I am quite irritated this morning. I am a fan of TV. Duh. But more so I am of a fan of the TV universe which I know you will be surprised to discover lies outside that flat screen. The TV universe has many different planets. The studios, the executives, the critics, the fansites, and the viewers all make up this lovely solar system. They all interact with each other, intersecting and criss-crossing like one of those "Who's Dated Who?" charts where everyone is somehow connected.
I frequent two websites on a daily basis (Entertainment Weekly and TVFanatic) and receive updates and troll for spoilers on two others (Zap2It and TVLine). I love to read recaps of my shows on the first two websites in the morning or at lunch to relive the awesomeness that occurred the night before, see new theories about plot, and to catch any tidbits I might have somehow missed. (This doesn't happen often, but it does happen.) I don't always agree with the reviewer but I generally appreciate their viewpoints.
Last night had what I am going to call a "controversial" episode of Glee. No, they didn't have any same sex plot lines, no bullies or drugs or violence, or any of the other PSA topics that the show has covered. I believe it's controversial because of the two recaps I just read and I have to say that I am really disappointed.
TVFanatic's review was done by their Editor-In-Chief Matt Richenthal. He ripped it to shreds. I'm not going to go in detail as to why he hated it ( but you can read it for yourself here: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2012/01/glee-review-messy-love-storytelling/) but let's just say I completely disagree. The second recap I read was by the EW blogger Joespeh Lynch(http://tvrecaps.ew.com/recap/glee-season-3-episode-10/)and) and his feelings on the episode mirror my own: the episode was very good.
Let me be clear: I realize that Glee is not the best show in the world and for one reason alone, the plot is often second to the songs. And that's OK. Did you hear me Ryan Murphy!? I don't care about your plot because after 3 seasons of all-over-the-map storytelling, nothing you do can surprise me. I prefer the haphazard style of Season 1. Maybe that was because the episodes were only written by a staff of 3 (Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuk) and each had their own sense of style when writing an episode.
This season, in a move to appease the critics and allow Murphy and Co. time to kickoff American Horror Story, Glee has a staff of writers that have done a decent job of storyline continuity until last night. And it felt like coming home again. It harkened back to the glory of Season 1, where some episodes were driven by songs and plot was second.
And the songs were spectacular. If you watch the show and didn't have a tear in your eye during Lea Michele's best performance since Season 1, "Without You" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqIM5A_Cd0I&feature=g-all-u&context=G25fe758FAAAAAAAABAA) or the grandiose finale number by the New Directions of "We Found Love" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBGg8n5v6z0&feature=context&context=G25fe758FAAAAAAAABAA) then you need to have your heart checked. What made me love these performances even more was that I didn't like the original versions before the show and after listening to them on repeat for the last week (because I am awesome at getting them beforehand) I can't stop listening to them.
Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. I know many people hate Glee and that's fine. Richenthal even said that he knows people don't like to read scathing reviews of TV shows that they love. Then Mr. Editor-In-Chief, it appears to me that your love of Glee has been long gone. It wouldn't hurt to pass that recap onto someone who still loves the show, despite it's faults. After an episode that was so reminiscent of earlier great ones, it hurt to read a review that tore everything I loved to shreds.
After all the show told us its mission statement in the pilot: The very definition of glee is about opening yourself up to joy. If you can't find joy in Glee anymore, then it's time to move on.
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