I think I'm done reviewing Glee, and possibly done with the show entirely. Each episode is increasingly filled with random horseshit that the good moments are harder to find; in "Pot O' Gold," there are literally none to be found. Because of all the terribleness, I want to dissect the episode and point out each piece of crap. The problem is, I don't have the time. So I'm probably going to continue to watch the show, but not bother saying anything about it.
In general, a review of any random Glee episode will consist of the following: There are a bunch of stories and most don't work. The songs are generic pop songs and add nothing to the episode other than adding a song. A couple characters are batshit insane and inhuman, but the writers keep writing them like that. There are multiple lapses of continuity, leading to questions about character motivations.
"Pot O' Gold" somehow combines the very worst of everything Glee does, and rolls it up into one stinking episode. From what we've seen in the past, Glee could be a very good show, combining humor and drama effectively. The writers, however, are far too lazy to do that on a consistent basis.
Score: 5.0/10
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Review - Glee Season 3 Episode 2 Asian F
So that's the "best episode ever." Huh. Well, from someone who's watched every episode, I can say that "Asian F" isn't the best episode, not even close. It's not bad or anything, just nothing special. The structure of the episode is about what you'd find in a normal Glee episode--a bunch of plots, some hitting the mark and others missing by a wide margin. I did think, though, that the highs in the episode were higher than usual and lows weren't as low as usual (a big part of that can be attributed to Sue's absence).
Harry Shum, Jr has been waiting in the wings for two seasons and he finally got his chance to shine. His scenes are easily the best part of the episode, shedding light on a character who's basically been the generic dancer. We get to see his father, who wants him to focus on school, and his mother, who gave up her dreams of dancing in the past and now encourages Mike to follow his dreams. It's a little schmaltzy, but there was a lot to fit in the episode and learning about Mike is better than nothing.
Glee's randomness is evident in the Mercedes plot. It's kind of random. Prior to the episode, there wasn't any indication that Mercedes was this unhappy about her situation or any build-up to the explosive moments in the episode. So when Mercedes does quit New Directions, it feels awkward. Yes, she probably should have gotten the part for Maria, but Rachel has taken plenty of parts from her in the past. What makes this instance more extreme? Her reasons for going uber-diva are hazy at best, and at worst motivated by her boyfriend who randomly pops up.
Will and Emma are the worst part of the episode (no surprises here) and it shows how set the writers are in their ways. There's some crazy shit about Ginger preservation/supremacy which causes Emma to go rub her hands together, leading to "Fix You" in the hilarious, "emotional" music video format. It was all so silly and ridiculous that I just chuckled at how stupid it was.
While I don't think "Asian F" is the best episode of the series ever, I can see why Fox wanted to promote it that way. It has these big moments where things are very emotional and I can imagine some people fainting over them. But when those moments are examined as part of the bigger picture, they make little sense and serve as a reminder that plot developments are all contingent on the writers' changing whims.
Score: 8.4/10
Harry Shum, Jr has been waiting in the wings for two seasons and he finally got his chance to shine. His scenes are easily the best part of the episode, shedding light on a character who's basically been the generic dancer. We get to see his father, who wants him to focus on school, and his mother, who gave up her dreams of dancing in the past and now encourages Mike to follow his dreams. It's a little schmaltzy, but there was a lot to fit in the episode and learning about Mike is better than nothing.
Glee's randomness is evident in the Mercedes plot. It's kind of random. Prior to the episode, there wasn't any indication that Mercedes was this unhappy about her situation or any build-up to the explosive moments in the episode. So when Mercedes does quit New Directions, it feels awkward. Yes, she probably should have gotten the part for Maria, but Rachel has taken plenty of parts from her in the past. What makes this instance more extreme? Her reasons for going uber-diva are hazy at best, and at worst motivated by her boyfriend who randomly pops up.
Will and Emma are the worst part of the episode (no surprises here) and it shows how set the writers are in their ways. There's some crazy shit about Ginger preservation/supremacy which causes Emma to go rub her hands together, leading to "Fix You" in the hilarious, "emotional" music video format. It was all so silly and ridiculous that I just chuckled at how stupid it was.
While I don't think "Asian F" is the best episode of the series ever, I can see why Fox wanted to promote it that way. It has these big moments where things are very emotional and I can imagine some people fainting over them. But when those moments are examined as part of the bigger picture, they make little sense and serve as a reminder that plot developments are all contingent on the writers' changing whims.
Score: 8.4/10
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Review - Glee Season 3 Episode 2 I Am Unicorn
After last week's episode, one could surmise that the writers don't know what makes Glee good beyond the costly productions. Indeed, the season premiere was kind of a mess, with errant plotlines flying left and right. But the second episode of the season, "I Am Unicorn," strikes the good parts of the show, returning back to the first season, a bygone era when one could respectfully say that Glee was not bad.
It's not all pretty how Glee reenters this world, though. The second season was so awful on the character front that a lot of the material in the episode, meaningful character development, comes out of nowhere. Shelby randomly pops up through a contrivance (if Sugar becomes a running gag...), Quinn and Puck finally remember their baby after a year, and Rachel has major problems with her mother after not caring for a year (of course, these problems disappear once the singing starts). Essentially, it would work if this episode were the second episode of the second season, not the second episode of the third season. (Yes, that is a very big gap.) Ignore the second season and everything works fine. But regardless of how Glee reached this point, it's a solid episode for tackling character issues in nontrivial ways (which is to say it wasn't the par for the course, crappy stuff that's been the norm).
