Sociology

Around the Internet VI

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Interesting read

“Each edition of the paper contained dozens of these announcements, every one more mundane and unimportant than the last. It seemed to me that these were nothing more than Facebook updates. The only purpose they served was to keep a community of people — in this case whoever had access to the newspaper — updated about what was going on in someone else’s life. We often talk about social media as some sort of new invention of the technological age, but here was the evidence that it has existed for much longer.”

http://airshipdaily.com/blog/08072014-ancient-social-media

 

Portion of Andromeda Galaxy (M31)

“The largest NASA Hubble Space Telescope image ever assembled, this sweeping bird’s-eye view of a portion of the Andromeda galaxy (M31) is the sharpest large composite image ever taken of our galactic next-door neighbor. Though the galaxy is over 2 million light-years away, The Hubble Space Telescope is powerful enough to resolve individual stars in a 61,000-light-year-long stretch of the galaxy’s pancake-shaped disk. It’s like photographing a beach and resolving individual grains of sand. And there are lots of stars in this sweeping view — over 100 million, with some of them in thousands of star clusters seen embedded in the disk.”

“Because the galaxy is only 2.5 million light-years from Earth, it is a much bigger target in the sky than the myriad galaxies Hubble routinely photographs that are billions of light-years away. This means that the Hubble survey is assembled together into a mosaic image using 7,398 exposures taken over 411 individual pointings.”

“The panorama is the product of the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) program. Images were obtained from viewing the galaxy in near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared wavelengths, using the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 aboard Hubble. This cropped view shows a 48,000-light-year-long stretch of the galaxy in its natural visible-light color, as photographed with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys in red and blue filters.”

So, the image above isn’t even all of it 😀 See the full article here, and see the video below for a fly-through of the panorama.

 

Hokusai_Tea_house_at_Koishikawa._The_morning_after_a_snowfall-catzilla-w

Katsushika Hokusai, Tea house at Koishikawa. The morning after a snowfall. Catzilla attacks. From 36 views of Mount Fuji, no 11

 

 

And, finally, over at FatCatArt, Zarathustra the Cat gets inserted into well known art pieces.

“Indeed, it is not very trustworthy that humans are gazing just at birds, they are not cats to be entertained by flying creatures! But humans love to watch cats doing most weird things endlessly.

So Our version is true one.

Thus speaks Zarathustra the Cat”

 

 

Book Club: 2011-02a // The Dispossessed

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The first of the February books was Ursula LeGuin’s The Dispossessed. I have read LeGuin before, but that was mostly the fantasy side of her (Earthsea series) although I do recall having read a book with short story sci-fi stuff too. Reading the back blurb I was immediately intrigued.

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action.  He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life.  Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Urras, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.

I learned, from the Book Club Blog, that this book is part of the Hainish Cycle, a number of books LeGuin wrote featuring the same worlds. The different books are, as I read it, focusing on different planets and people and stuff, but the link between them is the world  of Hain. They are also named in this book, but very much in the background. Wikipedia tells me that this book, in-book chronologically speaking, is the first (although not the first in publishing order), so it’s a nice introduction. I will definitely be reading more books in this series.

Review

The book starts when Shevek starts his journey from Anarres to Urras. From that moment on, the book alternates chapters taking place in the present with Shevek on Urras with chapters detailing Shevek’s past and how he came to be where he is now, and who he is now. I tend to find this switching annoying, however in this book I really liked it. The alternating chapters gave each other a deeper meaning by providing a backstory to what is happening to Shevek in the present as he recalls certain times or events.

Shevek comes from the world Anarres, which is the moon of the planet Urras. The Anarresti left Urras about 200 years ago after an uprising against the economic and socio-political structure of the world at that time (patriarchal, capitalist). Founded as a world of anarchists, where there are no laws, everyone is equal and the guiding principle is to do what is best for all. After 200 years though, anarchism has evolved into a form of communism, where any form of ‘egoising’ is admonished. Personal property, for example, is virtually non-existant, and instead of saying ‘my book’ they would say ‘the book that I am using’. Shevek, and a small group of friends he collects through the years, begin to realise that the idealised anarcho-communism of their world is, in places, turning into an oligarchy, where the work placement committee is deciding what is best for the planet, and they don’t like to be defied. So, instead of posting people where they are best skilled for, dissidents get far out postings where they can be kept ‘harmless’.

Shevek, as a brilliant physicist who far surpasses any other scientist on Anarres, gets restless. After being exposed to Urrasti scientific ideas, he starts communicating with the homeplanet, and eventually realises he must go there. As the first Anarresti to leave the planet since his people came, he is both applauded (by his friends) and greatly reviled for doing this.

While growing up, Anarresti children learn that Urras is an immoral place, with an extravagant lifestyle and strict capitalism. When Shevek arrives, he is ushered to the University that invited him, shown to his fancy room, and introduced to the scientists he’s been corresponding with.

For a while everything is well, but then Shevek grows restless. Everything he’s being shown is so very nice. Everyone is cordial, he gets shown around all the pretty things. However, he never gets to see the people outside the University without supervision. And as he starts to realise this, he also realises he is being used. And instead of the universal theory he is developing benefitting everyone, they want to use it for themselves, to make a profit and to keep the other nations (and worlds) under control.

Shevek manages to escape from the University, and as he meets and interacts with the middle and lower classes he learns of their problems, and becomes, almost by accident, a frontman for their resistance and the core of people that want to follow the ideals of Odo, the founder of the Anarres way of life.

After a bloody rebellion, he learns there is no way that he can bring the change he wanted to these people, and he finds a safe haven in the Terran Embassy. As they prepare to bring him home, a Hainish crewman on the ship decides to go down to the planet with Shevek. To meet his people and learn of his world.

The book is, in terms of sci-fi, a softer version. Especially in the chapters taking place on Anarres, where the technology level is much lower in daily life due to scarcity of many resources. I liked how the sci-fi nature of the world building was subdued, it really let the intellectual exploration of all these different ideas (socio-economic systems, political systems, higher physics) come to the forefront. I found it to be a great book that really got me thinking. I’d been taught these systems in school, however, this was pretty rudimentary and dealt more with how these systems should be, ideally. I enjoyed the exploration on how these societies could develop and how the system would evolve.

Bottom Line

I LOVED this book! This is the type of book that I enjoy greatly, especially in sci-fi and fantasy settings, where a culture that is (mostly) alien to us (being your everyday reader) gets an in-depth exploration.  Other examples of this are Robert J. Sawyer’s Neanderthal Parallax trilogy (of which I, regretfully, have so far only read the first book: Hominids) and Ken Macleod’s Learning the World.

Links

Book Club Blog Review/Discussion

In Short

Pro: A thinking book.

Con: Not so much in the story itself, but it would have been nice to have it mentioned in the lists of other works and so, that this is part of a series of sorts.

