Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.11 The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.11 The Sue Sylvester Shuffle

by Akilah

Mercedes: Mercedes gets coffee with Rachel, Kurt and Blaine at the Lima Bean. She's no longer Kurt and Blaine's third wheel. Kurt has also made friends with Rachel, who adds a fourth to their party. This seems to be a much more comfortable setting for Mercedes, its a contrast from the Breadstix scene in 2.07, where she was clearly the odd man out when having dinner with Kurt and Blaine. This also appears to be the start of a friendship between Mercedes and Rachel. It may very well be a friendship of convience; they're both friends with Kurt and they're both single. But it is a friendship nontheless, and we will see more of it in upcoming episodes.

Mercedes and Rachel are distraught about the fighting between the football team and the glee club. They both feel bad for the boys on the football team who will most likely be unable to play in their championship game. They tell Kurt and Blaine that all the football players who are not in New Directions have quit. This has created a low morale in ND.

Blaine, who happens to be a football fan, tells them that they only need nine players on a team in order to play. Mercedes and Rachel exchange glances, they have the same idea. They later present their idea to New Directions, "We want to join the team. All of us glee girls. We want to join the football team, and we want to play in the championship." The boys are reluctant at first but when they realize that the girls are serious and have put some thought into it, they are grateful. Coach Bieste decides to let the girls play.

Mercedes, Rachel, Tina and Lauren are a contrast to Quinn, Santana and Britney who decided to quit glee club in order to stay with the Cheerios. Mercedes and the other ND girls, excluding the "unholy trinity," displayed loyalty to ND. They also sacrificed their safety by playing football, in order to help their fellow glee club members who were bummed about not being able to play in the championship game. These four ladies are courageous and loyal, and it does not go unnoticed by the football team. The boys thank them and they all exchange "high fives."

Sam: Finn's jersey number is 5, Sam's is 6. He is literally the next in line after Finn. Finn has been competing with Sam throughout the first arc of season 2. Sam, who has finally stepped out of Finn's shadow, is no longer interested in competing with Finn for the role of QB. Finn, who still wants to compete with Sam, has finally found a playing field that gives him an advantage over Sam, and that's Quinn Fabrey.

Finn confronts Quinn when she chooses the Cheerios over glee club.  "You don't have to be a Cheerio to be cool," he tells her. "You are so naive," Quinn replies, "this whole school is about labels." Here, Quinn reveals her primary motivation that has determined most of her actions in the first arc of the season. She has been playing a role, adherring to the rules that determine "labels" and popularity at the school. "I didn't realize you were so freaking weak," Finn says when he sees that she is not interested in being loyal to the glee club. Finn can read Quinn in ways that Sam cannot. Sam only knows Quinn as the role she chooses to play.

"What did you say," Sam asks, "why are you yelling at my girlfriend?" Sam is ready to fight Finn. This is the second fight Sam has attempted in the episode. The first was after Artie was slushied by the football team. Sam was prepared to fight in order to protect and defend his friend. Again, Sam stands by his moral code of honor, integrity and loyalty. Finn may be correct in his assesment of Quinn, but Sam will not tolerate anyone disrespecting his girlfriend. It goes against his honor code.

Sam tells Finn, "Maybe its time for a change at the top [...] You had your feet in both worlds for over a year and never been able to bring them together. Maybe someone else could." Sam shoves Finn and Finn shoves back. Coach Bieste and Mr. Schue pull the two boys apart. We see that Sam may no longer be interested in being QB just for popularity, but that he is interested in being a leader. Sam wants to bring peace amongst the football team and the glee club. He wants ND to be respected in the school. And he doesn't want his friends to be bullied. Sam is a natural leader. He wants to lead with intentions of selflessness, while Finn wants to lead mainly for selfish reasons.

Sam may want peace, but he's also willing to fight if he feels it necessary. Earlier in the episode Artie was slushied by the non-glee football players. Sam and the rest of the glee boys decided to confront their team mates who attacked him. When the other football players walked into the choir room, Sam was the first to respond. "Put up your fist because you and I are gonna do some dancing." Sam is ready to retaliate in Artie's honor. It is similar to the way he attacked Karofsky, the only glee clubber to actually do so. Sam is a fighter, but he fights for the good of others and the things he believes in.

Sam was held back in that particular instance by Finn, who put his arm up to block Sam. "I've got this," Finn says. Sam knocks the other boy's arm away. He is realizing that Finn is not as much of a friend as he originally thought. He distrust Finn. Sam is beginnig to read and see the people around him for they truly are. As long as Sam is in Finn's shadow, Finn will "block" him from reaching his full potential.

Later during the championship game, Finn passes the role of QB over to Sam. Sam is surprised but he takes on the role. Finn needs him to hold his place while he attempts to persuade the cheerios to come back to glee. Finn has now given up his competition with Sam as far as leadership and QB is concerned. He has found something else he is more interested in, Quinn.

At the end of the episode, Quinn tells Finn that she remembers why she "loved him," and then kisses him. This is significant because Quinn never said she loved Sam, but that she has probably been in love with Finn this whole time. Since Quinn has shed her cheerios uniform, she is now exposed and bare. She has given up her role of popular head cheerleader. In this mode, her true wants and desires are revealed, and what she really wants and has probably wanted this whole time, is Finn. And just like in the championship game, Sam has just been holding Finn's place until the other boy was available again.

Samcedes: When Rachel, Mercedes and Tina stand up to present their plan of playing in the football game, Sam looks in Mercedes direction and you can see his eyes going up and down, as if he's scoping one of the girls out. I'm assuming it was Mercedes.

After Coach Bieste tells the girls they can play, the boys get up and give them high gives. Sam gets up and stands directly in front of Mercedes and they high five each other.

What we see in this episode is that both Sam and Mercedes are loyal friends. Mercedes helped come up with the idea of playing on the football team so that her glee club friends could have their championship game. It was selfless. Sam was also loyal and selfless when he tried to defend Artie by fighting one of the football players, despite having been badly beat by Karofsky before.