Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Don't Stop Believing: Glee

Have you seen the first two episodes of Glee yet? If not, let this trailer whet your appetite for what is quickly becoming my new favorite show on television! (You can catch it on Fox tonight.)


This show is amazing: quirky, campy and poignant all at once! So poignant, in fact, that the pilot episode made me all teary-eyed! What's not to love about a show that has amazing musical numbers, hilarious character actors, and a dreamy straight man playing the new director of the glee club?! This show is well-written, beautifully shot, and flawlessly acted. I was hooked by the first musical number, and I don't see myself missing a single episode of this show.

Sadly, "Christians" are portrayed as the hypocritical and arrogant antagonists in this show. I write it in quotations because these characters behave in a way that would offend most of the Christians I know. I realize that stereotypes exist for a reason, but it saddens me to see these stereotypes playing out for the next generation of Christian kids to have to overcome. (These characters are, after all, high school kids.) While the idea of a high school chastity club called the "Christ Crusaders" is certainly a hilarious one, I just can't totally embrace it with open arms, even though the show is a comedy. Certainly, we can all laugh at the idea that any high school would have a chastity club, but the virtue of chastity is a noble one, and it is treated with utter disregard and disrespect in this show. Yes, I know it's a comedy, but it's still a cheap shot.

That was an unexpected tangent, I know. Like I said, I love this show, but everything on television is broadcasting certain ideologies right into our homes, and if we don't stop and think about them, we tend to ingest them hook, line and sinker.

That being said, I will continue to watch the show. (See? Not all Christians boycott something just because it doesn't reflect their world view!) It's hard not to come running back for more of a show (and here's where the good ideology comes through) with the message that doing what you're passionate about in life matters--in your career, in your hobbies, in your after school activities.

I finished watching the pilot episode with the awesome reminder not to ever stop believing in the beauty of my dreams.

And not only do they talk about it on Glee, they SING about it, too!

8 comments:

Autumn's Mom said...

I set this show up to record and I'm excited to finally watch it! I find the bad christian stereotype to be annoying too. I really wish there was more of a balance showing good hearted christians, and not just the over the top stuff.

J said...

I missed the pilot, but watched last week's episode, and am looking forward to last night's episode.

It's funny how stereotypes can hurt, isn't it? My personal pet peeve is movies or shows that make fun of fat people. Like when Monica put on her fat suit in Friends. Everyone thought that was so funny, but I was offended. I was also offended when my ex-husband David Bowie made fun of Ricky Gervais's character on Extras. I know that Gervais wrote it. Still, it made me squirm a bit.

I suspect that the cliquishness of high school really accentuates stereotypes, and it seems like most teen comedies have some pretty extreme examples. Nerds. Preppies. Rah Rahs. And sometimes, fat kids or "Christians". I guess we have to fight it in our own small ways, by not living those stereotypes.

J said...

I meant to say, I'm looking forward to TONIGHT'S episode. ;) Such a funny show.

I heard Ryan Murphy on Fresh Air the other day. He's the writer. If you're interested in hearing the interview, you can listen here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104199257

Sharon said...

Love it, love it. Saw the first show a few weeks ago and even looked at some of the video diaries. Reminiscent of FAME!

Unknown said...

Ohhhhh! Tracy! Now I've got "Don't Stop Believing" in my head!! :)

I missed the first show, but will try to watch it on surfthechannel.com . Okay, to be honest, I was busy watching the entire two seasons of True Blood on surfthechannel and that's why I missed it...and so many other shows! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Hi Sweetie...I am a bit late leaving a comment - but I think that your use of the neckties in the previous blog was pure genius! What a nice way to remember someone you loved.
xoxo the fan

Jodi Anderson (from The Women's Colony) said...

Our entire family LOVES this show. However, I am forbidden from telling anyone that a certain male member of our family loves it too. ;-)

Melanie said...

I could not love this show anymore if I tried.