This differences between the aired pilot and the unaired, original pilot are few but important.
-Instead of opening with Sue and the Cheerios, this pilot opens with a flashback to Will at the 1993 Nationals. I hate that they cut this for several reasons: 1. It adds depth to Will's character to actually see him at his happiest and adds poignancy to his contemplation of the Nationals trophy and the memorial to Lillian Adler, 2. It makes it easier to understand the kind of Glee club that Will envisions New Directions becoming (his team was a lot like Vocal Adrenaline), and 3. Because we actually get to see Will's mentor, the source of the "Glee is about opening yourself to joy" quote, and the scene really lays out Will's beliefs about the benefits of Glee much more clearly than in the ultimate pilot.
-There's a brief scene between Rachel, Quinn, and Santana in the girls bathroom, which sets up the bullying storyline. This is less important than the previous scene, but I still wish it hadn't been cut. It adds a new dimension to their relationship, gives Naya Rivera a speaking line, and paints Rachel as less of a victim. She resolutely ignores their barbs, but also gets her own back by spraying hair spray into their faces. It's a good scene.
-There is a very, very brief cut (but again important), showing Will literally run out of his Spanish class as soon as the bell rings. This shoulda been kept into further show how stuck and bored he is with his life.
-The overall structure is different. It begins with the "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" rehearsal, and then explains how Will came to run the Glee club via flashback and voiceover. Not necessarily better or worse than in the aired pilot, but an interesting variation. And there's a lot to the story that got cut, which I'll get to in a moment.
-Will's VO: "Rachel's right. We do suck. We might be the worst Glee Club in the state. How did Glee fall so far so fast? You know, I guess it all started a few years back with Ms. Adler's replacement, Sandy Ryerson. [Cut to a fairly large Glee Club, doing a number with stools. Sandy is his usual lovely self.] With Sandy holding the reigns things went downhill fast. McKinley became the bottom-feeders of the Glee world. We were a stool choir. Slowly but surely anybody who could do a jumping jack defected to McKinely High's nationally ranked cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. [Cut to Cheerios practice, and Sue] Led by Sue Sylvester the Cheerios had placed third at Internationals at Pyongyang and twice appeared on Fox Sports Net. There was a rumor that sue had posed for Penthouse magazine and took horse estrogen. ...But that was only a rumor. [Cut to Sandy and a Glee Club member, the incident which gets him fired.] Glee languished, but still...the school didn't care as long as Sandy came in under budget. You know Sandy would probably still be running the club instead of me...if he had been able to control himself. [There's a brief scene of Sandy being fired by Figgins. The first cut that I can completely live with, although it's still quite hilarious.] There was a vacancy, and Fate called on me to fill it."
-Extremely minor, but interesting: The Cheerios cyber-bullying messages are a lot harsher in this cut. "Why don't you die already?" instead of "If I were your parents, I'd sell you back"; "Your videos make me want to kill my entire family" instead of "I'm going to scratch my eyes out"; only "Please get sterilized" made it to the final cut.
-A brief scene of the Glee club dressed in the same outfits from Will's 1993 Nationals squad. Literally, the same ones. Mercedes is extremely sassy, and Rachel storms out of rehearsal again.
-After that, it's pretty much the same as the aired pilot. This pilot ends with Vocal Adrenaline's performance, however, and doesn't go into Terri's pregnancy or Will almost leaving. On the level, the aired pilot is definitely much more complete. But they had to cut a whole lot of good stuff to make way for that little bit of suspense and drama.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Episode 1x01 - Pilot
Synopsis
Looking for a purpose in his life, Spanish teacher Will Schuester takes over the WMHS show choir program and starts from scratch with a snarky band of misfits. To round out this group he blackmails the star quarterback, Finn Hudson, into joining the club when Will discovers the boy’s voice could keep up with Rachel Berry, their star. The cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, takes the creation of this club as a personal affront to her and her winning program.
Arcs
-New Directions must show at Regionals to continue to exist.
-The crossover/blending of the Glee and Popular kids.
-Vocal Adrenaline as the nemesis.
-Terri’s “pregnancy”.
Characters
Will – Will is bored and stagnant in his life. Boring marriage, boring job. The only thing that brings a smile to his face is his little flirtations with Emma. It’s really beautiful how much Glee really means to him…the writers should focus more on that, not on his silly relationships.
Sue – Sue was a little more realistic in the beginning; more a petty, arrogant, braggart, not psychopathic.
