Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.09 Special Education (Part 1)

Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.09 Special Education (Part 1)

by Akilah

Mercedes: After Mr. Schue tells Rachel that she won't be getting a solo because he wants to showcase other people's talents, Mercedes assumes that she'll be getting the solo instead. But Mr. Schue has decided that Quinn and Sam should be featured in a duet for the Sectionals Competition. Mr. Schue is taking Emma's advice by showcasing other voices besides Rachel and Finn's.

Emma tells Mr. Schue that his competition numbers are always predictable; Rachel and Finn duet and Mercedes wails on the last note. She suggests he tries something different. Schue thinks he's shaking things up, but he still has Mercedes in the same position. She ends up wailing on high notes, but this time its in Quinn and Sam's duet. It really isn't much of a change at all. Especially considering that Sam and Quinn were the ones Rachel and Finn selected to win the duets competition and to be the "number 2" couple in ND. Mr. Schue is still allowing Rachel to run Glee club, even if he doesn't think he is.  He is still marginalizing Mercedes, which comes back to bite him in 3.03.

At the end of the episode, Mr. Schue feels bad that Rachel wasn't able to perform a solo, so he asks her to perform a private number for ND. Rachel, not feeling up to it, offers the song to Mercedes and Tina who gladly accept. Its a nice gesture, but the problem is that Mercedes never gets anything in Glee club unless Rachel allows it. Mercedes is only getting to lead in a performance because Rachel doesn't want it and because she gave it to her. Again, Mr. Schuester over looks everyone else in favor of Rachel and lets Rachel make the decisions in ND.

Mercedes and Tina duet on the closing number. They sing "The Dog Days are Over." As with every closing number on Glee, this song speaks to one of the themes of the episode. Since this is the last episode of the first arc in Season 2, the song speaks to several themes within episodes 3.01 to 3.09. This song is about Kurt, its about Rachel, Emma, Will, Sam, Quinn, Santana and Artie. This song is also about Mercedes, and since she's the one singing it, I'd say it speaks to her storyline especially. Lets look at the lyrics:

Happiness hit her like a train on a track/ coming towards her, stuck still no turning back/ She hid around corners and she hid under beds/ She killed it with kisses and from it she fled/ The dog days are over, the dog days are done/ The horses are coming so you better run.

Mercedes is going through a difficult time. She's in her "dog days." Shes losing her best friend, Kurt, to Dalton and to Blaine. She's lonely and doesn't think she'll ever meet anyone. She wants to emerge from the background of ND because she knows she has so much more potential than what Mr. Schue is allowing her to be. Its not really a good time.

The song also speaks of being guarded and fearful of love. "She hid around corners and she hid under beds," this is indicative of Mercedes fearful and guarded nature towards love. In "The Substitute," Mercedes is shown as being lonely and desiring love but not wanting to admit it. She won't even admit it to her best friend and deflects her feelings by focusing on something else (tots). Mercedes is so guarded that she doesn't even want to admit this loneliness and yearning to herself. She's afraid of being vulnerable and getting hurt. Mercedes is "hiding" and running from love. Just like the song talks about.

Mercedes may be hiding from love but according to the song, it will find her anyway. "Happiness hit her like a train on a track/ coming towards her, stuck still no turning back," this is foreshadowing, letting the audience know that Mercedes will find love, or rather, love will find Mercedes. Kurt tells her as much in 2.07, "Love is just around the corner," he says, "Trust me Mercedes. You will find someone." Mercedes is still in her "dog days," but they will be ending soon. "The horses are coming so you better run," love is on its way.

One more thing. HummelBerry officially begins in this episode. RIP Kurtcedes. Dog days indeed.