her seriously anyway. Santana and Brittany, trying to win votes, play the war of the sexes card and point out that the school presidency has been strictly male for years and look where it got them. "Oil spills, a recession, the war in Afghanistan," Brittany says. They then rally the female student body with a pep rally and sing "Run the World (Girls)". Kurt is shocked by the show of female camaraderie and this race is going to be a hot one.

And so here's where it gets good, so I think.

Beiste, Emma and Artie can't decide between Mercedes and Rachel in who to cast as "Maria", the female lead, so they have a " Ultimate Maria off" and give the ladies the same song to sing. "Out here on my own", from the musical Fame, sets the stage, but it's really Mercedes who sets the tone when she refuses a good luck hug from Rachel with a snarky, "hug me after I've landed the part."

Both ladies are stunning, and although Rachel decides that Mercedes was better than her, and that she will not land the part, the role is double cast for both Mercedes and Rachel. Mercedes asks if any other roles were double cast, to which the answer is no and Mercedes pulls the ultimate power play and declines the role. She confronts Rachel and forces her to admit that she was better than her. Citing the fact that she will not be part of "The Rachel Berry" show this year, Mercedes walks out on a lot more than the role. She pulls the diva act at Booty Camp and Mr. Shue isn't going to put up with it. Mercedes cops a serious tude, calls Shue out for always picking on her and trying to make her look like a fool, then pulls the ultimate diva move by telling Shue and the rest that she has out grown them. But this time Shue tells her if she walks out, she's out of Glee for good. Evidently Mercedes keeps going because the cast then performs a dream sequence from Dream Girls, "It's Over."

Haven't we been here before with Mercedes? I feel like the Diva act is getting old and just when I think they will take an episode or two to kiss and make up, Mercedes walks into Shelby's choir room and joins the other glee club. "You're going to need some star power," she tells Shelby and I'm left wondering where this will go.

Emma comes home to find Will with both her parents awaiting her arrival for dinner. Emma has a mini meltdown when her mom somewhat lovingly refers to Emma as her little "Freaky Deeky" and she admits to Will that she is embarrassed by them. "Ginger Supremacists", is how Emma describes them and they admit to living a lifestyle that will further the future of redheads as a "species". When they criticise Emma's compulsive cleaning and her mother says she thinks it "weird", Will explodes and explains that if Will and Emma are blessed with a child, he wouldn't care what it looked like and that OCD needs to be treated with compassion not criticism.

Later Will tells Emma he was wrong for not getting why she didn't want him to meet her parents. Emma gets down on her knees to pray and Will, unsure of what to do, does the same in support of Emma. He sings, "Fix You" by Coldplay and during the song the cast list for West Side Story is revealed. No secrets there and I'm not sure if this dividing of the Glee clubs is a good thing.

One thing I do know? Last night's episode, while it furthered the plot lines for some characters, it was a sleeper at best. The music was uninspiring and sub par.

Where did all the magic go?

What the F?