television: the joy of glee

Fox’s much hyped, over merchandised, Glee wraps up in Australia this week. Time for a little retrospective of the good, the bad, and the confusion of this début season. (Warning: If you haven’t seen the last episode, there may be spoilers ahead.)

First of all, lets get past the inevitable eye rolls. Haters to the left please; it is perfectly acceptable to like Glee. It has a lot of heart, depth and charm for a show that is essentially a glorified music video.

The main draw of Glee is, of course, the music. Critics (and general haters) have rightly noted that Glee covers are often over-produced and auto-tuned. But hey, it’s still catchy. The cast attempts a range of musical styles, from classic Broadway to R&B to recent chart toppers (although, they all seem to come out a little “pop-ified”).

Overall though, I’ve been digging the Glee tunes. Those kids can sing, and the songs are used to great effect to amplify the theme of each episode. A tearjerker example is the Glee cover of Avril Lavigne’s “Keep Holding On”, which is ordinary on it’s own, but powerful in context. Another treat is the acoustic mother-daughter duet of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”. This cover is so different (and dare I say, so much better), I didn’t recognise it at first.

Yes, the characters are stereotypical, but they’re the good kind of stereotypical. The kind that makes them easily accessible. The kind that are occasionally inverted to teach us a valuable lesson. The popular blond cheerleader gets knocked up; the tough-guy mechanic dad accepts his gay son for who he is; even the loveable nerd girl stereotype is inverted, because Rachel Berry is honestly annoying, but we love her anyway.

Unfortunately, my feelings on Glee are a little bit scatter-brained. Probably because the show itself has been exceptionally all-over the place. Rushed story lines, on again off again romances, and blatantly ignored plot holes undermine what is otherwise really enjoyable television.

The whole second half of the season smacks of poor planning. Story lines appear and disappear faster than one-hit-wonders on 104.7. While this might have been acceptable two decades ago, the quality of modern TV writing has lead viewers to expect better – even from comedy musicals like Glee. We will notice continuity errors (why did Finn need a job in episode 21 “Funk”? Didn’t he already get one in episode 9 “Wheels”?). We won’t accept random characterisation back flips (so, was Jesse playing Rachel, or did he really like her? What up with that?).

Despite these flaws, my overall feelings on Glee are positive. The concept is great, the actors are talented and the costuming is to die for.

Most enjoyably of all, Glee is tackling big issues (in it’s own superficial way). Kurt’s experience as a gay teen is an oft-cited example of Glee’s social and emotional conscience. Equally moving were Arty’s struggle to accept his disability, and the emerging “sisterhood” between Mercedes and Quinn.

Overall, I have faith in Glee as a concept, and faith in the writers and production team. There has been a lot to love about this debut season, and with a little forward thinking and sensible plotting, season two can deliver a satisfying emotional experience, as well as a great soundtrack.