ISBN: 9780061054884

Glee 2.06 Never Been Kissed

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I can’t wait until I’ve caught up to season two in my reviews before reviewing the newest, so I’m going to do 2.06 now, then do 2.01 – 2.05 and then continue season 1 while keeping up with season 2. Season two is turning out so incredibly awesome!

Last night’s episode marks the start of an arc with increased focus on bullying, it had a couple very good turns and an awesome twist that I did not see coming. Taking this thing storyline by storyline, since there’s three running concurrently in the episode.

– – –

Kurt and Homophobia

Dave Karofsky

The bullying that Kurt has to endure at school is intensifying. Besides the verbal abuse and the dumpster tosses, he’s getting more physical abuse as well, specifically from Karofsky. He goes out of his way to hurt Kurt, pushing him into lockers, hard, and threatening violence.  Kurt, who’s been getting more depressed lately, what with all the crap happening to him, plus not feeling challenged enough at school, is not taking this well.

Mr. Schue has the list with the Glee club competition for sectionals, one of them are the Warblers from the all-boys private school in Westerville, Dalton Academy. Santana immediately has a head full of gay jokes, and Kurt just has an exasperated look. This kind of pervasive homophobia (because that’s what it really is) is the big undercurrent all over school. Even if a lot of the kids don’t realise that they’re continuing this undercurrent by these small remarks. It all adds up.

Will catches the last of Karofsky shoving Kurt into the lockers again and takes Kurt to his office for some water and a chat. The look on Kurt’s face as he looks at the cup that Will offers him says it all. Contempt for the amount of support he’s been getting, and, as he accepts the water, resignation that it won’t change. It is only now that Schue asks if he can do something. The bullying has been going on forever, but only now does it really register. Kurt waves the offer away, claiming it his hill to climb alone. He knows that even if he were to ask for help, he won’t get it.  And more evidence that Schue really doesn’t know Kurt. He says: “I think it’s getting to you. Usually this stuff rolls right off your back.”

Oh, he couldn’t be further from the truth. Kurt’s scathing look as Schue says this… Every single thing Kurt has to go through builds up on him. He might try to let it roll off him, but he can’t. Every time he gets abuse, it adds another brick to the wall he’s building around himself. He tries to be strong, but at some point he will break. Schue then continues and, instead of offering any kind of support, actually lays a blame on Kurt, saying that lately he’s been getting belligerent and angry and pushing people away… Well surprise there Mr. Schue, that’s what happens when you get no support at all and have to face the daily crap alone like Kurt has to. Plus, pushing people away has been Kurt’s standard mode of operating since the start really. It’s only lately that he’s not taking it anymore and getting vocal about it.

Kurt remains polite, though. As is usual for him, he talks to adults as if he’s an equal, and I love him for that. He calls Schue on how much the school has let homophobia slide. And gets in a jab about the boring and repetitive lessons he’s been giving. “To answer your question, yes, I’m unhappy. And yes, being the only out gay kid at this school gets me down. But most of all, I’m not challenged in the least here.” And of course he’s challenged, challenged to just live, but not challenged academically in the least.

This gets Will thinking so he adds a twist to the challenge: the boys must sing songs from girl groups and the girls must sing songs from boy groups. As if this really makes it more challenging…

Kurt is a little happier though and shows his idea to the group: feather boas and animal prints. Artie gets a point in here by bringing up that it’s supposed to be opposites, and that Kurt in a dress and feather boas is something they would expect. There’s a bit of validity in his point, but he simultaneously ruins it by mentioning a dress. Kurt even says so: “who said anything about a gown?”

Score: 2 for undercurrent homophobia.

Then Puck pipes in, and basically asks Kurt to leave. He suggests checking out the ‘garblers’ to see what they’re up to, he’d fit right in with his feathers and boas… Score: 3 for undercurrent homophobia. It’s so saddening and maddening to know that, after being in Glee club for so long, he remains the outsider even there. He is never really included.

Kurt is speechless for a moment, too tired to fight. He takes his board and leaves. Mike and Finn shared a confused look, that Kurt would actually leave. Something is stirring in their heads, I hope. Let’s also hope it sticks.

Kurt manages to get in at Dalton Academy to spy on the Warblers. And there he finds the place in a frenzy as kids are running to get somewhere. He asks a random kid, who introduces himself as Blaine (Yay! Blaine!) what is going on. Blaine explains that the Warblers throw impromptu performances sometimes, and now is such a performance. Kurt is surprised, the Glee Club here is cool? Like rockstars, Blaine says. He drags Kurt along on a short cut (although really, the slow-mo, and piano music as they run… come on!), and surprise, surprise, there it turns out Blaine is one of the Warblers. They sing Teenage Dream, and it is Awesome! Kurt agrees, at first apprehensive, his smile grows bigger and bigger. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my boy that happy 🙂

And also, in this short little bit, Blaine has touched Kurt three times, first by shaking his hand, then by taking him by the hand leading him to the performance, and then by straightening his jacket. And it lights up his face that another boy would so easily touch him without any form of fear or apprehension or expectations. Because at McKinley, Kurt doesn’t get touched, unless it’s to hurt him. And if someone does touch him in a (somewhat) positive manner it’s a girl.

Blaine

Blaine and his friends, Wes and David, have figured out Kurt’s a spy, and are buying him a coffee after the performance. Kurt’s flabbergasted at how nice they are and really just waiting for them to beat him up. And then it’s like heaven has opened up as he asks if they’re all gay and the boys explain they’re not (well, Blaine is) and how there’s a zero-tolerance for bullying, “everyone get’s treated the same, no matter who they are.”

Kurt can scarcely believe it and is close to tears by this. Blaine asks Wes and David to excuse them so he can talk with Kurt. Kurt explains about his life at McKinley, and Blaine gets it. He really, truly gets it. Because his life was the same, and all he got from his school was, sorry, you’re gay, you’re life is just basically gonna suck.  So he transferred to Dalton when he couldn’t take it anymore. Even though I want to know more about the kind of bullying he got, as he phrases it as taunting, and I’m not sure if it was of the level that Kurt is going through now.

He tells Kurt he has two options: come to Dalton, but since tuition and all that at Dalton is kinda steep that’s not an easy option, or refuse to be the victim. Stand up and try to teach them, since prejudice is born from ignorance. Blaine regrets letting the bullies at his school chase him away, and encourages Kurt to pick option two. A bit simplistic advice, Kurt is already standing up, and what with the violence of late, standing up could have dire consequences, but Kurt is inspired, he has a support now.

Back at McKinley, Kurt gets a text from Blaine, just one word: Courage. As he re-reads it, you can tell from how he smiles, how he walks, that he feels the weight on his shoulders get lighter. He has someone now who knows what’s he’s going through, someone he can turn to for help and advice and friendship. And right through that, Karofsky barges in, slaps the phone away and slams Kurt against the lockers, again. And as he stands there, trying to regain his breath and internally assessing if he’s badly hurt, he decides he can’t take it anymore. He runs after Karofsky and barges into the boys’ locker room where Karofsky went.

