Why Glee’s A Bore: A Commentary
January 8, 2012 by Keshaunta Moton
Filed under feature overlay, Television
Here we are: another year, another semester of Glee, Fox’s comedy series about a group of high schoolers all united by their love of music. Glee was some sort of phenomenon in its first season, launching its stars into the entertainment stratosphere and garnering several successful tours, albums, a spin-off show, and even a movie. So with such a great start, skeptics would say there’s no place for it to go but down, and while skeptic, not even I have to agree that the latest season of Glee was barely watchable. And with the season threatening to come back for its continuation consider this a Glee fan’s silent prayer.
Here are Glee’s worse season three offenses. And because I’m all about making things better, here’s what they can do to get back into my good graces.
It’s a Love fest- Remember when the kids of New Directions were the underdogs? Well, all that’s gone now, as season three showed a strong tipping of production in favor of the cast. I mean, sure they’re good, but the heavy-handed indulgence with which the show treats these guys it’s as if their victory is a foregone conclusion. No matter how undeserved a victory it is. Need I mention New Directions vs. The Trouble Tones where in spite of every bit of reason our ‘heroes’ stuck out a lackluster performance and were, told, “hey, that’s good enough.” Except, it’s not. lNow of course, a little favoritism for your current cash cow is warranted, but to try to pass that off onto fans as if we shouldn’t know they’re not doing their best is insulting. Full of their own self-indulgence, Glee’s now coasting off of its previous success as if the shared memory of how good they used to be is enough to keep them going. It’s not. There hasn’t been a stellar performance from these guys in… well, I don’t remember their last great performance. And yet still, New Directions struts around like they’re the cock of the walk. Unfortunately New Directions, under the maniacal tyranny of some delusional fool (yes, that’s you Shuester) has gone over and beyond in jacking up the schmaltz factor in each episode without contrasting it with any true and genuine emotion. It’s all about the razzle-dazzle folks! Everything’s a production and every character has become a caricature of who they used to be. Glee is getting dangerously close to being one dimensional and if they hope to earn that halo they’re currently touting they need to go ahead, buy themselves a ticket to Oz, find the Tin Man and jack themselves a heart.
Like-ability = Zero: Is it just me or has the Glee cast become intolerable? Maybe it’s a by-product of that whole coasting thing, but all of these guys are just straight annoying. Finn, Rachel, Kurt, even Sue Sylvester, the queen of tracksuit-ed mean has been woefully inadequate this season. And don’t even get me started on Mr. Shue whose whiny, stubborn, gel-based delusions make him public enemy #1 in my Glee Book of Villains. And the appearance of two of the four finalists of The Glee Project did nothing to break this rut as Damian and Lindsay’s characters were underwritten and consequently forgettable. In a season where Rachel/Blaine lost their V- cards, Bieste and Sue found themselves cornered in a love triangle, and the glee club struggled with divided loyalty this has been the most emotionally bankrupt season so far. As to how to fix it, I go back to the Tin Man, find the heart; get back to the stories, lose the spectacle or at least trim it down a bit.
St. Less: Perhaps the most egregious error in Glee’s third season was the lack of – shall we say – spark. It’s no secret that as a red-blooded female with fabulous taste in unavailable men, Jesse St. James is the cat’s meow of Glee (what with the hair, the talent, and that can’t hold me down attitude, is there any wonder why he’s the male equivalent of a walking sigh?) So this season, which traded out Jesse’s larger than life charisma with the likes of Finny boy and trout-mouth, can be considered nothing other than a firm downgrade in the sizzle factor. What happened to St. James, or even the larger than life April Rhodes? One cannot live by white bread alone and while every other character in season three offers plenty of talent, they manage to have no real thrill. My question is: how is this interesting? It’s not. Now don’t cry too much, hopefully the worse is over. Word is that St. James will be coming back at the second half of the season, and while that sends anticipation racing through my entire nervous system does that excuse the wasteland that’s been the first half? No, but at least it offers the promise of change in a right direction. And that’s enough to keep me tuning in, well at least for a little while.
What about you, what’s your worse/favorite moments from the current season? Will you be tuning in for more?
Glee returns to Fox this Tuesday January 10th at 8/7c.
