TV Review: Glee Gets in Touch with Its Roots

(I picked this photo because of how excited they all look.)


My biggest problem with Glee this season (and parts of last season) has never been the show's theatricality.  I started out legitimately interested in a show that frequently referenced Broadway and made off-beat jokes that not everyone would get.  But this season has been spent too largely on trying to increase Glee's "cool factor" by featuring random guest stars, topical plot lines, and way too much unnecessary drama.  What I liked about last night's episode "New York" was that the writers seemed to remember what the initial forces behind this show were, and remind us all why we started caring in the first place.

It wasn't a perfect episode, of course, but it would have been difficult for anyone to pen perfection in the face of this season's mountain of plot debris.  The kids' excitement about New York felt authentic at times but too over-the-top at others, and I still don't know how I feel about the show basically whoring out a single 10-block radius of Manhattan in order to add color and interest to the show.  I'm also wondering if the people who own Broadway theaters are aware of the apparent break-in epidemic going on in their buildings.

But joking aside, there were some things I really did like about this episode.  Rachel finally did what I've been hoping she'd do all season, which was commit herself to her dream over boys (she got back together with Finn in the end, but it was very clear that the relationship now has an expiration date, and I hope the writers don't conveniently forget that conversation come Season 3).  Rachel's dream of being on Broadway was one of the first really intriguing points of the show, and so I was glad to see the finale revisit that.  I loved (loved, loved) her duet with Kurt, not least because "For Good" is my favorite track from the Wicked soundtrack--they were both phenomenal in that scene.  On that vein, I also loved Kurt serving as Rachel's go-to gal pal/guide in this episode; it gave us another chance to see how well their friendship works. 

I'm glad they didn't draw out the Schuester story too much; we all knew he was going to go back to the kids at some point, and though I predicted they might leave it up in the air over the summer, I think I'm glad he's already sure to be back for another year with the Glee club.  Speaking of people returning for another year, one of the episode's definite highlights was the scene between Santana and Brittany at the episode's end.  I loved Brittany's break down of the New Directions family and the honesty of her feelings toward it and toward Santana.  I liked that we finally got a glimpse of how much she has changed since the show started from the ditzy cheerleader indifferent about who she bullied to someone who actually cares, and not just about herself.  I also got the feeling that only the things she said would have persuaded Santana that she wanted to come back for another year.

Last two things, I promise, both of them praises.  Loved the Blaine and Kurt scene (if you remember, I was hoping, as I'm sure many others were, to have one more glimpse of them before the show went to summer hiatus); the way they said "I love you" was just about perfect, nonchalant and genuine in equal measure.  Another development, and one I was wondering about following the prom episode, was Sam and Mercedes' secret relationship.  I'm legitimately intrigued to see how this one pans out, not to mention excited for the possibility of a duet between the two of them somewhere down the line, because I don't think we've gotten to hear them together before.  Why are my favorite shows choosing right now to write really cute secret couples?  I don't know, but I like it a whole lot.

So Glee is done for the summer, and not much was left hanging.  This episode felt in many ways like both a conclusion and like the show coming full circle back to the beginning of its run, so I will be very interested to see how they intend to proceed for the third season.  My advice:  cut down on the guest stars, etc, and focus on the characters we know and love.  "New York" did exactly that, and I think that's the biggest reason it was a successful episode.

TV Review: Glee Pulls Out All the Prom Stops

Glee's prom episode had all the cliche staples:  Shocking prom queen reveal?  Check.  Girl fight?  Check.  Fist fight over a girl?  Check.  Awful music?  Cheeeeecccckkk. 

If we're looking at it the way I tend to look at this show, though, it was actually a pretty successful episode.  That is, it showed us the cheesiness of the high school experience in a very authentic way, and I felt like the characters all acted their purported ages for once (I sometimes feel like they forget the New Directions members are only 17, on average).  Rachel was pretty fantastic this episode, from selflessly helping Finn with his corsage dilemma to coordinating Sam going to prom on the cheap (and inadvertently getting Mercedes her "Cinderella" moment), to the look of genuine heartbreak on her face as she watched Kurt go up to accept his Prom Queen crown.  Quinn continued her trend of being whiny and kind of one-dimensional, though I did like the obvious conflict in her feelings during the bathroom confrontation with Rachel.  I like that this season has tried to really drive home the point that Quinn feels as insecure as any other girl (if not more so), but I think now it's been beaten into us just a little too much.  Move on with this character, writers, there's so much more she can be, and Dianna Agron has a lot of potential that you're risking overlooking.  One other disappointment was Puck, who I feel they consistently shortchange on this show.  He started out with that moment of insight (using that term loosely) about his supposed loss of badass-ness due to his relationship with Lauren, and I was hoping that would head to a moment of genuine understanding for him (i.e. that he's willing to sacrifice his reputation because he really likes his girlfriend, or something similar), but instead we just got another petty attempt at coolness, and a manipulation of poor Artie (yes, I know he made a choice, but Puck should know better by now).  In any event, I just want more from Puck that isn't trite or silly, because I think they've dropped a lot of inadvertent hints at his compelling character, and have scarcely delivered on any.