Kurt: Hey! I’m talking to you!
Karofsky: The girls’ locker room is next door.
Kurt: What is your problem?
Karofsky: Excuse me?
Kurt: What are you so scared of?
Karofsky: Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?
Kurt: Oh yeah, every straight guy’s nightmare, that all gays are secretly out to molest and convert you! Well, guess what, Hamhock, you’re not my type!
Karofsky: That right?
Kurt: Yeah, I don’t dig on chubby boys who sweat too much and’re gonna be bald by the time they’re thirty.
Karofsky: Do no push me, Hummel!
Kurt: You’re gonna hit me? Do it!
Karofsky: Don’t push me!
Kurt: Hit me, ’cause it’s not gonna change who I am. You can’t punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the ignoramus out of you.
Karofsky: Get outta my face!
Kurt: You’re nothing but a scared little boy who can’t handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are.

Karofsky is silent for a second, and then he kisses Kurt.

That was the second awesomest moment of the episode, and I didn’t even see it coming, even though it’s really rather classic. The bully who bullies those that are like him, because he can’t face himself. Kurt is completely thrown off, too. He didn’t expect this. Karofsky goes to kiss him again, but now Kurt pushes him away. He’s shocked, and disguested and violated. Karofsky punches the lockers and runs out.

Kurt asks Blaine to come and help him in talking to Karofsky about his sexuality and kissing Kurt. Karofsky doesn’t want to though, and he shoves Blaine against the fence. Kurt pushes him off and tells him that he needs to stop this. Karofsky runs off, confusion all over his face. Blaine takes it pretty easy with a “well, he’s not coming out anytime soon.” Kurt, however, is more shaken and drops down on the stairs. Blaine sits with him and asks why he’s so upset. “Because up until yesterday, I had never been kissed,” Kurt answers. And now the experience of  his first kiss will always be the memory of something violent, something unwanted, something clad in homophobia and anger and fear.

I like that they’re not making Kurt instantly smitten with Blaine, and that it’s really a friendship growing. I think I’d prefer if it stays this way. I’d approve if they grew it slowly and it might get into romance near the end of season, but I’m definitely favouring friendship.

The next day, Kurt has made up his mind. He’s taped COURAGE to the door of his locker, underneath a picture of Blaine. He’s wearing bright colours (which he rarely does) and is happy. And then Karofsky comes by and shoves him into the lockers again, much harder than before. Kurt falls to the ground and for a second they just look at each other. Nothing’s gonna change, at least not anytime soon. It might even get worse, because Kurt is much more of a threat to Karofsky now. Kurt pulls himself together a bit and just sits there, resigned, for now.

Afterwards, it’s time for the boys’ performance. Kurt and Mike are by far the best dancers of the group, and Kurt seems to actually enjoy himself. He’s smiling, and even dancing interactive with Mercedes as the song ends. And then the guys hug with Coach Beiste, and Kurt is excluded. He just stands there and does not get a hug, does not get that touch that he craves, the touch that tells him he’s accepted and seen.

– – –

Coach Beiste and Reverse Objectification

Finn and Sam are bonding over them not getting any, and methods of ‘cooling off’. Finn has his trusty almost-killing-the-mailman-with-the-car scene, but Sam has nothing. So Finn directs his attention to Coach Beiste and suggests he use her as a turn off. Sam agrees.

I get that they need something to keep from exploding, but to use a specific person for that, and degrading her just because she does not conform to society’s standards of what is ‘hot’, even if only in your mind, for your own benefit, is all sorts of wrong.

I expect Finn to suggest that, after all, he has been showing a marked disregard for things that aren’t directly related to him, but I thought Sam would be different. It’s okay for him to not find her attractive, after all, we all have different tastes, but to go so far as to actively use her, abuse her really, no, not what I was expecting of him…

Sam tries his new cool off during his next make out session with Quinn. It works, though he gets Quinn suspicious by saying ‘Beiste’ when Quinn wants him to say her name. Quinn goes to Sue for help. Not the best way they could’ve thought of to get Sue in the storyline. Sue wants Quinn to get Sam to confess to liking Beiste, in public.

Sam has been talking about the new method to ‘cool off’. Mike discusses it with Tina, who finds it funny and wants to try it out. And again, another person I would not have expected it from runs with it. She, too, says Beiste’s name while making out with Mike. I do like that they show it’s not just boys who do this kind of behaviour. This is a visual that gets mirrored in the Puck storyline, where they role reversal as well.

(Although, side note, the mind sequences with Beiste in the cheerleader and ballet uniform are done very well by Dot-Marie Jones, I really like her!)

Quinn starts a fight with Sam, per Sue’s instructions, in the hallway. From there it goes from bad to worse as Coach Beiste overhears her name and gets a clue about what’s happening. First with Quinn proclaiming the quarrel she’s having with Sam is her fault, and then Mike barging in telling her to stay away from his woman. Beiste is confused, and so is Will, who walks in on this.

Will drills Mike and Sam until he gets the story, and then chews them out for doing this. I think the chat he had with Kurt is giving him at least some insights (let’s hope they stick) and he’s saying mostly all the right stuff. And then he tries to keep it a secret…

Coach Beiste knows something is going on, so she comes to talk to Will to find out what it is. He doesn’t want to tell her, but when she tells him that he is the only one at the school she actually trusts, he knows he has to tell her. Except he goes about it the wrong way, he starts of with defending the Glee kids and asking her not to take it personally before he spills the beans. Very clear where, in the end, his priorities lie. Not with Beiste and her being bullied (which it really is) but with keeping his Glee club, correction, keeping the more or less normative kids of his Glee club, out of trouble.

Beiste, who really has never been anything but bullied and harassed her entire life, has had enough. She quits.

For mash-up, the Girls sing Start Me Up & Living on a Prayer, dressed in leather outfits and rock star hair. Nice performance, not that special. After they finish, Becky runs in with a note from Sue, she wants to meet Will in the auditorium.

There Sue stands on the stage, with two confetti cannons. They got what she wanted, Beiste quit, and their budget has been restored, so she got her two cannons. Cue full on villainous laugh. Best of all, she says, in the end it wasn’t even her who got rid of Beiste, it was Will’s kids, they got over that whole shiny happy people thing and just got mean. And she’s right.

Will is chewing out the Glee kids over  basically says the wrong things about how it was wrong because she’s an outcast. It isn’t wrong because of that, it’s wrong because she’s a human being, period. He orders them to come up with something to apologise.

Will goes to talk to Beiste, but she interrupts him, saying screw this. She’ll find her bliss somewhere else, maybe as a cooler in a Honky Tonk bar, or as a trucker. Will gets angry and tells her stop it, he gets it. Everyone is scarred by their High School experience, and people like them are then even crazy enough to come back to it as adults to relive that every day.

