Does “Glee” blend genres, or is it just hyperactive?
My sister and I have an AUX converter in our car. It’s one of those long black cords that looks like a snake but does something much better: it connects your iPod straight to your car without making you fumble with pesky tapes (that skip) or the radio, trying to find the right station, but the one without the static. With this newfangled technology in her brand new car, my sister and I have taken to listening to both Glee soundtracks, belting them at the top of our lungs, even though neither of us are particularly well-trained.
Glee is what you’d call an overnight success, grabbing, at the moment, the highest percentage of upscale viewers among all four broadcast networks. That’s a pretty big deal, considering FOX hasn’t been able to claim having the most buzzed about new show on television since they premiered House in 2004. Nabbing those four Golden Globe noms didn’t hurt either, especially since they assisted in the overall six–putting FOX in second place only to HBO–and tied with Showtime in the most nominations for a network. If that isn’t a big deal, I don’t know what is. The thing is, though, despite the obvious talent of the cast–and there’s no denying it, especially with Broadway vets Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Jenna Ushkowitz rounding out the cast–I was definitely surprised to see it get nominated so many times.
I definitely wasn’t on the Glee train when it first left the station, unimpressed with everything but the songs during the original pilot and not completely sold on giving it a shot when it premiered officially in the fall. I got over it, because the cast is attractive enough to keep me watching and the songs really are good. What’s not as phenomenal are the plots, and, oftentimes, the characters themselves.
Let’s talk about consistency.
Rachel, played by Michele, one of the show’s rising stars, is as inconsistent as can be, floundering between her love of Finn, Puck and even Mr. Schuester–all within the first twelve episodes. She waxes on poetically to Quinn (played pitch-perfectly by Dianna Argon) about how, “No one at Glee is going to judge you,” and, “You’re going to need friends who will relate,” and, “You’re going to need Glee. We’re going to be all you have left.” The sentiment is sweet, of course, and the scene is particularly well acted by both Michele and Argon, but the meaning behind it all falls a little flat. Rachel from the start has wanted to be the star, has had no qualms about leaving the Glee club in the dust while she finds her spotlight. For her to be the character to reach out to Quinn, instead of someone that hasn’t bailed numerous times, is preposterous. The moment feels empty, despite the soulfulness in her eyes and the sincerity with which she presents herself.
The rest of the characters don’t fare much better. Especially considering that two of the most influential ones in keeping the club afloat, Mike Chang (played by Harry Shum Jr.) and Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton) haven’t any dialogue at all despite their involvement in some pretty big story lines. Heather Morris, who plays Brittany doesn’t even have a last name, let alone any character development. And those are just the people who don’t talk! Artie and Tina’s geek-chic love affair didn’t even span an entire episode (and was never promptly mentioned again), and even Will, the proposed hero of it all, can’t seem to get his priorities straightened out (Acafellas? What happened to that pipe dream? And let’s not forget the weed he “found” in Finn’s locker in the pilot). He’s the person we’re following primarily on this perilous journey back to high school and he fails us on that account.
Producer Brad Falchuck has been quoted as saying, “High School Musical’ is great, but this is something edgier and a little more adult…though you can watch it with your kids,” and that seems to be Glee‘s appeal all around. It pushes the line just far enough (and it should be noted that while just two seasons ago, FOX had no LGBT series regulars and it now boasts four) to be risky–you can’t escape that when you’ve got pill-popping teenagers (Vitamin D), especially when one of is, oh yeah, pregnant. It isn’t only the pregnancy shenanigans (of which there are two different cases) or the pill-popping that keep the show cutting edge, though. There’s cheating (but isn’t there always?), a fake pregnancy, a real pregnancy and that one time the gay kid came out to his father with football and Beyonce as his guides. To Chris Colfer’s (and Mike O’Malley’s) credit, the scene itself was executed perfectly; understated and a little sad, but mostly hopeful and accepting. Unfortunately, despite its cheerful moniker, the show is comprised less of these little scenes like this, and more, of, well. What it’s known for. Big musical numbers and thumbless secondary characters who get cakes in the shape of the appendages they’re missing.
It isn’t that the show is a bad one. I think their problem, though, is that in straddling the line between comedy and drama, they sometimes forget themselves, spreading their talents too thin (Murphy’s Nip/Tuck is an excellent example of a project that started with such promise only to end up more than a little far-fetched and obscure). It does leave me to wonder, though, would Glee be as big a hit without the spurts of awkwardly hilarious comedy? Would it be as touching without the fleeting tender moments? I don’t think it would be the same show at all, and I wonder if that would be better.
Glee is definitely fun to watch. It has people buzzing with excitement, tuning in every week for new episodes, bemoaning the fact that there are four whole months between the fall finale and more, and I get it, I do–but as an aspiring writer myself, I’m left wondering, “Why do I care?” instead of, “What’s next?!” and I don’t think that’s what Murphy and crew intended at all. With the iTunes sales up at the highest highs, and the ratings following similar patterns, it seems likely that the show will be around for a while. Hopefully with enough time, they can figure out wwho they want to be more solidly and how.
