Hey everyone. This morning, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about the current season of Glee. She wasn’t a huge fan of the first season, but has more recently become hooked based on the strength of Kurt’s story arc. While I truly love the direction that that portion of the show has gone, I’m not really enjoying this season of Glee to the same extent as I was enjoying the first season.I have both been impressed with and disappointed by Glee Season 2.
I’ll start with the good stuff. I have been really into two major character arcs this season. The first is the one involving Kurt being bullied. The second is the one involving Coach Bieste being insulted continuously by the students. Both actors are phenomenal at conveying vulnerability and strength in just the right proportions, while not being extraordinarily preachy or pretentious about their respective messages. Mercedes, though a wonderful singer, has never really had the gravitas it takes to sell the heavyset woman storyline. Coach Beast has made a wonderful addition to the cast.At the same time, I have to ask myself what it was that initially drew me to the first season. Sure, sad episodes with touching moments cropped up (the one where we meet Sue’s sister or the one when Will finds out about the baby drama come to mind), but that’s not why I watched Glee.
I love Broadway and I love me some silly dark humour. Season 1 had those in spades. Glee didn’t take itself very seriously back then. The Kurt and Bieste storylines, though important, aren’t why I watch the show. The writing hasn’t been nearly as sharp or as clever humourwise this season. I think one problem is that Sue has been humanized a bit too much. Still, I appreciate Brittany's increased screen time and amazing one-liners.The majority of my disappointment stems from the original cast members being snubbed in favour of guest stars and new series regulars.
Gwyneth Paltrow! Britney Spears! Carol Burnett! Katie Couric! In season 1, the guest stars were often Broadway stars. This season has given us more mainstream celebrities. Glee started off as a story about a group of misfits and yet, if we want to get meta about things, this season has tried as hard as it can to be as mainstream as possible. I understand that ratings are what matters and fans seem to crave the presence of celebrities, but why do we need a fully developed character for Gwyneth Paltrow when characters like Tina, Mercedes, and Quinn barely get any lines? That leads me to my second issue. We already have a talented cast of characters who get little enough screen time as is. Why do we need all of these new characters?
Many of the recurring characters completely overshadow the original cast members. I mean really, does anyone like Sam? At all? Creepy promise ring proposal much? Anyway, Artie is probably the most talented male student singer they have (minus Kurt, but he sings songs well out of Artie's range anyway) and yet he never gets to sing anymore. He never does much of anything. His presence has increased in the past few episodes, but that’s arguably due to the fact that he’s dating Brittany.
Then there’s Tina. While I appreciate Mike Chang’s increased presence, it seems to be at Tina’s expense. Once she got over her stutter plot, she was given and delivered the best one-liners of last season (besides those delivered by Sue). What has she done this season? She's enjoyed being Asian and shown us that she's unabashedly shallow for a social outcast.
Finally, with Kurt being so front and centre, where on earth is Mercedes? She’s supposed to be his best friend. Where’s the dialogue between them about Kurt switching schools? Why was she so intense about praying for him when, as his best friend, she’s supposed to know him well? Instead of anything meaningful, we get Kurt chilling with Blaine and Mercedes loving Tater Tots. As friendships go, they really don't seem to have a handle on how to behave appropriately in order to make it a strong one.This season seems to be all about sensationalism and catering to mainstream fan demands. I say that they should back off the guest stars and the fireworks in order to concentrate on the immense talent already at their disposal.
As a final note, I want to express my displeasure at finding out that Glee will likely top the Billboard Charts with more number one hits than any other group or singer in history. I think that it’s unfair to compare a huge cast of characters to the likes of The Beatles or Elvis Presley. When the Beatles broke up, that was essentially that. Glee has the ability to potentially replace its entire cast over the course of several seasons and still be at the top of the charts. That doesn't sit well with me. *Tangentrantover*.Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments :D!
- Cadence
Good recap/breakdown! I agree with you on most of the flaws of the season... to a degree.I agree completely about Mercedes and her not being able to be front and center as more than a featured character. She just does not have the acting chops or as you said the gravitas to be the star.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely on the overall change in the humor this season. It was sardonic and snarky last year. It was able to walk the fine line of pointing out social injustuce without becoming a sappy after school special or a PSA. This year it has failed on that count and has crossed over into after school special all too many times. I'm not ure it is the lack of anti-social Sue, or the addition of more weekly Brittany-isms, but I think it is more about the dragging out of plotlines not about New Directions as a whole... ie Kurt and his bullying. And by that I mean both him being bullied and him being the bully.
