There’s no way to properly review this as an episode of television. “On My Way,” the final new Glee episode until April 10, was really nothing more than a Public Service Announcement.

I don’t even mean that term in the derogatory sense with which I’ve often used it. It was, truly, literally – okay, almost – a Public Service Announcement, replete with mentions of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and The Trevor Project.

And, look, if Glee in general, and this episode in particular, helps a single teen see his or her life in a more positive manner, then that’s clearly more important than its value as a piece of entertainment. Bullying is a serious issue, so is depression, so is suicide and there’s a part of me that’s glad there’s a show out there tackling the topics in a serious manner.

Moreover – while I remain the type of viewer who wants to be entertained, not educated – I appreciate how the hour really did focus on that one topic and actually did take it seriously.

Any regular reader of my reviews knows that my biggest problem with Glee is how it jumps around from one storyline to another, scarcely touching on serious subject matters – such as last week’s insulting way it burned through religion vs. homosexuality – before it churns out a new song to wrap everything up in a tidy, iTunes-ready bow.

I applaud the series for not doing that here, for giving such a prolonged platform to such a heady problem in society.

Was it emotionally manipulative up the wazoo? Of course. The show just drops Karofsky back into our lives last Tuesday, conjures up this entire struggle he’s apparently had way, way, way off screen and then yanks as hard as possible at our heart strings by having him attempt suicide.

There’s no consistent, thought-out structure or plan at work here by the writers. There’s merely the goal of making a societal point and making fans cry.

But, again, for an episode that clearly wanted to send a message about the struggles many teenagers face with identity and acceptance, it was very well done. It’s simply up to viewers to decide if that’s what they want from a television show.

And no matter what your answer is to that question, we can all stop and give props to Max Adler as Karofsky. Terrific work by the actor here.

Meanwhile, it was hard to tell if New Directions actually earned its victory because we saw so many more of its performances than any other group. I did enjoy Rachel’s “Here’s to Us,” though the reaction by her dads was a tad over the top. Had they never seen their daughter perform before?

I also must wonder: why does the third place team always act so happy when announced as finishing in third place? There are only three teams! (And why are there only three teams in Regionals?)

Elsewhere: Sue is somehow pregnant? Ridiculous. But whatever.

And Quinn is involved in a seemingly life-threatening car accident? This clearly works as a cliffhanger, in terms of making viewers anxious for the next episode, but it’s the epitome of poor writing. A good television shows builds to its cliffhangers. You want to be able to go back and see how a story came together, how it led from point A to point B and then to – whoa! – the suspense or emotion-filled point C that leaves you dying for more.

You don’t want to think the show just stuck a character inside a car, had her send a text message and then rammed her with a truck because, hey, that will get fans talking! It’s just very lazy, and is also likely leading to a Don’t Text While Driving episode this spring. And maybe you’ll look forward to it, that’s fine.

As I said above, it all comes down to what you expect or want from a show such as Glee. In tonight’s case, I can’t say I expected Karofsky to try and hang himself inside his closet. But once the message of the episode sunk in, and I accepted the PSA theme as it was intended, I could at least appreciate the effort.

What did everyone else think of the special episode? Sound off in the comments and in this poll:

The official Fox promo for next week’s winter finale of Glee focuses on Rachel and Finn and whether or not they really will say “I Do.”

But there’s another, non-wedding event scheduled for “On My Way.” A little something called… Regionals! And it will pit the New Directions against Sebastian and those mean Dalton Academy Warblers.

What songs will each side sing? We’ve posted an audio clip from the episode below, along with the full track list:

Glee Cast – “Stronger”

• Brittany, Santana and Mercedes – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
• Rachel, Artie, Santana and Blaine – “Fly/I Believe I Can Fly”
• Rachel and New Directions – “Here’s to Us”
• Sebastian and the Warblers – “Stand”
• Sebastian and the Warblers – “Glad You Came”
• Blaine – “Cough Syrup”

Glee celebrated Valentine’s Day this week with a broad focus on love, marriage, the bible and homosexuality.

