Glee is a light weight bubble gum series - and fantastic at that (well, when it gets some good song choices) and the place it falls down most is where it tries to be something else.
Thing is, it was never intended to be bubblegum. Ever. It was written as a black comedy with some dark moments and difficult topics. Then fox realised they had a money spinner and made it into the chart pop/crap storylines programme it has become today.
I loved this episode and felt like it was truly the Glee I knew and loved back again - handling hard to tell issues in a high school environment. Heather Morris was spectacular in the scene in the bathroom - to think she was hired originally just to teach Chris Colfer the Beyonce single ladies dance!
Quite simply, Idina Menzel is the freaking diva. I love her and that track is amazing.
I equally love Rachel's solo in this episode but it does have a major problem in that all it does is
serve to remind us what Glee once was and what it isn't any more
I don't usually listen to the songs before the episode, but I've been so intrigued about Rachel's DSB that I caved in, and I wasn't disappointed.
I agree it does bring back a lot of nostalgia for the glory days of Glee, but I think it also shows how far Rachel (and Lea) has come - it's a much more mature, refined performance, though I still think I prefer that song as a group number rather than a solo.
And Idina is a star, I have a huge amount of respect for her - saw her concert and met her a few months ago and she was phenomenal. Great to see her back, I'm looking forward to that part of the episode immensely
Didn't bother with the rest of the songs, the descriptions of who's singing were enough to make me decide not to bother.
I'll admit there's not a lot I enjoy about Glee these days but I really love
Don't Stop Believing
Obviously it doesn't have quite the impact of the pilot version but the nostalgia is good enough and the arrangement/Lea's vocals on it are always fantastic
I think I am the only one really enjoying this years Glee, it has been much better than last season and I think some people are forgetting that Season 1 wasn't perfect. In fact the first half of Season 1 was the only point in which they didn't miss a step, it was brilliant. After that it was more hit than miss and then as the seasons progressed a bit annoying.
For me Season 4 has been a return to form, not the unmissable vibrant new show of the first season but thats when it was new and fresh and couldn't put a foot wrong. It has found a happy place for me, entertaining and new in some forms as well. Last weeks episode was the reason I watch it, brilliant episode that would rival any as the best ever.
^ You're not the only one. I think S4 has been the best since S1. Though Glee still has major problems - inconsistency of storylines and characters being the main one, lacking of substantial plots too. I think the new characters have been really good - especially Kitty.
New York was rubbish at the start of the season but since Santana moved there, it's been a lot more interesting.
For saying that, I think I'm going to wait a while before officially deciding whether this episode was a good one or not. There is potential for a massive Sue storyline that could come from this, though I'm not totally sure Glee are going to go down that route. So yeah, as a standalone episode it was good, but if there is no aftermath, I think Glee probably crossed a line they shouldn't have crossed!
I don't get why so many people think school shooting storylines are so tasteless. Bad things, not just school shootings, happen every day. Car crashes (people didn't complain about that), domestic violence (again, it wasn't called bad taste), other shows have cold-booded murder regularly, etc.
But, as soon as something along these lines is even mentioned, people, for some reason, treat it like something that we should pretend doesn't happen. Heck, people even got offended when it happened in AHS, a horror show. What makes it so different to all of the other storylines used in TV? School shootings are terrible, yes, but I have no issue with them happening in works of fiction,
I really liked the episode, most of it didn't feel like Glee, but in a good way rather than the bad way earlier in the season. The scenes of the panic throughout the school felt like a thriller, it was really quite disturbing, very well done imo.
I don't get why so many people think school shooting storylines are so tasteless. Bad things, not just school shootings, happen every day. Car crashes (people didn't complain about that), domestic violence (again, it wasn't called bad taste), other shows have cold-booded murder regularly, etc.
But, as soon as something along these lines is even mentioned, people, for some reason, treat it like something that we should pretend doesn't happen. Heck, people even got offended when it happened in AHS, a horror show. What makes it so different to all of the other storylines used in TV? School shootings are terrible, yes, but I have no issue with them happening in works of fiction,
The debate in the States at the moment is actually as much about putting MORE guns into schools (The NRA and other gun lobbies are promoting armed guards as the "answer" to Sandy Hook, as opposed to gun control) i.e. the rationale behind Sue's cooked up explanation. A simple bit of drama to show the absurdity of the more guns argument.
