Glee: The Complete Second Season arrives on Blu-ray

     Now available on Blu-ray is Glee: The Complete Second Season. Year two is quite eventful for McKinley High's glee club students, and a number of them go through some big changes. There are the obligatory romantic pairings and splits, and some real social issues get dealt with, too.

     Homosexuality plays a large part in season two. Kurt (Chris Colfer) is forced to transfer to a new school after being bullied by Karofsky (Max Adler), who is secretly gay. Fortunately, Kurt soon meets Blaine (Darren Criss), who not only helps him feel comfortable with himself, but proves to be a love interest. Also, Santana (Naya Rivera) struggles with her feelings for Brittany (Heather Morris), who seems to like guys and at least one girl.

     In other relationship developments, Emma dates Carl (John Stamos), and Will (Matthew Morrison) falls for Holly (Gwyneth Paltrow), which provides a distraction to keep them apart for awhile. Finn (Cory Monteith) goes back to Quinn (Dianna Agron) for a time, despite his feelings for Rachel (Lea Michele). Quinn takes an interest in Sam (Chord Oversteet). Puck (Mark Salling) does his best to woo new member Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink). Artie (Kevin McHale) loses Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) to Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.), but soon dates Brittany.

     Among the other new characters is Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), the new football coach who befriends Will. She is such a unique person, that she certainly adds another layer to a very diverse cast. Jones, a talented actress, is a nice addition.

     There are some pretty special episodes in Glee's second season. "Britney/Brittany" boasts all Britney Spears music, and an appearance by the singer herself. "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" takes on the musical "The Rocky Horror Show." "A Very Glee Christmas" is the series's spin on a Christmas special, complete with holiday tunes. "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" aired after the Super Bowl! "Original Song" marks the beginning of premiering all new music on Glee. Finally, "New York," the spectacular season finale, is set and filmed in New York City as the New Directions compete at Nationals.

     The nice thing about this release is that Glee is meant to be watched in HD, which Blu-ray allows. The picture is very detailed and crystal clear, while the songs sound pitch perfect. There is much detail in the setting, and high def picture allows one to see each and every one of those. It's great to get such a great quality for the music, since this show is so melody heavy. Glee: The Complete Second Season has 5.1 DTS-HD surround sound, and is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio.

     There are lots of bonus features on Glee: The Complete Second Season, mostly drawn from the previously released DVD sets. Glee puts out a release mid-season, so one can buy the year in two parts or one, but only the full season is available in Blu-ray, so that is recommended.

     Over ten minutes are spent examining how the cast shoot the season finale, "New York," in New York City. It's especially touching to see all of the fans that show up to see the actors. Eight minutes of "Guesting on Glee" features interviews with guest stars including Katie Couric, Carol Burnett, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cheyenne Jackson, Charice, Kristin Chenoweth, John Stamos, and Jonathan Groff.

    Cory Monteith takes viewers behind the scenes and spends five and a half minutes talking about building an auditorium set. A real auditorium is used in season one, but for the second year, a set is built on a sound stage. The featurette takes you through the entire process of creating the set, from sketching, to actually putting it together.

     "The Wit of Brittany," which is about two minutes of some of Brittany's (Heather Morris) best one-liners, is fun, as she does provide a good laugh. Even better, an almost six minute short takes fans into a "Day in the Life of Brittany." Morris is in character, but touring the set. Extremely amusing.

     I like "Getting Waxed with Jane Lynch," in which we get to see some of the process it takes Madame Tussauds's to make a Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) wax figure. Two minutes of Sue's one-liners have their own track. Santana gets almost three minutes of her slams put together. There are also fifteen minutes from the Glee panel at the San Diego Comic-Con from summer 2010. "Stevie Nicks Goes Glee" spends three and a half minutes on the Steve Nicks music-heavy episode.

     "The Making of The Rocky Horror Glee Show" is a seven minute look at the very special Halloween episode. Bits of trivia are doled out, such as that Carl was originally supposed to sing "Sweet Transvestite," though Mercedes (Amber Riley) eventually gets the number. Jayma Mays gives the low down on some of the "ab-ulous" going-ons. In general, the cast is very relaxed and talkative about the experience, which is what one wants in such a featurette.

     One feature that is truly disappointing is the exclusive bonus song from "The Rocky Horror Glee Show." Called "Planet, Schmanet, Janet," it is about a minute long. There isn't anything new filmed, just the old red-lips-mouthing-the-words trick used for the opening. The music itself is enjoyable, but longs for something more substantial. There is also inexplicable screaming throughout.

