Just quickly, I'd like to say thankyou again to everyone who was supportive of my first two blogs, it's really cool seeing people read my work. And I think it'd be awfully big-headed of me to assume people had waited for this review, but on the off chance any one has - then God bless ye!, and I'm sorry it's taken this long to get out.
Okay, let's get straight into it. Thoughts on the Glee season one finale - and a word on the season as a whole, and where I think the show needs to go from here, after the jump!
Last week, I mentioned that 'Funk' was a nice set up for the finale. As it turned out, my statement was only half correct. While I fully appreciate the choice to honour the song/band that helped us fall in love with this show, the idea that the funk song was going to give New Directions an advantage over Vocal Adrenaline was completely abandoned for the finale, instead opting to tell a slightly too easy to predict story about Sue eventually warming to New Directions. And I don't exactly mind that; Jane Lynch nailed the scene where the celebrities make her realise just how horrible she makes everyone else feel, how miniscule in the world of fame she really is, and how hard these kids have actually worked.
But this dime-turning is an example of Glee's worst problem - it doesn't, at any point, comfortably rest on an idea and go with it. So while I enjoyed every moment of 'Journey', I suspect that it's mostly a combination of adrenalin and my love for all but one (To Sir, With Love) of the songs that were in the finale. Certainly, there are parts that will stick with me as some of my favourite Glee moments ever - most notably Quinn screaming the lines to Bo' Rhap as Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline perform the song. In repeat viewings, however, I reckon that New Directions ironically 'Giving up the Funk' (because Vocal Adrenaline are soulless automatrons) will be a jarring reminder of this seasons biggest flaw.
But if you take 'Glee' at face value, there was a lot to enjoy. The Journey Medley was great, even though I think it's a shame they trimmed Don't Stop Believin' so much it only lasted about a minute and a half - but I get that Medleys aren't supposed to go on forever, and including the full, Kurt-ified version (which I thoroughly encourage purchasing) would have been tonally wrong. The combination of Bohemian Rhapsody and Quinn giving birth was very much a love it or hate it moment. I for one loved it but I imagine that it's the sort of sequence which only the die-hards can appreciate as utterly ridiculous, and being fantastic because of it. And even though the song has been done to death, Mr. Schuester serenading his students like they did for him with 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' was a sweet moment, and if it didn't quite have the oomph that 'My Life Would Suck Without You', then it was still a pretty decent episode closer.
Outside of music, there were some nice touches, like Rachel's face when Finn said the three magic words. Even if I don't particularly agree with the way in which this set up for season 2 was introduced, Lea Michele got the reaction so well it didn't matter - and led to the rather sweet moment during 'Rainbow' where Rachel rests her head on Finn's shoulder knowing she's got her club and her man for another year. Michele also got some nice material with Idina Menzel, as their mother/daughter storyline came to a decent finish. This storyline has bugged me though; I'm not entirely sure what they meant to achieve with it - maybe the writers couldn't deny the resemblance between the two and felt the compulsion to add the storyline in the first place. It also seems like a missed opportunity that Shelby adopted baby Beth - one of Shelby's biggest regrets is that she had a baby only to realise she didn't want to let it go. Granted, the circumstances are different, but I half hoped that Shelby would insist Quinn keep the baby and not make the same mistake she made. Logistically, I get that having Dianna Agron tied down with a baby for the rest of the show's run doesn't work. But with Mrs Fabray back in the picture, it's not out of the realms of possibility that Quinn could keep the baby with a bit of support from her mum/Puck.
I'd heard during filming that Kristen Chenoweth was going to be coming back as April to be one of the judges, so I was a little gutted when she didn't show. Olivia Newton John wasn't great, and certainly no April Rhodes. Josh Groban's hammy acting was fun to watch though.
And it was interesting to return to the Will/Emma storyline after leaving it for so long, especially now that we know Emma has a new lover, who in case you hadn't heard has already been cast. Whether or not this triangle will seem contrived come season two, I don't know, but I thought it was great that that kiss was spontaneous. If you go back and watch it again, Jayma Mays' suprised face is 100% real. Fantastic.
So now that we know we've got two more seasons of this show, what do we go from here? Most importantly, I think, the show needs a better sense of story arcs than just Sectionals, Regionals, or throwaway plot devices like who's-into-who. Certainly, I worried for a second when Rachel demanded they start practicing for 2010 Sectionals. We've seen this process twice now, it would seem redundant to do another one of these competition episodes (especially if they kept to the same formula that both episodes have used so far). I would be extremely disappointed if the big focus of Season 2 was to be 'better'. These kids are already Regionals worthy - we know this. This is a fantastic opportunity to spend more time developing characters, exploring other sides to relationships. For example, I would quite like to have seen more of the Finn/Kurt storyline through the perspective of Finn. Though Mike O' Malley and Chris Colfer did some of my favourite work this season, it seems a bit one sided to sympathise with one character and not the other, especially when the other is a character we like. I'd like to learn more about Artie, and Tina, and even Mike and Matt, though I imagine that's a pipe dream. They also need to step up the game with Brittany - her one liners are funny but after a certain point she'll become a sketch character.
Mainly though, I'd just like some consistency within the show. I don't want them to 'give up the funk' again, I want them to take an idea and run with it. The only way this show can maintain credibility is by figuring out a clever story arc, assessing how to make it funny but also real, and following through. I would be quite happy for Glee Club to take a back seat to all these things I've mentioned. But I do hope they figure out how to sort out those kinks, because the level the show is at - in terms of writing, characterisation and plot driving - just wouldn't be good enough for a second season.
But by all means I think Glee should hang on to everything it does well - homages, big, crazy dance numbers, the hand motion from low to high, and the comedy. Glee has been a very, very fun show this year and I wouldn't want it to change it's fundamental core - just the bit outside.
And I read over this review and I think.. God, that sounds harsh. But I don't think I am being harsh. I love this show. I think when you love something like a TV show you need to be able to see it for exactly what it is. Glee, on the whole, makes me more giddy-happy simply by watching it than any other show (except Chuck).
See you in September!
What did everybody else think?
