The Etownian >> Campus Life
‘Glee’: the new show that everyone is watching
Thursday November 05 2009
"Glee” fans around the nation were very upset when Fox aired Game One and Game Six of the World Series instead of their new favorite show. To these “gleeks,” the relationships between Rachel, Quinn, Puck and Finn are much more important than the Phillies and Yankees.“Glee” began airing in May 2009, when the pilot episode was shown after “American Idol.” The season started Sept. 9, 2009, and according to the Los Angeles Times, “Glee is the first show in a long time that’s just plain full-throttle, no guilty-pleasure-rationalizations-necessary fun.” Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Nip/Tuck;” Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan collaborated to produce this series that was originally intended to be a motion picture.
The show focuses on Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), a Spanish teacher at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Will is a graduate of McKinley High, and, as a teacher, he hopes to take control of the glee club and restore its former glory. He attempts to “help a group of aspiring underdogs realize their true star potential” (www.fox.com/glee). However, Will has his work cut out for him, because the coach of the Cheerios, the school’s highly competitive cheerleading squad, is out to destroy any potential stardom in the glee club. Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is a perfectionist coach who insanely pushes her squad to the limits. She thinks that the glee club is doomed to fail because anyone in the school who has any talent is already a member of the Cheerios. However, just to make sure that the club is properly destroyed, Sue enlists three of her cheerleaders, including Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), to spy on the club from an inside position.
Quinn is one of the most popular members of the Cheerios, and she is head of the school’s celibacy club. Her boyfriend is star quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith). Finn has a great voice and wants to be a member of the glee club, but he is fearful that doing so would result in a drop of his rank on the social ladder. Despite his apprehension, Finn eventually becomes the male lead of the glee club and even convinces several of his teammates to join, including Noah “Puck” Puckerman (Mark Salling).
The other glee members are the outcasts of McKinley High’s society. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) is without a doubt the star of the glee club. She is very ambitious and motivated, driven by her desire to be a star on Broadway when she is older. Michele explains her reasoning for taking the role of Rachel: “Not only is she a singer, but she has so much heart — I think it’s what we need on TV — a show that is filled with heart and love that is funny. It sends an amazing message to kids about the arts and being who you are.”
Other glee students are Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), the flamboyant and fashionable contratenor; Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), the diva with a big attitude and a voice to match; Artie Abrams (Kevon McHale), the paraplegic who rocks the electric guitar; and Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), the stuttering goth.
Additional main characters include Will’s wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) and the school’s guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). Emma is a soft-spoken supporter of the glee club, who also happens to be in love with Will. However, her feelings for Will are not the only complicated relationship in the show. Rachel has a crush on Finn, but even though Finn likes Rachel, he still has feelings for Quinn. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Quinn is pregnant. She tells Finn that he is the father, but really Puck is responsible. Mercedes had a crush on Kurt and is devastated when he rejects her, but later Kurt confides to her that he is gay. “Glee” is not just all sugarcoated singing and dancing, but a show with multiple layers and conflicts.
The success of “Glee” has made quite a statement across the nation and on campus, and its die-hard fans have coined the term gleeks to describe themselves. First-year Janis Umberger calls herself a gleek, stating, “I like “Glee” because it’s funny and entertaining. My favorite character is Mr. S. because I like how he genuinely wants to help the kids in the glee club.”
Gleeks will be glad to hear that Columbia Records just released “Glee: The Music, Volume 1” Nov. 3. And for those who have yet to give “Glee” a chance, tune in Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. because “Entertainment Weekly” calls the show is “so funny, so bulging with vibrant characters that it blasts past any defenses you might put up against it.”
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