Update
Okay, so it’s kind of obvious that I’ve fallen off track here. Let’s just say, I so did not think schoolwork would be as demanding as it turned out to be. Between 800-word journalism articles and 2-page psychology papers, the last thing I wanted to do for the past two weeks was write lengthy TV reviews.
But, things are settling down. There’s been a break in the workload, and when it starts up again, I’m going to be used to it. So here’s what’s happening.
I’ve found that even five shows is a little much for me, so if anyone wants to take The Good Wife or Trauma, please contact me, I’d love to give them away. If no one takes them, they’re just not going to be covered, period.
So, yes, I do realize I have quite a lot of catching up to do when it comes to Glee and The Vampire Diaries. Like I said, there’s been a break in my schoolwork, so I will be posting the reviews I missed over the weekend.
Thank you to those who have been reading! I’m amazed I’m still getting any hits at all, lol.
Glee Pilot Revew, Part 2 of 2
Meanwhile, there has been side conflict between Will and his wife Terri. Not satisfied with Will’s meager teacher salary, Terri complains about her small part time job and wants him to quit teaching to be an accountant. Will has been resisting because of his love for teaching, motivating his students, and now, the glee club.
But Terri surprises Will with the news that she’s pregnant. This makes Will finally quit to become an account…much to the disappointment of Emma, the school guidance counselor who quietly loves him even though he is married. Emma convinces him to stay through videos of the school glee club in its former glory, and how good it can really be.
The real stand-out feature of Glee is its brilliant use of very subtle comedy. There were never any direct jokes meant to get a cheap laugh, except maybe when a glee club member in a wheel chair crashes into the wall. The fired teacher Sandy, though obviously gay, mentions to Will that his long distance girlfriend almost broke up with him because of his dismissal. Before joining the glee club, Finn is about to have his football buddies dump eventual club member Kurt in the dumpster…but allows Kurt to take off his designer jacket first so that it isn’t ruined.
Also, Sue brags that the cheerleaders get most of the school budget because they attract huge media outlets like “Fox Sports Net,” and then mentions that she’s going to give an interview on her iPhone. Okay, maybe that was more innocent shameless promotion, but you have to love the mention of the network itself and a huge sponsor in just one scene.
But Glee impressed me the most through its outstanding creativity and interesting characters. One of the best scenes was Rachel’s introduction to club. Her character background and complex personality is amazing. She explains how she was born to two gay men who combined their sperm so that no one would know who the father was, and were very selective in picking the best mother possible. Rachel grew up with her parents signing her up for class after class in the hope that she would become a competitive performer. And she is – she has every confidence in her dancing and singing abilities. But yet she is still considered a loser, and it hurts her. Her status as an outcast makes her want everyone to think she is as special as she knows she is even more.
So yeah, if it isn’t too obvious, I totally loved the Glee pilot. However, while the pilot was great, the show now has the task of keeping up that level of excellence through the whole season.
Glee Pilot Episode Review, Part 1 of 2
Newsflash: Glee is actually not High School Musical: The Series.
I know, I was surprised too. Though I did watch the first showing in May and briefly thought of the movie, a second viewing revealed how much more depth Glee really has. While it involves musical numbers, a jock turned singer, and a funny montage of audition clips, Glee is a dramedy that far outshines the popular Disney movie.
For one thing, Mrs. Darbus would never plant marijuana on Troy Bolton, then blackmail him into joining the drama club.
Yes, Glee is definitely not for your typical Disney audience. The pilot opens on the school’s prestigious cheerleader squad practicing, then coach Sue Sylvester yelling at them through a megaphone that cheerleading is nothing compared to water boarding. Cut to Will Schuester, who takes over the glee club when the former coordinator Sandy is let go – and it’s revealed that Sandy has no hard feelings, as he’s making a fortune selling “medical marijuana.” Each of the glee members sign up, accompanied with their own voiceover self-introduction (minus Finn, who hasn’t been blackmailed yet), tries out for the glee club and makes it…despite their audition.
After Will tries to recruit more members through the football team – who laugh in his face – he overhears Finn, who is showering after practice, singing. Will plants some of Sandy’s marijuana on Finn, and gives him the option of detention or glee club. With that, Finn becomes a reluctant part of the group. Female lead Rachel automatically begins crushing on him, though Finn has a girlfriend – who Rachel purposely points out as the “president of the celibacy club.” Finn resists at first, but realizes that singing is his passion and he can’t leave his new friends.
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(Sorry for the two parts, but these reviews are going to be pretty long, about 700 words.)