"@TheGleeSpoiler: A character will say goodbye in 4x22."
I'm going to assume that it's one of the New Directions so maybe, Brittany? But nooooooo, Brittana . It could also be be Becky? Because the truth of who shot the gun could come out. Or Sugar but she's not really in it anymore anyway...
"@TheGleeSpoiler: A character will say goodbye in 4x22."
I'm going to assume that it's one of the New Directions so maybe, Brittany? But nooooooo, Brittana . It could also be be Becky? Because the truth of who shot the gun could come out. Or Sugar but she's not really in it anymore anyway...
Goodbye as in permanently, not even wanting to come back as a guest star twice a year?
Because really Mercedes, Quinn, Puck and Mike all said goodbye at the end of season 3, but they still come back occasionally.
I haven't noticed Sugar being there for weeks, clearly either Vanessa's busy with other things or they've just written her out without acknowledging it.
Presumably it will be Brittany - they have to somehow write Heather out for pretty much a season even if she does plan to return, and seeing as they're not finishing the school year this season, they'll have to come up with a reason other than Brittany graduating....maybe she'll get a cheerleading/dance job somewhere that's too good to turn down?
Doesn't sound like she's being killed off though (if it even is Brittany): 'say goodbye' would be strange wording to describe that
Goodbye as in permanently, not even wanting to come back as a guest star twice a year?
Because really Mercedes, Quinn, Puck and Mike all said goodbye at the end of season 3, but they still come back occasionally.
I haven't noticed Sugar being there for weeks, clearly either Vanessa's busy with other things or they've just written her out without acknowledging it.
Presumably it will be Brittany - they have to somehow write Heather out for pretty much a season even if she does plan to return, and seeing as they're not finishing the school year this season, they'll have to come up with a reason other than Brittany graduating....maybe she'll get a cheerleading/dance job somewhere that's too good to turn down?
Doesn't sound like she's being killed off though (if it even is Brittany): 'say goodbye' would be strange wording to describe that
I'm assuming it means they're leaving the school which is odd since apparently no-one graduates in the final. I can't see why Brittany would leave (but I could see why Heather would need a break). Maybe Will might say goodbye or Emma?
I'm assuming it means they're leaving the school which is odd since apparently no-one graduates in the final. I can't see why Brittany would leave (but I could see why Heather would need a break). Maybe Will might say goodbye or Emma?
I think I am the only one really enjoying this years Glee, it has been much better than last season and I think some people are forgetting that Season 1 wasn't perfect. In fact the first half of Season 1 was the only point in which they didn't miss a step, it was brilliant. After that it was more hit than miss and then as the seasons progressed a bit annoying.
For me Season 4 has been a return to form, not the unmissable vibrant new show of the first season but thats when it was new and fresh and couldn't put a foot wrong. It has found a happy place for me, entertaining and new in some forms as well. Last weeks episode was the reason I watch it, brilliant episode that would rival any as the best ever.
So I stayed up to watch this one, which i rarely do (but i couldnt sleep so why not!), and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
First off, I'm glad they're carrying on the effects of the shooting a bit, even if it is a bit comically. But personally i think it would have to be considering nobody was hurt so it would seem a bit silly to still be like "oh god we could have died!" when they all know what really happened. Of course that wouldn't change the terror that they felt, i think I'd just get a bit fed up of watching them like that for another whole episode. So silly little things like Sam/Evan were pretty good imo.
Then, I loved both the Rachel performances. Something about Shelby's return made me want to cry as soon as she was there. I think it was the return of the piano scene, which as Shelby pointed out, is always how she finds her. And I think even though I knew about it, I still felt surprised by how happy it made me of the thought that Shelby cared so much to go looking for her, rather than just wishing her luck electronically or something.
Then the Don't Stop Believing was wonderful. I really liked the idea that she was acting that all out with nobody there. But it was sweet to see a bit more of the old Rachel back, but more mature rather than the Diva that she has been in some of the season.
Lima college was pretty good too, I really liked the story with Finn and Puck, and I adored their friendship too! Puck's always been my favourite male and my two favourite relationships for him are Quinn and Finn (friendship with Finn obvs) and I think Finn and Puck has really been underused a lot of the time, what with all the fighting over girls.
