For those of you who have never watched this show, I realize your first reaction is probably to stop reading. I get it; it's rare that I want to be lectured to about why I should be watching a program, especially if I know it's a show I'm not going to enjoy. But bear with me. I think Glee is different, and I think that you might understand why if you hang in here.
Okay, so the general premise of the show is that Will "Mr. Schu" Schuster, high school Spanish teacher, has returned to his alma mater not only to teach but also to conduct the school's glee club, of which he was a member back in his student days. However, much to his despair, the club that was once celebrated and considered "cool" has now devolved into a much-ridiculed group of nerds and "gleeks" that the student body mocks and harasses at every turn. So Mr. Schuster decides to take this little group of misfits and showcase their talent, spirit and charm in hopes of bringing the glee club back from the depths of geek-dom. It's not easy. Aside from the wrath of the school, Will meets (comic) resistance from Sue Sylvester, coach of the cheerleading team, a woman who can't stand nerds, wimps or anyone resembling weakness. She also hates Will's well-coiffed hair. Their well-choreographed duet sets a tone of high comedy against a backdrop of often-sensitive social issues that the students are forced to face. It's brilliant.
Speaking of the students...it's a medley of a cast that ranges from the social misfits to the in-crowd to the bad boy and girl to the normal kids who just want to sing. They hate each other and they love each other. They fight each other and they fight for each other. In so many ways, these are real kids, people we all knew in high school, people we wanted to be, or people we actually were. They are all so familiar.
I have to start with Kurt, because I find him to be the most interesting character. Kurt is the only openly-gay student not only at his school, but in the entire town. He's confident, proud of who he is and unwilling to back down...at school or on stage. His is definitely one of the finest voices in the choir. Kurt's struggles with acceptance and violence puts a whole new frame around what it is that gay kids in our culture deal with on a daily basis. You can't help but rally behind him. He is strength.
I also have tender feelings for Mercedes, the lone black student in glee. She's black, she's plump, and while she sells her brand of "I don't need anyone" we know that she secretly wants what the other students have--a relationship, a rising star in the glee club, a little more acceptance than she thinks she gets. She has a phenomenal gospel-turned R&B-turned-pop repertoire that is so fun to listen to as she explores and broadens her range. I see a lot of my own high school self in Mercedes and I just want to reach out, pinch her fabulously dimpled cheeks and say, "Sister, you're one of the most talented members of the club. Don't you worry, you're gonna go far, baby!"
The first time I saw the character of Rachel, I was immediately reminded of the actress Idina Menzel who famously played the role of Maureen in the Broadway production of Rent and the role of "The Green Girl" in Broadway's Wicked. Even their singing styles are similar. I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed the similarity because eventually Menzel was brought onto the show to play Rachel's long-lost mother. Brilliant writing (and casting) move. But why do I love Rachel? Because, with the exception of Mercedes, Rachel's voice blows everyone else's out of the water. The power and strength of her vocals, the steadiness of her notes, her ability to convey the absolute right emotion...she is an absolute standout. And she knows it. Rachel truly believes that she has the best voice in glee, and not only reminds everyone of this fact, but also champions herself for the choice solos. She is simultaneously vilified and admired by her fellow glee-mates, as they recognize the sheer magnitude of her talent in spite of her obnoxiousness. Besides, it's her voice that's going to get them to regionals, and perhaps to nationals, so...
Over the course of the show, we see the least-likely students--the star quarterback on the football team, several cheerleaders, other too-cool-to-care types--join glee club and find something in themselves they didn't know existed: Talent. Empathy. Heartache. Passion. It's all in there, in this little motley crew.
There are a lot of humor and comical undertones in this show. The subplots and minor characters add a layer of light-heartedness that keeps in time with the fact that the show is, for all purposes, a musical. The main comedic culprit is Sue Sylvester, as she maintains a constant offensive attack on Will Schuster and the glee club, enlisting her own flunkies to spy on and sabotage them. Other notable comical creations have come in the form of Britney, the dumb-but-heart-of-gold-blonde; Puck, the bad boy football player with surprisingly awesome vocals; and Holly Holiday (played on point by Gwyneth Paltrow), the substitute teacher who shows the glee club a thing or two about moving into the modern age of song.
But don't be mistaken, for this show is not just light humor and farce. What I LOVE about Glee is that it uses music and comedy as a vehicle to tackle really deep issues: religion, homosexuality, premarital sex, teen pregnancy, death, child-parent relationships, and the list goes on. It's no wonder that the show has struck a chord with so many young fans around the country. Being a "Gleek" has never been so cool, as the show's Facebook fanpage shows (as of this posting, there are 13,665,104 people who "like" the show on Facebook).
And, I must add, my own musical repertoire has expanded a lot since I started tuning in. I would never have known who C-Lo Green was if Miss Holiday hadn't belted out his "Forget You" to the glee club. And, while like any good American I know of Fleetwood Mac, I didn't know the history of the band or what the music on their album was really about. The show has given me a new appreciation for contemporary Top 40 music, as well. Names like Adele, Charice, and Colbie Caillat are now on this NPR-geek's radar. I'm coming out from underneath my shell.
If you're not a fan of the show, you might wonder why the title of this post has the "L" in "Glee" capitalized and in quotes. I did that, because in the official show banner, the "L" is made by a hand, which is typically the gesture used to indicate someone is a "loser." We're reminded, each time we see it, that the kids in glee are the supposed losers of society--the gay kid, the kid in the wheelchair, the overweight black kid, the overambitious nerdy kid. Losers, all of them.
Well, I'll say that this show is the first time that hanging out with a bunch of losers felt so much like winning.
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