The biggest thing to come out of this is Quinn returning back to normal--in order to get custody of her daughter. Yes, this point was never even hinted at before this. However, if not for the writers' prior incompetence, this would seem like a logical step. Quinn is supposed to be the blonde bitch and this is something she'd do. Puck is supposed to be the dude who appears to not give a fuck but actually cares. From these development, it looks like the writers will be giving Puck and Quinn more to do this season, although this is Glee where entire episodes can be erased from memory.
Kurt's plot was fine as well, with the realization that Kurt doesn't want to be defined by his sexual orientation. I'm not sure how sorry I feel for Kurt since he makes it a point to let everyone know he's proud of being gay, but Chris Colfer sure sells the scenes. And Brittany being Kurt's campaign manager then as his rival was funny, so I was pleased with most plots.
Looking ahead, I don't believe Glee will continue on the course set by "I Am Unicorn." Some plot elements may carry over, but the show has be so flimsy that the promise of something good down the road is usually dispelled. The writers have missed the mark plenty of times in the past, so one solid episode differing from the pack doesn't lead me to believe the show will change for the better.
If there is one piece of evidence proving the writers have no clue what they're doing, look no further than Sue. It's old by now, purely vindictive and evil. The writers are going to continue to tug at our heartstrings (like the one time she and Will went to the hospital) while having her do mean things, and it's just ridiculous.
Score: 8.7/10
It's not all pretty how Glee reenters this world, though. The second season was so awful on the character front that a lot of the material in the episode, meaningful character development, comes out of nowhere. Shelby randomly pops up through a contrivance (if Sugar becomes a running gag...), Quinn and Puck finally remember their baby after a year, and Rachel has major problems with her mother after not caring for a year (of course, these problems disappear once the singing starts). Essentially, it would work if this episode were the second episode of the second season, not the second episode of the third season. (Yes, that is a very big gap.) Ignore the second season and everything works fine. But regardless of how Glee reached this point, it's a solid episode for tackling character issues in nontrivial ways (which is to say it wasn't the par for the course, crappy stuff that's been the norm).
The biggest thing to come out of this is Quinn returning back to normal--in order to get custody of her daughter. Yes, this point was never even hinted at before this. However, if not for the writers' prior incompetence, this would seem like a logical step. Quinn is supposed to be the blonde bitch and this is something she'd do. Puck is supposed to be the dude who appears to not give a fuck but actually cares. From these development, it looks like the writers will be giving Puck and Quinn more to do this season, although this is Glee where entire episodes can be erased from memory.
Kurt's plot was fine as well, with the realization that Kurt doesn't want to be defined by his sexual orientation. I'm not sure how sorry I feel for Kurt since he makes it a point to let everyone know he's proud of being gay, but Chris Colfer sure sells the scenes. And Brittany being Kurt's campaign manager then as his rival was funny, so I was pleased with most plots.
Looking ahead, I don't believe Glee will continue on the course set by "I Am Unicorn." Some plot elements may carry over, but the show has be so flimsy that the promise of something good down the road is usually dispelled. The writers have missed the mark plenty of times in the past, so one solid episode differing from the pack doesn't lead me to believe the show will change for the better.
If there is one piece of evidence proving the writers have no clue what they're doing, look no further than Sue. It's old by now, purely vindictive and evil. The writers are going to continue to tug at our heartstrings (like the one time she and Will went to the hospital) while having her do mean things, and it's just ridiculous.
Score: 8.7/10
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Review - Glee Season 3 Episode 1 The Purple Piano Project
"The Purple Piano Project" has one moment that feels real and human--Rachel and Kurt breaking down in the car, realizing that they aren't so special before finding a small ray of hope. It's their final year of high school and they were eager to move ahead in their lives and reach their Broadway dreams, an overriding theme that's been emphasized many times in the past. It is crushed instantly, however, when they see the other talented kids perform. After seeing them strive so hard in the past two seasons--and becoming good friends in the process--it's impossible not to feel for them in their sadness and hopefulness.
Sadly, this is Glee, where the good usually comes with a whole lot of bad/mediocre. The writers apparently still think rapid firing plots is a good thing to do. So, following their example, I'll quickly rundown the rest of the plots. Sue's going wild again, Quinn is full-on weirdo (but she still wants to be in the club, as the fleeting glimpse of her in the final scene indicates), Santana is kicked out of the club, the new girl Sugar sucks at singing (at least she doesn't rely on Auto-Tune...), and Blaine decides to leave his super-awesome school and join McKinley all for Kurt. None of this is an urgent matter, so we'll see how long it takes for the entire club to come together and win nationals.
Score: 8.0/10
Sadly, this is Glee, where the good usually comes with a whole lot of bad/mediocre. The writers apparently still think rapid firing plots is a good thing to do. So, following their example, I'll quickly rundown the rest of the plots. Sue's going wild again, Quinn is full-on weirdo (but she still wants to be in the club, as the fleeting glimpse of her in the final scene indicates), Santana is kicked out of the club, the new girl Sugar sucks at singing (at least she doesn't rely on Auto-Tune...), and Blaine decides to leave his super-awesome school and join McKinley all for Kurt. None of this is an urgent matter, so we'll see how long it takes for the entire club to come together and win nationals.
Score: 8.0/10
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 22 New York
To the glee club members who have spent their entire lives in a tiny town in Ohio, New York is an entirely different place with bigger everything. It's definitely a spectacle for them which they should indulge in. But that doesn't mean the viewers have to watch them sing and dance about New York for half an episode without any plot or character developments.
"New York" has a lot of the problems with Glee, namely the decision by writers to substitute storytelling with straight song and dance. The songs are somewhat related to what's going on, but nothing really comes of it. And what's worse is that the original songs all sounded generic, so even the songs weren't that good.
