(S01E05) "Oh, Bambi, I cried so hard when they shot your mom." - A drunken Kurt to Emma
Ok, after hitting it out of the park since the debut (for me anyway), this episode sort of flatlined for me. At least, it didn't grab me as much as, say, last week's episode with the Beyonce song and the football team dancing on the field. I couldn't wait to get on here and right about that episode, but this week? Not so much. Maybe it's because there was not enough Kurt in this episode. Need.More.Kurt. Need more of Kurt saying lines like, "Glee Club has just been rocked with its first scandal..."
First of all, I love Kristin Chenoweth, so this is nothing against her, but her character didn't really do much for me. Oh sure, she has a gorgeous voice that I can listen to no matter what she's singing. But it felt like her people really wanted to get her onto this cool show (which I'm sure wasn't that difficult), so they created this wacky character who drinks and never graduated from high school, just so Will could bring her back to make the Glee Club great and do some zany stuff along the way.
The part with her winning over the Glee Club with her boozy sort-of charm didn't really get it for me either. Something about winning kids over with alcohol, vintage muscle magazines for the gay kid, and shoplifting tips for the girls, and then flirting with the football team didn't sit well with me.
All the musical numbers were nice, but my favorite was the end, with Rachel and Finn singing "Somebody to Love." It was almost as good as when the penguins did it in Happy Feet. And I mean that sincerely; it's one of my favorite movie tunes. A runner-up was Will and April's "How Do I Get You Alone," but mainly because the bowling alley guy was singing along.
Most of the rest of the episode was just "alright" for me. I didn't miss Will's faux-pregnant wife storyline, though the line the reporter said to Rachel, about getting her "sweater puppies" out of there was mildly funny. But then it made me sad because her indignant sadness always makes me want to beat someone up on her behalf.
I keep thinking this is a family show -- it comes on at 9 PM, after all -- but it's really not. Drunk kids, kids having sex, kids thinking about sex and making a funny face, a character who wins kids over by teaching them to drink and steal ... no, not family oriented at all.
What did you guys think of this episode?
[Watch clips and episodes of Glee at SlashControl.]
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on 'Faces of America' and the Beer Summit
Six Reasons Why '24' Has Jumped the You-Know-What
The Super Bowl Commercials: The Best
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-01-2009 @ 7:11AM
CRVBOY said...
Will & April sang "Alone" by Heart.
Overall it was a good episode, not as good as the others, but not everyone can be a grand slam. You sometimes have to have the in-the-park-homers as well.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 8:27AM
Kesey said...
Is it just me, or is the lip syncing terrible?
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 8:55AM
Cyn said...
Yes, I noticed the lip syncing, too, very obvious. They need to work on that. This episode felt like the Kristin Chenowith Show. Enough already. No school would allow that blowsy drunk back in school. So, it's not even plausible.
But, there is so much to like here. I love school counselor and her passive manner.
Loved the ending song. This show has it all, it just needs to find it's groove.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 4:39PM
JimH said...
The show's ending suggests a potential spin-off for Kristin. I wonder if Glee's popularity holds whether they might develop a vehicle for her set in Branson...
10-01-2009 @ 2:43PM
Elisabeth said...
I couldn't stand the lip syncing during "Alone". But they saved the episode with Somebody to Love. Man, I got goosebumps watching that.
Not as good as last week's but still in the top 3 for this season. They've raised the bar so high that they'll have problems meeting it week by week.
I love my Wednesday night Glee!
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 9:27AM
wulfn1 said...
When they allowed a sexual predator back into school, it was obvious to me this is not a family friendly show.
But that doesn't stop me from watching it, just making sure the grandbabies aren't around if it's on.
It's all a bit hokey , but it's usually a fun watch. Because its not real I can handle the strange plots and unrealistic scenarios , I mean , it's not a reality show people...
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 12:31PM
The Deej said...
It was pretty clear in the pilot that Rachel made up the story because he gave the solo to a guy instead of her.
10-01-2009 @ 1:11PM
scott said...
i thought it was pretty clear in the pilot that he touched the boy... i could be mistaken, i guess, it was a while ago.
10-01-2009 @ 9:55AM
Parl said...
I much preferred this week's episode to last week's version of Nip/Tuck: The High School years.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 9:59AM
R-Bro said...
My comment to wife: "That's it, you're watching this show by yourself from now on."
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 10:03AM
Kristi said...
