Glee 9/21/10: "Audition"

I am going to miss the Brittany/Britney episode because I'll be in Europe!

Though, I may be able to pick up new, international ways to insult Mr. Shue's hair.

As far as tonight's episode: yay for Glee's return. I expect eye rolling with equal amounts of awesome.

So when's Community coming back on the air?




...what?

The song list for this episode is up on IMDB.

It's not much of a spoiler to know that freshmen factor into the show tonight.

Rachel meets Sunshine Corazon. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Sunshine is probably the only lady out there that can keep up with Rachel. That imminent irony combined with Rachel's social ignorance make this clip quite hilarious.

I can't figure out why all the clips are so dark, though. Is the lighting for the new season garbage?

Mike Chang/Other Asian actually had a line and more screen time in this episode than all of last season!

Also, I loved the opening that poked fun at the show and how the show sorta subverted its own pilot episode, what with Finn 2.0 turning down Glee.

Haven't watched it yet, but "Mike Chang" and "Asian Camp" are trending topics on Twitter. I think the Other Asian cult following we've joked about is just the tip of the iceberg.

He had a line! A funny line!

I found it enjoyable.

So, for those of us whose moving plans have screwed up their satellite service (Don't ask. Please. My head about exploded over this earlier. ), will the episode be up on Fox's website this week or next week?

Last season, Glee was both on FoxOnDemand (the Fox website) and Hulu the day (And often morning) after.

It's currently up on hulu.

Sunshine Corazon (Charice) was amazing on that solo song. The Hello Kitty backpack in her exit scene was a nice touch too.

Cheyenne looks so evil, however Rachel is evil.

I felt bad for the new football coach, however I feel worse for Finn.

A great episode. I was worried that they'd just hit a bunch of "Reset" buttons like they did during season 1.5. Having an entire sequence explicitly stating that they intended to learn from the mistakes of last season was both hilarious and reassuring.

The show's ability to have pitch black humor with a sunny smile has always been my favorite part of the whole ordeal. Rachel's attempt on Sunshine's life, as well as Brittany's immortal "Stop the Violence" quote are already some of my favorite moments.

Also... wham to Artie, eh? They've been foreshadowing this event ever since "Dream On" when Tina chose to dance with Mike. Still... that really sucks. Especially when the actor who plays Artie did an interview earlier this year where he said that he believed that Artie and Tina are going to be the only couple that works the entire show's run.

Still, it's nice that Mike is getting more screen time and relevance. I suppose moving up on the food chain is something they teach at Asian Camp.

So I guess this is the best place to ask if I should start watching this show. Before anyone answers, I'm not really a fan(institutionally speaking) of the directions modern music and television are going these days(Yeah, I'm one of those guys), but I have really liked a few of the covers I've heard from the show. I guess what I'm asking is, what is the main appeal of the show for you? A general "you", not directed at anyone in particular.

I can get my share of the music elsewhere, so if that's the best part about it, I'll probably pass. But I have heard the word that the show's really funny. Like "laugh out loud" funny, or that charming, feel good kind of funny? I hope what I'm trying to articulate there makes sense.

The show is hilarious, but in a very subversively dark way. It pretends constantly to be a happy, bright show about singing and underdog victories, but it's really a show about the desperation of the common person once they realize their irrelevancy. The entire show is petty and small, which is the grim tragedy of it all: These characters don't matter. Not even in the world crafted for them.

In addition to the sadness of the overall show, the jokes are dark. Characters are racist, sexist, homophobic, and generally unlikeable people. Like Michael Scott of The Office, though, they're presented in this way that makes them addictive. You root for them when they get it right. You root when someone throws them in the garbage. It's the duality there that is so much fun.

The show has a lot of fun alternating at a rapid pace between mocking melodramatic shows and actually being one such show. This gives the show an uneven vibe that is sometimes enjoyable, sometimes awkward. It isn't the best written, but it knows that and never tries to be.

Also, for Season 2 and the first half of Season 1, the music pretty much makes sense. It has a context, isn't abused, and actually adds to the story. I don't know what you mean by "Modern", but the show does music of almost all genres going back to the 80's. Showtunes, rock, rap, country, pop... you name it, they've done it. I admit that it's still a bit myopic to say "Popular music in the last two decades of American Culture", but they've explicitly stated an intention to open up their own horizons in Season 2.

Short Answer: Yes and start with Season 2, episode 1. You'll spoil most of the 1st season's big arcs, but I feel it represents the show well enough to help you decide.


Also, you don't know it yet...

... But this is the best character on television right now, bar none.

Glee works on several levels for me.

First, nostalgia. As they pointed out last night, one complaint was it's all 80s pop and show tunes. Well I grew up watching the movie musicals from the 60's and early 70's when the family went to the drive in. Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, etc. Also I was just starting college when MTV came out in 1981 and videos went quickly from simple band playing song to mini musical stories that work with the song. So for me I relate music with visuals. For instance I can't help thinking of CoH/V when I hear Evanescence's Bring Me to Life due to Desolate Joker's excellent early CoH/V music video that features that song. Same is true with other 3rd party music video mashups such as anime music videos or ones based on popular TV series. Found a lot of new groups that way.

Second, the comedy. Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach is simply a great character you love to hate. Still the show does show her soft side on occasion. The other characters are all unique with their personality tics and the interplay between them can be quite funny.

Third, it tends to be upbeat. Bad things do happen on the show but overall I feel better after watching an episode than before. It makes me smile.

The one problem I have about the show is the cash cow which is iTunes. I like some story with my musical and the later half of last season was packing in the tunes so they had more to sell.

I shed a tear for the demise or Artina..Tinartie...Artinie?

Tartie.