The director tackles Tuesday’s musical episode, written by Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk, with a sense of understanding, not just of the way musicals should look on screen – he helped create the online musical phenomenon Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog starring Neil Patrick, who makes a welcome guest appearance this week on Glee – but with a sense that he gets the awkward bunch of high schoolers.

Whedon, when approached to direct the episode, said he wanted to focus on the deeper issues lurking within Glee’s characters. “These are very hard, personal things that they don’t necessarily talk about with other people,” he said. “There is a real thematic coherence about the episode that brought them together on an emotional level.”

Those emotions, which pulled Whedon into the episode, are monumental for the three characters taking center stage this week. Artie, the wheelchair-bound character, is forced to deal with the realities of being stuck in a chair for the rest of life. Will Schuester, glee club’s adult leader, confronts his suppressed dream of acting on stage. And, the Barbra Streisand wannabe, Rachel, gets one step closer to learning the identity of her mother.

Now that Fox has thrown even more support behind its ratings darling – the network just announced that Glee will air in the prime slot directly following next year’s Super Bowl broadcast – social outcasts everywhere can rejoice in knowing that they are certain to have an outlet to turn to on TV each week.

Hopefully, Whedon can stop by every now and then to check in on his beloved misfits, because if this week’s episode proves anything, it is that Glee, Madonna mania aside, works best when its characters have a chance to battle their misfit ways.

Photo courtesy of Michael Yarish/FOX.