But Will really doesn’t get it. This isn’t about High School scarring, this is about something Beiste gets everywhere, always. Inside that tough and occasionally intimidating exterior, she’s a regular woman, who wants to be loved for who she is. And instead she gets ridicule all the time. Will tries to fix it the superficial way, he tries to offer to help her get a date… Really, Will, that’s all you can come up with.

Beiste just shakes her head, she knows it’s not gonna work. And she has resigned herself to that, because even something so small as being kissed has never happened for her. I knew then that Will was gonna kiss her. And I was going all noooooooo, don’t. So Will barges in with another of his patented surface solutions and he kisses her. Seriously Will, “and now you’ve been kissed.” You really think that’s gonna solve anything? The issue is bigger than that. Plus, you’ve just robbed her from having a true meaningful first kiss. Her memory of her first kiss is going to be clad in pity.

Then it’s time for the boys do to their Mash-up. All suited up they’ll perform for the girls, and Coach Beiste. Finn almost ruins it because he talks too much, but when they start singing their In The Name of Love & Free Your Mind mash-up, it’s fun. They suck at dancing though. At the end, Coach smiles, she liked it, and they hug. But they hug because Artie instigates, Beiste goes along with it, but it doesn’t come from her. I think I’d like to see some Beiste-Kurt connecting going on, that would be interesting.

– – –

Puck and Artie and Being Bad Ass

Yay! Puck’s back! Although I must say, the Puck story line in this episode, while it has some good bits going on, doesn’t really interest me.

Puck’s out of juvie, on probation on the condition that he do community service. Puck got his probation officer to agree to him “helping out a crip” instead of picking trash. So Puck corners Artie and makes him his project. Artie, from experience, expects Puck to push him down the stairs when he grabs the chair and starts wheeling him away. We don’t see Artie being bullied on screen as much as we’ve seen Kurt, but these little nuggets make it clear that he gets a good amount of crap as well.

Puck’s also desperately projecting his tough guy image, acting out even more so than before, because he doesn’t dare admit that juvie scared the crap out of him and he never wants to go back. So he puts on his tough face and goes back to being the school bully.

Puck wants money, so he uses Artie, and his disability, to go busking at the school grounds. Singing One Love, they bully their classmates out of money and make a good $300. Artie confesses he likes Brittany and kinda wants her back. Puck wants Santana back, so he suggests taking them to Breadsticks.

Puck and Artie barge in as the girls prep their costumes. It’s a bit of a role reversal here. They’re being all tough which prompts the girls to want to take them out, which they refuse. Puck then tells them to be at Breadsticks the next day, and if they don’t find cute girls tonight, they might meet them there. Santana is aware of what the boys are playing, but goes along with it anyway. She doesn’t really have a lot of sense of self

At Breadsticks, during dinner, the guys keep playing hard to get, and it works. Puck is also telling tall tales about his time in juvie.  At the end of dinner, Puck suggests skipping without paying. He and the girls leave, but Artie can’t do it, so he pays. He’s been trying to become more bad ass, but when it is about to hurt someone completely unrelated to them, he can’t do it, he sees the humanity. Now for that attitude to cross over to his personal life so he can actually start to see Brittany as a person as well. Puck is disappointed in Artie paying and abandons him there.

Figgins barges in during rehearsal wanting to see both Will and Puck in his office. Puck’s probation officer is there. She was under the impression Puck was working to rehabilitate a Crip, not a cripple, and is not okay. He has 24 hours to come up with a better idea or it’s back to juvie. Puck makes a scene, but it feels off, it’s not as bad ass as you’d expect, giving his reputation. The adults don’t pick up on this, they just see the trouble maker.

Puck and Artie talk, and Puck comes clean about what really drives him. Juvie scared the crap out of him, he thought he was bad ass, but the guys in there are much worse. He doesn’t want to go back. Artie makes a deal: do the trash pick up and I’ll tutor you in geometry, because really you’re a smart guy and there’s no reason you shouldn’t ace that. By offering a true solution, and in a way that preserves his dignity, Artie has done more for Puck in five minutes than the adults have all through this situation. Puck agrees.

Glee 1.04 Preggers

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First and foremost, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kurt and his Single Ladies dance. I can watch that sequence on repeat forever Emoticon met brede lach

Kurt’s dad, in one scene being sketched as the quintessential ‘man’ (watching Deadliest Catch, all about sports, the lumberjack shirt, dirt bikes etc…).

Terri gets herself even further into the pregnancy mess when she tells Kendra and Kendra convinces her not to tell. Stupid Kendra.

Sue gets her TV show. Slightly unbelievable, but adds another fun layer to Sue. Also, she keeps calling Emma by the wrong names, Irma last episode, Alma this time.

Rachel is appalled, Tina is getting the solo. Rachel goes on a rant how she ‘made it clear that anything West Side Story goes to me’ and that ‘Tina knows how much I respect her but…’ Tina’s eye roll look says enough, no way in hell does she believe that even for a second.

Schue keeps his decision though, Tina gets the part. Too bad they make Tina fail at it Bedroefde emoticon

Kurt comes to ask Finn something, all smiles. By now his coming out to Mercedes has made the rounds, obviously, even though Kurt himself is still not saying anything. Finn, self centered as he is, immediately assumes it’s about him and says he already has a date to the prom, but that he’s flattered and that he knows how important dances are to teen gays…

Kurt is flabbergasted at first, then shocked and denies being gay. He just wants a favour. And that’s an introduction to the football team. Finn agrees, because, as he says, the more Glee and Football mingle, the easier his life becomes. He protests when Kurt wants to use his music, but Kurt holds to it, he needs a proper warm up.

Kurt comes up to ‘audition’ for the ‘role’ of kicker. The team laughs at him as he performs the Single Ladies dance to warm up. And then gives the ball a massive kick and scores. Tanaka immediately welcomes him to the team. His mind is on a single goal, he doesn’t care how or what, Kurt can wear a tutu if he wants, as long as he scores like that in the game, none of it matters.

Sue gets another bit of ammunition to undermine Glee club. Her TV station boss expresses his concern about top cheerleaders defecting to Glee. Sue needs to win Nationals.

Quinn drops a bombshell on Finn, she’s pregnant. The moment Finn hears that word, his first thought is if it is his, and then how? He and Quinn never had sex… Quinn reminds him of last month when they were in the hot tub together. While kissing, Finn’s usual method to stop from coming failed. “But we were wearing our swim suits!?” he says. Quinn replies that a hot tub is the perfect temperature for sperm…

This is the ultimate confirmation of the stupidity that is Finn. We now know Quinn isn’t being completely truthful but Finn has no clue whatsoever.

Both of them are more focused on what the effect is going to be on their own particular situation. This isn’t all that weird, they are teenagers after all, but it hits much harder for Quinn. She is the one who actually carries the child and will bear the brunt of the attention and prejudice and stereotyping and all that. It will set her back in her goal to get out of this town, she knows this, shows it by literally saying it: “I really thought I had a shot at getting out of here.” Since she is planning on keeping the baby, this will effectively anchor her down.

