GLEE's "Dreams Come (Almost) True"

Article originally published as TV Review: 'Glee' Series Finale - '2009' and 'Dreams Come True' on Blogcritics.

FOX’s Glee comes to an end this, week after six seasons on the air . The first hour of the two-part finale, “2009,” takes place during the pilot of the show, revealing different perspectives as the audition process for the brand-new New Directions begins, and filling in some of the gaps in motivation between these early characters and who they become. The second half, “Dreams Come True,” goes slightly into the future, glimpsing the fates of several key members of the cast, before ending about five and a half years down the world in a nearly-perfect world.

Glee’s quality is inconsistent; something that remains through the end. However, the series almost always hits the emotional points it needs to hit, which it does in “2009” and “Dreams Come True.” Honestly, there was little point to “2009,” having no real purpose to its flashbacks, other than to evoke nostalgia. In that, it succeeds, forcing fans to remember where Rachel (Lea Michele), Mercedes (Amber Riley), Kurt (Chris Colfer), Artie (Kevin McHale), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), Will (Matthew Morrison), and Sue (Jane Lynch) come from, providing context to where they end up by the series end. And while it was a completely unnecessary episode, it was also a very moving remembrance, especially when including memories of Finn (Cory Monteith, whose untimely death forever changed the show).

Some of the songs were recycled from the pilot; “Mister Cellophane,” and “I Kissed a Girl” are the songs with which Kurt and Tina auditioned, respectively, and the series wastes precious on them. I won’t complain about Glee using “Don’t Stop Believin'” yet again because it is the show’s signature song, and it does allow us to see Finn again, the rest of the episode masterfully matching up the re-used footage. Rachel and Kurt’s “Popular,” Artie’s “Pony,” and Mercedes’s “I’m His Child” are better because they’re new and they fit, at least adding a little bit of something to “2009.”

The episode is fun. Seeing Will married to Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) again, remembering how neurotic and in-lust Emma (Jayma Mays) first is, hearing the Tina we know justify the Tina Glee starts with, and having Howard (Kent Avenido) around for comic relief are all enjoyable. An unexpected glimpse of Blaine (Darren Criss) is welcome. There are a few poignant bits: seeing Will and Sue’s friendship sort of fall apart, and reminding us how poorly Kurt and his father (Mike O’Malley) communicate, as well as showing Kurt at an extremely low point, mean something. But overall, “2009” doesn’t serve much purpose in the grand scheme of things.

I would have had less of a problem with this bit of nostalgia if “2009” had not been part of the two-hour series finale. Had it aired last week, it would have been better. The issue is, after spending a full episode in the past, there isn’t a lot of time to tie up the endings, which means that many, many deserving characters don’t get their earned send-offs, some of which could be very brief, but aren’t present at all. These two hours do re-focus the story on the core cast, but even they aren’t all given their due, with Artie and Tina, arguably the least necessary characters, shafted in the second hour in favor of allowing Sam (Chord Overstreet) and Blaine some pay-off.

“Dreams Come True” presents an idealized version of the future. Rachel wins a Tony, for which she thanks Will, carries a surrogate child for Kurt and Blaine, and is married to Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff). Kurt and Blaine are on Broadway, and doing school visits in their spare time. Sam takes over the New Directions, something in which he’d never before shown, but does seem oddly fitting. Mercedes is on tour with Beyonce. Sue is winning a second term as Vice President under Jeb Bush. The last is a bit nightmarish, but it’s the outcome Sue would want.

The most optimistic vision of all finds Will taking over as principal at McKinley, now a school for the arts, and turning it into a model copied nationally. Glee has always championed arts education, positioning music as the magic bullet that can fix a severely broken system. As someone heavily involved in music and drama while in school, I am sympathetic, but Glee takes it all to the super unrealistic nth degree. I certainly appreciate what the show is trying to do, but by tossing believability so far out the window, it pretty much undermines its own message.

What I’d have preferred from the finale is something the two hours do in half measures. Mercedes gets to say goodbye with “Someday We’ll Be Together,” Will croons his “Teach Your Children” thank you to the alumni, Sue lets “The Winner Takes It All” express her emotions to Will, and Rachel is sent off in the penultimate number, “This Time.” All of these are great, especially the Sue song, and they are good ways to let these characters depart. Kurt and Blaine’s “Daydream Believer” is at least as enjoyable as these others, though feeling less final. There are non-singing moments, too, such as see Sue and Will watch the Tonys together, Blaine worrying about Sam, and Tina and Artie’s kiss, that are touching. But there are other characters who matter besides them. Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris) arguably get their due in their wedding episode, but others in the cast are not featured, and that’s a shame.

“Dreams Come True” ends with a huge group number honoring Will and the auditorium named for Finn with “I Lived.” This is terrific, with almost all of the previous glee club members (sans Rory and Marley, most noticeably) coming back to be with Will. Such faces are glimpsed as Zizes (Ashley Fink, whose return I long yearned for), Joe (Samuel Larsen), Matt (Dijon Talton), Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.), Ryder (Blake Jenner), Jake (Jacob Artist), Puck (Mark Salling), Quinn (Dianna Agron), and many more. That it should include kids that come after them is debatable, since Will gives up coaching in the near future. But I would have liked to have seen a more full Mr. Holland’s Opus press, with all of the alumni parading past their teacher, showing viewers how they end up, while honoring the legacy Will builds.

While some of what I suggested is personal preference, and Glee is, of course, free to handle its swan song any way it wants, the way it did feels a little weak to me. By ignoring so many of the characters that made the show important and going overboard in its support of arts education, it just doesn’t live up to its potential. And yet, it hits emotional note after emotional note, and tears are flowing for much of the two-hour running time. So does it succeed at capping the six-year run, being as almost-great as the rest of the show? Or does is squander a chance at a lasting legacy by not entirely sticking the landing? I guess that’s up for each individual fan to decide for themselves.

It is with some relief that I end my last Gleekonomics column, but there’s no denying, Glee and its characters, despite all of their flaws, will be missed.

GLEE Hits "100" Episodes

Article first published as TV Review: 'Glee' - '100' on Blogcritics.

Although Glee already has an end date set for spring 2015, we still have about 25% of the show’s entire run to get through before then, so as much as things are winding down, they aren’t over. This week’s installment, “100,” is the first of two parts in which glee clubbers old and new come together to celebrate the New Directions in its final week of existence, before the series moves almost exclusively to New York, where it has been splitting its time for the past season and a half. It’s a bittersweet party as old feelings are dredged up and a couple of people try desperately to save the sinking ship.

If, and it’s a big if, the New Directions manage to escape Sue’s (Jane Lynch) draconian cuts, this will stand as the triumphant moment when everyone came together to save a beloved institution. If she succeeds, it’s one last happy time together, ending the group in the best of possible ways, everyone coming back and being together. As much as it’s dumb that the glee club is being disbanded, if it is, this really puts a bookend on the high school story for the majority of the cast, and will feel like satisfying closure. If it’s saved, though, it’ll be some last minute deus ex machina bit that will surely be disappointing, even though it’s the right thing to do.

This means Glee has painted itself into a corner. One path makes for a fitting story but comes across as phony, while the other choice doesn’t make sense for the story, but at least feels right. It seems Glee, unlike the unrealistic uber-genius Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris), can never quite make the math add up, continuously falling short of what it could and should be. I’ll miss Glee when it’s gone because television deserves a musical, but it will also be a relief to not have to write weekly columns for a series I’ve come to have such mixed feelings about, frequently frustrated at things so blatantly screwed up in a show I used to love.

As “100″ starts, all of the graduated seniors (who are still alive) have dropped whatever was going on in their lives and come back to McKinley to spend the last week of the New Directions’ existence with the choir. Yep, apparently these kids have no lives.

They are joined first by April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth), then by Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow), who arrives with a bouncy, yet underwhelming, “Happy.” Their return is great for viewers, but it’s pretty far-fetched, women who encounter the group a couple of times putting their lives on hold for this club, even if they are flighty free-spirits. What’s more, if the glee club is saved, it will come from these two recurring players, not our main heroes. April thinks she has a solution in “100,” until Sue thwarts it. But the episode ends with April and Holly vowing to finish their wine, then work on a plan. How come they care more about the New Directions than those who are part of the group?

