First, I must say... Glee is back. I wrote a couple of weeks ago how the premiere was promising to me... and the two episodes have backed up the promise. They are actually caring about the characters and the plot (well, mostly)! The witty one-liners are back! The music choices are mostly logical! How I've missed good Glee.
Before I get into my list of nitpicks, I should say flat out: this was likely the best episode of the show since the first half of season 1. Unexpected characters got wonderful moments to shine, with characters that we rarely hear from coming through in a big way. And THREE big musical moments for Amber Riley? Love it. I also loved the brave Dreamgirls sequence, which worked brilliantly in my opinion. However, as noted, I do have some nitpicks...
A Tale of Horrid Audition Songs
Here is the theatre queen in me coming out and queening out. The role of Tony in West Side Story is one of the most famous roles ever written. The role calls for an operatic sound, a tenor with a glorious tone.... so, Kurt sings a Streisand song that is not operatic in the least, instead showcasing how terrible Kurt is. Logical. This week, Mercedes sings a Jennifer Hudson tune, then she and Rachel sing a belty song from FAME to audition for Maria.... another lyrical operatic role. Right, perfect. Also, if I'm going to be completely nitpicky about the audition songs, you are taught to never use a song from the show you are auditioning for in an audition... but I'll overlook that because of how wonderful Mike Chang's "Cool" and Blaine's "Something's Coming" were.
Casting?
On the topic of West Side Story... next time you write about a musical, Glee, make up your own, please. I love that they discussed how strong and confident Mercedes was, and how she'd make a great Maria because of that... except that those aren't exactly qualities of Maria. Anita, yes, but not Maria. Not saying that Rachel would be a good Maria, but Mercedes would be terrible. Well done by casting Blaine as Tony, however, as he is absolutely perfect (as is Mike Chang as Riff and Santana as Anita). This could also be a spot where I could point out that Anita is a vastly superior role to Maria, a role Mercedes should have been gunning for in the first place... but I'll keep it to the show for now.
Been There, Done That...
An overbearing father that is incredibly disappointed in their child, only to have his wife go behind his back to be secretly supportive of their child in a wonderfully heartfelt and teary scene... nope, I'm not talking about Quinn's family, I'm talking Mike Chang's. I can see how you can be confused there. You could also be confused by a diva-off in which two solo performances get mashed together into one song ("Defying Gravity", much?). I suppose you can also put Rachel throwing aside a friendship for personal gain in this category too, but that's more a character thing, so I'll allow it.