Sandy Ryerson – What a fantastically outrageous character! I love him! Judging by the unaired pilot, Sandy was supposed to be Will’s nemesis, and sometimes I kind of wish that plan had stayed on.
Rachel Berry – Stereotypical diva. So much more vicious in these days! On the one hand, it’s good that she’s gained some friends and some softness, on the other hand…she was so entertainingly driven. Honestly, Rachel is probably my favorite character in this episode. Her plight is compelling, her drive is admirable, and her deviousness is entertaining.
Ken Tanaka – I miss him! Too bad about the nervous breakdown.
Emma Pillsbury – She has quite the attitude at this juncture, and is initially the only one willing to take on Sue. I kind of wish they hadn’t dialed up the crazy (although she was pretty crazy from minute one).
Principal Figgins – Pure awesomeness.
Terri Schuester – Immensely selfish, totally insufferable.
Mercedes Jones – Stereotypical black diva. The show never really explains exactly why she’s an outcast…is it because she’s black? Are we supposed to think Lima is that racist?
Kurt Hummel – Stereotypical gay diva.
Quinn Fabray – Head cheerleader, chief tormenter of Rachel, girlfriend of Finn. I buy into the theory that Quinn is a “pressed lemon”, and that her torment of Rachel was about suppressed feelings…but that’s not the dominant characterization. She’s the basic Queen Bee.
Santana Lopez – Little to no characterization at this point. Just Quinn’s lackey.
Tina Cohen-Chang – Goth Asian. I really think there might have been a plan at this point to make Tina a lesbian. Her audition choice plus her enthusiastic response to being groped by Rachel suggests this. Oh crap, I forgot about her freaking stutter. That was an awful piece of characterization, and I’m so glad they did away with it.
Artie Abrams – Wheelchair kid. I wish the writers would remember that the plays the guitar.
Howard Bamboo – The saddest sad sack ever.
Puck – Stereotypical jock bully at this point.
Finn – It’s always interesting to watch Pilots, to see how the characters have changed from their original versions. Finn is a good example: the first time we meet him he’s the ringleader of the group of boys throwing Kurt into a dumpster. While he seems slightly conflicted, it’s clearly something he does often and it doesn’t bother him much. His transition from accepting this kind of abuse to standing up to it, when Puck locks Artie in the port-o-potty, is a huge step for him. It sucks that the writers kind of whitewashed his growth away.
Relationships
Emma/Ken – This is, strangely, the first dynamic introduced. It’s an awkward one from the beginning, with Emma so clearly disgusted with Ken that it’s tragic.
Emma/Will – Immediately afterward, Emma shows off her crush on Will. Will reciprocates in a chaste way. At this point they’re kind of cute. I grew to hate them…but I’ll keep an open mind.
Will/Terri – Will is probably the only guy who could/would put up with Terri for as long as he did. Her personality is toxic.
Finn/Rachel – Really good start.
Finn/Quinn – Mentioned, but not explored. Used mostly to create jealousy in Rachel, who has been bullied by Quinn for ages…and to give her yet another reason to desire Finn (i.e. the prospect of taking him from Quinn).
Lines
-“By its very definition, Glee is about opening yourself up to joy” is pretty much the central theme of the show. Whatever other themes, Glee is about the power of music to make you happy. This is true both for the characters and the audience.
-“There’s nothing ironic about show choir!”
Songs
“RESPECT” by Aretha Franklin
“I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry
“Mr. Cellophane” from Chicao
“I Love Him” from Les Miserable
“Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls
“You Better Shape Up” from Grease
“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse
“Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” by John Denver
“Don’t Stop Believing’” by Journey
Performances
-Mercedes rendition of “Respect” was good, but nothing special. Same with Tina’s performance of “I Kissed a Girl”.
-Kurt makes an instant impression, with his little hair flip while holding a long note during “Mr. Cellophane.”
-Rachel was of course the best, knocking “I Love Him” out of the park. The montage of her schedule and the cyber-bullying she goes through put this one a cut above the rest, as was intended.
-The performance of “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” is purposefully bad and hilarious.
-“You Better Shape Up” was hilarious. The way Rachel instantly falls in love with Finn’s talent, and song molests him (while molesting all the other characters in various ways) is hysterical.
-Vocal Adrenaline’s performance of “Rehab” was suitably phenomenal.
-Will’s performance of “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” is low-key and forgettable. Like, I literally forgot that this song was in the episode.
-The New Directions performing “Don’t Stop Believing” was phenomenal, although in a very different way than Vocal Adrenaline’s performance. But this performance is intensely emotional and uplifting. It becomes Glee’s signature song for a reason.