To get into the spirit of celebration, April leads them all in a rendition of “Raise Your Glass.” It’s unfortunate, as the Warbler’s version is a classic that will never be matched. This trend of redoing old songs in an inferior manner continues throughout the hour with “Toxic,” “Defying Gravity,” “Valerie,” and “Keep Holding On.” They aren’t bad performances, and “Toxic” has cool staging, but if Glee wants to bring back past numbers, there really needs to be more effort to make it worth the fans’ time.

Rachel (Lea Michele) is the most surprising student attendee of this event, since she works full-time, goes to school full-time, and is starring in a Broadway show, which is pointed out with a wink that does not absolve the series of the glaring ridiculousness of her presence. Rachel is necessary, though, to Mercedes’s (Amber Riley) plot, which reignites their high school feud to be the best.

I disagree with Bowling for Soup about high school never ending, but it’s true for those who still hang around the place, and Mercedes has a valid emotional response when she is torn down by others in her industry, reopening old wounds. Thank goodness Rachel and Mercedes get a chance to work through their negativity, and while their calling off the vote for who sings “Gravity” better is a bit too syrupy sweet, it is touching, and allows them both to show growth and move on.

Random question: why does Kurt (Chris Colfer) have any part in “Gravity” at all? He’s not competing in the contest, and sings far fewer notes than the other two.

Now if only Rachel would make things right with Santana (Naya Rivera). Their ongoing battle is mentioned in “100,” but not featured. Perhaps Santana and Rachel are not friends before and any peace they find in the adult world is temporary, but I don’t think so. There is a real bond between them while living together, and Rachel should take the lesson she learns with Mercedes back home and apply it to her current situation.

Santana has more important things to worry about than Rachel right now. The former Cheerio quickly sees how unhappy her ex-girlfriend, Brittany, is, and tries to correct that, forcing the blonde into a “Valerie” dance number. That and a return of the infamous Fondue For Two web series brightens Brittany’s spirits. But when a grateful Brittany attempts a romantic reconciliation, Santana turns her down.

I was a huge fan of these girls when they were a couple, but Santana has developed quite a bit and is building a life for herself in New York. It’s easy to see why she doesn’t want aimless Brittany to be part of that, and Brittany needs to find her own path. I would still be thrilled at a reunion if Brittany can also be independent, not just Santana’s tag-along, and rejoin the cast full-time. But for now, it looks like they’ll be better apart than together, and Santana is wise to see that. Her distancing herself from Brittany will make Brittany stronger.

Love is more strongly in the air for Puck (Mark Salling) and Quinn (Dianna Agron), though it’s kind of one-sided as Quinn arrives with a new beau in tow. Puck doesn’t let that stop him, exposing what a phony the new guy is by helping Quinn come clean about her past, and then wooing her with an emotional “Keep Holding On.” It works, as Quinn ends the episode in the arms of her baby-daddy.

It does seem very odd that the Glee characters all keep ending up with their high school sweethearts. Yet, there’s something nice about these two finding one another once more, after all they’ve been through. Both face a number of challenges in their lives, and now they’ve worked through those and bettered themselves, finally ready to be in a relationship. It’s a great goodbye for them, should this prove to be their last appearance on the show.

I admit, I am disappointed that Quinn’s guy, Biff McIntosh (Chace Crawford), turns out to be such a stereotypical, stuck up jerk. Given that Biff seems, on the surface, so close to Crawford’s Gossip Girl role, I kept expected a more layered, nice person to emerge. What would have been even better is if Crawford was reprising Nate Archibold. But sadly, he’s just a forgettable, throw away guest star in this capacity.

Of course, besides all the personal drama, “100″ also takes time to stage a tribute to Finn (Cory Monteith) again, relocating his plaque to the auditorium before the choir room is converted into a computer lab. It’s completely understandable that the characters are still obsessed with their deceased quarterback, and it’s nice that they continue to pay homage to him, especially in an episode he definitely would have been featured in. I do wonder, though, how much the next season and a half will continue to play this up. Memorializing Finn in a few entries is fine, but the series shouldn’t overdo this.

“100″ has great character moments, amid lots of story flaws and inconsistencies, and an overall weak lineup of musical numbers. What should be a celebrated milestone for the show ends up as another disappointing, mediocre let down. This is only part one of a two-parter, but it seems unlikely the next hour will redeem this one. I really hope I’m not writing the same thing about the series finale fifteen months or so from now.

Glee airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

GLEE Lacks in the "City of Angels"

Article first published as TV Review: 'Glee' - 'City of Angels' on Blogcritics.

How can a show that so consistently hits the right notes emotionally and musically be so bad at a cohesive, believable story? This week’s installment of FOX’s Glee, “City of Angels,” delivers when it memorializes Finn (Cory Monteith) and shows how much the kids care, but falls flat on its face when the story takes wrong turn after wrong turn. Will next week’s big 100th episode be any better?

“City of Angels” finds the New Directions heading to L.A. for the Show Choir National Championship. The group sings “I Love L.A.” as they transition from the choir room to the streets of the city the show films most of their scenes in, even though it takes place in Ohio. It’s as much a tribute to the town as the glee club did when they arrived in New York, so it seems appropriate, even as viewers understand the actors actually live in L.A. so their enthusiasm, as believable as it does come across as being, is faked.

The missteps begin right away, though. Since the New Directions are three members short to compete, and the show is exhausted with cheeky jokes to bring supporting characters back after long absences, three new faces are stuck into the ensemble just for “City of Angels.” They don’t have names or lines. Never acknowledged, they are complete filler. What a shame.

Other ridiculous stuff follows. Will taps Sam (Chord Overstreet), without warning, to be the group’s leader at the last minute. Upon arriving at the hotel, Will (Matthew Morrison) is told that Sue (Jane Lynch) has messed with their reservations, although this is a throw-away occurrence that never goes anywhere and is quickly forgotten. Mercedes (Amber Riley) shows up with one of the most unrealistic (second) success stories ever. The chaperones for the trip, Burt (Mike O’Malley) and Carole (Romy Rosemont), irresponsibly take off without even informing Will they’re going. And a deaf woman, Marlee Matlin (herself), judges the singing competition.

If you think all of that is terrible, and it absolutely is, things go from bad to worse when Will and the gang bring home a second place trophy. Sue, surprisingly sympathetically, disbands the club. She lists a bunch of organizations staying intact, but declares the New Directions’ status as number two in the entire country not good enough.

Are we expected to believe that the rest of the teams she mentions won at a national level? I mean, Roz (NeNe Leakes) manages to help the Cheerios get there, but they’ve won lots of times before. Surely the rest didn’t hit that mark. That’s simply ludicrous, and while what Glee is trying to do comes across well enough, the plot–which ends with the only New York scene of the night in which Kurt (Chris Colfer) tells Rachel (Lea Michele) and Santana (Naya Rivera) the news–just doesn’t make sense.

Yes, there are some amazing things in “City of Angels.” The tribute to Finn during the club’s performance, interspersed with clips of the character, is beyond touching. Carole’s struggle with keeping her son’s memory alive and facing Finn’s friends again is moving and raw. The four seniors singing solos, ending together, is great. Even the tiny subplot about Jake (Jacob Artist) and Ryder (Blake Jenner) repairing their friendship, then recruiting Mercedes to help restore Marley’s (Melissa Benoist) faith in herself, works. But balanced with all the crap, this week’s entry doesn’t live up to its potential.

Most of the music in “City of Angels” revolves around the competition. As usual, we get one song from a rival, this time an all-girls choir doing a weird yet good “Vacation,” and two from the main antagonists, Throat Explosion. The latter does an inspired “Mr. Roboto” followed by a very good “Counting Stars,” though as we’ve come to expect, the performance lies solely in the hands of a single individual, the guest character representing everyone else, Jean-Baptiste (Skylar Astin, Pitch Perfect, Ground Floor).

Jean-Baptiste is no better or worse than past foes. He isn’t cruel about Finn, cutting the group some slack and returning a stolen plaque. But he also is a bit of a jerk with the smack talk and is full of himself, though admittedly with the talent to back up such an attitude. I wish he or the group had been introduced before “City of Angels,” but since he fills such a familiar role at this point, I guess that isn’t necessary, as Glee fans will immediately understand what he represents and his purpose for being there.

