The weirdest thing about the ending of this season of Glee was the final moment of joy when the Glee club discovers it has been given another year. It was weird not because it seemed out of place or at all unexpected, but weird instead because Glee has actually been assured of its survival for at least two more years. Thinking back to the show’s premiere, there was general uncertainty about whether a tonally uneven show about a plucky, self-aware group of high schoolers who enjoy performing Broadway-caliber musical numbers could ever have a broad audience appeal. That uncertainty has been put to rest far more definitively than I ever would have imagined – for a scripted network show to be renewed for a third season before the first season’s even completed is as unlikely as stumbling across a woolly mammoth on your way to work.

There are all sorts of highbrow and probably true things to say about why that might be, and what it is about Glee that has made it so culturally appealing at this moment. I might pick the pomo route and talk about how effectively the show is built to capitalize on reference, pastiche, imitation and camp. Other options include the show’s tricky, occasionally unsuccessful blend of sincerity and snark, or a discussion of how well Glee meshes with FOX’s American Idol to create a solid programming block based on spectacle-laden covers of familiar pop music. But you can’t think about the show without also considering its many missteps. Two pregnancy plots, and one of them’s a fake pregnancy? Is Glee really dealing with issues of race, sexual orientation and disability, or is the club just a beautiful, diverse rainbow of unquestioned stereotypes? Does no one else find Mr. Schuester a little creepy? At the end of the day, is Glee about real people whose emotions we have to take seriously, or is it a farcical high school fun house? A panel prompt for next fall’s FlowTV conference at UT Austin asks participants to consider what it is about the show that makes it a “breath of fresh, yet problematic air.”

Puck and Mr. Schuester sing "Over the Rainbow"

It’s really easy to see what’s been problematic about Glee, but the clearly harder-to-categorize quality of freshness has won out. The finale had a fair amount of it on display, with the key moment being New Directions’ total loss at Regionals. Any other show would have put them straight into the win column, or perhaps fudged around with a miscount or disqualification before declaring victory. Even Friday Night Lights, a show unusually comfortable with burdening its characters with loss and sadness, pushed the Dillon Panthers straight through to the State Championships. On the surface, it’s easy to see why the loss makes sense for a show like Glee, where the baldly stated emphasis of the finale and the less consistent purpose of the show overall has been to celebrate the students’ love of the club and personal achievements rather than victory in the eyes of others. But it would be so easy to give them both – to have them succeed for themselves and also get a giant trophy. Instead, the finale concluded with a lovely little cover of “Over the Rainbow,” sung by a teacher in appreciation for his students, even though they lost. At least in this sense, Glee stuck to its guns.

The interpretive dance/birth montage version of "Bohemian Rhapsody"

It is also so quintessentially Glee for an episode that includes two lovely, heartfelt numbers like “To Sir, With Love” and “Over the Rainbow” to also throw in the bizarre interpretative dance/birth montage version of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The scene was impressive and baffling, and much as I’d love to remember New Directions’ adorable Journey medley as the definitive Regionals performance, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is far more representative of the show. Incredible vocal and dance performances, absurdly high production values for a high school competition of anything, intense emotional upheaval, glimmers of important character development quashed by a reversion to simplistic types, and all of it crammed on top of each other and accompanied by the overwhelming sense that these things just shouldn’t go together. By which I mean to say – a powerful inkling that these things should not go together, coupled with the pleasure in seeing them all jumbled into the same box anyhow.

I have absolutely no idea how Glee will able to keep it up for two more seasons. Then again, I had no idea a show like Glee could get renewed for two more seasons in the first place, and much though I may grumble, I can hardly pretend I’m displeased.

My issues with the plots and characterizations in Glee have meant that I often spend episodes muttering “c’mon, c’mon, less talking, more singing.” I have to say, this week’s “The Power of Madonna” episode probably went a little too far in the other direction.

