Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.16 Original Song

Samcedes Episode Analysis: 2.16 Original Song
by Akilah

Sam: Santana has written a song for Sam titled "Trouty Mouth." The lyrics make fun of his lips. She sings it in front of the glee club in the choir room.

"Guppy Face, Trouty Mouth/ Is that how people's lips look where you come from in the South/ Grouper Mouth, Froggy Lips/ I love suckin' on those salamander lips/ Wanna put a fish hook in those lips so cherry red/ If you tried hard enough you could suck a baby's head"

Sam covers his mouth and even tries to make his lips smaller while listening to the song. His fellow ND members let out small chuckles. He finally explodes. He jumps out of his seat and tells Santana to stop it with the mouth jokes. We can assume that she regularly pokes fun of him, but he reached his breaking point during the song.

When Puck performs "Big Ass Heart," Sam snaps his fingers and sways along. Santana doesn't like it and gives him a look, trying to control his behavior. He shrugs and makes a gesture that says, "what now!" Its quick but its confrontational. He's clearly growing tired of her crap. This relationship is officially making him miserable.

After Mercedes performs "Hell to the No," Santana says she wrote another verse to "Trouty Mouth." We see Sam pick up his notebook and flash the "Hell No," sign he created during Mercedes performance.  He's finally starting to speak up for himself.

Mercedes: Mercedes wrote a song called "Hell to the No," and performs it for ND. She sings it with confidence.

"They tried to take away my tots/ I said hell to the no/ Yeah, 'cause I'm the one that calls the shots/ And I say hell to the no/ I'm not trying to diva out/ But this shows gotta stop so shout/ Try to make me change my eats/ But baby that just isn't me/ I'm a whole lot of/ oh, oh, oh, hell to the no/ Take me you can leave me but I won't ever change/ If you don't like the rules don't play my game/ Talk to me to get R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but if I don't, it's all in me."

This is Mercedes' anthem. She's a confident young woman who isn't going to let anyone change her. The song alludes to "Take Me or Leave Me," with its themes. Its a song of self-acceptance and willing everyone else around you to accept you too. Mercedes says if you don't like her than fine, she likes herself anyway. "Its all in me," as she says. Shes strong and independent, but shes also prideful.

Mr. Schue tells her its a great performance, but the song still isn't good enough for regionals. The group sings Rachel's original song instead. Again, Mr. Schuester tells Mercedes that she isn't good enough while Rachel is chosen as MVP again. Perhaps its not that Mercedes isn't good enough, it could be that she just doesn't match Mr. Schuester idea of what ND should be.

Mercedes finds herself in the same exact position at regionals as she was at sectionals. Shes background to Rachel and Finn but fills in on the high notes that no one but she can reach. The New Directions have not progressed at all. Especially not for Mercedes. No wonder she rebels in 3.03. Things were never going to change unless she forced them to.


Samcedes: Sam really likes Mercedes original song. He liked it so much that he decided to participate in it by writing "HELL NO," in his notebook and flashing it while she sang in front of him. I think Sam was really impressed by Mercedes confidence in this performance. Her song was all about being who she is no matter what people think, and Sam admired that. I think he found it incredibly attractive, since he is the opposite. He cares too much about what others think, that's why he allows himself to be so easily manipulated by people.

Sam put up the "HELL NO," sign after Santana said she had another verse of Trouty Mouth. Symbolically, Mercedes had inspired Sam to stand up for himself. He used Mercedes words to protect himself against Santana.

At regionals, Sam and Mercedes both like "Jesus is a Friend," the song performed by Oral Intensity. You see Mercedes smiling and clapping along. Sam closes his eyes and rocks his head side to side as he grooves to it.They are the only member of ND who seem to enjoy the song.

The two dance together in "Loser Like Me," and hop down the steps together as Sam has his arm around Mercedes.