Glee: Season 3 Discussion/Premiere preview clip

[propita]

This show, which I loved in first season and liked in second, is rapidly losing my interest. The characters are getting dull, the writing is worse (no wonder the actors lost enthusiasm). And many of them are looking their true age, to the point that they should be parents of high schoolers, not in school themselves.

Sue is not funny anymore. She’s just mean and stupid. Shue is ... enough of Shue. Burt is the best thing on the show. No wonder they’re playing up his character. The actor is just terrific.

 

[trekkiebaggio]

There were no stand out songs in that episode at all. The best one was probably It's Not Easy Being Green.

I don't mind the Shelbey/Puck thing but seriously Quinn wtf, girl got on the crazy train. I mean I get she wants Beth back and everything but trying to get Shelbey put in jail The sad thing is someone I know actually sympathised with Quinn.

I liked how Finn realised he was being hypocritical, hopefully that'll continue.

And it is surprising that for a show about a Glee club in high school, with all the great talent around, the best thing about it is Burt who's sung like one song.

 

[mswood]

I really started to dislike Kurt when he started stalking Finn, Finn called him a fag, and then everyone thought that Finn was the most horrible person ever. Just piss poor writing (even though they tried to fix it). Kurt has never really recovered from that as a character for me. Just too dramatic and "me me me me me."

OK, Kurt was attracted to Finn. Big deal. He pinned after him. How many characters have reacted poorly to someone they were attracted to during that first and 2nd season?

Finn wasn't put in a bad light in that first season episode. He was portrayed as a fairly average male. The fact that Burt thought he wouldn't have a reaction like that with Kurt is a different issue (as we typically see Finn on his best behavior with Burt after he got to know him a little better).

It showed Kurt how upset Finn was with his advances (though when this occurred were they still really happening), as I don't think Finn really made clear to Kurt how uncomfortable he made him feel.

And it also showed Finn a bit about how much words hurt.

And in the episode which character do we see try and change? It wasn't Kurt, it was Finn.

Again how does that paint Finn in a bad light?

As for Burt, frankly most parents aren't going to allow others to make hurt full comments to their children without some consequences.

I think the show that has such flawed characters to begin with has managed to tell a fairly balanced Kurt/Finn relationship. Both the good and the bad qualities of both.

 

[Mike Farley]

And Burt, in fact did call Kurt out on the whole situation in a later episode.

 

[tomalak301]

I wonder if one of the reasons I've been so hard on glee is because the music this season has been horrible. I mean the reason I got into Glee in the first place was because I really liked the music, harmonies and all. Going back to the first time I heard "Don't Stop Believin" I was enthralled.

Well, this season the music hasn't been all that great, but I was just listening to some of the songs from tonight's episode and I might just think this is the episode where the music quality turns around. Just heard Rumor Has it/Someone Like You and the You and I/You and I mash-ups and both sound really really good.

As for the storylines, god I really want to like them, but I can't right now. Maybe it's best to just remain patient and see where all this goes but that whole Puck/Shelby thing just seem so wrong. Maybe this is typical of all those other teenager type shows mentioned in this thread so maybe I should give it the benefit of the doubt. I just know the episode two weeks ago I really did not like while it seemed like many others did.

As for last week's episode (As I did see it but didn't write about it), it was better than the prior week's but contrary to why most people probably watch Glee, I'm not all that keen on the relationships so I could take it or leave it. The back half of the episode was a lot better than the front half, as I thought the epsiode started really slow. Once they got into the West Side Story and the meat of the plot, I really started liking it, especially "America" and the end.

So tonight we return to some of the other storylines. I really want to like them but I don't know if I can. Hopefully after tonight I might have a change of opinion on some of them and this season get's back to where it was after Asian F.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Agreed with you on the music so far this year - so few gems, and the more popular songs just haven't been able to hit the right notes (pun intended) with me or the wife. Last week's Uptown Girl? One huge does of meh, and I've adored a LOT of a cappella versions of the song from collegiate groups over the years (including one in "The Sing Off" recently).