Sandy remains creepy, creepy, creepy. I really don’t like him.

Sandy sets up auditions, specifically so Rachel will audition and they can get her out of Glee. Rachel sings Taking Chances (and she rocks that song!) and of course gets chosen.

Schue and Rachel then have a very nice dialogue going on. Rachel actually shows some awareness of how she is seen by others, and admits that this is correct. However, she wants Schue to judge her not on her character but on her talent since “it sounds awful, but I’m the best one in there.”

While she is indeed a very good singer, the others aren’t bad either, and some (Kurt) easily outsing her. Will agrees, however, and tells her so. With Rachel pulling all the weight, the others slack off and they can’t win Regionals like that, Will says, and he has no choice but to give others solos as well so they can all feel like a star…

Really, Will, you’ve made questionable choices before, but you’ve not been that much of an outright jerk before. Completely ignoring the talents he has, he only ever really has eyes for two people: Rachel and Finn.

Rachel doesn’t accept that though, she wants the solo, only her pains matter, only her being bullied matters. It doesn’t occur to her that maybe the others are indeed being pulled out of their shells, but it doesn’t necessarily lessen what they’re going through.

During rehearsal, Tina fails the song (which is really lame, btw, she could’ve easily done it) and takes one for the team when she tells Schue to give the song to Rachel.

Finn seeks out his replacement father figure/older copy of himself in his time of need. Finn speaks out what I wrote above, he’s seen the guys around town who had kids in High School, they’re still here, working menial jobs and just barely getting by. He doesn’t want to be that guy, he needs a scholarship so he can go to college (note how it’s all about him, not a word about how Quinn will get just as stuck). But to get a scholarship, the Football team needs to start winning. Bottom line, he wants Schue to teach the Football team some moves.

Finn is and Idiot. He apparently never has, in his whole 16 years of life, been to a library, or even fucking heard of what a library is… And he wants to go to college…

Kurt is being all cool against the lockers and delivers the punch line that silences Puck Emoticon met brede lach

And woohoo! Teaching the guys the Single Ladies dance. *radiates Kurt love*

Puck finds out Quinn is pregnant and confronts her. And then it comes out, Finn isn’t the father, Puck is. Puck is angry that she didn’t tell him. “My dad’s a deadbeat, but I don’t roll that way!” Quinn tells him she had sex with him because he got her drunk and she felt fat, but it was a mistake and she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Quinn’s responsible though, she doesn’t accuse Puck but acknowledges her own choice in the matter (I had sex with you…).

Terri ambushes Quinn, since she heard from Will about the pregnancy she has realised that this is her chance to get out of the mess she’s in.

Yay! Game time! The team protests about doing the dance routine for real. Kurt sends Finn an imploring look, but he ignores it. Inside he agrees with the team. The game starts and the McKinley Football Team sucks.

Kurt waves at his dad as he climbs the stands, yelling “I told you, I told you”. It’s easy to see Burt’s embarrassment at this as he discreetly waves Kurt down. Finn finally talks Puck into trying it and it works, Puck scores after surprising the opponents by dancing the routine. Kurt then gets to kick and scores. As he is hoisted up he waves at Burt, and Burt is so ecstatic he almost drags the two guys in front of him from the benches as he pulls at their shoulders in happiness.

Then we come to the best coming out to a parent scene I’ve ever seen. Kurt’s in his room cleaning up and working one of his beauty routines when Burt comes down. Kurt has realised, through Glee and Football, that he can be anything and wants no more lies. So he comes out and says it: “And what I am is… I’m gay.”

And Burt, glorious Burt, who’s been sketched as a ‘man’s man’, whom you would expect to not take this well, just says: “I know. I’ve known since you were three.”

Kurt isn’t sure at first what to make of that, but when Burt clarifies: “All you wanted for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels,” he knows and he can start to smile. Burt isn’t in love with the idea but makes it very clear that no matter what, he loves his son and will be there for him, and they hug.

*Side note: Seems a bit odd though that with Burt knowing about the heels he wanted then, why he would make a fuss about a tiara collection and take away his car (1.03). Unless there was another reason that Kurt rather not explain.

Puck is hurt by Quinn’s speech and attitude earlier and takes it out on her with a couple low blows.

Glee club finally gets a full complement with Mike Chang, Puck and Football Mike joining. Why Mike and Mike join, no idea. But Puck joins so he can be closer to Quinn, he meant what he said, he wants to be there for the baby, even if Quinn doesn’t want him.

Will starts rehearsal with the West Side Story solo again, and doesn’t bow to Rachel, go him, even if his motives are still skewed. He gives the solo to Tina again, and Rachel makes up her mind. She quits Glee and joins the musical Sandy is directing, where she can be the one and only, the star.

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Best Lines

Kurt: My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé, if I don’t warm it up right, it doesn’t rise.

Finn: I got this from the school library. Did you know you can just borrow books in there? All of them. Except for the Encyclopedias and stuff.

Glee 1.03 Acafellas

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On the whole I didn’t find this episode that strong, although that could be because the focus lay on the Will story and I tend to like those less. I mostly go for the background kids and their stories Glimlach

Cute intro, Will is bursting at the seams with the news that Terri’s pregnant. Nice fleshing out of Will’s dad in just a few lines of dialogue, the dreams he had. It gets Will thinking about his own dreams, which gets reinforced by Quinn’s disparaging remark/question if he ever performed after High School. So, a completely unbelievable segue later, Will has started an a cappella group with Henri, Howard and Ken. Conveniently, all the other guys are misfits, which automatically makes Will the star.

Terri is getting desperate to actually get pregnant, especially after Will tells his parents.

The moment Will has his new group, he’s abandoning Glee. He wants to be famous himself. And while getting fame by having his Glee club win Nationals is nice, fame by being in the spotlight himself is better. But being in the spotlight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And when it blows up in his face he goes back to the thing he knows he can do, which is Glee,

Quinn and Santana are on a crusade to break up Glee, under orders from Sue (even though Quinn’s eager to do it for her own reasons). Hence the remarks to Schue, and setting Mercedes up to go after Kurt as a love interest instead of a friend. Which is what they have become. And also trying to get the others to hire Dakota Stanley, who then breaks all of them down, one by one. And then the kids band together, kick out Dakota Stanley and get stronger as a group in the process.

Finn is trying to make it about him by threatening to quit if they don’t go along with what he wants. As ever, he’s yo-yoing between enjoying Glee and worrying about his reputation. Will recruits Finn for the Acafellas so he won’t quit. And there we have Puck getting involved with the Acafellas. I’m not quite sure about his motives, but I’m not convinced they are what he says. I think he just wants to sing, loves to sing, but thinks (and rightly so) that joining Glee will tank his reputation.

Kurt has a kick ass car Emoticon met brede lach Too bad about the window… And too bad it gets taken away. Lousy reasoning too, taken away because he had a tiara collection :/ I’m not sure I buy that.

