There was a couple misfires in the episode. I was distracted by the bizarre split-screen moments that popped up throughout, as though it was an episode of 24. They were particularly bad in the otherwise excellent "Don't Speak."
The Left Behind Club also didn't work for me. It seemed both too light and comedic compared to the rest of the story arcs, and also just too light in general, considering how cruelly another character was being treated. (I don't question that a group of high school students could conspire to be that mean, but that doesn't mean the show needed to take such an "isn't it funny the way she's sitting there rocking and moaning?" attitude about it.)
But I thought the rest was great. I don't think the Rachel/Finn breakup scene quite matched the intensity of the one in the third season finale, but Lea Michele certainly gave it her all. I also appreciated that the script gave her an actual scene to play here, rather than falling back on the emotional cry-singing they often give her character. Don't get me wrong, she does that well, but it was nice to see something different here.
Besides, other actors had emotional singing covered in spades this week. Naya Rivera was fantastic in her choir room break-up scene (as was Heather Morris), and Darren Criss gave his best performance ever on the show in his edge-of-breakdown acoustic "Teenage Dream."
The song selections were rock solid. I've already mentioned the effectiveness of "Don't Speak" (powerful despite the photography) and the revisiting of "Teenage Dream." "Barely Breathing" was also a good performance (the first ever Blaine/Finn duet?). And the staging of the final number, "The Scientist," was great -- particularly the final shot that pushed in on Finn from the whole group, then pulled out in the same single take to reveal an empty stage.
The best episode of the season so far, I'd give it an A-. I think I'll be looking forward to the return of new Glee episodes more than I have for a long time now.
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