Like most episodes, "New York" also has too much going on in terms of plot. Quinn gets a piece of the episode, Will gets a piece around the same size, Brittany gets one at the end, but there is not enough to be meaningful on an individual level. I guess one could say that the stories all relate to the idea that there are bigger things out there but that some people may stay trapped forever.
It is Rachel and Finn, something that's been overdone at this point, who take the episode and it's not all bad. The date, the kiss, the talks all constitute huge portions of the episode and don't introduce anything groundbreaking. But Rachel and Kurt do have the one excellent scene on the Wicked stage in which Rachel realizes this is where she is destined to be. Kurt and Rachel have much more in common than Rachel and Finn, and that's one of the big problems. When Kurt suggests that Finn could come to New York, Rachel knows that's not happening: Finn belongs in Ohio, away from the grandeur of New York.
New Directions places 12th at Nationals, and the club is bummed out. Still, the final scene puts a bow on top. There is still one more year to achieve hopes are dreams. For Rachel that also means one final year to be with Finn. For Brittany it means another year to be with the people she loves.
Score: 8.5/10
"New York" has a lot of the problems with Glee, namely the decision by writers to substitute storytelling with straight song and dance. The songs are somewhat related to what's going on, but nothing really comes of it. And what's worse is that the original songs all sounded generic, so even the songs weren't that good.
Like most episodes, "New York" also has too much going on in terms of plot. Quinn gets a piece of the episode, Will gets a piece around the same size, Brittany gets one at the end, but there is not enough to be meaningful on an individual level. I guess one could say that the stories all relate to the idea that there are bigger things out there but that some people may stay trapped forever.
It is Rachel and Finn, something that's been overdone at this point, who take the episode and it's not all bad. The date, the kiss, the talks all constitute huge portions of the episode and don't introduce anything groundbreaking. But Rachel and Kurt do have the one excellent scene on the Wicked stage in which Rachel realizes this is where she is destined to be. Kurt and Rachel have much more in common than Rachel and Finn, and that's one of the big problems. When Kurt suggests that Finn could come to New York, Rachel knows that's not happening: Finn belongs in Ohio, away from the grandeur of New York.
New Directions places 12th at Nationals, and the club is bummed out. Still, the final scene puts a bow on top. There is still one more year to achieve hopes are dreams. For Rachel that also means one final year to be with Finn. For Brittany it means another year to be with the people she loves.
Score: 8.5/10
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 21 Funeral
Glee................ Yeah, that's my frustration talking.
Often when I'm watching Glee I find myself enjoying what's going on at the present moment, which probably isn't a surprise since I'm watching the show after all. But there is usually something nagging at me, refusing to be ignored, and that's the part of my brain reminding me that all of it makes no fucking sense.
Take "Funeral," for instance, where Sue's sister dies. Oh yeah, Sue has a sister, which is why she treats Becky well. I can hardly remember Sue's sister and with Sue acting like an evil person this entire season, I actually didn't believe her sister died until a fourth of a way through the episode. Following Sue's absurd behavior, it wouldn't be out of the question for Sue to lie about her sister dying as part of a nefarious scheme, would it?
While the funeral was well-crafted and emotional at times, we also have to see it for what it is, the writers teleporting Sue from the bottom of the cliff, where the crazies hang out, to the top where the normal people are. After seeing Sue literally try to kill people, it was hard to buy that Sue could somehow care about another person and the scenes with her sister were a distant memory.The question going forward is whether Sue will actually be nice, or relatively nice compared to her former state. If she does become more nice, I'll give this plot a pass; if she doesn't, then this will be a colossal waste.
What's scary about "Funeral" is that Sue was one of the smaller problems. The other plot, revolving around Jesse St. James, was one of the worst things I've seen on the show. His appearance last week was already completely random and bad all around, but he sticks around to be a douche and cause strife in the club. Worst of all, Will lets Jesse do whatever he wants until the very end. And, oh yeah, Will is apparently going to Broadway. That would have been good to learn without springing it on us, wouldn't it?
Score: 7.0/10
Often when I'm watching Glee I find myself enjoying what's going on at the present moment, which probably isn't a surprise since I'm watching the show after all. But there is usually something nagging at me, refusing to be ignored, and that's the part of my brain reminding me that all of it makes no fucking sense.
Take "Funeral," for instance, where Sue's sister dies. Oh yeah, Sue has a sister, which is why she treats Becky well. I can hardly remember Sue's sister and with Sue acting like an evil person this entire season, I actually didn't believe her sister died until a fourth of a way through the episode. Following Sue's absurd behavior, it wouldn't be out of the question for Sue to lie about her sister dying as part of a nefarious scheme, would it?
While the funeral was well-crafted and emotional at times, we also have to see it for what it is, the writers teleporting Sue from the bottom of the cliff, where the crazies hang out, to the top where the normal people are. After seeing Sue literally try to kill people, it was hard to buy that Sue could somehow care about another person and the scenes with her sister were a distant memory.The question going forward is whether Sue will actually be nice, or relatively nice compared to her former state. If she does become more nice, I'll give this plot a pass; if she doesn't, then this will be a colossal waste.
What's scary about "Funeral" is that Sue was one of the smaller problems. The other plot, revolving around Jesse St. James, was one of the worst things I've seen on the show. His appearance last week was already completely random and bad all around, but he sticks around to be a douche and cause strife in the club. Worst of all, Will lets Jesse do whatever he wants until the very end. And, oh yeah, Will is apparently going to Broadway. That would have been good to learn without springing it on us, wouldn't it?
