Writer: Ryan Murphy
Grade: B+
I just read Maureen Ryan’s latest Glee blog (which is actually about the upcoming Joss Whedon-directed episode), and she says some things about Good Glee vs. Bad Glee that I agree with. I’ve been struggling to put my finger on what it is that bothers me so much when I don’t enjoy the show, and what sits right with me when I do enjoy it, and I think these quotes sum it up nicely:
“[W]hen Bad ‘Glee’ rears its over-Bedazzled head, way too many songs are shoehorned into the show, events seem to happen at random, there's very little sense that the show is building on any themes or events that past episodes have touched on, and the proceedings feel frenetic and messy and stunt-driven.”
“When Good ‘Glee’ asserts itself (as it does every few episodes), dramatic moments are given a chance to breathe, a few carefully chosen characters get emotionally resonant stories and, in general, it doesn't feel like the show is trying to cram 10 lbs of stuff into a five-pound bag or repeating story lines it has already repeated ad nauseum.”
In light of those observations, I think this episode leaned more toward Bad Glee. I wanted to like it. It’s a Puck episode. I like Puck. I want to know more about Puck. However, I’d rather have seen some flashbacks detailing how Quinn and Puck apparently got together and broke up again (all of which has been completely off-screen) than this nonsense about Puck courting Mercedes to become popular again. Quinn refusing to accept Puck as a romantic partner/baby daddy was a pretty big deal back in the fall, but by the time the show came back from hiatus, they were holding hands and being affectionate during group numbers, and Finn was clearly a bit jealous, which all seemed like shorthand for them being a couple. When and how did that happen? Now in this episode, Quinn says they’re basically just roommates (she moved in with Puck and his mom? Again, when and how?!), even though she told Scheuster they were together in the previous episode.
I don’t know whether the writers just did an incredibly shitty job with telegraphing Puck and Quinn’s relationship status, or changed their minds about it and decided to retcon the whole thing, but either way, I’m pretty pissed that the writers set up that character relationship storyline in the fall and then refused to finish it, or even address it directly on-screen. That’s why I couldn’t get into Puck/Mercedes at all—it was a random, meaningless pairing shoehorned into the episode. That sort of thing doesn’t keep the show fresh; it just frustrates viewers and makes them feel jerked around.
Obviously the show shouldn’t be taken entirely seriously—it’s primarily ruled by absurdism, whimsy, and satire, after all—but I still want consistent characterization and thematic content. I feel like I’m having empty calories shoved down my throat instead, and I’m getting to the point where fun musical numbers and an adorable cast are not enough to keep me watching, or at least not enough to keep me watching with enthusiasm and emotional investment. I feel like I need to go write fanfic to address stories the writers should be working on themselves, which is just sad.
As if the above weren’t enough, I was kind of miffed that Mercedes and Kurt were so prominent in this episode, considering they were already featured heavily in their own respective post-hiatus episodes. Couldn’t they have at least come up with a reason for Puck to pursue poor neglected Tina instead? It’s hard to even remember that she’s dating Artie with the lack of attention to her character. It also doesn’t help that Kurt’s storyline felt like a retread of his daddy issues storyline from the episode before last. Don’t get me wrong, I think Mike O’Malley and Chris Colfer do great work together, and it’s not like their issues were completely resolved in “Home,” but I could have used a little more breathing room and attention paid to other characters before coming back to their story. I also thought it was ridiculous that Burt seemed to have taken a few steps backward in terms of understanding Kurt’s feelings. In “Home,” he knew that Kurt was upset about his bonding with Finn without Kurt having to say anything, but here he’s suddenly oblivious to it? Do the writers actually read each other’s scripts?
I’m really looking forward to seeing what Joss Whedon does with directing the next episode. I’ll admit to sometimes wishing they’d bump co-creator Murphy off the show and stick Whedon in his place. I think the character arcs and themes would be much more cohesive with him in the mix, and I doubt the musical elements would suffer.
Other Stuff
-I thought Rachel’s storyline with the paralyzed kid was too preachy and melodramatic (on this show? Really?), and why couldn’t they use Artie to teach the same lesson, rather than introducing some random paralyzed friend of Finn’s who will probably never be seen again? (I’m not trying to insult the actor who played Sean, who is actually paralyzed—it’s not his fault that Ryan Murphy's writing kind of sucks.)
-I did like the way Finn handled Rachel in both this episode and the last one. Okay, so he basically led her into a trap with Sean, which wasn’t fair, but it’s cool that he thinks she’s great and is able to tell her so and call her on her crap.
-The U2 cover that Rachel’s storyline bookended was… nice. It didn’t blow me away, but it was different enough from the original to feel like a unique take.
-I thought Puck’s Sammy Davis Jr. number was really fun, too. It fit his vocal range, and Mark Salling looked like he had a lot of fun with the dancing. Have I mentioned that he’s hot?
-I missed Jonathan Groff in this episode, mostly because I think they use him well. He’s not sucking up too much screen time, and when he is there, he feels like a natural fit and doesn’t upstage everyone else (and you know he could probably upstage everyone but Lea).
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