The New Directions’ numbers themselves aren’t that spectacular, making one wonder why they even got second. We’re told that “More Than a Feeling, “America,” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” are Finn’s favorite songs (though that has never been established before now), and so the emotion it invokes in the characters and viewers alike lands. But to the judges, it’s puzzling how they would possibly understand or get anything from it, even with Sam’s raised drumsticks at the end.

It’s also worth noting that Carole mentions Finn didn’t have the best rhythm, which makes no sense given that he played the drums. Drummers are notorious for having great rhythm; in fact, it’s impossible to play the instrument if you lack it. So I don’t know why this slips through.

Next week’s 100th episode is sure to elicit a lot of feeling. I just hope it does a better job with the writing than this one, or else it will be just as disappointing. This sloppiness is inexcusable for a show on this level, especially when it wouldn’t take all that much effort to fix it.

Glee airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

GLEE Doesn't Fumble With "The Quarterback"

Article first published as TV Review: 'Glee' - 'The Quarterback' on Blogcritics.

Before I begin this review of the Glee’s ”The Quarterback,” I would like to say it was not a perfect episode. A few of the structural elements didn’t quite lineup, some things landed a little too squarely on the nose, cheesiness leaked out occasionally, and Will (Matthew Morrison) stealing the letter jacket and then sternly telling Puck (Mark Salling) to give it back, in a private moment no less, didn’t work.

That being said, those issues were minor, and overall “The Quartback” delivered the emotional punch it needed to do, causing tears throughout, and moving anyone with a soul. It’s hard to criticize too harshly the most emotional episode of the series thus far, and so I’m mentioning those little bits up front to keep the rest of the article free from complaints, which don’t really seem appropriate or entirely deserved in this tribute episode.

Cory Monteith, the actor who played Finn Hudson on Glee died this summer, apparently of a drug overdose. “The Quarterback,” the third episode of Glee‘s fifth season, deals with the aftermath of Finn’s death. Set weeks later, this installment doesn’t reveal why Finn is dead, but instead dwells on the pain of those who loved him, a raw look at actual, authentic feelings express by the co-stars who were so fond of the man, resulting in a melding of reality rarely possible on television.

Some will complain that Glee doesn’t say how Finn died, but really, what does it matter? The writers could use this hour to get preachy about drugs, Finn was clean, so it doesn’t seem believable to saddle him with the same problem as his portrayer. And to stage a car wreck or other event would feel false and gimmicky, and so I do think the decision to skip over that, and even have a character say it doesn’t matter how he died, is an interesting, brave, and smart one.

“The Quarterback” opens with a tear-inducing performance of “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. Evoking themes of death and grief, most of the student characters come together, starting with those less important to Finn, and slowly moving towards his closest friends. Rachel (Lea Michelle) is absent from the number, as is Quinn (Dianna Agron), but everyone else who should be there is there.
One hopes that Agron was invited back and just was not able to make it work, schedule-wise, though some reports have said she was not asked. Quinn was an important character in Finn’s life, vital enough to get mentioned in the hour. Her absence here is regrettable.

Heather Morris, who plays Brittany, sat out, too, but Brittany never had a strong connection with Finn, so it was understandable. Plus, Morris just had a baby. The rest of the cast, though, came back, with Puck, Mercedes (Amber Riley), and even Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) as part of the “Seasons of Love” number.

Rachel appears two-thirds of the way through the episode, returning to McKinley to take part in the memorial. Her “Make You Feel My Love” is powerful. Michele was dating Monteith in real life, and this shows through in the bold performance, clearly channeling her own emotional state, and honoring him in a very real way. There is only pain and grief, no resentment, and it’s such a charged sequence that one can see why it was saved for late in the episode, and why Rachel isn’t used too heavily elsewhere.

Others also get to sing to Finn. Mercedes does “I’ll Stand By You,” a number Finn himself sang in the early days of the show. Artie (Kevin McHale) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) croon “Fire and Rain.” Santana sobs through “If I Die Young.” Puck delivers “No Surrender.” I like that the older characters were used for these pieces, and while music was not the whole focus of the episode, it made sense to continue the themes of Glee in this manner.

Bigger than the songs, though, other than “Make You Feel My Love” and “Seasons of Love,” were the character moments, in which we saw sadness overtake people fans have come to care deeply about. Several sequences played out this way, and gave us not only great, memorable performances, but also a way to remember Finn.

Kurt (Chris Colfer), Burt (Mike O’Malley), and Carole (Romy Rosemont) share a private scene in which they talk about their fallen son and brother, sorting through the things in Finn’s room. Rosemont is startlingly good, even better than she’s ever been before, in making the viewer feel the loss of a child. O’Malley gets some gems in. And while I wondered if Kurt might step forward to offer comfort in that Carole can still have him for a son, I’m glad that didn’t happen, as other relationships did not need to distract from Finn. This family will go on, but not easily.

Will also broke down, with Emma (Jayma Mays) finding him bawling over Finn’s letter-man jacket. Finn and Will went through a rough patch last year, and it’s a relief they had resolved things before Monteith left the series. They were friends as well as anything else, both on screen and off, and Will gives a realistic portrayal of a teacher losing a beloved student, staying strong for those who count on him, but wallowing privately, in a pain he feels he can’t show.

Puck was Finn’s best friend, and with his anger issues, he had to be handled differently. “The Quarterback” finds him stealing Finn’s memorial tree, and wanting to take the jacket. He can’t bring himself to hurt anyone else, though, having learned how to be a good person. It takes Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) to remind Puck that Finn helped Puck grow, but that Puck can continue to do so on his own.

The most heart-wrenching bit, though, goes to Santana’s confrontation with Sue (Jane Lynch). Longtime viewers know that Sue cares a lot more than she pretends to. Even taking down Finn’s memorial after a week wasn’t done out of spite, though that is what sets Santana off enough to storm in and chew out (and assault) Sue in a way Santana would never have dared to do as a student. Sue isn’t trying to be cruel, and while some of what Santana says rings true, Sue doesn’t deserve to be blasted apart like this.

There is a bit of redemption, though, when after Sue allows the memorial to go back up and Santana returns to apologize, Sue admits Finn didn’t know she liked him. Sue is tough because she pushes kids to succeed. Her ways are often misguided and not the best, but she really is trying, something easy to overlook during her more tyrannical exploits. The fact is, though, in Finn’s death, Sue hurts, too. Losing Finn, which she calls a senseless waste, is tough on her, and Lynch does a brilliant job of conveying that without losing her character.

In all, “The Quarterback” is a masterstroke, an installment that Glee had every right to drop the ball on, but instead soared beyond anyone’s expectations. It’s a little voyeuristic to be watching the real sadness, but it’s also cathartic, coming together in tribute. Finn may not have been the best character in the show, but his absence will be felt, and if there was any doubt of that, this installment wipes that way.

Now, we get a little time off for everything to sink in before the story resumes. After all, as Finn said, now memorialized in a plaque in the choir room, “The show must go on… all over the place… or something,” a funny and appropriate quote.

Glee will return in a few weeks on FOX.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Glee – The Complete Fourth Season’

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Glee – The Complete Fourth Season’ on Blogcritics.

Season four is when everything changes for Glee. Post-graduation for many of the students, the story became split between McKinley High School and New York City, with practically none of the alumni leaving the cast, and a bunch of newbies added in. It was a busy, full year, with many great installments, as well as some pretty weak ones, especially in the spring. Now, all twenty-two episodes are available in the four-disc Glee: The Complete Fourth Season.

The move to New York was a breath of fresh air for the show. Rachel (Lea Michelle) was always meant for bigger things than Ohio could offer her, and as she embarked upon a college career at NYADA, the series grew along with her. Following arguably the lead character of the ensemble show was great, and it provided the opportunity to bring in actresses like Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson, who added a terrific new element. The fact that Kurt (Chris Colfer), and later Santana (Naya Rivera), joined Rachel in the Big Apple was even better.

At McKinley, it was a little confounding at first that Artie (Kevin McHale), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), and Sam (Chord Overstreet) were only now getting to their senior year, since I swear they had been established as being older before, but combined with Brittany (Heather Morris) having to complete a fifth year of high school and Blaine (Darren Criss) sticking around, they provided cohesion, allowing some of the setting to stay the same. And, of course, Will (Matthew Morrison) and Sue (Jane Lynch) remained on staff.