Oh, yes, it was a heavy episode to be sure, one filled with an accidental Whitney Houston tribute and a lot more. Check in now with Round Table panelists Matt Richenthal, Miranda Wicker and Steve Marsi, and then respond with your own take on “Heart.”

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What was your favorite scene from the episode?
Matt: Everything Jeff Goldblum said. Granted, it almost comes across like Jeff Goldblum is doing a Jeff Goldblum impression at this point, making it hard to take the actor seriously. But that just brought an extra amount of fun to his portryal fo Hiram Berry.

Miranda: Rachel’s nightly ritual and Finn’s intrusion so he could drop a deuce and saying “It’s okay, you can stay…” (Uh, no she can’t, dude. I’m pretty sure you don’t need an audience for that.) However, no marriage can survive without a clear understanding of the rules of poop. Seriously. If you’re not okay with each other’s bodily functions, there’s just no way it’ll last.

Steve: The introduction of Samuel Larson as Joe. Was his opening storyline rushed? Absolutely. But I adored him on The Glee Project.

What was your favorite song from the episode?
Matt: I always like big group numbers that are simply a bunch of character dancing around happily. So I’ve gotta go with “Stereo Hearts” for this one.

Miranda: Mercedes singing “I Will Always Love You” because it was flawless. Runner-up was “Love Shack” just for the fun factor.

Steve: Easy choice, “L.O.V.E.” and obvious reason: Mike and Tina, people! We need A LOT more of them.

Sam and Mercedes: Better together or apart?
Matt: This is a trick question, right? We haven’t actually seen them together so how can we choose that option?

Miranda: Apart because the writers have butchered this pairing. Butchered, I say! And not in the way that is serving us a filet mignon of a storyline right now. I’ve said it in the comments week after week, but there are just so many different ways they could’ve set this coupling up that would’ve made far more sense than the way they’ve done it.

Steve: Agreed with both my cohorts. I couldn’t even get into Amber Riley’s incredible cover of Whitney because I was laughing at how ridiculous it was for the show to try and force emotion out of this storyline. We have spent about five minutes with Mercedes and Sam. Sorry, Glee writers, but you can’t manipulate sentimentality of out a beautiful song. You need to earn my reaction with actual storytelling.

Should Finn and Rachel get married in May?
Matt: No. I’m not even certain if they’re in love with each other. Finn’s speech to Rachel when he proposed basically boiled down to: nothing else in my life is going well, but at least I have you, so let’s get hitched! That’s desperation, not romance.

Miranda: Not even a little bit. As someone who ALMOST made that mistake right out of high school and lived to see the error of her ways and gain a little perspective and independence, no. NO. NO. NO. They can move to New York together and continue to be Finchel, but they cannot get married.

Steve: Sure. If it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out and there’s a storyline for season four. These aren’t real people, Matt and Miranda. I’m down with whatever makes for good drama and this has potential to do so.

Should Glee tackle such topics as religion and homosexuality?
Matt: No. I’m written a few negative reviews in a row and most fans who still defend the series to me make the argument that it’s not meant to be taken seriously; they just want to sit back, laugh and enjoy the songs. That’s fine, and I’d feel the same way… if it wasn’t so clear that Glee WANTS to be taken seriously. It somehow thinks it’s a platform for legitimate teen issues, yet it doesn’t do anything with those issues except make a quick reference and then break into a song. It’s insulting and disrespectful to people actually affected or invested in those topics.

Miranda: This is a tough one. Can they? Yes, they’ve done it before. The Kurt/Karofsky/gay bullying storyline was done well, in my opinion. It built up over several episodes and was a developed story. But should they tackle the Bible and homosexuality in the manner in which they are currently? No. They aren’t spending enough time developing the character’s thoughts on the issue, instead just throwing in one-liner PSAs here and there, which are regarded as insincere. They could do better.

