GLEE: ‘Never Been Kissed’
November 10, 2010 by Kath Skerry
Ah…the beauty of time and reflection. Last night when I turned off my TV at the end of GLEE I was all kinds of fired up. I had such a visceral reaction to the episode that I immediately grabbed my laptop and starting furiously ripping it to shreds. Then I decided to stop…for a few reasons. The first being that I needed to remind myself that GLEE is a TV show and while I’m passionate about television, I’m not sure that I want it to have that much control over my emotions.
My momentary respite also helped me realize that, to some extent, I made my peace with GLEE near the end of last season. In order for me watch GLEE from week to week, I had to learn to compartmentalize the show. By doing so, I gave myself permission to enjoy aspects of the series despite its often glaring missteps and shortcomings. If I were forced to judge GLEE strictly through a critical lens each week, I’m not sure I would I derive much joy from it at all. If I got to that point, I’m not sure there would be any reason to watch. So I try to judge each episode of GLEE based on its overall entertainment factor. Did it make me laugh? Cry? Want to run to iTunes and download all the songs so I can sing them at the top of my lungs the next morning in my car?
So, with that in mind, let’s discuss…
I guess I’ll start by saying that “Never Been Kissed” didn’t score high entertainment factor marks from me. Not to say there weren’t a few moments that I took immense pleasure in…and yes, I’m talking to you Darren Criss and your Dalton Academy Warblers. I loved GLEE’s take on Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” I watched the clip at least 20 times before the episode even aired and the song has received more than its fair share of time on my iPod since I bought it two days ago.
As always, Chris Colfer proved why he was worthy of an Emmy nomination this year. This guy is something special. It’s no accident that Kurt Hummel has been at the core of GLEE’s most emotionally charged episodes. Colfer might be the only one in the cast that truly has the goods to carry and deliver on the dramatic demands that the show sometimes imposes.
I’m excited to see the relationship evolve between Kurt and Blaine. Those two couldn’t be any cuter. Loved how Blaine had no qualms about singing directly to Kurt. My heart was all a-flutter. But I must beg the GLEE writers to quit it with the overly dramatized, fantasy-esque scenes. After knowing Kurt for half a second, Blaine grabs his hand and the two run in slow motion down the hall while the bright sun comes shining through the windows. Really? Yikes.
The other musical numbers didn’t really do it for me. Maybe it was because they felt like an afterthought, shoved in there to offset some of the heavier storylines. Really, another boy vs. girl mashup competition? Only a handful of episodes into season two and they are dipping into the season one well? It’s not like I hated the performances, but they didn’t break through in any real way (although the boys did look adorable in their blue cocktail jackets). Artie and Puck’s lunchtime serenade also felt plopped in and unnecessary.
Yes, Noah Puckerman is back. I guess the show had to address his absence, but this episode was already so overpacked with competing storylines that I really didn’t care at all about Puck or his fear of returning to juvie. Puck needed to perform community service, so he opted to take on Artie as his charity case. Artie was so grateful that someone as cool and popular as Puck would hang out with him, he didn’t care that it was a completely disingenuous act. Puck ridiculed Artie all episode and then publicly berated him for paying the check rather than skipping out on the tab at dinner. All of this led to Artie essentially thanking Puck for helping him with making headway in his quest to win Brittany back. Um, what?! Puck was borderline cruel but Artie was still thanking him? And GLEE, I know you don’t really care about continuity, but where did the “Artie wants Brittany back” storyline come from? You cleverly tried to sneak it into the “previously on GLEE,” but the last we saw of those two, he wanted nothing to do with her. You don’t make it easy to love you sometimes, GLEE.
The Coach Bieste storyline was also a muddled mess, although handled slightly better than the Puck storyline. I think GLEE was making the point that people are often bullied because they are different and because they don’t fit into the established norms of society. And just because you don’t shove someone into a locker doesn’t mean you aren’t bullying them. Being cruel to Coach Bieste behind her back was a form of bullying and I’m glad it was addressed as such. Of course the GLEE writers still made sure to show how funny it can be to bully someone by putting Coach Bieste in lingerie and a ballet getup. How’s it going, mixed messages?