Took a listen to tonight's music, and you're right, it DOES sound better than it has recently. I hope they'll swing away from musicals for a while, I like my Broadway in reasonably small doses. This series is a jukebox musical in the purest sense, and I think to match it they should stick to music that is often played on jukeboxes.

Mark

 

[OmahaStar]

I've said it before, but I still think it's true.

Glee was never intended to be a series. Ryan Murphy and the gang developed a brilliant 13-episode mini-series. They planned it out, every episode, beat by beat, with the momentum growing, a planned-out story arc, and ongoing plots with moments for each character.

And then they got renewed.

It seems to me that fans of the series are fans because of the initial 13 episodes, and what has come since has been a drastic decline in quality. They bring in new characters (Sam, who was beyond hot ... Lauren, the guys from Glee Project), but they don't actually do anything with them.

There was a big reveal last season, where Sam's family is broke, and Kurt and others have been helping him out. Where was the lead up to that? At what point was Chekov's Gun introduced, which would have had that big reveal pay off? Oh, that's right .. There wasn't one. It was brought up in one episode, the whole episode was about that one thing, and then it was completely forgotten about. (except for that throwaway line, his father got a job somewhere and they moved)

In the first 13, there were story arcs for each character.

What is Mercedes' story right now? What is the point of having her on the show right now? And that same question goes for every character in the show.

They showed us what they could do when they really had a great story to tell, and they've followed it up by showing what they do when they are only there to collect a paycheck. And it shows.

 

[tomalak301]

I wonder if Glee is going through the exact same thing that Heroes went though. I mean you have this show who's first season was massively popular and then when the next year's Comic Con comes around, the producers and creators are on thier mighty high horse praising what they've done for the new season only to find out that it completely sucked and fans start turning away in droves. I was hoping Glee wouldn't have the same fate that Heroes did, but it really does seem eerily similar, and Omaha, I agree with you about the whole first season planned as a mini-series kind of thing. But then you can have a lifetime to plan the first season. The next seasons after that are incredibly more difficult since the time is so much shorter. Of course it seemed like the opposite was true for the Star Trek Franchise so I digress...

 

[CaptainCanada]

In the first 13, there were story arcs for each character.

No, there really weren't.

What is Mercedes' story right now?

The whole TroubleTones thing?

Lots of great music this week (and even the weaker songs had fun visuals) - but those final moments really needed more space to get maximum impact.

 

[tomalak301]

I really had a feeling tonight's episode was going to be a great episode. Maybe it was the fact that I was listening to Rumor Has It/Someone Like You and You and I/You And I all day long, or maybe it was just me holding out hope that those previous episodes were just not all that great and we were finally getting back to the mash-up episode of the season.

Well, this episode did not disappoint, and I think it's safe to say it's the best episode of the season. Holy Cow did we get some development tonight, and those final minutes were some of the best minutes the show has done. I don't agree that they needed more time for get the maximum effect because I thought it was damn effective just based on that performance. If there is one thing Glee has gotten right this season it's Naya Rivera and what she has done with Santana. This has just become Santana's season and tonight's performances by here were emmy worthy. As for that ending, It's not worth spoiling so I'm going to put it in spoiler code

Spoiler: Santana

I've already been reading a lot about whether or not Santana deserved to be outted the way she was, and I have to say no. Of course I'm not in that position so I don't know if I can comprehend the impact that does, but while she is a bitch and a bully, no one deserves to have that put on them publicly like that. Hell, someone made a point that Kerofsky never did that to Kurt last season and it was a valid one. No matter the circumstances, what Finn did was a low blow.

However, I'm not sure if I hate him for it or not. Finn is a nice guy, but even he has limits and here we got bringing it back to Finn, Kurt and Burt from season 1. I do think Finn has shown irresponsibility on this matter again and again, almost like it's habitual (I'm not sure I would call him a homophobe) and it reared it's ugly head again tonight.