Steve: Very well said, Miranda. You can’t just show two girls kissing, toss out a couple bible quotes and claim you are taking an issue seriously. If you want to delve into these societal topics, go right ahead. But give them the time and respect they deserve or else they just come across like fodder for the next song.

As you might expect on a Valentine’s Day-themed episode titled “Heart,” Glee sent a message to viewers this week: Love conquers all.

Even eye injuries. Even scheming parents. Even long-held religious beliefs.

The only problem with the installment? We never actually saw what love had to conquer. Indeed, Glee skipped over every possible tense moment or conversation and just cut right to the sweet stuff, eventually concluding, appropriately enough, in The Sugar Shack.

Rachel and Finn get into a legitimate argument over cohabitating and possibly rushing into marriage before knowing important traits about each other? Eh, why bother showing us how this couple actually moved past the disagreement and cut to them in bed. It’s Valentine’s Day after all!

Mercedes breaks the heart of her boyfriend, to the point that she can’t even be with the person she loves so dearly and it forces her to sing the world’s saddest, most emotional ballad? Eh, why actually depict her chat with Shane? There’s a song to sell on iTunes!

Joe – a character we’re introduced to and who instantly anchors the heavy, profound topic of Christianity versus homosexuality – is initially hesitant to sing for a gay couple? Eh, why depict any kind of struggle or realization? Let’s just have him get over it and croon!

As it so often does, Glee tossed out a number of potentially intriguing storylines here… only to simply skip past any kind of build-up or earned resolution in lieu of as many songs as it could squeeze into an hour. These people aren’t characters any more; they’re just a set of vocal chords and limbs, uttering a few lines of dialogue to try and set a tone before jumping into their next cover.

I really do not want this to turn into a biblical debate – please be respectful in the Comments – but allow me to say/ask this: Almost everyone who still loves Glee tells me the same thing: Relax. Lighten up. It’s frickin Glee! It’s not meant to be taken seriously!!! Now… I have never bought into that because Ryan Murphy has made it clear he DOES intend for Glee to have an impact on society (see Kurt, bullying storyline).

But let’s say one accepts the premise that Glee is meant to be taken as nothing but mindless entertainment — in that case, is it really appropriate to actually delve into Christianity and homosexuality? To throw around bible quotes and interpretations? That goes to the heart of my constant issue with the show; it’s anything BUT mindless entertainment. It brings up MAJOR issues, yet doesn’t take them seriously, or doesn’t follow through on them, or wraps them up in a corny, unrealistic, obvious way (hey, let’s make the high school bully gay, and then let’s make him fall for Kurt!).

The response from Gleeks to my criticism should not be for me to relax; it should be for the series itself to relax and actually air light, fluffy, meaningless episodes, not ones that tackle religion, sex, marriage and monogamy. Glee wants to come across like its profound by touching on various buzzwords and topics – but then it just gives up and solves everything with a song.

Were there aspects of this episode I enjoyed? Absolutely.

I’ll take as much Jeff Goldblum as I can get and I hope this isn’t the last we see of Rachel’s dads. Forget couple’s nicknames, they formed the first ever family nickname in television history: HudsonHummelBerry. (Sounds like a Ben & Jerry’s flavor I’d totally eat.) They also sort of stole Ellen DeGeneres’ motto with Honesty. Respect. Dance. But I’ll let it slide.

I laughed at Kurt asking if all Irish people carry around four-leaf clovers, and at Puck asking Rachel when the baby was due. Figgins made me chuckle with his “Finchel” reference and Sugar was also funny here and there, but like the food item after which she’s named, this character is much better in doses.

There was far too much of her here, as well as far too much of many characters we barely know. Sugar. Joe. Karofsky. They all received a lot more screen time than Puck, Mike, Tina and Will, not to mention Emma, Sue and Beiste, who didn’t even make an appearance, even though one of them is engaged, another is trying to have a baby and another just got married.

You’d think those facts would warrant some Valentine’s Day love, wouldn’t you?

