Sunday, May 23, 2010

Latest TV Obsessions, Part I

First off, Glee.

The last time I was out visiting Em and Tim, we watched the first four episodes upon our return home from the bar. Or from dinner. I think it was dinner. I said "bar" because I wanted you guys to think that I was cool and that we were out drinking all night, but the truth is that I am pretty... not so very cool. And I don't really go to the bar much anymore. I mean, now that Michigan passed the smoking ban, I think that it's a possibility that I'll be out more, especially to places with outdoor patios and whatnot. Patios are nice.

Plus, I am back to being the lightweight I was in college. Two glasses of red wine? Nice. Three glasses? Oh sweet God. Just ask Mike about that. Actually, nevermind. Don't.

Devil wine!

Oops, sorry. That was more of my peripheral nonsense.

So Glee? OH MY FANTASTIC. Set in an Ohio high school, Glee tells the story of the school Glee Club, led by the dreamy dreamboat Mr. Schuester, an alum of the school and a former club star.

LOOK AT HIM.
Imagine he was your Spanish teacher.
In the world of Glee, IT WOULD BE TRUE.

It is so entertaining and fun, with just the right number of romantic triangles and the perfect amount of teen angst. They know that they are losers because they are in the club, but they don't care. (Reminds me of some people in my high school. But we didn't have a glee club. Theater? Marching band? Oh wait. Yeah. I was in marching band. I knew I wasn't the coolest, but I was still proud of it. Hmmm. Yeah, that sounds about right.)

There's the talented overachiever, Rachel; the quarterback, Finn; his "cliche of a blond girlfriend," head cheerleader, Quinn; the sassy black chick, Mercedes; the in-the-closet guy, Kurt; and an impressive bunch of supporting classmates.

The adult characters are the reason to watch the show, however. Mr. Schuester, or "Mr. Schue," is married to Terri, his high school sweetheart. She's a bit... selfish and crazy, but they were the golden couple in high school.

The principal, Mr. Figgins, is best known to me as Joey's doctor in an episode of Friends ("Kidney stooones!"), but he plays a hilariously understated role. His main concern seems to be money, and he's constantly forced to act as mediator between Will and Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach and "arts administrator... or something."

Sue is played by the fantastic Jane Lynch, and the show would be fine without the character, but it wouldn't be half as funny. She's an overzealous, overly confident woman who plants fear in the hearts of everyone around her - including her cheerleaders, The Cheerios (hee!).

This show grabbed me from the very first episode and continues to get better and better. The musical interludes are amazing, and if Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" doesn't get you, then perhaps you're not good enough for Glee.

Glee!

2 comments:

lem said...

You're up to date watching it, right? Doogie Howser was on!

Heather said...

lem - No, we're not, actually. We've only watched to the end of the first half of season one - the episodes that were released on DVD. So we are waiting for the next DVD set to come out. But I saw that NPH was to be on, and I am EXCITED.