It's that time again. The houses in the neighborhood are being decorated with Christmas lights. Classic Christmas songs are popping up on the radio. And all of TV's Christmas specials, old and new, good and bad alike, are appearing to celebrate "the most wonderful time of the year."
Among the Christmas specials of the new variety, there is Glee. I was really looking forward to this, because (as those who know me here are well aware) I am a gleek. ^_^ I believed their stab at a holiday episode couldn't possibly fail to entertain. Well... I wouldn't say it failed, per se. I'm reluctant to give any Glee episode an F, but this one actually tempted me. O,o Thankfully, it (sort of) redeemed itself in the end. So I would give Glee's attempt of a Christmas special a C+, for their effort.
*Warning. For those who have not yet seen this episode,
read no further! Spoilers follow!*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why do I give this a C+? Because the entire first part made me cringe! Honestly! Let me count the ways:
1: In the last episode, Emma married that dentist boyfriend of hers, Carl, when they went to Las Vegas. Really, writers?! She gets married in Vegas? How could she do that??? She's supposed to be with Will! In Glee's first season, she used to be one of my top favorite characters. Now she is quickly becoming someone I don't like anymore. ~,~
How could she, as this episode opens, sit down next to Will and expect them to still be friends? Really. If she still has feelings for him, then what did she go and marry Carl for? At this point, I wouldn't mind if Emma was written out of the show completely. But then I feel sorry for Will, because he's all alone now...
2: The opening song, in which all the Glee kids are happily decorating the Christmas tree. I'm Jewish, so perhaps I'm just a tad extra annoyed by this, but I thought this was waaaay too cheesy! They sang a song from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year". Puh-lease! =P
3: Oy gevalt... um, helloooo?! Rachel is Jewish! Puck is Jewish too! How could there not be one single mention about Chanukah??? It was totally, completely ignored! Plus, I really didn't like how Rachel attempted to get in the Christmas spirit, so she could get Finn to forgive her. It was too much. I was kind of sad that Finn actually dumped her, but I didn't feel as sad as I wanted to be. Like the Emma/ Will romance, Rachel and Finn's relationship has gotten so messed up that I no longer care whether these couples get together anymore. ~,~
4: Ugh. I knew going into this episode that one of the plot-points would be that Brittany still believes in Santa Clause. But seriously, the writers stretched her naivete way too far! This ditzy cheerleader will believe anything! When they go to the mall to sit on the big guy's lap, Santa is black, and she still believes it's him. When the Beiste dresses up in a Santa suit, she actually goes so far as to take her beard off, and yet Brittany doesn't even question it! Maybe Artie and the others thought it kinder to keep up the illusion that there is a Santa, so Brittany's innocence wouldn't get damaged, but still. It's ridiculous.
Thankfully, this was only the first part of the Christmas episode. I was quickly losing faith in my favorite show, just about ready to turn the TV off. But since I decided to hold on just a bit longer, I was rewarded for my patience. What saved this show, you ask? The better question is "who?" ^_^
I was nearly afraid that Chris Colfer wouldn't even make an appearance last night! It just wouldn't have been a good Glee episode without Kurt in it. !,! But he did show up! Yay! ^_^ I don't know how I forgot that he and Blaine (Darren Criss) would sing "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Which, by the way, was a fantastic rendition! Chris and Darren were wonderful, and I loved their playful interaction, those subtle flirts. ^_^ Just that song alone, I felt, made the whole thing worth while.
I'm sad that Kurt couldn't have been of any more use, though. !,! That is literally all he does in this episode. How could he not celebrate Christmas with any of his old Glee friends?
The other person who honestly saved the show is Sue Sylvester, my second favorite Glee character. She pulled of an absolutely perfect Grinch! It's funny how she actually painted her face green and tried to destroy the Glee kids' Christmas by stealing the presents and wrecking the tree and everything. And still, those teens sang on. It came a tiny bit close to being cheesy, because they actually sing the Who Christmas song (fa who forrays, da who dorray...), but I thought it was charming. ^_^
I've said before that I love the Grinch's take on learning the true meaning of Christmas. I'm glad that Glee tried hard to incorporate the same teachings into this episode. All the references were clever (except for Brittany being like Cindy Lou Who. That was ridiculous. =P), and Sue learns her lesson in the end. Christmas is saved (more importantly, the episode is saved), and everyone lives happily ever after...
Until the next episode, that is. Which, I've been informed, won't air until February 2011! Nooooo! ~,~ Well, I guess the cast and crew needs a little holiday break. I wonder what kind of reruns they'll show in the meantime?
So what did you think of "A Very Glee Christmas"? Was I a bit too harsh? Or did I hit the nail on the head? Your opinions, please.
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