The big “twist” that was so hush hush going into this week’s episode was the reveal that Dave, the jock that has been bullying the kids of McKinley High, but especially Kurt Hummel, is gay or at least struggling with questions about his sexuality. Oy vey. Listen, it happens. Sometimes the people shouting the loudest against gay rights are in fact just closeted homosexuals themselves. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes people are just ignorant. Or hateful to be hateful. I guess I was just disappointed that GLEE took this route with Dave because I think the writers had an opportunity to address bullying in a bigger way rather than tying it into this somewhat easy cliche. I struggle, because I see why they did it and it’s not like it didn’t make sense within the context of the story, but it just didn’t sit right with me. I worry that some could take away the wrong message.
I think it’s about this time that I stop and take a moment to acknowledge the intent of the GLEE writers. Bullying and especially bullying of LGBT young adults is an issue worthy of discussion. I applaud the writers in their efforts to tackle this issue. If seeing the effects of bullying through the eyes of Kurt Hummel or Coach Bieste helps to stop the actions of one bully or empowers someone to stand up on behalf of someone else who is being abused in this manner, then without a doubt that’s more important than any issue I had with the episode. However, I contend that a major opportunity was missed when the writers opted to water down the issue of bullying with competing storylines, mixed messages, and lazy cliches.
GLEE is a TV show. First and foremost it exists to entertain its audience. It’s not a vehicle for social change and it doesn’t exist to right the wrongs of the world. I get that. But GLEE has set a precedent of tackling socially relevant issues in a responsible and meaningful way. So, while I don’t expect or want every single of episode of GLEE to feel like an after school special, when the show does take on an important subject matter, there is a certain expectation that it will be handled with sensitivity and respect.
At its very core, GLEE is about kids who are bullied, kids who are not only not accepted, but rather tormented — quite brutally in fact — for being different. So when I heard that the show was going to take on the subject of bullying head on, I was thrilled. If you think about it, GLEE has been working up to this storyline since its very first episode. If there was chance that a TV show could have a real impact in addressing this topic in a real way, it would be GLEE.
How many times have we seen the glee kids ridiculed for being seemingly different? How many times has the bullying gone beyond the name calling, resulting in physical violence? Were you really shocked to see that football player push Kurt into the lockers? It’s not like it was the first time. That guy and his sidekick have been literally pushing around the gleekers for months. But it’s not just those guys. Think back to the very first episode — Finn and Puck threw Kurt into a dumpster. Artie was locked in a port a potty. The “unpopular” kids at McKinley High have been physically assaulted with slushies since the first episode of the series.
The subject of bullying is in the very fiber of GLEE. To some extent, it’s glorified every single week in the character of Sue Sylvester. Here’s a character that not only verbally and emotionally abuses students and co-workers, but she’s been known to escalate that torment into physical violence toward the students. Yes, Sue is often portrayed as a villain and her audacious comments are meant to shock and awe but I think there are very few people that would disagree that Sue’s bullying tactics are a major source of comedy for the show. I point this out because I want to make it clear that I’m not suggesting that GLEE should change the entire show and become some kind of soapbox for the anti-bullying movement. Not at all. I don’t want the character of Sue to become a saint. But let’s call a spade a spade. You can’t use bullying as a source of comedy in one scene and then condemn it in the next. It just doesn’t work that way.
The writers have a challenge ahead of them in deciding how they will address the subject of bullying in the long term. It’s been inferred by creator Ryan Murphy and star Chris Colfer that the bullying storyline doesn’t end with this week’s episode. The subject matter will continue to be addressed, but to what extent, I don’t know. The next time a student gets a slushie thrown in their face will everything stop until they find the “courage” to speak up? Will they shine the spotlight on the issue when they think it matters and continue to completely ignore it when it’s not convenient to do so? I’m interested to see.
Since I’m bordeline writing a novel here (and it’s a bit of a raving mad rant, I know), just a few more thoughts to share while I sew my sequins on backwards.