They were soon joined by new cast members Marley (Melissa Benoist), Jake (Jacob Artist), Kitty (Becca Tobin), Ryder (Blake Jenner), and Unique (Alex Newell). Despite these fresh faces seeming a lot like the not-so-fresh faces, repeating stories and dynamics from earlier seasons, the quintet did resonate, eventually each earning promotions to series regulars for season five.

Pretty much all of the graduated seniors remained in the cast, even those who were not followed to New York. Finn (Cory Monteith) ended up working at McKinley, a twist that made no sense and wasn’t at all realistic, but allowed him to have a journey viewers wanted to see. Others, like Puck (Mark Salling), Mercedes (Amber Riley), and Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.), only briefly dropped in from time to time, which is why it came as no surprise that this would be their final year as full-time characters.

The season started pretty strong, but it soon became clear that Glee was now two shows, and the New York part was stronger. It didn’t help when some members of the New Directions would disappear for weeks at a time, and a Will / Emma (Jayma Mays) walk down the aisle kept being delayed artificially, including a terrible plot in which Finn kissed Emma. The worst, though, was when Finn disappeared, the actor entering rehab, and the writing never taking the time to explain his obvious absence. Sadly, Monteith passed away over the summer, and this will never fully be resolved.

The most polarizing episode of this season, and of Glee ever, was the spring installment “Shooting Star.” It begins as any normal episode would, but then gunshots rings out in the halls of McKinley High School, scaring the crap our of students and viewers alike. For a large chunk of the episode, the show becomes a super-intense, on-edge story that hits very close to home at a time when school shootings happen on a semi-regular basis. While it is arguable whether something like this belongs in a series like Glee or not, the hour is finely produced and not to be missed.

There are lots of special features in this release, including multiple extras dealing with the New York addition to the show. We get the Jukebox, deleted scenes, and more. Basically, no one should be disappointed here.

I’m a fan of Blu-ray, and always want to watch programming in high definition. Glee isn’t particularly visually stimulating in the way that it must be seen in HD. There are great costumes and choreography from time to time, but those can be enjoyed in a standard definition picture, too. The songs will obviously sound better with a sharper soundtrack, and Glee does have a lot of music, so for those who care more about audio, the argument is there. But for viewers who are only concerned about picture, I guess it’s up to personal preference whether you go DVD or Blu-ray, without a huge difference between the two. I still prefer the latter.

Glee: The Complete Fourth Season is available now.

R.I.P. Finn Hudson

Article first published as R.I.P. Finn Hudson on Blogcritics.

Death is always tragic, never more so than when the deceased is young. Even when drugs and alcohol and poor choices are involved, there is still great regret to see someone lose their life. The recent tragedy with Glee’s Cory Monteith, only 31 years old, despite being nothing new for Hollywood, is such a terrible event.

However, the story must go on. Glee has other seasons to produce, and the characters have to continue their arcs. It is the unenviable task of writers, who care about a series and quite possibly its stars, to have to figure out how to handle the next few episodes in order to pay tribute to the character and the performer behind them. This is the case no matter what the age of the actor, and given production schedules, not much time can be spared to mourn.

Many series have handled this in different ways. Recently, TNT’s Dallas wrote Larry Hagman’s JR’s death into a season-long mystery arc and used some special effects trickery to build JR himself into the plot. The West Wing had Leo McGarry die off screen when John Spencer passed, although it somewhat changed their direction for the rest of that final year.

Recasting a role may be an option in some instances, but not in this one. Monteith is arguably one of the show’s two most central characters, and any attempt to put someone else in the part would result in a huge fan backlash that would cripple the show in such a manner that it would never recover.

So Finn will either have to be killed off or be said to have departed to somewhere that he will not return from. Given his importance to Glee, it’s likely to be the former, since having Finn gone somewhere, without seeing his happy ending, would feel hollow and forced, given the direction the character has gone in.

It would have been easier, story-wise, if this had happened last summer. Season three ended with Finn joining the armed forces, and as cliché as ‘died in combat’ may be to a show, it would have made sense. Instead, the last we see of Finn, he makes up with Will and agrees to help coach the New Directions in competition… which he is never seen doing because Monteith unexpectedly went to rehab while those episodes were being filled. Frustratingly, the writers did not explain or address his absence, but surely they cannot continue that tactic now.

How will Finn be killed? I can’t imagine it will be by drugs, something his character is never shown to favor. Most likely a car wreck will be the culprit, which is also pretty done before, and Glee has already had a character critically injured in one, but it requires little explanation and will feel more natural than most choices.

Despite the comedic tone of Glee, Finn will need to go in an emotionally moving way, one that allows his cast mates to show their sorrow on screen. This will be especially true for Lea Michele, Finn’s real life girlfriend and on screen love interest. Rachel will never get to be with Finn, and that should be a driving arc for her for some time, restructuring her entire tale this fall.

Fans wants to mourn with those on screen. The actors know Monteith as a friend, but viewers feel sort of that way, too, at least towards the character of Finn. We need to say goodbye in some kind of tribute that remembers the good, minimizing the bad. There may be a funeral, there may be a montage, there may be teary speeches, but there will be something sad and honorable. No matter what Glee chooses to do, it will probably be a sorrowful, touching first hour back.

Glee will return, sans Finn, this fall on FOX.

Glee Not So "Wonder-ful"

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "Wonder-ful" on Blogcritics. 

Regionals are fast approaching, so in this week's installment of FOX's Glee, titled "Wonder-ful," Will (Matthew Morrison), still inexplicably sans Finn (Cory Monteith), has the New Directions sing the music of Stevie Wonder. Which also carries over to characters not at McKinley, for some reason, and no one gripes about it, even though a frequent concern among the students is that the music Will likes is too old.

"Wonder-ful" provides a lot to complain about. From giant plot holes, to confusing character developments, to a pretty boring soundtrack, there is little about this episode I liked. "Wonder-ful" is great in small doses, but the further into the hour we go, the less interesting the songs, which include "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," "I Wish," "Higher Ground," and "For Once in My Life," become. Also, theme weeks worked when the character were all together, but now that series has multiple settings, it's time to stop them.

Also, I know Finn's absence is out of the control of the show's creators, Monteith having been in rehab, but can't we get a line of dialogue that establishes why he's no longer around? It doesn't make sense for the story that he's just gone.


That's not the only thing that doesn't add up in "Wonder-ful." Kitty (Becca Tobin) suddenly takes an interest in Artie (Kevin McHale), getting Artie's mother (Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy) involved in helping him choose a college. Why is Kitty doing this? Isn't she with Puck (Mark Salling)? And there is no chemistry between her and Artie, so it's hard to believe that she might be interested in him.

Artie has been accepted into a film school in Brooklyn, which all but guarantees he'll be joining the New York crew next year. This is very disappointing because Artie is one of those characters who I am anxious to see depart the series. It was bad enough he seemed to do senior year twice, now he's sticking around after high school? He has never had an interesting story, and he tends to drag down the episodes that focus on him. Glee would be better served letting him wheel off into the sunset, rarely, if ever, to be seen again.

Speaking of those who should move on, Mercedes (Amber Riley) comes back to Ohio to film a music video, intending to use Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) and Jake (Jacob Artist) as her back-up dancers. As much as I miss and love Mercedes, are we really supposed to believe she already has a record deal, and enough influence to move production of said album to a small town in Ohio, as well as pick her dancers? She must be the most sought-after artist of her generation!


Except she's not, as we quickly find out, when she loses her deal because she refuses to act sexy in the album's cover shoot. I understand holding onto one's morals, and it's a good message for Glee to promote, but it's not realistic. It's not like Mercedes is asked to go nude. What's wrong with showing off a little shoulder or cleavage to get a career off the ground? She makes a big mistake walking away over something so minor. If they aren't going to be used properly, it's time for Mercedes, and Mike, to move on.

The one good thing Mercedes does during her visit is to encourage Marley (Melissa Benoist) to find her inner diva, as we see happen when they perform "Superstition" together. I hope this is something that sticks because Marley has slowly been coming out of her shell, and she's very good. I'd like to see her take over as leader of the group next year. She can handle it. Combined with Jake's dancing, they are our new power couple.

Kurt (Chris Colfer) also returns to Ohio, but he has a valid reason to visit, as his dad, Burt (Mike O'Malley), has an appointment to learn if his cancer treatment has been working. It has, thankfully, and Burt's disease is in remission.