Don’t get me wrong – each number was fun and well-produced, but if you just move straight from one hit to the next without so much as an operatic recitative to cleanse the palate, you lose the impact of the songs. I was completely mesmerized by the Cheerios’ elaborate stilt choreography, but I can’t say it did much aside from sheer spectacle (something episode already had in spades). And it would be a shame for anything to take away from the “Like A Virgin” number, which was probably one of the best things Glee has done to date. I also enjoyed the expansiveness of “Like A Prayer,” which called back to the pilot episode’s “(Don’t Stop) Believin’” with its epic tone and simple red shirt/jeans/sketchers costume scheme (with an added gospel choir).

***

A little programming note –

Beginning tomorrow, this blog will be taking the briefest of hiatuses while I attempt to cram my head full of publication dates, character names, and the plot of Our Mutual Friend. I may post on the new episode of Chuck, I may post another giant screed on Dickens, I may wrangle some guest posts out of people, I may not post at all. But if nothing else, I’ll be back for the next episode of Lost, which airs May 4^th.

I have been planning to write a blog post today, I really really have. But there was some other writing to do for this one thing, and this meeting and another thing, and then I almost hurt myself trying to bring too many books back from the library, and I just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. But oh, I am getting around to it now, because Some One just couldn’t be patient and had to send me a nagging text message. “Where is your blog post?” This Person wondered. “I am in need of more procrastination materials than you are currently providing.” “Why don’t you write the blog post, then,” I retorted. But it seems that This Person has enough time to require blog material to read, but not enough time to actually produce said material.

This is for you, and you know who you are.

Glee came back this week, which is what I was intending to write about anyway, because wow, that show is the subject of some intense hype. Thankfully, the show is well aware of its impressively hyped status, and my favorite part of the whole episode was the very first line, which is usually just an intro to the “previously on” material. “So here’s what’s happened on Glee,” the voiceover cheerfully proclaimed, “if you live in a cave, or just got out of prison!” It’s a classic “it’s funny because it’s true” line, and the show is going to have to fight to maintain some kind of balance between the ridiculously high expectations, the already-present urge for self-reference, and the show’s underlying, sincere premise. I imagine the instinct is going to be to reach for ever and ever higher feats of astonishing musical spectacle, and to be fair, Glee can pull it off if any show can. Witness this clip from next week’s Madonna episode:

(So sorry, those who live outside the US!)

At some point, though, the Glee kids are just going to be singing a mash-up of “Mr. Sandman” and “All the Single Ladies” while dancing frantically in front of an enormous Mr. Slurpee cup with Sue Sylvester setting off Roman candles in the background, and there will be nowhere else to go. So Glee really does have to do some backtracking to keep it within the realm of the possible, and the first steps of that movement are why this week’s episode felt a little unsatisfying.

Rachel, immediately post- revenge musical number, Mr. Shuester mid break-up

It was inevitable the Finn and Rachel couldn’t be together for very long, and as disappointing as it was, Emma Pillsbury showed some really admirable maturity in putting the brakes on her relationship with Mr. Shue. From a story standpoint, though, these break-ups things had to happen because Glee’s never ventured too far into long-arc storylines outside of love interests and competition. The whole last segment of this season would have been Let’s Practice for Regionals, Quinn and Puck are Going to be Excellent Parents, This Is How Sue C’s It, and Great Moments in Stunt Casting. Fascinating, sure, but not very well rounded. The necessity of reviving those love interest plotlines is pretty easy to understand and doesn’t even feel that strained, given that Glee has been quite straightforward about its soap opera elements. Even so, the fact that the show did it so abruptly highlighted how hamstrung it would be if it weren’t driven by Mr. Shue’s and Rachel’s love lives. The supporting cast members have become familiar, interesting characters over the past several episodes, but clearly not to the degree that would allow the show to abandon its Boy meets Girl roots.

In any event, I’m glad it’s back. C’mon, did you see that clip from next week?!

