This one is a little lighter than the last chapter but there's still some good stuff.
After the somber gathering at the diner, Kurt suggested that they all go back to the loft and try to turn everyone's frowns into smiles. Rachel agreed and told everyone that she had something to discuss with them all. She wanted to be able to do a little more research on Throat Explosion before she presented Mr. Shue with possibilities for a set list.
"Wow this is some place!" Puck said
"Yeah you three have really made it homey since the last time I was here!" Quinn agreed.
"Well it isn't Lima Heights adjacent but it'll do, after all New York is pretty bad ass." Santana shrugged.
"So Rachel does this little pow-wow have anything to do with New Directions and their new apparent arch-enemies Throat Explosion?" Kurt asked
"How did you hear about them?" Rachel asked
"Duh, Blaine texted me, apparently Tina is going off the deep end. Apparently they are like a hard core version of us with a side of Vocal Adrenaline drive. They are all apparent misfits like all of the New Directions but they eat, sleep and breathe show choir like Vocal Adrenaline. Apparently they don't do anything but sing." Kurt said
Rachel sat down with her laptop and opened it to find the videos of Throat Explosion that Mr Shue had emailed her. She played them for the group and then looked around at everyone.
"Mr. Shue called me this afternoon in a panic. He says he just can't figure out what to have New Directions do at Nationals in Los Angeles. He asked me to think of some songs that would fit and showcase their talents." Rachel said to the group who were all sitting around the living room of the loft.
"Well I'd say they have to do something new, something old and something in-between like we did last year." Quinn said.
"I'd say originals but the one they did at regionals was only so-so, the other two songs were great but remember when we took originals to Nationals-we didn't even place." Puck said.
"Yeah I'm going to have to go with Puck here, there's a time and a place for originals and Nationals is NOT it." Kurt said.
"What they need is at least one ballad and one really good singer to bring it home, Marley is good but she's got time. What kind of ballads can we come up with that will showcase one or two of the seniors?" Santana asked.
"Well Tina is pretty strong but I think for her to carry off a ballad it would have to be with someone else backing her up." Rachel said
"Well if this Throat Explosion is going to go Katy or Gaga then I'd say they need to go with something other than those two, besides we did Gaga last year for Nationals and while the song was great they don't want to cover the same artist two years in a row." Kurt put in.
"Good point Kurt, you know who New Directions has only covered once? Mariah Carey. Plenty of ballad material there." Quinn said
"That is a great idea Quinn! There are plenty of ballads in Mariah's song catalog!" Rachel said with a huge smile.
"So that's one down. Remember when we went to Regionals that first year and we had the Journey mash up of Anyway You Want It and Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin? We kind of worked the boys and girls in that one, it really worked. We did it again at Nationals last year with Dashboard and that worked too. So maybe they need a number that features the boys and girls equally like that." Santana suggested.
"Yeah and no show tunes. I mean they aren't bad most of the time but I think we can all agree they don't really have anyone who can do them justice. Plus they are going to LA and it's not really a show tune town-I should know I lived there for awhile earlier this year." Puck put in.
"MADONNA!" Kurt sang out.
"No not Madonna, Kurt. The last time New Directions did Madonna we all agreed that the boys were uncomfortable with her songs." Quinn said.
"Ok well then how about the divine Miss M?" Kurt said
"Who the hell is that?" Puck said
Kurt rolled his eyes at Puck "Bette Midler-Puckerman you don't know anything."
Rachel was taking all this in but really only thinking about one song, the ballad. She had been running through Mariah Carey songs while the rest argued and then "One Sweet Day" came into her mind. It made her think of Finn.
"Rach what are you thinking?" Kurt said.
"One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. It's a sad song but I think that they could do it. Blaine and Tina could sing the leads and the rest can chime in for the group parts. It would be perfect." Rachel said
"Rachel you just might be onto something there!" Santana said.
"Ok so we have a ballad now they need two more songs to seal it up." Puck said
Rachel was still lost in the song and drifted off again. The song was still in her mind and now she wondered, was Finn smiling down at them from heaven like the song said?