The season three premiere of the Fox hit TV series “Glee” delivered “glitter bombs,” show tunes and not much else.
“Glee,” which has become a network television phenomenon, garnered a lot of backlash from fans that said the show had jumped the shark in its second season.
Listening to his fans’ complaints, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy promised to get the show back on track in season three. According to Murphy, that means no more tribute shows, no more themed episodes and no more larger than life celebrities.
“We're not going to have any guest stars,” Murphy said in an interview with TVline. He also said they would cover fewer songs.
Murphy then promised that the show was finished pitting Sue Sylvester against Mr. Schuester, replacing the tired plot with original story lines and episodes that center around the development of core characters.
However, upon viewing the first episode, it doesn’t seem like “Glee” has changed at all.
Sue Sylvester is still trying to destroy the glee club, the kids in the club are still complaining about the fact that they are not popular and people are still taking slushies to the face.
Idina Menzel will also be featured in next week’s episode. So the whole “no guest stars” rule lasted all of one episode.
The season premiere, titled “The Purple Piano Project,” documents the club’s attempt to rediscover their love of music. Mr. Schuester decides to station several donated purple pianos around the school. The idea behind this plan is that every time a member of the glee club sees a piano, they have to sing a song, all in the hopes of inspiring students to audition for the glee club.
Sue Sylvester, of course, has a problem with the spontaneous outbursts of song that result from this assignment. She once again sets out to crush the glee club, this time attempting to get elected to public office by promising to cut all arts programs and devote the money saved to education.
To carry out her master plan, Sylvester recruits the help of the cheer squad co-captain and resident bad girl Santana Lopez. At the end of an impromptu performance in the McKinley High courtyard, Lopez sets a purple piano on fire.
The burnt piano triggers another wave of complaints from the glee club about how they don’t get any respect. It was as if they had forgotten that one of their own members set the piano on fire. The incessant pity party was over for me two seasons ago. These kids need to get over themselves.
As far as the show’s supposed focus on character development goes, that does seem to be one of the only aspects of the show Murphy has been concerned with changing. The first episode centered around Rachel and Kurt’s dreams of ditching Lima, OH for the Broadway stage, which is nothing new. Yet, amidst the tired storylines was a glimpse of an almost unrecognizable Quinn. The first episode portrayed the former prissy cheerleader in an entirely new light — nose ring, Ryan Seacrest tattoo and all.
Next week’s episode brings Idina Menzel back as Rachel Berry’s birth mother and the adoptive mother of Quinn’s daughter Beth. While “Glee” may not be changing as much as they have promised, the chance of delving deeper into the psyches of different characters does look promising. Only time will tell if the show’s fans, or “gleeks,” will stick around long enough to see if the show can deliver on its promises.
Glee airs Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. on Fox.
Reach the reporter at cemurph2@asu.edu
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