Glee is a show that is, at least in terms of story if not ratings, rapidly going downhill in its second season. Some people might not think so, but in the five episodes of Season 2 to date, I have had serious problems with the story and the characters.
For those who don't know, Glee revolves around a high school glee club that is considered the lowest of of the low by their school. The show airs every Tuesday at 8pm on Fox. Each episode features covers of popular songs that are sung by members of the club. The quality of the covers is always up for debate, but they usually reach number one on iTunes the day after a new episode airs. Season 1 started with the club having to build itself from the ground up and ended with the them losing at the regional glee competition.
Anyway, Season 2 picks up the fall after their unsuccessful attempt at a trophy. The kids arrive at school believing that their very meager success has moved them up in the social hierarchy at their school only to find out that they are still considered the bottom of the totem pole. Also, the club needs new blood after one of their members transferred to a different school so they go on a recruiting drive. The first episode ended with the club failing to recruit any members and making a new rival.
I had no problems with first episode because it had a similar feel to the series pilot episode. However, the other four episodes of Glee Season 2 could not keep that momentum alive. The second episode was a Britney Spears-themed episode and all of the covers were of songs that she had recorded. I thought this was a terrible episode because it revolved around the glee club members having hallucinations while at the dentist (I am also not a Britney Spears fan, but that is another story). This was only the second themed episode (the other one was not one of my favorites either) they had done so I thought that it was just a misstep. The very next episode revolved around a well known religious figure being seen in a grilled cheese sandwich. The sheer stupidity of that completely took me out of the episode even though there were some touching moments in it. In this episode, and the one that followed it, I was also not particularly pleased with the song choices because they did not seem to fit the singers' voices and some of the choreography seemed absurd to me. I am not going to go into the most recent episode because that would probably take an entire review all itself.
Despite the bad story, there have been some bright spots in Glee Season 2. The brightest of them would have to be Jane Lynch as cheerleader coach and sort of villain Sue Sylvester. Lynch, who won an Emmy for Season 1, is the only actor who seems to have shown up for Season 2 since the moment they started filming it. Everyone else seems to come and go.
Regardless, I will still be watching the show if only because I hope that this is only a sophomore slump and not indicative of what the show will be like in the future (they were picked up for a third season in May).
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
My thoughts on one reality TV show
Recently, I started watching the show Hell's Kitchen. I don't normally watch reality TV, but my roommate is a fan of this show and I decided to give it a try. I was quite surprised at how entertaining Hell's Kitchen turned out to be.
For those who don't know, Hell's Kitchen is an import of a British reality competition for chefs. The show is on Fox on Wednesdays from 8-10pm. The host and judge on the show is award winning chef Gordon Ramsay. The contestants are split into two teams eventually becoming one team near the end of the season. Chef Ramsay puts the contestants through a grueling set of team and later individual challenges. The winner is then given a high profile job (the current season's winner will be head chef at a high class LA restaurant).
I am typically not a fan of reality TV, but Hell's Kitchen has managed to draw me in. This is in large part due to the intensity of the show. In every episode, the contestants make one individual dish that is presented as part of a team challenge and then the two teams run a dinner service for customers at night. Chef Ramsay does not typically eliminate a contestant based on their performance during the team challenge, but instead on their performance during the dinner service. When the teams are preparing dinner, Chef Ramsay is standing there watching how the contestants react under pressure. The choices of music and the quite real pressure of living up to Chef Ramsay's high expectations make Hell's Kitchen very intense. Chef Ramsay, for his part, is completely unafraid to yell at the contestants when they mess up and he has occasionally thrown contestants out of the kitchen for making too many mistakes.
It is for these reasons that I am eagerly anticipating the return of Hell's Kitchen on Wednesday, November 8th (the show is currently being preempted for the MLB playoffs). Also, don't let the fact that the show is currently part way through its 8th season dissuade you from watching Hell's Kitchen because it is easy enough to start in the middle without feeling as though you are missing something.
For those who don't know, Hell's Kitchen is an import of a British reality competition for chefs. The show is on Fox on Wednesdays from 8-10pm. The host and judge on the show is award winning chef Gordon Ramsay. The contestants are split into two teams eventually becoming one team near the end of the season. Chef Ramsay puts the contestants through a grueling set of team and later individual challenges. The winner is then given a high profile job (the current season's winner will be head chef at a high class LA restaurant).
