Glee: Season 3 Discussion/Premiere preview clip

[Mark_Nguyen]

Not just kids. I was pretty bored.

I've stated before that the show suffers from having a very large cast of mostly mediocre characters, and splitting the show too many ways. The first part of the first season concentrated on about half the kids and only three of the adults, PLUS they had a focused storyline; that was awesome.

This week, they open with Finn saying that he didn't know who he was or what he was doing - and move on to a dozen more storylines, leaving his concerns unresolved. It's a metaphor of the show itself.

I don't mind flawed characters, but too many of the supposed leads were too unlikeable for me. I watched this show for the adults, and last season they didn't do much with them either. I didn't even remember Will and Emma getting together last year, and then they open up with them in bed. Sue becoming evil AGAIN is to be expected, but at the same time no one should rightfully believe when she says she'll leave them alone anymore.

I'll keep watching to see how the Glee Project winners fit in, and hopefully for some good musical numbers (which have been less common for my tastes). I won't be surprised if this show isn't renewed for the next season, though I'm pretty sure it will be.

Mark

 

[the G-man]

I've stated before that the show suffers from having a very large cast of mostly mediocre characters, and splitting the show too many ways.

Really, other than Jane Lynch (and maybe Colfer) is any main character on the show not a mediocre actor?

Even the seasoned Broadway types (Lea Michelle, Matthew Morrison) have a tendency to act like they're on stage, not TV.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Really, other than Jane Lynch (and maybe Colfer) is any main character on the show not a mediocre actor?

Even the seasoned Broadway types (Lea Michelle, Matthew Morrison) have a tendency to act like they're on stage, not TV.

Michele and Morrison are both very good. Michele can be theatrical, but that's part of Rachel's character; she's demonstrated that she can be subtle when the script calls for it. Cory Monteith and Naya Rivera are also very strong actors. In Monteith's case his character was one of the worst-written last year, so it's been a while since he really got a showcase. Rivera's great; from the beginning she kept adding nuance through her facial expressions and line delivery to a character who started out as a one-dimensional background character, and when Santana started getting actual characterization midway through last year she sold it all superbly.

Dianna Agron I think is a solid dramatic actress, but not particularly good at comedy or singing, so she's not very well-served by the show (even though she is, ironically, the castmember most likely to be successful in films once it's over).

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

I don't mind theatrical actors. I'm a stage actor myself and *like* seeing people emote on my TV shows. Glee is okay in this regard - the cast are supposed to be made of very creative people, so them acting stagey is perfectly believable to me.

Agreed that Finn, as the supposed lead male kid, had little to do last year - especially after his mom's wedding. To paraphrase Harry Shum Jr. in a recent interview, many of the characters spent most of their time spouting dialogue in the choir room. I don't mind multiple storylines, but the huge cast means so little time between musical numbers to do anyone justice.

Mark

 

[C_Miller]

The acting, in my opinion is relatively inoffensive. I don't think too many of the actors are so bad it's painful (nearly every show's got one). Glee does a pretty decent job of dividing time up amongst the cast depending on talent (although I don't know why Amber Riley doesn't get a solo every episode). But yeah, a lot of them are definitely theater based people. But when you think of it, I think there are only a small handful of "good" actors on the show. Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, and Lea Michele can each probably carry their own show without an ensemble. On a good day, I'd add Morrison to that this. I wish I could put Darren Criss up there, but he's still a bit rough around the edges. He's much better in his own stuff where he has some stake in the production process.

 

[spooky spice]

I watched it and I enjoyed it.

Are Sanatana and Brittaney back in the Cheerios, or are they just wearing the uniforms out of habit?

 

[Sakrysta]

I confess, after watching The Glee Project this summer, I'm more watching the show this season out of a fascination with the process and a curiosity to see how the winners do in the roles that have been created for them. I was really pleased to see Lindsay right up there in the first episode - and yes, it WAS a perfect part for her. When telling people about The Glee Project, I would always describe her as "Rachel in real life" - the girl has talent, drive, determination, and the most unlikeable personality in the universe.

However, if I were Rachel & Kurt, that performance would have served to demonstrate to me just how pathetic they were, not because R & K were inferior to them, but because R & K are EXACTLY like them - easy cheese on ritz crackers a mile high.

 

[Mike Farley]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how that performance broke Rachel and Kurt's confidence. Their work, both solo and with New Directions has been far, far better.

 

[C_Miller]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how that performance broke Rachel and Kurt's confidence. Their work, both solo and with New Directions has been far, far better.

I guess it's one of those TV world things that require the audience to just make assumptions. I also don't think it was meant that they were "better" but that Kurt and Rachel weren't unique, which is something they thought they had on their side. They went in with the assumption that they were going to show them up, but they couldn't (even though they could have easily contended with them with their Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead performance).

It does require some suspension of disbelief. It doesn't help that Rachel is played by Lea Michele, probably the one person who is wasting her time on Glee. She needs to go back to Broadway.

 

[FPAlpha]

I'd not say wasting.. she most likely earns much more on Glee than on Broadway and most likely has increased her status and visibility within the industry so when she quits, graduates or whatever next year it'll be easier for her to return to Broadway as now her name has a bit of recognition and might draw some additional audience.

 

[spooky spice]

I cannot for the life of me figure out how that performance broke Rachel and Kurt's confidence. Their work, both solo and with New Directions has been far, far better.

I also don't think it was meant that they were "better" but that Kurt and Rachel weren't unique, which is something they thought they had on their side.

