GLEE-The First Time

[Starcarolina]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 2:56am

I watched tonight's episode of Glee, and for THE FIRST TIME I liked it. I know I have been dissing it on here, but tonight I thought it was well-directed and the songs worked well with the storyline. It was not the sexually explicit nature of the show or any particular storyline that altered my opinion. I was entertained, and the mood and tone of the show seemed appropriate for a change.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 3:16am

I thought it was better than some past "issue" episodes, but nothing outstanding. Two randoms--does Blaine really get so drunk Kurt is worried he'll vomit from one beer, and why bother putting the Jets in America--even justifying it with a random line before about adding them.

[Gink]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 10:08am

I assumed the 'one beer' was the lie some of us tell our significant others when we're plastered.

[charlesjguiteau]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 10:55am

Why oh why didn't they seguee from Mike's fight with his father into a bangup rendition of him dancing his way through "Cool" in WSS? Seemed like a surefire idea if he was gonna be cast as Riff, right?

And WHY THE HELL were they using the movie version of "America"s lyrics instead of the stage version??? Pisses me off no end.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 12:03pm

Lea Michele was awful as Maria IMO. Thin upper register and the acting up close was ridiculous. Of course, Darren Criss was even worse as Tony.

I was also really upset that they didn't feature Robbins's choreography in "America." Plus including the Jets was dumb, just do another number if you want to showcase everyone (like "Dance at the Gym" or "Quintet.")

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 12:06pm

I really liked the episode. I thought it was sweet, a little funny, and really well done. The WSS part was lovely(I liked that they used the version of America that let us see Mike as Riff). As far as the sex plots went, I thought it was pretty subtle and tasteful- not even close to controversial. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole hour.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 12:20pm

And WHY THE HELL were they using the movie version of "America"s lyrics instead of the stage version??? Pisses me off no end.

It was my feeling that the decision makers at Glee figured more people would be familiar with the movie than the show. Not saying it was the right thing to do but I think that's their reasoning.

And I was laughing at the casting of the Irish kid as a Shark. And the fact that they cut away from him in every dance break. Oh, Damo lol

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 5:32pm

Yeah the severely watered down robbins choreography was lame--they had enough extras (and some dancers) in the cast who could have pulled it off--surprised the Robbins estate didn't complain :P

The movie lyrics didn't bother me really--arguments about which you prefer aside (I used to like the movie version better, now am back to prefering the stage one)--it is the more famous version of the number (I know many fans of WSS who are shocked when they finally see it on stage) and showed off more of the cast I guess, but meh.

Charles--I don't watch every week, so I think I missed it, but I'm pretty sure Mike already did his angry Cool dance the first time he was told to no longer dance a few episodes back :P

(And as for the actual sex--it looked like fully clothed cuddling to me but meh--of course some groups are getting mad anyway)

I think this season has been an improvement on last year, so far, but it still has a lot that irritates me :P

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 6:13pm

Forget the Robbins estate, Eric, pity poor Stephen Sondheim! For 50 years, he's been complaining about his own line, "For a small fee in America", claiming it's impossible not to sing it as "sma-fee" at the tempo of the song.

So GLEE does an arrangement that repeats "Sondheim's mistake" at least three times. And they give it to a separate character (Puck) to make sure everybody hears it each time.

Is that the movie version of the lyric? I confess I'm the one person on the planet who never cared much for the film. Repeating a punch line is never a good idea in a comic lyric.

***

Otherwise, I did like the fact that they treated the hetero- and homo- "first times" equally. It's easy to forget how unlikely that would have been on broadcast TV even a couple of years ago.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 6:30pm

Ha I noticed that and *did* immediately think of Sondheim! I'm not sure--I wasn't paying the most attention, and never listen tot he movie soundtrack--I do like the movie but haven't watched it in a good year either. I know some of the lyrics were from the movie version at least, but others I wasn't sure about--and certainly repeating it wasn't.

It's true about the sex, and it is something that' seasy to dismiss. While I don't think I would have much liked Kurt (or Mr "prfect Blaine") as a young teen any more than I do now, I know seeing something liek that on TV probably would have meant a lot to me.

(I still don't buy that he lied about only having one beer--that bar is tinnier than the gay bar in my hometown and Kurt was staring at him the whole time, unless random new gay boy was slipping something into his drink :P )

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 6:43pm

I too thought the "one beer" line was silly. LIke something thrown in as a compromise with Standards & Practices: teens use fake IDs and drink, but they only drink one beer and they remember to have a designated driver.

Another possibility--and I'm digging deep now to remember my own underage drinking--is that when kids first drink, they tend to exaggerate the effects of a small amount of alcohol. The minimal booze is an excuse to act silly even if it isn't actually enough to affect them physically.

***

On WSS, I should have been clearer: I admire the movie, just as I admire the stage show. For whatever reason, neither has ever excited me. But that's entirely my subjective reaction, not an objective criticism.