     As always, the Glee Music Jukebox is included, to allow fans to find their favorite musical numbers with a click of the remote. There is a shuffle option, but it only lets you shuffle between pieces from the five or six episodes on the disc currently in the player, so that's a little disappointing.

     It's not a bad lineup, of extras, but it's too bad there aren't some episode commentaries or further discussion with the cast and crew.


     Buy Glee: The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray today.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Glee reviews.

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Glee: The Complete Second Season on Blogcritics.

Glee travels to "New York"

     FOX's Glee ends their season by sending the New Directions to "New York" City to compete in the Nationals for show choirs. The kids are excited, and have a hard time focusing on writing their original songs for competition, instead wanting to explore the city. Finn (Cory Monteith) takes Rachel (Lea Michele) on a romantic date, only to have her reject him because she knows her future is in NYC, and doesn't think his is. Kurt (Chris Colfer) reaffirms Rachel's belief by helping her live out some dreams. Will (Matthew Morrison) makes a decision between performing on Broadway and continuing to teach at McKinley. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, the New Directions do not place high, but emotions are dwelt upon, and most  characters are satisfied with the trip.


     The New Directions's competition performance is exactly what it needs to be. The duet will be discussed later on, but their showpiece is "Light Up the World." It is not a perfect song, but given that the kids didn't write it until after their arrival in New York, it is good enough. What's more, there is never much expectation that they will win. This episode is about getting to the big time, while next season, when most of the star characters are seniors, they will likely take home the 1st place trophy in a triumphant swan song.

     "Yeah!" is a little bit of filler, but gives some comparison point for the New Directions. It is well executed, and a pleasure to watch, even though it will not win, either. The costumes and choreography are bizarre, and bring the performance down enough that it is easy to imagine the glee kids beating them. They ultimately do not because of a lack of professionalism, but that's OK. Showing "Yeah!" gives viewers confidence the New Direction can easily conquer that level of song next year, and proves that not everyone at Nationals is brilliant.

     "My Cup" is a goofy little number, reuniting Brittany (Heather Morris) with Artie (Kevin McHale). Far superior to Rachel's ode to a hair brush, it isn't especially catchy, but the lyrics are funny. While Brittany works better with one-liners, it's nice the writers decide to experiment with something a little more lengthy, similar to her Fondue for Two bit a couple of weeks ago.

     For two years, Mercedes's (Amber Riley) lack of love life has been frustrating. Light breaks the horizon as she is revealed to be having a secret fling with Sam (Chord Overstreet). While this development is hinted at in "Prom," and the two actually make a nice couple, the need to keep things secret is confusing. Sam is a relatively private person, but Mercedes has been complaining about her lack of man for awhile, and all of a sudden, she can't even tell Kurt? Weird. But forgiven, because of how awesome it is to see Mercedes with a good man.

     Kurt and Blaine (Darren Criss) take things to the next level by exchanging "I love you"s over coffee as Kurt enthusiastically recounts his trip to Blaine. This is perfect timing, and as a couple, these two work very, very well together. Obviously, Blaine is moved by Kurt's passion to express himself, and enjoying seeing someone happy is a hallmark of true love. Yay for them!

     In an otherwise excellent episode, two glaring issues stand out. Number one is Will's quick abandonment of his Broadway dreams after rival coach Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson) outs Will's plans to the New Directions. Will feels totally at home after taking the Crossrhodes stage to sing "Still Got Tonight," a surprisingly decent song written by American Idol Kris Allen. Although the series chooses to forgo another tasty Kristen Chenoweth guest spot, it is an almost perfect scene, moving in a way Will does not often achieve.

     Will has mentioned before that he always wanted to sing on Broadway. He can do April's show in between glee club seasons, because they are done with Nationals, and he can perform through the summer. Why give up that chance? He can do both. It's not an either / or type of choice. I expected a phone call with Emma (Jayma Mays), where she convinces him to do Broadway, or at least a show of encouragement from the kids as long as Will promises to return in the fall. Surely, at least Kurt and Rachel understand Will's urge. Why cop out so easily by having Will decide not to do it as soon as the kids find out?

     The second is Quinn's (Dianna Agron) similarly unexplored strong emotions. She expresses serious anger issues with Finn, wanting to quit the glee club. She says she no longer cares about the whole thing, which is understandable. But then Brittany and Santana (Naya Rivera) cheer her up with a hair cut, which is clearly a deleted scene musical number, and she's suddenly fine? The episode moves from furious Quinn and team player Quinn in seconds, with no explanation or exploration of how she can begin to heal.