I love Kurt / Burt stuff, but as far as father / son moments go, Kurt singing "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" just fails to deliver. It's not the right forum to be sweet; most of the group isn't involved, so it doesn't feel right in the choir room in front of everyone, and Burt's enthusiasm for it is just a little too over the top.

Also, why does Kurt exhibit bad OCD when he is worried, but this is almost immediately dropped, without Blaine (Darren Criss) even getting a chance to bring it up? Blaine clearly notices the odd behavior at the coffee shop. Why doesn't this go anywhere? It doesn't seem like the type of thing that will be addressed next week in the season finale, and with so little time left this year, it likely will not be mentioned again.

Something that may or may not make it into the finale is Blaine's desire to propose to Kurt. Blaine has a terrific scene with Burt, asking for Burt's blessing. Burt shoots him down, but not unkindly, basically telling Blaine that the boys are too young. Blaine later chickens out asking Kurt, but that doesn't mean he won't screw up the courage later.

I applaud Glee for allowing Burt to view Blaine's request merely as an age issue, rather than a legal one, with Burt establishing he vocally supports gay marriage. This is the mindset we need to have, as a society, in order for equality to take root.

But Burt's right, Blaine and Kurt are too young. Not to mention, they haven't been dating since early fall. Going from barely being in each other's lives to getting married, skipping the romance steps in between, is a horrible idea.

In New York, Rachel (Lea Michele) must ask Cassandra July (Kate Hudson) to move a midterm for her so that she can attend a 2nd callback for Funny Girl on Broadway. To her surprise, Cassandra not only agrees, but leads the class in singing and dancing "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" with Rachel, telling the student that she will succeed.


I'm sorry, but I don't buy Cassandra's about-face. It comes out of nowhere, and is in stark contrast to the way she has treated Rachel all year. There has never been a hint that Cassandra's sternness might be covering up a soft heart, as the film trope goes, and Cassandra has been downright petty. She has to be up to something, hoping to sabotage Rachel. If not, this is a pretty poor turn of events.

Other complaints about this episode include Will's sudden re-engagement to Emma (Jayma Mays), with no explanation or reconciliation shown, and the continued absence of Joe (Samuel Larsen) and Sugar (Vanessa Lengies). At least where Brittany (Heather Morris) is this week is explained, but the other two are just gone, and have been for far too long.

So what can we expect from next week's season finale? There's a lot to get through! Sue (Jane Lynch) must be re-instated and Becky's (Lauren Potter) story resolved, the New Directions have to go to Regionals, Will will marry Emma, and Rachel has her audition. If we're lucky, Glee will have time to jump forward and show the graduation of the seniors, but that seems to be stretching things at this point, especially as I haven't heard anything about a two-hour finale, which feels necessary. Maybe they could wrap up this school year next fall? Doubtful, but it seems like they sort of need to.

Glee, which has already been renewed for two more reasons, concludes its fourth year next Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Sweet Dreams for Glee

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "Sweet Dreams" on Blogcritics.

FOX's Glee is all about sweet dreams this week, as Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), and Marley (Melissa Benoist) each realize a long-held desire. Mixed with mostly great music, "Sweet Dreams" manages to be a decent installment, even if there are some pretty big plot holes in one of the threads.

First up, we'll go with the best story in "Sweet Dreams," and that belongs to Rachel. Rachel's Funny Girl audition is coming up, and she searches for the perfect song to sing. She considers doing Babs, of course, but her mother, Shelby (Idina Menzel), returns to give her some advice. Shelby thinks Rachel needs to do something different and stand out. Finn agrees, telling Rachel to perform a song that means some thing to her.

This is the best use of Shelby in quite some time. Shelby's stories have always been very uneven, but "Sweet Dreams" drops her in to play the loving mother and wise mentor. She isn't bossy, doesn't get in the way, and ends up being very supportive of Rachel. Plus, the gals get to duet a touching rendition of "Next to Me."

I hope Shelby starts to show up on a recurring basis in a similar capacity as to the one she provides this week. She could finally be a good addition to the series, unlike in her last arc, in which she slept with a student, and which got pretty ridiculous.

Rachel's audition song is "Don't Stop Believin,'" and for it she imagines Finn, Kurt (Chris Colfer), Mercedes (Amber Riley), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), and Artie (Kevin McHale)--the original glee club--providing backup. Obviously, Rachel has to sing all of the words herself, since the others are only in her head, and she changes the melody enough just to give it extra oomph. But it's awesome to see her go back to her roots, and the nostalgic-filled sequence, complete with the original costumes, hair styles, and camera shots, is a memorable moment for the series.

Will Rachel get the part? I don't know. She is very young, and it could interfere with her studies. On the other hand, there are other young people performing on Broadway, and it might make a nice summer filler for her. I could see this story going either way, though I think she'll get it. Hopefully, should I be wrong, getting the callback will be enough of a triumph for her.

It is nice to see Rachel and Finn getting along again. They will probably be back together eventually, but Glee is in no hurry to make that happen, nor should it be. Rachel and Finn are still immature; they haven't yet charted their own courses. Once they get their lives on track, then there will be time enough for a rekindling of romance.

Finn is dealing with his dream by enrolling in college. Mysteriously, Lima suddenly has quite a nice looking institution that accepts Finn mid-year. And Puck (Mark Salling) just happens to be Finn's roommate. Also, the college is a heavy party school, complete with multiple Harlem Shakes, and not only do the guys live it up, they sing a rockin' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" that gets them instant membership in a fraternity.

I don't see Finn allowing himself to get distracted so easily, even with Puck around. I also don't like the television trope of a local university all of the sudden showing up, especially one that looks like a respectable school, not a low-rent community college. The frat stuff is just plain dumb.

Puck suddenly has a change of heart late in "Sweet Dreams." After encouraging Finn to have a good time, he tells his best friend to get on track and concentrate on his studies. This comes out of nowhere, and is the opposite attitude displayed earlier in the hour. It is cool to see Puck supporting Finn, and I like to see the two of them together, but since it is out of sync with earlier events, the moment doesn't work.

While Finn is adjusting to school, Will (Matthew Morrison) approaches him to make things right between them. Finn reacts with anger towards Will, which makes no sense. Finn is the one who did wrong, and should just be happy that Will is finally able to accept his apology and move on. What right does Finn have to be mad?

Eventually, Finn and Will make up, after a very unprofessional and out of character rant towards the New Directions from Will, and they return to coach the club together, as partners. Finn hasn't earned the right to be a partner yet, and I'm surprised the college is allowing a student who is blowing off tests to take on an outside project. But that's how the story goes, apparently. The resolution is somewhat good, but everything leading up to it stinks, lacking any sense of logic.

Also, since when did Regionals happen so late in the school year? In the past, it's been shortly after Valentine's Day. Story-wise, we're quite a bit past that point. This also makes no sense, and likely means that the New Directions won't reach Nationals this year, there being not enough time left to have one lead into the other.

My biggest question though is how they're going to deal with graduation. Are they going to skip a couple of months ahead, or just pretending Regionals happens right around commencement time?

The New Directions are in good shape for Regionals because Marley is finally ready to bring out the original songs she has been penning. I like this plot twist for her, and it feels a lot more natural than Glee's earlier attempt at original music, written by the group hours before taking the stage, and still sounding OK. This development just fits her part so well.

Marley is a soulful individual, and it doesn't really come as a surprise when she admits to being a budding song writer. Although some of her classmates' strange behavior post-shooting, such as Sam's (Chord Overstreet) invention of a "twin" brother Evan Evans, doesn't make sense, Marley's story does. Plus, it's a catalyst for the story to move forward.

Even better, the music is pretty decent. We hear two of her compositions in "Sweet Dreams, "You Have More Friends Than You Know" and "Outcast." Neither are super memorable on their own, but they sound totally in synch with contemporary music and the stuff the New Directions routinely performs. I don't think Glee albums will suddenly get much radio play, but at least it feels tonally in keeping with the rest of the series.

Lastly, new Cheerios coach Roz Washington (NeNe Leakes, returning now that she's done with The New Normal for the season) gets suspicious of Sue's (Jane Lynch) departure from the school. She thinks Blaine (Darren Criss) has something to do with it, which is way off base, but it does cause Becky (Lauren Potter) to slip enough for Blaine to get an uneasy feeling, too.

I don't think that Roz will be the one to solve the Sue mystery, but that's okay. Her presence and character are a fitting placeholder during Sue's absence. I didn't realize I missed her until she appears again in "Sweet Dreams," but it will be interesting to see if she's allowed to do anything in her new role, or just warm Sue's seat.

