Glee 1x20 Review
Jul. 3rd, 2010 07:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaTheatricality
• I loved the girls’ performance of ‘Bad Romance’. ♥ This was definitely one of my favourite Glee performances. They did such a good job and just threw themselves into it. The thing I loved most about the song was how there wasn’t just one person taking on lead vocals and everyone else singing backup (or two duetting) but that there were three of them sharing a place as lead in vocals (Tina, Kurt, Santana) and that most of the song was all of them singing it just felt a lot more like a group song. Of the costumes I liked Tina and Quinn’s the best.
- I noticed something in this episode that makes me... uncomfortable and unhappy. Now no one said anything about it and its likely not supposed to mean anything but it really annoyed me once I noticed it. The ‘it’ in question are the different reactions from the spectators during the girls and boys performances. During the boys’ performance of KISS the girls laughed and smiled, they cheered, they danced and moved and they clapped. Basically the girls were involved in the performance and were completely supportive of the boys. Then compare that to the boys reaction during the girls’ performance where only Mike and Artie get involved – they move, they grin and laugh, and when it’s done they clap – while in front of them Puck, Finn, and Matt sit as if they trapped in history class and about to fall asleep, or perhaps like they’re sulking. Either way it’s insulting. We only get one quick glimpse of the boys during the performance and then only slightly longer afterwards, while during the boys performance it cuts a lot between the boys and the girls reacting – which I didn’t mind because I felt the girls performance was far more engaging and interesting and I didn’t want the camera off them – but it was enough. So why no enthusiasm and support from the boys? I know I am sensitive about gender issues but it really does feel like a whole valuing boys stuff over girls stuff situation and I don’t like it.
- I was also annoyed by Finn complaining about always doing the girls’ ideas when Lady Gaga, like most ideas, are all Will’s, not the girls.
• I only had two major issues with the episode.
One, where the heck was Jesse and why wasn’t his absence mentioned at all? It was just weird. I’d have been able to let it pass if he didn’t go to McKinley now, even though he’s Rachel’s boyfriend and you’d think she’d turn to him with this whole mother thing going on but even ignoring that, he is a McKinley student now and he is a member of glee? So what the hell is up with him apparently missing almost a week of school? It’s weird and off-putting and such a blatant disregard of continuity and basic follow through. And it’s something this show does fairly often. It really irritates me.
Two, was Finn’s attitude towards Kurt. It felt like the show was suddenly and purposefully making Finn react to Kurt excessively simply to get to the end point of the episode instead of it happening organically. It really bothered me because this is not how Finn was at the beginning of the season. He was so casual and accepting of Kurt being gay, and being in his space, and it was the thing I loved most about the character. Yeah, there was him being uncomfortable at Kurt mooning over him occasionally but he was mainly affable about it. He did seem like he was that ‘new kind of dude’ that was secure in his masculinity and didn’t look down on gay guys. Thinking about it I guess I can see some build up to this, though mainly in this episode, plus Finn has always been easily influenced but it bugged me.
• The Kurt/Burt/Finn scene was amazing and painful and just – remarkable. I feel like every time Burt’s in an episode I find myself calling him awesome but that’s because he truly is. God, Kurt is lucky to have a dad like him. His immediate and harsh defence of Kurt was so wonderful. That is exactly how a father should react. The whole smack down – from calling Finn out on using ‘gay’ and ‘fag’ as a derogative and knowing exactly what he meant by it, and acknowledging his own guilt, and him being completely on Kurt’s side, even as Kurt was protesting, because family is first and Kurt should be safe in his house – it was remarkable. Also I really liked this line: “I thought you were some new kind of dude, who came into this world just knowing what it’s taken me years of struggling to figure out.” I thought so too. Sigh.
• Finn showing up at the end in the red dress was great and a nice step forward. I hope this means we can go back to early season interactions between them. I really loved Kurt’s little rant to the jocks about how he’ll never change because he’s proud of whom he is.
• Rachel’s storyline with her mother was nice and I liked their scenes but... I don’t know. I think Shelby’s excuse for why they aren’t going to try for a relationship – because “It’s too late for us.” – is stupid and just her running scared (and maybe it’s stupid of me but I really do believe she wants her daughter.) I mean, they can start building memories now. Yeah, it’s awkward and sad for both of them but to move past it they need to actually interact, not avoid each other and hope it’s easier later. Yeesh. Plus I’d rather watch them try to build a relationship. Rachel turning to Rachel for help with her dress and calling her ‘mom’, and then later announcing so happily to the gleeker’s that “My mom made it.” was making me go ‘aww’.
• Rachel’s choice of song to sing with her mother – Poker Girl, which I didn’t even recognise until the refrain – was weird and off-putting. I mean I realise that they’re doing Lady Gaga this episode but that song wasn’t at all appropriate for this scene and these characters and I have no idea what they were thinking. Plus I didn’t actually like it which is a big disappointment after the last song they did a duet on.
• I loved Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn sneaking into VA’s practice. I refuse to give up on them becoming friends. I also liked the girls being so welcoming when she turned up in her new dress. I was pretty shocked that Mercedes and Quinn waited so long to tell anyone the juicy gossip though. What was that about?
• The little throw-away Puck/Quinn C-plot (D?) was nice and Puck telling Quinn that he wanted to meet their daughter made me go awww.
• “Wait, where’s Rachel? I mean I only noticed because five minutes have gone by without her saying something totally obnoxious.” Yeah, sure, Puck, if you say so. He noticed way too quickly for me to believe that and the fact is he cared enough to ask. I love it. I love these little hints sprinkled every now and then that he cares for her.