Brittana Goggles
Brittany was hiding this episode, so no Brittana.
Overall – A+
Since this doesn’t fit in any of my other sections, I’ll mention it here. One of the most important things that set Glee apart for me, at least in the early days, was the acapella score. It was just so intriguing, fast-paced, and unique that it instantly drew me in.
This Pilot does everything a pilot should do…and more. Fun, inspiring, and hilarious. Great characters and real emotions. One of the better pilots I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot.
Looking for a purpose in his life, Spanish teacher Will Schuester takes over the WMHS show choir program and starts from scratch with a snarky band of misfits. To round out this group he blackmails the star quarterback, Finn Hudson, into joining the club when Will discovers the boy’s voice could keep up with Rachel Berry, their star. The cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester, takes the creation of this club as a personal affront to her and her winning program.
Arcs
-New Directions must show at Regionals to continue to exist.
-The crossover/blending of the Glee and Popular kids.
-Vocal Adrenaline as the nemesis.
-Terri’s “pregnancy”.
Characters
Will – Will is bored and stagnant in his life. Boring marriage, boring job. The only thing that brings a smile to his face is his little flirtations with Emma. It’s really beautiful how much Glee really means to him…the writers should focus more on that, not on his silly relationships.
Sue – Sue was a little more realistic in the beginning; more a petty, arrogant, braggart, not psychopathic.
Sandy Ryerson – What a fantastically outrageous character! I love him! Judging by the unaired pilot, Sandy was supposed to be Will’s nemesis, and sometimes I kind of wish that plan had stayed on.
Rachel Berry – Stereotypical diva. So much more vicious in these days! On the one hand, it’s good that she’s gained some friends and some softness, on the other hand…she was so entertainingly driven. Honestly, Rachel is probably my favorite character in this episode. Her plight is compelling, her drive is admirable, and her deviousness is entertaining.
Ken Tanaka – I miss him! Too bad about the nervous breakdown.
Emma Pillsbury – She has quite the attitude at this juncture, and is initially the only one willing to take on Sue. I kind of wish they hadn’t dialed up the crazy (although she was pretty crazy from minute one).
Principal Figgins – Pure awesomeness.
Terri Schuester – Immensely selfish, totally insufferable.
Mercedes Jones – Stereotypical black diva. The show never really explains exactly why she’s an outcast…is it because she’s black? Are we supposed to think Lima is that racist?
Kurt Hummel – Stereotypical gay diva.
Quinn Fabray – Head cheerleader, chief tormenter of Rachel, girlfriend of Finn. I buy into the theory that Quinn is a “pressed lemon”, and that her torment of Rachel was about suppressed feelings…but that’s not the dominant characterization. She’s the basic Queen Bee.
Santana Lopez – Little to no characterization at this point. Just Quinn’s lackey.
Tina Cohen-Chang – Goth Asian. I really think there might have been a plan at this point to make Tina a lesbian. Her audition choice plus her enthusiastic response to being groped by Rachel suggests this. Oh crap, I forgot about her freaking stutter. That was an awful piece of characterization, and I’m so glad they did away with it.
Artie Abrams – Wheelchair kid. I wish the writers would remember that the plays the guitar.
Howard Bamboo – The saddest sad sack ever.
Puck – Stereotypical jock bully at this point.
Finn – It’s always interesting to watch Pilots, to see how the characters have changed from their original versions. Finn is a good example: the first time we meet him he’s the ringleader of the group of boys throwing Kurt into a dumpster. While he seems slightly conflicted, it’s clearly something he does often and it doesn’t bother him much. His transition from accepting this kind of abuse to standing up to it, when Puck locks Artie in the port-o-potty, is a huge step for him. It sucks that the writers kind of whitewashed his growth away.
Relationships
Emma/Ken – This is, strangely, the first dynamic introduced. It’s an awkward one from the beginning, with Emma so clearly disgusted with Ken that it’s tragic.
Emma/Will – Immediately afterward, Emma shows off her crush on Will. Will reciprocates in a chaste way. At this point they’re kind of cute. I grew to hate them…but I’ll keep an open mind.
Will/Terri – Will is probably the only guy who could/would put up with Terri for as long as he did. Her personality is toxic.
Finn/Rachel – Really good start.
Finn/Quinn – Mentioned, but not explored. Used mostly to create jealousy in Rachel, who has been bullied by Quinn for ages…and to give her yet another reason to desire Finn (i.e. the prospect of taking him from Quinn).
