Glee 2x02 Review
Sep. 29th, 2010 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaBritney/Brittney
After the last episode I was pretty much ready to give up on this series. I didn’t really like the premiere, not even the music, and I decided I’d watch the next episode and if I felt the same I would drop the series. So I went into this episode with very low expectations and frankly I didn’t even want to watch it.
But I’m glad I did because I actually really liked this episodeit a lot. It felt fun and I liked the music and it was just enjoyable to watch. There were things I didn’t like of course – Will’s entire plotline, Rachel continuing to be horrible, the various issues the show has always had still being very much there – but my feelings when I finished the episode were pretty pleasant so maybe I won’t drop this series after all.
• The episode got off to a good start with Brittney saying something stupid and then the camera panning over to Rachel and Finn’s reactions – she rolling her eyes and shaking her head while he smiles and nods in agreement. Heh.
• For me the biggest let down of the episode was that we didn’t get to see the Rachel/Quinn scene where Rachel asked for Quinn’s help. After Quinn left Finn and then filled Rachel in I did a small squee, not because Rachel getting Finn’s ex to test his faithfulness to her was great in any way, but because Rachel asked for Quinn’s help and Quinn did it. Quinn voluntarily helped Rachel! WTH?! Why the hell didn’t we see that scene? Oh, fine they wanted us to think the Quinn/Finn thing was real, whatever. That was like a minute before we learned the truth. Meanwhile we have this huge character thing having happened in the background and we should have seen it! I considered Rachel blackmailing Quinn somehow, and Quinn didn’t seem happy but it’s not the feeling I go from the scene. It annoys me we couldn’t have gotten that scene. Why would Quinn help Rachel with Finn? Why? What did Rachel say to Quinn? I want to know!
• Brittney/Santana = ♥. I love them. I want an episode devoted entirely to them. They are so wonderful. I love how protective and accepting Santana is of Brittney. I really love that Santana’s acceptance of Brittney’s wackiness and ‘specialness’ doesn’t come off as condescending. I loved her defending Brittney at the beginning and then rubbing her back. It was adorable. I also like that despite how used to Brittney Santana is, and accepting of her as she is, Brittney can still cause Santana to get ‘wtf’ looks as she did when she said ‘you’re welcome’ when Artie thanked Brittney Spears.
• I really enjoyed the musical numbers in this episode. My favourite was Brittney’s first performance. I loved the costuming and dancing. She looked fabulous. It was one of my favourites on the show. I also really loved the Brittney/Santana team up especially once they were on screen together. It makes me wish we could see them doing Telephone. I think they would knock it out of the park.
- I liked both of Rachel’s songs though I thought the second (and final) one was better. Her Brittney song wasn’t bad but I don’t think she really has the voice to pull off Brittney.
- Artie’s song was okay, middle road. I don’t really have strong feelings about it in any way. I did like that in this fantasy he was finding happiness and fulfilment even while still in his wheelchair even though it would have been easier to imagine a football dream without it.
- As for the group song – I skipped it actually. It could have been great but Will performing with them in front of the entire school made me wince at the very beginning and the embarrassment potential was too great.
• I am really glad that Brittney finally got a full name – Brittney Susan Pierce. It’s about time.
• Rachel was awful for most of the episode. She could be really unbearable last season but I like her anyway. I felt for her and I felt like the show tried to give her layers and occasional self-awareness (very occasionally). So it seems weird that TPTB seem to be purposefully making her a horrible person this year. Since she’s basically the one they’re pushing as the lead (I would prefer things to be more ensemble myself) it makes me wonder why they apparently want her to be so unlikable. Examples this episode include:
1) “I want to be the only thing that makes you feel good.” – Rachel. That’s... really terrible. Even Finn’s expression showed that he knew that. A person may think that, and that’s pretty bad but we’re all selfish sometimes, but to say it out loud and to the person in question and to actively cheerlead for that option – yikes.
2) “So you have my blessing to rejoin the football team. If you can.” – Rachel. See? Hideous. I’m feeling sorry for Finn here. Here he was trying to talk to her and being reasonable and sincere and open and she was being kind of a bitch.
3) Rachel asking Finn to choose between her and football because she was feeling insecure – sigh. This is also annoying because it doesn’t actually make a ton of sense – he’s been a football player from the beginning and she’s always known that.
• “I look forward to the day that the paparazzi provoke me and I attack them.” – Rachel. Actually that’s something I want to see.
• What the heck was Brittney talking to Ben Israel for? “It looks like a Jewish cloud.” Heh. Maybe she was lured in by his hair?
• “I guess I’ve just always been afraid to dress as a pretty girl because I’ve never really felt like one before.” –Rachel.