I'm afraid for this show. I personally LOVE the performances on the show (as I see most people do) but the story-lines and the inconsistency between episodes is SO OFF for me. I'm afraid that if they don't develop characters better, people are going to start skipping the episodes and just catch the performances on-line. . .which would eventually end the show. They NEED to develop the characters and have more consistency between episodes!
http://www.orble.com/teevee-glee-930/
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 10:05AM
Sarah said...
Jane, we must be polar opposites. i have felt like this show sort of fell off since the first episode, offering canned music and tepid plotlines. but, last night, i felt like the show really delivered something unpredictable and it made me laugh. sure, the storyline is a bit unrealistic, but Chenoweth injected some much needed random crazy into the show. i could not stop laughing, and i was really ready to give up on the show before last night.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 10:31AM
fangler said...
I'm with sarah. Last night was the best episode so far for me. After it was over, my wife turned to me and yelled, "I love love love this show" Last week we both were just kind of meh.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 10:50AM
Michelle said...
Kristin Chenoweth's character reminded me a lot of Amy Sedaris's Jerri Blank in Strangers With Candy, only more attractive and with a better singing voice. But yes, she needs her own show (or maybe one with Amy Sedaris!).
I am glad to see Rachel back in the Glee Club, so the cabaret distraction storyline can dissolve. Not enough Kurt last night, and not enough of the Coach or the Principal.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 1:56PM
crispy said...
It was a complete rip-off of Strangers With Candy... but with singing!
10-01-2009 @ 11:39AM
svrkevi said...
Really like this show, but some people take it too seriously...like his wife becoming the school nurse in the next episode...we all know that can never really happen..well except in my middle. But still
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 12:04PM
RT said...
This show is best when it strikes a balance between music and story. Last night, too much music. Last week, perfect. This show needs to be the musical version of Boston Public.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 12:09PM
Nate said...
Last weeks episode was ruined for me by that awful Beyonce song and its grating overuse. The spastic dance that went with it didnt help either. I would have enjoyed hearing more of Rachel singing Taking Chances and less of Beyonce, which I think we heard about three times.
This weeks show had better music, if not more realistic story lines. However, realistic stories dont seem to be part of the plan for Glee, so I can live with that.
I continue to be struck by how much emotion Rachel can evoke with just her eyes and her facial expressions and reactions. The bittersweet look as she was hugging Finn at the bowling alley was really very touching, as was Finns' anguish at knowing what a bastard he was for deceiving Rachel in order to get her back into the Glee club. I think sometimes the acting in this show is much better than the writing. I agree that there was not enough Kurt in this episode, but was glad that the Cheerios coach(Sue? Whatever?) was not featured as much as usual. I suppose her character is vital, but a little of her goes a long way, if you ask me.
I still enjoy this show, but, as others have mention here, I think it has yet to hit its groove. The stories are too disjointed and all over the map. Also, a lot of the Glee members are mostly just background filler. I will be interested to find out more about the wheelchair guitarist, the stuttering girl, whatshername who busted the windows out Kurts car and the cheerleader/Glee club spies. There is a lot of room for growth for this show, hope the dont squander it by going off on too many nonsensical tangents, like re-enrolling former Glee members from 15 years ago!
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 2:45PM
Tommy said...
Grammar check.
Reply
10-01-2009 @ 9:02PM
Scott H said...
I'm with Sarah and fangler. Overall, this was the best episode since the pilot. But true--not enough Kurt. Yes, I loved Kurt's storyline in last week's show, but "Glee" has been suffering from cartoony adult characters since the pilot. This is the first episode where they didn't go overboard making the adults ridiculous and unbelievable. Maybe it was helped by having so little Jane Lynch. I like her, but her character immediately pulls the show in a "Simpsons" or "Family Guy" direction of silly unreality. I think this show also had a great mix of music. The previous two had too many current songs and not enough standards. This one mixed in some Broadway and some songs written before 2000.
I find it bizarre that the one moment Jane called attention to in her review, the horribly creepy scene of the high school reporter insisting that Rachel strip off her shirt so he can ogle her breasts, is a scene she LIKED. For me, it was the worst moment of the episode.
And can we never, ever see his wife again? I know she's back in next week's show, but doesn't the whole thing work much more smoothly without her? She was only onscreen a few minutes this time. Couldn't she have an off-camera car accident? Please, I know all 13 have been filmed, but it would be easy to re-edit them by pulling her scenes and putting in some outtakes of the performances, and even more commercial time. Think of how much better the show would be.
Reply