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connielane at 10:24am on 28/04/2010 under television
connielane at 10:24am on 28/04/2010 under televisionI felt that last night's episode of Glee ("Home") was very strong, and I think it could be the show's "Emmy episode." I found myself in tears more than once, as a couple of the issues addressed hit pretty close to home, most notably in the storyline with Kurt and Finn and their parents. Also, the music chosen for the episode was exceptionally good - mostly vintage stuff that most fans have probably never even heard of (excepting the Mercedes ballad, of course).
However...
I knew someone who was going to be watching for the first time last night, and being aware of that throughout the episode, I couldn't help but think that she was getting a false impression of what the show was like.
Because the fact of the matter is, Glee still doesn't really know what kind of show it is. Is it satire with a side of schmaltz, or is it schmaltz with a dollop of satire? The turnaround in tone from last week's Madonna episode could not have been more pronounced, and it's this kind of schizophrenia that I feel is a real weakness in the show. Last week had a lot of absurd ("Like a Virgin") and sometimes brutal ("enough product in your hair to season a wok") humor, which sometimes bled over into the (relatively) more serious storylines. And I saw some fans react to the less comical stuff in a way that I'm convinced the writers did not intend. But in a way, this is kind of their fault, because they don't seem terribly interested in building character arcs; they just tend to "put on a show" each week and cast their characters in the roles they need for each particular episode. I get a distinct feeling that writers meetings for this show consist mostly of coming up with ideas for themes that will make for interesting musical numbers, rather than discussions about where they can take the characters.
Perhaps this is simply the showrunners' way of dealing with the uncertainty of renewal - just go for broke as if you're not going to get another chance - but it doesn't make for good storytelling (in my opinion). It makes for entertaining television, sure, but it smacks of inconsistency. I can't really get invested in where these characters go, because there don't seem to be any road maps for any of them.
I guess the bottom line is that Glee is still very much trying to find its own "home." It's still tremendously fun to watch, but there's quite a bit of whiplash from week to week. I just wish they could find a happy balance.
However...
I knew someone who was going to be watching for the first time last night, and being aware of that throughout the episode, I couldn't help but think that she was getting a false impression of what the show was like.
Because the fact of the matter is, Glee still doesn't really know what kind of show it is. Is it satire with a side of schmaltz, or is it schmaltz with a dollop of satire? The turnaround in tone from last week's Madonna episode could not have been more pronounced, and it's this kind of schizophrenia that I feel is a real weakness in the show. Last week had a lot of absurd ("Like a Virgin") and sometimes brutal ("enough product in your hair to season a wok") humor, which sometimes bled over into the (relatively) more serious storylines. And I saw some fans react to the less comical stuff in a way that I'm convinced the writers did not intend. But in a way, this is kind of their fault, because they don't seem terribly interested in building character arcs; they just tend to "put on a show" each week and cast their characters in the roles they need for each particular episode. I get a distinct feeling that writers meetings for this show consist mostly of coming up with ideas for themes that will make for interesting musical numbers, rather than discussions about where they can take the characters.
Perhaps this is simply the showrunners' way of dealing with the uncertainty of renewal - just go for broke as if you're not going to get another chance - but it doesn't make for good storytelling (in my opinion). It makes for entertaining television, sure, but it smacks of inconsistency. I can't really get invested in where these characters go, because there don't seem to be any road maps for any of them.
I guess the bottom line is that Glee is still very much trying to find its own "home." It's still tremendously fun to watch, but there's quite a bit of whiplash from week to week. I just wish they could find a happy balance.
working