Score: 7.0/10
Friday, May 13, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 20 Prom Queen
The standard good episode for an episode of Glee has become an episode that doesn't forget about the characters and do something crazy. "Prom Queen" doesn't go too far out on a limb and ends up being a pleasant episode along those lines. With prom coming up, it exposes lots of feelings and the writers included most of the characters, without having too much nonsensical things at the same time.
Whose idea was it to bring back Jesse St. James? It was so bizarre how he magically popped up after everyone forgot about him. And after getting in a push fight with Finn (punches are for sissies), Jesse doesn't show up again. Did Jesse need to be there in order for Finn to show how much he cares about Rachel? Not really. Sue... I don't even want to talk about her.
Score: 8.6/10
Whose idea was it to bring back Jesse St. James? It was so bizarre how he magically popped up after everyone forgot about him. And after getting in a push fight with Finn (punches are for sissies), Jesse doesn't show up again. Did Jesse need to be there in order for Finn to show how much he cares about Rachel? Not really. Sue... I don't even want to talk about her.
Score: 8.6/10
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 19 Rumours
Now there's the Glee I'd like watch every week! It has its share of problems--Sam's totally random plot coming out of nowhere, Sue being crazy, Will's woefully incomplete plot--but there was cohesion to the episode (far more than almost all episodes this season), bringing up all the problems that have plagued the club this season and putting them in context of Fleetwood Mac songs.
While everything is fine in the end, fixed by the collective to help Sam, I wonder what would have happened if the glee club had remained fighting at the end of the episode, leading up to nationals. Perhaps there will be more fighting later on, but the tone involved in Sam's plot took out the angst built up in the first part of the episode.
Score: 8.9/10
While everything is fine in the end, fixed by the collective to help Sam, I wonder what would have happened if the glee club had remained fighting at the end of the episode, leading up to nationals. Perhaps there will be more fighting later on, but the tone involved in Sam's plot took out the angst built up in the first part of the episode.
Score: 8.9/10
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 18 Born This Way
Glee is usually all over the place when it comes to plot, but as "Born This Way" reminds us, it's also all over the place when it comes to themes.
The writers try to generalize complex ideas into a 90-minute episode, and there is never a solid, consistent message. First, let's start with the idea the episode is built on, that you should love who you were born with. Fair enough. The writers go further and make it abundantly clear that Rachel getting a rhinoplasty would be the wrong thing and they also tell us that Emma taking medication for OCD is fine.
OK, so we have a semblance of a principle. It's not okay to change your physical appearance surgically, but it's okay to remediate a chemical imbalance. But they don't go further than that and there are many holes to poke.
Why is using Auto-Tune all the time fine? It might not be a permanent alteration, but it supposedly (based the dialogue from the episode) shows that the people on the show (and Lady Gaga) aren't proud of their singing voices unless the computer is enhancing it. What about more temporal appearance modification such as clothing, tattoos, and piercings? Is Lady Gaga dressing in wacky outfits and wearing lots of make up, obscuring her real appearance, better than plastic surgery? When is accepting medication not acceptable? How much chemical imbalance is enough to justify taking medication to change who you are?
As far as the whole t-shirt thing went, I'm confused that most people would choose physical characteristics and not something internal. Maybe it's because I like to be introspective, but basic physical features on the face shouldn't be the most pressing issue (brown eyes, the end of the world!!), especially for Rachel who apparently has no shame for being a bitch. Also, is Kurt ashamed of liking boys? I think the purpose of the shirts got lost in the shuffle.
Oh yeah, and the message of bullying--the writers should probably follow their own advice. Wasn't Ryan Murphy bullying the Kings of Leon by spewing his bile at them earlier in the year? But you can kind of see why he acts like that. His quote, "They’re self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music," reflects the self-deluded generalizations you see on Glee.
The sad thing is, I actually like "Born This Way" more than some of the previous episodes simply because the plot is generally coherent and doesn't jump around wildly. Sure the theme made no sense, but the prom plot was fun and somewhat interesting.
Score: 8.1/10
The writers try to generalize complex ideas into a 90-minute episode, and there is never a solid, consistent message. First, let's start with the idea the episode is built on, that you should love who you were born with. Fair enough. The writers go further and make it abundantly clear that Rachel getting a rhinoplasty would be the wrong thing and they also tell us that Emma taking medication for OCD is fine.
OK, so we have a semblance of a principle. It's not okay to change your physical appearance surgically, but it's okay to remediate a chemical imbalance. But they don't go further than that and there are many holes to poke.
Why is using Auto-Tune all the time fine? It might not be a permanent alteration, but it supposedly (based the dialogue from the episode) shows that the people on the show (and Lady Gaga) aren't proud of their singing voices unless the computer is enhancing it. What about more temporal appearance modification such as clothing, tattoos, and piercings? Is Lady Gaga dressing in wacky outfits and wearing lots of make up, obscuring her real appearance, better than plastic surgery? When is accepting medication not acceptable? How much chemical imbalance is enough to justify taking medication to change who you are?
As far as the whole t-shirt thing went, I'm confused that most people would choose physical characteristics and not something internal. Maybe it's because I like to be introspective, but basic physical features on the face shouldn't be the most pressing issue (brown eyes, the end of the world!!), especially for Rachel who apparently has no shame for being a bitch. Also, is Kurt ashamed of liking boys? I think the purpose of the shirts got lost in the shuffle.
Oh yeah, and the message of bullying--the writers should probably follow their own advice. Wasn't Ryan Murphy bullying the Kings of Leon by spewing his bile at them earlier in the year? But you can kind of see why he acts like that. His quote, "They’re self-centered assholes, and they missed the big picture. They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education. You can make fun of Glee all you want, but at its heart, what we really do is turn kids on to music," reflects the self-deluded generalizations you see on Glee.
