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Glee - Season 4 (Part two)
The high school drama is a genre with which many elements have to be taken into account. One of the most important aspects is the fact that the main characters of the series eventually grow up and leave school, thus either forcing the series to come to a conclusion or demanding the cast to be renewed. The creators of the music-dramedy ‘Glee’ opted for the latter option as the series took a new direction after some of the star members of the William McKinley High School graduated and tried to find their luck elsewhere. Although this decision wasn’t appreciated unanimously, the creators of ‘Glee’ certainly have tried their best not to change the series drastically, although they did add a more adult layer to the series, illustrating that not only the characters, but also the show itself, has grown up.
During the first part of the fourth season we are introduced to several new characters who fill up the gaps which Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) left after they moved to New York to pursue a musical career at the prestigious NYADA academy. As usual, these characters all fulfil a specific minority in the American culture. For instance, there is a boy who wants to be a woman, Wayne/Unique (Alex Newell), and one girl, Marley (Melissa Benoist) is suffering from anorexia. During the second part of the season, the depths of the characters are explored and we learn more about their goals and dreams. This is also done in the trademark ‘Glee’-way; slowly but gradually the characters find out that they can get everything they want, as long as they believe in themselves and each other.
Although this theme has almost been tangible since the start of the series, ‘Glee’ also deals with some more mature issues. This does not come as a surprise, however, as the characters are also growing up and facing different problems. A good example of this is Rachel, who becomes absorbed into her new life in such an extreme way that she changes drastically and Kurt no longer recognises her. Additionally, she finally gets over Finn and finds a new boyfriend, who later on turns out to be a gigolo. The way in which this is made clear, with (of course) a song, is presented with a new type of highly promising creativity, but unfortunately these moments are part of the exception, and not the rule. The many songs that are used throughout the season seems to be even more directed towards a younger audience than before. The first part of season four closed with a rendition of Psy’s megahit Gangnam Style, and the music choice in the second part is also very much a reflection of the music which is popular in America, contrary to the previous seasons which combined a pleasant mix of classics and modern songs. There are some themed episodes, for instance one about Stevie Wonder, but the emphasis is still laid on popular music. This illustrates how much ‘Glee’ is trying to target a younger audience, while still also somewhat pleasing the older viewers.
It is not only the choice in music which shows that ‘Glee’ is clearly influenced by the American society: some episodes are clearly based upon real events, for instance the one where a shooter has infiltrated the school. In this most shocking and frightening episode to date the series suddenly becomes highly realistic, an aspect which the series should definitely keep. The realisation that it all turns out to be an accident immediately erases this sense of reality, which adds to the notion that ‘Glee’ is a positive show in which everything can and will be solved. This is also made clear in the episode where the boys want to sing a Chris Brown song, while the girls object to this because Brown beat his wife. By touching this subject, the series does not only add a hint of feminism, but also shows that it is not about the artist, but the music he created. On the one hand, this is what ‘Glee’ is about, but, on the other hand, adding some more friction to the series would not necessarily be a bad thing. The characters are faced with the same kind of progress; all of the problems they are faced with are dealt with eventually. Unfortunately, not all characters are equally important, which sometimes becomes an issue as some are clearly developing while other characters stay at the background and remain quite flat. This leads to the observation that Tina and Artie, both Glee-members since the very beginning, still do not have much to say, while the love life of the brand new star Marley has become one of the most important plot lines of this season. In New York the same is happening; Rachel turns out to be a real diva at NYADA, while Kurt still secretly longs for the days at William McKinley where he and his ex Blaine (Darren Criss) were still together. However, the feeling that all characters are still connected is illustrated when Rachel picks Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing at her Funny Girl audition. Because of this song she gets a call-back, which shows that she would be nothing without Glee club, even though her life has changed drastically.
In conclusion, ‘Glee’ is altered slightly because of the graduation of some of the main characters. The cast is completed by a brand new set of talented children, all faced with their own problems. Additionally, although leaving a safe haven was at first scary and discomforting, Rachel and her graduated friends realised that it is actually much like home, because they know they will always be together in some way or another. ‘Glee’ could have elaborated more on the negative aspects, rather than being the positive show it has always been. Granted, the creators have found a creative solution for the fact that half of their cast left school, but I keep feeling slightly disappointed as the name of the Glee club, the New Directions, does not turn out to be as true to their name as they could have been. It would have been more interesting, for the show as well as its characters, that the creators of the show really would have taken a new direction.
