Normally, I'd be right there with you in hating all the schmaltz, but I've had a rough week and Glee seems to give my psyche just what it needs to feel better. I was so ready to burst into tears by the time they sang the Bill Withers song, I didn't care that it was cheesy (and yes, Mercedes is a force to be reckoned with, truly). Broke my heart. With rainbows. Unicorn infested rainbows. With Neil Patrick Harris on top. You guys, this show is the best.
Wow, Glee went there last night! There were more than two times when I nearly fell out of my chair...the father-daughter scene...ouch! that's some pretty raw stuff....(Finn's mom rocks! tho...) and the suzy pepper - rachel encounter in the bathroom....did she just summarize my love troubles in two lines or less?
Finn's mom being so kind and loving, in contrast to Quinn's awful parents, was unexpectedly moving.
Still, I'm feeling worse and worse for Finn- he's having so much pressure put upon him, and he's clearly a good-hearted guy, if not bright. Yet the writers dragging out this story arc where Quinn still hasn't told him the truth is getting harder to watch. I liked Quinn's archetypal mean girl Cheerio persona, but the more it drags out it's just sadistic towards Finn.
I get the strong feeling that the pregnancy gimmicks (Quinn and Terri) were melodramatic devices written before the show was a hit, on its own strong merits- they're sort of overkill and unfun, especially Terri's ludicrous plotline.
Glee just has a good fun heart, I really enjoy it for its unironic joy in music, its earnestness. That's why they're geeks I suppose, the lack of snark. But that's what makes the show so enjoyable too.
@Baroness: Agreed with all of the above. And the added dash of absurdity and sarcasm alongside the earnestness is why it works so well. And maybe a teeny tiny cynical streak. Which is why grown-ups adore it!
It takes a geigh to summarize Glee well, and that's an example. Thank you, Lovely Brian!
But at the end of the episode, we felt like we got our money's worth without her.
Speak for yourself! I was missing my Jane Lynch like it was a vitamin I'd forgotten to take. Fortunately, watching her show Fiddy how to fluff throw pillows on Conan was almost enough.
I loved, loved, loved this show, but almost starting gagging when Finn started singing "Your Havin' My Baby." The fact that Quinn seemed to like the song was reason alone for her parents to kick her out of their house!
I did cry at the ending but *Frankenteen did a horrific job with
" I'll Stand By You", which made me find the Chrissy Hynde version and listen to it ten times.
Babygay Kurt is begging for heartbreak.
@secretagentman: "Zombie-I'll Stand By You" really just made me want to hear a Mercedes-led "Mystery Achievement." Consider this the beginning of my letter-writing campaign.
This was soooo much better than last week for so many reasons. Progress in the pregnancy storyline, Emma and Terri returned with their crazy and most of all RETURN OF THE VOICEOVERS! Yes, Sue was missing, but that's it.
And how can he have a history of teen girl crushes, but not one boy?
Come on, you didn't enjoy any of the inspirational music? Man, that is bleak. I cried from "I'll Stand By You" (which I unabashedly love) straight through "Lean On Me" (which I will somewhat abashedly be purchasing on iTunes). All in all, very much enjoyed last night's episode, except for the reminder that Will has still not seen Terri's stomach which requires such a suspension of disbelief that it makes me want to kick the wall and leave scuff marks like I did as an angry child.
@DahlELama: Yeah, I'm right there with you. She's now, what, five months along? And he's NEVER seen her nekkid? While living in the house with her? I'm just going to try to ignore that plotline and concentrate on the kiddies. And I got teary at Lean on Me too. How could you not, after the scene with Quinn crying her eyes out, begging her father to be her dad again? Anyone who didn't is a cold-hearted bastard.
@DahlELama: Agreed. I know we only tune in for the song and dance stuff, but that storyline is hopeless. A man who has not seen his wife naked in (what is it - four?) months is unlikely to have knocked her up in the first place. The writers are insulting the audience.
Same goes for Finn believing he managed to impregnate Quinn when he's never had sex with her.
@registered: I actually have much less of a problem with the Finn storyline; the more I interact with or read stuff written by teenagers in America, the less hope I have for their future. At dinner, however, it did seem a little too glaringly obvious when she didn't pipe up with the same "we didn't have sex" as he did.
@DahlELama: Well at least the writers had a conversation along the lines of "Oh shit-- they're married, aren't they? Make something up about a skin condition!" I mean, it still gives me a headache, but it's not quite as ricockulous as it had been.
@DahlELama: Teens are told a lot lies to prevent them from having sex. Some abstinence only courses teach children that birth control is basically ineffective. An alarmingly large amount of people are very ignorant of STDs (particularly when it comes to non-vaginal sex).
@DahlELama: Just seeing Terri gives me hives and blisters on my stomach too. She and her storyline are by far the worst thing about this show, which I've grown awfully fond of.
@Baroness: It's a shame, too, because back when I used to watch Boston Public, Jessalyn Gilsig was one of my favorites, and I even liked her on Heroes. Now, I've just become accustomed to cringing when she's onscreen.
The idea that it was one of Rachel's dads who made the phone call has me chuckling immodestly.
"Freak!". Sue MFS made me spit-take with that line. And then sold me on the compassion with her sister, movingly. If only Baywatch hadn't "taken a different direction", all our lives might have been different. #glee
This was the first episode of "Glee" I unabashedly liked. And it was actually what I disliked most about past episodes -- the cartoonish meanness -- that prevented this one from seeming too much like a sugary after-school special. Tabling the fake-pregnancy plot also helped (though it's still annoying that Quinn is trying to decide who the "best" father for her baby would be, when she knows perfectly well who the actual father is).
