After the publicity machine went into overdrive the past few weeks, FOX finally saw the premiere of the pilot episode of new drama Glee last night.After a sneak peek at the full drama pilot, Glee will return for its freshman season run this fall on FOX.
You had the chance to read my advance review of the pilot episode of Glee, but I am curious to know what you thought of the pilot yourselves.
Did you fall for the charms of the series, created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, Popular)? Or did you find it far too saccharine for your liking? Was Michele Lea's Rachel Berry a tad too similar to Election's Tracy Flick? Did you revel for the musical numbers, including Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"? Did you want to slap Jessalyn Gilsig's bitter Terri? And is she really pregnant?
And most importantly: will you watch the series when it returns this fall? Talk back here.
Glee returns this fall on FOX.
Comments
1. I can't understand why they would end their first episode with a big, climactic and pretty perfect song from the school that is supposed to be the underdog. Where do they have to go from here? I think if I was writing the pilot, it would've been much more interesting to have a moderate, full performance of the Grease song, mid-way through the show, and end with the rival's performance of "Rehab."
2. The teacher's storyline. The main thing that bothered me was they structured it so that he dropped out as soon as he saw the competition and then signed back up as soon as he saw the talent he had in his group. The other problem with his storyline...
3. The pregancy and the wife. *Why* did they think it was a good idea to do this story in the way they did. First, why couldn't they make the wife likeable? Does everyone who doesn't support the Glee club fully need to demonized? Making her so annoying just makes it so much more difficult to understand why he's so ready to leave the school and the club. And why would they introduce the pregnancy so early? We've known the characters for less than a half-hour and we're supposed to care that she's pregnant?
4. The stereotypes. Aghh! The football jocks, the cheerleaders, the gay kid, the black kid, the cripple... they're all so paper thin. I don't really mind stereotypes in television, as long as they're used a jumping point for a real character. But I see no indication of that with these characters. Considering that Ryan Murphy also created Popular, which liked to play with these stereotypes and invert them, I was disappointed, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
5. That Journey song would've worked fantastically as the end of episode five or six. At the end of the first episode, I just don't buy it.
Ultimately, I'll probably check out the next episode, when it airs. But I'm not keeping my hopes particularly high.
Another problem I had was FOX's butchering of the pilot. The prescreener ran approximately eleven minutes longer and fleshed out the backstories of the various characters. Most importantly, it helped to establish why glee club was so important to Will. The first ten minutes of the aired pilot I found confusing so I can only imagine how others may have felt not having seen the uncut version of the episode.
Teri isn't pregant, based on the promos for the season. Lets see how long she keeps that secret from her husband... before he starts having an affair with the nutritionist, the former Ugly Betty home wrecker.
I thought the tone was muddled, switching from satirical bits to viciousness and back, eventually moving to a hope-filled happy ending. It may have worked better if we were ever shown that the glee club is the place where these students, and the teacher, feel accepted, or something. Of the two we really got to know, one was there because he was blackmailed and the other was there because she thinks she's the best of the best of the best. Making the club a relatively safe haven from the viciousness of high school would help.
Saying that, I really like the music in the episode, and not just what the clubs sang, but the a capella incidental music. That was a fun tidbit. Plus, Stephen Tobolowsky, as always, was wonderful.
I'll definitely be around for the second episode in the fall. Sure this first one was muddled and trying to find it's voice, but the first few episodes of Popular were, well, pretty muddled and bad, too, but it got lots better and I hope Glee will.
Showing the rival's number at the end of the episode would've had the same effect that you want, anyway. It would've given the audience and the Glee Club a goal to work toward. Instead, we were given the goal and then we suddenly see them achieve the goal. The Journey song didn't show potential, it showed the realization of the potential for those students. And it made no sense, narratively or logically.
Slow buildup is only a killer for a series if it's done poorly and without any other payoff. I'd say the reason 1 million viewers tuned out after the first half of the show is because... well, it wasn't very good.
The difference between a successful use of stereotype and what Glee did is that a successful stereotype will rise above its own profile. Look at Cordelia Chase in Buffy or Lila Garrity in Friday Night Lights. Also, I'd say you have some pretty jarring views of musical theatre. I'm certain there are musicals that are filled with one-dimensional caricatures, but that's hardly representative of all or the best of Broadway.
FOX obviously believed that the pilot was a strong enough representation of the show that they could preview it many months before the series premiere. I think it's absolutely fair to judge the show and it's current position. As I said in my original post, I'll tune in for the next few episodes, when they do air. I hope they turn my opinion around. But I'm not holding my breath.
Yup...guess you're right over the top caricature is definitely not representive of the best of Broadway.
Must be my jarring views of musical theater.
I'd love to see you pitch the show. Ok so this pilot isn't indicative of the potential of the show. Give me money blindly and in 4-6 episodes I'm gonna convince you.
After hard research I have determined your choice of show must've been Grease or Fiddler on the Roof or maybe Oklahoma, perhaps Into the Woods, Maybe the Gilbert and Sullivan stuff? Bye Bye Birdy? Music Man?
Regardless, the whole topic seems incredibly unrelated to the television.
I think you're taking what I'm trying to say about the show in all the wrong ways. Of course the pilot should be indicative of the quality and potential of the series. However, it should not need the musical number to reach that quality. If the song is the only thing that makes this show stand out, then the show isn't worth watching, in my opinion. There needs to be more there.
As far as the characters go, I'm not asking for entire arcs for the characters. I'm asking for actual characters, instead of extras with lines. And yes, I would argue that both Cordelia and Lila showed far more character in their respective pilot episodes than any of the secondary characters in this show.
I'm not entirely certain what your problem with my comments is, but you seem to be taking this far more personally than I intended. Yes, I have formed judgments of the show, based on its pilot... because that's the only episode most people have seen. I've even said that I enjoyed it and plan on giving the show another chance, hoping that it will get past my initial problems with it. What more, exactly, would you like me to say?
In response to your final comment, I believe the entire point of stereotypes is that you *don't* have to establish them, at first.
Anyway, I think we're definitely going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I doubt either of us has said much to sway the other and I imagine we both have better things to do with our time than drag out an internet argument over a television show.
I was in my high school's glee club and this show brought back many good memories.
Yes, the characters are stereotypical; yes, you really had no sense of time progression and yes, the beginning was really hard to follow. But what I took from it was the fact that I could laugh at the characters, and by doing so, laugh at myself and my friends. Sounds cheesy, but its true.
I'd be willing to see some more episodes, but I don't think Glee will become as big a hit as is predicted without some changes.
I agree with a lot of the points above - at times, "Glee" does come across as very cheesy, but to me, it's the type of show that you either buy into completely from minute 1, or you'll never be won over by it - I felt good watching it, loved the ending, and will definitely watch it when it returns.
I thought there was a subtle darkness to Glee. Starting with the name even. Is anyone on the show gleeful, or in fact the opposite ? Seems to be they are mocking the whole American Idol/youtube "anyone can be a star" mind-set. The relationship between the husband and his moronic clueless wife mirrors many desperate relationships, where people try to make it work, because they fear the alternative-being alone. Am I the only one that saw these things? Personally, I think this show is going someplace with all this. I look forward to future episodes.