This week was the last episode of Glee for a very long time, and it did all those things you want a pseudo-finale to do. The first official show choir competition gave the glee club an opportunity to experience betrayals, shocking revelations, and disappointment while also overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles through song and dance. I enjoyed the episode – there was a lot of song and dance, which, when it comes down to it, is really why I watch the show. I liked cutting to Mr. Shuester listening to the kids over the phone and making adorable proud scrunchy faces. It was a relief to finally break down the Finn/Puck fatherhood secret, and I was pleased that Finn managed to reconcile himself with the glee club without also accepting Puck’s betrayal. It’s pretty silly but kind of fun that this whole episode was basically a reverse Bring It On, where the ghetto black school steals the numbers from the nerdy white kids. And my favorite bit of “Sectionals” was the judging, where Rod Remington, Marla Daniels, and the creepy evangelist wife from True Blood appeared as hysterically incompetent adjudicators.

Because we now have months and months to think about what will happen next, though, I’m still stumbling over some of the problems I’ve had with Glee from the beginning. There are some bothersome plot inconsistencies. It’s not a realistic world, and so I’m all right with stories that require the glee club to come up with two brand competition-winning new numbers in an hour, even though it’s patently absurd. The problem is when plot inconsistencies are the result of sloppy character development. For instance, Rachel ruins Puck’s paternity secret by telling Quinn about the possibility of inheriting Tay-Sachs from a Jewish parent, and while this hearkens back nicely to Puck’s hilarious homage to his Jewish heritage, Quinn freaks out because she worries Terry Shuester won’t take a baby with health issues. Although I suppose it’s possible, it’s just so odd that Terry’s pregnancy could be revealed as fake and Mr. Shuester could sleep in the music room (inciting the whole absurd mattress fiasco) without Quinn realizing that perhaps Terry would no longer be in need of a cover baby. Even worse, what about that whole “Papa Don’t Preach” musical number where Quinn announced (repeatedly, and in song) that she was going to keep her baby? Quinn has been conflicted over whether to keep her baby for a while, but her decisions seem to swing wherever the plot needs them to, and that’s exactly the wrong way to build a story on a show like this. Character development should drive plot, not vice versa.

My other concern at this point of the show, as I mentioned from the very beginning, is that it’s difficult to see where this could possibly be going that wasn’t completely predetermined from the very first episode. Far from introducing new twists or unexpected storylines “Sectionals” simply put the plot even closer to where we’ve wanted it to go – Mr. Shuester left his wife, and Miss Pillsbury broke up with poor Ken Tanaka, so it’s easier for them to be together now. Finn discovered that the baby is Puck’s, which will drive him farther from Quinn and closer to Rachel. The glee club has overcome their initial shortcomings and won their first competition, putting them on the road to the state finals. Color me shocked. I know they’re supposed to be conquering adversity, but it’s hard to listen to them sing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” when it’s so clear they eventually will.

It’s easy to say that surprise and character development just aren’t what this show is about, and I should just abandon my unfair requirements. Glee is a show about satisfaction and snark, and it does those things very well. Despite all my picky, whiny blogging, I like watching it. Maybe what I’m waiting for is a second season, which I have no doubt this show will get. After the inevitable state finals finale, Glee will be forced to work outside its initial conceit, and maybe then it will be forced to shake up its all-too-predictable story. I really hope so. In the mean time, au revoir until April, Glee. Whatever else I might have said here, please don’t get me wrong. I’ll miss you.

I know I said yesterday that I was going to write about Steven Seagal: Lawman, and please trust me when I say that blog post is on its way, because OH MAN is that show funny. But I’ve decided to preempt Steven Seagal: LingeringCulturalRelevancyMan for a few words on last night’s Glee.

