It’s a tough life as a Glee fan.
Week to week we’re confronted with the question of hiatus. What on an ordinary show is a one or two week break from new episodes is a month long break on Glee. To the casual channel flipper who happens upon Glee, this is not such an issue. The recap before each episode reminds them of the things they’ve missed. But to the dedicated fans, of whom I speak of but will not necessarily confess to being (in the hopes that you may draw your own conclusions), these breaks are a torment.
The recap of past episodes in “A Night of Neglect” reminded me of the month long hiatus that passed between the last Glee episode and tonight’s. While I don’t wish to gripe on the anxiousness of waiting for a new episode, I must admit I missed having this show in my life.
When all of television is a mish-mash of half-hour sitcoms, dramas and crime shows, it’s nice to have a little singing and dancing thrown in mid-week.
Throughout the month long wait, the anticipation grew for this new transition into the part of the season focusing on the New Directions’ trip to nationals in New York. And I must admit, even with the pent-up desire for a new Glee episode, the thirst for new material was not completely quenched.
In a good week, a Glee episode will throw out almost a dozen really catchy tunes that will have the iTunes lurker lip-synching before and after (and sometimes during) class. But this week was full of unknown, “neglected”, songs (as the title of the episode would suggest) all of which were amazing, but the performances were so few in number that the month of waiting feels almost as if it’s been extended until next week.
The best musical event of the night was Mike Chang’s (funny how the writers feel compelled to always write mentions of him as if ‘Chang’ was an extension of his first name) dance to the Jack Johnson song “Bubble Toes”. It was highly reminiscent of his performances with the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), one of which he did in the opening act of the Glee concert tour last summer. He has such a lightness of foot, it almost looks like he’s floating when he dances. His talent clears up any confusion on why he was cast in Glee considering how unfathomably terrible his voice sounds in some performances.
For those who watch the show primarily for the actual story (who are few in number, I would think), this episode was tolerable. In an attempt to earn the money to make it to New York, the New Directions plan “A Night of Neglect,” a cabaret of sorts that showcases songs performed by members of the club that have gone under the radar by popular standards. Mercedes, as usual, exercises her role as a diva, but in this case transitions into the role of prima donna, demanding her desires be met if she is to perform.
In the end, the glee club managed to earn the money they needed to travel to nationals in New York and the Brainiacs (the Academic Decathlon team that appeared out of nowhere during the episode) can also afford to travel to their competition. Ultimately, all’s well that ends well. But not all things ended well.
The only real continuing plot advancement that seemed to have occurred was Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow) finding a job away from William McKinley High and subsequently breaking up with Will. Serendipitously, this occurred just after Emma revealed to Will that her husband, Carl (John Stamos), had asked her for an annulment. This turn of events was a fulfillment of past prophecy, a burgeoning romance that will inevitably occur whether or not we who watch mainly for the music care or not.
The comedy was not at its best. Granted, Glee at its worst is still cheesiness at its best. Sue’s plot to destroy the glee club with the help of a few of Will’s arch-nemeses (by way of her newly established Legion of Evil), while foiled once again, was a quaintly hilarious one nonetheless. I can only comment that Sue must have realized by now that heckling the New Directions will no longer faze them (except for Tina, who plays the role of melodramatic goth girl anyway).
After a month of finding other programs to watch, Glee has finally returned. Once again we can bask in the melodramatic glory of the most facetiously adorable show on television. But singing and dancing? That’ll have to wait until next week.