I don't think the frequency or amount of guest stars is the issue as much as making the episodes they are in revolve around the guest stars themselves.In Season One they had Josh Groban and he had 2 small very funNight Court yn scenes in his episode I think. This season they seem to be in every scene or at least every other scene. That not only cuts into the face time of New Directions, but it adds to the disjointed feeling of the season.
You could not be more right about Artie. Undervalued much? If he was not dating Brittany he would be invisible for the most part. I think they need to add characters honestly. In high school friends rotate with drama in or drama out, but I hate when they step in and become focal points. Keep new characters in the background for a good amount of time and then let them evolve naturally like Brittany did. Her evolution into a featured player from recurring background dancer has been flawless in my eyes. Honestly I think some characters should never be moved up as they are now. Tina, Mike are ok in the background for the most part. Not every one needs to be highlighted. It just makes the season too hodge podge feeling.
The entire Kurt fiasco to me is the issue the season has been somewhat of a letdown. Between him showing a very ugly side ignoring his best friend or outright mocking her, to bullying other glee clubbers, or the obvious bullying plot... he has been too much a focus to the detriment of New Directions as a whole. Much of last year was about the social outcasts coming together and bonding. Then it was about the group being stronger together than apart and how they evolved into a championship Glee contender at sectionals and finals. This season they dropped sectionals on us out of nowhere with almost no mentioning it in the first part of the season. It was almost as if they need to bring in sectionals to have Kurt's new school and new almost boyfriend perform more... not to add drama for McKinley's New Directions.
The whole Glee as an iTunes phenomena is scary.. damn right! I do not care much either way if they eclipse the Beatles or become a dominant franchise in Billboard's top charts. It's just a reflection of more people these days buying mass marketed materials. With billions more people on the planet being reached by internet convenient downloads it will just be the first of many all time great music artists to fall .
I don't have any issue with them changing the cast so after a few years it could be an entire new New Directions. that is how school is and it is too often ignored by TV series for obvious reasons. I think I am a rarity and would enjoy Fin nand Rachel leaving and new singers/leads stepping up. Finding a male who's hairline is receding less and who has a better voice should not be hard. Rachel is a powerful singer and better actress too, but they need to mature her character or get rid of her and bring in some one new in my eyes. It is getting stale after 2 years of 'woe is me... I am the most talented and should be catered to'.
Holy crap, long comment much :P!? It's really nice to know that people actually read, acknowledge, think, and discuss :), so thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Mercedes is definitely one of the ensembles weakest actors. Still, her character is Kurt's best friend. She SHOULD have more scenes with him dealing with his issues. Arguably, Kurt has been pushing his friends away all season... But that's all the more reason for her, as the best friend, to come running and talk to him (or at least give him some tough love in order to show him she cares and he's pushing her away).
I really like the way you expressed the humour issues. Snarky/Sardonic to Cheesy/Sappy is exactly how I see things.
Artie is awesome. 'Nuff said.
Where I disagree with you is that I really don't think a lot more characters should come in. They have a huge supporting cast as it is. The problem is what you expressed in that they treat the supporting cast like series regulars (Sam being the prime example). They should go the way of Brittany, Santana, and Mike's evolution from background to forefront.
I'm also confused as to what you mean by "Kurt being a bully." I think his plot is an enormously important one to be showing viewers in this day and age. People talk about gay bashing and make gay jokes without a second thought. With Glee going more mainstream (something I have an issue with), it makes sense that they would have something to say to the mainstream audience. They SHOULD be made aware of these issues. Whether or not that ruins the focus of the show (like I mentioned in the article), the plotline is being worked on with a lot of care.
Finally, in regards to Finn and Rachel, I couldn't agree more. You may have noticed that I didn't mention either of them once in the article. I'm somewhat indifferent to them at this point. While I think that they're both really great actors (and Rachel is a wonderful singer), Finn can't sing at all and Rachel is getting stale. It's nice that the trope was turned on its head (i.e. the lead female is really unlikeable), but she needs to stop being so unpleasant.
