Glee - Season 4 Episode 18 - Recap - Shooting Star
Glee delivers one of its most emotional and surprising episodes to date with an ending that will leave you speechless. Keep reading for the full recap of season 4 episode 18, Shooting Star.
Glee - Season 4 Episode 18 - Recap - Shooting Star
Things start innocently enough. Mr. Schue announces their competition for regionals, all of which have decidedly ridiculous names. In the midst of his announcement, Brittany has an announcement of her own: a hybrid asteroid/comet is headed straight for them and soon they could all be dead. Mr. Schue decides to use this bizarre revelation as a lesson for the week: singing as if it might be there last chance to sing. Like, ever.
Ryder is still talking to Katie, who he saw in the middle of a test out in the hallway but wasn’t able to run after (blocked by the Beiste. Ouch.) He asks Jake for some advice, who tells Ryder that whatever he has planned for their first meeting better be hella special. When Ryder does run into her again, he pulls her into the choir room and serenades her with one sexy song, “Your Song.” The only problem is that ‘Katie’ is actually named Marissa. Someone catfish’d Ryder bigtime. He goes off on Jake and Marley afterward, thinking they were messing with him, but neither one fesses up to the deed. Ryder confronts ‘Katie’ via text (who is now faceless onscreen) and she promises to meet up with him at 3:30 the very next day. Hmmm.
Brittany’s relationship with Lord Tubbington is on the rocks, so Sam helps her make the tough decision to bring the cat to the school so they can all sing to him and brighten his spirits. The group serenades the cat with the classic song “More Than Words,” which sounds rather nice thanks to Sam and Brittany’s better-than-average vocals. Coach Beiste makes a romantic gesture to Will, wrongfully thinking he is still single and interested in dating her. She made the whole date look like something right out of Lady and the Tramp, but Emma is still the only woman on Will’s mind. Beiste leaves upset and inconsolable. To no one’s surprise, the hybrid asteroid/comet that Brittany thought was coming for her was actually a dead ladybug on the end of her telescope. False alarm! After meeting up to break the news to the group, Becky stays behind and begs Brittany not to leave her and graduate. It’s a scary world out there, and she doesn’t want to be stuck all alone.
Just as Mr. Schue is about to start a new lesson (or discussion), two gunshots go off in close succession and all those inside the glee choir room do into hiding and shut off the lights. Absent from the group are both Tina and Brittany; Tina already made it outside but Brittany is alone in a bathroom standing atop a toilet. The environment is hectic and really scary as we aren’t explicitly shown what is going on outside of the action among the characters we know. Sam is initially freaking out because there’s no Brittany, Kitty admits she was messing with Marley’s wardrobe when they performed Grease, and Ryder calls ‘Katie’ and a phone in one of the backpacks in the room starts ringing. Before we can find out it belongs to, everyone else screams for Ryder to hang up. Marley is freaking out trying to get a hold of her mom, who is alone and crying in the kitchen. Artie also records some goodbyes just in case the group of them doesn’t make it outside the walls of McKinley: this scene alone makes for some truly compelling television. Mr. Schue recovers Brittany from the bathroom along with two other student stragglers just as the SWAT arrives and announces an all-clear. Well jeeze, that was intense.
Glee - Season 4 Episode 18 - Recap - Shooting Star
The next day at school, everyone is forced to go through metal detectors, which is obviously a pretty necessary precaution. Discussing the situation with Will and Beiste, Sue reveals that no student will be charged with anything because the gun actually belonged to her. She reveals her version of what happened to Principal Figgins: she claims that she was doing the daily safety check on the gun she kept in her office and it accidentally went off, and the second shot came after she dropped it and it hit the floor. Basically, this is the end for Sue. Is Jane Lynch really off the show for good?
Blaine and Tina have a super emotional moment appreciating each other completely. Ryder confronts Kitty about catfishing him, but she insists it wasn’t her. Will sets up Beiste with an online dating profile and her first match *surprise surprise* is Coach Tanaka. Long time no see, eh? Brittany and Sam say “I love you” to each other for the first time ever, and since they are fake married, he gifts her with a fake child: Lady Tubbington. Now Lord Tubbington will never be lonely. Noticing something was off about her confession, Schue seeks out Sue in her office and begs for the real story, or just something he can use to try to persuade Figgins to change his mind. Sue doesn’t give up any information, but advises Will to watch over Becky for her. Becky was the real shooter: she was freaked out about graduation and being out in the world with no protection so she brought her father’s gun to school. When handing the gun over to Sue, she accidentally fired it. Sue promises Becky that she will “take care of it,” and that she does indeed, sacrificing her job for her favorite student. Ryder waits up for ‘Katie’ who never shows up. He runs to meet up with the glee club and they close out the show with a sweet version of “Say.”
The one and only complaint to be had about this episode was that I wanted to see some more emotion from those not involved. Where was the frantic phone call from Mr. Schue to Emma? Blaine to Kurt? Brittany to Santana? That was a lot of untapped potential. However, the pure raw intensity found in this episode is almost unparalleled. I never thought I’d see Heather Morris or Darren Criss or any of the others give such emotional and realistic performances. It puts you there in the moment, especially the scene where they are recording each other’s final words.
What did you think of “Shooting Star?” Are you excited for next week’s awesome-looking episode? The second I saw Cory Monteith (Finn) pop up I was instantly enthralled. The promo also promised Idina Menzel and lots of Rachel! Color me intrigued.
Glee - Season 4 Episode 18 - Recap - Shooting Star
Some of this episode’s best lines:
“Hide your wife hide your kids hide your wife. McKinley High, I salute you.” -Brittany
“I stopped singing to Lord Tubbington out of protest when he joined the KKKK which is the Klu Klux Klan for Kats.” -Brittany
“I’m really surprised that Jesus Christ Superstar has decided to end the world this way instead of the way he killed the dinosaurs which was a global yeast infection.” -Brittany
“All I’ll be remembered for is this one thing. It’ll be the first line on my obituary.” -Sue, about accidentally shooting off her gun ‘Uma Thurman’