The sing-off seemed a little fake, given that the ridiculously talented Rachel could actually be hired to play the part on Broadway. And Sue's new cheerleader selection would have been more interesting if it were caused by her manic need to drive kids to excellence, rather than just a soft spot for a student who reminds her of her sister. But overall, it was pretty great, and worthy of the Emmy nomination it's sure to receive. #glee
I was bored senseless. It was the "Hey, Let's All Be Tolerant Hour." And without the love triangle with the wife and c0-worker it suffered. Not to mention, what happened to the internal monologues!?! They're the best part of the show after the music. #glee
So is it wrong of me to be so disappointed that Kevin McHale, who plays Artie, is not disabled.
I had been wondering before and last night's fantastic episode sent me searching for the answer, which many Gleeks might already have known and processed.
It just seems to me that while it would have been hard, the producers could have found an actor who wouldn't be acting for that part of his role. [www.msnbc.msn.com]#glee
@naugahydeinplainsight: Producers and their casting directors are fickle parts of the Hollywood machine. To do something so cool and meaningful would require an overhaul of their political mechanics.
OT, but based on a Q&A I read this morning, is the guy who plays Artie geigh? #glee
@naugahydeinplainsight: I actually knew the answer because of game 2 of the World Series when the cast sang the national anthem, and honestly, I was disappointed too. Was it too much to hope for that an incredibly talented kid who happened to be disabled had a role tailored to his handicap? I guess so. *mutters as she kicks a rock* #glee
@naugahydeinplainsight: I was so disappointed when I found that out. It's hard to believe there's not some kid out there who fit the part perfectly. The guy playing Artie is good, but Glee would really be making a statement if Artie was played by a disabled teenager. #glee
@pureblarney: I believe the actor who plays Kurt (Chris Colfer) came out recently. I don't know about the actor who plays Artie. He was from a boy band. I remember seeing one music video in the gym and wondering who the heck they were. #glee
@AlfredaTelemachus: I knew it! When an interviewer asked him which Madonna song he'd most like to sing, he said that 'that would be like choosing a favorite child.' Le sigh. At least Puck's straight. #glee
@lilyHaze: He also played the pizza delivery guy in the episode of "The Office" where Michael takes him hostage because the kid refuses to accept his coupons for the entire order. #glee
@naugahydeinplainsight: I think it's disappointing. I read that they used a stunt double for his wheelchair dancing at the beginning- which is why they shot those scenes mainly from the neck down or in shadows.
They could have cast an actor who was a wheelchair user/dancer. Disability rights activists refer to this as "crip drag." #glee
@naugahydeinplainsight: For about the first 3 episodes I kept waiting for the former Boston Celtic power forward to be on the show - I swear I really did. It later occurred to me that it was a different Kevin McHale. Duh #glee
@franimaljones: Ha! I can't deny that the name threw me a little at first, too. (I grew up with the McHale-Bird-DJ-Chief era Celtics/Lakers/Knicks. Sigh.)
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Still, I'm feeling worse and worse for Finn- he's having so much pressure put upon him, and he's clearly a good-hearted guy, if not bright. Yet the writers dragging out this story arc where Quinn still hasn't told him the truth is getting harder to watch. I liked Quinn's archetypal mean girl Cheerio persona, but the more it drags out it's just sadistic towards Finn.
I get the strong feeling that the pregnancy gimmicks (Quinn and Terri) were melodramatic devices written before the show was a hit, on its own strong merits- they're sort of overkill and unfun, especially Terri's ludicrous plotline.
Glee just has a good fun heart, I really enjoy it for its unironic joy in music, its earnestness. That's why they're geeks I suppose, the lack of snark. But that's what makes the show so enjoyable too.
11/19/09
11/19/09
It takes a geigh to summarize Glee well, and that's an example. Thank you, Lovely Brian!
But at the end of the episode, we felt like we got our money's worth without her.
Speak for yourself! I was missing my Jane Lynch like it was a vitamin I'd forgotten to take. Fortunately, watching her show Fiddy how to fluff throw pillows on Conan was almost enough.
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11/19/09
" I'll Stand By You", which made me find the Chrissy Hynde version and listen to it ten times.
Babygay Kurt is begging for heartbreak.
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11/19/09
And how can he have a history of teen girl crushes, but not one boy?
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11/19/09
Same goes for Finn believing he managed to impregnate Quinn when he's never had sex with her.
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"Freak!". Sue MFS made me spit-take with that line. And then sold me on the compassion with her sister, movingly. If only Baywatch hadn't "taken a different direction", all our lives might have been different. #glee
11/12/09
The sing-off seemed a little fake, given that the ridiculously talented Rachel could actually be hired to play the part on Broadway. And Sue's new cheerleader selection would have been more interesting if it were caused by her manic need to drive kids to excellence, rather than just a soft spot for a student who reminds her of her sister. But overall, it was pretty great, and worthy of the Emmy nomination it's sure to receive. #glee
11/12/09
11/12/09
I had been wondering before and last night's fantastic episode sent me searching for the answer, which many Gleeks might already have known and processed.
It just seems to me that while it would have been hard, the producers could have found an actor who wouldn't be acting for that part of his role. [www.msnbc.msn.com] #glee
11/12/09
OT, but based on a Q&A I read this morning, is the guy who plays Artie geigh? #glee
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11/12/09
11/12/09
11/12/09
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They could have cast an actor who was a wheelchair user/dancer. Disability rights activists refer to this as "crip drag." #glee
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