As for McKinley, it was good and all, but it just feels like its completely stalled atm. Clearly it's to build up to something for the finale, but it's making it too dull. I think leaving regionals this late was a mistake, because now with three episodes to go, the next one is probably going to feel like filler too. Even if they'd had regionals done with, then it'd feel a little more forward. but now, it feels like nothing really has happened at the school atall in the past while and it makes it harder to care.
So yeah, overall I quite liked it, but it's just a bit tedious in places now..
I really enjoyed that episode, had some really nice old-school Glee moments, Marley's Outcast song was great and inspirational, Rachel's audition was amazing and I enjoyed Puck being back to spice up college a little bit.
Only thing that annoyed me is that they'd completely forgot to mention the Ryder/Katie thing.
Oh, also, I love Roz Washington! I was wondering just a few days ago what happened to her but now I know she was only in North Korea! : )
First, the good: the Finn and Rachel phone call was great, they still have great chemistry. And the Rachel and Kurt scene was great, though there was a very conspicuous lack of Santana!
Don't Stop Believing was perfect, Lea's performance showed just how far Rachel has come, and I loved the staging.
She and Idina Menzel are stars, and they work brilliantly together. I loved Next to Me, Glee hasn't had a performance that good in a long time. And their conversation was wonderful. All of it showed the class that only remains in the New York part of this show.
In contrast, the Lima college scenes were infantile. Clearly they were meant to be funny, but I don't find anything funny in the stereotypical (and completely untrue) image of college being more childish than high school. It's a complete contrast to Rachel, Kurt, Mike and Quinn, who at least seem to be having slightly more realistic college experiences. And the fact that Will just showed up at the college is beyond ridiculous :rolleyes:
But it was interesting to see the contrast between Finn when he's partying and Finn when he's talking to Rachel. And Puck's epiphany was pretty well done too, even though he had that dream a year ago and didn't do anything with it. I still think it's ridiculous that he's just staying with Finn in college though. And it's equally ridiculous that Will's so reliant on Finn, and that he begged him so much to come back to the Glee club.
Interesting that MIT is wanting early commitment from Brittany, wonder if that'll lead in some way to them writing Heather out.
The whole Sam/Evan thing was ridiculous, just when I think the show can't scrape the barrel anymore, it tries to do so again.
Will needs to go. I don't know if it's the writing, or Matt Morrison's performance, or both, but he's such an unlikeable, frankly almost dictatorial character now. The way he was so dismissive of Marley and so utterly self-important was uncomfortable to watch, and his rant when they said they'd picked another setlist was really just embarassing. Glee would be a much better show without him now, which shows just how bad the writing now is.
Well done Melissa though, I really felt for Marley in this episode. The song she wrote was really sweet in a very Disney-ish way (though it did go a bit over the top towards the end), and I loved the simplicity of the 4 of them singing it around the piano. Of all the new characters, she's by far the best, and she was great in the last performance too, though I didn't really like the song and they need to sack the choreographer, that was so cheesy it was cringeworthy. I like that they're going down the singer-songwriter approach with her.
So an ok episode overall, much better than a lot of the trash that they've done this season but still definitely lacking in something and blighted by some very, very dodgy writing.
In contrast, the Lima college scenes were infantile. Clearly they were meant to be funny, but I don't find anything funny in the stereotypical (and completely untrue) image of college being more childish than high school. It's a complete contrast to Rachel, Kurt, Mike and Quinn, who at least seem to be having slightly more realistic college experiences. And the fact that Will just showed up at the college is beyond ridiculous :rolleyes:
Well clearly you don't know all colleges then. I'm at uni here and my experience is closer to Finn's than any of the others. I live in student halls, and there's a good few parties every night. My lectures often have less than ten people in them if they are in the morning (my course is quite small admittedly, and very focused so there's few joint lectures with other courses). The work is a lot easier than what I did at high school, and you're given a lot more time to do it, with far more relaxed guidelines when you do.
And I don't understand why Will showing up there is ridiculous? It's still in Lima, and anyone can walk into a university, hell my halls even allow people into the flat's to surprise is if they can prove they know us. So what's ridiculous about that?
