Once again this week, I was really left unimpressed by the Lima storyline. The basic message to be true to yourself was a good one, but there was so many other things going on that seemed to conflict with the message. They’ve also done this story line so many times already. Frankly, Kurt’s (Chris Colfer) struggle was a lot more interesting and well acted than Unique’s (Alex Newell). I’m tired of Unique moping around feeling sorry for him/herself. Marley (Melissa Benoist) is true to herself and it results in Jake (Jacob Artist) cheating on her with Bree (Erinn Westbrook). Given that they perform "Blurred Lines", I'm not sure what the message here is supposed to be. If you don't sleep with your boyfriend when he's ready, you'll lose him to someone who is willing to have sex with him? I’m glad at least that they didn’t drag that on and Marley now knows. This leaves her free to go back to Ryder (Blake Jenner) who really hasn’t had anything to do yet this season.
Maybe I’m getting old – like the school board – or maybe it’s just my intense dislike for Miley Cyrus, but I think twerking really does need to die. And did Sue (Jane Lynch) really have to explain the unfortunate meaning of “Blurred Lines” to Will (Matthew Morrison)? Although I have to admit it was great seeing Morrison take the lead on a song again! I did really enjoy the scene in which Will explains the evolution of risqué dances to the school board, I just wish the waltz had been a little better done. It was still a great way to get the audience (here the school board) to reconsider what they’d thought.
I found the main dance numbers disappointing again this week. “Blurred Lines” was so cut up and choppy it was impossible to see what anyone was doing. And all that Benoist did in “Wrecking Ball” was sit on the ball or throw herself against the wall. Sue’s final decision on Unique’s situation was the right one, but I’m getting increasingly confused about how I’m supposed to feel about Sue. Is she actually compassionate? Or is she still the big bad? I just can’t tell.
Meanwhile in New York, Rachel (Lea Michele) is back to rehearsals for Funny Girl. We get the first duet between Fanny (Michele) and her leading man, Paolo San Pablo (Ioan Gruffudd). We get very little of Pablo other than just the song, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in Gruffud’s singing – he’s not terrible, but he’s not exactly ready for Broadway! Peter Facinelli as eccentric director Campion was great. I did find it hard to believe that Kurt would ever find himself in a domestic rut. What about the new band? Why aren’t they rehearsing? I did like the final version of his tattoo, but a tongue piercing? Really? I thought the best part of the episode was Rachel’s tattoo. I loved that she lied to Kurt and kept it as her own private reminder of and tribute to Finn.
What did you think of the episode? Did the main message speak to you? Do you think Jake and Marley can get past this? Should they? What did you think of the music in tonight’s episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Sue's never been a consistent character so much as a convenient plot coupon, but there isn't even a pretense of anything like consistency any more. The show itself has always been on an uncomfortable blurred line between comedy, drama, and satire, and they find it increasingly harder to ride that line. The comedy is increasingly forced, the satire clashes with the drama, and the drama is so . . . melodramatic and forced. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI find it exceedingly difficult to believe that any high school teacher would not only do twerking as a lesson but would actually come that close to going to the wall for it. It's perhaps not quite as unbelievable as a high school doing rocky Horror, but at least that's actually a play and has good songs in it. Twerking is just public lap dancing, which is fine by me, but is it really what a high school teacher should be encouraging his students to do?
I still often laugh while watching this show, but for all the wrong reasons....
Yep. I think you astutely hit the nail on the head. If you jump back and forth between genres you have to be _very_ good at it - otherwise your audience has NO idea how to take/feel about a scene. I confess, I just have no idea what they're doing anymore...
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