You know this would be nice and all if it weren’t for two little things:
1) Rachel doesn’t dress badly! This is the second time now that the show has advanced this idea that Rachel is a bad dresser – with absolutely no evidence. She has had bad outfits but everyone has. Overall I think she usually looks very put together and I often find her outfits very cute. If they want us to think she’s a bad dresser or very modest/old fashioned then they should dress her that way.
2) The idea that the outfit Rachel is currently wearing – with the white shirt tied into a knot baring her midriff and opened low to show her bra (I assume) – is fashionable and/or an improvement. (The short skirt is pretty much par the course.) I can see her getting attention in the hall (though some of it seemed to be a bit much) and I can buy Kurt being all approving because it would fit in with his desire for them to perform Britney but Santana’s approval? Huh. I mean: “Normally you dress like the fantasy of a perverted Japanese businessman with a very dark and specific fetish.” What? That said I did love this moment and Santana’s smile, ‘yay’ and softly clapping hands. It was very cute.
• “It’s such a good thing I can’t believe it.” – Brittney. Huh. Okay, that came off, what with Brittney staring at Rachel, as Brittney really admiring Rachel’s new look. Is that how we were supposed to take that? Or was she just agreeing about it being a good thing to feel like you’re pretty sometimes? Cause I was not getting that second interpretation.
• During Rachel’s final song there’s this moment in the background that made me laugh – Kurt and Brittney are both swaying, involved in the music and Kurt smiles and meets Brittney’s eyes and when she smiles back he loses his smile and kind of flinches back. It was just kind of random. Also in that scene – it was strange to see Brittney and Santana not sitting beside each other.
• Will is so boring. And annoying. Also I don’t really like him. I liked him even less than normal in this episode. Does he have to have storylines?
• Bieste had only a couple of minutes of screen time but I really liked her. It appears that she might actually be a good person, someone who cares! Possibly she should just run now.
• Will says at the end that basically he thinks that Emma dumped him because he’s boring. Now I don’t really remember how it played out entirely, I don’t really care, but I’m pretty sure that is not the reason. Now his derision when she was explaining about eating mixed grapes and sharing what a big thing it was for her probably should have had something to do with it but probably didn’t. It was only a split moment reaction, and maybe it was far more about Carl than Emma’s issues, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.
- Whereas Carl’s “I love that look of panic every time I try and change your routine.” maybe should have bugged me but instead was kind of charming. I liked Carl and he seems like a really good guy. At this point he is so much better than Will, and also better for Emma.
After the last episode I was pretty much ready to give up on this series. I didn’t really like the premiere, not even the music, and I decided I’d watch the next episode and if I felt the same I would drop the series. So I went into this episode with very low expectations and frankly I didn’t even want to watch it.
But I’m glad I did because I actually really liked this episodeit a lot. It felt fun and I liked the music and it was just enjoyable to watch. There were things I didn’t like of course – Will’s entire plotline, Rachel continuing to be horrible, the various issues the show has always had still being very much there – but my feelings when I finished the episode were pretty pleasant so maybe I won’t drop this series after all.
• The episode got off to a good start with Brittney saying something stupid and then the camera panning over to Rachel and Finn’s reactions – she rolling her eyes and shaking her head while he smiles and nods in agreement. Heh.
• For me the biggest let down of the episode was that we didn’t get to see the Rachel/Quinn scene where Rachel asked for Quinn’s help. After Quinn left Finn and then filled Rachel in I did a small squee, not because Rachel getting Finn’s ex to test his faithfulness to her was great in any way, but because Rachel asked for Quinn’s help and Quinn did it. Quinn voluntarily helped Rachel! WTH?! Why the hell didn’t we see that scene? Oh, fine they wanted us to think the Quinn/Finn thing was real, whatever. That was like a minute before we learned the truth. Meanwhile we have this huge character thing having happened in the background and we should have seen it! I considered Rachel blackmailing Quinn somehow, and Quinn didn’t seem happy but it’s not the feeling I go from the scene. It annoys me we couldn’t have gotten that scene. Why would Quinn help Rachel with Finn? Why? What did Rachel say to Quinn? I want to know!
• Brittney/Santana = ♥. I love them. I want an episode devoted entirely to them. They are so wonderful. I love how protective and accepting Santana is of Brittney. I really love that Santana’s acceptance of Brittney’s wackiness and ‘specialness’ doesn’t come off as condescending. I loved her defending Brittney at the beginning and then rubbing her back. It was adorable. I also like that despite how used to Brittney Santana is, and accepting of her as she is, Brittney can still cause Santana to get ‘wtf’ looks as she did when she said ‘you’re welcome’ when Artie thanked Brittney Spears.
• I really enjoyed the musical numbers in this episode. My favourite was Brittney’s first performance. I loved the costuming and dancing. She looked fabulous. It was one of my favourites on the show. I also really loved the Brittney/Santana team up especially once they were on screen together. It makes me wish we could see them doing Telephone. I think they would knock it out of the park.