- “SPIES!” – Perhaps the funniest moment of the night. Props to Lea Michele.
- Will kissing Coach Bieste. Good Lord I hated that scene! In a vulnerable moment, the Coach confided in Will that she had never been kissed. She expressed that she thought a kiss could be a gateway to love and companionship. So what does Will do? He kisses her. Again talking about intent, I think he was trying to make her feel better in the moment, but let’s face it…it was a pity kiss.
- What’s up with Puck telling the Coach, “When you smile you’re pretty and it lights up the room.” You had to go there, GLEE writers? You couldn’t have just left that one alone?
- Have I mentioned the huge crush I already have on Blaine? I did? Just checking.
I really can’t wait to discuss this week’s episode of GLEE with Dan on the next TV Talk Podcast in case I failed miserably at adequately expressing my thoughts in this post. But I hope I pulled it together just enough that you want to chime in and share your take on what you loved and didn’t love about “Never Been Kissed.” I turn it over to you.
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Dang it….I so wanted you to rip that episode to shreds. I really thought I was some kind of genius that I noticed the “previously on Glee” thing but apparently you are too. I can’t believe the writing on this show has gotten so bad that they are using the “previously on Glee” thing to fill in plot holes. That’s not ok.
I agree with you on the whole Dave thing. They couldn’t have written a bigger cliché.
Initially I was annoyed that they were doing the whole “teen bullying” thing, because this isn’t Law and Order. They shouldn’t be ripping stories straight from the head lines. But really they didn’t cover teen bullying. What was happening to Kurt wasn’t bullying, it was assault. Why didn’t he tell a teacher and why didn’t Tina try to help? This isn’t helping anyone.
The Bieste storyline was insane and I refuse to talk about it.
This episode was horrendous, but I have an unhealthy lover for Gwyneth, so I can’t wait for next week.
Overall I really agree with your review. You addressed one of my biggest problems with last nights episode, Will kissing Coach Beiste. As sincere as his motives might have been in the moment, it was still not the first kiss scene that she deserved after pouring out those feelings. And maybe it is just me, and I realize this is a TV show, but I find it hard to believe that a guy would be that nice, pity kiss or not. It just didn’t seem realistic. But again…I get it, this is Glee we are talking about.
Another thing, is it me, or was Will particularly hypocritical about the situation as well. He makes a pointed effort to tell the guys that what they were doing was wrong and utterly personal, but when he reveals it to Beiste he sits there and tells her NOT to take it personally?????? I went from commending him for finally acting like an adult to wanting Sue to launch him out of those darn confetti cannons.
One of my other problems which wasn’t addressed was the boys(and Tina’s) complete disrespect for not only Beiste but their significant others as well. Maybe there were just too many storylines to touch base on it, but I feel like the girls should have been much more pist off that because they weren’t “putting out”…and can I say how much I HATE that saying as a woman…the guys had no choice but to think of Beiste in lingerie in order to keep themselves under control during steamy makeout sessions and so on. ??? These boys claim to CARE about their girlfriends right? Finn and Rachel have had this really great buildup to their relationship and each storyline has them really getting to know each other, working out differences and brings them closer
together. Rachel was horrified for all of two seconds (Although we didn’t see much of her so..). Quinn seemed to be the only one at first who was pissed about this. But then she APOLOGIZED when she heard why they were doing it. SERIOUSLY! I don’t know, I just really took issue with this apparent non-issue. What kind of message is this sending? I am only 20 years old, so I am not completely out of touch and naive to think that sex is not happening in high school, and even middle school. I also understand that EVERYONE at that age has conflicting feelings regarding sex and whether or not to engage in it. But I feel like this episode really dropped the ball on making kids who choose not to have sex feel just as included and not judged for their decision.
….Wow, so looks like I am also writing a novel. A badly written one. I’ll stop ranting now.
Kath, I am glad you mentioned Sue. I found it odd that with the whole bully storyline, nothing was said about Sue. And I agree that the gleekers being bullied is a HUGE part of the comedy on the show. But again, you said it, it’s a TV show.
