The Kurt Locker

Day 23: Audition

Season 2! After a hideously long hiatus, I was all geared up for more Glee. As I'm sure all of you were! My expectations were hazardously high. The writers hinted at more "intimate", fleshed-out storylines. There would be fewer production numbers to allow time for richer plot. Most intriguingly, new members would be coming in to the fold. I was a tad leery of the promised new characters. Would they be any good? How could they possibly measure up to the established characters I already loved? Was there room in my heart for an expanded glee club? 

When "Audition" aired at long last, I was thrilled. I was surprised and delighted to find myself instantly taken in by Sam, Coach Bieste, and Sunshine. Even better, several promising storylines were introduced. What follows is a rough approximation of my thoughts both during and immediately following the episode:

Sweet Sam-- the comic book-loving new kid worried about fitting in. He's also dyslexic. Those are issues lots of kids deal with. Definitely some usable material there...

Sunshine emerges as yet another tiny diva with a big voice. The perfect foil for the crazy-competitive Rachel! Imagine the hurt feelings and cat fights that will ensue...

Mike and Tina are dating? Hmmm. Okay...well, there must be more to it than Mike's abs and being Asian. I'm sure we'll find out more later...

Poor Artie! He obviously still cares about Tina. I can't wait to see what he'll do to win her back. Watch out, Mike--Artie knows what he wants and he won't give up until he gets it...

Quinn supplants Santana as captain of the Cheerios? That will cause some tension! I wonder how Babygate has affected Quinn's competitive nature. Will she let Santana push her around? How far will Santana go to regain her position? This will be an epic showdown...

Wow... Santana clearly has some serious self-esteem issues. Those issues probably fuel her promiscuous behavior. Many girls feel badly about themselves, so it will be interesting to see how Santana progresses. The boob job must be a set-up for the exploration of those issues...

I am completely in love with Bieste. She's perfectly heartbreaking and adorable and intimidating.

Well, one out of seven ain't bad. I guess.

Like I said, my expectations were hazardously high. Even more so after "Audition". Which is why, thus far, season two makes me want to tear my hair out! I'm not saying I've absolutely hated it. In typical Glee fashion, there have been many, many great moments. What eats at me, though, are all of the wasted opportunities for character and plot development. ALL of the characters could have sustainable, substantial story arcs. Some of them (particularly Quinn, Sam, and Santana) have the potential to make a significant impact. Maybe even save lives. For a show that prides itself on inclusion, the writers are surprisingly choosy about what issues warrant attention.  I just can't wrap my head around it. Glee has the power to reach out and inspire kids of all ages and backgrounds to embrace themselves and their differences. So the big question of this season is, why won't the writers actually do it?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo