Sunday, June 06, 2010

Glee: Not quite a Gleek

If there's one word I would use to describe Glee, it would be...aggressive. It's about a show choir, after all, so subtlety is not something it strives for. Pretty much everything is over the top, in your face, emotions on sleeves, singing your feelings--that's what it's trying to do and that's what people love. But me? I'm not a full-on Gleek. Here are some reasons why:

1. I absolutely hated the Terri fake pregnancy storyline from the first half of the season. I guess I have to respect the writers and actress for really committing to the crazy, but what I hated most was that it just made Will look incredibly stupid. Sure, his behavior could probably be justified by some reason or another and he did eventually come to his senses, but for awhile there I just couldn't stand how blind he was being and it kind of colored my perception of all his non-Terri-related doings. I was really glad when that was over.
2. Speaking of Will, I get pretty cringe-y whenever he raps or dances or does anything "sexy." I also dislike how the show kind of treats him as the "voice of reason" but he's really just as messed up as everyone else.
3. The merry-go-round of teen relationships is status quo for any high school show, but Glee totally does it in overdrive. I mean, Rachel acts and is treated like she's at the bottom of the dating pool but she's been with three guys in half a year. I'm also not really sure if we're supposed to be rooting for her and Finn or not. I don't really get why he likes her, except that it allowed him to sing "Jessie's Girl."
4. The show is just so...literal and obvious. Rachel loses her voice and is feeling sorry for herself, so Finn introduces her to his quadriplegic friend! Kurt has a doomed crush on Finn, then their parents start dating so they have to move in together! Sue doesn't just have a softer side, she has a sister with Down Syndrome!
5. So...Sue Sylvester. I realize that she's a breakout character and Jane Lynch was kind of born to play this role but sometimes I wonder if she'd be better in smaller doses. She wasn't in a few episodes at all and I honestly didn't really miss her.
6. At first I thought the show was just moving really fast but actually it's kind of the opposite. Each episode is pretty much self-contained (and sometimes it seems like they're airing out of order) and while it seems like the characters are always having these BIG EMOTIONAL moments, they don't really change much as a result of them. (An exception being Quinn, who has stealthily become my favorite character.)
7. I'm sometimes confused about whether the musical numbers are fantasy sequences or not. It doesn't really matter but I wish the show was a little more clear/consistent on that.

I mean, don't get me wrong, the show is still incredibly entertaining. I love the musical numbers, there are always great lines (especially from Brittany) and funny little details (Sue's "date" outfit being a tracksuit with pearls), the guest stars like Neil Patrick Harris and Kristin Chenoweth have been great, I thought the plot with Rachel and her biological mom was handled pretty well...it's definitely a fun hour of TV every week. So is it wrong for me to want more?

2 comments:

burkie said...

i'm not a Gleek, either. i tried it. the music was pretty good but...even before i saw them place U2 in the "Classic Rock" category, i wasn't drawn into it. but good performances!

K said...

Initially I liked the overall quirkiness of the show and liked how they handled some of the issues the kids were facing but I feel like the annoying/off-putting elements of the show (some of which you covered) have downgraded this show to "watch if I'm extremely bored and have nothing better to do" status.