I felt this episode was way too forced as a whole. Maybe it was the Puck/Artie storyline that seems shoehorned in there or Will jamming his mouth and self into the Coach Bieste storyline. I would be content with Will never saying another word. The character is so annoying I cringe anytime he is on screen now.
I love Kurt. Although I am more than annoyed when they make his storyline all soft focus and happily ever after. I can’t wait to hear you and Dan talk about this. I think the writers did a huge disservice to the story when they made the football guy kiss Kurt. I don’t have a problem with it at all but it seems cliche. Why couldn’t the bully be a bully because he’s an ass? I get that there is usually a reason why someone is a bully and maybe this was the least cliche of all of them. Ok, I feel better about it now.
I HATE that they brought Puck back as a giant dick. He’s always had an attitude but it seemed like another shoe horn to me.
I think it’s is truly the best way to watch Glee as you said – did I enjoy it as a whole? Mostly. Will I keep watching? For sure. And maybe it’s just Ryan Murphy’s goal to keep everyone talking. Good or bad.
Where is Glee? it’s certainly not the show I gleeked over last year. Not that moving and growing isn’t a good thing, but… not seeing that here.
Kudos for addressing the important subject of bullying lesbian and gay teens, but thumbs down for the storyline as a whole. The locker room kiss seemed far-fetched and forced to me, and the Beiste kiss from Will….. just wouldn’t happen that way in real life. Also, I just can’t picture Will actually spilling the truth to Shannon as clearly as he did… just brutal.
I’ll keep watching for the musical surprises that continue to turn up, and the characters, but the show writers seem at a loss for ‘ what now ‘…..
I honestly didn’t hate this episode of Glee, but there were a lot of things I was unhappy with. Mostly the whole “surprise” in the Football Jerk Bully storyline. I would rather have had him just be an ass, like Patty said, and not that he is confused about his own sexuality. I’m sure it happens both ways, but it’s just wayyyyyy to Buffy: tVS to do it this way.
Secondly the Will/Beast kiss was horrendous. Not that I have a problem with Beast, or that she doesn’t deserve to be kissed. But to have a PITY kiss (my words exactly!!) was wrong, and I’d have been pissed if I were her. Now her first kiss isn’t a magical “first kiss”, it’s a pity kiss from a co-worker who obviously felt bad. Ugh.
I did enjoy Blaine, and I love Kurt to bits, so it’s nice to see him with someone who is a mentor and who isn’t shy about his own sexuality. I thought the reveal of Kurt’s “shrine” to Blain in his locker was a bit creepy, but mostly it was cute and I think Blaine is really what Kurt needs right now. I also loved the a capella version of Teenage Dream (bough it on iTunes right now!) and though I knew it was happening beforehand, I hadn’t heard or seen it, so it was all the more magical for me.
Puck returning was nice, but I didn’t enjoy that he was a total asshat. Though it got us the Artie/Puck duet of One Love, which was pretty awesome.
I find myself in complete agreement with you on this, Kath. I felt the whole thing was overblown and handled with the deftness of a bull in a china shop. The scene with Coach Bieste and Will in the lockerroom bothered me the most, because as you say it felt like a pity kiss, and I almost wanted her to call him on it. I want people to call Will Schuester on a lot because he’s been pissing me off lately.
And the thing with the Bully. It’s not that it doesn’t happen, I get that it does. But seriously, that was the best they could come up with? Above and beyond the fact that it was telegraphed from a mile away, it just felt far too obvious. Is this angry bully going to be around forever now and just be an a-hole, or are we going to see some sort of change in him over time? Are they going to ignore inconvenient plot points like they’ve been doing for the last two seasons?
Also, can we have a Very Important Episode that doesn’t revolve around Kurt? I know he’s become the heart of the show, but I feel like we should spread the wealth out a bit.
I want to like Glee so very bad, and last night was the first time I literally felt myself just shut off my brain and let the show happen. And sure, I liked it more than I usually do, but then afterward my brain clicks back in and I get so angry that this show with so much potential requires me to not think too critically. I keep trying to put up with it because it’s clearly super-popular, but I’m not sure how much longer that will last.