Well clearly you don't know all colleges then. I'm at uni here and my experience is closer to Finn's than any of the others. I live in student halls, and there's a good few parties every night. My lectures often have less than ten people in them if they are in the morning (my course is quite small admittedly, and very focused so there's few joint lectures with other courses). The work is a lot easier than what I did at high school, and you're given a lot more time to do it, with far more relaxed guidelines when you do.
And I don't understand why Will showing up there is ridiculous? It's still in Lima, and anyone can walk into a university, hell my halls even allow people into the flat's to surprise is if they can prove they know us. So what's ridiculous about that?
What's ridiculous about that is the whole Will/Finn friendship thing in the first place. I'm in touch with some of my former teachers, but not to that extent and certainly not to the extent that I'd be asked to be a bridesmaid at a wedding. I don't know anyone who's that close to a former teacher that said teacher would visit them at uni.
Nothing to do with who can and can't walk into a university hall, I didn't say that in my post at all, I was specifically talking about Will.
I thought the party itself was pretty infantile, and not really representative of student parties. Yes, we all sit around and drink, and play loud music, but I've never seen inflatable slides or people wearing bikinis in student halls before. There are parties, but they're not like that.
What's ridiculous about that is the whole Will/Finn friendship thing in the first place. I'm in touch with some of my former teachers, but not to that extent and certainly not to the extent that I'd be asked to be a bridesmaid at a wedding. I don't know anyone who's that close to a former teacher that said teacher would visit them at uni.
Nothing to do with who can and can't walk into a university hall, I didn't say that in my post at all, I was specifically talking about Will.
I thought the party itself was pretty infantile, and not really representative of student parties. Yes, we all sit around and drink, and play loud music, but I've never seen inflatable slides or people wearing bikinis in student halls before. There are parties, but they're not like that.
Ahh okay I see, sorry that's my mistake then!
I do agree with the Will/Finn friendship, it is somewhat creepy. Wasn't there a point last season where Sue said something about Will having no friends of his own age? That still applies. If you look at it, as far as we know Will has one friend and its coach Beastie.
I've been to some ridiculous parties here, with sumo suits and stupid things like that, so it is possible although the bikini's i agree with but I'm just gonna put that down to it being american because really you dont see many bikini's in Scotland anyway
I loved the original songs this week, particularly You Have More Friends Than You Know.
Lea Michele was great as always, it always shocks me how similar her and Idina are in features and voice - when I first heard Next To Me I was having a little difficulty telling who was who!
My only problem with the dorms bit (I did skip through Finn and Puck's song, it bored me a bit ) was that Will could so easily walk in...my dorms last year we all had specific keys and could only get in if we had our key/ knew someone who was letting us in. Maybe English universities are more strict
Where on earth has Emma got to?
And for that matter, Santana?
The only thing I wondered (and I assume they must have done), was if the original New Directions re-filmed that, which wouldn't be too much hastle, apart from for Mercedes, who we never see any more...
Comments
Thing is, it was never intended to be bubblegum. Ever. It was written as a black comedy with some dark moments and difficult topics. Then fox realised they had a money spinner and made it into the chart pop/crap storylines programme it has become today.
I loved this episode and felt like it was truly the Glee I knew and loved back again - handling hard to tell issues in a high school environment. Heather Morris was spectacular in the scene in the bathroom - to think she was hired originally just to teach Chris Colfer the Beyonce single ladies dance!
Good work, Glee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vevIS1vJC4g - Next to Me - Rachel and Shelby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYO2Uqk0jQ8 - Don't Stop Believin' (Rachel Solo Audition Version) - Rachel
The other 3 are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Ocs_9n6XE - An original song by the New New Directions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmn8mv4iEmE - Fight for your right to party - Finn and Puck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1E9QIc-MDc - You have more friends than you know - The ND
I equally love Rachel's solo in this episode but it does have a major problem in that all it does is
I agree it does bring back a lot of nostalgia for the glory days of Glee, but I think it also shows how far Rachel (and Lea) has come - it's a much more mature, refined performance, though I still think I prefer that song as a group number rather than a solo.
And Idina is a star, I have a huge amount of respect for her - saw her concert and met her a few months ago and she was phenomenal. Great to see her back, I'm looking forward to that part of the episode immensely
Didn't bother with the rest of the songs, the descriptions of who's singing were enough to make me decide not to bother.