But that would only be true if Glee was interested in any kind of continuity. When do you think we’ll see Karofsky or Joe again? These guys pop in, dominate an hour because the writers conjure up some love theme for their characters and then just disappear for weeks.

And, yes, us viewers know Darren Criss was sidelined so he could briefly appear on How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. But Blaine wasn’t actually on Broadway. Is there a reason Kurt acted SO shocked at his appearance? Do they not text and/or talk on the phone? Is he not allowed to visit? Why wouldn’t Kurt have been aware of his well-being all along?

Is this a small complaint? Of course. But it goes along with the way Glee just insults its viewers by abandoning all semblances of logic.

So, yes, Gleeks, this is another negative review. I loved the performances, especially “Stereo Hearts” and “Cherish,” but I fail to see why they can’t be combined with consistent storytelling. If you’re going to set up conflicts – such as Rachel and Finn’s fight, and the God Squad’s take on Santana/Brittany – is it really asking too much to depict how those conflicts are overcome?

What did everyone else think? Do you care about conflict resolution or merely about fun songs? Did you feel Mercedes’ heartbreak or feel unattached to relationships (with Sam and with Shane) with which we’ve scarcely spent any time? And do phrases uttered tonight – such as Let’s hear it for love! (Will) and That’s what being Christian is really about. (Quinn, not long after she tried to set up her baby’s adopted mother in a drug sting) – make you want to smile or vomit?

Glee will head to Regionals on next week’s winter finale, that much we know.

But will the series also be heading to a chapel? The answer appears to be a resounding yes, based on the following Fox promo.

Forget a May wedding for Rachel and Finn, fans, the couple will speed plans up considerably during “On My Way.” Will they actually go through with their vows, though? Will Rachel’s dads – the only aspect of last night’s episode I thoroughly enjoyed? – step in and stop the ceremony? Check out the teaser now:

Glee Promo: “On My Way”

Visit TV Fanatic very soon after the episode ends for both a thorough review and an updated Glee music section, where we make it easy to find and download all tracks covered each week.

Are you ready for Regionals, Gleeks?

No? Well, that’s okay. You still have another week.

Following tomorrow night’s Valentine’s Day-themed installment, Glee will bid farewell until April with “On My Way,” an episode that takes us to Regionals and focuses on the competition between the Warblers and New Directions.

Yes, this means the return of Sebastian, along with an all-girls number and one in which Artie appears to take the lead. Browse through various photos from the episode now and get ready to cheer on the McKinley High chorus..

On this Tuesday’s episode of Glee, Amber Riley’s Mercedes will sing a cover of “I Will Always Love You.”

This is merely a coincidence, of course, following yesterday’s tragic passing of music icon Whitney Houston – but sources now tell E! News the show is considering a last-minute, extended tribute to the latte artist.

Amber Riley – I Will Always Love You

“Yes, we are trying [to do a tribute],” a show insider tells E! News. “The episode had been locked but we are going back in.”

Said Matthew Morrison – at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party last night – of his show airing a Whitney track a couple days after her death: “It’s kind of eerie.”

The Grammys, meanwhile, will pay tribute to Houston themselves tonight, with Jennifer Hudson reportedly taking center stage for a medley of the legend’s hits.

Glee will get its Valentine’s Day on this Tuesday.

On an episode aptly-titled “Heart,” viewers will meet Rachel’s dads; the New Directions will be tasked with singing romantic tracks; and Sugar will have to choose between the affections of Artie and Rory.

And what songs will the group be singing to honor the Hallmark holiday? We’ve collected the list below:

• Kevin McHale – Let Me Love You
• Amber Riley – I Will Always Love You
• Dianna Agron, Chord Overstreet, Samuel Larsen and Amber Riley – Cherish / Cherish
• Samuel Larsen, Chord Overstreet and Amber Riley – Stereo Hearts
• Damien McGinty – Home
• Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Ushkowitz – L-O-V-E

Only two episodes remain of Glee before it takes a hiatus until the spring. Can it rediscover its magic before then?

