Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.03 Grilled Cheesus
by Akilah
Episode 2.03 Grilled Cheesus
Sam and Mercedes haven’t met yet. That won’t happen until the next episode. So, no Samcedes.
Mercedes: There’s a lot going on here. Mostly its about her relationship with Kurt but its also about Mercedes herself and how she relates to the people she loves.
A lot has been said in the fandom about how “horrible” Mercedes was to Kurt in this episode by “shoving religion down his throat.” I don’t agree with that view. I think Mercedes was being the best friend that she knew how to be. Mercedes shared her spirituality (the thing that gives her hope and strength) with Kurt in his time of need. It just happened to be something that Kurt was unresponsive to.
This episode is where the break down in communication between Mercedes and Kurt begins, and it only gets worse as the season progresses.
When Kurt says that he doesn’t go to church because most churches are homophobic, Mercedes says, “I don’t see anything wrong with a little church in here.” This is the problem. They’re talking but they aren’t listening. The communication breakdown has begun. Quinn on the other hand is completely on board with Mercedes. She gives Kurt the stink eye and says “I agree” to Mercedes statements. She adds that God gives her strength. Quinncedes is sitll on at this point in the season. They have the same world view, they speak the same language.
After Kurt’s dad has a heart attack, Mercedes says that she’s “been struggling with what to say to Kurt all day.” This is an admission that she really doesn’t know how to communicate with him. She goes on to say that she rather sing what she feels and picks “I turn to you” which she says is about “turning to God.” This is a nice gesture, and she’s completely sincere in her attempt to cheer Kurt up but the song ultimately means nothing to him because he doesn’t believe in God.
Kurt says that believing in God is like “adults believing in Santa Clause.” Its a rejection of Mercedes gesture. Mercedes may not have listened to Kurt when he gave her reasons for not liking church, but Kurt didn’t listen to the lyrics of that song, because if he had he would have understood how important her belief in God is. He would have seen more than just “Santa Clause for adults,” and wouldn’t have insulted her so. I don’t think they are hurting each other intentionally, its just that they don’t know what else to say or do.
The two never really communicate until the end of the episode when they both start to listen to each other and compromise. Kurt agrees to go to church and Mercedes sings a song to him that isn’t about God, but about finding something to hold onto. That means something to Kurt because he does have something he holds onto, and that’s his father.
What we see here is that Kurt and Mercedes have different communication styles and world views. They both love each other so they try to work through it, but unfortunately, the two continue to have a break down in communication through out the season, and ultimately grow apart.
What I get from Mercedes in this episode is that she loves with tenacity. Her love is not superficial and she doesn’t give up easily. She didn’t just pray for Quinn and hope the girl would be ok, but she gave Quinn a home to live in and support throughout her pregnancy. She didn’t just give up when Kurt insulted her and rejected her help. She kept at it, rightly or wrongly, until Kurt was receptive to her love and support. If Mercedes loves someone, she truly loves them. She is not halfway, nor is she wavering in her affection. Does this sound like anyone else?
Sam: We only see Sam after Finn (his proxy/foil) prays to Grilled Cheesus to make him QB again. We see the football game and Finn decides to play leader and change Coach Bieste’s play. He convinces Sam to cooperate and what ensues is calamity. Sam gets trampled over and dislocates his shoulder. Finn is now QB. Finns character flaws (selfishness and inflated ego) end up hurting Sam who, as his proxy, may very well be a representative of Finn’s better self.
What’s important here is that when Sam follows behind Finn and takes direction from him, he ends up getting hurt. We’ll see this come up again in later episodes.
Samcedes: There is 0 interaction because they haven’t met yet. Mercedes interaction with Kurt leads itself to Samcedes and Klaine. The two have always been tight and super close. They were each other’s company and support in the jungle that is ND. In “Grilled Cheesus,” that dynamic becomes interrupted and pushes Kurt (him especially in this episode) and Mercedes towards feelings of isolation and loneliness. Neither one is really comforted until they find their significant others in Blaine and Sam.
by Akilah
Episode 2.03 Grilled Cheesus
Sam and Mercedes haven’t met yet. That won’t happen until the next episode. So, no Samcedes.