As for the other storylines and thoughts:

-I'm not as pissed about the Puck/Shelby storyline as I was 2 weeks ago, but I think I'm done with Quinn. I'm not sure I care anymore and I think the writers are getting done with that whole storyline too. I'm still a bit iffy on that relationship but things got a little clearer tonight to the point where I'm willing to see where it goes.

-Of course Rumor Has It/Someone Like You was the best performance of the night (It was also the 300th, so congrats to Glee for having one of the best mash-ups be a milestone) but I still really liked the calmness of You and I/You and I. I just thought the two songs worked really well together and Morrison and Menzel did a great job. As for the other ones, The ND mash up was ok, but a little on the cutsy side. The Hot for Teacher was probably the weakest part of the episode for me and the Dodge ball Choreography was awesome, if unnoticed. It's a shame that will be completely forgotten because of the end but I saw that and I thought it was funny.

-The Class president thing was really a waste of time and I don't care either way.

There were a lot of things happening in this episode and the music for the first time this season was damn memorable. I'm a little more upbeat than I was earlier in the day but I still watch with caution. Hopefully we get more impact from this bombshell after tonight so it really does get to mean something in the long run.

 

[FPAlpha]

As several others already mentioned the highlight of the episode was the last song.. awesome mash up of Rumor has it and Someone like you. This is what Glee does best.. take popular songs, throw them into a blender and put their own spin on it.

I really don't get the music direction so far.. part of the big criticism of season 1 was the huge range of songs some of them so "old" and unhip that it became a source of disagreement to some (personally i liked many of those classics and some i discovered through Glee) and they turned that around in season 2 by focusing mostly on new songs (one can agree or not.. personal taste i guess) but with season 3 it seemed the producers tried shoving musicals down the audiences throat and i don't like that.

Technically they are performed very well, they do have the broadway talent on the show but musicals are a very hit and miss thing and for many (according to ratings) it was rather miss.

Well.. we're past the musicals now so i'm hoping it improves.. i don't care much for the storylines but once in a while it is entertaining so i hope Glee continues to improve or i'll be gone by midseason or the end of season 3.

 

[tomalak301]

I agree about the whole musical thing. I'm glad we might be getting away from the musical stuff for now, because I too was starting to get annoyed with it. Of course I haven't gotten annoyed with all the Lady Gaga and ADELE but of course I've really liked all those songs/covers, except for maybe Turning Tables. It's just that last night the quality of the music might have been the highlight of the episode, well that and the ending. Finally, this episode brought back the music to the forefront and I remembered why I watch Glee in the first place.

 

[Starbreaker]

I'm not liking this Finn and Santana thing. They're going to paint Finn in a negative light again even though Santana probably deserved about 95% of what Finn said to her.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Eh, she pushed him too far. She had a big "secret", when thats on the line you need to step lightly. Paybacks a bitch.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Not that Santana doesn't need an attitude adjustment, but her "secret" is a few orders of magnitude above anything she said. She could very easily get kicked out of her house, it will affect her future employment, even her safety at school.

I agree, incidentally, that most of what Finn said would have been perfectly appropriate in a private setting.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Not that Santana doesn't need an attitude adjustment, but her "secret" is a few orders of magnitude above anything she said. She could very easily get kicked out of her house, it will affect her future employment, even her safety at school.

I agree, incidentally, that most of what Finn said would have been perfectly appropriate in a private setting.

Yes it is and it will. But she kept coming at Finn and her "apology" was just more insults. Words and actions have consequences. I think Finn will find that out as well. I can't see Kurt high fiving Finn over outing Santana.

 

[Takeru]

What annoys me about this Finn/Santana storyline is the reaction of many people online that feel truly bad for Santana and hate Finn. Apparently Santana being an unrepentant bitch and being a nasty and awful person pretty much all the time makes her insults expected and therefore okay. Finn is generally a nice guy or at least trying to be nice most of the time and when he finally snaps he's the villain and deserves to be slapped?

Short version:
Always being mean on purpose = Perfectly fine!
Sometimes being mean = Worse than Hitler!