It wasn’t my favourite episode. I can see what the writers were trying to achieve with the bullying storyline but it just felt like far too many stories about it being crammed into one ep.
Hated Blaine and his warblers! Far too cheesy for me and I really didn’t like their version of Teenage Dream. I also feel like the Beiste storyline was put in there cos they introduced this new character then don’t seem to know what to do with her.
I did like the message about standing up to bullies but I think it would have been better if Kurt hadn’t been kissed by Dave. I get that it was about him struggling with his sexuality, but sometimes bullies are just bullies.
It also felt like the music was missing this week. The boys mash up was probably the best number. I liked Puck and Artie’s duet but hated the way the girls killed Bon Jovi. That song could’ve been done so much better with all of them.
This week just seemed like such a comedown after the awesomeness of Rocky Horror.
TeeBee, I agree with you 100% on the music this week. I really did not like “Teenage Dream”. But I loved Artie and Puck doing “One Love”. The girl’s mash up was awful and would have been better if they just did “Living on a Prayer”. The boy’s mashup was better. The Bieste storyline was not great (Will kissing her was just BAD). And no, I wasn’t crazy about them making Dave, the bully, a confused/closeted gay boy. Ugh. But here’s the thing, the only way you can possibly like the show at this point is if you stop expecting them to be consistent in their character development. They have not been from the beginning. One ep Puck is a jerk. In another ep Puck is actually a good guy. One ep Artie is a sweetheart. In anther ep Artie is a total creep. They’ve had Rachel have a crush on many guys now. Whatever. At this point watch the show and enjoy the bits you like or just stop watching it. Otherwise you’ll make yourself nuts.
I don’t know what to feel about Glee anymore. I think the first 13 episodes that were untainted by any real outside opinion will be my favorite forever. I still watch every week but I don’t enjoy it like I used to. Even the song choices don’t make me want to run and download them right away. I think I’ve downloaded 3 this whole season thus far.
I understand that they want to tackle the big issues but every single week is unnecessary. Maybe if they took a couple weeks and just had a normal storyline, it’d be easier to handle the “special episodes”. Especially when those eps have the issue crammed down my throat. People aren’t going to become more accepting of gay people just because the jock shoves the gay student into the lockers five times. They also aren’t going to stop bullying when they’re handed brilliant one liners to use every week from Sue Sylvester.
Chris Colfer is still amazing. However, if he’s ever going to win an Emmy, Glee has to change how it’s viewed. He is not a comedy actor at all. Sure he gets his quips in, but a majority of his story is on the dramatic end. To have him win a comedy category would be unfair to the other nominees.
As a teacher myself, Will disgusts me. He is not a student. He is not their BFF. He’s just gross. Quit sticking yourself in dance numbers and singing lovey songs with the group. It’s just creepy. If any of us acted that way in our classroom, we’d probably have been pulled into a few meetings regarding the behavior by now.
Lastly, since this is already so long, I’m over all of the “special guest stars”. It’d be one thing if they could handle their large cast and all of their storylines well enough but if you can’t do that, why are you adding more and more people all the time?
I agree w/ all of the above comments and you, Kath. This episode did not do it for me at all, and previous episodes have been lacking as well. Way too many storylines going on at once in this one. And, I’m sorry, but I’m aware that the girls were pissed/upset/disgusted to find out what the guys were doing when it came to Beiste, but why were they upset? Let’s be honest here: guys are wired differently from girls, especially when it comes to sex. Those girls can’t just have heavy make-out sessions and then say no, and not expect it to have some effect on the guys. I’m not saying that the girls HAVE to have sex w/ their boyfriends, I’m just saying that they need to realize the power they have over men and their bodies, and to stop manipulating that. Anyway, enough of that. Moving on…
I’m right there w/ everyone concerning Dave, the bully. I thought that his kissing Kurt was an easy way out of that story/issue. They should have kept it how it is at most schools where homosexual teens are bullied: not by confused kids, but by real bullies, who’s intent is to terrorize, and usually it comes from a place of ignorance or fear, just to name a few of the many causes that could be behind it. I’m not saying that there aren’t some bullies out there who bully gay teens b/c they are confused about their own sexuality, but, let’s be honest, I doubt it happens that often. They had an opportunity to tackle this issue, and they just took the easy way out. And I don’t know where that story’s going to go: Is Dave going to discover who he is? Is he going to continue to terrorize Kurt, despite what Kurt knows? I’m going to go w/ the latter here. This is high school; they’re still just kids.
