Rating: 4 out of 5 pitchforks Starring: Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch
Shows: Tuesdays, 8/7c on FOX
The second season of “Glee” premiered Tuesday with the episode, “Audition.” For self-proclaimed “Gleeks,” it was great to see old, familiar faces of the show, as well as a few new ones.
The episode had a slightly different vibe than the previous season. Some of the characters’ personalities didn’t change at all, others went back to their old ways, while still others evolved into a stronger or weaker version of themselves.
At the start of the show, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) teamed up. That was unexpected, to say the least, but by the end of the episode, their old rivalry was back on.
The unlucky target of their wicked partnership was the new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot Jones). Luckily, Schuester realized his wrong doings before the end of the episode.
Unfortunately, Beiste had already lashed out and there were casualties — most unfortunate of them being Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), who lost his spot on the football team.
Consequently, Hudson lost a lot of his confidence with the removal of his quarterback status. That was sad to see. On the other hand, it is safe to say that many people will be pleased with the (finally) solid relationship between him and “Glee” star, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele).
Speaking of Berry, she was still as driven and self-centered as she was in season one. Previously, her strive for success was kind of endearing and amusing, but she might have pushed it a bit too far in this episode.
After misleading the new exchange student, Sunshine Corazon (Charice Pempengco), her fellow club members weren’t too pleased with Berry for allowing the new talent to so easily leave and walk into the rival glee club, Vocal Adrenaline’s, open arms.
Another notable change in character dynamics was present in the Cheerios, the high school’s cheerleading squad. Because of her new implants, Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) was dropped as head cheerleader to be replaced by the manipulative Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron).
It was actually disheartening to see Lopez so humiliated as she shook at the bottom of one of the cheerleading pyramids, and to see Fabray possibly heading straight back to her old, mean girl ways.
Finally, the music of the show must be mentioned —“Glee” is a show about a school choir after all. The first number, “Empire State of Mind,” was upbeat, and it was fun to see the song performed outside of the typical classroom or auditorium setting and on steps outside of the classroom buildings.
The new guy, Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), sang “Billionaire,” which was done well. While it was silly to see him immediately handed a guitar that he just happened to know how to play, his talent couldn’t be denied. Furthermore, Hudson’s discovery of Evans’s talent nicely mirrored Schuester’s discovery of Hudson’s talent in the premiere episode of season one.
“Telephone” was a success, just as the previous Lady Gaga numbers performed in the show had been last season. Berry’s strong “oh-no-she-didn’t-how-dare-she-sing-well” attitude, juxtaposed with Corazon’s happy-go-lucky smile and personality, added to the comedic dynamic of the show.
Corazon also showed her vocal strength in her solo number “Listen.” The song choice was perfect for her as she proved her talent to the club. It definitely showcased her voice, and it should have sent a nice little message to Berry.
The final number, “What I Did for Love,” was sung by Berry. It was beautiful, but nothing less should be expected.
Overall, the episode wasn’t perfect, but it’s exciting for the show to be back. New episodes can be seen every Tuesday on FOX, 8/7 Central. Let the music play on.
Reach the reporter at mmattox@asu.edu