Mercedes: There’s a lot going on here. Mostly its about her relationship with Kurt but its also about Mercedes herself and how she relates to the people she loves.
A lot has been said in the fandom about how “horrible” Mercedes was to Kurt in this episode by “shoving religion down his throat.” I don’t agree with that view. I think Mercedes was being the best friend that she knew how to be. Mercedes shared her spirituality (the thing that gives her hope and strength) with Kurt in his time of need. It just happened to be something that Kurt was unresponsive to.
This episode is where the break down in communication between Mercedes and Kurt begins, and it only gets worse as the season progresses.
When Kurt says that he doesn’t go to church because most churches are homophobic, Mercedes says, “I don’t see anything wrong with a little church in here.” This is the problem. They’re talking but they aren’t listening. The communication breakdown has begun. Quinn on the other hand is completely on board with Mercedes. She gives Kurt the stink eye and says “I agree” to Mercedes statements. She adds that God gives her strength. Quinncedes is sitll on at this point in the season. They have the same world view, they speak the same language.
After Kurt’s dad has a heart attack, Mercedes says that she’s “been struggling with what to say to Kurt all day.” This is an admission that she really doesn’t know how to communicate with him. She goes on to say that she rather sing what she feels and picks “I turn to you” which she says is about “turning to God.” This is a nice gesture, and she’s completely sincere in her attempt to cheer Kurt up but the song ultimately means nothing to him because he doesn’t believe in God.
Kurt says that believing in God is like “adults believing in Santa Clause.” Its a rejection of Mercedes gesture. Mercedes may not have listened to Kurt when he gave her reasons for not liking church, but Kurt didn’t listen to the lyrics of that song, because if he had he would have understood how important her belief in God is. He would have seen more than just “Santa Clause for adults,” and wouldn’t have insulted her so. I don’t think they are hurting each other intentionally, its just that they don’t know what else to say or do.
The two never really communicate until the end of the episode when they both start to listen to each other and compromise. Kurt agrees to go to church and Mercedes sings a song to him that isn’t about God, but about finding something to hold onto. That means something to Kurt because he does have something he holds onto, and that’s his father.
What we see here is that Kurt and Mercedes have different communication styles and world views. They both love each other so they try to work through it, but unfortunately, the two continue to have a break down in communication through out the season, and ultimately grow apart.
What I get from Mercedes in this episode is that she loves with tenacity. Her love is not superficial and she doesn’t give up easily. She didn’t just pray for Quinn and hope the girl would be ok, but she gave Quinn a home to live in and support throughout her pregnancy. She didn’t just give up when Kurt insulted her and rejected her help. She kept at it, rightly or wrongly, until Kurt was receptive to her love and support. If Mercedes loves someone, she truly loves them. She is not halfway, nor is she wavering in her affection. Does this sound like anyone else?
Sam: We only see Sam after Finn (his proxy/foil) prays to Grilled Cheesus to make him QB again. We see the football game and Finn decides to play leader and change Coach Bieste’s play. He convinces Sam to cooperate and what ensues is calamity. Sam gets trampled over and dislocates his shoulder. Finn is now QB. Finns character flaws (selfishness and inflated ego) end up hurting Sam who, as his proxy, may very well be a representative of Finn’s better self.
What’s important here is that when Sam follows behind Finn and takes direction from him, he ends up getting hurt. We’ll see this come up again in later episodes.
Samcedes: There is 0 interaction because they haven’t met yet. Mercedes interaction with Kurt leads itself to Samcedes and Klaine. The two have always been tight and super close. They were each other’s company and support in the jungle that is ND. In “Grilled Cheesus,” that dynamic becomes interrupted and pushes Kurt (him especially in this episode) and Mercedes towards feelings of isolation and loneliness. Neither one is really comforted until they find their significant others in Blaine and Sam.
No comments:
Post a Comment