Glee: Discusion Thread

[dm.]

I think I remember her saying that she's staying at Puck's, and she's still thinking about adoption since Will told her that she'll make some family really happy.

The show feels the same way to me - just some fun with a little singing and a storyline thrown inside. It's not a show I'll spend time thinking about.

[JackPeyton]

No, not really.

It can rely on the hit music, the gimmicks, the guest stars, the buzzworthy cast and keep it up for another two seasons, at least. people like it, i like it. Im just sick of it being hailed as some kind of new, bold, groundbreaking, show that shows how you be diverse.

A diverse show would have have more than "white" people in lead roles. A bold show would go there with finn/kurt & really go there with puck/mercadies. etc..

Glee is like a disney chan sitcom in an hour long format. Those disney shows go on for a long time. never underestimate the power of Tweens/Teens and mindless entertainment.

[EricMontreal22]

I see it lasting a more or less solid three years (or at LEAST two) and crumbling in the fourth. I think one problem is, as Jack said, the cracks are showing (as they always seem to with Ryan Murphy shows, though usually after one full season). Given all the time constraints, etc, etc, while I recognize that they're cheezy, the part that wins people over (including me) are the musical numbers--and I do wonder if they'll start to run out of inspiration for them after two years. It's super cynical to say, but I can't help feeling that's inevitable. The fact that they're already repeating so many plots (and can't possibly repeat this neverending "road to sectionals/reagionals" story next year) isn't good, but maybe a new writer or some other new element can help things out. I guess I should just enjoy the ride for what it is, while it's enjoyable (like I said, despite often rolling my eyes while watching, or being shocked by how unrecognizable a character is from the week before, I *do* enjoy it, lol).

Oh, Jack, Quinn lives with Puck. It was just a couple of throwaway lines, but she mentioned how Puck's mom doesn't let her eat bacon, and how she wanted Puck to date... umm black girl (God it's not a great sign that I still don't know half the names, is it lol) in that episode a few weeks back, so that he'd watch over her less and be home less.

I actually think Nip/Tuck started to fall apart during Season 2 when it became so relentlessly gothic--and that's when the characters really started to be so inconsistant and make so little sense, but I know many loved that season best (I guess it wasn't as over the top as the one with the serial rapist/killer who had no penis--not to mention the last few years where I only saw some episodes but found it just so mean spirited in its outrageousness I couldn't get any fun from it)

[EricMontreal22]

A *lot* of adults like and watch it though. But I agree with a lot of it (Mercedes! That's the Black girl's name lol). It is annoying that Kurt's coming out to his dad story has essentially been repeated in *three* episodes now, pointlessly!.

And don't worry, the backlash about ti not being a groundbreaking show has already appened. I do think it deserves props for somehow managing to make the music work--something that Cop Rock, Hull High (anyone else rememeber that? lol), Rags to Riches, etc, etc, simply never could achieve.

[JackPeyton]

Oh, without a doubt. However, that tween/teen audience will stick with it, as they normally do with shows, longer than most adults would. I think.

Yes, the backlash has happened here or there in response to all the praise it gets. And those backlash articles are show down as being closed minded and whatnot. Im shocked there isnt more backlash about it. The handicap kid, the overweight black girl, the so gay he may as well be a girl guy, the asian girl who is smart, the asian boy who can dance, the random black guy who pops up and can dance, the baby crazed desperate wife, the is she or isnt she butch coach, the dump jocks, the slutty cheerleaders... Can it get any more stereotypical? And at first i embraced this because it seemed like they were goona dive into this and you were gonna see more sides of them and they would break that mold. Nope, they have instead embraced that mold.

Sure it makes music work, because its in a musical setting. Something Cop Rock was not. But again, High School Musical actually made it work years before, and it didnt have a glee club as a backdrop.

am glad the show is getting ripped apart for relying on guest stars tho. And gimmick episodes. The first 13 epsiodes were great, i dont know what happened during the break but damn did it fall apart.

[EricMontreal22]

To be fair, I think, much like Popular (and let's be honest, Nip/Tuck too) Ryan Murphy sees the grouping of such broad steoretypes as part of the very point--he probably sees it as subversive. I'm not sure it is, but... I've actually largely prefered this second half, over the Fall, though I agree the stories have been even worse so I'm not sure why (maybe the musical numbers overall) and I think they use music FAR better than High School Musical did but I do get your point (and agree with your point about the stereotypes just playing the stereotypes, not breaking the mold).

Cop Rock had the problem of its setting, but (and I recently watched the full series) it also was just really badly done. Of course Glee is smart to use established songs, it's VERY hard to get decent original songs cranked out quickly enough to have 3-5 each week and Cop Rock's songs SUCKED, but the way they staged them also makes Glee's more clumsy looking numbers (I'm talking about the ones sung "in the real world"--not the ones sung on stage), look like brilliance. It was just very very poorly executed, despite a big budget and people behind the scenes. Glee obviously works very very hard, and deserves some credit for that. (Contrarywise, that does make their laziness in other areas all the more annoying)

Edited May 20, 2010 by EricMontreal22

[Sylph]

This is the viewership:

[EricMontreal22]

Makes sense--this is one of the only examples this year that I can think of (well maybe Vampire Diaries too? not sure) where the long hiatus between the Fall and Spring new episodes actually clearly worked to the show's advantage ratings wise. Part of the reason may have been Fox was smart and released the Fall "mini season" on DVD during the break, and started out their merchandising behemouth of concert tickets, cds, etc.

[JackPeyton]

Doesnt Fox's ratings usually go up during American idol season?

[Bright Eyes]

Totally agree with this. Glee is one of those shows I watch that I don't really judge. The musical numbers are really all that matters to me and if we at least get one strong epic number per episode I'm a happy camper. For instance, I Dreamed A Dream (I hope they do more Les Mis songs, [!@#$%^&*] best musical/fictional story EVER TOLD) and Dream On were perfect and fun.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Amello

[EricMontreal22]

HA very good point that I completely forgot. Still, it did seem like interest in Glee oddly grew in the break (unlike shows like Fast Forward, etc etc)

[All My Shadows]

And that's exactly why I can't watch this sh!t. I feel like the Grinch and Scrooge rolled into one when it's on and my Facebook homepage is filled with "OMG! GLEEEEE!!!!!" statuses. It's like, damn, just be honest, you only watch it to see them sing. The comments are never about the characters or the storyline or anything, it's always about "OH, they sounded SO good!" and "OH, they sung my favorite Madonna song!" Whatevs. Maybe being a soap fan for this long has made immune to the shiny, sparkly singing and dancing.

And I'm perfectly fine with the fact that people only really watch for the singing, dancing, Sue, and maybe one or two other characters, but good god, PLEASE stop acting like this is such great television. If you watch it for the total package, the singing, the dancing, the characters, the storylines, etc, and you honestly think it's great television, okay, that's cool. But don't give me that sh!t if you can't even tell me what's going on.

ETA: I really don't see it lasting long anyway. Tweens are loyal until the next big thing comes, so however long Glee has for its time in the sun is really out of its own hands.

Edited May 20, 2010 by All My Shadows

[Sylph]

BANG. Exactly.

Which is what I'm saying. Jack Peyton has actually listed all the reasons for it not to last, not the other way around.

In two seasons people will tire of the dreck and the singing and it'll flop. Bar a miracle or something.

[JackPeyton]

However, it wills till get a third season order and unless it really tanks a fourth wouldnt shock me.

[Sylph]

http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/05/19/glee-susan-boyle-lunch-lady Edited May 20, 2010 by Sylph