Kurt was this close to coming out to Mercedes, and then last minute turned it around by confessing he loved someone else. And his look is straight on Finn. But he confirms, even as he gets a frowny what-are-you-on-about expression, when Mercedes turns around and sees Rachel and thinks it’s her. Because he doesn’t quite dare to come out yet. Even though most already suspect or know, as evidenced by Rachel and Tina’s gayvention of Mercedes. Mercedes has some nice lines about stereotyping and judging on appearances. And when it comes down to it, of course she’s right, until Kurt comes out you can never be 100% sure.

And then Kurt comes out, and the person he tells is Mercedes, who has really become his best friend. Lovely moment, very well done. Especially his looking around to see if they’re no one else to hear before he actually says he’s gay. And the tie keeps smiling, even though Kurt is sad, and lonely

Sue chews out Quinn and Santana for failing to bring down Glee. She revokes their tanning privileges, which has Santana in tears. She’s still mostly a caricature at this moment. See also, earlier, where she dumps Puck because his credit score is terrible. She gets fleshed out more later, but is being set up as a supremely self invested girl. Quinn has actually learned a lesson from the whole procedure, she’s learning putting the losers down isn’t all that fun, because she is getting to know the losers, and they’re people too.

Sandy is way, way too creepy.

I LOVE Josh Groban hitting on Will’s mother Emoticon met brede lach

And a nice ending for Will’s dad who’s taking a cue from his son’s dream-chasing to change his own missed dream: he’s enrolling at law school.

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Best Lines

Mercedes: Have you ever kissed someone?

Kurt: Yes, if by someone you mean the tender crook of my elbow.

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Josh Groban (to Will’s mom): Let me tell you, throngs of screaming teenagers don’t do it for Josh Groban. Josh Groban loves a blousy alcoholic.

Glee 1.02 Showmance

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The Kids

Rachel’s not improving much on what was established about her in the pilot. The first words out of her mouth as we see her are to tell Schue that she picked out some music that “feature me heavily in the lead vocal.” Later on, when dancing, she has no idea where the other kids are as evidenced by her almost kicking Mercedes in the face.

Interesting to note that Rachel comes to school alone, Finn comes alone, but Mercedes, Tina and Artie come together, and have apparently been doing things together as well. They’ve started a real friendship.

Kurt is being held hostage by the Football team. Schue, who has been teaching at the school long enough that he should know what goes on, is totally oblivious to the obvious discomfort that Kurt radiates. The look Kurt gives Schue as he walks past is full of contempt and quiet desperation. The moment Schue is gone, the football team gets to business. Kurt’s call for them to wait as he tosses his bag at one of them to keep it safe from the dumpster is a way for him to regain at least some measure of control in the situation. It gets clear here too that Puck is really the muscle of the football team bullying. Finn is the quarterback top dog, and Puck does the hard work.

Kurt and Mercedes are growing a friendship too, they argue fashion and hair and there’s shared looks as Schue talks during rehearsal.

Mercedes gets a solo bit, good, albeit a bit stereotype and very, very short. Schue takes the spotlight, to show it to the one who will get it later, Finn.

Quinn is getting more uncomfortable with Finn being in Glee. She needs Finn to quit, if he doesn’t, it’s her popularity that’s taking a hit (see review of 1.01). Good of Finn to stand up though and stick with something that he really likes.

Rachel keeps impressing upon Finn that he’s good and talented and such, even though, I’ll say again, he’s not that good. But she has a crush on him, plus (or maybe even because) he matches her perfect picture so she can’t stand the idea of him quitting Glee. She even joins the celibacy club for him. The celibacy club meeting scene was mostly just meh… Although it provides a nice bridge to the song the Glee kids do at assembly when Rachel runs out after proclaiming that really all they want is sex.

During the song, Kurt gets to smack Finn’s butt, I wonder if this is where his crush on Finn starts.

After the performance, Quinn is now sure she needs to join Glee club or else she will lose Finn. Puck… there’s more going on in his head but he’s hard to read. He’s into Quinn, so if she joins he’ll go too, that much is sure. Quinn auditions for Glee club with two trusty lieutenants (Santana and Brittany) and nails it (even though her voice is a bit weak). She has no choice, everything she does has to be perfect, so her audition for Glee as well.

The whole picnic on stage thing, over the top much. Rachel’s actively seducing another girl’s boyfriend because he fits her better, and Quinn’s feelings (if she even realises Quinn has them) are irrelevant. And Finn doesn’t mind, to him it’s a natural state that girls are automatically attracted to him. The only reason he runs away is to stop from “arriving” not because he has any thoughts on how it’s not exactly nice to cheat on your girlfriend.

Rachel gets told it’s not all about her when she complains about Quinn joining. Too bad it doesn’t stick. Her rendition of Take a Bow is noticeably auto-tuned. It’s also hypocritical, blaming Finn for putting up a show and leading her on, making her think he might be faithful to her, while it was her coming after him in the first place.

The Adults

I’m only noticing now that Will actually has a Glee vanity plate on his car, nice accessorising to show his obsession with Glee. More evidence Will hasn’t really been paying attention to what is needed for Glee Club to work, but that he’s just chasing his dream (and his past) when Sue waves the rulebook in his face. I would think, when you take over a choir and get the kids’ hopes up with talk of going to Nationals or even just Regionals, you’d look up requirements and such. Except he hasn’t. Sue has to tell him there’s a rule book and that he needs more kids.

There’s not really a coherent base to Sue’s desire to undermine Glee club. The Cheerios are majorly successful, their budget is more than enough, what with Sue’s extra sponsors outside of school and Sue herself is successful. It’s not that she hates music either (even though this doesn’t really get articulated until the Madonna episode). It seems to me it’s mostly that Sue always needs something to challenge, to bounce herself off of. Being afraid of Glee club taking her spotlight is a ridiculous motive.

Emma is aware her crush on Will is wrong (as in he’s married), but she’s not really stepping back. Will isn’t either, he’s flattered by the attention, and likes the fact that Emma is fawning over him instead of riding him, as Terri is. Emma is literally throwing herself at Will. She stands around the corner until he’s there and then comes barging out as if she never noticed him. It takes Ken Tanaka saying it to her face to make Emma realise she can’t be around Will the way she has been, “playing house” with him in cleaning and stuff. Emma sees the light, a little bit, and backs out of cleaning with Will, confronting him with their behaviour, and focusing her attention to someone else. Even if she has zero interest in that person.

Nice cut to Terri in the new house deciding what needs to be done there, as the kids sing Golddigger, except that that isn’t really Terri’s underlying motive. Terri is still annoying, but also kinda sad. And Will… instead of addressing the deeper issues here, he just hides away (submerging himself in the bath), then gives in and gets an extra job as janitor because it’s easier than getting into what’s at the base of Terri’s behaviour.