     This likely spells the permanent end of Quinn and Finn. They give it two good tries, but the reasons they should be together are shallow and goofy. Finn realizes this, and moves on. It is time for Quinn to do the same. With her baby arc, she becomes a very strong character in season one. In season two, Quinn is losing her edge, reverting back to who she is in the early days of Glee. After so much good character development, this can not be allowed to happen. With graduation for Quinn looming next year, season three should feature a strong, independent Quinn ready to map out a successful future for herself.

     Rachel's apology to Sunshine (Charice) is unnecessary, and not needed. Much like both "unnecessary" and "not needed" in the same sentence. But considering it leads to Sunshine performing "As Long as You're There," it can be overlooked. It's not the strongest song in the episode, but Charice's talent has been so under utilized, any chance to see it is welcome.

     Glee takes full advantage of location shooting in New York for "New York." The opening mash up of "I Love New York" and "New York, New York" is spellbinding as the kids run all over the city. The scenery is gorgeous and distinctive to the setting, while the costumes and energy do a great job conveying the characters' excitement over the trip. It is everything that needs to be in the episode.

     Even better is Kurt's private tour for Rachel. They have breakfast at Tiffany's, and then break into Wicked's theater to perform an amazing rendition of "For Good," definitely a highlight of the episode. The two enjoy the theater aspect of New York City as no two other characters can, and their enthusiasm is infectious. It is not hard to imagine their lives returning to NYC after graduation, and both being lucky enough to make it there.

     Rachel and Finn finally deal with what a real relationship means between them. Rachel has dreams, and while she is content to be with Finn while in high school, she is not willing to give up being a star for him. At least not yet. He does write a heck of a love duet in "Pretending," which ends in them kissing on stage, likely ruining their chances of a win with such a blatant display of unprofessionalism. But Rachel, uncharacteristically, doesn't care, because she is falling for him all over again.

     Will Rachel's romantic notions grow stronger, clouding out her life's desire? Finn's final play comes on the heels of an overly romantic date on the streets of New York, complete with a chance encounter with Patti LuPone (cameoing as herself) at Sardi's, and serenading of "Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp by the glee guys. As such, Rachel may have been a little more open to him than she otherwise would be.

     Perhaps a nice spin-off, post-season three, with Finn deciding to tag along with Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine as the three inevitably travel to New York to become stars?

     Also nice is Jesse's (Jonathan Groff) last ditch play for Rachel. It is probably about as sincere as he can get, and demonstrates once more that he is not good enough for her. It's slightly disappointing that Will seems to encourage Jesse a bit, but perhaps the director is merely being kind. Having Finn be the one to ultimately tell Jesse off may be chauvinistic, but it solidifies his claim on Rachel, who deserves the attention.


     Glee was picked up for a third season long ago, and will return next fall to FOX. In the meantime, check out The Glee Project, premiering June 12th on Oxygen, a reality competition where young performers will compete for a chance to be on Glee next year. This column will review the premiere, but may or (more likely) may not cover it weekly, depending on how good the series is.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     To purchase Glee DVDs, streaming episodes, music, and more, please click here!

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "New York" on Blogcritics.

Glee hosts "A Night of Neglect"

     FOX's Glee returned last night with an all new episode. In it, the members of the New Directions decide to stage a "Night of Neglect" to raise money to get themselves to Nationals, as well as to pay for several of their group to participate in an academic contest. Sue (Jane Lynch), newly determined to destroy the club, forms a Legion of Doom to combat them. Meanwhile, Will (Matthew Morrison) and Holly (Gwyneth Paltrow) have problems when Holly suspects that Will is still in love with Emma (Jayma Mays).

     It is about time Will and Emma moved along! She is now free of husband Carl (John Stamos), who is seeking an annulment after months of living in an unconsummated marriage. Will is dating Holly, but Holly always says their relationship will be temporary. She is a "wandering, wild substitute," which, by the way, is not a real thing. There are no substitutes anywhere who live and travel like Holly Holliday. But the writing is on the wall, because Paltrow is a big name movie star, and while she has been kind enough to do three episodes this season, her intentions were never to stick around long-term.

     Will and Emma are the on-again, off-again couple that just can't seem to make it work. She likes him when he's married, then he likes her when she is with Carl. Both pine for the other while they are unavailable. Now, both are single, and with the season finale fast approaching, it's finally time to see how they work as a couple. Best guess is that will be the beginning of season three. Can't rush into it too quickly.