Lines
-“By its very definition, Glee is about opening yourself up to joy” is pretty much the central theme of the show. Whatever other themes, Glee is about the power of music to make you happy. This is true both for the characters and the audience.
-“There’s nothing ironic about show choir!”
Songs
“RESPECT” by Aretha Franklin
“I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry
“Mr. Cellophane” from Chicao
“I Love Him” from Les Miserable
“Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from Guys and Dolls
“You Better Shape Up” from Grease
“Rehab” by Amy Winehouse
“Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” by John Denver
“Don’t Stop Believing’” by Journey
Performances
-Mercedes rendition of “Respect” was good, but nothing special. Same with Tina’s performance of “I Kissed a Girl”.
-Kurt makes an instant impression, with his little hair flip while holding a long note during “Mr. Cellophane.”
-Rachel was of course the best, knocking “I Love Him” out of the park. The montage of her schedule and the cyber-bullying she goes through put this one a cut above the rest, as was intended.
-The performance of “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” is purposefully bad and hilarious.
-“You Better Shape Up” was hilarious. The way Rachel instantly falls in love with Finn’s talent, and song molests him (while molesting all the other characters in various ways) is hysterical.
-Vocal Adrenaline’s performance of “Rehab” was suitably phenomenal.
-Will’s performance of “Leavin’ on a Jet Plane” is low-key and forgettable. Like, I literally forgot that this song was in the episode.
-The New Directions performing “Don’t Stop Believing” was phenomenal, although in a very different way than Vocal Adrenaline’s performance. But this performance is intensely emotional and uplifting. It becomes Glee’s signature song for a reason.
Brittana Goggles
Brittany was hiding this episode, so no Brittana.
Overall – A+
Since this doesn’t fit in any of my other sections, I’ll mention it here. One of the most important things that set Glee apart for me, at least in the early days, was the acapella score. It was just so intriguing, fast-paced, and unique that it instantly drew me in.
This Pilot does everything a pilot should do…and more. Fun, inspiring, and hilarious. Great characters and real emotions. One of the better pilots I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Glee Grades
Glee Grades and Semi-Reviews (Initial Reaction)
These are the grades I'm giving these episodes based on memory. Eventually I'll do a thorough re-watch and probably change many of the grades. But for now...
Pilot (1x01) - A+ -Although this episode no doubt has many of the same flaws that I will subsequently complain about, I don't think it unfair that I grade the pilot differently than the rest of the show. The only true purpose of a pilot is capture the audience and introduce the main elements of the story. This episode did that perfectly!
Showmance (1x02) - B+ - Not a bad episode, by any means, but not one of the best. "Push It" is the highlight.
Acafellas (1x03) - C - Both of the main storylines are a bore, but they're not bad. The best part of this episode was the increased role of Puck and "Bust Your Windows" (Holy Cheerleaders, Batman!").
Preggers (1x04) - A+ - The show gets back to Pilot form. So many great things from this episode: the introduction of the pregnancy storyline, the introduction of Quinn/Puck, the Single Ladies dance, the introduction of the Burt/Kurt relationship, etc.
The Rhodes Not Taken (1x05) - A - The introduction of the first of many love interests for Will that I enjoy much more than Emma. April Rhodes is a great character, and I enjoy it any time she's on the screen. Her rendition of "Last Name" remains one of my favorite performances and "Maybe This Time" is great too.
Vitamin D (1x06) - A - First Annual Boys vs Girls Mash-Up Competition was a great success. Terri was a wonderful addition.
Throwdown (1x07) - B - Don't remember much about this episode.
Mash-Up (1x08) - A minus - This had Puckleberry and Fuinn trying to be cool, but it also had a crap-load of Wemma.
Wheels (1x09) - A+ - One of the better episodes of season 1. Introduces Becky, shows Sue's soft side. Has some great Burt/Kurt stuff.
Ballad (1x10) - B - Has a great Brittana moment, but other than that I can't remember much about it.
Hairography (1x11) - B - Mostly relationship drama stuff, with awkward After-School Special moments mixed in.
Mattress (1x12) - A - For Will finding out about the sham pregnancy alone, this episode is great.
Sectionals (1x13) - A+ - Brittana is made canon! Finn finds out about the pregnancy lie! They all come together in the end! Rachel's solo at Sectionals is phenomenal, and the group number is good too.
First 13 Overview: A couple of great, lots of good, some bland, only one dud. This part of the season seems more than the sum of it's parts, though. It had interlocking story lines, interesting relationships, and a driving force. All these things have become more and more scarce as the show has gone on.
