glee

Glee is one of those things that makes you understand how an overused word became an overused word in the first place. The word in this case is delightful. The show is funny, quick, and the singing and dancing is simply that--a delight. It is also a fascinating phenomenon to me for two reasons: the form and the first season story arc. 

I'm not sure exactly when, but at some point the American musical began to indulge in a certain self-reflexive irony. Which is to say somewhere between South Pacific and Urinetown the form began to become highly aware of itself and it's own absurdity, and actually began to mock itself within it's own context. Whether the American Musical is laughing with itself or at itself is a whole other post, but along with this self-reflexive irony, came homage to the form in multiple formats. Television shows seemed to have a semi-obligatory musical episode (see: The Drew Carey Show, Scrubs, The Simpsons, Ally McBeal) the most outstanding of which, in my opinion, was the infamous musical episode in season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I say it is outstanding not because I like it--which I do, I love it, like I love a nice bordeaux served at 55 degrees--but because it has actually inspired Rocky Horror Style sing-a-long late night showings and festivals all over the world.

In any case, Glee is a whole series based on the stand-out musical episode--though to be formally correct, here, Glee is not musical theater but ballad opera. Ballad opera was a popular theatrical form that used the popular music of the time to tell stories and that is exactly what Glee is--like the ballad opera format of Baz Lehrman's opulent Moulin Rouge, minus the periodicity and the, um, opulence. 

The device of the show actually justifies the most absurd aspect of musical theater, which is the random nature in which the characters burst into song. You aren't sure if everyone realizes they are singing and dancing or not. I'm not sure why this works, exactly, but it does, for some. Though some people will always find musical theater ridiculous or embarrassing, there are always those people who really get the way some emotions are so strong that words fail and only music and dance will do to get the meaning across. Glee has the perfect device for dealing with this--which is the preparation for the glee club performances which coincidentally seem to comment on the story arcs and character development (how perfect, right?) 

Which brings me to the second fascinating part of Glee--the story arcs themselves. At the heart of the story is the appealing glee club teacher Will Schuster and the budding romance between he and the guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury. The thing is Will is married. I'm watching with fascination because I'm really wondering if a prime time television show will be able to successfully break up a marriage (if that's where they intend to go with this love triangle) and remain sympathetic. They are working hard--the wife is very unlikeable and to say that Emma Pillsbury (who is often compared to Bambi in the dialogue because of her cartoon-y doe eyes) is sympathetic is to really understate the case. She's a cross between Ann Margaret and Cindy-Lou Who. At this point, it doesn't seem that the story can resolve without Emma and Will getting together, but the problem of his marriage just seems to stick out like a sore thumb. 

So, I'm curious about how they are going to deal with this. Are Americans ready for a story that kills a marriage in order to reach a happy ending, no matter how vicious and unlikeable the wife is, and how wide-eyed and dewey her nemesis is? I'm really curious. It's a fascinating bit of meta-theatricality. Other reasons to see the show include a guest appearance by Kristen Chenoweth and um, okay--the TOP reason to see the show--Jane Lynch and Stephen Tobolowsky. The lip-synching is kind of sucky but that only seems to add to the kitch factor and there is, as I led in with, that ever-pervasive self-reflexive irony. In fact, one of the best lines of the season so far is Will Schuster's: "There is nothing ironic about show choir!"

  Ironic, yeah? My golly, it's just an ironic hall of mirrors, that, isn't it?  :)

Comments

[maggie]

I love this show. I love love love love - there is not a WORD for how much I enjoy this show. How fun would it be to watch it with YOU, along with a bottle of Bordeaux served at 55 degrees!

I am a little squicked out by the marriage thing, although the wife is SO vile I root for Emma every time she's on the screen.

A bigger problem, for me, is the suspension of belief required for the other storylines. (And I am AWESOME at suspending belief!) Ugh. It's funny and I'm on board with must of it but. It bugs. What do you think?

[Matt]

Couldn't agree more - I too adore Glee. I am marginally troubled that all of the female characters are horribly flawed, although frankly they seem to be mitigating that some (and also playing up the zaniness of the men) - but I love it. I particularly like that the plot never gets in the way of the quality of the performances. In the most recent episode, despite the fact that all the Glee members were stoned, the singing and dancing was essentially unaffected by the drugs (their smiles were a little too big, but their voices and moves were all on!).

One correction - "There's nothing ironic about show choir" was not Will's line, it was Rachel Berry's - played by the excellent Lea Michele (who was also in the Tony Award Winning Broadway Musical Spring Awakening). Her performance as the...complicated...Rachel deserves a Tony as much as any actress since SMG in Buffy. Hopefully, Ms Michele will win the award the SMG never did.

[Blog Nerd]

Maggie: Sorry babycakes. I had to edit your awesome comment for spoilerage. But YES. Its ludicrous. But this all plays into Matt's excellent point. He uses the word "zany" for the men, but I'd say gullible, innocent buffoons. Which makes them imminently more likeable than the female chracters--who are insanely mercenary and driven. It's right out of a Mamet play, eh Matt?

But it's funny--and it works.

And you are 100% correct about the attribution--my other Gleek reader @marbenais was on that error like white on rice! (Thanks Meg!)

[Kate P]

Gals, it is killing me that I don't seem to get this show. But Jane Lynch is fantastic whatever she's in.

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