Thursday 22 September 2011

Glee: The Purple Piano Project

"Wait, are you working on a time machine too?"

Perhaps the writers of Glee didn't realise the irony of that question, coming as it does out of Brittany's mouth, because the last thing Glee needs is a time machine. Tonight marked the start of season three, but so much of the episode harked back to the ground covered in season one.

Everyone still hates the glee club - maybe in season one the club was uncool, but now? It's a little on the implausible side. Especially considering it's high school, and glee club is full of beautiful people, including cheerleaders and footballers.

Sue's still trying to destroy the glee club - she's switched between love and hate so many times and now, guess what? Sue hates the glee club again. And she's been given a platform from which to try and destroy them, as she runs for political office. As an aside, why would she be allowed to carry on with Sue C's It while in a political race?

Quinn's a cow again - okay, this time she has pink hair and is hanging out with a group calling themselves The Skanks, but Quinn is back to her cold, shallow, pretending-to-be-something-she's-not self.

Santana's still a bitch - out of the glee club, back on the Cheerios and doing Sue's bidding - just what has changed about Santana since season one?

Will's still Will - sill not quite understanding the kids in glee, still fighting a losing battle with Sue, still stuck in a relationship where he wants more than his partner wants to give (although with creepy lines like "guess who woke up before me?", who can blame Emma?).

And of course, with Sam and (supposedly) Lauren gone, we're almost back at the same line-up for the glee club as well.

Almost, because this episode saw Blaine become a New Direction. It's hard to believe he'd be allowed to transfer by his parents, or that for a character who's so intelligent he'd be so irrational as to swap schools to be with a boy. And I don't really like the move.

But, as the cliche goes, it's no use crying over spilt milk. Especially when Blaine turns up to school in red trousers, does a peppy number surrounded by cheerleaders and then has the routine overshadowed by a flaming purple piano.

Blaine and Santana should now become best buds. She could do with having her character rounded out and for someone seeing through her Lima Heights Adjacent tough girl act, he could do with a friend as bitchy as he is charming, and they would be, to borrow a word used multiple times during the episode, fierce together.

A mention must go to the talent that is Chris Colfer as Kurt, who saves viewers from utter boredom this week. From his facial expression as he listened to the awfulness coming out of Sugar's mouth to his pep talk to Rachel to his delight at Blaine transferring, Colfer is a joy to watch. If Kurt wasn't planning on running for senior class president, I'd be campaigning for him to do so.

The music:
Two of this week's songs contained the word 'beat', hinting at a theme surrounding having the beat and feeling beaten because of the treatment of others. Or am I just looking too hard for some coherency? You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray is a personal favourite of mine, so that won for me.
Kurt and Rachel's rendition of Ding Dong The Witch is Dead was clearly a sign of pride coming before a fall.
That fall came courtesy of newcomer Harmony, played by The Glee Project's Lindsay Pearce, who was great on the manic mash-up of Anything Goes and Anything You Can Do.
Blaine's version of It's Not Unusual, well, it was as smooth as chocolate. (I'm still missing the doo-wopping Warblers though.)

What Glee did well this week:
Less Rachel. I've waited two seasons for this to happen, but finally, finally, Rachel seems to be sharing the vocals equally with the rest of the glee clubbers.

Next week:
Kurt auditions for the school musical, Shelby's back, and will Blaine ever wear socks with an outfit?

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