Sectionals have
finally arrived for the New Directions and although Mr. Schuester (Matthew
Morrison) has a set-list chosen with predicable singing from Finn (Cory
Monteith), Rachel (Lea Michele), and Mercedes (Amber Riley), guidance counselor
Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) suggests to shine a light on other members of the
glee club.

Mr. Schuester then
decides to feature the dance moves of Brittany (Heather Morris) and Mike Chang
(Harry Shum Jr.) as well as have Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Sam (Chord
Overstreet) sing the beginning love ballad. However, this change in set lists
causes a lot of drama, especially for Rachel who also learns for the first time
that Finn and Santana had been sexually involved the previous year.

Kurt (Chris Colfer)
is still adjusting to life with the Dalton Academy Warblers. Struggling to find
his position in the club, he auditions for a solo to perform at sections. With
Rachel’s advice, he performs “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from the musical, Evita, but is not successful in earning
the solo.

Puck (Mark Salling)
recruits Lauren Zises (Ashley Fink), the president of the AV club and Girls’
wrestling team, to fulfill the twelfth spot of the club. When the glee club arrives to
sectionals, they are less than enthusiastic and Mr. Schuester regrets taking
“new directions for the ‘New Directions.'”

The Hipsters, an
choir of elderly seniors working to earn their General Educational Development
diplomas, perform a cute version of “The Living Years” by Mike Rutherford and
B. A. Robertson. The Dalton Academy Warblers perform Train’s, “Hey, Soul
Sister.” The song was well-performed by Blaine (Darren Criss), with Kurt on the
side, looking uncomfortable to not be singing with the New Directions on the
stage.

Although reluctant to
do so, the New Directions hits the stage, beginning with Quinn and Sam singing
a charming version of “I’ve Had
The Time of My Life” from the musical, Dirty
Dancing. The performance of this particular song was very timely after the
death of iconic actor Patrick Swayze earlier this year and Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey winning Dancing with the Stars
last week, both the original dance performers of the song.

Following the ballad,
Santana (Naya Rivera) had a chance in the spotlight, enthusiastically singing
The Zuton’s “Valerie,” while accompanied by phenomenal dance moves by Brittany
and Mike. After all the performances, the results are announced. While the
Hipsters take third place, there is a tie between New Directions and the
Warblers, and both groups will move on to Regionals.

Relieved that the
group survived Sectionals, Mr. Schuester encourages the group to focus on the
Regional and National competitions that lie ahead. However, Mr. Schuester is a
bit distracted towards the episode after receiving news that Emma and Dr. Carl
Howell (John Stamos), were married over the weekend in Las Vegas.

As much of the drama
starts to die down, Rachel admits that out of frustration with Finn, the
previous week she had kissed Puck to make Finn jealous. Shocked and
disappointed in Rachel’s decision, Finn ends their relationship.

The episode concludes
with the “unsung heroes,” Mercedes and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) singing “Dog Days
Are Over,” a single from Florence and the Machine. During the performance, New
Directions tries to emphasize the special bond they have with each other,
although they may easily be frustrated with one another at certain points.

As usual, the
conclusion of the episode leaves audiences with a number of questions. First,
what will happen to some relationships, specifically, those between Mr.
Schuester and Emma, as well as Finn and Rachel? Also, when will Kurt be
returning? Watching the club perform without Kurt is not the same. As Rachel
explained in “Duets,” a previous episode of the season, New Directions is going
to win at Nationals, and it’s because they will have him.