'Glee', do I care...should I be caring about this?
POSTED BY: whozit
UPDATED: Monday, May 10, 2010 22:47
VIEWED: 6717
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Hey Big R, I kind of agree with your sentiment on the way eps (episodes) are set up. Seems a bit off at times. But, generally, I like the writing.
There was one example I'll allude to, and that's the one in Season 1 where Kurt and Mercedes first become friends and she mistakes his interest for something more than friendship. She sings a song about bashing in his car windows (a popular R&B song of the moment). There I felt I was being manipulated. Not the first time its happened, but for this show - yes. What I mean is that the set up, IMHO, was more about fitting the scene to the song rather than about the relationship between Kurt and Mercedes. That's what may turn off some folks, and, of course, the unrealistic charges.
As for the show's detractors:
Here's what I think folks may be missing: the show is a metaphor. I've heard many criticize it for not being realistic. Its a bunch of kids running around singing on a high school campus (no, its not HSM - High School Musical). The characters are too over-the-top, silly and unrealistic. Well duh, it's West Side Story in a mid-west high school. Then it hit me, this show is NOT HSM.
Disney's HSM is rather plastic (from what little I've seen of the show), a playland where the kids all seem to "behave" in a certain way. "Well, golly jeepers Mr. Smith, you say if I practice hard enough I could go out and win the big game. Swell."
Plus I think that Glee offers up, as best as they could write it, some insights, not only into the world of teenage angst, but into the general ups and downs of how to be human. The football ep where Kurt tries out for placekicker and does the whole Beyonce "Single Ladies" number. It tried, in its own way, to deal with the father having to accept that his son is gay and would more than likely not be the football hero that all dads dream about. This ep was about expectations and stereotypes. Then Kurt goes out and kicks the winning field goal.
Then there's Jane Sylvester. Do you recall what drives her? There was an ep that showed her softer side. The motivations of each character is explored and exposed for us to see. Sometimes the writing and set up get in the way, but more times than not it works.
So if you're looking for a show about kids singing "happy" songs while they deal with Disneyfied high school issues, go watch Disney's HSM.
Glee is more than that, if you look beyond the surface. It's fun.
SGG
Tawabawho?
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I'll make this short and sweet. I totally agree with you and CS, the opener was weak, but I have high hopes for the rest of the season.
There is one thing though that this ep touched upon that I went through with my niece and her boyfriend. I told her to give herself some time alone after breaking up with her long-time boyfriend. She didn't listen and now she's paying the price.
I know, TV is not real life, but the sentiment is real. Sometimes you need to have some alone time, just to clear your head a bit is all.
SGG
Tawabawho?
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Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
100% agree. The Office does nothing for me. To me the characters would work much better as cartoons. Cause they sure as heck don't act like real people. I felt the same way about Arrested Development. The characters are just too stupid to be human. I can't suspend that much disbelief.
Ironically, I love THE OFFICE because it reminds me of people I know from every job I've worked at. Not that they were as over-the-top (for the most part), but TV and movies are quite often life with the volume turned up to make it more entertaining.
And, for the record, I've worked with people who are far stupider than the characters on THE OFFICE. It's not a good feeling to look at your manager and wonder how he is able to dress himself every morning, and I've lived through that.
www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."
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People are complaining about a lack of reality in a MUSICAL? Seriously? Have y'all seen a musical? Reality is NOT a big concern in this genre.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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POST CONTAINS SPOILERS OF FIRST HALF OF SEASON.
Hey SGG, definitely agree, I do like the writing, overall, the dialogue etc, but I just find the structure/set up so distracting.
The Kurt/Mercedes episode you mention in particular, was kinda irritating for me. It was just so obvious. The whole thing about him being too shy to admit he was gay, etc. That whole episode, to me, was a waste. The episode with Kurt playing football, telling his dad, etc, I thought was great. It was definitely an interesting look at trying to conform for those you love, and trying to fit in, but still just doing it your way, and I like those parts of Glee.
The thing about Jane Sylvester is that, yeah, that episode where she looked after her sister or whatever was a very touching moment, and it showed her softer side, BUT THAT DOESN'T FIT WITHIN THE CHARACTER. Too often we see her picking on kids with disabilities and being overly cruel to anyone/everyone, and that side of her being really nice just hasn't altered her character. It was like an episode of the Simpsons, where that episode was brilliant, and then it was completely forgotten by the next.
I like the show, I do, it's fun, and it's an interesting depiction of the different high school groups, which I didn't leave TOO long ago. But it could really use some better structure. For instance, Will 'leaving' in the first episode. I didn't care at all. If that had've been halfway through the season or something, it could've been a brilliant, heartbreaking moment, and then have him come back the NEXT episode, but as it stood, I felt as if "well, why should I care?" And I find that with many things. The episode where Q confronted her parents was brilliant. That was a stand out moment, because it was so well prepared, and held off, until this brilliant moment, where you didn't really expect what happened.
My MAIN character problem though, has to be Will's wife. She's too irritating. I just can't comprehend how she was ever someone that he fell in love with, and stayed with, and that irritates me.
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The basic answer is that if you feel the need to ask, then no, you shouldn't care. There's plenty of other shows to watch if you don't care for Glee, or read a book, go for a walk, spend time with your family. Please don't waste it on a show you're not sure about.
As for me, I've watched every episode, and I like quite a bit of it, but it's not anything I'll ever rewatch.
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It depends if you are a teenage girl then you should probably care otherwise I would say you shouldn't 
Save Chuck go to http://savechucknow.wordpress.com/1-2/ to see how you can help
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I love it...for the disfunctionality and interactions between the characters. I have to admit a big part of the appeal is that although i find the characters interesting, I'm not invested in any of them, so if the show dies it won't bother me. It's just entertaining on a purely fluffy level which we need sometimes.
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I really like it and it was my girlfriend who introduced me to it so if I end up gay, totally her own fault.
Perhaps the easiest way is comparing it to Buffy - whereas slaying demons is the metaphor for various high school issues, they're represented in Glee by songs. The characters are brash and bold but all have their points of interest, with Sue Sylvester a particularly monstrous delight. Plus every song they sing makes a small fortune on iTunes - not many TV shows carry such easy merchandising these days so you can see the attraction.
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Other than Will's hopefully soon to be ex-wife and her fake pregnancy storyline, the only other thing I don't like about the show is that all of the musical numbers (including the rehearsals) are too polished and orchestrated. A little more realism would help ground the show and make the characters more accessible, IMO.
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