i think i finally get what's wrong with glee

Apart from it's a teen show that's most definitely not Buffy.

I love old movie musicals, and even some more recent ones, so I should like Glee. I've tried. But it's so annoying. There's a lot about it that bugs me, like breakout star and purported diva Lea Michelle and her what's-his-name costar are insufferable and bland, in that order. But they are not precisely what's wrong with the show.

My mom and daughter love this show, so we keep tuning in and I keep thinking, maybe this will be the week it wins me over. Or doesn't piss me off. But no. It always manages to screw things up one way or another. I'm not a total hater. There are some great moments, which I'm sure is why there are Gleeks. But you have to sort through so much not-so-great stuff. Mostly, any plot line involving the aforementioned power couple and the creepiest high school teacher ever (and I had some skeevy ones), Mr. Schue.

The kid is six going on seven and there is some PG content in the show, but I'm not too worried about her catching some of the make-out sessions. Although she usually conks out by the first commercial break, so it's never an issue. And I keep watching. Go figure.

What I do think isn't appropriate for her (and the rest of us) to watch is how downright nasty they are to each other. I'm not referring to the brilliant Jane Lynch as Sue effing Sylvester. Or even the bullying drinks-in-the-face, although that gets old. It's how Michelle talks to everyone, it's how Will Shuester is constantly a dick to his students and colleagues but we're supposed to like him because he sings an a capella Over the Rainbow and makes puppy-dog eyes? Where's the damn Big Gulp for me to throw?

My daughter dances happily to whatever song they're butchering as I cringe and smile. There are a few good songs, when even I got a little caught up. The Lucky duet between the blonde surfer-looking dude and Quinn the cheerleader was wonderful, as was the Barbra/Judy mash-up with Rachel and Kurt. The all-boy choir doing Teenage Dream. But the music is not the problem, it's the highlight of the show and why anyone tunes in.

The problem with Glee is that it should be about misfits. It should be this generation's Revenge of the Nerds without the revenge. But the show has styled the uber-obnoxious Rachel as a heroine. As whiny as she is, she's no outsider. She's dating the world's most boring ex-quarterback. They are a completely unbelievable couple and keep telling each other and us that they care about each other, but they have no chemistry and give the audience no reason why they should be together. And even more egregiously, they get way too many lead vocals. Michelle is a great Broadway-style singer, but there are a lot of good voices on the show and the amount of screen-time her character of Rachel and lovebird Finn gets is unwarranted. Their characters would be much more effective if they weren't so obviously the stars of the show and so endlessly front and center. More misfits, less star couple.

The peripheral characters are much more interesting. Quinn, the head cheerleader, is everything the character of Finn isn't. Cory Monteith's Finn talks (and talks and talks) about how hard it is to be popular and still want to be in the geek club, but those are just lines from the script coming out of his mouth. Dianna Agron's Quinn actually makes you believe her parallel dilemma. Coach Beiste is a fantastic character, as are cheerleaders Brittany and Santana. If Glee could focus more on the lives of all of the glee club members and less on everyone being in love with Finn (why?), or Rachel being such a beyotch (duh already), the show might have heart and not just an assortment of songs that show up on iTunes.

The show creators seem to understand how to use Jane Lynch. Just a little bit each episode and she always leaves you wanting more. Or maybe that's all her performance. But they could learn from her and try the same technique with the rest of the cast. And let some of the other actors stand in the front of the chorus from time to time. There are some tentative moves in this direction, but not enough yet to convince me that's where we're headed. I'll give them a pass on the Xmas episode. But they need to keep going this way next season. Then maybe I just might finally really like this show and not just parts of it.

glum

Still missing LOST, I surfed the channels last night and ended on Glee. I've tried to watch this show quite a few times before. I love that Broadway divas like Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth stop by. I was excited to see how they would do Gaga last night. But the damn show is so affected. If only the kids would shut the hell up and just sing. The plotting and camera-work is horrific and the characters are frankly, pretty annoying. That excludes Jane Lynch, who can do no wrong. But so far she is not enough to make me get over the queasiness I feel every time I watch this show.

The two examples which stand out the most from last night are:

1. The speech by the dad of the young gay kid. I'm sorry, although I like this actor and his characterization, I cannot remember the names of any of these people. They just don't make an impact. Anyway, the dad made a wonderful speech to the dumb jock about how he loves his gay son and that anyone who can't deal with him and the way he is better hit the highway. A great sentiment. I can overlook that most folks don't speak so eloquently. What left a sightly uncomfortable feeling after his dad/love speech was the fact that even though the show may have its heart in the right place, by making such a big (preachy) deal about the fact that the kid is gay, they may also be making him more of a stereotype. I'm not sure. But I loved the room he decorated and the enthusiasm with how he presented it. I just felt that the actor and the character are more comfortable with who they are supposed to be than the scriptwriters.

2. The main girl (Rachel?) discovers that her mother is Idina Menzel and they do a duet to Lady Gaga's Pokerface. They can both sing and the song is great. The arrangement was a little weird, but I went with it. But to have the mother and daughter crooning to each other about their "muffin" and "glue-gunning" - give me a break already. This show is trying too damn hard. Trying too hard to be hip or quirky. It's one thing for Lady Gaga to sing those lines, but it just made the song and the show seem silly to have these two gals do it. Something that could have been easily fixed with repeating the chorus.

I'm sure I may flip past this show again if they are covering some songs by an artist that I like, but I doubt I will become a regular viewer, and certainly not devoted. And by the way, the KISS costumed number was the pits. They should have called in Glambert.