I’ve already given my initial impressions of this week’s Glee, the first episode back after a grueling World Series in which I’m still not sure who won. Yes, I basically stayed away from Fox during the World Series and used Twitter as my gauge for whether going back to the channel was safe.

While I have other shows to write about, this episode was one of which I was eagerly looking forward to. I like Glee, so much that my brain has glossed over the bad episodes and I have forgotten them, like a bad memory pushed to the back of my mind, fondly recalling “the good old episodes”,  on which list this week’s Wheels will surely remain.

First, the musical numbers were quite good. The “diva-off” proved that Rachel was the right singer for the part, but then again, Kurt did a good job as well. Switching between the two characters highlighted the differences in their voices better, but I was not surprised that Kurt threw the part. That’s just the way it should be written to give the viewers a healthy parent and gay son relationship story. Kurt would have to make some concessions as well. Not singing a girl’s song would be one of them.

The most amazing part of this episode was Sue Sylvester. Allison Waldman at tvsquad says, “There is much more to Sue Sylvester than the hyper-competitive coach with delusions of grandeur.” James Poniewozik at Times.com writes, “And speaking of no saints: Jane Lynch—holy crap. I suppose some fans might see the softer side of Sue Sylvester as a jump-the-shark moment for the show—threatening to take the fun out of her hard-assed mercilessness—but Lynch absolutely killed in the subplot, and I think it has the potential to make Sue not a different character, but an actual person.” Yet the writers at tvfanatic write, “This wasn’t our favorite episode of Glee.” They also wrote, “Sue Us… for saying this, but did we really need to be hit over the head so hard by Sue’s soft side?… If Sylvester isn’t back to cracking wise and making inappropriate judgments next week, we’ll be very unhappy.”

I personally loved the Sue parts. I watched with the same suspicion about Sue Sylvester as Mr. Schu, but the ending put her actions and attitudes in perspective in a very real and satisfying way. When she was talking to Schu about her treatment of Becky, she was right about it. She was treating Becky like a normal girl, which was all Becky wanted. Alan Sepinwall wrote, “Sue Sylvester still said outrageous things, but didn’t seem like a cartoon (and that was even before the payoff to the Down syndrome story, which Jane Lynch nailed).” I totally agree. That scene was so amazing, she truly did become a real person in my eyes. The Baywatch line reminded me of her character from Party Down, but I do not regret the tears I shed when she was reading Little Red Riding Hood to her sister.

Sepinwall also wrote, in the same article, “…tonight’s episode represented a show I… well, that I at least didn’t dislike as much as I’ve disliked some past outings… but at least with this episode, I could see the outlines of the show that the “Glee” fans are so obsessed with.”

I’ve liked Glee the entire time and the general consensus is that it was a great episode to a great program. Like Sepinwall, I wonder if the audience for the show can be succinctly categorized. Maybe that’s what makes this show work, that it appeals to so many different types of people and not even all the people in one category. For most people, all it takes is one good episode and they’re hooked. Maybe it’s not for everybody, but it’s reach is not limited and that’s just fine by me.

If this is the type of episode we will continue to see, even though it’s not as funny as some of the other ones,  I know I will continue to enjoy Glee. The tiny moments of clarity make this episode a home run.