Hell-O (1x14) - A+ - Amazing Brittana moments, and also the establishment of several other major storylines of the Back 9.
The Power of Madonna (1x15) - B minus - The sudden misogyny of the guys, Artie especially, really takes away from this episode. If you have to completely assassinate your characters to justify a story line, don't do it. Plus Santana slept with Finn. Yuck.
Home (1x16) - B+ - The return of April is good, but everything else is kinda forgettable.
Bad Reputation (1x17) - B - Again, nothing super memorable about this episode.
Laryngitis (1x18) - B - The Puck storyline was good, and the Finchel was good. But the "magical cripple" was cringe-worthy.
Dream On (1x19) - B+ - I should like this episode more than I do, because it has NPH in it and it's directed by Joss Whedon...but it's another forgettable ones of the Back 9.
Theatricality (1x20) - A+ - This episode, on the other hand, really sticks with you. A great Kurt storyline, great performances, great costumes, and the Shelby/Rachel relationship really started to gain some depth.
Funk (1x21) - A minus - Pretty good episode. I liked Quinn's performance, I was shocked that Jesse turned on Rachel, and I liked the Funk performance at the end.
Journey (1x22) - A+ - Great episode, as finales often are. The performances were among the best the show has ever done, especially "Don't Rain On My Parade" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". All the emotional threads were brought together and done well too.
Back 9 Overview: Not at great as the First 13. The cracks in the writing style and the show begin to present themselves. A lot of it was just treading water, waiting for the finale.
Auditions (2x01) - B+ - I barely remember a thing that happened in this episode, even the music was completely forgettable.
Britney/Brittany (2x02) - D minus - It was awesome that HeMo got a showcase, and she completely rocked all her performances. If the show had actually spent more time on her the episode might have been better. But the "bad teeth" storyline was just so ridiculous and the non-Brittany performances so bland that the episode was nearly impossible to sit through. The last number really symbolizes this episode's problem: Toxic was amazing, and would have probably been my favorite performance ever...if they hadn't kept cutting to Jacob Ben Israel screeching in pleasure and doing his O-face. The writers really shot themselves in the foot with this episode, taking what could have been amazing and making it decidedly sub-par.
Grilled Cheesus (2x03) - C+ - Preachy and largely forgettable, but there were no fatal flaws. And Chris Colfer's rendition of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was phenomenal. One of the best solo performances of the show.
Duets (2x04) - A+ - Phenomenal episode! Easily the best of the season, maybe the best of the entire series. All the performances were amazing. My personal favorite duet was "Sing!", while my favorite song was "Le Jazz Hot". Everyone was in character, the drama was compelling, and the comedy was great too. And, yeah, I'm a little happy that my favorite ship got it's first dose of development!
The Rocky Horror Glee Show (2x05) - A minus - I'm a huge fan of Rocky Horror, so it was going to take a lot for me to dislike this one. But the show did Rocky Horror justice, and I had a good ole' time. My favorite songs were "Time Warp" and "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me". My favorite Glee renditions of the characters were Kurt as Riff-Raff, Finn as Brad, and Brittany as Columbia. I thought I was going to hate Mercedes as Frank, but she did a much better job than I expected.
Never Been Kissed (2x06) - F - An utter travesty. Sloppy, lazy, horrible writing on all fronts. The characterization and continuity were at their all time low, and even the storyline the writers actually care about was riddled with holes and cliches. Karofsky being revealed as gay, although getting interesting as the episodes go on, is still a horrible choice. It sends absolutely the wrong message, and has been done a thousand times before. It would have been much, much more brave and interesting if Karofsky was simply an ignorant homophobe, who had been taught hatred his entire life. I would have loved to see this type of character slowly learn about love and acceptance. Blaine was a two-dimensional fantasy, and Dalton Academy was an unrealistic Utopia. The Puck/Artie/Brittany/Santana storyline was even worse. Everything wrong with this episode can be summed up by pointing out this fact: even in the midst of their Very Special Episode about how terrible and awful bullying is, the writers slip in the absolute most extreme example of bullying ever presented on the show (the revelation that Puck has pushed Artie down flights of stairs, resulting in injuries!) as nothing more than a throwaway joke. Ugh!
The Substitute (2x07) - A minus - Really good episode. A return to the fun and subversiveness that makes Glee good! I really liked Holly Holiday and hope she returns at some point. She had great chemistry with Will, much more than he ever had with Emma. And besides, Carl is a thousand times better with Emma than Will ever was. Anyways! The songs were for the most part good, and the comedy was hilarious. Holly's performance of "Conjunction Junction" was hot as hell!
