CHALLENGE 19 - DEBATE

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CHALLENGE 19 - DEBATE
Challenge: Choose your side and discuss it with fellow gleeverse members!

Specifics:

• Who doesn't love a good debate every once in a while? For this challenge, you will choose your side on the topic below. You cannot be neutral. You MUST choose one side or the other. Once you have picked your side, write a new comment explaining your

Comments

[appleautumn]

Glee is better suited as a comedy. While it obviously has many drama elements, the show really shines through when it puts it focuses on the comedic plot lines. This is best illustrated in the first season of Glee. The majority of the beginning episodes focus on comedy and they are the episodes that really solidified Glee's original fan base. Glee was originally marketed as a satirical comedy that played with society's notions of stereotypes. The characters were written in a way that showcase them as extreme examples of stereotypes common in the high school setting and it is through this humour that the show is able to make a political statement. While the message may not be obvious, it is definitely there and it requires the viewer to think critically in order to understand the hidden meaning.

The musical component of the show also works better when comedy is the main focus. Most screen musicals are often humorous; it's almost a requirement for the show/film. With Glee, using comedy as a tool allows the viewer to easily accept the random outbursts into song. In fact, the comedic elements add to the musical performances; it allows the characters to back away from taking themselves seriously and use the performances as a means to enrich their everyday lives.

[appleautumn]

My Headband is perfection! Haha.

I think comedy helps with the "serious" songs at times too. I mean, think about Total Eclipse of the Heart, for example. It's a completely cheesy, over-the-top song (as great as it is), so I think looking at the show as a satirical comedy really helps you accept the dramatic love songs.

[jyusan]

This was just beautifully worded, and I agree so much. And yes, bursting out randomly into songs is normal in musicals, but when the show leans more towards drama, regular viewers find it harder to cope. All the showy performances, while utterly enjoyable, work better if the show takes itself less seriously, too (see the big money continuity issue).

[appleautumn]

My academic background let itself out a little bit haha.

[rainbowpuzzle]

I agree with your first point a lot. In season 1, Glee's humor was not for everyone and it required a bit of intelligence and creativity both to write and to understand. But then when they brought out a lot of cheap drama in season 2, many of the viewers who were initially attracted to this fresh type of musical humor on TV either gave up watching or have been complaining ever since and watch on in hopes of better days. Of course the show has gained many other viewers who watch for other reasons, but the critical acclaim has significantly decreased.

Also, ITA with the second point too. There are only so many times you can see Rachel dedicate a heart-wrenching ballad to Finn before rolling your eyes. The fun songs (or that are interpreted in a funny way e.g With You I'm Born Again) always make the show worth watching.

[phelipa]

Completely agred on the focus on the comedy as opposed to the drama. I was really upset about the loss of some storylines when they were passed over to make room for a comedic element. I miss Quinn angsting over Beth, I want more of Santana figuring out her sexuality! I'd prefer those scenes to the over the top scenes or Puck singing insulting songs to his girlfriend over and over (I still can't believe Lauren was flattered by some of those :S)
With Glee, using comedy as a tool allows the viewer to easily accept the random outbursts into song.
Absolutely, and this is why I love it. Where would we be without the random interjected songs! They are an ESSENTIAL elemtn to this show :D

[misskitty373]

Well said :)

I remember Ryan Murphy saying at one point the main purpose of Glee was to leave people with a smile on their face at the end of the day, that there wasn't enough heartwarming, feel-good shows on tv these days.

[sinfulsparkle]

I think your use of the word satire is incredibly important to the argument. Glee isn't funny when it's just trying to be funny. That broad comedy is not what the writers excel at writing. The best moments are when Brittany mistakes words in the choir room, but the one's she's thinking of are actually pretty smart words, like mallard or duvet, or she's being very perceptive, like with anthem/"ant hem." Remember the first slushie Rachel got? It was shocking and mean. Remember the second? Hilarious. Glee is a comedy, no matter how good Chris and Naya and Lea are at drama.

[star55]

You make debating hard when you have such valid points!
I'll just say, that if Glee didn't try to make their dramatic issues funny or make light of them, it could definitely work as a drama.