Blaine, on the other hand, will likely be the tool that fixes the Sue problem. As stated in last week's review, I hate to see Becky take the fall, but Sue's name needs to be cleared. Blaine acting as the detective is consistent with other plots he has had this season, and allows main characters to be the agents of change, rather than a guest star. I think this is definitely the right way to go for this arc.

So, despite some major missteps in the Finn/Will story, "Sweet Dreams" manages to be a solid installment of Glee. We have movement on several fronts, at least four of the five songs are enjoyable, and the characters are finally growing pretty defined this season after years of strange twists that didn't make sense. Four years in, with only the February sweeps episodes this year being terrible, Glee may be finding its footing and charting a great path for the next two seasons (at least), for which it has already been renewed.

Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

"Feud" disrupts Glee

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

Glee takes off the gloves this week and focuses on the "Feud" between Will (Matthew Morrison) and Finn (Cory Monteith). Will wants to forgive Finn for kissing Emma (Jayma Mays), but finds himself unable to do so, making the atmosphere of the glee club toxic. The students challenge their two directors to sing out the tension.

It's a solid idea, I guess, to have Will and Finn battle it out musically. That's the kind of show Glee is, using music to express and solve everything, so it makes sense. But it does feel awkward, and despite using two great songs for their sing-off, "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Want It That Way," the plot never quite gets to be cohesive. The mashup doesn't gel right, especially the cut scenes of Finn and Will physically fighting, and neither does the story.

In the end, though, I'm glad "Feud" doesn't solve the problem between these two men. Finn did something that can't be forgiven in a week or two. Eventually, it would be nice to be done with this dumb side trip of an arc and have the two back to being pals, but for now, it feels completely authentic that Will can't bring himself to let Finn off the hook. The heated words between them are raw and real.

So what's Finn to do? He can't stay at McKinley. Marley (Melissa Benoist) suggest he go get a teaching degree. The surprising thing is this clearly hasn't occurred to Finn, since it's such a "duh!" suggestion, but he appears to be considering it. Of course, that would keep him away from the show's action for four years, so I doubt the writers will really commit to it. But from a character stand point, it would be a good decision.

Which begs the question, what will season five look like? Presumably, some of it will take place at McKinley the very next year, as Glee has done a fine job of setting up a new crop this season, which I'll get to in a minute. But we'll want more characters to make their way to New York (at least Blaine (Darren Criss)), which limits who can stay in the show. It's been fun to see lots of the old favorites this year from time to time, but it might be necessary to slim the cast down a bit.

Another idea could be to time jump the series. This way, Finn could be done with his degree, and others could move into other roles as well. Finn is a primary, important character to the show. Unless they're ready to let him go, which would make sense on their current path, at least for a few years, he needs to find some entirely new story that somehow connects to this, which will be difficult. If he doesn't, it's likely going to feel awkward to keep him in focus.

Back to the glee kids, it does feel manufactured that Ryder (Blake Jenner) now has a feud with Unique (Alex Newell) all of the sudden. It springs out of nowhere, as does Ryder's chat with the girl on the computer (which is definitely someone we know, right?). The results of this plot, including the mystery of who Ryder is chatting with and a heartwarming scene in the choir room among the five newbies is great, but it's a little weird getting there.

Ryder's real beef is with Jake (Jacob Artist) and Marley, whom he has wronged. It's a testament to Jake that he can be the bigger man and give Ryder a second chance, especially when it's totally unfair of Marley to put Jake in that situation, trust or not. This is nice, to see that the guys' friendship may not be over.

But why does Unique get involved? I'm not exactly complaining; I love the character. It just feels a bit forced. As does Kitty's (Becca Tobin) last minute inclusion, even though, again, I really like the chemistry and camaraderie of these five, and hope it sticks.

Unique and Ryder's sing-off is a mashup of "The Bitch Is Back" and "Dress You Up." It's well sung, but not especially memorable, like most of the music in this episode.

If there's one complaint I have about "Feud," which has a decent story, is that the musical performances are lackluster. From the opening, "How to Be a Heartbreaker," to the closer, "Closer," nothing really stands out. Unfortunately.

The sing-off that comes closest to making an impression is the annual Sue (Jane Lynch) song. This year, she channels Nicki Minaj with "Super Bass," drowning out Blaine's attempt of "I Still Believe." This would be great if Sue didn't feel so out of place in the role. Maybe it's because she doesn't fully commit to the dance moves, which I definitely believe Lynch can handle. While showy, the number still falls flat.

They sing this piece as part of Sue's attempt to blackmail Blaine back onto the Cheerios. I kind of like this twist because we haven't gotten much of the Cheerios lately, and it gives Blaine something to do besides pine over Kurt (Chris Colfer). He makes a fine cheerleader, and making the story go a little deeper, that he has a goal of destroying Sue, is at least fun adjacent. I look forward to seeing the two clash.

When Sue calls Blaine "Clark Kent" it occurs to me that Criss needs to play Superman in some form. He has the look, both for the hero and the mild-mannered performer. This is a role that must happen for him at some point.

In New York, Santana (Naya Rivera) creates her own "Feud" with Brody (Dean Geyer) in the name of protecting Rachel (Lea Michele). Rachel's pregnancy scare is, thankfully, a false alarm, but that doesn't satisfy Santana, who doesn't like what Rachel is becoming and blames Brody for the transformation.

I don't know if Santana is entirely right. I mean, Brody is definitely a bad dude, and all love for him has been lost with the confirmation that he is a male prostitute. But I think Rachel's problems go deeper than that. Having lost Finn and trying to fit into a world that doesn't completely connect with her high school persona, she is attempting to figure out who she is in the Big Apple. Santana is right, what Rachel is doing isn't working, but it's more about her than the guy she is seeing.

Santana ends up confronting Brody at NYADA when she bursts in and performs "Cold Hearted." It's weird that the dancers fall in line behind this girl they don't know, but that's Glee and I can forgive that. What's harder to forgive is that we finally get a Santana performance, and it's this mediocre. Sad.

For her trouble, Santana is kicked out of the apartment by Rachel and Kurt. I get that they feel she has invaded their school and threatens their place in it, and Santana forces her way into the apartment in the first place. However, I really like having her there, and the three of them together makes for an interesting dynamic. Once Santana is proven right, Kurt and Rachel need to beg her forgiveness and shower her with thanks, bringing her back home.

Santana's plot doesn't quite end there, though, when she lures Brody to a hotel room and gives Finn the chance to beat on him. This is a more adult plot than Glee usually treads down, but considering the circumstances, I like it. It's very satisfying to see Finn sock the slime ball in the face, and it's very Santana to set up the pins and walk away triumphantly as they fall down behind her. Hopefully, there will be no legal ramifications, as Brody has every right to have the pair arrested for this.

So, in summary, loving Santana in New York, enjoying the new batch of kiddos at McKinley, but the songs are weak this week, and some of the writing really stretches believability. In all, a middling episode, kicked slightly into the good end of the spectrum by the hotel room scene.

Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Glee Goes to the Movies

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "Girls (and Boys) on Film" on Blogcritics.

FOX's Glee is certainly frustrating. After a great fall run, they completely dropped the ball during February sweeps, one of the most important times of the year for television, with several weak episodes in a row. Now, the ratings push being over, Glee returns with another good episode, "Girls (and Boys) on Film."


Part of why this week's installment works so well is the music that is used. The episode features the 500th musical performance ever on the show, as well as many other great numbers inspired by movies. From "Shout" to "In Your Eyes" to "Come What May" to "Unchained Melody" to "Footloose," Glee chronicles some of the best know moments in film involving song. They also toss in a couple of mashups, such as "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend" / "Material Girl," the same combo used in Moulin Rouge, and a Tom Cruise tribute of "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "Danger Zone," as well as the old style, beautiful looking dream opening "You're All the World to Me."

That list in the preceding paragraph is quite a long one, and without a weak link in the batch. Many are used effectively for the ongoing stories, while others are entertaining choir room performances. Many of the cast are featured in these numbers, rather than just a couple of them, and everyone must have had a ball filming "Girls (and Boys) on Film," which really translates on screen.

