Spoiler Alert: Do not read this recap unless you have seen the entirety of Glee episode 1.10
This show is driving me crazy with its inane plot lines. Sure, it was fun at first; Mercedes not knowing Kurt was gay (well that friendship's gone *poof* hasn't it?), Will's wife hiding her non-pregnancy (another story left out of the equation of late), Jane Lynch's obsession with taking Will down. But Glee is like a hyper kid off of his ADD medication, it never sticks to a story. What I assumed to be a serial show has lately been diving into the unfortunate waters of week-to-week storytelling. This is no bueno.
Let's start with what I did like about "Ballads." This week marked the welcome return of Jayma May's Emma Pillsbury. As always, Mays lit up the screen with a glow that is too rare on television these days. It also gave Sarah Drew (Everwood) a hilarious guest spot as Suzy Pepper. It's a little far-fetched that Drew is still playing a high school student (and that they made her cover her gorgeous face with ghastly makeup) but it was still a cool shout out to her fans.
It was also nice to see the Kurt/Finn story take another step forward. This had been hinted at in earlier episodes, and it turned awkward comedy into something really interesting and funny. I just wish the writers would work a little harder on the NON-Kurt specific story arcs.
However, I will now list five things about this episode that made me either cringe, frown, or want to curl up in a ball and die:
1. The "I'll Stand By You" scene. Finn's voice is not pleasing to the ears, and, even through electronic mutilation (not a typo), it has never reached the heights of what it was during "Don't Stop Believing." Also, the clunky line explaining Kurt's piano skills was nothing compared to the inexplicable way Finn knew all the words to the song. And why was there no viable lie he could tell his mother when it came to the sonogram? School project? Curiosity? WTF?
2. Suzy Pepper's story did not have a funny ending like it was meant to. In fact, I was feeling the same way I do when I see a mentally challenged person sing on Idol. It's just sad, not humorous.
3. HEINOUS LIP-SYNCHING BE DAMNED! Sorry, I had the caps lock on, but now that I look at it, that is the perfect format to put such a strong sentiment in. Will and Rachel, you were both Broadway actors! Why can't the producers let you just sing? Maybe then it wouldn't sound like the Kidz Bop albums or a second-rate cover band doing karaoke at a late-night bar. The reasons for injecting pop-Broadway numbers into the episodes are also starting to wear thin. It's a musical! They don't need a cheesy reason (like trying to tell someone to back off, seriously, WTF?) to sing! Although Emma's reaction to Will's singing was one of the few good things that came out of it.
4. Puck's been keeping a secret for 9 episodes and Mercedes is the first person he blabs to? I mean, it's not as if he hasn't expressed his emotions to Quinn, it's not like they're bottled up inside. It was just a manufactured way to make drama amongst the group, which is feeling more and more fractured.
5. Rachel liking Will just made for a crappy one-episode plot device. Again, it was forced, it was cheesy, it was cliche. It. Was. BAD!
This episode sucked. Besides the very sweet and funny Kurt and Finn story, it had little to nothing going for it. I hope the writer's can dig themselves out of this hole they've created, or this show is going to be swallowed up by stupidity faster than you can say "too many baby lies."
Smart, as always. I agree wholeheartedly about the Peppers ending and the Rachel loving Will storyline-ickkk. Howeverrrr....
ReplyDelete1)I think the sonogram was Quinn's sonogram-they can give you discs to take home ad keep now, so I'm pretty sure that's what that was.
2)On TV and in movies they have to dub the singing in after recording-they can actually sing live, but what's heard will be pre-recorded, if it didn't match with their lips, it was the editor's/syncing person's fault, methinks, not theirs.
ummm but...yeah....not my favorite episode. I did like Emma coming back, but yeah...it was not a favorite. blech.
Okay, I knew about the Quinn thing. It just didn't make any sense that he HAD to tell his mom. There were a thousand explanations he COULD have used.
ReplyDeleteAnd the thing about the singing isn't entirely true. In the movie Across the Universe, almost all of the songs were sung live. They enhanced it after it was already on film. Glee should follow their example. I mean, RENT had better dubbing than this!
Hmm...true enough...still, I don't know if they can do that for TV, but...yeah lol
ReplyDeleteOkay, while I disagreed with you on the Mash-Up episode, I'm with you on this one. It was awkward and dumb. I was especially irritated with the 1-dimensional right-wing-Glenn-Beck-loving-airheaded Christian parents who immediately kicks out the pregnant girl. Guess what. My dad's a right-wing-Glenn-Beck-loving Christian man who supported my sister when she came home pregnant--from Cedarville where her mom worked for the Dean of Students--and has loved her first-born beyond measure. I HATE those caricatures!
ReplyDeleteSince I grew up with White Christmas, West Side Story and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, breaking into song mid-sentence is normal. But for some reason the writers feel the need to explain why they're breaking into song. Dumb and awkward.
I don't mind the canned music and lip synching. (I grew up in the 70s. It feels normal.) I just made a mental note to buy the CD. And I did really like the last song, just not how they set it up. They definitely have a lot of kinks to work out.
Sooo...
ReplyDeleteThings to think about.
1. Finn is not me and you Sam. He can't think of a lie that would be brilliant enough to get him out of a situation. I would be shocked if Finn could think of something that is convincing and makes sense. Plus, as a character, I think Finn wanted to tell his mom and be honest. The inevitable would eventually happen anyways. Was he going to be able to hide a baby that he supposedly had his whole life? No. I think the character story line made sense. The emotion finally came out. And I was happy that the writers didn't keep hiding it completely, because I think it would be unrealistic. Either that, or they should have gotten an abortion. Because they can't hide that forever.
2. The dubbed singing is obnoxious. And why did they choose Finn as their leading-yet-gentle good-looking man if he couldn't sing? I mean, the guy is not the most handsome hunk in the world. I would think they would have just found someone better looking with the sweetness and made him electronic too. Weird.
3. Kurt and Finn is interesting to watch. Agreed.
I don't know. Glee still fascinates me. And I'm sucked in...so until all my questions are answered, I'll continue watching. And Kurt reminds me of someone I know...so it's very entertaining to watch.