Furt (2x08) - D+ - This is hopefully the high point, or nadir, depending of how you look at it, of the Kurt Show. The Wedding was absolutely ridiculous. Burt's vows being about Kurt is understandable, but Carole's being about Kurt is insulting to Finn. And Finn turning the reception into a tribute to Kurt was cringe-worthy. The only song that was even decent was "Sway". Sue's storyline was horrible, and her behavior toward Kurt was OOC. Just another example of the writers making a character go completely against characterization for their Very Special Kurt episode. Only the fact that I love Burt and Carole, and love that they're married now, keeps this episode from getting an F.
Special Education (2x09) - B minus - This episode was fun and enjoyable overall but was hampered seriously for my by the Bartie of it all.
A Very Glee Christmas (2x10) - F - I haven't been more pissed off by a storyline in a very long time than I was about Brittany believing in Santa. It just infuriated me, and there was nothing else good enough in the episode to distract me from it. The only good thing I can recall is the "Sue the Grinch" song and sequence. Overall, this was a fitting end to this travesty of a season.
Season 2, Part 1 Overview: Wow. Just wow. This was a sophomore slump on an epic scale, the likes of which are only matched by Heroes or Twin Peaks. Almost a complete breakdown in basic writing. Weirdly enough, though, the music improved over all. Many of my favorite performances came from this season, but they were coupled with some of the worst plotting and consistency I've ever seen. In this season, only "Duets" was able to truly marry together good plots and good music.
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle (2x11) - A minus - Fun episode made for the most casual of audiences. I liked the performance of the Zombies song, but wasn't really feeling the mash-up at halftime. I liked the Karofsky stuff, and love that the girls quit Cheerios.
Silly Love Songs (2x12) - A minus - Loved the Puck/Lauren stuff, as well as Santana in a candy striper outfit and her crying scene. Tina's performance was really bad, though, and still doesn't make sense.
Comeback (2x13) - B - Bieber. That's all I have to say about that. There was some funny Brittany stuff, but it couldn't alleviate the Bieber sickness.
Blame It on the Alcohol (2x14) - A - Good, fun episode mostly. Brittany's performance of "Tik Tok" was out of this world. Lots of good Brittana subtext. Brittany in my favorite outfit ever of hers. The Rachel/Blaine storyline was good, right up to the rushed and trite ending.
Sexy (2x15) - A - I wish I could give this episode an A+. If it were based only on Brittana, I could. But there were some cringe-worthy continuity errors. Brittany believing in the stork is in direct opposition to the fact that she knew babies came from sex last season. Emma is shrill and her characterization is totally over-played. But...besides those few issues, this was a wonderful episode. The Brittana we've been awaiting for a year...even if it ended in heartbreak. Naya delivered one of the best performances in the show's history.
Original Song (2x16) - A minus - Pretty good...the original songs made for some of the funniest performances ever on the show. Especially "Trouty Mouth". It was great to see them win Regionals. It was great that Kurt finally got his first real kiss, and that Blaine is finally interested in him. And there was some awesome continuity concerning the Brittana storyline.
Alright, that's it's for now. There's Spring Break coming up and a month-long hiatus until the next episode...so I will be getting started on a big re-watch pretty soon.
These are the grades I'm giving these episodes based on memory. Eventually I'll do a thorough re-watch and probably change many of the grades. But for now...
Pilot (1x01) - A+ -Although this episode no doubt has many of the same flaws that I will subsequently complain about, I don't think it unfair that I grade the pilot differently than the rest of the show. The only true purpose of a pilot is capture the audience and introduce the main elements of the story. This episode did that perfectly!
Showmance (1x02) - B+ - Not a bad episode, by any means, but not one of the best. "Push It" is the highlight.
Acafellas (1x03) - C - Both of the main storylines are a bore, but they're not bad. The best part of this episode was the increased role of Puck and "Bust Your Windows" (Holy Cheerleaders, Batman!").
Preggers (1x04) - A+ - The show gets back to Pilot form. So many great things from this episode: the introduction of the pregnancy storyline, the introduction of Quinn/Puck, the Single Ladies dance, the introduction of the Burt/Kurt relationship, etc.
The Rhodes Not Taken (1x05) - A - The introduction of the first of many love interests for Will that I enjoy much more than Emma. April Rhodes is a great character, and I enjoy it any time she's on the screen. Her rendition of "Last Name" remains one of my favorite performances and "Maybe This Time" is great too.