Obviously it doesn't have quite the impact of the pilot version but the nostalgia is good enough and the arrangement/Lea's vocals on it are always fantastic
For me Season 4 has been a return to form, not the unmissable vibrant new show of the first season but thats when it was new and fresh and couldn't put a foot wrong. It has found a happy place for me, entertaining and new in some forms as well. Last weeks episode was the reason I watch it, brilliant episode that would rival any as the best ever.
New York was rubbish at the start of the season but since Santana moved there, it's been a lot more interesting.
Becky didn't intend to attempt suicide, she brought the gun to school for protection.
I don't get why so many people think school shooting storylines are so tasteless. Bad things, not just school shootings, happen every day. Car crashes (people didn't complain about that), domestic violence (again, it wasn't called bad taste), other shows have cold-booded murder regularly, etc.
But, as soon as something along these lines is even mentioned, people, for some reason, treat it like something that we should pretend doesn't happen. Heck, people even got offended when it happened in AHS, a horror show. What makes it so different to all of the other storylines used in TV? School shootings are terrible, yes, but I have no issue with them happening in works of fiction,
I really liked the episode, most of it didn't feel like Glee, but in a good way rather than the bad way earlier in the season. The scenes of the panic throughout the school felt like a thriller, it was really quite disturbing, very well done imo.
The debate in the States at the moment is actually as much about putting MORE guns into schools (The NRA and other gun lobbies are promoting armed guards as the "answer" to Sandy Hook, as opposed to gun control) i.e. the rationale behind Sue's cooked up explanation. A simple bit of drama to show the absurdity of the more guns argument.
I'm going to assume that it's one of the New Directions so maybe, Brittany? But nooooooo, Brittana
Because really Mercedes, Quinn, Puck and Mike all said goodbye at the end of season 3, but they still come back occasionally.
I haven't noticed Sugar being there for weeks, clearly either Vanessa's busy with other things or they've just written her out without acknowledging it.
Presumably it will be Brittany - they have to somehow write Heather out for pretty much a season even if she does plan to return, and seeing as they're not finishing the school year this season, they'll have to come up with a reason other than Brittany graduating....maybe she'll get a cheerleading/dance job somewhere that's too good to turn down?
Doesn't sound like she's being killed off though (if it even is Brittany): 'say goodbye' would be strange wording to describe that
There were still chart songs in the early episodes.
You're not, there's quite a few of us
First off, I'm glad they're carrying on the effects of the shooting a bit, even if it is a bit comically. But personally i think it would have to be considering nobody was hurt so it would seem a bit silly to still be like "oh god we could have died!" when they all know what really happened. Of course that wouldn't change the terror that they felt, i think I'd just get a bit fed up of watching them like that for another whole episode. So silly little things like Sam/Evan were pretty good imo.
Then, I loved both the Rachel performances. Something about Shelby's return made me want to cry as soon as she was there. I think it was the return of the piano scene, which as Shelby pointed out, is always how she finds her. And I think even though I knew about it, I still felt surprised by how happy it made me of the thought that Shelby cared so much to go looking for her, rather than just wishing her luck electronically or something.
Then the Don't Stop Believing was wonderful. I really liked the idea that she was acting that all out with nobody there. But it was sweet to see a bit more of the old Rachel back, but more mature rather than the Diva that she has been in some of the season.
Lima college was pretty good too, I really liked the story with Finn and Puck, and I adored their friendship too! Puck's always been my favourite male and my two favourite relationships for him are Quinn and Finn (friendship with Finn obvs) and I think Finn and Puck has really been underused a lot of the time, what with all the fighting over girls.
As for McKinley, it was good and all, but it just feels like its completely stalled atm. Clearly it's to build up to something for the finale, but it's making it too dull. I think leaving regionals this late was a mistake, because now with three episodes to go, the next one is probably going to feel like filler too. Even if they'd had regionals done with, then it'd feel a little more forward. but now, it feels like nothing really has happened at the school atall in the past while and it makes it harder to care.
So yeah, overall I quite liked it, but it's just a bit tedious in places now..
Only thing that annoyed me is that they'd completely forgot to mention the Ryder/Katie thing.
