Glee: Audition

Tonight, FOX aired the pilot of the show Glee, a new musical comedy that will begin airing in the fall (no, I don't know why they are only showing the pilot tonight, while they wait for the rest of the summer before showing the next episode). When I first saw a preview for the show, I thought it looked really stupid, but as time went by, the trailers started looking better and better and many critics released advance reviews hailing it as a new gem, with the whimsy of Pushing Daisies and the realism of Freaks and Geeks (note: in both Glee and F&G, the characters go to a school named after President William McKinley in a small midwest town). Finally, this trailer made me realize that I would have to watch the pilot:



The pilot certainly wasn't perfect, but it captured my attention, and I will be tuning in for the next episode when it airs. The episode was very funny and full of characters who initially seem offbeat, but become too close to being real for comfort. Will Schuster is the lead, a Spanish teacher at the high school who decides to take over the glee club after the old director (Stephen Tobolowsky in a funny cameo) is fired for inappropriate behavior with a student... allegedly. The whistleblower is Rachel Berry, the club's most talented member and resident overachiever. She is similar to Reese Witherspoon's character from Election, except instead of desiring power, she lusts for fame. The other members of the club certainly have talent, but none of them are anything special. But when Shuster cons the football quarterback Finn Hudson into joining the club (his strategy was hilarious and a dark look at the power anti-drug campaigns have given people in authority), it looks like the club may actually have a chance at being competitive... until they go see the school that won the national competition the year before.

Other characters include Emma, another faculty member who likely has a crush on Shuster, Schuster's neurotic, shopaholic wife, and Sue Sylvester, wonderfully played by Jane Lynch. Sue is a heartless, two-faced bitch who clearly was the popular girl in high school and chose never to leave. She is the cheerleading coach, and she openly reminds the other teachers that her squad gets the most funding because of the "prestige" they bring to the school. She openly believes in and attempts to perpetuate the social classes that are present in high schools, and is proud to be the leader of the elite. She describes the glee kids as the lowest of the low, and in many ways, that is true. Rachel is ostracized for her devotion to becoming famous (although her personality doesn't help very much; she sees herself as being above most of the other students at school). Tina is a stutterer, Mercedes is a diva, Kurt is gay (which, sadly, is not accepted by many people in high schools), and Arty is in a wheelchair. However, in the glee club, these flaws disappear. Tina doesn't stutter when she sings, Mercedes has a good voice, Kurt is a good performer, and Arty can play an instrument. They remain in somethings that most students who would otherwise have the talent to participate in avoid out of fear because it helps develop who they really are.

However, the episode was not without its flaws. I think the biggest problem was that the pilot needed two hours to tell its story. They tried to cram a lot into this episode, and sometimes it seemed like they were skipping over the smaller developments to get to the big plot points. Along those same lines, many characters, who are going to be series regulars (Finn's girlfriend, Finn's football buddy, and Schuster's wife) were underdeveloped and had only token appearances to establish their characters. Tina, Mercedes, Arty, and Kurt also weren't used too much this episode, but the episode wouldn't have worked without them. Despite these flaws though, I still enjoyed the episode and look forward to what comes next (especially because Kristin Chenoweth and Victor Garber are going to guest star and perform musical numbers).

Updated for your viewing pleasure:







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