I'm such a heretic in this area I actually think Tony voters were right to give Best Musical to THE MUSIC MAN.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 7:46pm

It's absolutely true that teens often exagerate their drunkeness--and I also speak from experience. Though even after one beer? Then again, in that Drunk AWFUL episode from last year where they all drank at school and vomited, didn' his character likewise get very drunk and make out with Rachel (which I think they mentioned)--though I think it was from more than one beer. I'm going with the standards and practices argument.

Ah Gaveston, just as I was starting to almost always agree with your posts, you have to go prefering Music Man... *shakes head*

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/9/11 at 8:26pm

I really enjoyed last night's episode as it was a far cry from the last one "Pot O'Gold," which was a crock of crap. Sure, "One Hand, One Heart" was lowered even more from the already lowered key it's sung in the film but "Glee" did a decent version of "A Boy Like That/I Have A Love" that was actually sung in the original keys forcing Lea Michele to abandon her belt and use her legit voice, which, I can't believe I'm saying this, was not half bad. Then again, it was also engineered to death but what are you gonna do. Darren Criss sounded like a guy who is actually in a high school production of "West Side Story." I've heard guys in high school sing better than Criss did last night without the aid of recording engineering magic. (How will he survive his stint on "How to Succeed..." I wonder?)

It's important to note that the gay couple got the equal treatment the straight couple received in terms of story and love scenes in last night's "Glee." That may very well be a first for U.S. prime time network television given how backwards this country is in terms of depiction of sex on television. Daytime soaps have done more explicit gay love scenes but given "Glee's" audience, that wouldn't fly. I actually liked how the WSS numbers were interspersed throughout the episode to highlight musically what was going on in the non-musical number scenes.

My favorite part was Jenna Ushkowitz's speech about how her character Tina lost her virginity. I admire the sex positive attitude of the show and while it's not perfect, "Glee" still treats sex and love stories for teens better than its counterparts such as the awful remake of "90210" and whatever else airs on THE CW.
Updated On: 11/10/11 at 08:26 PM

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 7:58am

Okay, so the WSS wasn't completely true to the show or the movie, but it was still great to hear a number of numbers over the past few weeks, and this is still a primetime tv show, right? And enough bashing of Lea Michele and Darren Criss; engineered or not, they sang sweetly and well and from the heart.

And let's hear it for the "first time" sexual encounters being handled as well as they were. How different so many lives would be if this could have been shown so sensitively and honestly 30 or 40 years ago. And hooray for coach Beest!

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 8:32am

Ouch! I'm surprised anyone over 15 still watches this fading mess. All of my over 18 friends slowly stopped watching it at the start of the 2nd season. I faded away slowly after the first few episodes of 1st season. The Pilot episode was sheer genius. Sadly, the series failed to continue in that same tone and writing.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 2:21pm

How many under 18 year old friends do you have?

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 2:23pm

I guess that's more folks who are watching lame procedural/detective/whatever-genre-they-are shows like NCIS et al.

One's fading mess is another's treasure. The latest episode of "Glee" was historic for its depiction of gay teen sexuality on U.S. network television. No, it wasn't Skinemax, but teen porn was not the point: "Glee" showed the American audience that gay teens are just like straight teens in that both are sexually curious and, more importantly, debunks the stereotype that gay people young and old only seek out sex without love, commitment and romance. To me, that was an important contribution from "Glee" to the current political and cultural discourse on sexuality, marriage equality and just plain equality period.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 5:41pm

Well put, jsg. Yet again I long for a "thank you" button...

Eric, we should probably argue about THE MUSIC MAN elsewhere. But I understand your horror, I've encountered it before. Please note that I didn't say Meredith Willson was a better writer than anyone on the WSS team, just that I think his one true hit is critically underrated.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 8:57pm

Agreed jsg, even if I wasn't quite as on board as you--it's a good point.

To be fair i *loved* Music man so much as a kid that it ws probably my favorite musical from ages 6-8 or so... Then I saw WSS (Well and Phantom of the Opera but let's not bring that up...)

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 9:13pm

I'm trying so hard not to thread jack here, but I think if we look at MUSIC MAN with an open mind, we find it anticipates many of the elements of the so-called "concept musical" that revolutionized Broadway in the following decade.

I don't happen to share the New York bias that everything that happens across the Hudson is automatically dull, unsophisticated and of no importance.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 9:18pm

Being a million miles from NYC, nor do I :P I would like to hear your theory--I do think it's a great show. But I guess it doesn't excite me the way a good WSS can.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 11/10/11 at 9:54pm

There was sex?
I didn't see any sex.
How does it work with two falsettos?

I agree with whoever said Criss' voice is shaky at least and will have trouble with the HOW TO... score (it's not as easy as some think, Danny proved that).