By now you're read our rave review of tonight's episode of Glee, and you've hopefully watched Heather Morris rock Beyoncé's girl-power anthem.
But since this is Harry Shum Jr.'s big moment as well—He sings! And gets the main storyline!—we thought it was only appropriate to ask him to preview his turning-point episode, plus reveal what's coming up after "Asian F." (Hint: Spin. Off.)
"It's all up in the air right now. It depends on where the storyline takes off," he says about a possible spinoff after his character Mike Chang graduates this year. "There's always a happy ending in Glee but at the same time the writers are also unpredictable, which it great. So it could be a place where I follow my dream or go with what my parents want me to do, so there could be many different options. But I'm open to pretty much anything at this point."
More important, what's to become of Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and Mike when he graduates?
"I don't know how that's going to play out," Harry admits. "I think they have a strong love [and] a strong bond, but at the same time it is high school and people do move on so I don't know. I wouldn't want to see them break up, but I think that it is a big possibility, just because it's tough."
We warned you: Lots of drama tonight's episode. And it turns out, even though he's the big star in "Asian F," Harry is taking almost zero credit for the buzz surrounding it, only offering up that it's a team effort. Ain't he just the sweetest?
"There have been a lot of great episodes on Glee. I honestly think it's up there with those other episodes that people call the best episodes," he tells us. "I think just in the combination [of] brilliant performances from the cast and the direction and the writing. I think it was a smorgasbord, and everyone just came in and said, 'Let's make the best one we can' and I think it happened. But I don't think they tried; it just happened organically. They wrote the script and it was great and just came about, so now I'm just so glad that people are so receptive towards it."
In case you're out of the "gloop" (Glee-loop. Take it. You're welcome), "Asian F" centers mostly around Mike Chang and the pressure he's receiving from his parents. They blame his girlfriend Tina and New Directions for his slipping grades.
"They're not the traditional parents that you would like to see come in. I love what Glee does, they dress them so cool and they're just easygoing—until their son gets an A-minus and all hell breaks loose," Harry says. "They want him to quit everything. You don't get an A-minus. They feel like he is distracted by the girlfriend and they want that relationship to kind of fizzle out, and also they want him to quit glee club and booty camp and everything at that point. He struggles whether to pick what his dad and mom want or what he loves to do."
Apparently, at one point he chooses singing, because tonight's episode marks Harry's very first solo. And we are so proud! "I'm super excited for people to see it," he tells us. "It's in the catalog of West Side Story and it's a number where there is obviously singing involved, but also some really, really good placement for dance. So you definitely will get to see Mike Chang dance as well as sing."
Wait, he dances?
Getting excited for tonight? Can you hardly stand the anticipation? Tune into Glee tonight, and don't forget to come back and join other Gleeks while we discuss the episode in our weekly Glee-Dux.