Monday, March 12, 2012

GLEE REVIEW: What Doesn't Kill You TRULY Makes You Stronger


After a less-than-stellar Valentine’s Day episode, for the fact that I didn’t want to wait so long for Glee to return, and with the subject matter I knew would be involved in the Winter Finale, I had been putting off watching this episode for a while…but I’m glad I finally got a chance to watch it at last!

The Good
From bully to bullied
I was not expecting to go so fast into Karofsky’s storyline so soon into the episode, but they went right to it. It truly is heartbreaking to see this storyline being played out. While I thought it was hard to watch Kurt being bullied and taunted last season, it’s even more upsetting to see Karofsky trying to suppress and hide his sexuality, but at the same time being taunted and bullied to the point of an attempted suicide. I’m glad I was alone while watching this part because I was an emotional wreck. As a gay man who has tried to commit suicide, I know that feeling of having days upon days of being talked about behind my back and having such a constant teasing of my sexuality, to the point where one day it gets so bad where you just want to end it altogether. It was hard for me to watch, but I thought that the writers did a great job of interlacing the lyrics of “Cough Syrup” (the song Blaine was singing) and the scene in which Karofsky hangs himself in his room.
After that intense image of Karofsky going into his closet and only seeing his feet go up onto the chair, the episode took a little break from that storyline to focus on getting back to the competition. When we did get back to Dave and his attempted suicide, we see Kurt visiting him in the hospital with one of the most beautiful moments the show has had. While there was talk earlier about Schuester almost taking his life at an early age and thinking about all of the things he would have missed out on, it was a touching moment when Kurt asked Karofsky where he sees himself in 10 years. Then we were given a beautiful image of Dave at a successful job, working in his office, when his partner and child enter through to see him. The sheer joy on his face in the futue and the image of Karofsky as he paints this picture in his head in the present was truly magical.
To think that comments on Facebook and graffiti on a locker can cause someone to want to take their own life is devastating to think about. Kids can be cruel and it’s important to surround yourself with friends and family who love you and support you no matter what. There should never be a point when negativity should cloud your future. It’s hard to rise above it and make it out better than before, but it is possible, I can truly attest to that. I’m so proud to see something this important being shown across the world to everyone that needs a reminder about how short life can be. Live in every moment and be kind to one another.

A competition once again…
It’s time for another Regionals showdown, but this time (with the exception of Karofsky’s storyline) there was nothing majorily dramatic to get in the way. If anything, Karofsky’s storyline helped add more depth to the competition compared to previous episodes. The song choice were indeed inspirational and everyone had their chance to shine. A true memorable song choice was the incredibly mash-up between Nicki Minaj & Rihanna’s “Fly” with R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”. Where do they come up with this?!!!

Sue is prego!
It’s still a little far-fetched and hard to believe, but Sue is prego. If this means that we’ll be seeing more of the nice, supportive Sue, then I’m all for it. While Jane Lynch is deliciously vicious to watch when she rips the Glee club to shreds, it’s the moments when she’s heartfelt and vulnerable that really make me smile.

The Bad
Wedding bells are ringing…
…and it still doesn’t sit well with me. This whole idea of them getting married for the sake of Rachel’s well-being still seems a bit selfish. I know that it’s in her character to want it all like this, but it’s not believable in my eyes still. They all look wonderful in their wedding get-up, but I’m hoping for better things to come out of this when the show returns.

How long must we wait again!!!?
Another long hiatus? This is killing me! Last season, I couldn’t wait for breaks from the show. But this time around, I’m truly invested again just like I was back in the first season. Remember the Winter Finale when the won at Sectionals in December? Then we had to wait until April for them to return with the genius that was “The Power of Madonna” episode?
Sure, this time around the wait isn’t as long, but it still is long enough to get me agitated!!! On the other hand, thank you to the writers, creators, and executives at Fox for once again making Glee return as a birthday present to me!

What to Look Forward To
We’ll get to see is Quinn makes it out of that car accident alright.
We’ll see if Rachel and Finn ended up getting hitched (despite everyone being completely against it).
And best of all…Matt Bomer comes stops by to sing with his brother Blaine (Darren Criss). A gorgeous gay man playing it straight, and gorgeous straight man playing it gay…this should be exciting to see!!!

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