Also awesome this week: piano man

Um…weird things happened on last night’s Glee. For instance, a dramatic shift occurred which will require long-term plot ramifications. Also, Matt Morrison had to play an entire scene where he was weepy and furious without once resorting to cheery, naïve optimism. And further, Quinn Fabray has developed almost to the point of becoming a believably rounded, dynamic character. (By the way, words like “developed” and “rounded” are meant to refer to her growth as a fully-realized person, not her gradually expanding waistline. Whoops, add “growth” to that list.)

Glee appears to have reached a critical mass of plot and initial character sketches, a point after which it either becomes a fossilized structure peopled by caricatures, or it abandons exposition and moves further into new territory. “Mattress” suggests that Glee is moving in the second direction, and of course I’m pleased that’s the chosen path. I would much prefer to watch ditzy Cheerio Brittany become an interesting person than be continually reminded of her unchanging airheadedness. I’m particularly happy that the shift toward dynamism tolled the death knell of Ye Olde Fake Pregnancy Plot, which I would have happily chucked out the nearest window ten episodes ago.

Come on down to Mattress Land; even Sue's Corner was weirdly cruel this week

Even given this promising movement, “Mattress” was odd enough to make me wonder whether Glee could ever actually sustain this new tone. The whole episode felt tense and a little uncomfortable, a good place to be narratively but a distinct change from the show’s previous surreal exuberance. The few musical numbers were for the most part appropriately ambiguous, including the brilliantly chosen Lily Allen song “Smile,” but where musical scenes in the past have been sudden leaps of self-confidence, these all sounded like singers trying to convince themselves to keep singing. The rendition of “Jump” was a return to the show’s previous musical tone, but inside this episode it seemed incongruous. It was so strange to watch a bunch of high schoolers promoting a local mattress store, largely because it was so far outside the usual “I sing because I love it” message.

Some of the oddity also came from the abruptness of this shift. Moving directly from last week’s incredibly saccharine performance of “Imagine” to “at first, when I see you cry / it makes me smile / yeah it makes me smile” without explanation does not do much to set up the subsequent emotional breakdowns. Up until the moment Will demands that Terry lift up her shirt and swiftly snatches away her fake pregnant belly, I was sure the show would swerve away from the revelation, or at the very least, let it play out in a more comfortable, stylized way. Instead, tears roll down Will’s face as he storms out of the apartment, and for once, a flippant acapella choir doesn’t accompany his exit.

Don’t get me wrong, here. I think Glee would be great with some more darkness in its plotlines, a good dose of strife to balance the sweet and cut through the glibness. I was astonished by the Will/Terry breakdown in a good way. Still, this is not how Glee has billed itself, and fights between adults that actually get scary do not segue well into a snappy mashup of your favorite pop songs.

As with everything else on right now, Glee is heading toward its winter hiatus, and after next week’s mid-season climax, will be gone until April 13^th. I think the next episode will go a long way toward signaling whether this was a momentary diversion into realism or whether the show will revert to its previous, cheerily satirical self.

Hey, Glee was pretty good last night! I feel compelled to mention that some of its improvement was due to an absence of bad things – thank goodness, no fake pregnancy plot last episode, and in fact nothing at all from Mr. Shue’s obnoxious, unsympathetic wife. I was also disappointed that after many episodes of silence, blonde cheerleader actually got a few lines only to be revealed as an idiot. (“I find [blonde pause] recipes confusing.”) In all fairness, though, some of Glee’s improvement was also thanks to enjoyable television rather than just a lack of irritating elements.

The most impressive thing about last night’s episode was that it attempted to do a very hard thing (usually good, although yesterday’s Law and Order post points out the pitfalls) and then managed to do that thing with reasonable success (even better). It’s not easy to make an entire episode about diversity and disability without melting away into saccharine nineties-esque identity politics or running in the opposite direction and ending up with cruelty and crudeness. Making the Glee Club spend several hours a day in a wheelchair for a week could have been a heart-warming lesson in compassion, but two guys still managed to have a brawl in the hallway that started by slamming their chairs into each other. The bake sale to raise money for a handicap-accessible bus could easily have been disgustingly, tooth-achingly sweet. Happily, the bake sale’s success was contingent on marijuana-laced cupcakes, which helped downplay the “Very Special Message” tone.

