Glee continues on from its month-long hiatus with ‘The First Time, which sees Rachel, Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt all wrestling with the concept of losing their virginity as opening night of West Side Story approaches. Meanwhile, Artie struggles with his role as the show’s director and even Coach Beiste (Dot Jones) has sex on the brain as a new college football recruiter comes to McKinley High with eyes on Finn!
Don’t have the time to spare? Then here’s what you missed on Glee‘s ‘The First Time!’
As Artie rolls down the hall pondering how much he enjoys directing the school musical of West Side Story, he wonders if he makes the right decisions. But worse yet, watching a rehearsal of Blaine and Rachel as Tony and Maria doing ‘Tonight,’he questions their lack of passion given their mutual virginities, something Emma (Jayma Mays) and Coach Beiste clearly don’t feel comfortable hearing about. After all, how can they convey the human experience not having experienced some of its most primal instincts?
Taking Artie’s words to heart, both Rachel and Blaine confer with their respective significant others Finn and Kurt, subtly making plans to at least be more adventurous in their relationship. Meanwhile, Artie continues his frank discussion of sex by confronting Coach Beiste on her apparent discomfort, in the process revealing that she herself has never had sex, but actively nurses a crush on visiting collge football recruiter Cooter Menkin (Eric Bruskotter).
Blaine visits his old alma mater Dalton Academy to find his Warblers singing a rousing rendition of Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl,’which he participates in at the behest of new flirtatious warbler Sebastian Smithe (Grant Gustin)! The two share a coffee afterward to discuss Blaine’s career, intercut with Rachel and Santana’s rehearsal of ‘A Boy Like That,’the scandal! As Cooter Menkin introduces himself to Finn and the boys for what a football recruiter might be looking for, Artie presses him for his thoughts on Coach Beiste. Evidently, he does share her attraction and even attempted asking her out several times, but the brutish Beiste doesn’t really take the hint.
As Blaine and his new admirer Sebastian share yet another coffee, Kurt unexpectly appears and clumsily marks his territory, to which Sebastian offers to score the pair fake IDs for a night out at gay bar “Scandals,” and Kurt accepts. Things are really heating up for Rachel and Finn over at his unsupervised house, as Rachel invites Finn to finally have sex before accidentally revaling her theatre-related reasons for finally taking the plunge. Unfortunately for her, Finn can’t handle the truth. Neither can Mike Chang’s father, who’s found out about his son’s participation in the school musical, and comes all the way down to his locker to disown him!
Cooter takes another run at asking out the Beiste, which she tearfully accepts, as the other New Directions girls coach Rachel over whether or not to sleep with Finn. Quinn, Brittany and Santana don’t have the best advice, but Tina comes through with her story of the first time being perfect. Later, Blaine and Kurt meet up with Sebastian at the surprisingly un-hopping Scandals, Blaine dancing with Sebastian as Kurt runs into none other than Karofsky (Max Adler), newly minted as a ‘bear cub!’Feeling validated, Kurt cuts in to dance with his man, all seeming well until Blaine drunkenly makes crude advances in the parking lot, and storms off bemoaning how he’d tried to be spontaneous.
Opening night of West Side Story arrives, Rachel and Blaine both nervous that neither has done the deed. The reassure one another in time for the group to communally thank Artie for being such an inspiring director, and accept his heartfelt thanks. The show goes off without a hitch, having added Glee Project winner Damien McGinty’s Rory Flanagan to the ranks, while Will, Emma, the Warblers and everyone but Mike Chang’s father watch on with glee.
After the show, Blaine continues rehearsing his performance, but Kurt shows up to reassure him and dismiss concerns about Sebastian, asserting that he’d rather go home with Blaine than head to the after party at Breadsticks! Similarly, Rachel shows up at Finn’s door, and talks him through the dejection that Cooter Menkin didn’t recruit him for a football scholarship. Who needs a scholarship, when Rachel decides to give Finn ‘something that no one else is ever gonna get,’her virginity. The scene cuts between Blaine and Kurt, Rachel and Finn, and West Side Story‘s wedding to proclaim an end to virginity. Even Beiste is getting some, holding hands with Cooter Menkin during the show.
Did “The First Time” have you screaming with pleasure, or was it your last time watching Glee? What did you think about the episode? Join us next week for an all-new episode of Glee on FOX!
I’m waiting till the middle of the second half of the season when Kurt finds out from Sebastion that he hooked up with Blaine the night at the bar when Kurt rejected him, leaving a heartbroken Kurt, giving Karowsky a chance to go comfort Kurt… I like Klaine and do hope that isn’t the case but seeing how last season Rachel learned about Finn and Santana, I’m expecting the same concept, but maybe Ryan Murphey knows it nay be bad to do the same concept twice, I’m just wondering how he’s going to be the villain of the series
Very possible, and a dark twist! I find myself surprised by the punches Ryan Murphy pulls with Glee, compared with something as dark and twisted as Nip/Tuck, but I suppose now he has American Horror Story to balance things out! Not sure about Kurt and Karofsky though, a case could be made but it'd be a pretty big thing for Kurt to forgive that bullying to the point of returning any affections. Frankly, I was a bit surprised Rachel and Blaine didn't even ponder swapping virginities in their five minutes before the show, they've been attracted to one another before! But maybe that's a little too scandalous for Glee. Next stop, Puck and Shelby!
I actually enjoyed this episode. For once, I did not want to slap Ryan Murphy for how Blaine and Kurt was handled. This was a good character building episode though. Mike Chang making a stand for his dreams, Rachel, Finn, Kurt, and Blaine all debating on promiscuity. It felt like a regular high school special moment. Even the return of Karofsky was a plus. I miss that Bear Cub. It was a good episode all around.
By the way in case no one catches it, in the third line of the last paragraph. You called Blaine, Blake. Just in case no one else notices it. Good recap though.
Glee can be a hard show to enjoy critically these days, but "The First Time" did a good job of handling things. I'm not sure about the Mike Chang thing though, it logically followed from "Asian F," but it seems like such a big thing to only devote 5 minutes of screentime too given everything else going on. If there wasn't room for the story, it might have been better left to a later episode.
Thanks for the correction, it's been fixed!