One of my bad habits when I watch a movie I don't like is that I start commentating on the movie - making silly jokes about things people have said, generally making fun of the movie.
And as Finn walked through the Christmas trees while he and Rachel sang Wham's 'Last Christmas' for no apparent reason, I found myself making Marty McFly jokes about what Finn was wearing.
Needless to say, I didn't enjoy 'A Very Glee Christmas' - a rather shameless hour long advert to promote the Christmas album of mostly tedious and uninteresting songs.
It was one of those 'Glee' episodes that we've seen far too much this season - an episode with a million and one ideas that haven't been reigned in or adjusted to make a coherent hour of TV. There were some nice beats, sure - Coach Beiste getting Artie the magic robot walker thing was sweet, and Kurt's exchange with Will about the difference between McKinley and Dalton(*) made sense. And any episode that tries to make Brittany more than just the exceptionally dumb blonde but rather a girl who finds herself defaulting to a happier, easier world (maybe I'm reading too much into this) gets marks in my book.
(*) I like that Dalton isn't completely perfect in Kurt's eyes. At some point, Kurt will return to McKinley and I like that the writers are thinking more about setting these sorts of things up now rather than springing them up on us four episodes down the line. I'm really glad Kurt isn't putting his new school on a pedestal because there's now potential for a more believable transition back to McKinley.
But so much of 'A Very Glee Christmas' was so disjointed and bizarre - Sue dressing up as the Grinch only served a purpose for the audience, only Brittany saw her destroying the tree and even then she thought she was Santa. Why put all that green make-up on if you're going to sneak around the school at night?
Certainly, the two biggest relationships we're supposed to care about took up far too much time in the episode. Rachel and Finn as a couple isn't as interesting as Ryan Murphy thinks it is. The biggest flaw with those two, of course, is that between scenes, Finn goes from happy-go-lucky Christmas spirit guy(**) to miserable girlfriend dumping guy. it goes back to what I was saying about too many ideas in one episode. The two sides of Finn didn't work, so for me, happy-go-lucky Finn felt very forced. There was also never really any reason to break them up other than for the drama of it all - 'Finnchel' were doing fine as a couple (see 'Duet' as a highlight) and I think it's a shame that the writers didn't feel comfortable believing in their creation.
(**) At one point during the episode, in a scene with Happy-Finn, my brother suggested that maybe Finn's determination to have a happy Christmas could be related to the death of his father and that he didn't want to forever associate Christmas with such a sad time. It was a completely out of the blue suggestion, but I couldn't help but think it would have made for a more believable and emotional story had the episode explored the reason for his chipper behaviour (I don't buy that teenagers would just get that excited over Christmas because it's the most magical time of the year).
And with regards to Will and Emma, I'm almost at a loss for words. What was once a rather sweet and innocent crush between two teachers unhappy in their current relationships has turned into something so flaccid, so dull. I feel like watching them stare awkwardly at each other is a chore now, and it shouldn't be that way. I'd normally suggest that they defecate or get off the pot, but at this point I think it's probably too late to redeem this story arc.
But I gotta say, if nothing else, I want to throw some praise on Dot Marie Jones. Coach Beiste has been one of my favourite additions to this second season. While I thought it was a shame that the writers completely insulted Jones as an actress and a person in 'Never Been Kissed', I thought she did some fantastic work here, showing some real sincere compassion that I didn't really feel when we saw Sue's heart grow three times it's size. The problem with Sue is that you know full well she'll go back to being a she-devil the next episode, and so you can only really take her kindness with a pinch of salt. It sucks, because Jane Lynch acts those scenes really well - but the writing does let her down and 32 episodes into 'Glee' the trick doesn't really work on me anymore.
I'm too sleepy for any more big paragraphs (though I have some more I could knock out in all honesty), so a quick hail of bullets.
- I like that Becky has been given a proper role in this show, and not just the role of 'girl with Down's Syndrome'. Sue's sidekick could be played by any hottie with a scowly face, but if anything I actually prefer the sweet but devious character that Lauren Potter has brought to the table. This is the way forward, and I welcome it.
- Has this show forgotten about Mercedes completely? Amber Riley hasn't really had much to do for weeks.
- When Will walked into his house, I dreaded that Terri would be there. That shouldn't be a thing, right? I shouldn't be preparing myself up for having to sit through an awful character being on screen?
- Songs! I really wasn't that bothered by the Christmas songs at all, as I generally find them to be annoying and rather bland. But I don't think good songs would have saved this episode.
- Finally, New Directions appeared on 'The X-Factor' on Sunday night, sans Chris Colfer, and they did 'Don't Stop Believing'. Check it out if you've not seen it, it's good fun.
Overall, I've been disappointed with this half-season. Some strong episodes like 'Furt' shine through but can't make up for this weeks mess or the travesty that was 'Brittany/Britney'. Maybe we'll see a return to form in the spring.
What did everyone else think?
