WARNING: Due to the detailed nature of my review, I am issuing a major spoiler alert. I notated spots you may want to skip if you have not watched.
Read at your own risk.
"Glee" is one of my all-time favorite series. I quickly fell in love with it because of its admittedly contagious witty, happy-go-lucky energy. "Glee" is a show like no other. It's unique and special in its own way! How many other teen musical shows can you think of? I got nothin'!
While there are some high school cliché scenarios, what show does not? (I'm looking at you "One Tree Hill," "Dawson's Creek," "Degrassi," and pretty much every other high school drama.)
There is so much to be said for a show like "Glee." I will start here: "Glee" is a show that welcomes anyone willing to listen to music from all genres and experience a show that will likely make you laugh really hard on occasion, yet also sob uncontrollably on another. The singers perform measurably well and they all compete against each other to gain the acclaimed role as the best of the club.
Aside from that, here is what I will say: I have seen and heard so many discourage others from watching "Glee" and it really upsets me. I say watch the series for yourself and form your own opinion. Some like it, others don't. You never know, though. You may love it! The truth of the matter is that you will never know unless you try. It really is as simple as that. You may be a gleek at heart and therefore become part of the family! :o) (Don't worry. We welcome all!)
Another thing that bothers me is that people constantly compare this to "High School Musical." Why? Just . . . Why?! It is nothing like "High School Musical." If someone were to suggest otherwise, I would be rather confused on what basis it is alike.
One thing I also constantly hear is how "unrealistic" it is to break out in song in the middle of class or whilst walking down the highway, but the show is not at all aiming to be realistic in that respect. It's ridiculous that I have to explain this to people. Just watch and enjoy!
I will also say that when "Glee" is good . . . it is absolutely amazing! It can be one of the greatest things. It can be such a thrill. But when "Glee" is bad . . . I will tell you myself, it's really bad. It can be one of the worst things. It can make you want to beat your head against a wall and scream. The bigger picture, though, is that "Glee" had a strong run in its first three seasons. After that, the plots became less interesting and the music choices usually did not advance the plot like it once did so well. The first three seasons were undeniably the best of the show. There was far more good than there was bad and that is what matters the most.
One particular thing that I love about "Glee" is that the score is absolutely PERFECT for the series! It, like the show, is quirky and catchy! I love that they used Swingle Singers! Just SO MUCH FUN! :o) Aside from that, the score that they use in particularly "sad" scenes makes the moment even more magical and moving and sometimes even haunting because it captures the true beauty of the moment. The thing that I love about the scores is that they use are not at all suggestive. They fit just right and do not feel forced.
Now, the biggest issue that I have with this series is season four. (You may want to skip if you have not watched yet.) Here is why: The writing team really did seem to rehash the cast in season 4 and clone the old ones and that is likely why they were compared all the time. I hated that they introduced Marley as "Rachel 2.0." Though talented, she is nowhere near Rachel in that respect. Not even close. Aside from that, having Brit continually call Unique "Mercedes," although funny, made it feel like Unique was Mercedes' replacement. Then with Noah's brother, one could likely argue that he was Noah's "replacement." Not to mention Kitty . . . Sue even called her a new and improved Quinn at one point. All these things make it EXTREMELY hard for fans not to compare the characters. I honestly think that, for season four and on, they should have focused on the original cast after graduation. If they wanted to introduce new students, they should have given them more depth instead of just "replacing" them. I so badly wanted to appreciate and feel for the new cast in season four, but it was so hard when they, in a manner of speaking, were not even their own person. (Kind of like season six! I loved the students in season six. If only the writing team would have introduced them in season four, but I digress . . . )
The thing that I love the most are the amazingly hilarious one-liners that many of the characters dispense throughout the show. The best typically come from one hilarious Sue Sylvester. (Even though she is the villain, we all love to hate her. Well, maybe you'll love her once you find that she really does have a heart.) Additionally, I love the ongoing feud between Sue and Will. It just never gets old, I tell ya!