The sad thing is, I actually like "Born This Way" more than some of the previous episodes simply because the plot is generally coherent and doesn't jump around wildly. Sure the theme made no sense, but the prom plot was fun and somewhat interesting.
Score: 8.1/10
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Preview of Week 4/24/11 - 4/30/11
Treme - HBO, Sunday, April 24, 10:00pm ET
HBO's acclaimed drama returns tonight. One thing I'm looking for is whether there is tighter plotting than the first season.
Glee - FOX, Tuesday, April 26, 8:00pm ET
This 90-minute, Lady Gaga-themed episode could be a total disaster, given Glee's track record, or it could be decent.
Justified - FX, Wednesday, April 27, 10:00pm ET
After the bloodshed at the end of the last episode, the second to last episode of the episode will definitely be a good run up to the season finale.
The Office - NBC, Thursday, April 28, 9:00pm ET
Michael Scott's final episode should be a must-watch for anyone who's followed the show at some point.
Fringe - FOX, Friday, April 29, 9:00pm ET
Season finale time means that shows like Fringe reach another level of epicness. With the machine turned on and Peter in the hospital, these last two episodes should be great.
HBO's acclaimed drama returns tonight. One thing I'm looking for is whether there is tighter plotting than the first season.
Glee - FOX, Tuesday, April 26, 8:00pm ET
This 90-minute, Lady Gaga-themed episode could be a total disaster, given Glee's track record, or it could be decent.
Justified - FX, Wednesday, April 27, 10:00pm ET
After the bloodshed at the end of the last episode, the second to last episode of the episode will definitely be a good run up to the season finale.
The Office - NBC, Thursday, April 28, 9:00pm ET
Michael Scott's final episode should be a must-watch for anyone who's followed the show at some point.
Fringe - FOX, Friday, April 29, 9:00pm ET
Season finale time means that shows like Fringe reach another level of epicness. With the machine turned on and Peter in the hospital, these last two episodes should be great.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 17 A Night of Neglect
When people negatively stereotype Glee, they usually bring up the stunt casting, the lack of direction, and how the songs are the only focus of the show. While I partially agree with comments like these, I also have a "but" to add; Glee is a great show at times, and there have been times when I've been thoroughly impressed. But I look at "A Night of Neglect" and wonder, "What the hell?"
I'll start with Sue, who is, in my opinion, the most outlandish character on the show. Sue is pretty much far-gone, starting the "league of doom" to further combat Will. Without any pretense, she states her goal to destroy him, the glee club, and the students. The writers might try to marginalize her evilness, like the random hospital scene a while back, but the writers always return to the supervillain who attempts to stop the heroes at every turn for no good reason and loses in the end. The major problem, however, is that unlike Sunshine or Holly, Sue can't be written out because Jane Lynch has gotten so many accolades and is a terrific actress. The only solution is that the writers have to write her character back into realism, and unfortunately, they continue to dig themselves deeper into a hole.
A bigger problem than Sue, though, are all the random subplots which have little relevance. "A Night of Neglect" is filled to the brink with them. Sunshine Corazon returns, sings, is slated to sing later, and never returns; Kurt, Blaine, and Santana have a random confrontation with Karofsky in the hallways.
Even the plot-relevant stuff was done haphazardly. Emma, after doing little this season, pops up to tell Will that Carl wants an annulment. At the end of the episode, Holly gets a job offer like Cleveland. Just like that, Will and Emma are inches from being back on with zero character development to get there. After lots of diva-ing, Rachel decides to be nice for once and let Mercedes have the final song. Does this mean Mercedes will get the spotlight in the future? With Glee, you never know.
Score: 7.0/10
I'll start with Sue, who is, in my opinion, the most outlandish character on the show. Sue is pretty much far-gone, starting the "league of doom" to further combat Will. Without any pretense, she states her goal to destroy him, the glee club, and the students. The writers might try to marginalize her evilness, like the random hospital scene a while back, but the writers always return to the supervillain who attempts to stop the heroes at every turn for no good reason and loses in the end. The major problem, however, is that unlike Sunshine or Holly, Sue can't be written out because Jane Lynch has gotten so many accolades and is a terrific actress. The only solution is that the writers have to write her character back into realism, and unfortunately, they continue to dig themselves deeper into a hole.
A bigger problem than Sue, though, are all the random subplots which have little relevance. "A Night of Neglect" is filled to the brink with them. Sunshine Corazon returns, sings, is slated to sing later, and never returns; Kurt, Blaine, and Santana have a random confrontation with Karofsky in the hallways.
Even the plot-relevant stuff was done haphazardly. Emma, after doing little this season, pops up to tell Will that Carl wants an annulment. At the end of the episode, Holly gets a job offer like Cleveland. Just like that, Will and Emma are inches from being back on with zero character development to get there. After lots of diva-ing, Rachel decides to be nice for once and let Mercedes have the final song. Does this mean Mercedes will get the spotlight in the future? With Glee, you never know.
Score: 7.0/10
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Preview of Week 4/17/11 - 4/23/11
Burn Notice - USA, Sunday, April 17, 9:00pm ET
In what appears to be an attempt to squeeze out as much money out of the show as possible, USA brings us The Fall of Sam Axe, a long, lackluster episode of Burn Notice.
Game of Thrones - HBO, Sunday, April 17, 9:00pm ET
HBO's highly anticipated drama arrives tonight and should do just fine. However, I do wonder how people will react to it, given its similarities to Camelot and The Borgias.
Glee - FOX, Tuesday, April 19, 8:00pm ET
Glee is back after a month, so we'll see what the characters are up to in the run up to nationals.
