Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.09 Special Education (Part 2)

Sancmedes Episode Analysis: 2.09 Special Education (Part 2)

by Akilah

Sam: Mr. Schue announces that Sam and Quinn will be featured in a duet for the sectionals competition. Rachel and Finn are not happy about this. Finn says, "You don't take the star quarterback out before the game." Finn is still trying to compete with Sam but Sam is over it. He doesn't respond to Finn's comments. When Rachel insults him and Quinn by calling them "Ken and Barbie," he doesn't seem to mind. He just smiles as Quinn responds to Rachel's rudeness.

Sam is very relaxed through this interaction. He doesn't feed into Finn because he's over it. He's through with competing with him. In the previous episode (2.08), Sam discovered that he could earn respect from his peers and impress girls by being true to his self. By confronting Karofsky Sam tapped into his best qualities, his moral integrity, honor and his selflessness. He was the opposite of selfish Finn who wouldn't even try to protect his soon to be step-brother. Sam distinguished his self from Finn and became a leader in the eyes of his team mates and friends. He didn't need to be QB for that. That's why when Finn brings that back up, Sam doesn't even respond. He's over competing with Finn, but Finn isn't really over competing with him yet.

For the competition, Sam and Quinn sing "I Had The Time of My Life." Let's look at the lyrics:

Sam: Now I've had the time of my life/ No I never felt this way before/Yes I swear, its the truth/ And I owe it all to you.

Quinn: I've had the time of my life/ And I owe it all to you.

Notice this song speaks about having the "time of my life" in the past tense. It doesn't say, I'm having the time of my life, it says "I've had" the time of my life. Meaning that the experience is over. Sam and Quinn had a fun time being together, but this song is the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end of their relationship. The past tense in the song is foreshadowing that the relationship is about to be over.

Sam sings, "I never felt this way before. Yes I swear its the truth." Quinn does not have that line. She just sings, "I've had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you." Sam is geniunely feeling things he never felt before. He's an earnest guy and has been nothing but honest and truthful with Quinn. She on the other hand can't honestly say she's experiencing emotions she never felt before with Sam, because she isn't. Sam has less life experience and is much more naive than Quinn. Quinn may very well be Sam's first real girlfriend, but Quinn has had relationships before and has actually been in love more than once. The infatuation she feels for Sam is nothing new to her, but his infatuation with her is more than likely a new experience for him.

Sam: I've been waiting for so long now I've finally found someone to stand by me

Quinn: We saw the writing on the wall as we felt this magical fantasy.

Sam is a hopeless romantic and has probably always wanted to be in love and fall in love. He's someone who loves love and has no problem with letting people know that. He found Quinn and he finally got the ideal girlfriend he dreamed of. She may not be what's best for him, but his idea of love is quite shallow at this point (based on his idea that the QB and head cheerleader must be together and get married one day). Quinn fits his image perfectly.

Quinn on the other hand knows very well that its a "magical fantasy." She knows that the relationship isn't based on anything real. Its predicated on popularity, fulfilling social roles at the school, and playing out her "fantasy" re-do of her sophmore year. She can read "the writing on the wall," and knows that its not anything meaningful, or something that can be maintained for long. But Quinn is enjoying the ride while it last.

Both: This could be love.

"This could be love," the song never says that they love each other, because they don't. Sam tells Quinn that he "thinks" he loves her in the previous episode (2.08). Quinn tells Finn that she "thinks" she loves Sam in episode 2.11. They never get beyond thinking that they are in love because they don't actually feel it. The farthest they ever get is "this could be love," and "I think I'm in love." This song is the pinnacle of their relationship. They will get no higher than this. Everything goes downhill between these two from here on out.

So, "I've Had the time of My life," is a goodbye to the Quinn and Sam relationship, as it won't and can't be maintained for much longer. This storyline is complete as we end the first arc of season 2. Sam's other arc, his "dog days" involving competing with Finn and trying to find a place at McKinley, is over as well. He now has a new sense of identity and a new social group at the school that appreciates him (glee club). But he does have much worse "dog days" to come in the second and third arc of the season.

Samcedes: At the sectionals competition, Sam and Mercedes sit next to eachother in the audience as they watch the Hipsters and Warblers perform. Mercedes is to Sam's right and Quinn is to Sam's left. I may be pulling at strings but I'm going to take the liberty to intrepret this as foreshadowing. Mercedes is to Sam's right, so she is the "right" one for him, while Quinn is to his left, meaning she will be "left" by him. Its a stretch, but come on, its fun.

As New Directions wait back stage to perform, Quinn tells Sam that she's nervous and possibly experiencing post-traumatic stress because the last time she performed in a competition she went into labor (Sam is in way over his head with this girl). She implies that she may not be able to perform. "FYI, I'm totally available to fill in," Mercedes says, interrupting Sam and Quinn's conversation. She's "avaliable" to duet with Sam. We can interpret this as foreshadowing that Mercedes will take Quinn's place, "fill in," as Sam's girlfriend. Also, it can be seen as foreshadowing for the duet that Sam and Mercedes eventually get 3.10.

During Sam and Quinn's duet, Mercedes gets to sing. She hits the high notes that Quinn can't. We can interpret this as Mercedes being able to take a "duet" with Sam to higher places then Quinn. Mercedes will present a "higher and deeper" love (River Deep Mountain High, 2.04), than the one Quinn has with Sam (Lucky 2.04).  The camera even focuses on Mercedes a few times. Mercedes gets the final note, singing higher and above everyone else. We can interpret this as Mercedes stepping into Sam and Quinn's "duet," placing herself into a romantic situation with Sam.

When Sam and Quinn's duet is over ND perform Valerie. Who is Mercedes dance partner? Its Sam. And as usual, they look good together. So Sam goes from dueting with Quinn to dancing with Mercedes. We can interpret this as Mercedes will in fact replace Quinn as Sam's romantic partner.

Now, lets look at the final song of the episode from a Samcedes perspective. Mercedes is singing a duet with Tina, "The Dog Days are Over." We know that it represents Mercedes because shes going through her "dog days" and is closed off from love. But it represents Sam too. The song foreshadows the "dog days" he's yet to endure, and how he will find love and happiness when he least expects it as well. These two are each other's happiness that "hits" them "like a train on a track." They find each other when they least expect it, and they relieve each other of the "dog days." And when Mercedes is singing this song, who comes over and knocks into her? Its Sam! Perhaps foreshadowing that he's the happiness that "hits her like a train."

Sam pushes his pelvis into Mercedes hip at the end of the "Dog Days are Over," performance. Its actually pretty weird and quite jarring. Thats not something people usually do. I interpret this as Sam was sub-conciosuly developing an attraction for Mercedes. That's why his pelvis does something he didn't tell it to do.