Gleebasing: Praise Cheesus...and Chris Colfer
Jesus H. Christ. Rather, "Grilled Cheesus" H. Christ. Who would have thought that a show with such a cheery name could bring so much pain? Before Movieline goes off on a tangent about how Ryan Murphy should change the title of his series to "Sadness," let's relive the somber highs and soul-searching lows of last night's Glee episode "The One That Will Probably Win Chris Colfer an Emmy," which also guest-starred Mike O'Malley and, in his show choir TV debut, God.
To recap, Ryan Murphy followed up last week's "Britney/Brittany" (in which John Stamos helped various New Directions members to hits of Britney Spears-laced nitrous) with "Grilled Cheesus," an episode in which Kurt questions God after his father suffers a heart attack. Well, Kurt never really believed in God and organized religion because "they don't think much of gay people. Or women. Or science."
It was a good point by Ryan Murphy, delivered clearly and confidently through his mouthpiece Kurt, but it was a shame that none of the other New Directions members could summon a coherent argument for God and organized religion. The rest of the Glee gang gawked, looked uncomfortably from side to side and then volunteered their own blanket encouragements of faith. But really, everyone aside from Kurt and Sue (who also delivered a heartfelt speech about how and when she lost faith in God) could have just been wearing ski masks this week because it did not matter who was piping up to say "God helped me through some difficult times this year" or "Jesus is my number one Heeb." The pro-God argument was one lackluster chorus.
To put it another way: This week's Glee episode was a profound, award-worthy downer for Kurt and Sue Sylvester, but a plain downer for every other character. (Next week: Mr. Schuester is The Invisible White-Rapping Man!)
Now onto the highs and lows...
HIGH NOTES
· Puck: "I'd like to continue my streak of doing only songs by Jewish artists" before ripping into Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young."
· Inventive way to prove Finn's idiocy: Having him pray to a grilled cheese.
· Kurt's flashback-fueled tribute to his father, "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
· Mercedes' worthy Aretha Franklin tribute, "Bridge over Troubled Water"
· Brittany: "I made [Kurt] a card saying 'heart attacks are just from loving too much.'"
LOW NOTES
· Mercedes convincing Kurt to come to her church only after telling him that he can wear a "fabulous hat"
· Kurt's sudden bitterness towards every single one of his peers
· The Glee club's sudden, suffocating campaign to heal someone through prayer, not just song.
GLEESARY
Burt Hummel's Breakfast of Champions (n.) - A Coke and two Slim Jims
Auto-Schue (n.) - A Movieline-coined term to describe Will Schuester's part in episodes whose plot does not concern him in the least.
Example: Did you see the way Auto-Schue calmly moderated arguments in the classroom last night, like he was incapable of white-rapping about conflict resolution?
POP QUIZ
1. Before the grilled cheesus in last night's episode, who did Finn pray to?
a) Eric Clapton
b) Ricky Martin
c) David Hasselhoff
d) Chad Ochocinco
2. Kurt skipped dinner with his father last Friday because he was camping out all night to get _____.
a) Robert Pattinson's autograph at Hot Topic
b) Suzanne Somers workout DVDs
c) Grey's Anatomy Season Six DVDs
d) A signed James Franco in drag poster
3. Whenever Brittany prays, she...
a) Loses weight
b) Falls asleep
c) Craves pancakes
d) Gets the hiccups
4. What were Burt Hummel's last words before having a heart attack?
a) "Wasn't I the one who bought you that Maria bonnet when you were six?"
b) "You're going to regret this decision, Kurt."
c) "I'm really disappointed in you, Kurt."
d) "Don't buy salami from the gas station."
5. Which of the following did Finn not ask for from his grilled cheesus?
a) The chance to feel up Rachel
b) A McKinley football win
c) To make quarterback again
d) Mr. Hummel's recovery
6. When Mercedes does not know what to say to Kurt, she decides to show her emotion through ____.
a) song
b) dance
c) diet
d) all of the above
7. Sue Sylvester would not wish a heart attack on the father of her worst enemy, who happens to be ______.
a) The Queen of England
b) Dick Cheney
c) Mary Lou Retton
d) Shakira
8. For the first time since the first half of season one, Emma Pillsbury received more screen time than every one of these characters except _______.
a) Kurt
b) Artie
c) Brittany
d) Santana
Answers: 1) a and d; 2) c; 3) b; 4) d; 5) d; 6) a; 7) c; 8) d
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Comments
Speaking of the high point of Kurt's flashback song, does anyone know if it was Chris Colfer's younger brother who played the younger version of him in the episode? The resemblance was absolutely uncanny.