Based on a majority of comments, I was not the only viewers disappointed by the ridiculousness randomness of “The Spanish Teacher.”

On next Tuesday’s installment, meanwhile, love will be in the hallways of William McKinley. What else would you expect from an outing that actually airs on Valentine’s Day? Look for Will to challenge the group to come up with the most romantic songs possible; for Santana and Brittany to kiss; and to meet Rachel’s two dads.

Watch the official Fox promo for “Heart” now:

Glee Promo: “Heart”

Hey, Emma, do you have a pamphlet titled So, Your Show is a Complete and Utter Mess?

Go ahead and call me a hater, Gleeks, but come on. Can we just take a long, honest look at  “The Spanish Teacher” please?

Let’s start with this: WILL HAS BEEN A SPANISH TEACHER WHO DOES NOT KNOW SPANISH. At all. One bit. As in, he doesn’t know the Spanish word for “ears.”

Why should we take anything seriously on a show that doesn’t take itself seriously? It’s been a running joke among critics for years now that Will is the world’s worst Spanish teacher, but that was it. It was just a joke.

By acknowledging it here, the show is pretty much slapping its loyal fans in the face. It’s admitting that it cares not at all about continuity or logic or living in any kind of real world. Which would maybe be fine… if it didn’t then turn around and want to pass along societal messages about bullying or dreaming or, in the random case of Santana this week, respecting other cultures.

I mean, did she really go on a rant about Will stereotyping her Latino heritage? Did Glee – a series that features a gay student who talks about getting his period; a dumb football quarterback; a butch gym teacher; blonde cheerleaders; and jocks who throw nerds into lockers – really try to preach about stereotyping? No, right? I must have misheard Santana’s speech.

From storylines that came out of nowhere (I can’t even get started on Sue having a baby), we arrive at a romantic entanglement that, for Glee, I suppose has actually been a few weeks in the making. There are just a couple of problems with the Mercedes/Sam/Shane love triangle, most notably: ONE OF THE POINTS ISN’T EVEN ON THE SHOW.

Can anyone out there say they’re invested in who Mercedes chooses? Or make any argument in favor of… either guy? As I’ve noted often in my reviews, we’ve seen her and Sam holding hands once and we’ve scarcely seen a second of her and Shane. Why is this even a difficult decision? Why would we think Mercedes has any attachment to Shane at all? Why would we not laugh out loud at Emma’s suggestions that Mercedes and Sam not speak for a week… when they just spent MONTHS not speaking or being in each other’s lives?

Far too often, Glee just expects its audience to feel something because a character gives a longing look or sings a sad song. There’s no actual attempt to earn any emotion. It’s just forced upon us.

The same can be said for Kurt chastising Finn for keeping his proposal a secret. We’re supposed to be brothers, he tells his fellow New Direction, something he might as well have been saying to the writers. Yes, they are supposed to be brothers. Perhaps we could have seen them share a scene or two over the past dozen episodes in order to remind us of that and have us invested in their relationship.

Even when Glee does something right, it does something wrong. Emma’s pamphlets have always served as a very funny background joke, they’ve always been reliable for a quick laugh. But even here the show couldn’t resist upping the schmaltz to interminable levels, actually using a pamphlet to help Beiste teach her kids about cleaning their private parts, which in turn made Will realize just how lucky he is to have his fiancee.

Glee can’t even do simple humor well anymore.

Can I find anything positive to say abut “The Spanish Teacher?” Ricky Martin does have a great smile. And the music, as always, was enjoyable. Nene Leakes is actually fitting in well to her role, too. You might even say she’s the best thing about Glee these days.

But what does it say about Glee when that’s the case?

What did everyone else think? Are you invested in Mercedes’ love triangle? Do you mind that Will doesn’t know Spanish? Should Sue have a baby? Am I way off base for complaining so often that there’s no direction to any episode? Or do you agree that the writers truly seem to be making everything around the songs up about five minutes prior to shooting?