Rachel and Blaine capture the beauty of West Side Story in "The First Time." Photo courtesy of FOX.
It seems like Glee, perhaps on a much too regular basis, likes to invent its own reality. In this alternate universe, a woman can fake a pregnancy for several months and not be found out, or two different show choirs can win one competition because they were both that good. And most of the time, yes, it’s ridiculous. But “The First Time,” despite one blaring error, was really a testament to how quality can still exist in a quirky and somewhat trite show about a bunch of misfit high school crooners.
On this, the final countdown before the premiere of West Side Story at McKinley High, everyone involved is tense and it’s all about sex. But why sex? And why now? On this show that has tackled the issue of unplanned pregnancy, homosexuality, virginity, cheating and a myriad of other melodramatic topics on the subject, it’s a wonder that there’s anything left to say. But the writers managed to twist the meaning of the Romeo & Juliet adaptation set in New York City to fit Glee in the most typical of places – by making it about consummation rather than affection.
After watching the episode, I consulted with several people on what their opinion was of West Side Story and whether there was any merit to Artie’s claim that the show was about sexual awakening. While some voters favored there being some sexual undertones, the overall claim was that Tony and Maria’s romance is about young love. And while the characters are passionate and foolish, their physical relationship is an extraneous matter and by no means the underlying theme of the musical.
So what gives the director of said musical at McKinley the right to question his actors on whether they are sexually experienced enough to be prepared for playing their parts? Nothing. And we can thank the nonsensicality of Glee’s often concocted stories for this little inconsistency. Because it really seems the collective minds behind Glee will do anything to make their characters’ relationships more complicated, even if it means misinterpreting one of the classics of musical cinema.
Yet eventually there comes a time to look past the mistakes and really embrace an episode of Glee that has all the elements of good storytelling. Because, while “The First Time” was a little uncomfortable to watch and at times the intimacy was so realistic that it was unsettling, the raw emotion took over and found itself made up for everything else. There was sincerity in a way that has been absent from this show for the past few episodes, if not for this whole season.
It was present in the way Finn backed off from Rachel when he believed her to be interested in sex only as an actor studying for a part. It was there when new recurring character Johnny told Coach Beiste that she was beautiful. It was there when Mike Chang estranged himself from his father. It was there when Kurt had the strength to say no to Blaine’s drunken proposition.
These were (among others) the moments that made for an episode that exuded powerful dialogue and plot to accompany the evocative music that served as its backdrop.
Even the final scene, which in a previous episode had been conducted in a much less reverent manner – set to “Like a Virgin” by Madonna – there was a respect for the characters and the story that made a clichéd event into something truly beautiful.
The true genius behind this episode was the intertwining of narrative and music. Where Glee often misses the mark is in the search for a few popular hits to fill up space and climb the iTunes charts. But Leonard Bernstein, composer of West Side Story, was more than a one hit wonder. He was a mastermind of musical composition and the way his music pulls at the heartstrings translated directly to the juxtaposition of character stories and music in “The First Time.”
This show may have made a mockery of the Glee writers’ ability to interpret the themes of West Side Story, but one thing it did not make a mockery of was its characters or their stories. And in the end, that’s what made it so beautiful.
The Songs of “The First Time”:
“Tonight” – If Darren Criss alone can make me swoon, then the pairing of Blaine (Criss) and Rachel (Lea Michele) can make my heart stop. This duet was absolutely beautiful, and one of two that proved why having these two as Tony and Maria was a flawless decision.
“Uptown Girl” – The tone was a little bright for my taste, even for a Billy Joel cover, but even so it was exciting to see a return of the Warblers. Their arrangements are always exciting to listen to, and the simplicity of their choreography is a nice change as well. The only odd thing about this performance was the unexplained woman who waltzes through the scene as the purported “uptown girl” being sung about.
“A Boy Like That (I Have A Love)” – I have never paid much attention to Santana’s (Naya Rivera) voice, but this song gave me a real reason to. Her Anita was a beautiful thing to hear. The untraditional split of the song between two parts of the story was well intertwined into the plot of the episode, and of course Rachel’s “I Have A Love” portion completely floored me.
“America” – This was another great performance by Santana, featuring her alongside Puck (Mark Salling) as Bernardo. It’s only appropriate that they have had a history together in the show and are now playing the only other established couple of West Side Story.
“One Hand, One Heart” – The way the shots were intercut between Blaine and Rachel’s performance and their respective scenes with Kurt and Finn was beyond any doubt the most beautiful editing of any segment of Glee that I can recall. The scene was very delicately and beautifully handled, matching the melody perfectly.