NEWSOK! Old School: Why Earlier Seasons Of 'Glee' Are So Much Better Than The Current Season
I've had a love hate relationship with Glee for a while now (clearly I loved the BSB/NSYNC mashup from a few episodes back), but last night just did me in. Whether or not you watched the episode, "Shooting Star," let me sum it up for you (but don't read this yet if you haven't watch it yet). McKinley had a school shooting. Yeah, they went there.
I get how Ryan Murphy and the show's other producers try to stay relevant with what's happening in the world (which was their explanation for why they had the cast sing "Friday" on last year's prom episode), but a school shooting? On a family friendly show? Really? I was terrified watching the episode because I was convinced one of the cast members would get killed off (and I thought it was going to be Bieste, but it wasn't, so phew). Is terror really what you're supposed to feel when you're watching a gleeful show about a bunch of high school performers? Really though?
Other things that have bothered me about season 4's plotline so far? Tina's crush on Blaine (I love him too but he's clearly not into girls, Tina), the fact that Brody is a prostitute, Finn leading the glee club, Finn kissing Emma, Sue having a baby. I mean, the list of unrealistic things goes on. But seasons 1-2? That was the good stuff.
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And I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Melanie, who runs Glee fan club Glee-Fans.Org, told me:
"Season 4 is not Glee anymore. Seasons 1 and 2 were the seasons where Glee was Glee, where Glee had a meaning and gave the audience something to think about while still being funny in a way. "Shooting Star" was not the Glee I signed up for when I started watching it."
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The first two seasons of the show were groundbreaking. Epic, even. It was no wonder that Glee got nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys and SAG awards back then. Is it a coincidence that they haven't gotten a nod since 2011? No, it's not. Glee 2.0, with half my favorite cast members in New York and the other half gone completely, is not ok.
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Take this episode from season 2, for example. It was another of the producers' attempts at being relevant, and I thought that the way they talked about girls' body images issues in the "Born This Way" episode was amazing. This mashup between Rachel and Quinn is still one of my favorite performances to date.
And here's another early episode from season 2 that talked about religion. A scandalous topic, yes, as everyone has different beliefs and opinions, but "Grilled Cheesus" was groundbreaking television. It also was the same episode where Kurt was dealing with his dad's heart attack, so it was intense, but it felt real. Remember this?
Anyway, I could go on and on about this for hours. How seasons 1-2 of Glee were amazing and how season 3-4 have just ridiculous plotlines, sub-par songs and way too little of Rachel and Kurt. And Melanie agrees. She said:
"The favorites are gone and they try to make the newbies too much like the old characters. Marley is Rachel 2.0 and Jake and her turn into Finchel 2.0. The whole show is more about the relationships than anything else these days."
Well said, Melanie, I'm still a fan of the show, don't get me wrong, but I just want the old Glee back. Do you agree with Melanie and me?
How do you feel about the current season of Glee? What'd you feel after you watched "Shooting Star" specifically? Tweet me @OKMagazine and tweet Melanie @GleeFansOrg and let us know!