Vitamin D (1x06) - A - First Annual Boys vs Girls Mash-Up Competition was a great success. Terri was a wonderful addition.
Throwdown (1x07) - B - Don't remember much about this episode.
Mash-Up (1x08) - A minus - This had Puckleberry and Fuinn trying to be cool, but it also had a crap-load of Wemma.
Wheels (1x09) - A+ - One of the better episodes of season 1. Introduces Becky, shows Sue's soft side. Has some great Burt/Kurt stuff.
Ballad (1x10) - B - Has a great Brittana moment, but other than that I can't remember much about it.
Hairography (1x11) - B - Mostly relationship drama stuff, with awkward After-School Special moments mixed in.
Mattress (1x12) - A - For Will finding out about the sham pregnancy alone, this episode is great.
Sectionals (1x13) - A+ - Brittana is made canon! Finn finds out about the pregnancy lie! They all come together in the end! Rachel's solo at Sectionals is phenomenal, and the group number is good too.
First 13 Overview: A couple of great, lots of good, some bland, only one dud. This part of the season seems more than the sum of it's parts, though. It had interlocking story lines, interesting relationships, and a driving force. All these things have become more and more scarce as the show has gone on.
Hell-O (1x14) - A+ - Amazing Brittana moments, and also the establishment of several other major storylines of the Back 9.
The Power of Madonna (1x15) - B minus - The sudden misogyny of the guys, Artie especially, really takes away from this episode. If you have to completely assassinate your characters to justify a story line, don't do it. Plus Santana slept with Finn. Yuck.
Home (1x16) - B+ - The return of April is good, but everything else is kinda forgettable.
Bad Reputation (1x17) - B - Again, nothing super memorable about this episode.
Laryngitis (1x18) - B - The Puck storyline was good, and the Finchel was good. But the "magical cripple" was cringe-worthy.
Dream On (1x19) - B+ - I should like this episode more than I do, because it has NPH in it and it's directed by Joss Whedon...but it's another forgettable ones of the Back 9.
Theatricality (1x20) - A+ - This episode, on the other hand, really sticks with you. A great Kurt storyline, great performances, great costumes, and the Shelby/Rachel relationship really started to gain some depth.
Funk (1x21) - A minus - Pretty good episode. I liked Quinn's performance, I was shocked that Jesse turned on Rachel, and I liked the Funk performance at the end.
Journey (1x22) - A+ - Great episode, as finales often are. The performances were among the best the show has ever done, especially "Don't Rain On My Parade" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". All the emotional threads were brought together and done well too.
Back 9 Overview: Not at great as the First 13. The cracks in the writing style and the show begin to present themselves. A lot of it was just treading water, waiting for the finale.
Auditions (2x01) - B+ - I barely remember a thing that happened in this episode, even the music was completely forgettable.
Britney/Brittany (2x02) - D minus - It was awesome that HeMo got a showcase, and she completely rocked all her performances. If the show had actually spent more time on her the episode might have been better. But the "bad teeth" storyline was just so ridiculous and the non-Brittany performances so bland that the episode was nearly impossible to sit through. The last number really symbolizes this episode's problem: Toxic was amazing, and would have probably been my favorite performance ever...if they hadn't kept cutting to Jacob Ben Israel screeching in pleasure and doing his O-face. The writers really shot themselves in the foot with this episode, taking what could have been amazing and making it decidedly sub-par.
Grilled Cheesus (2x03) - C+ - Preachy and largely forgettable, but there were no fatal flaws. And Chris Colfer's rendition of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" was phenomenal. One of the best solo performances of the show.
Duets (2x04) - A+ - Phenomenal episode! Easily the best of the season, maybe the best of the entire series. All the performances were amazing. My personal favorite duet was "Sing!", while my favorite song was "Le Jazz Hot". Everyone was in character, the drama was compelling, and the comedy was great too. And, yeah, I'm a little happy that my favorite ship got it's first dose of development!
The Rocky Horror Glee Show (2x05) - A minus - I'm a huge fan of Rocky Horror, so it was going to take a lot for me to dislike this one. But the show did Rocky Horror justice, and I had a good ole' time. My favorite songs were "Time Warp" and "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me". My favorite Glee renditions of the characters were Kurt as Riff-Raff, Finn as Brad, and Brittany as Columbia. I thought I was going to hate Mercedes as Frank, but she did a much better job than I expected.