Congrats to Glee for discovering that song and dance is even more satisfying when accompanied by real emotional content

Even better, the episode managed to scoop out the potentially dangerous sugary core of its handicap-accessible premise and then fill the resulting gap with emotional content that was actually poignant. The Sue-Sylvester-has-a-disabled-sister twist was visible from a mile away, especially after Mr. Shuster’s repeated demands that she must be up to something, and all credit goes to Jane Lynch for making that scene tender and loving when it could have smeared giant syrupy gobs of melodrama all over our TV screens. Still, the scenes between Kurt and his father stole the show. It was already good when Mr. Hummel showed up at the principal’s office to demand equal consideration for his gay son, but it got ten times better when Kurt decided to balance his own desires with his father’s peace of mind. As has been demonstrated before on this blog (and often in reference to this show), I am a sucker who occasionally chooses sappiness over rationality, but I don’t think there has to be a choice for this one. I was perfectly happy reconciling my appreciation for the writing and particularly the acting of these scenes with my need to feel warmth toward an awesome depiction of a dad.

All that, and I haven’t even had to fall back on, “plus, they sang ‘Defying Gravity’!” Which is good, since I found that one musical number uncharacteristically disappointing. I’m open to the possibility that it’s just because I set my hopes too high. As always, I’m happy to be able to say good things about this show. I think it’s funny and a lot of talent goes into producing it. My fear is that as soon as Terri comes back and we have to go through the whole fake pregnancy rigmarole once again, it will be like Cinderella coming home from the ball and all my warm enamored sentiment will be crushed with the reality of that millstone/plotline/lack of a ball gown and pumpkin-shaped carriage. Fingers crossed.

P.S. This might fall into overshare territory, but I just can’t leave without mentioning that “Wheels” also contains a scene where two people express their attraction for each other by wantonly covering each other in baking ingredients. And I found it disturbing (I mean, he starts to grab the ingredients she was measuring!), but also oddly alluring…

I think not. Yes, Glee was actually quite good last night, and although I’ve talked somewhat disparagingly about the show in previous weeks, I think it’s only fair that I continue to talk when it manages to overcome some of its weaknesses.

In my book, the best thing about last night’s episode was that something happened. I know, it’s a revolutionary and totally unexpected development, but there it is. Ken forced a choice between football and glee club, and although that choice ended up resolving itself, at least there was some interesting tension for a few minutes. In more lasting news, Ken and Emma finally came to their senses about a marriage that was beginning with a mash-up of “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “The Thong Song.” Fresh from her broken relationship with the anchorman, Sue kicked Quinn out of the Cheerios. And of course, Puck attempted to rediscover his Judaism by hooking up with Rachel, only to accept that each of them were too obsessed with other glee club members to move on. Also, there was not a single ounce of fake pregnancy plot! Whohoo!

The episode also made some decent musical choices, numbers that complemented the plot without interrupting it (as has too often been a problem in the past). Puck’s “Sweet Caroline” mash-up was adorable, and it was a nice way to highlight the added narrative punch of giving another minor character some first person narration. “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “The Thong Song” were necessary inclusions as well as important narrative developments. The least effective was Mr. Shue’s “Bust a Move,” included for no obvious reason other than to allow Matthew Morrison some show-off time. Despite my desire to praise Glee for its success last night, I cannot ignore its faults – in this case, the choice to make Mr. Shue rap about snuggling up to his honeys while snuggling up next to the high school girls he teaches. No one on the production staff saw that and thought, “Huh, that’s a little creepy?” I’d also like to go on record as being slightly annoyed by the joie de virve of last night’s product placement. (“Thanks for the slushies, Finn. They’re delicious.”)

