Oh, Glee.

[bluejeans07]

I tend to ignore the storylines for Glee most of the time, the big reason I watch it is because the camera work is amazing. Filming musicals is HARD and Glee often has 2-4 musical sequences in each episode and each one is usually choreographed and filmed very well (best being Joss Whedon's episode, worst being Matthew Morrison's). It also helps that the performers are extremely good, good singers and dancers, most of the time it's a pleasure to watch them. I can ignore the general awkwardness, the gaping plot holes, and the fact the most of these characters are terrible people because the performances are usually enough to entertain me.

But last night's episode was a bigger mess than usual and I'm contemplating on not picking the series up again when it comes back in April. So many things were crammed into this episode that it felt that everything was racing from one plot point to another and then into the cliffhanger ending: teen marriage, teen suicide attempt, anti-gay bullying, texting while driving PSA, 3 separate show choir entries with about 5.25 performances, at least 1 other musical performance on top of that, plus touching character moments reacting to said suicide attempt, parental flailing and plotting, waaaauugh! Did it all have to be crammed into one episode?! Couldn't it have been spaced out better?!

I got in a debate with a friend over Gallifrey weekend about how the tone and themes of Glee seem to be a giant mess. Glee was always meant to be a parody of High School Musical and the whole teenaged fantasy sitcom, and it went from being a fun, sarcastic parody to a self important drama. While I liked when they used the sarcasm and wit of being a parody to zing the audience into thinking bigger while being entertained, at the same time it's extremely uncomfortable when the show takes the dramatic approach to lecture the audience. The intentions are good, and last night's episode had the best of intentions...

...but this was meant to be sarcastic musical parody of high school life and while they still write and film it as such, they also take the high and mighty approach as well. The intentions then get lost in the extremely muddy and confused storytelling of, "are we being serious now? Oh yes we are!" instead of the, "Haha, we gotcha! Think BIGGER!"

I guess what it's all adding up to is that I've ceased being entertained by this show and just get annoyed with the mess. And I've started watching Smash, which while still a fantasy, is more realistic in terms of tone. Maybe I don't need Glee anymore for modern musical film studies especially if the way this show is structured is so messed up that it's getting harder to glean the positive from it.

Comments

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

Well, I have to admit to a little bit of smugness on this one, as I never saw the appeal of Glee in the first place ... High school drama or parody of high school drama, I am so done with high school you would not believe OMG NO MORE HIGH SCHOOL.



I'm done now.


I swear I closed that tag correctly ...

[bluejeans07.livejournal.com]

Hahaha!! I'm not so interested in the whole high school-ness of it all either, originally I was drawn in by the music and performances! But the show's getting fairly unbearable to watch, it LOOKS great but the contents are just... MEH. XP

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

They are singing and performing IN HIGH SCHOOL. End of story.

A certain amount of my lack of interest in the genre may have to do with my self-defeating and infuriatingly disappointing relationship with the musical theatre department.