     The most likely obstacle for Will and Emma at this time is Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), missing for most the season, despite her name remaining in the opening credits. As a member of Sue's band, and someone who is still very fond of Will, look for her to stir up trouble just when it appears Will and Emma are heading for a happy ending. Terri is not something that cannot be overcome, but she will toss up some drama for a bit first. This is great news, because as much as Terri might be unlikable, Gilsig is great fun, and it will be enjoyable to watch her in action again.

     As for Holly, she may be back in season three. The writers and producers would love for her to return, and why not? She doesn't even have to come in to start trouble, but rather, just as a returning friend in town for a warm visit. Her performance of "Turning Tables" is a perfect ending for now, but it is likely we have not seen the last of her.

     Anyone who was excited to learn that Charice would be joining Glee this year may have been disappointed by her long absence after only one episode. She returns as Sunshine Corazon, member of a rival club, in last night's episode. After convincing the New Directions that she is serious about helping out with their benefit by delivering a powerful version of "All By Myself" and promising to pack the house, she and her fans are a no-show.

     It's easy to see from a mile away that Charice is part of Sue's evil scheme, asked to participate by her vocal coach, Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson), a.k.a. Mr. Handsome, in the Legion of Doom. Why only Rachel (Lea Michele) can see that is a bit mind boggling, especially after Rachel brought another spy from the same group in last year. Yet, somehow, all hopes for the event hang out Charice, and not even Glee Club parents show up.

     Songs at the benefit include Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) singing "I Follow Rivers" and Mike Chang (Harry Shrum Jr.) showing off his dancing skills to Jack Johnson's "Bubble Toes." Tina's song is a little boring, but Mike really has moves, as we've seen numerous times before.

     The only people in attendance are Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss), making their weekly, brief appearance, and Sandy's (Stephen Tobolowsky), a.k.a. The Pink Dagger, all-familiar heckling club consisting of recurring characters Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter), Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman), and football bully Azimio (James Earl). While the hecklers could have had their own episode, the four actors being so fantastic, a bit of taffy and a talk from Holly handily defeats them, leaving only a couple of cheering fans by the end of the show.

     Sure, Sue's choices of fellow baddies are slim, as most adults in the series, unlike fellow students, adore the New Directions, but did she have to go with Sandy, of all people? Tobolowsky is worth adoration, but his character is never much of a threat. The former glee club director, turned pot dealer, is brought to his knees as soon as Mercedes (Amber Riley) belts out Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way," and he ends up donating all of the money for the academic trip himself.

     Mercedes rarely gets a chance to shine. This episode addresses head on how, though Mercedes talent matches Rachel's, the former is never in the spot light. It is extremely welcome for Mercedes to get her due with a killer musical number, while Rachel takes the entire week off of singing, a true rarity in the series. While both are fantastic characters, it would be nice if Mercedes got several episodes of focus, not just this one.

     Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink) continues her streak of awesomeness by appointing herself Mercedes's manager, and making diva-level demands on Rachel, who is assigned to handle the talent for the event. While Mercedes is generally a kind diva, it is easy to see why she would embrace Lauren's big plans when having her ego stroked a bit, a long overdue occurrence. Lauren and Mercedes are great fun together, and perhaps the two can be chums, since Quinn (Dianna Agron) seems to have abandoned her former gal pal.

     Another highlight in this episode is Santana's (Naya Rivera) verbal take down of Dave (Max Adler) in the hallway as the bully threatens Blaine and Kurt. Santana seems to be embracing her homosexuality, as the whole confrontation has a "stick together" vibe to it. Dave, who earlier in the season admitted he is gay to Kurt, has backtracked into the homophobic crowd, understandable in the setting where he dwells, even though it is also regrettable. While Kurt and Blaine don't seem to be of much help to Dave embracing himself, perhaps Santana's method of kicking butt can turn the tide?

     Lastly, the brief cut scenes of the academic team, consisting of Mike Chang, Tina, Artie (Kevin McHale), and Brittany (Heather Morris) is hilarious! Who'd have thought that Feline Diseases would be a category, making Brittany invaluable in a thinking challenge? The pay off at the end, with Holly's teaching coming in handy, is a nice trough gag. While outside of the normal plot of the show, the connections made, as well as the superb humor, makes this bit memorable.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     Glee airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET, and next week will present a special 90-minute episode! Quinn and Lauren will battle it out for prom queen.

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "A Night of Neglect" on Blogcritics.

Glee returns much improved with "Audition"

Be warned — spoilers below!

     Lest you attack me for my article title, I loved the first season of FOX's Glee. Finally, a show that combined good storytelling with entertaining musical numbers! The problem with the first season, though, was that the storytelling was just good, not great. Sometimes the plot meandered. Other times, it felt like twists happened just to fit the songs that had been slotted for the episode. Glee had many great qualities, but it was also lacking in a few critical areas.

