#been making an effort to work in bigger resolutions but idk how I was okay working that small before

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assorted older warframe stuff dot jpeg (with some touch ups) also old sierra fashion

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Finding Kurt Hummel: Puppet Master

Masterpost

5x07: Puppet Master

Just when you thought season 5 couldn’t get any weirder - they decided to throw in drug-related hallucinations and puppets.  Because why not.  I actually love this episode, but, I mean, can you imagine the writers room discussion about early season 5? They just lost a castmate and friend - so they decide to go take the show in kind of a crazy direction (which also, let’s be honest, feels a little like vamping until they get to their 100th episode).  

Anyway - there’s a ton of Blaine meta here - which I’ll mostly be ignoring! It’s just interesting to me that I always think the Kurt story line in this episode is a lot bigger than it actually is.  And yeah, I’ll say this early on - Kurt is a puppet master just as much as Blaine is (they both have issues with control) - they just took Kurt’s story in a different direction.  Actually, I think it would have been interesting to see fallout of Kurt not having things work out for him, but Glee seems to have forgotten how to do its infamous parallels at this point. 

A Puppet Master

Kurt bounces into the episode on a high - he just booked Pamela Lansbury’s first gig -- at a Broadway hangout.  (Which also happens to be the place where his fiance sang a broken down version of their love song - so I don’t know, I’m torn between Kurt having sentimentality towards Callbacks and never wanting to set foot back in there again.  The show, meanwhile, didn’t seem like they wanted to create somewhere new, so Callbacks it is.)  

Rachel’s on board, but Elliott, Dani and Santana are not.  And in a scene much like the previous Blaine with the choir room scene, they proceed to tell Kurt that Callbacks isn’t such a great idea.  I tend to agree, for marketing purposes, probably best to find some place that’ll get you the right audience, but this is Glee, land of magic where the plot needs it.  (I say in loving jest) 

Kurt’s astounded they’re not on board with this (he looks to Rachel, who looks sad for him - it’s an interesting little moment of subtly in an otherwise kind of over the top scene).  And he insists that Callbacks is a funky place (why does the writing for Kurt sound like a 50yo trying to reclaim his youth? Was Ryan Murphy 50 at this point?).  And that they should trust his instinct and go with him on it.  

I love the little moment where Dani says she doesn’t think anyone else will come and Kurt says he disagrees (Dan-ni!).  Demi Lovato’s reaction is priceless.  She was so under used in this show.  

Anyway, Kurt has a vision of his band playing Madonna songs.  When has Kurt ever had rock star ambitions? Well, now apparently.  (Though - I will say, while not pronounced, Kurt does love and appreciate the attention from performing nearly as much as Rachel and Blaine.)  

So -- we get Madonna’s Into the Groove.  Hm.  

On the con side: I wish they had gone full on 80s.  I mean the clothes are there, but the hairstyles are not.  The juxtaposition feels a little weird to me.  I also wish it wasn’t so autotuned.  It’s nice that Kurt gets a fun, upbeat number, but it’s almost entirely electronic sounding.  I realize that’s supposed to match an 80s synth sound, but I guess it doesn’t work for me.  Also I don’t have a lot of meta for it.  It’s a fun dance number.  I suppose - for all of you complaining that Kurt doesn’t have enough lack of meaning songs - well here you go. 

On the pro side: Kurt’s having so much fun - he’s taking the lead on this one (I can barely hear anyone else on it), and his dancing is adorable and flirty.  It’s great that they let him relax in his own fantasy.  You work that crowd (and those hips)!!  

The intensity at the end cracks me up.  Even in Kurt’s fantasy - Rachel is way super intense.  

Does this sequence remind anyone else of Saved By the Bell’s Rocumentary episode where they sing Friends Forever? Just me? Okay moving on.... 

Oh - Kurt’s getting a call from his fiance - talk among yourselves.  

On close inspection, this scene is hilariously ridiculous.  I mean, I love that the show remembered the two of them were in a committed relationship.  I love that they’re making an effort to show them talking with each other on a pretty regular basis.  (And interestingly, the Klaine stuff has been consistent on the NYC side, though more so absent on the Lima said.  Weird? I know but true.)  

Let’s recap the episode so far: 

Blaine: I have awesome ideas for the direction of our musical group.  Everyone else: Yeah, we think your ideas are dumb  Kurt: I have an awesome idea for the direction of our musical group. Everyone else: Yeah we think it’s a dumb idea.  

Then this scene: 

Blaine: People think my ideas are dumb.  Kurt: Instead of letting you know I understand exactly what you’re talking about, I’m going to remind you that people don’t like it when you try to tell them to do things they don’t want to do - even though I’m going through the same thing at the moment.  