Oh, also, I love Roz Washington! I was wondering just a few days ago what happened to her but now I know she was only in North Korea! : )
Don't Stop Believing was perfect, Lea's performance showed just how far Rachel has come, and I loved the staging.
She and Idina Menzel are stars, and they work brilliantly together. I loved Next to Me, Glee hasn't had a performance that good in a long time. And their conversation was wonderful. All of it showed the class that only remains in the New York part of this show.
In contrast, the Lima college scenes were infantile. Clearly they were meant to be funny, but I don't find anything funny in the stereotypical (and completely untrue) image of college being more childish than high school. It's a complete contrast to Rachel, Kurt, Mike and Quinn, who at least seem to be having slightly more realistic college experiences. And the fact that Will just showed up at the college is beyond ridiculous :rolleyes:
But it was interesting to see the contrast between Finn when he's partying and Finn when he's talking to Rachel. And Puck's epiphany was pretty well done too, even though he had that dream a year ago and didn't do anything with it. I still think it's ridiculous that he's just staying with Finn in college though. And it's equally ridiculous that Will's so reliant on Finn, and that he begged him so much to come back to the Glee club.
Interesting that MIT is wanting early commitment from Brittany, wonder if that'll lead in some way to them writing Heather out.
The whole Sam/Evan thing was ridiculous, just when I think the show can't scrape the barrel anymore, it tries to do so again.
Will needs to go. I don't know if it's the writing, or Matt Morrison's performance, or both, but he's such an unlikeable, frankly almost dictatorial character now. The way he was so dismissive of Marley and so utterly self-important was uncomfortable to watch, and his rant when they said they'd picked another setlist was really just embarassing. Glee would be a much better show without him now, which shows just how bad the writing now is.
Well done Melissa though, I really felt for Marley in this episode. The song she wrote was really sweet in a very Disney-ish way (though it did go a bit over the top towards the end), and I loved the simplicity of the 4 of them singing it around the piano. Of all the new characters, she's by far the best, and she was great in the last performance too, though I didn't really like the song and they need to sack the choreographer, that was so cheesy it was cringeworthy. I like that they're going down the singer-songwriter approach with her.
So an ok episode overall, much better than a lot of the trash that they've done this season but still definitely lacking in something and blighted by some very, very dodgy writing.
Well clearly you don't know all colleges then. I'm at uni here and my experience is closer to Finn's than any of the others. I live in student halls, and there's a good few parties every night. My lectures often have less than ten people in them if they are in the morning (my course is quite small admittedly, and very focused so there's few joint lectures with other courses). The work is a lot easier than what I did at high school, and you're given a lot more time to do it, with far more relaxed guidelines when you do.
And I don't understand why Will showing up there is ridiculous? It's still in Lima, and anyone can walk into a university, hell my halls even allow people into the flat's to surprise is if they can prove they know us. So what's ridiculous about that?
What's ridiculous about that is the whole Will/Finn friendship thing in the first place. I'm in touch with some of my former teachers, but not to that extent and certainly not to the extent that I'd be asked to be a bridesmaid at a wedding. I don't know anyone who's that close to a former teacher that said teacher would visit them at uni.
Nothing to do with who can and can't walk into a university hall, I didn't say that in my post at all, I was specifically talking about Will.
I thought the party itself was pretty infantile, and not really representative of student parties. Yes, we all sit around and drink, and play loud music, but I've never seen inflatable slides or people wearing bikinis in student halls before. There are parties, but they're not like that.
Ahh okay I see, sorry that's my mistake then!
I do agree with the Will/Finn friendship, it is somewhat creepy. Wasn't there a point last season where Sue said something about Will having no friends of his own age? That still applies. If you look at it, as far as we know Will has one friend and its coach Beastie.
I've been to some ridiculous parties here, with sumo suits and stupid things like that, so it is possible
Lea Michele was great as always, it always shocks me how similar her and Idina are in features and voice - when I first heard Next To Me I was having a little difficulty telling who was who!
My only problem with the dorms bit (I did skip through Finn and Puck's song, it bored me a bit
Where on earth has Emma got to?
And for that matter, Santana?
The only thing I wondered (and I assume they must have done), was if the original New Directions re-filmed that, which wouldn't be too much hastle, apart from for Mercedes, who we never see any more...
Loved the scene with her and Blaine.