REVIEW: Third season of ‘Glee’ still doesn’t live up to hype

Once upon a time, I loved “Glee.” The idea of a television series revolving around the reality of being in a show choir made my dance partner and I giddy with the possibilities. We thought they would surely emphasize the long dance practices and the hours of singing.

I blame this false optimism on the sheer amount of hairspray we inhaled during competitions; obviously, the cloud of chemicals turned us into a bunch of blind fans who are now staring at the third season wondering what went wrong and when it will end.

The cliché cast starts out the season with the airhead cheerleader advising the gay student running for president that he should ‘embrace being a unicorn’ in his upcoming election with glitter-filled and rainbow-colored posters. The level of stupidity the writers put her at leave me wondering how she even remembers to breathe.

The usual “be yourself” mantra of Glee is teetering towards hypocritical due to the cliché girl-next-door turning into the bad girl and the gay student, Kurt, hiding who he is in an attempt to win the part in the school play.

On the other hand, Kurt’s boyfriend is asked to play the lead role in the school play.  I cannot help but to gush about Darren Criss who plays the boyfriend because not only does he have many possible story lines but the eagerness he shows breathes fresh air into the stale characters who have shown the same emotions in every episode.

In between the horrible void left by Zizes and Sam who are no longer season regulars, the mandatory “Booty Camp” led by the over-enthusiastic instructor Idina Menzel returns as Rachel’s birth mother. She has apparently “missed all of her milestones.” Aside from the fact that the writers seem to have forgotten she did not give Rachel up for adoption but was instead a surrogate, it’s good to have more than one high-quality singer on the cast.

However, the Barbara Streisand songs are becoming even more tiring than Rachel’s look of pain and head-turn at every note. We get it, you know how to sing with your eyes closed, but do you know how to do it with them open?

Sue Sylvester is back to her old ways of torturing the Glee Club, like trying to get rid of the arts programs in public schools. This raises the question: What happened between now and the tears she displayed at her sister’s funeral for the song the Glee club sang? Are we missing something? I love Jane Lynch’s comedic timing, but the writers are doing her talent a great disservice by creating character whiplash with her feelings.

Although the show’s creator Ryan Murphy promised to improve upon the disaster that was the second season by showing character consistency and story arcs, every episode revolves around the same formula — a problem arises, Mr. Schue, glee club instructor, writes a word on the board, songs are sang, lesson learned, problem solved by end of the episode. This formula is still in the process of being faded out.

Sadly, the gaping holes in the boat that is their plot are still very evident. Rather than hold on and hope for it to be fixed, I’m choosing to grab my life vest and leave before the whole show sinks in a giant “Titanic”-themed episode.

Reach reviewer Natalie Doering at [email protected]