- I liked both of Rachel’s songs though I thought the second (and final) one was better. Her Brittney song wasn’t bad but I don’t think she really has the voice to pull off Brittney.
- Artie’s song was okay, middle road. I don’t really have strong feelings about it in any way. I did like that in this fantasy he was finding happiness and fulfilment even while still in his wheelchair even though it would have been easier to imagine a football dream without it.
- As for the group song – I skipped it actually. It could have been great but Will performing with them in front of the entire school made me wince at the very beginning and the embarrassment potential was too great.
• I am really glad that Brittney finally got a full name – Brittney Susan Pierce. It’s about time.
• Rachel was awful for most of the episode. She could be really unbearable last season but I like her anyway. I felt for her and I felt like the show tried to give her layers and occasional self-awareness (very occasionally). So it seems weird that TPTB seem to be purposefully making her a horrible person this year. Since she’s basically the one they’re pushing as the lead (I would prefer things to be more ensemble myself) it makes me wonder why they apparently want her to be so unlikable. Examples this episode include:
1) “I want to be the only thing that makes you feel good.” – Rachel. That’s... really terrible. Even Finn’s expression showed that he knew that. A person may think that, and that’s pretty bad but we’re all selfish sometimes, but to say it out loud and to the person in question and to actively cheerlead for that option – yikes.
2) “So you have my blessing to rejoin the football team. If you can.” – Rachel. See? Hideous. I’m feeling sorry for Finn here. Here he was trying to talk to her and being reasonable and sincere and open and she was being kind of a bitch.
3) Rachel asking Finn to choose between her and football because she was feeling insecure – sigh. This is also annoying because it doesn’t actually make a ton of sense – he’s been a football player from the beginning and she’s always known that.
• “I look forward to the day that the paparazzi provoke me and I attack them.” – Rachel. Actually that’s something I want to see.
• What the heck was Brittney talking to Ben Israel for? “It looks like a Jewish cloud.” Heh. Maybe she was lured in by his hair?
• “I guess I’ve just always been afraid to dress as a pretty girl because I’ve never really felt like one before.” –Rachel.
You know this would be nice and all if it weren’t for two little things:
1) Rachel doesn’t dress badly! This is the second time now that the show has advanced this idea that Rachel is a bad dresser – with absolutely no evidence. She has had bad outfits but everyone has. Overall I think she usually looks very put together and I often find her outfits very cute. If they want us to think she’s a bad dresser or very modest/old fashioned then they should dress her that way.
2) The idea that the outfit Rachel is currently wearing – with the white shirt tied into a knot baring her midriff and opened low to show her bra (I assume) – is fashionable and/or an improvement. (The short skirt is pretty much par the course.) I can see her getting attention in the hall (though some of it seemed to be a bit much) and I can buy Kurt being all approving because it would fit in with his desire for them to perform Britney but Santana’s approval? Huh. I mean: “Normally you dress like the fantasy of a perverted Japanese businessman with a very dark and specific fetish.” What? That said I did love this moment and Santana’s smile, ‘yay’ and softly clapping hands. It was very cute.
• “It’s such a good thing I can’t believe it.” – Brittney. Huh. Okay, that came off, what with Brittney staring at Rachel, as Brittney really admiring Rachel’s new look. Is that how we were supposed to take that? Or was she just agreeing about it being a good thing to feel like you’re pretty sometimes? Cause I was not getting that second interpretation.
• During Rachel’s final song there’s this moment in the background that made me laugh – Kurt and Brittney are both swaying, involved in the music and Kurt smiles and meets Brittney’s eyes and when she smiles back he loses his smile and kind of flinches back. It was just kind of random. Also in that scene – it was strange to see Brittney and Santana not sitting beside each other.
• Will is so boring. And annoying. Also I don’t really like him. I liked him even less than normal in this episode. Does he have to have storylines?
• Bieste had only a couple of minutes of screen time but I really liked her. It appears that she might actually be a good person, someone who cares! Possibly she should just run now.
• Will says at the end that basically he thinks that Emma dumped him because he’s boring. Now I don’t really remember how it played out entirely, I don’t really care, but I’m pretty sure that is not the reason. Now his derision when she was explaining about eating mixed grapes and sharing what a big thing it was for her probably should have had something to do with it but probably didn’t. It was only a split moment reaction, and maybe it was far more about Carl than Emma’s issues, but it really rubbed me the wrong way.
- Whereas Carl’s “I love that look of panic every time I try and change your routine.” maybe should have bugged me but instead was kind of charming. I liked Carl and he seems like a really good guy. At this point he is so much better than Will, and also better for Emma.