I will be much shorter this time. LOL Agreed on all Mercedes points. Well I did not state that well did I? I do NOT think a lot more characters should come in exactly. Mostly I think that there does need to be interaction with kids throughout the school and not just New Directions... and not just people tossing slushees on them. I do not think they need to jump past the original cast members in anyway. I think SOME new people need to come in to replace Finn and Puck... maybe Rachel too. If they elevate Say Artie and Sam to replace Puck and Finn then they would need new members to round out the group. Assuming that Finn, Puck and whoever were leaving and not just downgraded to background singers... a fairly safe bet with Finn since he is male soloist 1.
ReplyDeleteI think Kurt would be picked on or disliked for his attitude toward people and not just because he is gay. When I was in school I had no problem with gay friends or acquaintances, but I do not tolerate rude students for very long and he is just RUDE. Case in point when out with Blaine and Mercedes and even Blaine realizes Kurt is dominating the conversation and tries to bring Mercedes in with something she can relate to. What does Kurt do... he turns right back to his crush and brings up more topics she cannot talk about. Just rude. Add in the mocking he does toward just about everybody at various points of the 2 seasons and that is being a bully too. Not in the physically threatening way, but still unneeded. It's almost as if he chooses to make himself the victim by purposely trying to offend others for his own amusement. I do that at parties sometimes if I am bored, but if others heard I would expect to be confronted on it or apologize before they even said a word.
Also last year when Rachel wsa being her typical self and narcissistic or self-centered, she was usually also being funny. They seem to have lost the dynamic writing where characters expressed multiple things in layers with one comment and now it is more straight forward and single layered. So again I agree.
ReplyDeletevery good analyisis! i just have to agree with everything
ReplyDeleteOh, alright, I see what you mean on both counts.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I think Finn has great comedic chops, but needs to not be the "lead male singer". He's a great cast member, but someone needs to step up as a stronger singer. Puck is alright, but kind of a one-trick pony as characters go.
As for Kurt being a bully, I think that that fits well into my issues with Mercedes lack of presence. He's been pushing all of his friends away for a while now. Being in a relationship is a wonderful thing and I'm glad that he seems happy and is getting closer to Blaine, but it should never be at the expense of friends. Ever.
As for his mocking of others, I didn't have a problem with it last season. I think that it fit well into the snarky attitude the show had; however, character developmentwise, it confuses things in regards to his current very serious storyline. It was funny when the show was silly. It's weird now that things are serious. That's where my complaint about Sue comes from. It's fine that she has a sister with Down's Syndrome, that's good character fleshing out. The fact that she's currently so supportive of all of her students all of a sudden detracts from the humour. She used to be a huge bully. Standing up for Kurt was... weird... She herself used to push people around the hallway and now she has issues with students doing that for very socially acceptable reasons? Again, her bullying was funny when the show poked fun at that kind of thing.
Thanks for the kind comment :). Your supposedly "oversimplified" statement is definitely an important one. Compromising artistic integrity for the sake of commercial success (i.e. "Selling Out") is a big problem in today's artistic industry. Singing is no longer about talent, but rather, about looks, attitudes, and autotune. Bands that win awards for novelty and innovation go on to produce albums that appeal to a broader audience for the sake of record sales.
ReplyDeleteThis concept, obviously, extends to other realms of the artistic world, including Television and Film making. This doesn't always have to happen (like with Pixar and the Toy Story franchise), but, more often than not, it does. Glee was fun and novel in its first season. Now, it's less so as it latches on to sensational people, music, and ideas in order to gain viewers. Darren Criss as Blaine sold more digital copies of "Teenage Dream" than other Glee tunes and so, they've made him a series regular. Not that I begrudge him that as he is obviously talented and I do like him; however, it was all based on sales as opposed to plot.
thanks for the reply, good to know what you think about that. I also loved Darren Criss and my heart stopped beating when I first saw him singing Teenage Dream and when him and Chris made that christmas duet of "Baby It's cold outside". But I have to agree with again: they should try harder to promote the stars they already have. Remember that Tina's "true colors" version? It makes me emotional evey time I watch it. It's sad that I dont recall these kind of performances from the original cast (excluding Rachel) anymore...
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