It does strike me as odd that the rest of the student body really gets into "Shout" as the New Directions run down the halls and dance on tables in the lunchroom. Were I their classmate, I would probably groan and say "Here they come again!" rather than clap and bob my head. However, it's so entertaining that I can't complain much, and I'm glad it's included.


I'd also like to mention how much I loved Unique (Alex Newell) headlining "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend" / "Material Girl." He has been such a pleasure to have in the cast this year, and her voice is amazing. I do have a little trouble deciding which pronoun to use sometimes when discussing the character, as evidenced by the previous sentence, but whether identifying as male or female, Unique brings something fun and powerful and, well, unique, to the show that I wish was used more.

Several of the romantic duos get screen time this week. Marley (Melissa Benoist) confesses to Jake (Jacob Artist) about her kiss with Ryder (Blake Jenner), which ruins their relationship. I'm disappointed by this plot in general because it does feel like a retread of season one. The quicker Ryder gets out of the picture and Marley is with Jake for good the better, even as I knowGlee won't be quick about it because they have to stretch out the drama.

Even more unsatisfying is Finn (Cory Monteith) telling Will (Matthew Morrison) about kissing Emma (Jayma Mays). It is a dumb mistake in a bad moment on Finn's part to kiss her, and he does everything he can to make up for it since. I understand Finn doesn't want it to come out later, but who is he helping by telling Will now? It just upsets Will, who gives his "pal" the cold shoulder, as Finn deserves. I guess that's what Will gets for befriending a student so closely.


I do like the way Will and Emma resolve their differences. Having her leave him at the alter sucked, but she has a point that Will has changed and has been away for awhile. Yes, she should have talked to him before the ceremony, but I'm glad they're choosing to work through it, hopefully meaning an actual wedding, maybe smaller this time, in the near future, a much better option than a permanent breakup.

It is a little weird that Emma's parents (Don Most and Valerie Mahaffey) pop up this week in "Girls (and Boys) on Film," rather than during the wedding episode. It is firmly established they are at the wedding, but we don't see them. One could argue there isn't really a plot for them in the wedding episode, but then again, there isn't really here, either. Just a confusing choice by Glee.

In New York, Adam (Oliver Kieran Jones) is worried that Kurt (Chris Colfer) may still have feelings for Blaine (Darren Criss). Clearly, whatever is going on between Adam and Kurt is more than just a fling for the senior. Sadly, I'm not sure Kurt sees it that way. What is up this year with Kurt hurting boys who like him? It's sad, and I hope his character gets a reality check soon because neither Adam nor Blaine don't deserve to be strung along. They're good guys, and they deserve better than how Kurt is being right now.


Also in the apartment, Santana (Naya Rivera) begins a campaign against Brody (Dean Geyer), whom, after rifling through everyone's stuff, she suspects is a drug dealer. It's nice to have Santana there to confront Rachel (Lea Michele) about Brody, since Kurt seems to be annoyed by the boyfriend, but not doing anything about it. It does cause tension, but not so much that Santana needs to go.

In fact, Santana's snooping has a happy ending when she is able to comfort Rachel regarding her pregnancy. Rachel and Kurt seem a little distant lately, and Rachel doesn't feel like she can turn to the men in her life, not knowing who the father is. But Santana, despite her grating qualities, is a warm-hearted individual, and cares about Rachel after everything they've been through. Because of this, I think Santana is earning her place in the loft, and hope she sticks around for awhile.

What's more, this episode is genuinely funny. From Santana ransacking the apartment to Finn and Artie (Kevin McHale) pretending to be gingers to get Emma's parents to open up to them, there are some fantastic moments. More of this will only benefit the show as a whole.

That's pretty much it on the story front. "Girls (and Boys) on Film" doesn't have too much time for plot arcs since it spends so much time singing. But what plot is present is good, the songs are great, and I'm looking forward to the next installment again, something I couldn't say throughout the month of February.

Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Glee "I Do"nt

Article first published as TV Review: Glee - "I Do" on Blogcritics.

The latest installment of FOX's Glee, "I Do," finally finds Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) heading for the altar, prompting all of the recent New Directions alumni to come home for the wedding. But before the bride can utter those two little words, she makes a run for it, ruining the event.

This episode is mostly ridiculous. Yes, we know Emma has issues, and with Will having been out of town for most of the wedding planning, as well as her story about her childhood birthdays, it should be easy to see coming that she doesn't go through with it. However, Glee has strung us out for three and a half seasons, waiting for Will and Emma to be together. To call it off now, likely waiting until May sweeps to fix their relationship, is beyond disappointing.

The wedding itself is also off. The song Will and Emma sing, with a little help from Mercedes (Amber Riley), "Getting Married Today," does not feel like it fits in the show. While Glee has performed a variety of genres, covering a wide range of music, this piece in this moment just doesn't feel right. I don't know that I've ever said that before about a selection.

Sue (Jane Lynch) coming down the aisle in the wedding dress is pushing the boundary of her character too far. Does she care about Emma and Will or not? We've seen that she does before, but this action says otherwise. It seems like a stunt designed purely for misleading commercials leading up to the airing.

And why don't we see Emma's parents in "I Do," whom we've met before? It makes sense for them to be here and to get their reactions to their runaway bride daughter. In fact, after Emma flees, the episode doesn't focus on her or Will pretty much at all, which is weird.

I won't even talk about the Finn (Cory Monteith)-Emma kiss twist from last week that makes little sense, and matters almost not at all to "I Do."

 After the disaster of the wedding, it feels quite false that the students would stay and party so happily at the reception. They care about Will, and they would be affected by his grief. They wouldn't so callously enjoy themselves. Why don't they rally to find Emma and save the day?

Weddings are a prime time to hook up, feelings being plucked by the event, so I guess it's not surprising that so many of the characters run off for sex mid-reception. I'm not sure it is necessary for the writers to screw with quite so many relationships at once, but at least that part makes sense. Sadly, the choice of singing "We've Got Tonite" while it happens is only so-so.

I'm not sure how I feel about Quinn (Dianna Agron) dabbling in lesbianism with Santana (Naya Rivera). Perhaps it's unexpected that it didn't happen before now, but I hope they stick with Quinn's assertion that this is a one-time thing. She may have been wronged by men, but she definitely likes them. As long as she doesn't hurt Santana, this occurrence isn't bad.

Kurt (Chris Colfer), on the other hand, definitely will hurt Blaine (Darren Criss). Blaine is too happy to be back with his beau to notice, especially as they duet in the best peformance in the episode, "Just Can't Get Enough," but Kurt is using him for sex, and nothing more. Blaine insists they're back together, and hopefully that's what will eventually happen. But it's not what's going on here. I wish Kurt would be honest with Blaine. Otherwise, it could be even longer before they are reunited.

Adding Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) to the Kurt / Blaine story isn't necessary. It seems like Glee is trying to beef up her role lately, and her part in "I Do" makes sense for the arc she has been given, but Tina doesn't need more focus, nor to interfere with the fan favorite gays.

Then there's the other exes who fool around, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn. Rachel isn't strictly cheating, as, even though she is living with Brody (Dean Geyer), they are in a "modern, open" relationship. I'm just confused as to why Rachel doesn't see it as cheating, considering her character.

Finn is just happy to have her back. He thinks they are an end game couple, and they may very well be. It feels good to see them together again, and I don't think either of them have their feelings hurt by the other. They aren't at the right places in the lives to be a couple right now, but eventually they could make it work again.

Someone has to be there to pick Rachel up when she gets hurt by Brody. It's not explicit, but it appears that "I Do" exposes Brody as a male prostitute. This Hung-esque plot could explain how he gets money to live on, but will not be a very nice surprise for Ms. Berry, especially when Brody is preaching honesty earlier in the night. Granted, she isn't entirely honest with him, either, but it's not quite the same. They appear to be moving towards a big relationship blow out.

Next up, Artie's (Kevin McHale) romance with Betty Pillsbury (Ali Stroker), Emma's niece. Do they have to try to shove the two people in the chairs together? Emma's attempted hookup of them feels false and vaguely insulting. Plus, I never cared for Stroker during her run on The Glee Project, and even though she did win second place last year, I didn't expect to see her pop up now, especially without being featured in a musical number.

Why does Betty show up at McKinley? She's not a student there. She shouldn't be able to just come and wander the halls, during a school day. Ugh.