The important fact of the matter is that "Glee" was a musically beautiful series. I love some of the performances so much that I would argue several are better than the originals and I know several would agree. The only issue about the music is that, come season two, the show obviously used auto-tune, some instances far worse than others. It was barely an issue in the first season, but from season two on, there were several instances where it was noticeable. Most of these performers are professionals performing on Broadway and such and I think I speak for them when I say it is insulting when they auto-tune their voices. It takes away from how fun it could be. But, above that, "Glee" (usually) has above-average performances from its lead actors and, for most of the series, good storytelling. I would highly recommend to anyone open to a fun and moving experience. One thing that I respect about "Glee" is that it was GROUNDBREAKING in its LGBTQ+ representation, and that is something that I adore and feel to be strongly important. (If this bothers you, then don't watch. Simple as that.)
I leave off with one final comment. (This is another spot you may want to skip if you have not watched. The list is the part you will especially want to skip.) The show regards itself as a comedy and so do many others. I would argue that, while "Glee" is seriously funny and light-hearted more than it is serious, it also deals with EXTREMELY important topics. Allow me to list a few:
~~~
1. suicide, 2. sex, 3. teen marriage, 4. eating disorders, 5. mental health issues, 6. bullying (sometimes extreme), 7. prostitution, 8. alcohol consumption, 9. serious tragedies within schools (i.e., shooting).
~~~
There is nothing funny about these. "Glee" is a show that should be taken more seriously often than not because there is usually a lesson to learn within and it is not always blatantly obvious. While it may seem like a fun show, sometimes it crosses lines that can be controversial but ones that need to be crossed and contemplated. The show is mainly about the glee club and opening yourself up to joy by singing about what you feel in your heart, mind, and soul . . . but, of course, it is much more than that because it is also about life. And life is not pretty.
All in all, I really love "Glee!" As I said, the first three seasons were near perfect. If it was not for a mediocre season four and a sometimes bad season five, I would be inclined to give a much superior rating, but they happened and I am not a fan of them. It is normal for shows to go through a "rough patch" a while it happened and I did not enjoy it, the shows strengths more than made up for its weaknesses. That said, I still love it and give "Glee" an 8.4/10.
"Glee" is one of my all-time favorite series. I quickly fell in love with it because of its admittedly contagious witty, happy-go-lucky energy. "Glee" is a show like no other. It's unique and special in its own way! How many other teen musical shows can you think of? I got nothin'!
While there are some high school cliché scenarios, what show does not? (I'm looking at you "One Tree Hill," "Dawson's Creek," "Degrassi," and pretty much every other high school drama.)
There is so much to be said for a show like "Glee." I will start here: "Glee" is a show that welcomes anyone willing to listen to music from all genres and experience a show that will likely make you laugh really hard on occasion, yet also sob uncontrollably on another. The singers perform measurably well and they all compete against each other to gain the acclaimed role as the best of the club.
Aside from that, here is what I will say: I have seen and heard so many discourage others from watching "Glee" and it really upsets me. I say watch the series for yourself and form your own opinion. Some like it, others don't. You never know, though. You may love it! The truth of the matter is that you will never know unless you try. It really is as simple as that. You may be a gleek at heart and therefore become part of the family! :o) (Don't worry. We welcome all!)
Another thing that bothers me is that people constantly compare this to "High School Musical." Why? Just . . . Why?! It is nothing like "High School Musical." If someone were to suggest otherwise, I would be rather confused on what basis it is alike.
One thing I also constantly hear is how "unrealistic" it is to break out in song in the middle of class or whilst walking down the highway, but the show is not at all aiming to be realistic in that respect. It's ridiculous that I have to explain this to people. Just watch and enjoy!
I will also say that when "Glee" is good . . . it is absolutely amazing! It can be one of the greatest things. It can be such a thrill. But when "Glee" is bad . . . I will tell you myself, it's really bad. It can be one of the worst things. It can make you want to beat your head against a wall and scream. The bigger picture, though, is that "Glee" had a strong run in its first three seasons. After that, the plots became less interesting and the music choices usually did not advance the plot like it once did so well. The first three seasons were undeniably the best of the show. There was far more good than there was bad and that is what matters the most.