Images courtesy of Danielle Levitt and Brian Bowen Smith/FOX.
i like this show, but i like it when they aim the camera at Santana or Brittney. They arent the stars, but you wouldnt know it when the camera comes across them in a scene. They take over anything they happen to be in. Now if the show followed some sort of storyLINE, line as in ‘in a row’. The story jumps so much it feels like the last season or 2 of Lost and their time jumping, if it stopped jumping maybe the show would be even better.
I think they should do, what they were doing by going back. To their roots of the show, but with more fun like season 2 had. Because as of this season, it’s really nothing and they need. Artie to be ALOT nicer. To everyone on the show, and at the beginning of this season. I didn’t like Quinn or Artie. Throughout the season so far. All they want is more, than they really need. No more of Sebastian and Blaine meeting. Leave them alone, but I would love to see, Kurt with someone else though. Until he comes back, I mean when Blaine comes back to the show. Then letting him wait. And I would love to Sue and Beiste, go at it. For once and for all, to get then. The man. Those are couple of things, I wanted to get off my chest about the show. And I would like to see, more guest stars, but not a lot like season 2 had. They had to many.
Rachel is not annoying what is annoying is every storyline that starts out to be about her is written over to someone else who is boring.
West Side Story not Rachel’s sotry it is Mercedes losing out and Kurt losing out.
The Election is about her having to give up for Kurt.
NYADA is about her needing Kurt
Her g-d mother for christ sake is about Puck and Quinn.
even her virginity was about Finn.
Make Rachel ambitious and hungry to win Nationals. have her scheme to get this team in shape.
Glee was at it s best in the first season, where they had actual story arcs about the leads, like Rachel and the supporting character supported that. Now they are just to messed with to many people So me people who can;t carry a story arc.
My most favorite moment in Season 3… “America” sung by Santana and co… love the Broadway West Side story moments but I am not sure whether everyone agrees with me… I also like the exaggerated 1960′s black and white christmas special… I did not really like the character of Quinn… I wished she stayed a pink punk a bit longer… Looking forward to more Tina, Mike and Mercedes action… and as much as I love the Kurt-Rachel friendship, I do miss the Kurt-Mercedes friendship a lot… Hopefully it will come back with the Glee Project newcomer Alex (I think) who looks like the love child of Kurt and Mercedes.
I read this. I agreed and yet I disagreed. I recently read a review about the GLEE movie that stated that by the time the picture had come out, we were done with all the Season 2 songs and its sentiments and the reviewer was right. Back in August, I was done with Season 2. Six months later, after watching Season 3, I was so glad to have Season 2 back even for a moment that I enjoyed the movie.
I can now put into words what I saw as wrong. Glee ended Season 2 celebrating life and people. All people. In Season 3, we were treated to racism and hate. The most absurb being about Mercedes’ weight. (As we know, Lauren was written off in Season 3 in the first five minutes.) The love affair of Sam and Mercedes was considered implausible and we were given the type of man they thought Mercedes should be with. Thank God that plotline was destroyed and we are now going to get back to where Season 3 should have started.
There’s no point to go on about the bad plotlines as the show listened and have dropped them all. Especially Rachel’s mother who I used to hope would come and be with her daughter and, now, I don’t care if I ever see her again.
And that’s not to say that everything about Season 3 was bad. Because if you ask, was Glee still there? Sure, it was. Damien starting out his stint on Glee singing “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” Blaine joining New Directions fresh out with his opening number, “It’s not Unusual” and “Last Friday Night.” Rachel and Finn being a “real couple” for more than two episodes. Blaine and Kurt and Mike and Tina having real relationship stories. I think we all agree the Coach Bieste romance was heartwrenching and definitely want to see how that follows going forward.
What I miss the most now that I hope to see before it goes away? More playfulness. Songs like “My Headband,” “Trouty Mouth,” “Big Ass Heart” and “My Cup.” What was more wonderful that Puck serenading and wooing the most unexpected woman (for him) that you could imagine? Someone like Artie being in a romance that even he didn’t expect. Or even, something as out there as Kurt singing “We Never Said Goodbye,” actually making you think high school was something wonderful and a place you wanted to go and belong to.
I have hope. I think what’s coming is going to start a new arc of fun and that’s what Glee is about fun. I have hope.