Glee: Something To Love

Ok, allow me to geek out before getting into the actual post: THEY DID "SOMEBODY TO LOVE" ON GLEE THIS WEEK! AND KRISTEN CHENOWETH WAS ON!

Anyway, despite the still very-real flaws, Glee continuously proves to be extremely fun and entertaining. The story is very good for the most part, showing a "high-school-is-hell" world that doesn't rely on actual demons to make the point (not that Buffy needed them to make the point, and in doing so, told stories that Glee will never be able to tell) and positing on how far people will go to reach their dreams, no matter how much their decisions affect other people. Plus, the show features amazing musical numbers performed by amazing singers and dancers. And yet...

I really like this show, yet there are times when I wonder why. The chief sin of "The Rhodes Not Taken" was the efficient wrap-up of two storylines that should have had much messier resolutions. First, Rachel returned to the club a week after quitting, and second, April Rhodes willingly left the club when she had a realization of how her presence was impacting the club. Let's start with Rachel. She certainly had reason to want to leave the musical; Sandy was treating her horribly and was abusing his power as director (which he shouldn't even have; he only got his job back because Sue blackmailed the principal). Yet I would think that she would be somewhat willing to put up with a terrible director if it meant exposure as the lead in the school musical. And then when Sue gave her full creative control in the production (how does Sue have the power to do that?), she realized that she still didn't get what she wanted. But she only told us this. We did not see how this new level of power affected her, and I would think that someone as driven and conceited as Rachel would ignore any misgivings resulting from her new role.

As for the April storyline, April specifically stated that she wasn't going to give up her new position in the Glee Club because she was getting her second chance. She was clearly more talented than any member of the club, and a second chance was something she had been dreaming about for years. And then, after stunning the crowd with the first song, she suddenly realized that she was hurting the dreams and chances of the kids. April didn't really seem like the kind of person who could develop such complex and selfless thoughts. But the writers needed her out of the way. They could have had Will forcibly remove her (he could certainly have her arrested for certain things) or Emma could have tried to do something. Instead, she left willingly.

And yet, I almost feel like those gripes don't even matter. Glee remains simultaneously hilarious and sad and the musical numbers always blow me away (those two factors plus Chenoweth's appearance this year opened my wounds from Pushing Daisies' cancellation). April's website and message ("Bring Buffalo wings."), Emma's reaction to Kurt puking on her (her facial expression and trip to the hospital), Puck's snide comment about Bert and Ernie were all great.

And then there was Finn trying to get Rachel to come back by convincing her that she had a shot with him, only for her to learn that he only did it for his own personal gain and that Quinn is pregnant, which provided a lot of sadness this week. And Will's blind adoration of April, despite the current state of her life, continued to show how devoted Will is to the idea of Glee Club as opposed to the people who are currently in the club. In an effort to ensure the club will carry on, he put the dreams of the kids on hold by introducing a ringer. Not only that, he basically overlooked the negative influence April placed on the club because he felt that he was serving the greater good by keeping April around. Emma had to assert herself against Will, the man she secretly loves unconditionally, and make him see what he was doing.

So I'd say that after weighing the positives against the negatives of "The Rhodes Not Taken," the episode is definitely a winner. I really hope that the show fixes its problems, but they always present themselves in hindsight; when I actually watch the show, I have a blast. And the fact that they finally did "Somebody To Love" tonight ensured that I would love the episode on some level.

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