But let me not stray too far from my initial intent. It was a good episode. And as my title suggests, it reached its best moments during Sue Sylvester’s intense, abbreviated courtship with anchorman Rod Remington. Never before has a game of Battleship been so loaded with sexual tension. Never before has the mere silhouette of a zoot suit been so hilarious. Keep it up, Glee.

(By the way, Joss Whedon seems to be on board to direct an episode of Glee some time in the future. I promise that even though I know Dr. Horrible and the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by heart, I will not set aside my critical integrity. I mean…I’ll make an effort. Probably.)

After last week’s Kristen Chenoweth awesomeness, this week’s episode of Glee was bound to be something of a let down. Only two big musical numbers, heavy emphasis on the pregnancy plotlines, and the consequently dominant presence of the annoying Mrs. Shuester made the episode more predictable and less gripping. Like the Acafellas or Kristen Chenoweth’s appearance, the whole guys versus girls competition was a one-off event, designed to create just enough drama for an hour but nothing that could spill over into next week. Plus, what little plot there is continues to frustrate me. The only ongoing plotline that exists week-to-week and possibility to actually transform one of the characters’ lives is Quinn’s pregnancy, and I can’t figure out why the most interesting place to go with this show is teen motherhood. In other problematic plotting issues, I’m pretty sure I remember the principal making some kind of injunction against any song not on his approved list, but apparently those details really do just disappear into the chasm of Thursday.

Boys vs. Girls - was a winner even declared? Do we care that little about the plot of this show?

Angry because her blender failed to grind bone

Still, the few brighter spots in the episode were ones that made me hopeful again for next week. Some of the most entertaining problems on the show have been those that arise between the Cheerios and the Glee Club, but inter-club drama has been sadly absent in recent weeks. Members of the football team and the Cheerios managed to join the Glee Club with shockingly little conflict, and so far the biggest concern with cross club membership is Finn’s inability to stay awake. Next week, thank goodness, Sue Sylvester will become Glee co-leader, so all I can hope is that it will be a useful, productive conflict and that golden opportunity won’t fall victim to the one-plot-a-week pitfall.

Because for the first time on Glee, my favorite moment this week was not a musical number. No, the stand-out, memorable scene from Glee was without question Sue Sylvester’s journal. I love how frequently she calls her journal “Journal,” as though she’s actually persuading it of her brilliance and frustration. I love her emphatic use of the double underline. I love her look of sheer disgust as she recalls Quinn’s tell-tale knee wobble. Please, please Glee. More Sue Sylvester screen time. Don’t screw this up.

I still have a few reservations and concerns, but I have to say, Glee has been thoroughly enjoyable so far. My primary worry has been that the show wouldn’t be able to step outside the standard high school narratives, and to some extent that’s been true. Five episodes in, the end goal looks exactly the same as it looked in the first episode, and the few forays into significant plotting have detracted from the overall impact. Let’s be honest, it is going to take several implausible steps before the entire football team dances to “Single Ladies” in the middle of a game, but the way we get to that place is not the reason we want to watch Glee. Who cares about the impossible rationale – I just want to watch those football players dance like Beyonce.

Once the football players do dance like Beyonce, we just want the board to be reset by the end of the episode so we can start all over again. Although I continue to hope that further development will be on the way, Glee is really about briefly upsetting and then reinstating the status quo. Mr. Shuester joins and then abandons the Acafellas, his wife is pregnant but not really so never mind, Quinn actually is pregnant, but the father is Puck, so Finn and Rachel can still end up together. I would love for it to move outside that oscillating conflict/resolution scheme, but even as it is, there’s space to do things like…

…have Kristen Chenoweth crash the party and blow everyone away for an episode. Obviously she couldn’t work as a series regular (the show could barely afford to have Kristen Chenoweth and Jane Lynch in the same episode), but she worked perfectly as an outside force that appears, shakes things up, and then leaves with everything a little better than it was before she came in. And the music! Without a structure of interesting plots, my experience watching Glee is mostly about me just waiting for someone to start singing again. Some of the character development has also been rewarding, particularly in moments like those between Kurt and his father from last week. But the pregnancy plots both feel tired, and red herrings like the musical are so obviously ruses from the beginning that they don’t draw any emotional investment. So I sit, patiently biding my time until the music swells in the background and a spotlight appears from nowhere.