Never Been Kissed (2x06) - F - An utter travesty. Sloppy, lazy, horrible writing on all fronts. The characterization and continuity were at their all time low, and even the storyline the writers actually care about was riddled with holes and cliches. Karofsky being revealed as gay, although getting interesting as the episodes go on, is still a horrible choice. It sends absolutely the wrong message, and has been done a thousand times before. It would have been much, much more brave and interesting if Karofsky was simply an ignorant homophobe, who had been taught hatred his entire life. I would have loved to see this type of character slowly learn about love and acceptance. Blaine was a two-dimensional fantasy, and Dalton Academy was an unrealistic Utopia. The Puck/Artie/Brittany/Santana storyline was even worse. Everything wrong with this episode can be summed up by pointing out this fact: even in the midst of their Very Special Episode about how terrible and awful bullying is, the writers slip in the absolute most extreme example of bullying ever presented on the show (the revelation that Puck has pushed Artie down flights of stairs, resulting in injuries!) as nothing more than a throwaway joke. Ugh!
The Substitute (2x07) - A minus - Really good episode. A return to the fun and subversiveness that makes Glee good! I really liked Holly Holiday and hope she returns at some point. She had great chemistry with Will, much more than he ever had with Emma. And besides, Carl is a thousand times better with Emma than Will ever was. Anyways! The songs were for the most part good, and the comedy was hilarious. Holly's performance of "Conjunction Junction" was hot as hell!
Furt (2x08) - D+ - This is hopefully the high point, or nadir, depending of how you look at it, of the Kurt Show. The Wedding was absolutely ridiculous. Burt's vows being about Kurt is understandable, but Carole's being about Kurt is insulting to Finn. And Finn turning the reception into a tribute to Kurt was cringe-worthy. The only song that was even decent was "Sway". Sue's storyline was horrible, and her behavior toward Kurt was OOC. Just another example of the writers making a character go completely against characterization for their Very Special Kurt episode. Only the fact that I love Burt and Carole, and love that they're married now, keeps this episode from getting an F.
Special Education (2x09) - B minus - This episode was fun and enjoyable overall but was hampered seriously for my by the Bartie of it all.
A Very Glee Christmas (2x10) - F - I haven't been more pissed off by a storyline in a very long time than I was about Brittany believing in Santa. It just infuriated me, and there was nothing else good enough in the episode to distract me from it. The only good thing I can recall is the "Sue the Grinch" song and sequence. Overall, this was a fitting end to this travesty of a season.
Season 2, Part 1 Overview: Wow. Just wow. This was a sophomore slump on an epic scale, the likes of which are only matched by Heroes or Twin Peaks. Almost a complete breakdown in basic writing. Weirdly enough, though, the music improved over all. Many of my favorite performances came from this season, but they were coupled with some of the worst plotting and consistency I've ever seen. In this season, only "Duets" was able to truly marry together good plots and good music.
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle (2x11) - A minus - Fun episode made for the most casual of audiences. I liked the performance of the Zombies song, but wasn't really feeling the mash-up at halftime. I liked the Karofsky stuff, and love that the girls quit Cheerios.
Silly Love Songs (2x12) - A minus - Loved the Puck/Lauren stuff, as well as Santana in a candy striper outfit and her crying scene. Tina's performance was really bad, though, and still doesn't make sense.
Comeback (2x13) - B - Bieber. That's all I have to say about that. There was some funny Brittany stuff, but it couldn't alleviate the Bieber sickness.
Blame It on the Alcohol (2x14) - A - Good, fun episode mostly. Brittany's performance of "Tik Tok" was out of this world. Lots of good Brittana subtext. Brittany in my favorite outfit ever of hers. The Rachel/Blaine storyline was good, right up to the rushed and trite ending.
Sexy (2x15) - A - I wish I could give this episode an A+. If it were based only on Brittana, I could. But there were some cringe-worthy continuity errors. Brittany believing in the stork is in direct opposition to the fact that she knew babies came from sex last season. Emma is shrill and her characterization is totally over-played. But...besides those few issues, this was a wonderful episode. The Brittana we've been awaiting for a year...even if it ended in heartbreak. Naya delivered one of the best performances in the show's history.
Original Song (2x16) - A minus - Pretty good...the original songs made for some of the funniest performances ever on the show. Especially "Trouty Mouth". It was great to see them win Regionals. It was great that Kurt finally got his first real kiss, and that Blaine is finally interested in him. And there was some awesome continuity concerning the Brittana storyline.
Alright, that's it's for now. There's Spring Break coming up and a month-long hiatus until the next episode...so I will be getting started on a big re-watch pretty soon.
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