Fox’s new show Glee follows a teacher as he embarks to bring song and dance to a school held in the tight clutches of a demanding cheerleading coach. It’s building a strong fanbase in its first year. When it airs, it nearly shuts down Twitter as viewers simultaneously “tweet” play-by-play analysis. After being bombarded by messages about it, I decided to jump in and ever since week four I have been a regular viewer. Though most are caught up in the theatrics of the glee club, the angst of a pregnant cheerleader, or an emotionally unbalanced diva; I fancy the aforementioned she-devil guru.
Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is a manic, winning obsessed motivator. Nationally recognized as a repeat cheerleading coach of the year, Sue has her own editorial segment on the local news where she dispenses tough love. Her affectionately addressed “Cheerios” have their uniforms flown to Europe for dry cleaning. When standout performer/Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Mathew Morrison) takes over the glee club, Sue’s position of popularity is threatened, forcing her to scheme designs to humiliate Mr. Shue and his cadre of singers.
Jane Lynch may just be portraying the greatest TV villain of all-time. Every line is delivered with a captivating sense of boastful arrogance. Compared to the bubbly performances from the rest of the cast, Lynch is a delightful punch to the stomach. Her ability to rain on the parades of others is unmatched. Standing at 5’11” in her tracksuit, Lynch is as imposing as The Shredder. She scares me and makes me laugh, as though she’s shooting for both. It may be politically damaging to admit, but I love how she calls the handicapped Artie (Kevin McHale) by the nickname of “Wheels”. Just as damaging/hilarious is her racially motivated call sign that leaves one character forever known as “Other Asian”.
Glee has many flaws which proponents are quick to gloss over. The story changes very, very little from week to week. A recurring theme is to have the ever annoying Rachel (Lea Michele) fall for a different stud only to revert back to an unidentifiable attractive toward resident imbecile Finn (Cory Monteith). One episode has our favorite antagonist become genuinely friendly with Shue and cohorts; fortunately this was redacted by episode’s end. Oh and the singing is so-so. Some of the cast are veterans of Broadway and they offer more than others, but a guest role from Kristin Chenoweth quickly put them in their places. The songs selection is a mix for everyone, and usually detuned for prime time. Such was the case with Nelly’s “Ride wit Me” which had nothing to do with drugs. As you can guess, the ‘80s covers appeal to me, but only to the extent that they remind me to shuffle forward the originals in my iTunes playlist. Ultimately, even if musicals are not your bag, you should check out at least one episode of Glee for the antics of Lynch’s Sue Sylvester—they’re enough to keep me coming back.
Loading ...
Recent Comments