Thoughts on 5x09 - Frenemies (Part 3)
Rachel, Santana, and Kurt
I have so many Rachel feelings. I love her a lot. It was especially gutting to watch New Directions bonding as a family, while Rachel leaves hers, alone and friendless just like she was in season 1. Man, that was painful to watch.
So one of the things that has been a constant for Rachel is the way she reaches out to people who despise her. Kurt, Quinn, Santana, Mercedes. Sheās not an easy person to love. But despite the insults, she keeps trying to be their friend.
This was Rachel giving up. This is her thinking that no matter how hard she tries, it will always be the way it was in high school. Always having to be one step ahead because everyoneās out to get her. Most of her anger is directed at Santana, but I think itās also important to remember that she had just as uneasy a start with Kurt. Since weāre doing Diva references, it wasnāt that long ago that Kurt took a private spat public to make his point. Even then, she remained his friend and defended him.
1x09 was Wheels where Kurt first decided that Rachel and he were enemies, and Rachel was sure she would lose Defying Gravity because no one liked her. 2x09 was Special Education where Santana reveals that she slept with Finn and their animosity first starts. She says nobody told Rachel because they all pretend to like her. Santana also goes on to get her first competition solo, while Rachel is benched. 4x09 was the black swan episode.
That moment after packing when Rachel pulls herself together after crying reminded me so much of season 1 Rachel. There was Rhodes Not Taken, when April sees her crying in the bathroom and baits her. (Thatās also the episode where she comes back to Glee club because she realized being a star didnāt make her feel as special as being their friend.) Thereās Mattress, where no one wants to be in the school photo with her and she gives herself a pep talk in the mirror.
"Snap out of this. Stop being defined by what other people think of youā¦ or how they disappoint you. Itās lonely at the top - you know that. Whatās that song about overcoming professional and personal disappointments?.. Oh yeah. When youāre smiling, when youāre smiling, the whole world smiles with youā¦"
Have I mentioned how much I love Rachel?
I sort of can see where Santana was coming from. But she came ready for a fight, and she was raring to go. She was frustrated and stuck and dealing with her own issues. It felt a lot like Diva, where she came back to town and got entangled with Sam because her own fears got the better of her. Then she had Brittany to talk her down. And itās easy to say, well thatās just Santana being Santana. But now that sheās developing friendships, the lashing out comes with a price. She wasnāt rude to her customer because she didnāt want to lose her job. She was less careful with her friends.
Since weāre talking Diva parallels - Santana came back then and said Sue offered to train her to take over the Cheerios once Sue dies, and that sheād poison her protein shakes in a few years.
Theyāre both difficult people to love, and they both react to that fact in different ways.
But just like how Rachel was friendless for a lot of her time in high school, Santana had very little respect. She worried constantly about what people thought about her, and it took a lot of courage for her to make decisions. Girl on Fire and her moving to New York was one of the few independent decisions she made.
Iām still trying to figure out where her mimicking Rachelās Donāt Rain On My Parade fits into this.
Itās still true for Rachel though. She goes out saying sheās not going to let either of them ruin even one moment of her time on Broadway.
Iām really looking forward to seeing how they resolve this.