I think it’s great that Glee is addressing bullying in schools, especially since the characters themselves are outcasts, but does it have to be shoved down my throat in EVERY episode? I understand the need to address the issue (I was bullied myself through school and I know it’s really big in the headlines these days), but I really do miss some of the more light-hearted, comedic episodes like those seen in the first season. And I, too, want more character development from the others, not just Kurt (though I do love Kurt). He is a very important character but I want more from the others. And I still think that Puck’s character has been done a disservice as seen in this episode. Puck’s a jerk, and he can be stupid, but stealing an ATM machine in the first place? I find that highly unlikely. And his character is all over the place; it’s giving me whiplash.
So, since my post is WAY too long, I agree that, from now on, I’m watching this show for pure entertainment value. I usually love all of the musical performances (I thought the boys mash-up in this episode was stellar!), and I do love every character individually on this show–great cast (though Shue is really starting to bug–wish he’d grow up and act like a teacher!). So, no more expectations going into every episode like before. It’s just a TV show and that’s what I need to keep in mind.
Kath, your criticisms/comments for this episode are spot-on. But I was particularly disgusted by the Shue/Bieste scene. Not only was the kiss ridiculous, speaking as someone who has never had a lot of attention guys, the “your heart is just too big” comment was incredibly insulting. I still love the show, but sometimes I seriously wonder about the judgement of the writers.
I mostly agree/w article and comments, I could have gotten on board with Dave being a bully because he’s confused, but they handled it all so badly–confronting a messed up deeply in the closet kid about being gay in the middle of school? And the idea that he’d continued shoving Kurt around is ridiculous–if anything he’d stay miles away and hope to god Kurt doesn’t tell anyone else what happened. That just felt wildly unrealistic. And don’t even get me started on Harry Potters Magical High School of Teenage Tolerance and Understanding that was dropped down into Lima, OH. I really hope next weeks Gwyneth episode can just be fun.
I loved the Kurt/Blaine stuff. Since Darren is now in talks to become a regular, I hope they become more than just friends. I hated “Teenage Dream” until I saw the promo clip from this show. I love this version.
I thought the bullying stuff was good in some respects, but ultimately potentially more damaging than helpful. “Bully is actually deeply confused and sexually frustrated” doesn’t sit well with me as a first line of attack in the bullying story. Yes, some bullies are conflicted, questioning, and closeted. In my experience, they are not the majority of bullies. The majority of bullies have other anger issues that have nothing to do with sexuality. The only part that I liked about it was that Kurt pushed him away in repulsion after he forcibly kissed him.
The rest of the epsiode was pretty much a mess. The music wasn’t great except the Warblers number, Sue was less than stellar, the athletes’ storyline was just awful ten ways to Sunday, and Will is really getting on my nerves.
Loved. It is now my fav episode (and I’ll judge so hard since is the first episode of an arc). Someone give Colfer an Emmy already.
This was most definitely the worst episode of season 2 so far. So many things were just RIDICULOUS! Not going to lie, my main complaint is definitely the distinct lack of Rachel, but Will was super-irritating as usual, Puck was a dumb emo jerk, Artie is just so eugh, I can’t stand him, Brittany and Santana were awful as well. For an anti-bullying episode, it seemed a tad misogynistic to me. The mash up was a direct recycle, as was Quinn’s storyline. Sam is just Finn part two for her, I don’t get it at all. She doesn’t even seem to like him, it’s a social status thing. If they’re trying to disprove that internet thing about her being a massive repressed gay for Rachel they’re doing a terrible job! Especially with the whole thing of Kurts bully being gay for him. (Which by the way, I thought was really badly done, it was just angry, random kiss, angry. There’s usually a bit more involved. It kind of seemed like they were going for the quick fix of:
“Look kids! All homophobes are closet gays! If you make fun of the gays, then you are one!” which in it’s own way is kind of clever, but maybe since Chris and Ryan keep talking about how Glee is going to tackle bullying this will actually go further.)
