And another Glee reaction post
Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed Gwyneth Paltrow first time around, and I was looking forward to seeing her return, but I'm starting to think that less might be more with her character. For starters, she's just a wee bit too glib for my tastes, and that was fun for her first episode, but became rather grating this time. Likewise, her lack of respect for other people's viewpoints: amusing in her first appearance, irritating in her second. I'm not saying I don't want to see her again, but I think they should wait until season three at the very earliest before reviving her.
The stuff with Kurt being embarrassed about sex I thought was well-handled for the most part. I understood where he was coming from, and I liked Burt's acknowledging that The Talk wasn't going to be enjoyable for either of them, but it was ultimately all resolved quite nicely, and I assume is going to be the groundwork for Kurt making out with Blaine next week. (This is unspoiled speculation, by the way.)
Puck and Lauren making a sex tape was a fun idea, as was the two of them deciding to join the Celibacy Club when they realised how far they'd gone. I'm not sure I buy Rachel using Celibacy Club to needle Quinn since they're frequently shown as all chummy in Glee Club, but in all fairness, if I pointed out every time that characters behaved inconsistently between separate episodes of Glee, I'd never have time to do anything else.
I'm disappointed about where they've taken Emma. I liked the part of her development where being with Dr Carl was good for her, and helping her to relax and enjoy life. And now the writers have decided that they can't have anyone not being totally in love with Schu, so they've decided that she's not had sex with her husband because of her secret undying love. Give me a fucking break. Carl is way better for her than Will is, so at this point I'm kind of over Emma. I'd say she deserves better, but with taste as terrible as hers, perhaps she doesn't.
Also, as much as I enjoyed the performance of 'Afternoon Delight', the whole thing was way too telegraphed. Emma might be naive, but she's not a total idiot, and there's absolutely no reason for her to have chosen that as a pro-celibacy message other than because they wanted her to look stupid by not getting what the song was about. I didn't like that scene at all, perhaps largely because I was really hoping they'd actually sing 'We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off' by Jermaine Stewart. As it was - just, no. It was a cheap joke, and it was too cheap for my liking.
But by far the best thing about the episode was the Santana/Brittany storyline. Considering their relationship began as a throwaway gag in the midpoint of season one, they've actually really developed it well. I watch a lot of glossy teen dramas, so I've seen a lot of unconvincing lesbian relationships that are basically only there because the executives at the network think more boys will watch if there are two hot girls making out (One Tree Hill springs to mind, and let's not forget Marissa's totally tokenistic dalliance with bisexuality in The OC). Here, however, it's a different story: while I wasn't entirely crazy about Santana's latent lesbianism being used to explain the fact that she's a total bitch, I thought Naya Rivera sold the hell out of this storyline, particularly the performance of 'Landslide' (which, minor gripe, was unnecessarily hogged by Paltrow) and the ultimate declaration of love scene with Brittany. I really, genuinely felt for Santana there. Heather Morris did a good job too - for all that Brittany is a one-note character, I think she plays the longing in her scenes with Santana rather sweetly. You get the impression that both actresses were actually up for doing this storyline, and that makes so much difference. I don't know what they're ultimately going to do with Santana, but I kind of want her to get together with Brittany in the end, or at least to have a decent love interest next year. Although not a female version of Blaine, please God.
The stuff with Kurt being embarrassed about sex I thought was well-handled for the most part. I understood where he was coming from, and I liked Burt's acknowledging that The Talk wasn't going to be enjoyable for either of them, but it was ultimately all resolved quite nicely, and I assume is going to be the groundwork for Kurt making out with Blaine next week. (This is unspoiled speculation, by the way.)
Puck and Lauren making a sex tape was a fun idea, as was the two of them deciding to join the Celibacy Club when they realised how far they'd gone. I'm not sure I buy Rachel using Celibacy Club to needle Quinn since they're frequently shown as all chummy in Glee Club, but in all fairness, if I pointed out every time that characters behaved inconsistently between separate episodes of Glee, I'd never have time to do anything else.
I'm disappointed about where they've taken Emma. I liked the part of her development where being with Dr Carl was good for her, and helping her to relax and enjoy life. And now the writers have decided that they can't have anyone not being totally in love with Schu, so they've decided that she's not had sex with her husband because of her secret undying love. Give me a fucking break. Carl is way better for her than Will is, so at this point I'm kind of over Emma. I'd say she deserves better, but with taste as terrible as hers, perhaps she doesn't.
Also, as much as I enjoyed the performance of 'Afternoon Delight', the whole thing was way too telegraphed. Emma might be naive, but she's not a total idiot, and there's absolutely no reason for her to have chosen that as a pro-celibacy message other than because they wanted her to look stupid by not getting what the song was about. I didn't like that scene at all, perhaps largely because I was really hoping they'd actually sing 'We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off' by Jermaine Stewart. As it was - just, no. It was a cheap joke, and it was too cheap for my liking.
But by far the best thing about the episode was the Santana/Brittany storyline. Considering their relationship began as a throwaway gag in the midpoint of season one, they've actually really developed it well. I watch a lot of glossy teen dramas, so I've seen a lot of unconvincing lesbian relationships that are basically only there because the executives at the network think more boys will watch if there are two hot girls making out (One Tree Hill springs to mind, and let's not forget Marissa's totally tokenistic dalliance with bisexuality in The OC). Here, however, it's a different story: while I wasn't entirely crazy about Santana's latent lesbianism being used to explain the fact that she's a total bitch, I thought Naya Rivera sold the hell out of this storyline, particularly the performance of 'Landslide' (which, minor gripe, was unnecessarily hogged by Paltrow) and the ultimate declaration of love scene with Brittany. I really, genuinely felt for Santana there. Heather Morris did a good job too - for all that Brittany is a one-note character, I think she plays the longing in her scenes with Santana rather sweetly. You get the impression that both actresses were actually up for doing this storyline, and that makes so much difference. I don't know what they're ultimately going to do with Santana, but I kind of want her to get together with Brittany in the end, or at least to have a decent love interest next year. Although not a female version of Blaine, please God.