Glee Does Gay, Straight, and Bi In "Duets"

It’s time for this week’s Glee rant.

Last night’s episode centered on a duet competition proposed by Mr. Schuester, the prize for which a coveted gift certificate to the crave-worthy Breadsticks restaurant (think Olive Garden). Each club member scrambled to find a partner that would lead them to victory, leading to some unexpected pairings and interesting duets.

Although one face in particular was missing from the bunch. Puck has been put in juvenile hall for driving his mom's Volvo into a convenience store and leaving with the ATM, and it’s unknown as to when he will return. When the cat’s away, the mice – or Cheerios – will play! With Puck gone, Santana got a little lonely and turned to Brittany for a little girl-on-girl action, saying about her sex drive, “I'm like a lizard. I need something warm beneath me or else I can't digest my food.”

Brittany and Santana sharing a moment.

However, Santana ditched the ditzy blond for resident diva Mercedes for a fabulous take on “River Deep, Mountain High.” Naya Rivera got to show off a vocal talent that I had underestimated until recently. I don’t know if she had voice lessons between seasons or if it was just a poor choice by the directors to keep her out of the spotlight, but she proved herself to be a capable singer – perhaps not the show-stopper duet partner Amber Riley is, but a voice I’d surely like to hear more from as the season progresses.

The belting beauties.

The abandoned Brittany then hooked onto Artie after he was denied by Tina, only to take his v-card. Seriously, Glee? Wow. That was a little unexpected, and frankly it came out of left field. I also thought it was strange for Artie to place blame on Brittany after the fact for having sex with him when it meant nothing to her. He knows she’s a slut – the whole school does. And he certainly could have said “no.” It just seems that if Artie wanted to lose his virginity to someone who cared, he should have done it with someone he had been dating for more than one week.

The direction in which Kurt’s character has headed is irritating to me. After coming out, it seems that the only value to his character, as his plotlines have shown, is that he’s gay. Of course a new boy comes to town, and all he can think about is flirting with him. And he sang a duet… with himself. Why? To sing as both his feminine and masculine parts. Give me a break. Gay people have more to them than their sexuality, and Glee – a self-professed show for the misfits – should embrace that rather than give the subject such a hackneyed, superficial treatment.

While I have wanted to see Mike Chang featured more, it seemed they didn’t showcase his abilities very well. “Sing” from A Chorus Line was a cute and fitting selection for Mike as he’s a dancer rather than a singer, but they barely gave him any choreography. I want to see that boy dance! Not to mention Tina can’t sing at all, so Mike should have picked someone else to complete his lyrical sentences if he really wanted to go to Breadsticks. I don’t know why they would cast Jenna Ushkowitz for any reason other than her race, since she can’t sing, she can’t dance, she can’t act, and she’s not particularly attractive.

“Lucky” was an underwhelming duet between Sam and Quinn, but the mellow pop song was a perfect fit for their less-than-powerful voices. I’m kind of confused about Sam as the new kid in town, and I haven’t formed an opinion yet on the fish-lipped actor Chord Overstreet (which is a ridiculous name). I do, however, know that Quinn needs to keep her legs closed. Girl just had a baby!

I won’t talk about the duets between Finn and Rachel because, frankly, I wasn’t paying attention to them. The two have gotten so overexposed that I’m tired of their characters, hearing them sing, their storylines – the whole thing.

Finally, I just have to thank the show for selecting the “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy” duet. I had never heard the arrangement of the two songs as a duet before, and I instantly fell in love. I immediately tracked down the original with Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland on the latter’s television show from 1963 and have been replaying constantly since. Lea Michele and Chris Colfer sang a sweet rendition, which I could enjoy if I closed my eyes – yes, I’m talking about your nasty faces, Lea. The duet was a lovely way to end the show.

Jane Lynch Is A Natural As SNL Host

This week’s SNL featured Jane Lynch as the host, and she has to be one of the most natural hosts I’ve ever seen. She knows just how to perform in character roles without going overboard. Her understated wit and expert timing is what I admire most about her acting. She’s definitely up there with the likes of Justin Timberlake, in my opinion.

Lynch currently plays conniving cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on the hit musical series Glee, but explained in her monologue that she’s unhappy with the fact that she doesn’t get to sing every week. So she goes on to perform a theme song that she drunkenly wrote for the show, which turns out to be all about her fabulous role: “'Glee' is a show about Sue Sylvester/ Sue Sylvester is the star of 'Glee.'/ Yes, there are few other characters/ But Sue is the one you want to see.” And, surprisingly, she can actually belt!

Some of the funnier skits included a commercial for the “‘Damn It, My Mom Is On Facebook’ Filter,” the Christine O'Donnell “I’m Not A Witch” ad, and the Suze Orman Show.

I’m not really on board with newcomer Jay Pharoah’s impressions. Last week he did a decent impression of Will Smith, and this week he did Denzel Washington. He’s definitely got some nuances down, but it would be more effective if he toned it down just a bit.