Follow GleeDuring the first part of the fourth season we are introduced to several new characters who fill up the gaps which Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) left after they moved to New York to pursue a musical career at the prestigious NYADA academy. As usual, these characters all fulfil a specific minority in the American culture. For instance, there is a boy who wants to be a woman, Wayne/Unique (Alex Newell), and one girl, Marley (Melissa Benoist) is suffering from anorexia. During the second part of the season, the depths of the characters are explored and we learn more about their goals and dreams. This is also done in the trademark ‘Glee’-way; slowly but gradually the characters find out that they can get everything they want, as long as they believe in themselves and each other.
Although this theme has almost been tangible since the start of the series, ‘Glee’ also deals with some more mature issues. This does not come as a surprise, however, as the characters are also growing up and facing different problems. A good example of this is Rachel, who becomes absorbed into her new life in such an extreme way that she changes drastically and Kurt no longer recognises her. Additionally, she finally gets over Finn and finds a new boyfriend, who later on turns out to be a gigolo. The way in which this is made clear, with (of course) a song, is presented with a new type of highly promising creativity, but unfortunately these moments are part of the exception, and not the rule. The many songs that are used throughout the season seems to be even more directed towards a younger audience than before. The first part of season four closed with a rendition of Psy’s megahit Gangnam Style, and the music choice in the second part is also very much a reflection of the music which is popular in America, contrary to the previous seasons which combined a pleasant mix of classics and modern songs. There are some themed episodes, for instance one about Stevie Wonder, but the emphasis is still laid on popular music. This illustrates how much ‘Glee’ is trying to target a younger audience, while still also somewhat pleasing the older viewers.
It is not only the choice in music which shows that ‘Glee’ is clearly influenced by the American society: some episodes are clearly based upon real events, for instance the one where a shooter has infiltrated the school. In this most shocking and frightening episode to date the series suddenly becomes highly realistic, an aspect which the series should definitely keep. The realisation that it all turns out to be an accident immediately erases this sense of reality, which adds to the notion that ‘Glee’ is a positive show in which everything can and will be solved. This is also made clear in the episode where the boys want to sing a Chris Brown song, while the girls object to this because Brown beat his wife. By touching this subject, the series does not only add a hint of feminism, but also shows that it is not about the artist, but the music he created. On the one hand, this is what ‘Glee’ is about, but, on the other hand, adding some more friction to the series would not necessarily be a bad thing. The characters are faced with the same kind of progress; all of the problems they are faced with are dealt with eventually. Unfortunately, not all characters are equally important, which sometimes becomes an issue as some are clearly developing while other characters stay at the background and remain quite flat. This leads to the observation that Tina and Artie, both Glee-members since the very beginning, still do not have much to say, while the love life of the brand new star Marley has become one of the most important plot lines of this season. In New York the same is happening; Rachel turns out to be a real diva at NYADA, while Kurt still secretly longs for the days at William McKinley where he and his ex Blaine (Darren Criss) were still together. However, the feeling that all characters are still connected is illustrated when Rachel picks Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing at her Funny Girl audition. Because of this song she gets a call-back, which shows that she would be nothing without Glee club, even though her life has changed drastically.
In conclusion, ‘Glee’ is altered slightly because of the graduation of some of the main characters. The cast is completed by a brand new set of talented children, all faced with their own problems. Additionally, although leaving a safe haven was at first scary and discomforting, Rachel and her graduated friends realised that it is actually much like home, because they know they will always be together in some way or another. ‘Glee’ could have elaborated more on the negative aspects, rather than being the positive show it has always been. Granted, the creators have found a creative solution for the fact that half of their cast left school, but I keep feeling slightly disappointed as the name of the Glee club, the New Directions, does not turn out to be as true to their name as they could have been. It would have been more interesting, for the show as well as its characters, that the creators of the show really would have taken a new direction.
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