In what appears to be an attempt to squeeze out as much money out of the show as possible, USA brings us The Fall of Sam Axe, a long, lackluster episode of Burn Notice.
Game of Thrones - HBO, Sunday, April 17, 9:00pm ET
HBO's highly anticipated drama arrives tonight and should do just fine. However, I do wonder how people will react to it, given its similarities to Camelot and The Borgias.
Glee - FOX, Tuesday, April 19, 8:00pm ET
Glee is back after a month, so we'll see what the characters are up to in the run up to nationals.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 16 Original Song
"Original Song" is incredibly cheesy and is designed specifically to pander to the audience, but I liked it. Maybe that's because recent episodes have been scattershots of theme and plot and "Original Song" is relatively better, but I finished the episode mostly fine with what it is. I've never expected much from Glee or liked it in particular, so the episode does its job.
The episode begins with Quinn in crazy mode, spouting off about becoming prom queen. But as the episode progresses, we see that her behavior can partially be attributed to how see feels about herself. In her mean conversation with Rachel, she says how Rachel will be heartbroken and Quinn and Finn will be married, but also that Rachel doesn't belong here. Although her tone is tinted with anger and disdain, she pays a backhanded compliment to Rachel. Really, the subtext is that Rachel is far more talented than her and she'll become a success while Quinn can only settle for Finn and Lima, Ohio. Quinn follows that statement, saying that Rachel will never find that happy ending, and I'm sure the same can apply to Quinn, who has been supremely conflicted in the two seasons.
The end result is Rachel writing her own song for Regionals, which is very emotional and in a way, apology for her past behavior. Rachel is put through the ringer in the episode, and perhaps she had it coming. After acting bitchy for much of the season, she sees the result, Finn and Quinn back together
What the hell, Sue. I don't even know what to say about her anymore. The other characters are teens in high school, so you can explain their erratic behavior for that, but Sue is supposed to be an adult. Are the writers planning to do more with her?
Score: 8.7/10
The episode begins with Quinn in crazy mode, spouting off about becoming prom queen. But as the episode progresses, we see that her behavior can partially be attributed to how see feels about herself. In her mean conversation with Rachel, she says how Rachel will be heartbroken and Quinn and Finn will be married, but also that Rachel doesn't belong here. Although her tone is tinted with anger and disdain, she pays a backhanded compliment to Rachel. Really, the subtext is that Rachel is far more talented than her and she'll become a success while Quinn can only settle for Finn and Lima, Ohio. Quinn follows that statement, saying that Rachel will never find that happy ending, and I'm sure the same can apply to Quinn, who has been supremely conflicted in the two seasons.
The end result is Rachel writing her own song for Regionals, which is very emotional and in a way, apology for her past behavior. Rachel is put through the ringer in the episode, and perhaps she had it coming. After acting bitchy for much of the season, she sees the result, Finn and Quinn back together
What the hell, Sue. I don't even know what to say about her anymore. The other characters are teens in high school, so you can explain their erratic behavior for that, but Sue is supposed to be an adult. Are the writers planning to do more with her?
Score: 8.7/10
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 15 Sexy
What does the word sexy mean to you? This week's Glee episode, titled "Sexy," throws out a bazillion ideas of sex and sexy, and it turns into a confusing mess. At times, the episode seems to be about the technical details about sex and how the kids in the glee club are clueless. If that's the case, chain them down to a chair and put Wikipedia in front of them.
The episode also veers off into the territory of how to be sexy, with Kurt trying to put on different faces. But then it becomes about Kurt not knowing anything about how to be sexy because he doesn't know anything about sex and refuses to learn anything about it. Somehow, people can't be sexy until they know about sex.
The rest of the episode deals with feelings about love/sex. Santana has several solid scenes in which she tells Brittany she loves her. However, Brittany is still loyal to Artie, which is a problem. The return of Holly Holiday and Gwyneth Paltrow's ongoing quest to become a real singer brings back the love triangle between Emma, Will, Carl, and it becomes a quadrangle at the end of the episode with the addition of Holly.
Score: 8.2/10
The episode also veers off into the territory of how to be sexy, with Kurt trying to put on different faces. But then it becomes about Kurt not knowing anything about how to be sexy because he doesn't know anything about sex and refuses to learn anything about it. Somehow, people can't be sexy until they know about sex.
The rest of the episode deals with feelings about love/sex. Santana has several solid scenes in which she tells Brittany she loves her. However, Brittany is still loyal to Artie, which is a problem. The return of Holly Holiday and Gwyneth Paltrow's ongoing quest to become a real singer brings back the love triangle between Emma, Will, Carl, and it becomes a quadrangle at the end of the episode with the addition of Holly.
Score: 8.2/10
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 14 Blame It on the Alcohol
Although "Blame It on the Alcohol" is all over the place, there's legitimately good stuff in there worth exploring, and it kind of comes together in the end (using Glee standards). Whether the writers explore them later is another question, and from their track record, probably half the plots will be forgotten about.
The big thing in the episode is alcohol, the all-powerful substance people can't stay away from. It sparks several storylines--Rachel and Blaine kissing, which leads to inspiration for Rachel's song and confirmation that Blaine's gay, and a drunk dial from Will to Sue intended for Emma--which all resolve quickly and with little conflict The actual plot, singing a song for the school so people don't drink, is hardly important, though the impromptu heaving did leave the school wary of alcohol.
Score: 8.2/10
The big thing in the episode is alcohol, the all-powerful substance people can't stay away from. It sparks several storylines--Rachel and Blaine kissing, which leads to inspiration for Rachel's song and confirmation that Blaine's gay, and a drunk dial from Will to Sue intended for Emma--which all resolve quickly and with little conflict The actual plot, singing a song for the school so people don't drink, is hardly important, though the impromptu heaving did leave the school wary of alcohol.
