Glee 2.07: The Substitute
Nov. 16th, 2010 10:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mollyporterThat was bad, Glee. That was really bad.
Just to get it out of the way, because I'm tired of saying it, NO MORE SCHUE-CENTERED PLOTS. And no more Terri ever. They're divorced, she's gone, it's over. Stop trying to make fetch happen, it's never going to happen. Ok, done. We aren't even going to talk about that anymore.
The theme of musical numbers this week was apparently "Let's Be Self-Indulgent". Which could be kind of fun if Glee didn't already have a problem with being overly self indulgent.
Music Break Down:
- I don't really like the radio-edit of F**k You (oh, excuse me, "forget" you), but even so, the number had great energy. It was great to see Kurt in it because you see such a clear difference in his overall happiness. I love Kurt! It's awesome (Totally Awesome) that he's happy! It was just overall so fun that I was willing to let a few things slide. Grade: B+
- Mike should have been the star of Make 'em Laugh instead of Will, or at least played a bigger role - though that can sort of forgive that because it was Will's fever dream. Singin' in the rain is a great movie, the performance was enjoyable, but didn't really respect it. This one was self-indulgence on the part of the writers and actors. Of course it's fun to do, but it's not original or interesting to just copy a famous performance. Grade: C, utterly average.
- Nowadays was a bomb. Period. I love Chicago, it's basically the first musical I ever fell in love with, but the lead-up was for something up-tempo (which Nowadays is decidedly not) and Lea and Gwyneth were vocally or physically well matched. It just didn't have a great energy. Basically, it got me excited for a brief moment because it was referencing something I love, but then the fact that it was a really bad performance just overtook any excitement. Grade: D
- Umbrella was better than I expected to from the previews, but (a) it was better in concept than in execution, and (b) it was kind of annoying because the point of the number was obviously intended to be "Will learns how to compromise and listen to his students", but instead it translated as "Will continues to impose his taste on the kids, but has learned to make minor concessions to keep them from rebelling completely" Grade: B-
Plot Break Down:
Kurt and Mercedes: I really disliked this plotline, even if I can't make outraged claims that it's out of character. Because high-school kids get wrapped up in themselves and they forget to treat their friends well - which is exactly what Kurt did to Mercedes in this episode. Just because it's justifiable from a character standpoint doesn't mean I liked watching it. And I really didn't like the way Mercedes came off as eating her feelings in tater-tots because her best friend has a new support system. This part basically just leaves me being sad about their friendship and wanting the writers to fix it. Preferably without the solution being "Oh, Mercedes just needed a boyfriend to make her life all better".
From a plot standpoint I really like Karofsky, even if I kind of hated it from a "I don't want anything bad to happen to Kurt" standpoint. The wink in the cafeteria was so - ugh. And the way he keeps finding excuses to talk to Kurt, and then being extra vicious just to cover. It's actually really scary, and I think we all know it's going to come to a head pretty soon.
The Substitute: At first I didn't think I was going to like Holly Holiday, because at first she was this sort of odd way-too-perfect character, so I liked the overall character arc where we learned that she couldn't take anything seriously. As horrible as it was for Mercedes, I loved the scene with Sue where Holly showed that she really doesn't know what to do when things get serious. Of course, the fact that she was supposed to be a foil for Will was a little iffy because of the writers constant insistence that Will is a better person and a better teacher than the have ever shown him to be. Nevertheless, I liked that she was imperfect in a very reasonable way - and in a way that makes her a great substitute if not a great full time teacher.
Principle Sue: This was just weird. I mean, I love Sue, but way to stretch the audience's suspension of disbelief. It did provide some good humorous moments, and it did get us to the dramatic climax of the substitute plot, because Figgins would never have fired Will. Or maybe he would have, but it was better that Sue did it and then turned around and changed her mind.
Also, I really like that they've kept Becky around as a character, but I kind of wish her role wasn't just to be Sue's minion/lackey. Can we actually go back to a time where we got to see Cheerios practice? And can we see Becky interact with Brittany again? Because their friendship was really cute in Wheels.
Overall, not a great episode. There were a few pieces of season-long plot arcs that were definitely touched on and are hopefully moving the plot forward in an interesting way, but most of the high points of this episode were in scenes where the was potential for future development, not in scenes that stood all that well on their own.
