After +four months of no Glee

Last year when the kids were all buzzing about the new "Glee" show on TV I was skeptical, but then was quickly won over with the refreshing content. The show season was split up with by more than a nearly five month lay off. With a lot of hype and a new episode this week we had a little get together here with some of the local choir members in celebration. We all had a great bit of fun singing and playing after the show was done.

I was disappointed in almost every aspect of the show this week. The whole tone of the show shifted to the low road. There had been no foreshadowing of the changes in previous episodes that I saw and that was very discouraging. TV holds so little that isn't aimed at the very lowest common denominator and up until now that was not the case in Glee.

I enjoyed, tremendously, how the various good and bad characters played out their conflicts. Now with Mr. Schu, Emma, Finn and Rachel all headed for the low road, it seems like the story lines are now set up to be much less challenging for the writers.
Emma being catty? Schu acting out? Rachel lying through her teeth? Finn heading for the ditch? Who needs it? Not me. The music has been a pleasure for sure, but that's not going to carry it for me, not with auto-tune so much in the foreground.

It's looking to me like the story lines will now focus on what I'm sick of in TV land. I'm not optimistic about the upcoming Madonna show. She's never appealed to me as anyone concerned with integrity, except in matters of the pursuit of fame and fortune.

More low brow, juvenile bad choices in life and relationships might be a formula for success in TV, but that's why I don't watch as much as some.

Another element that occurred to me, as lame, this week was that the Mercedes character remains simply a token to minorities. She's got enough talent to compete with the best on that stage and there is a lot of potential to explore a culture that's big into music. Fail.

Madonna next week? Glee's on probation in my camp and if they don't show some substance next week, I'll find something else to do with my time.

I'm truly pissed that they dummied it down, but I'm ticked whenever I find culture diving for the bottom of the barrel and maybe this is what's got me unloading on Glee. I saw a glimmer of life there, or thought I did. What's that smell? Rome burning?

After watching all the previous episodes on the weekend, the contrast was stark with this new episode.

No fence too sharp to sit on? Flame on.