That was the impression I got. It reminded me of an episode of LA Law, where Debi Mazar's character was approached by a director (or something) and asked if she wanted to be in a movie as she was quite unique (or words to that effect), after checking to make sure he was legit and not a porn director, she turned up at his office -all starry eyed and practising her Oscar acceptance speech- to find the room full of women who looked exactly like her!

 

[C_Miller]

I'd not say wasting.. she most likely earns much more on Glee than on Broadway and most likely has increased her status and visibility within the industry so when she quits, graduates or whatever next year it'll be easier for her to return to Broadway as now her name has a bit of recognition and might draw some additional audience.

You're probably right. I just could see her making a bigger splash on Broadway as opposed to television. Yeah, it's more of a close knit community with out the promise of wide spread fame and success, but I could see her becoming the next Idina Menzel or Kristin Chenoworth. But I will agree that Glee has been good for her.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I don't see Michele going back to Broadway any time soon. When she's through with Glee, she'll have her shot at cinema stardom (she's already doing some small roles right now).

 

[the G-man]

I've heard rumors of a big screen version of "Wicked" for some time now. They'd be crazy not to hire her for that.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Her musical talent is certainly an asset, but I'd advise her, when she starts devoting herself more fully to films, to start doing ones that don't feature her singing. She's a great actress without needing to.

Likewise I'm glad that all those rumours about her in the next Broadway production of Funny Girl didn't amount to anything (given the show's schedule, there was never any real prospect of that, something that nobody in the entertainment media seemed to understand), because the last thing she should be doing is encouraging that idea that all she is is Streisand Part II.

 

[tomalak301]

I really liked tonight's episode of Glee, but I think there was one thing that made it suffer the most, and this has plagued Glee since day one: So much stuff in so little time. Did they need to pack in 5 different storylines (Quinn and the Return of Beth, the Musical auditions, Sue using Quinn in her crusade against the arts, Booty Camp and Kurt's Campaign for president?)? I was starting to look at the time at the end when Blaine was performing and wished we got an extra half hour because of all the stuff that was happening. And the thing about it was none of it really had to do with Glee itself, but more with the various characters and setting like 10 storylines in motion. Again, too much information in too short of time.

Anyway, some of the highlights I guess:

-Quinn might be the most fascinating character this season. I still wish we saw the introduction of this new her in New York (After her saying Finn has no idea what she was planning for New York) but I've really liked how she has developed. It was great to see Shelby again, and it does seem like the writers are picking up consequences from the first season that were ignored and running with it, almost as if Season 2 was a detour. Could we say the show is getting back on track? I'm not sure, but I really like where they are going with her. Also, having her come back but with different motives made me take notice. Looking forward to seeing how this storyline plays out over the next few weeks.

-I'm still not liking Kurt. Everyone loves him but he's selfish and even at the end I was thinking "is he really going to let competition get in the way of his relationship with Blaine". I think I will be ticked if they break up but really hope that it adds a little conflict into the relationship. Right now it's too cuddly for my tastes and I can see this ratcheting things up a bit. As for him not getting the lead role, here comes selfish Kurt again. The scene were he was listening in on Beaste, Artie and Emma was a little cringe inducing.

-As for the Glee boot camp, ok I guess. Not really sure if it needed to be in this episode, but whatever.

Still, I liked this episode because the Quinn stuff was just so strong. Agron is doing some of her best work in these last two episodes and I can't wait to see what happens next, and how the whole Shelby, Puck, Quinn, and Beth thing will go down. For that alone, I will say this is one of the better Glee episodes I've seen in a long long time. I'm not sure if I'm slowly coming around, but this season feels different than before and I mean that in a good way.

 

[OmahaStar]

Way too many plots, way too many characters, but at the same time ... Shelby's return is something I'm loving.

My favorite duet pair is back - Shelby and Rachel. I swear, if the two of them did a cd of duets, I'd buy it instantly. Their voices blend together magically, and I am loving it.

Puck afraid to hold the baby was priceless.

After Quinn's ambush of Shue, and the nasty things she said, he finally stood up for himself and said something ... then she dies her hair and he's all "come on back" ... Really?

Boy, that obnoxious rich girl can't sing to save her life. How'd they cast her? American Idol auditions?

 

[CaptainCanada]

Boy, that obnoxious rich girl can't sing to save her life. How'd they cast her? American Idol auditions?

I believe Vanessa Lengies can actually sing, she's just faking it.

Strong episode. Probably the best Brittany plot that wasn't Santana-heavy (though there one scene was really sweet); the writers seem to want her to be the Wise Fool, a balance they often don't get right, but it worked here.

I'm glad they finally acknowledged how selfish and ungrateful Quinn is, though at this point she's basically a young Betty Draper.

 

[C_Miller]

I missed the first half of the episode, but I kind of liked what I saw. I especially liked Kurt's Dad telling him that if he is having trouble getting male leads in theater, he should go out and write his own male leads. I thought that was a really cool moment.

I didn't like Kurt obviously jealous over Blaine getting asked to read for Tony. Now a little drama here and there is a good thing, but it just seems needlessly petty. I like Kurt, but things like this piss me off. Especially when it was clear that Blaine deserves it. Not only does his voice fit the range of the character, he put in a killer audition.

 

[Checkmate]

You mean Kurt's being the annoying, self-serving, evil cunt of a human being he's been since day one? What are the odds.

There's absolutely nothing likable about him. Sue is a more enduring person than he is.