Just to get it out of the way, because I'm tired of saying it, NO MORE SCHUE-CENTERED PLOTS. And no more Terri ever. They're divorced, she's gone, it's over. Stop trying to make fetch happen, it's never going to happen. Ok, done. We aren't even going to talk about that anymore.
The theme of musical numbers this week was apparently "Let's Be Self-Indulgent". Which could be kind of fun if Glee didn't already have a problem with being overly self indulgent.
Music Break Down:
- I don't really like the radio-edit of F**k You (oh, excuse me, "forget" you), but even so, the number had great energy. It was great to see Kurt in it because you see such a clear difference in his overall happiness. I love Kurt! It's awesome (Totally Awesome) that he's happy! It was just overall so fun that I was willing to let a few things slide. Grade: B+
- Mike should have been the star of Make 'em Laugh instead of Will, or at least played a bigger role - though that can sort of forgive that because it was Will's fever dream. Singin' in the rain is a great movie, the performance was enjoyable, but didn't really respect it. This one was self-indulgence on the part of the writers and actors. Of course it's fun to do, but it's not original or interesting to just copy a famous performance. Grade: C, utterly average.
- Nowadays was a bomb. Period. I love Chicago, it's basically the first musical I ever fell in love with, but the lead-up was for something up-tempo (which Nowadays is decidedly not) and Lea and Gwyneth were vocally or physically well matched. It just didn't have a great energy. Basically, it got me excited for a brief moment because it was referencing something I love, but then the fact that it was a really bad performance just overtook any excitement. Grade: D
- Umbrella was better than I expected to from the previews, but (a) it was better in concept than in execution, and (b) it was kind of annoying because the point of the number was obviously intended to be "Will learns how to compromise and listen to his students", but instead it translated as "Will continues to impose his taste on the kids, but has learned to make minor concessions to keep them from rebelling completely" Grade: B-
Plot Break Down:
Kurt and Mercedes: I really disliked this plotline, even if I can't make outraged claims that it's out of character. Because high-school kids get wrapped up in themselves and they forget to treat their friends well - which is exactly what Kurt did to Mercedes in this episode. Just because it's justifiable from a character standpoint doesn't mean I liked watching it. And I really didn't like the way Mercedes came off as eating her feelings in tater-tots because her best friend has a new support system. This part basically just leaves me being sad about their friendship and wanting the writers to fix it. Preferably without the solution being "Oh, Mercedes just needed a boyfriend to make her life all better".
From a plot standpoint I really like Karofsky, even if I kind of hated it from a "I don't want anything bad to happen to Kurt" standpoint. The wink in the cafeteria was so - ugh. And the way he keeps finding excuses to talk to Kurt, and then being extra vicious just to cover. It's actually really scary, and I think we all know it's going to come to a head pretty soon.
The Substitute: At first I didn't think I was going to like Holly Holiday, because at first she was this sort of odd way-too-perfect character, so I liked the overall character arc where we learned that she couldn't take anything seriously. As horrible as it was for Mercedes, I loved the scene with Sue where Holly showed that she really doesn't know what to do when things get serious. Of course, the fact that she was supposed to be a foil for Will was a little iffy because of the writers constant insistence that Will is a better person and a better teacher than the have ever shown him to be. Nevertheless, I liked that she was imperfect in a very reasonable way - and in a way that makes her a great substitute if not a great full time teacher.
Principle Sue: This was just weird. I mean, I love Sue, but way to stretch the audience's suspension of disbelief. It did provide some good humorous moments, and it did get us to the dramatic climax of the substitute plot, because Figgins would never have fired Will. Or maybe he would have, but it was better that Sue did it and then turned around and changed her mind.
Also, I really like that they've kept Becky around as a character, but I kind of wish her role wasn't just to be Sue's minion/lackey. Can we actually go back to a time where we got to see Cheerios practice? And can we see Becky interact with Brittany again? Because their friendship was really cute in Wheels.
Overall, not a great episode. There were a few pieces of season-long plot arcs that were definitely touched on and are hopefully moving the plot forward in an interesting way, but most of the high points of this episode were in scenes where the was potential for future development, not in scenes that stood all that well on their own.
