Glee, 1x22, “Journey”

Episode Title: Journey
Writer: Brad Falchuck
Director: Brad Falchuk
Originally Aired: 06/08/2010
Grade: A-

The season finale wasn’t as bad as I expected given the poor quality of the previous two episodes, but it also didn’t do much to make me excited for next season. I’m thrilled that they managed to pull most of the plots together and tell a straightforward, coherent story, but that doesn’t erase the fact that most of the post-hiatus material that came before it sucked.

I understand, and even enjoy, the show’s absurdity well enough to suspend disbelief about Sue being a judge despite working for one of the participating schools. I could even deal with Quinn conveniently (and quickly!) delivering her baby during Vocal Adrenaline’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” And yet, when it came to Shelby adopting little Beth, I had to fanwank that she actually started the adoption process at least a couple of episodes ago.

I also had a hard time believing that the club was able to pull the Journey medley out of thin air at the last minute, and that’s the show’s biggest structural flaw. The club spent most of the season trying to find the right songs for sectionals and regionals, only to throw it all out the window at the last minute both times and put on a great performance of songs they’d barely even rehearsed. I think the Journey medley, and the show’s title, means that the writers think that these characters have been on a journey, both individually and collectively, but the characterizations and storylines have been so slapdash that it doesn’t really feel like it. Between that and the fact that most of the songs they practiced weren’t ultimately used in competition, I ended up feeling like most of the season was a waste of time. This entire story could have been told more effectively in 13 episodes, and maybe that sort of restriction would have done Murphy’s ADD storytelling tendencies some good.

The episodes twists were also pretty predictable. I knew Sue would do something to save the glee club, because what would she do without her nemesis? She’d be so bored! I also picked up that Quinn holding Beth was supposed to recall Shelby’s story about not getting to hold Rachel when she was born, so the adoption wasn’t exactly surprising.

Most of the things I did like in this episode were minor (except the Quinn part, which is major):

-I loved the shot of Will dorkily rockin’ out on the sidelines to “Don’t Stop Believin.’”

-I was thrilled to see Quinn finally push that baby out into the world. She hasn’t always been the nicest person, and she’s been somewhat neglected post-hiatus, but she’s one of the few characters whose growth felt both tangible and somewhat believable to me. She had a pretty rough transition from girl to woman, and I grew to like her in spite of her flaws. While I don’t think everything’s going to be sunshine and roses for Quinn now that Beth has been born and adopted, I’m glad that she can finally reclaim her body and her sexuality.

-Puck’s reaction to watching the birth of his daughter was perfect—horror, disbelief, respect, joy, and wonder, all in one singular expression. Nicely-played, Mark Salling. Seeing Quinn give birth to their child seems to have helped him view Quinn in a new light. She’s not just a pretty incubator for this offspring anymore, but a fierce, beautiful woman who deserves his respect. Of course, this is Puck, and any “growth” he experiences is always canceled out by the writers’ next harebrained idea for him. I’m not holding my breath.

Ultimately, as fun as the musical numbers and one-liners are, I thrive on character, and none of these characters got enough development to truly satisfy me. Most of the characterization and plotting is half-assed and feels dictated by the music, rather than the other way around. Some viewers may not care about this at all, or be able to overlook it, but overall, it’s not working for me. I had such high hopes for this show when it premiered (though many of the flaws I noted there are still in evidence 21 episodes later, which actually surprised me), but while Chuck took three seasons to wear out its welcome, Glee managed to do it in one season. Re-watching the episodes feels like a chore, and the blogs just turn into rants about what I don’t like. I’m not sure if I’ll be watching the show next season, but I do know I won’t be blogging about it either way, at least not consistently. When it comes to Glee (and Chuck, for that matter), from now on I’m sticking to that old adage, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”