I also really don’t understand why it’s ok for Rachel to be pushed around, bullied and slushied just as much as Kurt, but we don’t need to get all PSA about it, because Rachel “kind of deserves it” for being a diva.
Also the Blaine shrine was creepy. Just the courage thing would have been fine, but the framed photo? Kurt is not learning from his mistakes….
Colfer needs an Emmy – stat.
By the way, where was Puck (the actor, not the character in juvie?)
I appreciate what the writers were trying to do with this episode but so many parts didn’t help them reach that goal. I don’t understand how the Bieste portion didn’t just undo the good that the Kurt portion did. The jock kissing Kurt was handled sooo well by Colfer. But seriously? I am not sure what the writers are after sometimes.
I’m still tuning in for the good drama that occasionally pops up and for the musical numbers but only “Teenage Dream” worked for me last night.
Most of the episode seemed OK, not great just OK.
I agree with MattieB when he said
“Also, can we have a Very Important Episode that doesn’t revolve around Kurt? I know he’s become the heart of the show, but I feel like we should spread the wealth out a bit.”
I get the Kurt love, and everyone wants the gay kid to be awesome etc. BUT he’s not the only character with heart and the show / writers seem to use only him for the emotional punch… (Don’t the rest of the characters have emotional stuff to deal with too?)
I think I was the only one surprised by Kurts kiss, I didn’t see it coming, but also agree that after that the Bully (Dave?) would have given him a very wide birth and would not continue to bully.
I don’t know if it’s my age, or because I remember having a particular teacher at school that we perhaps didn’t treat too kindly (God Bless you Mrs Kennedy,, where-ever you are now) but Beiste’s reaction to the kids seemed a little extreme. Teachers to some extent EXPECT a certain level of disrespect from students, some teachers are liked, some teachers are not. If you cannot shrug it off a little, perhaps you shouldn’t be a teacher? But that might just be me, that whole storyline drove me nuts,. and I was literally shouting at my screen “please don’t kiss her” to Will, and yet…. grrrrrr. I really like Shannon as a character, and I think that just did her character a huge disservice. (also, Sexual Harassment in the work place?).
Anyway, Glee does seem to be trying to please everyone all of the time at the moment, and seems to be failing to please most.
And like Kath said, I loved “Teenage Dreams” but the whole “running through the hallways in slow motion” seemed a bit much, considering they had literally JUST met.
Not my favourite epiosde of Glee, but there have been worse. Just sort out some continuity of characters, they seem to be all over the place (Puck and Artie are the most obvious examples of that, and to be honest that whole storyline only happened to make the “Partie” shippers happy) and the show is doing a Rob Thomas, and trying to make the fans happy, NOT create a good show. (Sorry Rob, I did love VM)
Wow. I didn’t expect such negative comments.
I’m not going to do a huge review like some of you guys did, but I’m just going to express my feelings about some points.
First, Dave revealing himself as gay/struggling with his feelings. Yes, all bullies aren’t closeted homosexuals, but hey, it’s a TV show ! If you want it to be entertaining, you don’t show what happens everyday, or is the majority, otherwise, the story would be boring as hell. Plus, if they did try to reproduce the reality, they wouldn’t be able to learn a song perfectly in ten minutes like they do in the show … come on. (plus, I noticed that although Schue is always complaining about Glee Club’s budget, they always have enough money for all their costumes, props, and everything …).
Then, the Artie/Puck storyline. Agree, Puck did it to get away with his community service, but I think Artie sensed that Puck likes him, even if he will never admit it. He wasn’t forced to help him get with Brittany (and yes, I also noticed that thing with the “Previously on Glee”) or “be cool”, but he did. He just don’t want to look like a “pussy”, to use his own words by telling Artie that he enjoyed going out with him.
