I love Glee. I mean, I have watched it straight through twice, and if I counted all the episodes I watched out of order, it would probably add up to almost a whole third viewing. It might actually be my favorite show because I love the music and, in general, it just makes me gleeful (haha puns). But just because I really like something doesn’t mean that there aren’t issues with it. I’ve written a lot about Glee, most of which I will never, ever post because it is just too nerdy. I figured I would do a top ten list. I’ll have a top ten with some honorable mentions before number one. I’ll also write a short paragraph for each entry detailing why each choice was selected. Most of these are storylines that seemed out of character, were not explored properly, or were just things I didn’t like. Not all of the entries have direct quotes, but those that do have the corresponding episodes listen in brackets at the end of the entry. Without further ado, let’s keep going!
7) Rachel Quits her Broadway Show for a TV Flop
In season three, Rachel explicitly tells Finn that Broadway is her destiny. It has always been her destiny. She sings power ballads from Broadway shows regularly and dreams of attending NYADA, which apparently exists to groom Broadway stars.
RACHEL: I’m not a Hollywood actress, okay? In New York, New York is about the work that you do and not the work that you’ve had done. There’s no other option here for me, okay? I am Broadway bound.
In season four, Rachel not only gets on Broadway… she lands her dream role in her favorite musical. Within a few weeks, she gets tired of the Broadway thing. Never mind that she’s been doing the hard grind her whole life. She’s not one to give up when something takes a lot of work.
RACHEL: Do you have time to watch Bravo or read a book or buy laces for your incredibly high comical boots? Okay? I don’t. It’s exhausting being me. I get up at 5:00 in the morning just to get all of this prepared, in case a solo is thrown my way. I have the entire Sondheim, Hamlisch, Lloyd-Webber, Elton John songbooks memorized, including every single Katy Perry hit as well. And I do all of this while keeping my boyfriend interested and physically satisfied and being the captain of 16 clubs and keeping a 3.86 GPA.
The fact that the TV show, which initially sounds like it is going to be an expy of Glee, is a total flop is funny but also bizarre. It’s hard to see Rachel the overachiever filming those scenes without demanding to sing or whatever. She’s too bossy and talented to be involved in something like that, even if it hadn’t derailed the dream she’d had and pursued since conception.
[3×15 Big Brother; 3×20 Props]
6) Jake/Marley/Ryder
There was pretty much no one invested in the Jake/Marley/Ryder love triangle, and it doesn’t take an English major to figure out why. Jake was Puck 2.0. Ryder was Finn 2.0. Marley was Rachel without the ego. The show flirted with a Puck/Rachel/Finn love triangle in season one, though it didn’t last long. Viewers didn’t need to see that rehashed. But even worse than that was the fact that Jake, Marley, and Ryder just weren’t interesting as characters on their own. The fact that they were basically carbon copies of earlier characters didn’t work at all (particularly considering all the original characters were still around). Yet despite the fact that they were so bland, they got so much screentime, at the expense of other storylines and characters that viewers cared more about. The final insult was that the three eventually disappeared entirely (along with Unique), which meant viewers had dealt with a boring love triangle that ultimately went nowhere for a full season.
5) Sam and Mercedes Break Up Because of Celibacy
Glee did its best to address a lot of different types of people and lifestyles. It showed characters with marginalized sexualities, characters with various mental and/or physical disabilities, characters from different economic backgrounds, characters of different races and national origins, and more. It did try to have some characters with religious backgrounds, but it floundered a bit with them. Quinn, despite being apparently quite religious and head of the celibacy club, had sex and got pregnant in season one. Joe, again religious and celibate, was never fully explored as a character and practically disappeared into thin air. Emma was celibate as well, though not for religious reasons (initially I thought she was asexual; that disappointingly turned out not to be the case, and her celibacy was mocked repeatedly). The best attempt was Mercedes, whose faith was a constant. She was allowed to date and be attractive for a while. But when her decision not to have sex until marriage was maintexted, it became an apparently unsurmountable obstacle in her relationship with Sam. Suddenly everyone became very invested in the necessity of the two breaking up, even though all of them had expressed the importance of the first time being special. Artie was hurt when Brittany took his virginity as revenge against Santana. Kurt was initially scared of sex and unwilling to even talk about it. Blaine refused to touch Kurt until they’d talked about it and were both comfortable. Rachel decided not to sleep with Jesse because she didn’t feel like it was the right time for her, and only slept with Finn because she was in love with him and thought the timing was right. So all these characters had strong opinions about when the right time to have sex was, and yet they were against Mercedes’ decision to save it until the time (marriage) that she felt it was right.
Despite being the most sex-forward character on the show, Sam was okay with it. They have a mature conversation, Sam takes some time to consider his options, and ultimately decides that…
SAM: I can live without sex, but I can’t live without you.
Every other couple on the show sleeps together, and having one that approached things differently would have been very nice. Apparently, though, having sex is the one thing that you can’t do differently. Despite the fact that they’re both in love with each other, and Sam assures Mercedes that he’s okay with the no-sex thing, Mercedes breaks up with him because… well, because.
SAM: Y-You think I’m gonna cheat on you?
MERCEDES: No, actually, I think you won’t. And I think you’ll resent me for it. And I think that we’re holding on way too tight and we’re not believing in our love and we’re gonna break it. It’s gonna burn me to see you with other girls. But I know this is the right thing.
Wow, Mercedes. What respect you have for your partner. For a person who isn’t ready for sex, she certainly seems to think that it’s the most important part of this relationship.
[5×16 Tested; 5×20 The Untitled Rachel Berry Project]
4) Brittana
I’ve written in depth about what I hate about Santana and Brittany’s relationship, and I may or may not post that. I mean, I guess I’ll give props for a TV show having a lesbian couple that doesn’t end with a death, but that’s pretty much all I can give this one. In short, I think that Santana loves Brittany a lot more than Brittany loves her, and uses Brittany’s stupidity to keep her in a relationship that Brittany really isn’t all that invested in. The sad thing is that their friendship was really adorable, and I actually shipped them before they got together.
Next: #3, #2, and Honorable Mentions
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