I thought the same thing, especially the nose.
I read on another site that it was Colfer's younger brother who played him. I thought they did some kind of crazy CGI or something, b/c it was so dead on!
I didn't really like most of the music for this episode. I still think Glee has yet to find the right balance between camp and seriousness. One episode is essentially an hour long remake of various Britney Spears video, then the next one is dealing with death/religion. I think there is balance missing.
It was a great showcase episode for Colfer, who I think is the most talented actor on the show, and the most (or at least second-most) talented singer. It seems whenever Glee has an emotionally resonant plotline, it centers around Kurt.
Factcheck: Mike O'Malley is an official series regular on Glee. Not a guest star anymore.
Darnit, why do you have to make such good points. thanks.
Finally, someone other than me thought it was off that Finn didn't ask for Burt to get better. I can kind of understand why given the whole plotline of Sam getting hurt, but it made Finn look like a shallow ass for never having it occur to him either.
Low notes, Kurt’s sudden bitterness towards every single one of his peers? No matter how nice their intentions might have been, I think Kurt had every right to be pissed off at the other Glee kids when they decided to get together to sing/pray in Burt's hospital room after Kurt had made his feelings and opinions about religion perfectly clear. And while any other week I wouldn't have approved of Kurt going to the school board to stop the Glee club from doing religious/spiritual songs, this week with his dad dying he really didn't need that, they could do the spiritual thing at any other time.
As an agnostic, I like how the non-religious characters and views were portrayed.
In other matters, Chris Colfer was beyond amazing on this episode. He's got the Emmy nom on the bag for next year alright.
Kurt's mini-self was played by Adam Kolkin, a 13-year-old with absolutely no relation to Chris Colfer except the spookily uncanny resemblance.
Chris Colfer doesnt have a younger brother, so no. Just some really good casting
I'd be hella bitter too if all of my peers started hounding me about god only because my father was about to die, and in spite of the fact that not only do I not believe in god, but the thought of god leaves a bitterness in my heart.
How horrible was the glee cast for pushing it constantly, instead of simply understanding. Buy him a new sweater to cheer him up, stop praising jesus. not hard.
I was actually pretty pleased with how they handled this episode. I'm a Christian, and it seems like lately being so is a horrible atrocity worthy of capital punishment. I was apprehensive when I started watching it, simply because I wasn't really in the mood for another Christian-bashing fest. Mercedes I think was an excellent representation of Christianity because she has such a loving heart and she accepts Kurt for who he is and what he believes. I don't think that Sue and Kurt had unbalanced viewpoints at all. Christians have a horrible reputation of hating on homosexuals, so why would Kurt want anything to do with Christianity? And for Sue, who was a child in pain whose prayers weren't answered, it would feel like there was no one listening. This episode made me love this show even more. Great writing and great acting all around.
.
Although the character he portrays in the TV
series 'Glee' is an Athiest -- actor, Chris Colfer
(just like actor, Mark Salling) was raised in and
seems to adhere to the Christian religious belief.
PLUS his grandmother is a minister and he
sings in her church's choir on a regular basis
(at least he did before becoming a big star).
It's very nice to see (through people like Chris Colfer,
Mark Salling, Kristin Chenoweth, etc.) that (despite
the false and biased portrayals of it by the media)
--- 'inclusion' IS a very strong part of the Christian
Faith (as, it's actually 'faith' and is not a 'religion').
.
Agreed! =D
It was nice to see that Murphy would BOTH express
the issues that some people have encountered with
certain others who (often falsely) claim to be of the
'christian' faith -- AND that he manage to do so without
resorting or lowering himself to the (below-the-belt)
tactic (that so many people do) of 'christian-bashing' .
Murphy is truly a genius that seems to really want to build
bridges between groups that so many others seem to
want to try to divide and to stir up conflicts among.
The hospital is NOT a government-run facility -- therefore Kurt could
NOT have gone to the school board to demand that the Board keep
the Glee club from singing a religiously-oriented song anyway.
While I am NOT a religious person myself -- I do know that the U.S.
practices "freedom OF religion" and NOT "freedom FROM religion".
To ban a song simply because it has a 'religious' theme is as
bigoted as banning a song because it has a 'women's' theme.
If Kurt did NOT want a song (or any other activity, whether 'religious'
or not) done in his dad's hospital room -- it is the hospital administration
(ex. head nurse, etc.) that he would/should have gone to in protest of it all.