     All of that was fixed by the season two premiere, "Audition." I can't point to a single weak spot in the first episode back. Spoilers will be rampant below, so if you haven't seen the episode yet, I suggest you bookmark this article and go watch it.

     The magic started with the opening credits. I knew that fan favorites Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) had been upgraded to series regulars, but I had no idea that the same courtesy had been extended to father-of-the-year, Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley). Perhaps the Emmys helped him with that. The three are the only upgrades appearing in the first episode, though Burt sat the premiere out, along with a couple of the other starring adults.

     The music selections were amazing. From "New York State of Mind" to "Telephone" to "Billionaire," each enhanced the story, and was used to further the plot, rather than stop it. Rachel (Lea Michele) even got to finish the show by belting out a Broadway staple, her strong suit. It no longer felt like the songs were decided first and then the story written around them.

     Almost all of the main characters had interesting personal developments during the three months off. Rachel and Finn (Cory Monteith) are now in a serious relationship. Artie (Kevin McHale) lost Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) to Mike (Harry Shum Jr., the only member of the club left who is not a series regular) because he ignored her. Finn attempted to help Artie win her back, and his efforts got him kicked off of the football team, calling into question his whole identity. Solid developments, all.

     Despite the focus on the core cast, there were plenty of new characters. My favorite was the female football coach, Beast (Dot Jones, The Boondock Saints, Patch Adams). She was introduced as a stereotype, but was fleshed out and sympathetic by the midway point of the episode. As much as I loved the Will (Matthew Morrison) and Sue (Jane Lynch) team-up, I loved even more when Will followed his moral code and apologized to Beast.

     Other new singers were also introduced. Sam (Chord Overstreet) is a new kid who gets Finn's place on the football team, and rejects the club to be cool. Sunshine (Charice) was a threat to Rachel's place in New Directions, until the diva alienated her enough to send her into the arms of their arch-rival, Vocal Adrenaline. Both could be really cool characters, and I look forward to their return.

     Part of what makes Glee succeed are the cast of recurring minor parts, and the premiere did not leave them out. "Audition" opened with great documentary interviews provided by Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman, Warren the Ape), and Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter) sat in on Cheerio tryouts with Sue. I would be remiss if I did not mention Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba), who had more than the usual refereeing to do in the first episode back.

     All in all, it was an unexpectedly awesome start for Glee's sophomore season. If they can maintain the fine tuning to an already hit formula, this show will only go up from here. Kudos to all involved.
Glee airs Tuesday nights at 9pm

Article first published as TV Review: Glee Returns Much Improved With "Audition" on Blogcritics.

Gleeks to get less Glee, but it's all good

     Fox had such a huge hit on it's hands with Glee that it was picked up for a second season by January, and a reality show leading up to the premiere of season two was announced soon after.  The reality show would feature fans uploading videos of themselves singing onto YouTube, and the winners would get to appear on the television show.

     Yesterday Fox announced that there would be no reality television show.  The project has been scrapped.  Speaking as someone who has no respect for reality tv (other than an occasional Project Runway or American Idol article, it is the genre missing from my reviews), this is definitely good news.  Why water down such an interesting, unique hit by adding a crappy, bastardized reality competition to it?

     Fans who already uploaded their videos, fear not.  Creator Ryan Murphy will still be combing them to find some new guest stars.  Some Gleeks out there will soon be getting a very special call.  The creator asked Fox to cancel the project so that he could focus better on planning upcoming episodes, and the network didn't fight him on it.

     Plenty of Glee will be coming to airwaves, so don't despair.  Fox has asked for twenty-five episodes this season, a number almost unheard of anymore for hour long dramedies, and especially for a show that takes as much effort as Glee does to put together.  It has also already been given a third season, so the creative team have plenty of time to take us on a great arc.  Also, in conjunction with the first season, there are three full albums and two mini-albums, as well as a DVD release available as a complete season or in two parts, so there's plenty of ways to relive the memories.  Not only that, but it was recently revealed that the Glee cast members have a clause in their contracts calling for three feature length films, should the studio decide to move the McKinley High students to the big screen.

     In other Glee news, it was just announced that Filipino singing star Charice will be coming on board in a recurring role.  Oprah called her the most talented girl in the world, so she definitely has some chops.  Look out Rachel!

     Glee stars Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Dianna Agron, Mark Salling, Jayma Mays, and the legendary Jane Lynch, among others, and will be returning to Fox this fall.  Many of the stars will also be at Comic Con this summer.