Okay Kurt - a) why the revisionist history considering the glee club.  no one ever had an equal vote on anything and b) hello pot, meet kettle.  Show, I mean what even?!? 

Okay, you know what though, I think this scene is hilarious though.  As it continues - Kurt’s all excited about his news and asks Blaine to come see him.  Blaine is like, yeah whatever.  Kurt’s thrilled about Blaine coming to see him again but Blaine is like KURT WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS PUPPET MASTER THING!!  

No, they aren’t really listening to each other in this scene.  I don’t really care.  It’s comedically satisfying.  

Oh - and can we take a moment to see that Blaine’s inbetween classes at the moment.  I wonder how many times Blaine texts or calls Kurt during his school day.  Idk - that cracked me up too for some reason. 

Kurt Puppet.  Okay, I’m not talking about Blaine’s stuff really - but can I just say I think the Kurt puppet is adorable, even if oh Blaine - you’ve got some issues.  However, I just need to throw out there that Sue doesn’t want to catch Blaine with his hand up the anything that isn’t human.  Uh...Sue? Does that mean you’re open to...oh never mind.  Oh - and I do kind of love that the Kurt Puppet comes alive after Sue confiscates it.  

Crushing Disappointment

Okay - so twenty minutes and a bunch of hallucinations later - Kurt’s chilling waiting for Blaine in the back room of Callbacks.  Kurt’s not gonna like the news.  Dude - you really need to stop inviting Blaine to Callbacks - it’s never gonna end well.  

Anyway - Blaine’s been putting this off (oh Blaine) but he tells Kurt he’s not there.  And Kurt’s first reaction - concern! It’s not until puppet Kurt appears that the anger is apparent.  

And so we get the shift from real Kurt to puppet Kurt.  How much of this conversation is real? How much a fantasy? (caught in a land slide - no escape from reality...)  

I’ve seen this scene be debated quite a bit - and to be honest, I can go either way on whether it’s real or not - so I like to take the happy medium approach.  I do think Kurt was frustrated (as evident as he throws his phone down after the conversation) -  that Blaine not only couldn’t make it, but that Blaine avoided talking to him about it until the last moment, too.  It is interesting, too, to note that Blaine being there for Kurt is really important to him.  

Meanwhile, I think a lot of the anger going on in the scene is Blaine’s own internalization of the situation - and the disappointment he keeps finding in himself.  Puppet Kurt’s reaction is a reflection of how he’s feeling with himself at the moment, and not necessarily a true representation of Kurt’s feelings on what’s going on.  

Still - I wish there had been a clearer resolution to the Klaine conflict (?) than how the episode ends.  (I hesitate to even call it a real conflict, tbh - more so a frustration on Kurt’s end and Blaine issues on the other.) Idk - I still think it feels a little unresolved.  

Meanwhile, Kurt’s got other problems as there’s only one person waiting to see Pamela Lansbury perform - and it’s not even a real fan.  (Dude - are there no other people in that bar?  Seriously on a Thursday in NYC?)  

What does a fox say?

It really is tragic that I can’t get a full shot of this outfit.  What even are those pants Kurt?  

Okay, so let’s recap the second half of the episode: 

Blaine: **has extensional crisis about being called a puppet master, has extensive hallucinations, plays with puppets, but at least gets some character development** Everyone else: Hey Blaine, we talked it over - and your ideas aren’t so bad.  Bonus - you get to be the star!  Kurt: **gets absolutely no development** Everyone else: Hey Kurt, we talked it over - and your idea wasn’t that bad.  Bonus - You get a second gig due to a ridiculously contrived plot point (that will be used again in a few episodes with Mercedes).  

Idk - I love this episode, but I could have done without the the Sue plot in favor of letting Kurt’s band be more than showcasing Adam Lambert and Demi Lovato.  

Meanwhile, the semi-ish conclusion to the Klaine stuff??  Blaine sends an “I’m sorry” box.  (How often does that happen?)  Kurt looks pretty pleased...until he opens it and seems really confused.  Kurt - I really think you may want to call Blaine and see if he’s okay.... 

Oh What Does the Fox Say.  Some people hate it (Lea Michele - it’s her least favorite Glee song apparently), some people love it (My 5yo niece thinks it’s the greatest thing ever), I’m cool with it.  It is super weird - but so is the rest of the episode.  

I’ve seen some interesting meta floating around about how Kurt is the fox because he does not sing in the song (he doesn’t even lip sync the back up vocals - he’s pretty silent).  I wish I remembered what people had said about that.  It was kind of interesting, even if I think this episode is purely a ‘for fun’ number.  

Fun fact: Originally Miley Cyrus’s We Can’t Stop was supposed to be the ending number.  No idea why it changed - but that would have been interesting to see, actually.  Probably makes more sense with the episode than The Fox, lol.