Screw that, Santana is a bully and has always been one, she bullied Finn constantly and during her apology she systematically hit on all his insecurities. So he did the one thing that he knew would get to her, he basically said "You're a big, fat lesbian and Brittany might not love you as much as you love her!" Good for him, I laughed at Santana's stupid face.

Did she deserve to be outed in front of the entire state? No, but Finn did not do that, he outed her in a school hallway and a sleazy politician abused the information he got from his daughter, Finn cannot be blamed for that.

Being gay myself I know that coming out is a very personal thing and it shouldn't be forced on anyone, but I refuse to vilify Finn for doing something stupid that had unexpected consequences in a situation where he and no one else was the victim! Santana pushed and pushed and pushed and Finn finally pushed back. Santana brought this onto herself and I hope she will be suspended from school and kicked out of the Troubletones for slapping Finn, that's something she definitely deserves.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Bully physically and verbally abuses kid constantly for months. Kid snaps and shoots bully in the head. What's the worse crime? I think Glee has handled this well in that it's inspired a lot of good discussion. Rare enough these days.

I agree Finn could have been more subtle, but she was asking for this the whole time. Perhaps Santana was blind to everyone's knowledge of her identity, but I'm pretty sure no one who's had to face their outing would imagine how it ultimately would happen. If there had been another button to push on Santana, Finn may have pushed it, but her orientation has been the big bitchy cloud hanging over her for almost a year now. Sometimes there's no easy way.

Mark

 

[tomalak301]

Can we get that Emmy nomination for Naya Rivera now? She has had a stretch of episodes where she just hit it out of the park and it has come close to perfection as your can get. Tonight's episode "I Kissed a Girl" was pretty much her emmy swan song, and it was a great way to continue on from where the last episode ended and the slap heard round the glee-verse. I really really liked how everything was handled, with a bit of delicacy and care and that scene with Santana and her grandma was heartbreaking. Heck, I dropped everything just to watch this scene and to have it play out like that was one of Glee's most emotional, and probably finer moments.

I have to say that while Santana is a Bully, they have done a great job kind of humanizing her and I can't help but just love her. She is by far the best character on the show and the last two episodes have really showcased that. If Last season was Kurt's year, which was a big turnoff for me, this year is Santana's year and they are handling it in a much more grown up and better way.

As for the other storylines, I still hate the Puck/Shelby/Quinn love triangle so that's the last I talk about that. As for Rachael, that's so in her character and to have her banned from sectionals is a really welcome and interesting storyline. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out and if the two Glee clubs come back together. However, I've been wondering this for a while. If the School barely has the budget to support one Glee club why are they now able to support two? I don't mind as it's providing some good direction to the show this season but I was just curious.

The music tonight, again, was very good. Finn really showcased how far he's come with his rendition of Girls Just want to have fun, which I really liked. I saw some complaints about how the show made the song lose it's meaning and I don't think so. It was different and Glee made the song their own while still respecting it. Also liked the Girls group song (Even though I forgot what it was right now) and Puck's song was kind of funny with all the facial expressions that was happening. It was also great to get Bieste into the act with her rendition of Jolene, which fit the story really well.

Before the last episode, I was worried about the direction this show was taking. After tonight, I think I'm excited, or at least cautiously optimistic, about where the show is heading. The last two episodes have been so good, but maybe a bit too serious, that it's great to finally give this season some direction. Hopefully the christmas episode in a few weeks might return to the fun, but right now keep churning out this kind of quality because it is reminding me of Season 1.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Okay, this show has now endorsed outing people "for their own good". My God. How the fuck did Santana's coming out become all about Finn being the hero, after he outed her; it was okay because he cares? She came out to her parents, the most important part of the story, off-screen? Brittany, her girlfriend, is invisible through the entire thing (and, since they titled this episode I Kissed A Girl, one should bring up that Santana and Brittany have never kissed, alone of all the couples on this show)?

Utter trainwreck. I guess gay girls should be happy that straight guys will always be there to tell them what to do.