Score: 8.2/10
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 13 Comeback
"Comeback" is an example of when the writers throw a bunch of stuff into an episode. There's Rachel's transition from wannabe social trendsetter to song writer, Sue's weird journey, Sam and Quinn drama, more of Puck chasing Lauren, and Justin Bieber. And in the end, there's no resolution that draws anything to a close.
The first half of the episode "Comeback" is a parody of the Justin Bieber phenomenon, girls swooning over a dorky haircut and generic pop songs for no apparent reason. Sure, it's out of character for most of the girls to go wild for Bieber, but isn't that what happens in real life? Personally, I got a kick out of it, and had to contain myself from bursting out in laughter during "Baby."
I know lots of people hate him and will be automatically turned off by anything related to him, so here's what I think: Justin Bieber is a product of genius marketing and perfect timing, when the internet can turn a nobody into a somebody. He's not particularly talented, good looking, or anything at all. He's definitely overrated by his fans, but he's not terrible either. If Glee wants to use his image and music, that's fine. Now that I think of it, we should be thankful the episode wasn't Justin Bieber exclusive as Glee has gone way, waaay overboard in the past.
Somehow, Sue is a part-coach for Oral Intensity now. Yep, with no experience heading a glee club, she's partially in charge of a team that is supposedly really good. But, hey, at least it makes more sense than Will and Sue randomly showing up at the hospital to sing to kids with cancer with zero follow-up.
Score: 8.2/10
The first half of the episode "Comeback" is a parody of the Justin Bieber phenomenon, girls swooning over a dorky haircut and generic pop songs for no apparent reason. Sure, it's out of character for most of the girls to go wild for Bieber, but isn't that what happens in real life? Personally, I got a kick out of it, and had to contain myself from bursting out in laughter during "Baby."
I know lots of people hate him and will be automatically turned off by anything related to him, so here's what I think: Justin Bieber is a product of genius marketing and perfect timing, when the internet can turn a nobody into a somebody. He's not particularly talented, good looking, or anything at all. He's definitely overrated by his fans, but he's not terrible either. If Glee wants to use his image and music, that's fine. Now that I think of it, we should be thankful the episode wasn't Justin Bieber exclusive as Glee has gone way, waaay overboard in the past.
Somehow, Sue is a part-coach for Oral Intensity now. Yep, with no experience heading a glee club, she's partially in charge of a team that is supposedly really good. But, hey, at least it makes more sense than Will and Sue randomly showing up at the hospital to sing to kids with cancer with zero follow-up.
Score: 8.2/10
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 12 Silly Love Songs
After the overblown post-Super Bowl episode, it's nice to see Glee approach relative austerity as best as it can. What the writers need to realize is that Glee doesn't need over the top shenanigans and huge productions all the time. "Silly Love Songs" stays grounded, doesn't make any character too crazy (like employing a death-cannon for cheerleading), has a consistent theme, and is a good, solid episode
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and "Silly Love Songs" explores the various love issues around school. Finn is trapped in a corner between Quinn and Rachel, and faces the tough choice between fireworks (Quinn) and someone who is presently there for him (Rachel). Puck tries his hardest the entire episode to get Lauren while the other couples are fine where they are. We finally see kinks in Blaine's armor, and Kurt is happy with the situation. There are many cute moments in the episode, and several organic character moments not marred by total bitchiness, which made be very happy.
For those that want to watch a whole television show, episodes like "Silly Love Songs" should be the norm. Unfortunately for us, though, the writers like their extravagance to the extreme, and get carried away far too often, so this looks like a passing occurence.
Score: 9.1/10
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and "Silly Love Songs" explores the various love issues around school. Finn is trapped in a corner between Quinn and Rachel, and faces the tough choice between fireworks (Quinn) and someone who is presently there for him (Rachel). Puck tries his hardest the entire episode to get Lauren while the other couples are fine where they are. We finally see kinks in Blaine's armor, and Kurt is happy with the situation. There are many cute moments in the episode, and several organic character moments not marred by total bitchiness, which made be very happy.
For those that want to watch a whole television show, episodes like "Silly Love Songs" should be the norm. Unfortunately for us, though, the writers like their extravagance to the extreme, and get carried away far too often, so this looks like a passing occurence.
Score: 9.1/10
Monday, February 7, 2011
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 11 The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
Yeah, it sucked, but that wasn't surprising. What could we expect of the post-Super Bowl Glee? For one, it has to be easily accessible for the millions who haven't watched the show and are ripe for the picking. That means little use of ongoing plots, notably Kurt being at Dalton, and a whole lot of singing and dancing. This immediately creates problems for those of us who want to watch Glee for more than Autotune and choreography. When Glee goes to extreme lengths of theme episodes, the outcome is often a jumbled mess of varying characterization and lack of plot, and that's about what happens.
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is filled with absurd plot points which are spun together to form what attempts to be a coherent plot and theme. I'm having a hard time deciding what was more stupid, Sue's life-threatening cannon or the football team joining the glee club and then the glee club joining the football team.
These plots would actually be fine if Glee were completely silly and was just a show where stuff goes bonkers. But Glee is a show with a message--or at least a show which is supposed to have a message. There's something about tolerance and accepting who you are, but between the many groan-worthy moments, pointless songs which go on way too long, and laughable attempt for emotion, the episode breaks down into a meaningless swath of individual scenes which are neither interesting nor funny.
By the way, if you're going to have a football episode after the Super Bowl, please try to make it accurate, like the other team not in shotgun with 10 seconds left and kneeling down instead.
