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.