Lastly, we get to Marley (Melissa Benoist) and Jake (Jacob Artist). Jake wants to give her a special Valentine's Day, and lacking being a romantic himself, he lets Ryder (Blake Jenner) take the reigns, including a cheesy in-class serenade of "You're All I Need to Get By," which would not be allowed in a real school. Marley sees right through it, but only tells that to Ryder, not Jake, reigniting the love triangle.

This is disappointing because Jake and Ryder's friendship has been a definite positive element of Glee this season. They agreed not to fight over Marley, and put those differences aside months ago. Ryder is allowed to have feelings, of course, but he can't betray Jake by acting on them. With the looks he is exchanging with Marley in the ending number, "Anything Could Happen," it seems like that's where the show is heading.

How can Marley do this to Jake? She pines over him for so long, and then chooses him. Can she really be so heartless as to consider cheating now? If her mind has been changed, and she's a teenage girl, so that's definitely an acceptable and realistic development, then she needs to end things with Jake before taking up with Ryder. No more secretly screwing things up for others, as she did at Sectionals.

Some of these romantic plots aren't bad, but I think they ring hollow because they are couched in the terrible wedding tale. "I Do" is an example of bad storytelling and lackluster musical numbers, with only glimmers of good things sneaking out from beneath the cloud. It's also a very strange time to stage a "couples" episode, especially when the bride and groom are NOT one of the couples featured.

Glee's fourth season has been good, but they have dropped the ball during February sweeps, which is pretty much the worst time to do so. Can they pick it back up for the rest of the year?

Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Glee's "Diva" days are numbered

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

This week on FOX's Glee, everyone tries to find their inner "Diva." Finn (Cory Monteith) uses this technique trying to motivate the students as they prepare for Regionals, since they don't seem enthusiastic, while Kurt (Chris Colfer) has to bring his diva back to knock an egotistical Rachel (Lea Michelle) down a peg.

Do we really need an episode about divas in the fourth season of Glee? By this point, viewers know who is a diva and who isn't, and by encouraging outrageous behavior, it does no one any favors. Sure, we are told that "diva" does not necessarily need to be a negative label, but plenty of the behavior exhibited in this installment is not pleasing, and it makes the whole concept a bit obnoxious.

So I guess you can tell already that I did not care much for "Diva," and this review will be filled with many complaints and few accolades. For Glee-loving, check back next week (I hope).

Once more, the New York plot trumps McKinley, so let's start with the better of the stories. Rachel is acting too big for her britches, prancing around with sycophants lauding compliments at her, and expecting everyone else to regard her just as highly. This is not new behavior for her character, and given how successful she is at college, not at all surprising at this juncture.

Luckily, Rachel has Kurt around to keep her grounded. He is also a strong personality, and not one to put up with her airs. He does care about her, even when he is frustrated, and while there is a degree of personal satisfaction to be had in humbling Ms. Berry, I think that Kurt also acts for her own good.

What does the trick is Kurt challenging Rachel to a midnight sing-off in front of their peers. The whole event is a little cheesy, but there is nothing short of awesomeness in Kurt and Rachel's rendition of "Bring Him Home." It's a large, dramatic song, and both tackle it was ease, an extremely impressive feat. Still, Kurt wins slightly in the vote, likely because everyone is surprised someone can match Rachel.

Rachel's subsequent fall is almost as pronounced as her rise. She is ready to give up her dreams completely, until Kurt convinces her to find the middle ground. It's a good thing that Rachel has Kurt in her life, as he can give her what she needs, when she needs it, and put her back on the right path.

Now, we only need to brace for Kurt and Rachel's showdown over having Brody (Dean Geyer) living with them.

Lest anyone think Kurt's victory might make him the new Rachel, Kurt has never been that particular brand of diva. The scene where Rachel's lapdogs try to switch to him and Kurt shuts them down is unnecessary, but satisfying.

At McKinley, Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) is still after Blaine (Darren Criss), and thinks that being a diva will help her land him. It's such a dumb, dumb arc that needs to go away soon. Blaine already lets Tina down gently in a previous episode, and still she hangs around, caring for him when he is sick, and has trouble accepting that a gay man will never lover her in a sexual way, even if her "Hung Up" is Tina's best performance on Glee to date.

I mean, did Tina see Blaine's "Don't Stop Me Now?" I know that Blaine is trying to prove that men can be divas, too, but he only checks that box for gay men, as there is nothing straight about his rendition. Which is not a complaint, as I adore Blaine as a character; I'm just saying that it should have sent a clear message to Tina.

Also, as much as I like "Don't Stop Me Now" and Blaine's usual singing talents, I thought this number felt a little flat this week. Not sure why, it just lacked the driving energy he normally exhibits.

It's hard to get too mad at Blaine for not shutting Tina down more fully. After all, he has already laid out for her where he stands, and she has become his closest friend at McKinley, even if it's for all the wrong reasons. He doesn't want to be alone, and he likes having Tina be for him what Rachel is for Kurt. But he has to sit her down again and lay it all out in a way that finally gets through to her, or this will not end well.

Santana (Naya Rivera) returns in "Diva" when she learns that Brittany (Heather Morris) is now dating Sam (Chord Overstreet) from Tina, further cementing Tina's status as an unlikeable character. Santana doesn't want Britanny back, she just doesn't think that Sam is good enough for her bestie, and is determined to break them up.

This plot reveals Santana's motivation to be equal parts petty jealousy and protector. She wants to make sure that Brittany is happy, but she is no longer the one who is going to make that happen. Were Santana to toss her hat back in the ring, and it is something she considers when Sue (Jane Lynch) offers her a job at the school, she would have reason to be against Sam. But since Santana doesn't intend to permanently return to Ohio, and Sam makes Brittany happy, Santana needs to accept things as they are. This episode doesn't quite take us to that resolution.

"Diva" does deliver Santana to New York, which is a happy development. I don't know that Santana really fits exactly with Kurt and Rachel, but she is a fantastic character whom I have missed, and her inclusion in their circle should shake up the dynamic in a fresh and interesting way. Perhaps she should have asked to move in with them, rather than just declaring that she lives there now, but it's still my favorite scene of the episode.

Sadly, Santana's musical numbers in this installment leave something to be desire. Given her past credits, Santana absolutely belongs in an episode entitled "Diva." Yet, neither "Nutbush City Limits" nor "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" are that enjoyable. This is especially regrettable in the latter, since a Sam-Santana showdown should have been an awesome moment. She does slay "Girl on Fire," but it's not a very good song in the first place, in my opinion, so I didn't find any memorable Santana music moments in "Diva."

Also, if Santana dropped out of college in Kentucky a month ago, why does she show up with Louisville cheerleader back up singers, in uniform, and a girlfriend classmate? Are they still dating? Even if they are, it can't possibly be that serious, given the way it is presented, and certainly not enough to warrant a trip to Ohio, with friends in tow.

The other arc unfolding in "Diva" begins when Finn asks Emma (Jayma Mays) for assistance motivating the students. She lends her ideas, which leads to the diva assignment, and helps set Finn's group back on track.

Finn is doubting himself, but Emma is even more a mess, swamped under wedding planning. How does she have the time to give him a hand? Why does he even ask, when, if he really cares, he should be helping her, not piling on her workload?

At the end of this regrettable plot, Finn kisses Emma. This comes completely out of left field, and makes absolutely no sense. There has never been a hint of anything between the two, and even working together in this episode, there is no foreshadowing. Finn and Emma's fiance, Will (Matthew Morrison), are practically best friends. Plus, Finn is a student until recently, which adds to the ick factor. Why does Finn do this?

Perhaps Finn wants Will's life. He's been subbing in Will's job, why not take the girl, too? Except, Finn hasn't tried to be exactly like Will. Maybe his clothing style has shifted that way, but he does do his own thing, too.

It just seems like a contrived ratings ploy during sweeps, and is a serious misstep for Glee to make.

I'd also like to complain about the opening number of the episode, a song called "Diva." It's kind a fun moment, with outlandish costumes and characters. Yet, Marley (Melissa Benoist) and Kitty (Becca Tobin) change their personalities several times throughout the few minutes, so it kills the flow.

"Diva" is not without its moments, mostly involving Kurt, Rachel, and Santana, graduated students living in New York, but between the lackluster music, more terrible Tina focus, and the Finn smooching Emma disaster, it does not deliver. Hopefully next week, which will feature Will and Emma's wedding, as well as the gathering of most or all of the characters who have been absent a lot this season, will improve.

Glee airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

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