This random bartender from the bowling alley appears to share my feelings

Agreed, Jayma Mays.

There’s unrealized potential here, and I’m still feeling like Glee has yet to become as awesome as it could be. After the episode’s done, I fret about high school and its preset plot conventions, and the fact that I can barely remember stuttering girl’s name bothers me. In the middle of the show, though, I thrill when Kristen Chenoweth starts singing “Maybe This Time,” and then when I realize she and Lea Michele are going to sing it together? I am a big giant sucker. And I love it.

P.S. While checking out the Glee wikipedia page, I noticed Glee: Volume 1 is being released as an album of several songs on the show so far, and the list includes a few songs that haven’t aired yet. The last of those songs is “Defying Gravity.” And then I keeled over from cliché musical nerd ecstasy.

There were a few things about this week’s premiere of the new show Glee that didn’t thrill me. The premise still seems to lend itself far more readily to a movie than a full-length TV show, and I’m having a hard time imagining how the triumph of a high school Glee Club spins itself out into a full-length, densely plotted season of television. On soap opera high school shows like Gossip Girl, there’s a predetermined story in the will-they-won’t-they of the lead characters, but the surrounding story is far more open to surprise twists, unexpected hook-ups, and intrigue. On episodic high school shows from days of yore (I’m looking at you, Boy Meets World), something bad would happen, it would resolve, and then the whole thing would start over.

My concern about a show like Glee is that everything seems predetermined. It’s not just that the main characters will eventually get together and be happy, and thus require a new conflict to stew about, it’s that every aspect of the premise has its inevitable satisfactory end already built in. The Glee Club director will figure out his marriage is unhappy, break up with his wife, and then get together with the guidance counselor. The wife will then get together with the gym teacher, who is clearly more aware of his role as a provider (which is obviously what she wants). And of course, the Glee Club will eventually triumph over the Cheerios, going on to win Nationals and although they may not attain school-wide popularity, they’ll learn to love themselves in spite of their quirks. The end.

Glee Club vs. Cheerleaders - the epic struggle continues

Which is not to say that the show has to be that way. I loved the pilot, thought the second episode was strong, and will certainly keep watching, if for no other reason than I am a giant sucker for enthusiastically choreographed song-and-dance numbers.* Plus, Jane Lynch is hilarious. But I would love nothing more than to discover that they have a different place to take me than the ending we can all see coming a mile away. At the moment, the only plotline that looks like it will develop outside the pilot premise is the faked-pregnancy plot, which after the success of Baby Mama and the disastrous Lindsay Lohan debacle Labor Pains, I hope we can all agree is no longer funny or interesting. One step in the right direction would be to further develop the other members of the Glee Club, so that the group was more than just two main characters and a handful of stereotypes. Were I writing this show, I might also consider the inclusion of a third club to break up the good vs. evil, cheerleaders vs. glee club dynamic, because that polarity doesn’t easily lead to complicated, thoughtful plot scenarios.

Glee Club director, guidance counselor, (brilliant, hilarious) cheerleading coach

In spite of my trepidations, though – I like Glee. I like its odd mixture of snark and sincerity, I like that it doesn’t look or sound like anything else on television right now, and at the end of the day, I will always like a talented, heartfelt performance of 80s power ballads. I can only hope that as the show goes on, I’ll be able to like it without the nagging sense that I’m enjoying it despite my better critical judgment.

*Strangely, this weakness only exists in the context of fictional stories, and does not translate over into any of the many singing or dancing reality show extravaganzas. Take your American Idols and So You Think You Can Dances, and leave me my Rogers and Hammerstein musical any day of the week.