Should You Be Worried About Glee?
The fake-pregnancy storyline was a notorious patience-tryer (The A.V. Club's Todd VanDerWerff called it "the worst thing I've ever seen on a show I otherwise enjoyed") and though the show finally resolved both that plotline and the Finn one after countless infuriating episodes, I fear that the characters will still be just as dumb as ever. On a Ryan Murphy show, many of the protagonists tend to be hapless fools who plots happen to (only the crueler characters have any sort of real intelligence), and it's never a good sign when the audience is strumming its fingers, waiting for the leads to realize something that the audience figured out eight episodes ago. Unless Murphy and his co-creators enact some tweaks, you can expect Will and Finn to be just as gullible when the next character takes advantage of them.
2. Erratic Continuity
In a magazine article I read a long time ago, one of the Popular actresses recalled a script she was handed where something didn't feel quite right. A lunchtime scene had her sitting next to a girl she'd spent the last episode despising -- wouldn't they still be keeping their distance, she asked Murphy? His response: "It's just a TV show." Suffice it to say, when Will spent the first two episodes of Glee talking about how the glee club gives his life meaning and purpose, then abruptly quit it in the third episode to join an a cappella group, I was less than surprised.
3. Exhausting Romantic Pairings Too Early
It's clear that Lea Michele's Rachel will eventually end up with Finn, and on a normal show, that romantic tension could be stretched out over more than one season. On Glee, she's already mooned over Finn, made out with bad boy Puck, developed an intense one-episode crush on Will for some reason, then come back around to Finn, and it's only been 13 episodes. On the one hand, I'm all in favor of busting up the conventional wisdom of how drawn-out a TV romance needs to be. On the other hand, when you've already disposed of so many potential plot threads so early, you end up doing what Nip/Tuck's had to resort to: pairing Christian with Liz, turning Julia into a lesbian for a season, and exhausting so many romantic plotlines for Matt that they made him into a mime who robs banks. You might enjoy the brisk pace of these hookups now, but call me in season three of Glee when Sue and Will's wedding is interrupted by a jealous Artie.
4. Autotune
OK, OK, autotune was never a problem on Nip/Tuck or Popular, but seriously: that shit's out of control on Glee. Are these high school students or singing androids? Cut it out, please.
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Comments
Rachel's one-episode crush on Will was a particularly big "Wait, what?" development for me. Maybe excepting Sue, Rachel is the most singularly driven character on the show, and they tossed it aside so they could have Will sing the "Don't Stand So Close To Me"/"Young Girl" mashup.
Which, you know, I liked, but still...
I'm kind of protective of this show, and everything mentioned did make me groan, but I've been thinking all season "Should't they stretch this out a little?" in regards to basically every plot they have going, but: they more or less hit the reset button last night, and a variation of the same plots can essentially happen for the second half of the season (the love quadrant among the straight people, adolescent lusting, Sue being bitch), plus they can introduce and explore new characters (like the Asians, for example).
Uh, my point is, we're probably good for at least a couple seasons.
I agree on all these points but especially the Autotune. I understand that the Fin character may not be the best singer (but totally adorable so he gets a pass) but with a showstopping voice like Lea Michele's I want to hear the real thing.
It is a show about singing. Most of them can sing so let's hear.it I know what Autotune sounds like. I want individual voices. That said, I may never stop watching the show no matter how Autotuned the voices or absurd the the storyline.
I love Glee, but maybe mainly because I think I'm required to love it. The worst thing is that it doesn't seem to know its strengths, which are:
1. Lea Michele's voice.
Sister can sing. She does not need autotune. Also, worth noting, if I ever decided I didn't hate children, she is exactly into what I would mold my adopted Eastern European daughter.
2. Sue Sylvester.
Sister is hilarious. There have been too many episodes where she's barely appeared. And, really, giving her a "very special episode" type moment with her sister was annoying. Also, more of that guidance counselor lady.
3. Mark Salling.
Sister makes me want to take off my clothes. Make him take off more of his.
Personally, I thought the strangest plot blip was the very brief potential romance between the asian girl with the stutter and the guy in the wheelchair....he goes balistic when he finds out she doesn't stutter, she runs off crying and next episode they're best buds.
What was that about?
however, i'm obligated to love the show, and i do.
As long as Lea Michele is on the show I will watch.
But yes tone down the auto tune.
Just one pointer.. you do know they didn't know if they were getting a full season pickup right? It was just an initial order of 13 and then they added on the back 9 later. Next season though, we won't have any excuses if the stupidity ensues.