The Kurt Locker

Day 16: Home


Of all the days to promise a light entry! This isn't exactly an episode that lends itself to levity, but I'll try not to be as big a drag as yesterday. Here goes nothing...

So, "Home" is a very different-feeling episode. The frenetic pacing normally associated with Glee takes a day off in favor of a purposeful, yet fortifying stroll.  It feels...chewy? Sort of like eating a piece of taffy; you have to chew slowly as it dissolves in your mouth.  You can't rush "Home" any more than you can rush that big wad of delicious candy.

As a general rule, the episodes written by Brad Falchuk are my favorites. If Ian Brennan is the snark, then Brad is the heart. He comes through here in a big, Burt Bacharach kind of way, as various characters explore the meaning of 'home'. The usually self-confident Mercedes struggles to feel at home in her body. Finn feels that his home is being yanked out from under him, while Kurt fears that his position in his home is being usurped. The grown-ups are having a rough go of it as well. They've been bearing up admirably under difficult circumstances, but they now realize that their homes, while functional, are lacking. They are particularly compelling, probably because up until now, these folks have been essentially flat background characters. Finally, April, Carole, and Burt emerge as actual people and not just as "adults". Will, too, to some extent. We get intimate glimpses into their lives and hearts, and man, there is a lot of stuff going on in there! It turns out they are every bit as flawed and vulnerable as the kids, and have exactly the same desires; to love and to be loved, to belong, to feel at home in the world and with themselves.

Part of me wonders if the pacing was intentional. That this episode was meant to feel like a slow march rather than a sprint to the finish. Because the 'home' referred to here is not a physical destination. This kind of home is a lifetime pursuit. I don't think anyone ever actually gets there, at least not permanently. Life brings change, people grow, priorities shift. It's that yearning, though, that keeps us moving and makes us (hopefully) try a little harder to find our place. That being the case, the real goal is making the  most of the march. Bring the people you love best, breathe deeply, appreciate the view. A great soundtrack doesn't hurt either.


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