Terri learns she’s not really pregnant and she’s exasperated at first. This was something she wanted and now it got taken away from her just like all the other stuff. Along the lines of something she said in the previous episode: “why can’t we have nice things!”

Terri wants to tell Will about hysterical pregnancy at first, but can’t when she hears him express his dream of family. So she blurts out that it’s a boy, and backtracks on the new house. Deep down she knows she can’t keep this from him, but she desperately wants to keep him, and she knows that he’s pulling away from her. And the harder she tries to keep him, the more he pulls. But Will wants a family more than getting away from Terri, so as long as he thinks she’s pregnant, he will stay.

The responses in the crowd to the sexy song are fun to watch. Sue is outraged, not just at the kids daring to perform something like that, but also at the reactions of the others. I wonder a bit why she is so outraged, but I’d wager it’s tied to her being not in a relationship, and about over-doing things, beyond the natural state (kinda how she explodes at Santana after her boob job in 2.01). Emma is liking it a lot, Will is horrified and Figgins is swaying to the music barely seeing what the kids are doing. Like always, he seems mostly clueless. He goes with what is best for the school, either in terms of bringing in money or increasing reputation, but what he thinks doesn’t really come out.

Also, inconsistency. Figgins gives Will a list of pre-approved songs they can sing, which are all songs that have Jesus in the title or are about balloons… And Sue is not protesting that, while she later in episode 2.03 protests when the kids want to sing religious songs… It pours more oil on Sue’s fire too by cutting her dry cleaning budget to get Glee new costumes.

Funny Bits

Kurt on doing Freak Out at assembly, with a matching gesture: “They’re gonna throw food at us! And I just had a facial!”

Kurt can express so much with just gesture, posture and looks. *love*

Kurt and Mercedes arguing fashion and hair during the second rehearsal Emoticon met brede lach

Kurt has the best lines Emoticon met brede lach

Rachel: “We’re gonna give them what they want.”

Kurt: “Blood?”

Glee 1.01 Pilot

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Since I’m totally obsessed, and the GleeVeeDee is now here, I better put both of that to good use and review it. Mostly since there’s so much undercurrent to Glee that, when just watching casually, might be overlooked. I know it’s taken me until I started watching the second season to really get just how much is going on beyond the superficial layer of the singing and dancing, and the skin of the shows’ character development.

I credit Calanthe from Quite Contrary with a lot of the insights I gained, being trained to dissect text really does make a difference, but I think I’ve added quite some of my own into it as well.

So, with that said, here’s the Pilot episode. It’s not a standard review of “this is what happened and this is what I think of it”. It’ll be more bullet point things I guess, stuff I noticed, overarching themes, the through-line of the season, character development etc…

First thing to notice is how really all of the characters are initially portrayed as stereotype characters, and then this gets twisted as the show goes on. Rachel is the stereotype talented-and -friendly-underdog-turns-star, but is shown not to be that friendly, and to be driven by self-interest first and foremost. Kurt is the stereotype fabulous-but-airheaded-wimpy-gay-guy, but is shown to actually have a good intelligence and reasoning and is full of courage and strength. And so on.

Character by Character

William Schuester: The first thing he asks when Emma mentions that Sandy got fired is who’s taking over Glee club. Not why he got fired or something like that, which is what most people would ask first, even if it’s someone you don’t really like. Hell, especially when it’s someone you don’t really like (gloat factor). But Will is in it for himself, he wants Glee club, has always wanted Glee club and reclaiming the former glory of his own high school days. So as soon as he knows, he’s in Figgins’ office getting his hands on the club. Even going so far as to pay the school for being able to run it, and running the detention class for free.

When the club looks to fall apart because Rachel is threatening to leave if he doesn’t find her a “male lead who can keep up with me vocally” he resorts to blackmail (using the Marijuana he got from Sandy) to get Finn into the club. And it’s not even that Finn is a great singer, it’s mainly that he reminds Will of himself when he was Finn’s age (and Will is, thematically, an adult version of Finn), and he matches with Rachel in her ideal pictured world. And Will much prefers this popular image himself too, as soon as he has a male lead for Rachel, the others get relegated to background and they have to fight for any solos they get (in later episodes). And then I don’t mean the solo pieces they do outside of Glee club (like Mercedes doing Bust Your Windows in the third episode), I’m purely referencing the songs here that are shown to be Glee club show pieces. In them it’s practically always Rachel and Finn that get the solos by default. The others usually have to speak up and protest to even get a shot.

It is admirable of Will to want to go and quit to become an accountant after Terri tells him she’s pregnant so he can better support his upcoming family. One of the few mature things he does in this episode. However, he’s not doing it because he himself makes that choice, but because Terri is making him do it. So I like that he eventually goes with  his heart and remains at McKinley High after Emma talks to him about passion, even if Emma has ulterior motives.

Aside: The audition pieces are awesome insights into the characters, especially looking back, having seen everything at least once now.

Mercedes Jones: The first time we see her she’s on the stage auditioning for Glee club with the song Respect. This really paints her core character with one major blow. She wants respect, she wants to be on the foreground (“I’m not down with that background nonsense, I’m Beyonce, I ain’t no Kelly Rowland”). As a black girl in American society there’s so much baggage to her daily life. So much subconscious (and conscious too) racism going on. Even though Kurt gets set up to be the poster boy of the bullied kid, Mercedes knows what it’s like, because racism is still so ingrained in American culture. This also explains why it’s Kurt and Mercedes who build a friendship pretty quick, they understand each other.

Kurt Hummel: He auditions with Mr. Cellophane, literally singing that his name should be Mr. Cellophane because people don’t see him. He desperately wants to be visible, be seen as the person he is. Yet at the same time, what he does show of himself gets him ridicule and bullying for being girly (and probably already for being gay*, even though they don’t show it, and regardless of him not officially coming out until the third episode). He has built such walls around him. You see it first when the kids want to throw him in the dumpster. He doesn’t let show how much it hurts, deflects by making it about the jacket (even though, as an extension of his personality, the clothes he wears are very important to him). While auditioning, his almost casual looking up and straightening his hair, are all designed to shield how he really feels. How he really wants to be visible. Yet, at the same time he pushes people away, afraid to show who he is. His body language screams this, always positioning himself away from others, and even from the look he gets as he has to swing Tina around in the first Glee rehearsal. The only one he has a more open attitude towards is Mercedes (he actually dances slightly toward her as they perform Don’t Stop Believin’ at the end).

Tina Cohen-Chang: I’m not getting a lot of Tina vibe just yet. She’s in a shell too, hiding behind her stutter. We learn in 1.09 that her stutter is fake, and that only makes it more obvious how she’s using it as a shield now. She’s quiet, and unobtrusive, but wants to be seen enough to let herself be through her outfit. Seriously, the outfits they all wear are almost characters on their own.