• I loved the girls’ performance of ‘Bad Romance’. ♥ This was definitely one of my favourite Glee performances. They did such a good job and just threw themselves into it. The thing I loved most about the song was how there wasn’t just one person taking on lead vocals and everyone else singing backup (or two duetting) but that there were three of them sharing a place as lead in vocals (Tina, Kurt, Santana) and that most of the song was all of them singing it just felt a lot more like a group song. Of the costumes I liked Tina and Quinn’s the best.
- I noticed something in this episode that makes me... uncomfortable and unhappy. Now no one said anything about it and its likely not supposed to mean anything but it really annoyed me once I noticed it. The ‘it’ in question are the different reactions from the spectators during the girls and boys performances. During the boys’ performance of KISS the girls laughed and smiled, they cheered, they danced and moved and they clapped. Basically the girls were involved in the performance and were completely supportive of the boys. Then compare that to the boys reaction during the girls’ performance where only Mike and Artie get involved – they move, they grin and laugh, and when it’s done they clap – while in front of them Puck, Finn, and Matt sit as if they trapped in history class and about to fall asleep, or perhaps like they’re sulking. Either way it’s insulting. We only get one quick glimpse of the boys during the performance and then only slightly longer afterwards, while during the boys performance it cuts a lot between the boys and the girls reacting – which I didn’t mind because I felt the girls performance was far more engaging and interesting and I didn’t want the camera off them – but it was enough. So why no enthusiasm and support from the boys? I know I am sensitive about gender issues but it really does feel like a whole valuing boys stuff over girls stuff situation and I don’t like it.
- I was also annoyed by Finn complaining about always doing the girls’ ideas when Lady Gaga, like most ideas, are all Will’s, not the girls.
• I only had two major issues with the episode.
One, where the heck was Jesse and why wasn’t his absence mentioned at all? It was just weird. I’d have been able to let it pass if he didn’t go to McKinley now, even though he’s Rachel’s boyfriend and you’d think she’d turn to him with this whole mother thing going on but even ignoring that, he is a McKinley student now and he is a member of glee? So what the hell is up with him apparently missing almost a week of school? It’s weird and off-putting and such a blatant disregard of continuity and basic follow through. And it’s something this show does fairly often. It really irritates me.
Two, was Finn’s attitude towards Kurt. It felt like the show was suddenly and purposefully making Finn react to Kurt excessively simply to get to the end point of the episode instead of it happening organically. It really bothered me because this is not how Finn was at the beginning of the season. He was so casual and accepting of Kurt being gay, and being in his space, and it was the thing I loved most about the character. Yeah, there was him being uncomfortable at Kurt mooning over him occasionally but he was mainly affable about it. He did seem like he was that ‘new kind of dude’ that was secure in his masculinity and didn’t look down on gay guys. Thinking about it I guess I can see some build up to this, though mainly in this episode, plus Finn has always been easily influenced but it bugged me.
• The Kurt/Burt/Finn scene was amazing and painful and just – remarkable. I feel like every time Burt’s in an episode I find myself calling him awesome but that’s because he truly is. God, Kurt is lucky to have a dad like him. His immediate and harsh defence of Kurt was so wonderful. That is exactly how a father should react. The whole smack down – from calling Finn out on using ‘gay’ and ‘fag’ as a derogative and knowing exactly what he meant by it, and acknowledging his own guilt, and him being completely on Kurt’s side, even as Kurt was protesting, because family is first and Kurt should be safe in his house – it was remarkable. Also I really liked this line: “I thought you were some new kind of dude, who came into this world just knowing what it’s taken me years of struggling to figure out.” I thought so too. Sigh.
• Finn showing up at the end in the red dress was great and a nice step forward. I hope this means we can go back to early season interactions between them. I really loved Kurt’s little rant to the jocks about how he’ll never change because he’s proud of whom he is.
• Rachel’s storyline with her mother was nice and I liked their scenes but... I don’t know. I think Shelby’s excuse for why they aren’t going to try for a relationship – because “It’s too late for us.” – is stupid and just her running scared (and maybe it’s stupid of me but I really do believe she wants her daughter.) I mean, they can start building memories now. Yeah, it’s awkward and sad for both of them but to move past it they need to actually interact, not avoid each other and hope it’s easier later. Yeesh. Plus I’d rather watch them try to build a relationship. Rachel turning to Rachel for help with her dress and calling her ‘mom’, and then later announcing so happily to the gleeker’s that “My mom made it.” was making me go ‘aww’.
• Rachel’s choice of song to sing with her mother – Poker Girl, which I didn’t even recognise until the refrain – was weird and off-putting. I mean I realise that they’re doing Lady Gaga this episode but that song wasn’t at all appropriate for this scene and these characters and I have no idea what they were thinking. Plus I didn’t actually like it which is a big disappointment after the last song they did a duet on.
• I loved Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn sneaking into VA’s practice. I refuse to give up on them becoming friends. I also liked the girls being so welcoming when she turned up in her new dress. I was pretty shocked that Mercedes and Quinn waited so long to tell anyone the juicy gossip though. What was that about?
• The little throw-away Puck/Quinn C-plot (D?) was nice and Puck telling Quinn that he wanted to meet their daughter made me go awww.
• “Wait, where’s Rachel? I mean I only noticed because five minutes have gone by without her saying something totally obnoxious.” Yeah, sure, Puck, if you say so. He noticed way too quickly for me to believe that and the fact is he cared enough to ask. I love it. I love these little hints sprinkled every now and then that he cares for her.