I am typically not a fan of reality TV, but Hell's Kitchen has managed to draw me in. This is in large part due to the intensity of the show. In every episode, the contestants make one individual dish that is presented as part of a team challenge and then the two teams run a dinner service for customers at night. Chef Ramsay does not typically eliminate a contestant based on their performance during the team challenge, but instead on their performance during the dinner service. When the teams are preparing dinner, Chef Ramsay is standing there watching how the contestants react under pressure. The choices of music and the quite real pressure of living up to Chef Ramsay's high expectations make Hell's Kitchen very intense. Chef Ramsay, for his part, is completely unafraid to yell at the contestants when they mess up and he has occasionally thrown contestants out of the kitchen for making too many mistakes.
It is for these reasons that I am eagerly anticipating the return of Hell's Kitchen on Wednesday, November 8th (the show is currently being preempted for the MLB playoffs). Also, don't let the fact that the show is currently part way through its 8th season dissuade you from watching Hell's Kitchen because it is easy enough to start in the middle without feeling as though you are missing something.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Why I feel that "Community" accurately portrays college
Community is a sitcom on NBC that follows a diverse group of students at a community college. Each week they get into various sitcom situations that take place at the school. From my experiences at a community college the show is actually quite accurate (if you leave out the sitcom tropes).
The atmosphere at the fictional school in Community is very relaxed. There are events being held there all of the time and the school has students who range from straight out of high school to adults who are going back to school after getting sidetracked for a few years. My personal experiences were similar, but not exact. The atmosphere at my former school was the same and the ages were as well. There were not as many events, but there were enough to make the two schools similar.
One of the main points of Community is that the main characters have a study group. While, I was not really part of one (there was a sort of informal study group that met before one of my classes) I know there were several groups at my school similar to the one in the show.
So while Community is not entirely representative of a real community college, it is too similar to my experiences to not applaud the show's creators for their accuracy when developing the show for TV.
The atmosphere at the fictional school in Community is very relaxed. There are events being held there all of the time and the school has students who range from straight out of high school to adults who are going back to school after getting sidetracked for a few years. My personal experiences were similar, but not exact. The atmosphere at my former school was the same and the ages were as well. There were not as many events, but there were enough to make the two schools similar.
One of the main points of Community is that the main characters have a study group. While, I was not really part of one (there was a sort of informal study group that met before one of my classes) I know there were several groups at my school similar to the one in the show.
So while Community is not entirely representative of a real community college, it is too similar to my experiences to not applaud the show's creators for their accuracy when developing the show for TV.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Scripted TV vs Sports
I watch a lot of scripted TV, but I also like to watch sporting events. I have found that there is a large difference between watching the two. One lets the viewer watch someone else's life and the other can be a lot a more involved for the viewer. However, each has it's merits and they will be examined in the next few paragraphs.
When I am watching a TV show, I prefer to not really talk to other people so that I can better concentrate on the story that is unfolding before me. On the other hand, I think of watching a game as a social activity and I prefer to watch sports with someone else. I only talk or, more often, yell at the TV when I am watching sports. However, on the rare occasions I do talk at the characters in whatever TV show I am watching, it is usually much more direct.
Yet what really sets the two apart is how much I can be invested in a sports team over the characters in a TV show. I know people, and can be one of those people, that seem to be emotionally involved with a sports team. What I mean by this is that when a sports team does good or bad it can evoke emotions in someone that a TV show does not.
In the end, both forms of TV can, depending on the person, have enormous entertainment value, but at the same time each of them give the viewer something different. I have found this to be very fulfilling as a TV watcher.
When I am watching a TV show, I prefer to not really talk to other people so that I can better concentrate on the story that is unfolding before me. On the other hand, I think of watching a game as a social activity and I prefer to watch sports with someone else. I only talk or, more often, yell at the TV when I am watching sports. However, on the rare occasions I do talk at the characters in whatever TV show I am watching, it is usually much more direct.
Yet what really sets the two apart is how much I can be invested in a sports team over the characters in a TV show. I know people, and can be one of those people, that seem to be emotionally involved with a sports team. What I mean by this is that when a sports team does good or bad it can evoke emotions in someone that a TV show does not.
In the end, both forms of TV can, depending on the person, have enormous entertainment value, but at the same time each of them give the viewer something different. I have found this to be very fulfilling as a TV watcher.
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