Rachel Berry: It has to be about her. That’s not only obvious from her behaviour — first the look on her face as she watches the original Glee club boy sing the solo, and then going crying to Figgins about Sandy’s touching of the boy (which, apropos, was way out of line). The only reason she does that is to get Sandy fired and to get the spot she thinks is rightfully hers, star of Glee club — she even says so through her audition song (On My Own) and in the voice over: “Me, the star.” She’s been prepping to be the Special One since she was a baby. She says so to Schue after the first rehearsal: “Being a part of something special makes you special.” She wants, no needs, Glee club to become great so she can become special (“I’m sorry Mr. Schue, but if you can’t give me what I need…”).

In her mind, the world revolves around her, and even considering that others have feelings, and a life outside of being characters in The Life of Rachel Berry is alien to her. She’s also low on the social hierarchy, unpopular, getting slushied and ridiculed by the Cheerios and Jocks. She does have what it takes to become a popular girl, though. However, being the unpopular one now fits  the story of herself she has in her head too well. She’s living the life of the talented and lovely underdog who has a hard time but gets out at the end. And she does it pretty well. Except…. She’s not putting in enough effort for it to really work. If she really wants to get out of the small town life and become a star, it doesn’t stop at taking various lessons and singing in Glee club. Why does she never work on advancing her talent and career outside of school and her bedroom? No try-outs for music schools or theater or what not. She’s not really living that underdog-turns-star life, she’s playing at living that life.

Quinn Fabray: Even though we don’t really meet her here just yet, it’s obvious she’s the classic popular girl. However, being popular is a lot of work for a girl, she has to make sure she stays thin and looks great and gives the good example by excelling as a Cheerio as well as academically; and through being the celibacy club president, and having a popular boyfriend. She can’t afford to slack off with even one of these things, or she risks losing her position. And her position as top dog is what might give her a chance to ever get out of the shit hole town they all live in. So to make sure she stays there, she not only has to do the work, she also has to make sure the rest stays down.

When she watches Glee club on stage at the end of the episode we know she’ll join. After seeing Finn talking with Rachel earlier on, and now them on stage together, she knows she can’t not join. Part of her popularity is having Finn as her boyfriend. Letting him be in Glee without her, with Rachel is setting the stage for rumours that will undermine her popularity and resulting authority.

Artie Abrams: Not that much Artie vibe either. He gets a lot of crap at school too, that much is clear. His wheelchair is what makes him a target. Like Tina, he gets relegated to the background, especially obvious in Don’t Stop Believin’ where we hardly see him as he plays the guitar until the end of the song where Tina wheels him near.

Emma Pillsbury: The first thing you notice is her OCD. The world has to be in order, her order. She also wants Will, from the beginning. So while admirable when trying to counsel Will on doing where your passion lies, the underlying motive is having him stay so he remains near her.

Sue Sylvester: She actually says it out loud, the whole stereotype thing. High school is built upon a system of preconceived identities, and every kid gets forced into one of these boxes. And if you deviate, you will be put back into your box (see Kurt, who deviates from his box in multiple ways, and how they keep trying to shove him back into it).

Finn Hudson: It’s not until Will hears him singing and blackmails him into joining Glee that we really get an idea of who he is beyond the superficial image. He is the male version of Quinn, the Quarterback on the Football team, and her boyfriend. And just by being that, he is the most popular male, he doesn’t have to do anything else for it. Just be there. He’s not smart (trying to hide his Glee club rehearsal by claiming he had to help his mother after her prostate removal…), he’s not that good looking and he’s like Rachel in the sense that he’s first and foremost interested in himself. He’s also a bully, he has no qualms about slushieing others, and, while he doesn’t physically throw Kurt in the bin in the beginning of the episode, he gives his silent approval as the other guys do.

When he gets forced to join Glee, at first all he does is try to get out again. Later he does realise he likes being there and has a rare moment of insight where he proclaims they’re all losers, however he turns it around by claiming neither the football team or Glee club can win without him (even going so far as barging in and taking charge of the music while knowing nothing about that). He keeps struggling with trying to maintain his popularity in spite of being in Glee. Because in the end, being popular is more important to him. So for him the drive behind trying to get Glee popular is for himself to remain popular. And really, the only reason he gets to be the male lead is because Rachel wants him to be. His voice is mediocre at best, both Artie and Kurt are way better singers than he is, but they don’t fit the popular picture.

Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman: He looks like another stereotype Football Jock, but he actually has something happening underneath that. He has brains (he does know “chicks don’t have prostates” even if he has to look it up, he knows something’s fishy and he at least knows what libraries are for), he has a better voice than Finn has, but he also has a popularity to maintain. He’s Finn’s friend, but also his rival in vying for Quinn’s attention. When he joins Glee club, it’s for Quinn. But he’s also a bully. And very much a physical bully (like locking Artie in a port-a-potty and wanting to roll it over). So he manages to remain popular despite being a member of Glee club by intimidating the rest. It’s clear from his expression at the end that he would like to be there on the stage (I may be reading more into it though since I know how his story goes in further episodes).

Terri Schuester: On first viewing I hated her. She’s whiny and self-absorbed (“I’m on my feet 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, I have to cook dinner for myself?”) and some of the things she does later on… I still don’t like her, but I see where it comes from now. She’s stuck in her high school, teenager persona. She was the star girl in high school, the Quinn Fabray of her days, and fifteen years later, there’s hardly anything of it left. All that high school popularity never led to anything. She married the high school sweetheart in the hopes of having that grand life, but instead got stuck in the same old town, with a mediocre job, a mediocre husband and a mediocre life. She has dreams and she wants things and she believes, from a teenager’s perspective, that just because she is who she is, she should get that. And when certain things threaten to take away what she has, she resorts to drastic things to keep it.

Ken Tanaka: Also in it for himself, very primal he wants what he wants (Emma) and will try almost anything to get it. He also, like Sue, points out one of the underlying cores: the Herd. “The second anyone tries to rise above, tries to be different, the herd pulls him back in.”

Other Stuff

Sue vs. Emma is obvious from the start, they don’t like each other and are not afraid to show it. Will vs. Sue, which doesn’t start until he takes over Glee club,  is more subdued at first. Mostly because Will, like an adult version of Finn, can’t comprehend how someone would want to take that away from him.

The Glee club kids’ faces as they watch Vocal Adrenaline perform are hilarious 😀

I <3 Kurt.

*I base this on how, in the third episode, Quinn and Santana notice Mercedes and Kurt and encourage her to go after him. At that point, both of them are doing this as popular girls, not trying to help Mercedes, but having fun with her. They pretty much know Kurt is gay and are setting her up for disappointment. Later on Rachel comes up to Mercedes for a gay-intervention, trying to let her know that Kurt is most likely gay. We’re still not sure at that point, but it makes clear what the other kids think, and so he will most likely have been bullied because of it.

So… I guess I ran a little long here. I was at 1500 words already by the time I was 1/3 into the episode… Ending with a little over 2700, not bad 😀 And it only took, oh say, a whole afternoon? Regardless of that, this was great fun so I’ll be doing the other episodes as well.