Finn and Quinn redux? I'll hold judgment on this one.
Score: 7.0/10
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is filled with absurd plot points which are spun together to form what attempts to be a coherent plot and theme. I'm having a hard time deciding what was more stupid, Sue's life-threatening cannon or the football team joining the glee club and then the glee club joining the football team.
These plots would actually be fine if Glee were completely silly and was just a show where stuff goes bonkers. But Glee is a show with a message--or at least a show which is supposed to have a message. There's something about tolerance and accepting who you are, but between the many groan-worthy moments, pointless songs which go on way too long, and laughable attempt for emotion, the episode breaks down into a meaningless swath of individual scenes which are neither interesting nor funny.
By the way, if you're going to have a football episode after the Super Bowl, please try to make it accurate, like the other team not in shotgun with 10 seconds left and kneeling down instead.
Finn and Quinn redux? I'll hold judgment on this one.
Score: 7.0/10
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 10 A Very Glee Christmas
"A Very Glee Christmas" focuses some of the more unrealistic elements of the show--Sue's pervasive mean-spiritedness and Brittany's near insanity--and it's all pretty silly. We're supposed to believe that Brittany is so oblivious that she'd still believe in Santa, discounting every shred of logic behind his nonexistence. Sue is more Grinchy than usual, actually dressing up as a Grinch and destroying the tree and presents at the school for no reason other than to cause trouble. Predictably, the episode ends on a happy note as everyone gets together at Will's house to spread some holiday cheer.
There are also a bunch of random subplots jammed into the episode. Finn officially breaks up with Rachel, Will decides to stay away from Emma, and Kurt shows up at the beginning of the episode for a song and then disappears.
At the end of the day, we have to remember this is a Glee Christmas episode. The combination inevitably results in an abundance of Christmas songs, a warm feeling in the end, and a thin plot surrounding the Christmas theme. "A Very Glee Christmas" fulfills the criteria and that's what anyone expects.
Score: 8.3/10
There are also a bunch of random subplots jammed into the episode. Finn officially breaks up with Rachel, Will decides to stay away from Emma, and Kurt shows up at the beginning of the episode for a song and then disappears.
At the end of the day, we have to remember this is a Glee Christmas episode. The combination inevitably results in an abundance of Christmas songs, a warm feeling in the end, and a thin plot surrounding the Christmas theme. "A Very Glee Christmas" fulfills the criteria and that's what anyone expects.
Score: 8.3/10
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Review - Glee Season 2 Episode 9 Special Education
While sectionals surely is important in the grand scheme of things, "Special Education" puts it on the backburner, putting more important issues before the event. Ostensibly, it is a Rachel episode, but not in the typical "Rachel gets the spotlight" way.
It's been coming for a long time, but Rachel gets put in her place. Her overzealous scheming and attitude finally reaches a point when Will, taking Emma's advice, decides to let others take the lead roles instead of Rachel and Finn. At the same time, she learns about Finn and Santana hooking up a year earlier. The glee club falls into near turmoil as the various couples, sans Quinn and Sam, threaten to destroy the group.
We see that glee club, arguably, has been a negative factor in Rachel's life, forcing her to be competitive, rude, and mean.With Kurt, her main competition, out of the club, it generated my favorite moment of the episode, Rachel in the crowd reminding Kurt to smile. But there was that same spiteful Rachel in the same episode, about to hookup with Puck as if it was equivalent to what Finn did with Santana when they weren't even together.
Sectionals itself goes as planned, the group managing to get through without any mishap. In a eye-rolling twist, New Directions ties with the Warblers, so both will go on to Regionals. Glee writers sure love their easy resolutions.
There's a tiny bit of Emma and Will drama in the episode, luckily nothing too intrusive. Emma misses Sections per Carl's request and they end of getting married. Of course Emma has to give Will a kiss on the cheek. It's the same damn song and dance, but at least Will doesn't do anything dumb this time around as he did in the Rocky Horror episode.
The final scene pretty much sums up Glee. It's a show which doesn't push the envelope, doesn't go for important, long-term developments. Everyone is happy, maybe with a few sore spots here and there, and that's exactly what it's intends to be.
Score: 8.7/10
It's been coming for a long time, but Rachel gets put in her place. Her overzealous scheming and attitude finally reaches a point when Will, taking Emma's advice, decides to let others take the lead roles instead of Rachel and Finn. At the same time, she learns about Finn and Santana hooking up a year earlier. The glee club falls into near turmoil as the various couples, sans Quinn and Sam, threaten to destroy the group.
We see that glee club, arguably, has been a negative factor in Rachel's life, forcing her to be competitive, rude, and mean.With Kurt, her main competition, out of the club, it generated my favorite moment of the episode, Rachel in the crowd reminding Kurt to smile. But there was that same spiteful Rachel in the same episode, about to hookup with Puck as if it was equivalent to what Finn did with Santana when they weren't even together.
Sectionals itself goes as planned, the group managing to get through without any mishap. In a eye-rolling twist, New Directions ties with the Warblers, so both will go on to Regionals. Glee writers sure love their easy resolutions.
There's a tiny bit of Emma and Will drama in the episode, luckily nothing too intrusive. Emma misses Sections per Carl's request and they end of getting married. Of course Emma has to give Will a kiss on the cheek. It's the same damn song and dance, but at least Will doesn't do anything dumb this time around as he did in the Rocky Horror episode.
The final scene pretty much sums up Glee. It's a show which doesn't push the envelope, doesn't go for important, long-term developments. Everyone is happy, maybe with a few sore spots here and there, and that's exactly what it's intends to be.
Score: 8.7/10