The one little thing I didn’t like was Schue kissing Beiste because, yeah, he kind of stole her first kiss. But I really though it was a moving scene (every sad scene with Beiste almost makes me cry actually) ! But one thing ruined it for me, because I was laughing to hard at it :
Schue : “You’re beautiful …”
Beiste, lightning up a bit : “Really ? ”
Schue : “On the inside”
BAM – that was rough.
Oh, and I though of something else, actually : maybe Dave could be Kurt’s boyfriend eventually … or at least, in competition with Blaine (to add a bit more suspens because otherwise it would be a bit boring)
One of the big counter-arguments to criticism about Glee is “Well, of course it’s not realistic, it’s a TV show, it can’t always be real!” But I don’t think it’s a lack of realism that is Glee’s problem. The show is borderline farce and satire (depending on the episode and the writers’ abilities), so I expect it to be ridiculous. But I want that ridiculous to be handled well, and I don’t think it is. I can accept that Sue says horribly awful things and doesn’t lose her job, because her character is written and acted well. Yes, she’s hateful, but she makes an enjoyable villain, and I think Jane Lynch deserved the hell out of that Emmy. It’s the same way I can accept the elaborate sets and costumes despite a budget, because this show isn’t set in the real world.
What does bother me is the inconsistency and the sloppiness. There are more dropped plot threads than there are musical numbers. What about the Mercedes-eating-disorder thing from last season? That was wrapped up in one scene and not given half the gravitas that EVERYTHING Kurt does is given. And then when they do the Very Special Episodes, like this one, they’re sloppy about it. I’m not upset that they chose to go with the “Bully is Gay!” twist, but I wanted them to handle it … better. And admittedly this is where my criticism starts to fall apart, because I’m not sure exactly what else I wanted, and I do think it’s a cop-out to say “I’m not getting paid to think up ideas”. I think I just wanted the whole thing to play out differently. Maybe have it be a pair of bullies and the other one is just a douche? Have the gay bully play a bit more range other than “HULK SMASH”? I don’t know. Maybe I’m just over the “gay gay GAY” every two weeks.
I don’t mean to rail against the show, because I believe if someone has that much of a problem with a show, just stop watching. I just think Glee is a special case because of it’s potential. I remember what it was, and I see glimpses of that from time to time. I’m not good at handling my continuing disappointment, I guess.
Oh, and I agree with Laiq that they seem to be trying to please everyone at once, and wind up pleasing almost no one.
I completely agree about the whole Shue/Bieste kiss, it was unrealistic & after her outpouring of emotion about how much a kiss meant to her, he goes & kisses her..so stupid!
I was also confused about Artie wanting Brittany back, seemed like a 5 min episode filler to me. I bet they don’t even touch on this subject at all in future episodes.
I love Glee, don’t get me wrong, but am finding that this season is trying to hard to keep up with the hype & constantly trying to outdo each episode. I prefer the simpler episodes on season 1, at least the storylines were more believable!
Overall I really enjoyed this episode, but yes, there were some cringe-worthy moments – I’m talking to you, Will’s pity kiss.
The scene leading up to that kiss was brilliantly executed and shows what an amazing actress Dot-Marie Jones truly is, but I was also screaming at the TV the whole time “don’t kiss her!” (talk about a cliche). The whole ‘never been kissed’ thing was about the lack of hope and potential love, which a pity kiss doesn’t offer and it just cheapened the whole story. And Puck’s line to Bieste was also ludicrous and inappropriate.
I do think there was an underlying theme in all of the story lines, even Puck’s, about how easily people overlook the pain and suffering of others (Kurt’s bullying, Bieste’s ridicule, no one trying to figure out why Puck is always acting up and landing in trouble).
For Glee to take on the serious issue of bullying, which really has been at the core of the show (and many of its comedic moments) is a tricky task to tackle for sure. But I have faith it will find it’s footing. Or at leas I really hope it will.