The Kurt storyline was compelling as always (but that might be largely because Chris Colfer has blossomed into such an incredibly watchable performer), and I loved that they added some dimension to Blaine's character (though I am hoping we'll get an actual last name for him some time in the future-- it can't actually be "Warbler", right?).  I loved the two of them uniting against the hardships they've both faced, and for the first time it really felt like an equal partnership (I think there were early concerns, mine among them, about Kurt jumping into a relationship with the first gay "mentor" figure he encountered; but in this episode it really felt like they each had a lot to offer one another, and Blaine seemed a lot less idealized than usual).  I definitely felt sympathy for Kurt, but I also admired his strength, and I think the show actually sent a really great message out to the teen viewers who might find themselves enduring similar struggles; I really appreciated Kurt's coming to understand that the bullying might never fully go away, but that he could be strong in the face of it and realize that the support of his friends is much more powerful.

The song covers this episode were an even split as far as I'm concerned.  Rachel and Jesse's rendition of "Rollin in the Deep" was a showstopper and enjoyable to watch as well as listen to; "Isn't She Lovely?" as performed by Artie was downright precious; and I really liked the use of Blaine on "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend..." during the climax of the dance.  However, both "Friday" and even "Dancing Queen" seemed too over the top given the context, and as much as I love a good Rachel Berry ballad, the song she sang (basically just to Finn) didn't seem like the best choice for a slow dance tune. 

And since I haven't talked about it, I'll say a little about the return of Jesse St. James.  His arc in this episode seemed pretty boring all things considered, but since he's back for two more I'll be interested to see what happens between him and Rachel.  I just hope they aren't planning to use him exclusively as a Rachel/Finn reunion device; Jonathan Groff is much too talented for that.

TV Review: Glee's Night of [Writerly?] Neglect

Well.  One of Glee's greatest weaknesses in the past has been their inability to have more than one awesome episode in a row.  Thus, my hopes were not high going into "Night of Neglect," particularly given that it seemed, based on the promos, to be a Sue-heavy episode.

My expectations were accurate.  This episode was decent, not fantastic and not appalling, so for Glee it's pretty much a win.  I liked the storyline with Mercedes for the most part, and I thought the Will and Holly thing was a great example of the writers realizing when a relationship has run its course.

Other pluses:  Blaine and Kurt are super adorable.  Rachel was less shrill than usual, though not as fantastic as in "Original Song".  Mike Chang and Brittany respectively popped up and reminded me that they exist, in a good way.

Minuses:  Not enough Puck or Sam, or Santana (though that scene with Karofsky was priceless).  Also, it didn't feel like enough happened to merit an hour of show, which of course is a not infrequent complaint with Glee.

Thoughts on next week:  "Born This Way" hasn't even been released on the album of the same name yet, but trust Glee to already have a tribute episode.  It's supposed to be a 90-minute epic, so we'll see if any good comes of that.  The last episode that was advertised as being this big was the post-Super Bowl installment, which was a disaster.  So I guess it's only upward from here.

TV Discussion: Can Glee End on a High Note?

(I can't stop giggling at how adorable these two are together.)

If the Glee writers are willing to follow my advice, they can launch into May sweeps and give us a finale for the ages.  The show isn't back until next Tuesday, so I decided to write a post about the things I'd like to happen the rest of the season.  Asterisks are next to the ones that I think are actually realistic possibilities and not just my own wishful thinking (prediction:  there won't be a lot of them).  Here we go.

*Blaine and Kurt being the most adorable couple ever (this one has already been pretty much confirmed by Ryan Murphy, so it's kind of a gimme)

Rachel and Puck giving it a real shot.  Pretty please?  I think that would be the perfect detour for her from Finn, and it would be a great way to get him back on track after he inevitably screws things up with Lauren.  I think I feel so strongly about this because the Finn/Rachel/Puck triangle reminds me of LOST; Rachel's Kate, Finn is Jack, so she obviously needs Puck to be her Sawyer for a little while. I'm only okay with her going back to Finn if she dates someone else in between-- Rachel's at the point where she needs to either be alone (which the writers seem incapable of allowing) or with someone who doesn't crush her confidence.  Whoa, that was a long assessment of something that probably won't happen.


*Santana and Brittany.  I don't feel too strongly about whether they get together or not, but especially for Santana this plot line needs to not fall by the way side.  She's clearly going through some serious shit, and I need Glee to let it happen.

Bring Sam back.  I know he's still there, but he's gotten so boring since breaking up with Quinn.  I miss him being a nerd all the time.

No more Schuester episodes.  He's with Gwyneth, awesome.  I don't need to hear anymore about it until you have a plot line that isn't solely devoted to whining.

Nationals.  They're going, but I have serious doubts that the event will be as epic as I'm hoping.  Also, I realize now I don't actually know whether they're actually going before the end of the season.

Some kind of cliff-hanger or intrigue.  For a show that inserts so much gratuitous drama, it seems silly to not have at least some questions unanswered by season's end.  In my opinion, this was the only thing wrong with the "Journey" episode, which of course was otherwise pretty much flawless.

A promise that Cheno will not be making her umpteenth appearance next season.  This is not the show for her, and if we look deep into our hearts we all know it.  Hear us, Ryan Murphy, I don't want to endure another April Rhodes variety hour, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Mercedes doing something other than hanging out in the background.  Ditto for Artie. 

Minimize the Sue.  Seriously.  I've said it before, and I'm sure my next review will find me saying it again.