Tonight's episode of Glee, "Home," was beautiful and fantastic. Such emotion and realistic dialogue and directing let the actors really shine. Here are my thoughts on what I loved, what I hated, and what I thought just worked really well for the show and the characters.
Things I loved
I loved finn's mom's scene where she's explaining letting go of her husband/finn's dad and that their home hasn't really been the home it would've been with finn's dad weren't missing. So spot on in dialogue and beautifully acted by both Cory and Romy (the actors playing Finn and Carole). So accurate. My mom was riveted on Finn's mom and I was riveted on Finn's reaction to the chair.
I loved the Mercedes and Quinn scene. So touching. Another example of fantastic and accurate writing. When Quinn said that eating to keep her baby healthy and strong made her ask why isn't she willing to give herself that kind of care and attention... so spot on.
I love how Mercedes's "Beautiful" ballad was powerful, yet toned down from the high pitch of Aguilera's equally amazing, but different, version. Amber Riley really hit the emotion and the music.
And I loved how Will Schuester is acknowledging and feeling his loneliness – the loneliness that comes from having been in the same serious relationship since when he was 16.
What I hated
On another note, I hated how the investigative reporter never interviewed any students or faculty, or even Sue herself since he interrupted her in her office right before she was about to put her foot in her mouth. A good reporter lets the subject speak for itself. And a good reporter never goes and tells the subject how the article is going to turn out.
I didn't really care for the song selection, either. And while I love Kristin Chenoweth's talent and energy, the songs they gave her didn't pop the way it could have with different songs and thematic ties. The music-in-story seemed a little forced and disjointed and even Kurt's rendition of "A House is Not A Home" was pretty painful, thanks to it coming out of nowhere and being infused with both the parent-dating drama and the Kurt has a crush on Finn drama.
What I thought worked
How nice was it to have a break from the kid's angsty love lives and other melodrama going on. In other words, thank you, writers, for putting Rachel and Jesse in the background this episode. They're talented and all, but Glee needs this to be an ensemble cast with ensemble scenes, not designated "stars." And Glee needs to show that it knows it has the potential to be more than just the music – and the music is only as good as the emotions tying it to the story.
It was also nice to see a responsible, competent and sane school nurse on the premises. When she showed up on the screen telling Mercedes that her mother was on her way to pick her up, and said it all calmly and with sympathetic understanding, well, that was a not insignificant moment for me.
When Elizabeth Strenge was 10 years old, she had her long, brown hair tied back in a ponytail and cut by her mother, who put the resulting 13-inch long tail into a plastic bag and envelope for mailing.
Elizabeth's hair traveled all the way from the Strenges' home in Yardley to Fort Myers, Fla., where a public nonprofit called Locks of Love used each strand to create custom hairpieces for children diagnosed with any condition that results in total hair loss.
The vacuum-fitted hairpieces help restore these youngsters' self-esteem and confidence during their treatment and recovery.
While it may seem that having the latest hairstyle is big for children and teenagers today, knowing what their cut hair will be used for seems to far outweigh anxiety felt at losing long tresses. Now the nervousness felt is that of excitement.
"I recently had a little girl about age 7 come in once a month for me to measure her hair to donate," said Debbie Michel, who has been a stylist at the Warwick Hair Salon for 34 years. "She was about four inches away from the required 10 but was willing to have me cut her hair within an inch of her scalp if it would meet the requirements."
For 12-year-old Jackie Gibson, the choice to donate her long blonde hair was an easy one. "I thought there are kids who don't have any hair and it's a great program to make hair for children who don't have any," said the seventh-grader from Country Day School of The Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr.
Founded in 1998, Locks of Love works individually with children and families from across the country who have either applied or been recommended by a doctor, collaborating to design the custom prosthetic.
Using only human hair, hairpieces are hand-sewn to the child's head size and shape. They look natural and, according to Locks of Love's communications director, Lauren Kukkamaa, "allows them to play sports, run, swim and stay active without fear of it falling off or someone pulling it off their head."
The group says that thousands of hair bundles arrive each year. Each hairpiece requires 6-10 ponytails and 4-6 months to manufacture and children between the ages of 6 and 18 can receive a new prosthesis every 18 months, for a total of up to 8 hairpieces.
The child recipients have had conditions ranging from alopecia areata, injuries from radiation treatment to the brain stem, severe burns and dermatological conditions.
Monetary donations are also accepted and used toward production costs. They are tax deductible and ideal for donors, such as boys, whose hair is too short to donate.
"I learned about Locks of Love about 25 years ago," said Ms. Michel, the stylist. "The donations have increased to the point that I now wait until I have about six ponytails to send. People now bring them in from friends and family."
Ms. Kukkamaa said that the organization is growing and is committed to finding and helping children directly, but is also working toward expanding its mission to provide treatment services.
"Since 2006, we've been able to provide funds to medical organizations for research into alopecia," she said. "[The University of Miami's presence] in our backyard [also] allows us to be educated regularly by them."
Donor ages range from young children to those in their 70s, but over 80 percent of the donors are children themselves, this charity has become a place where children are able to help one another. More than just hair, these hairpieces provide mutual gifts of caring, confidence and community.
Both Elizabeth and Jackie plan to continue growing out their hair and will encourage others to donate. Now 15 years old, Elizabeth has donated two more ponytails, with the latest measuring 10 inches. Her younger sister has also joined the effort.
Remembering the first time she had her blonde hair cut for donation, Jackie enthused, "I was happy and excited that it would be used. ... Yes, I have told other people. People have asked 'is it a good idea' and I think it's a great idea."
Heather J. Chin can be reached at hchin@thebulletin.us