McKinley hallway. Artie approaches Brit-Brit just as she closes her locker. He asks her how things are going. She tells him everything is fine, but won't look him in the eyes. And then she declines his invitation to see a movie that night or have a latte in the morning because she has to spend her time rehearsing with Mike's abs. Poor Artie.

It's a grey and perhaps snowy day as the Glee kids all line up to get on the bus to Sectionals. Will is reviewing his troops when Emma approaches. Will tells her that he's nervous because his hamfisted way of changing things up for the club has totally alienated everyone and made the kids morose and depressed. And then Emma makes him morose and depressed when she tells him that Hot Dentist Carl asked her not to go to Sectionals with Will. Rachel sticks her head out of the bus to tell Will that they have to leave if they want to make it on time. So Emma wishes Will luck and kisses him on the cheek. Commercials.

Sectionals. Rachel is at the snack bar screaming at the attendant to get her some damn Raisinets. Kurt approaches, and she explains that the Raisinets are for Lauren Tuna. (Hack, hack.) And then Rachel asks Kurt, with actual interest in her voice, whether he got the solo. Upon learning that he didn't, she concludes that the Warblers must be amazing. And then she expresses actual sympathy for another human being. He tells her that he misses New Directions, since they appreciated his specialness, and she tells him not to feel guilty for abandoning them since he needed to look out for his own safety. Kurt: "How come you were never this nice to me when I was your teammate?" Rachel: "Because you were my only real competition." They hug, and then Kurt asks how Finn is doing, since the two of them haven't spoken since the wedding. Which either means the new house Burt bought is really enormous or that Kurt is boarding at Dalton. And if he's boarding there, he must have had some sex by now. Right? I mean, don't tell me everything I ever learned about boys' boarding schools in the pages of Stroke magazine isn't true. Anyway, Rachel tells Kurt that she hasn't spoken to Finn much since learning about his tryst with Santana, and Kurt expresses surprise that she didn't already know about it. Which is when she realizes that other people knew about it before she did. And then Blaine pulls Kurt away before we can explore this bombshell some more.

Competition opens with the Hipsters performing Mike and the Mechanics' "The Living Years." Thanks to the Eagle-Eyed Forum Posters for pointing out that the Hipsters are just an aged version of New Directions, complete with an opening solo from a woman, a woman in a wheelchair, and a sassy black grandma wailing away on the last notes. However, none of them are sporting a mohawk. We get about five seconds of their song, and then the Warblers take the stage to sing Train's "Hey, Soul Sister." Once again, Blaine gets the lead. Presumably, all of the groups are singing multiple songs, but we only get to see the one. Rachel is kind of cute in the audience, pointedly signaling to Kurt to smile more. Finally, I have to note that the way those shapeless gray wool pants treat Darren Criss's ass is a crime. At the end of the song, Mercedes cajoles the New Directions into leading the standing ovation. But you can be certain she's not applauding those pants. Commercials.