GleeSeason 2, Part 2 (So Far…)
(2011-Present)
5 Stars
It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of the musical phenomenon that is Fox’s Glee since its foetal stages. Before the hype, before the Gleeks, I was getting my glee on with ever-spangly jazz hands.
Alas, come the end of the first season, I was beginning to get a little jaded… The once great storylines and character arcs had been replaced by popularity and a little too much over-confidence. The inevitable curse of sudden fame.
So when season two first rolled round, I was a little dubious… And somewhat rightly so; a number of humdrum episodes and crushing disappointments (the Britney episode… The Rocky Horror Glee Show…) punctuated some truly promising stories.
In the aftermath of Will’s divorce, and the birth of Quinn’s bastard child, we were given some truly inspired nuggets of potential. The sudden sickness, and then marriage, of Burt Hummell (the ever-wathable Mike O’Malley), and the moving and terrifying “coming out” of football player Dave Karofsky (a deliciously menacing Max Adler) proved that the writers were at least working their way back onto the tracks. Unfortunately, this fan was left somewhat… wanting…
But cue the Super Bowl, and with it, television’s most expensive Super Bowl Special; The Sue Sylvester Shuffle, a hilarious and faith-renewing canon-shot from Glee’s glory days.
Glee’s writers have really gone all out to progress the show once more, bringing new twists to the verging-on-familiar theme. Amidst Schuester’s perpetual “we are NOT talking about this” and Rachel’s inevitable moaning about losing the lime light, some fresh and wonderful glee has come to life.
New characters Coach Bieste (Dot Jones) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) complete this year’s ensemble with suitable pizzazz, with Jones’s performance as the “husky” football coach never short of beautiful, and Overstreet’s enormous mouth put to good use as the geeky but lovable quarterback (so long as he isn’t droning out Justin Bieber numbers…). Darren Criss as Blaine, Kurt’s gay mentor (would “bent-or” be utterly offensive…?) at Dalton Academy, is becoming more and more comfortable in his shoes, rapidly turning into an integral member of the cast. His recent rendition of Paul McCartney’s "Silly Love Songs" was nothing short of breathtaking, taking a previously dreary ditty into a work of beauty.
(2011-Present)
5 Stars
It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of the musical phenomenon that is Fox’s Glee since its foetal stages. Before the hype, before the Gleeks, I was getting my glee on with ever-spangly jazz hands.
Alas, come the end of the first season, I was beginning to get a little jaded… The once great storylines and character arcs had been replaced by popularity and a little too much over-confidence. The inevitable curse of sudden fame.
So when season two first rolled round, I was a little dubious… And somewhat rightly so; a number of humdrum episodes and crushing disappointments (the Britney episode… The Rocky Horror Glee Show…) punctuated some truly promising stories.
In the aftermath of Will’s divorce, and the birth of Quinn’s bastard child, we were given some truly inspired nuggets of potential. The sudden sickness, and then marriage, of Burt Hummell (the ever-wathable Mike O’Malley), and the moving and terrifying “coming out” of football player Dave Karofsky (a deliciously menacing Max Adler) proved that the writers were at least working their way back onto the tracks. Unfortunately, this fan was left somewhat… wanting…
But cue the Super Bowl, and with it, television’s most expensive Super Bowl Special; The Sue Sylvester Shuffle, a hilarious and faith-renewing canon-shot from Glee’s glory days.
Glee’s writers have really gone all out to progress the show once more, bringing new twists to the verging-on-familiar theme. Amidst Schuester’s perpetual “we are NOT talking about this” and Rachel’s inevitable moaning about losing the lime light, some fresh and wonderful glee has come to life.
New characters Coach Bieste (Dot Jones) and Sam (Chord Overstreet) complete this year’s ensemble with suitable pizzazz, with Jones’s performance as the “husky” football coach never short of beautiful, and Overstreet’s enormous mouth put to good use as the geeky but lovable quarterback (so long as he isn’t droning out Justin Bieber numbers…). Darren Criss as Blaine, Kurt’s gay mentor (would “bent-or” be utterly offensive…?) at Dalton Academy, is becoming more and more comfortable in his shoes, rapidly turning into an integral member of the cast. His recent rendition of Paul McCartney’s "Silly Love Songs" was nothing short of breathtaking, taking a previously dreary ditty into a work of beauty.
Naya Rivera’s new chest is also a delight to watch.Erstwhile recurring characters have been brought to the forefront, with regular face Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink), the burly female wrestler, becoming the unlikely new member of New Directions, and even more unlikely love interest for bad boy Noah Puckerman. Mike Chang’s dancing continues to impress, whilst his overused abs, however, are becoming less and less amazing every time they come rippling out.
With new plot twists coming in every week, and the musical numbers being belted out with their former gusto, it looks like Glee is truly back on top form. With Sue Sylvester now coaching the ingeniously named Aural (Oral?) Intensity, Glee is set for a stellar trip towards Nationals in New York at the end of this season… That is if New Directions can beat off competition from friends and foes alike.As ever, don’t stop believing… and all that jazz.
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