Previously, in 2010…Glee
16 Jan 2011 2 Comments
in Previously, on Television... Tags: Barbra Streisand, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith, Finn Hudson, Glee, Judy Garland, Kurt Hummel, Lea Michele, Rachel Berry
I began my review of 2010’s Best and Worst Television yesterday with a look at the stellar seasons my two favorite dance competitions had. After that love-fest I feel like being a little mean so let’s go with one of this year’s big disappointments: Glee.
Rachel and Kurt Singing "Get Happy/Happy Days are Here Again"
Glee
I’ve been a big defender of Glee from the beginning. From the moment the pilot aired, I knew it was something special and while the show has had some great moments, after a season and a half, my overwhelming feeling toward the show is disappointment. It should be perfect. At its best Glee has an enormously talented cast, solid production standards and smart, witty writing. At its worst it’s preachy and uninventive and unfortunately a lot of the second season’s episodes have had those qualities.
I could sum up my problems with the show via two characters: Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer). I’ve written before stating my thoughts on why I think the writers have greatly mishandled Rachel’s personality—and Michele’s talent for that matter—but the show’s second season has added a new flavor of discontent. As I mentioned previously, I’ve always found it odd that Rachel would give Finn (Cory Monteith) the time of day. Sure he’s the popular jock, but he’s also a bit of a fool who has never been as aggressively over-achieving or confident as Rachel. Certainly opposites attract, but why these opposites?
On some level Rachel seems more attracted to the idea of Finn than the actual man. More than anything Rachel is a lover of pop culture and its archetypes and expectations, so surely some of her attraction to Finn must be rooted in her pleasure in thinking that their very relationship fits into one of those archetypes. She’s the unpopular girl who, against all odds, gets the popular boy. When understood from that perspective, it seems unsurprising that Rachel could love Finn. It is precisely because Rachel believes in Finn’s potential to be her ideal that she can look past his shortcomings and simply accept who he is. Finn, however, does not afford Rachel the same luxury.
During the final two episodes before the hiatus, Finn broke up with Rachel because she had essentially cheated on him with Puck. Rachel, in response to Finn lying about a previous liaison with Santana, had made out with Puck hoping to take some small manner of revenge on Finn. While Rachel eventually forgave him, Finn could not forgive Rachel’s deliberate act of retaliation. While I’m not saying Rachel’s infidelity is justified, considering the number of times Finn has made mistakes it seems almost hypocritical. Finn’s anger highlights perhaps the biggest difference between them. On the one hand, all of the mistakes Finn has made have sparked from passiveness and fear of confrontation, while Rachel’s have come directly from her decisions to act. It is precisely Rachel’s intent and decisiveness that Finn cannot abide. Finn has always struggled with what he perceives to be the dramatic qualities—her jealousy and vindictiveness—in Rachel’s personality and her decision to hurt him is what he truly cannot accept, so instead he refuses to deal with her. Surely a character as fascinating and unique as Rachel deserves better. Yes, she is abrasive and rude, but at least she accepts who she is and lives according to that knowledge.
While many fans and critics seem to enjoy the Kurt Hummel character, to me he represents just about everything I dislike about Glee. Though Kurt’s struggle to live as an out gay man despite societal pressures can be touching, his storylines often seem too cloying. I speak mostly of show creator Ryan Murphy’s drive this season to give the show a sort of afterschool special quality. Kurt’s storylines are the biggest expression of this tendency and that is perhaps why I find him so tiresome. Though it’s important to emphasize equality and acceptance, Kurt’s occasionally aggressive and often preachy brand of superiority is especially problematic. I’ve written before about my dislike for Kurt and while my concerns about his aggression were addressed in a recent episode I now find Kurt’s holier-than-thou attitude even more aggravating. Last season, Kurt had so vigorously pursued Finn that the latter reacted by hurling anti-gay slurs. While that behavior was by no means forgivable, Kurt failed in that instance to see how his own actions had led to the situation. Kurt is chronically unable to acknowledge his own self-centeredness and the episode where Kurt and Finn’s parents marry displayed the extent to which that was true. Everything from the parents’ vows to Finn’s struggle to accept that his mother was remarrying was centered on Kurt and once again the character seemed to come out as a saint. Though Kurt plays at being a complex character he is simply one thing: the pious martyr looking down on his peers. Certainly television shows should strive to make a point, but that doesn’t mean they should do so in a melodramatic and simplistic way.
Though I have numerous complaints with Kurt and Rachel there was one development late in the season that showed promise. I’ve always found it rather odd that these two self-centered diva characters weren’t friends. Some of that surely sparked from the fact that they are each other’s main competition for solos in the group since they have similar range. However, when Kurt faced some tough times this season it was Rachel who came for comfort. Perhaps the highlight of their friendship was the moment they recreated Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland’s mash-up of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days are Here Again.” It was truly magical and represented the promise Glee has. There was no dancing and no plot point being played out through the song, just pure unadulterated singing. Moreover, it was especially powerful because it gave the characters a chance to seriously embody the two icons who they most resemble. Rachel, in essentially mimicking Streisand’s persona, and Kurt, by copying such a gay icon like Judy Garland, carry on their legacy while also making it their own. It is positively one of the show’s greatest numbers and if the writing in the rest of the season can be this strong Glee may just redeem itself. Below I’ve pasted a video from some genius person on YouTube that combines both the Glee performance and the original from The Judy Garland Show. Enjoy and look for my next post soon.
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