One particular thing that I love about "Glee" is that the score is absolutely PERFECT for the series! It, like the show, is quirky and catchy! I love that they used Swingle Singers! Just SO MUCH FUN! :o) Aside from that, the score that they use in particularly "sad" scenes makes the moment even more magical and moving and sometimes even haunting because it captures the true beauty of the moment. The thing that I love about the scores is that they use are not at all suggestive. They fit just right and do not feel forced.
Now, the biggest issue that I have with this series is season four. (You may want to skip if you have not watched yet.) Here is why: The writing team really did seem to rehash the cast in season 4 and clone the old ones and that is likely why they were compared all the time. I hated that they introduced Marley as "Rachel 2.0." Though talented, she is nowhere near Rachel in that respect. Not even close. Aside from that, having Brit continually call Unique "Mercedes," although funny, made it feel like Unique was Mercedes' replacement. Then with Noah's brother, one could likely argue that he was Noah's "replacement." Not to mention Kitty . . . Sue even called her a new and improved Quinn at one point. All these things make it EXTREMELY hard for fans not to compare the characters. I honestly think that, for season four and on, they should have focused on the original cast after graduation. If they wanted to introduce new students, they should have given them more depth instead of just "replacing" them. I so badly wanted to appreciate and feel for the new cast in season four, but it was so hard when they, in a manner of speaking, were not even their own person. (Kind of like season six! I loved the students in season six. If only the writing team would have introduced them in season four, but I digress . . . )
The thing that I love the most are the amazingly hilarious one-liners that many of the characters dispense throughout the show. The best typically come from one hilarious Sue Sylvester. (Even though she is the villain, we all love to hate her. Well, maybe you'll love her once you find that she really does have a heart.) Additionally, I love the ongoing feud between Sue and Will. It just never gets old, I tell ya!
The important fact of the matter is that "Glee" was a musically beautiful series. I love some of the performances so much that I would argue several are better than the originals and I know several would agree. The only issue about the music is that, come season two, the show obviously used auto-tune, some instances far worse than others. It was barely an issue in the first season, but from season two on, there were several instances where it was noticeable. Most of these performers are professionals performing on Broadway and such and I think I speak for them when I say it is insulting when they auto-tune their voices. It takes away from how fun it could be. But, above that, "Glee" (usually) has above-average performances from its lead actors and, for most of the series, good storytelling. I would highly recommend to anyone open to a fun and moving experience. One thing that I respect about "Glee" is that it was GROUNDBREAKING in its LGBTQ+ representation, and that is something that I adore and feel to be strongly important. (If this bothers you, then don't watch. Simple as that.)
I leave off with one final comment. (This is another spot you may want to skip if you have not watched. The list is the part you will especially want to skip.) The show regards itself as a comedy and so do many others. I would argue that, while "Glee" is seriously funny and light-hearted more than it is serious, it also deals with EXTREMELY important topics. Allow me to list a few:
~~~
1. suicide, 2. sex, 3. teen marriage, 4. eating disorders, 5. mental health issues, 6. bullying (sometimes extreme), 7. prostitution, 8. alcohol consumption, 9. serious tragedies within schools (i.e., shooting).
~~~
There is nothing funny about these. "Glee" is a show that should be taken more seriously often than not because there is usually a lesson to learn within and it is not always blatantly obvious. While it may seem like a fun show, sometimes it crosses lines that can be controversial but ones that need to be crossed and contemplated. The show is mainly about the glee club and opening yourself up to joy by singing about what you feel in your heart, mind, and soul . . . but, of course, it is much more than that because it is also about life. And life is not pretty.
All in all, I really love "Glee!" As I said, the first three seasons were near perfect. If it was not for a mediocre season four and a sometimes bad season five, I would be inclined to give a much superior rating, but they happened and I am not a fan of them. It is normal for shows to go through a "rough patch" a while it happened and I did not enjoy it, the shows strengths more than made up for its weaknesses. That said, I still love it and give "Glee" an 8.4/10.