I don’t know if the skits were better or if Lynch nailed it, but this is the only episode of the season so far that I’ve actually found funny. Amy Poehler and Bryan Cranston’s episodes were mildly entertaining at best. In general, the writing could stand to be stronger this season.

Glee Gets Its God On, As Does Modern Family

This week’s Glee post is a little late, but I’m going to post it regardless. Last week I noted my disappointment with the direction the series has been taking this season, and this episode didn’t change my opinion. It was littered with odd songs paired with weak performances, and a theme worthy of an after-school special.

Grilled godly goodness.

According to the October 11^th issue of Us Weekly, the average songs per episode is being trimmed down from nine to six this season, since, co-creator Ryan Murphy says, “we’re concentrating more on the stories and giving the supporting characters bigger plot lines.” This would be great, of course, if the plotlines they devise aren’t so vapid as to center a whole episode on a grilled cheese sandwich.

Now, I have to admit, the Grilled Cheesus was a clever idea, but I didn’t like that it led to a preachy episode about beliefs. And dearest Fox Network, why is it the gay kid who’s the atheist, hmm? No way would Fox show a homosexual Christian, because to them that’s an oxymoron. But of course, we discover Kurt’s atheistic tendencies when his dad winds up in the hospital in critical condition after suffering a heart attack. This prompts the glee clubbers to send Kurt their prayers, which Kurt then shuns, thus sparking a conversation on religion and all different kinds of belief. Finn has his sandwich, Puck is a Jew for Jesus, and they even make a reference to the Flying Spaghetti Monster!

Lea Michele was only given one solo this time (praise Grilled Cheesus!), but I felt a little uncomfortable watching her sing to Kurt’s dad at his bedside, all the while calling him “Papa.” Did anyone else think it was weird that these kids were in his hospital room? Sure, they’re all in glee club with Kurt, but it never seemed like they were all that close to Kurt and he didn’t even seem to want their support in the first place.

As much as the religion theme irked me, I will continue to watch, if only to see the minor characters get their chance in the spotlight as promised. Last week’s concentration on Brittany was amazing, and I hope that this Artie/Tina/Mark love triangle will give Harry Shum Jr. a chance to shine as well. Although, if they keep running weak performances like Mark Salling’s “Only the Good Die Young,” I’ll just be forced to fast forward right through. Amen for DVR.

Did anyone else notice that Modern Family had an episode about Christianity vs. atheism this week? Unlike Glee, Family managed to keep the religious theme as only part of the plot rather than the crux of it, which made it bearable. It was also endearing the way they placed a curious and questioning Manny in between his Christian mother and atheist Stepfather, trying to clarify his own beliefs. It was lighthearted and fun, which made it much more successful than Glee’s ram-it-down-your-throat, Full House-esque tactlessness.

Season Two of Glee is Less Than Gleeful...

When I first started watching Glee, I wasn't entirely impressed. I found it exaggeratedly campy, predictable, and that it felt the need to over-process the voices of a largely talented cast. As a singer myself, it irked me to hear the likes of Broadway star Lea Michele's voice Auto-Tuned within and inch of its life when the girl can obviously belt up storm without the help of corrective software. It took a while, but the show grew on me as I found myself overlooking the show's overall goofiness in my excitement to find out what song the club would perform next.

However, as the novelty fades entering into season two, so does my patience. Last night's episode in particular made me realize just how irksome some developments in Glee's formula have become.

Firstly, Lea Michele is gradually becoming unbearable. While I realize her character Rachel Berry is supposed to be a diva on the show, I question if perhaps she's taking the role a bit too seriously. Her rendition of Britney Spears' "One More Time" was in a considerably higher key than the iconic original with which my generation has grown up, and it was clearly yet another attempt to showcase Lea's vocal range. We get it. She can sing high. But I bet you she could sing the song in the lower key just as well, if not better. Then the entire song wouldn't have to be altered, as so many of her solos have. Maybe it wouldn't be as irritating if the girl didn't have so many songs in the first place. I was so excited to see Heather Morris highlighted for once, and though I'd love to see an episode that features Harry Shum Jr. in the near future, I doubt Lea Michele's contract would allow an episode to pass in which she didn't have at least two songs to herself.

Secondly, did anyone else notice how raunchy this episode was? Granted, the show's theme was Britney Spears, but was it really necessary to have the kid with the Jew-fro having an orgasm in the middle of a school assembly? I personally don't have a problem with bawdiness, but I was under the impression that Glee was a family program.

Lastly, bring back Sue Sylvester! Jane Lynch succeeds in portraying the Cheerio coach as a multidimensional character, her hilariously gruff exterior hiding inner emotional complexities. Aside from brilliant deadpan delivery of Brittany, Sue is the only character to make me laugh out loud, and so far this season has seen far too little of her.

While I will continue to tune in and endure the sight of Lea Michele lipsyncing as she grimaces in what appears to be an attempt to move bowel, I don't have especially high expectations for this frothy musical folly of a show.