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Follow Friday: GLEEfully yours

I had a bunch of ideas floating in my head for this week's Follow Friday. Summer is coming. There are all kinds of events for the long three day weekend: new movies, concerts, adventures to plan.  This week, however, I re-ignited my interest in a TV show that had lost me way back in October.
 
When Glee first came on the scene, I loved it. It appealed to all of the things I love in entertainment: snarky dialogue, creativity, and just enough eye candy (have you seen Matthew Morrison? YUM!).  Having served out my high school days in the show choir, I could definitely relate to some of the plot points although I don't remember bursting into song in the middle of the cafeteria or even getting slushied.  

So the first season of GLEE was fun but it was also inspiring. Watching the GLEEKS handle poignant issues such as Kurt's coming out or Quinn's pregnancy or Rachel's discovery of her birth mother was, to me, the main attraction. The entertainment provided by spontaneous songs ranging from Ice, Ice Baby to Lady's Gaga's Telephone was the icing on the cake.

Then came season 2 and the plot quickly fizzled. By the second episode, I was frustrated that the songs were becoming the main attraction and storyline seemed to be an afterthought.  I'm not a fan of the over-produced, auto-tuned song style that became de rigeur on the show so I stopped watching. 

Of course, I'm still hip to all that is pop and thanks to social media, it was pretty easy to keep up with GLEE's plot points by listening to my Facebook friends discuss the most recent episodes.  It seems that the show may have finally found its storyline again, thanks in large part to the funeral for Sue's sister. This has brought the topic of intellectual disability to the forefront and given new opportunities to the actress who plays Becky, the new captain of the Cheerios. Who also happens to have an intellectual disability.

This week was the GLEE season finale. I admit that I have not yet watched the finale but I need to. My favorite musical in recent memory, Wicked, was featured in the NYC plotline but my favorite GLEE surprise of the week was this PSA:


Thank you, GLEE, for continuing to support those with differences. Thank you for recognizing that the world is a better place because we are not all exactly the same. Thank you for giving one of my biggest pet peeves a national audience.  Maybe I'll use my summer to catch up before Season 3. You've won me back.

Comments

  1. I love Glee- haven't watched all the episodes and am behind the last few weeks, but will catch up this weekend hopefully. My favorite episode I do think was the Madonna one! Love your take on the balance of story/song. They seem to sometimes force things for the songs that doesn't always work- but overall it is a good show.

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