There are a few shows that Jacob and I insist on watching together, every week.  “Our shows” if you will…  If one of us is out of town, we wait until we’re both at home and watch the playback on TiVo.  Glee on FOX is one such show, and it just keeps getting better, week after proverbial week.

Lady Gaga costumes from the "Theatricality" episode

It’s interesting to me that we both take different things away from the show, based on the unique webs of cultural intertext our upbringings have woven. 

Jacob approaches the show with complete suspension of disbelief, while I get just a little bit agro with virtually every episode, declaring such invectives as “They can’t afford a bus for the kid in the wheelchair, but the drama department just happens to have a veritable studio wardrobe on its hands?!?  In the middle of East Nowheresville, Ohio?  Really?”  At this point. Jacob usually just looks at me, pats me on the hand, and says “It’s make-believe, Grandpa.  Get with it.”

Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel ("Le Jazz Hot")

Whilst I'm not a huge fan of Travie McCoy and was convinced that Bruno Mars was a female-to-male sex change when I first saw him on Saturday Night Live, I love that their songs are included in the mix with Cee Lo Green, Florence + the Machine, KISS, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, and Tina Turner.

On the other hand, when the songs veer toward something older than the ‘80s or from musical theater (i.e. “Le Jazz Hot” from Victor/Victoria or “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl), I usually have to do some explaining.  I think, though, this is part of the show’s wide appeal. 

Amber Riley, Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer ("Vogue")

Oftentimes, the Glee kids do a better job than the original performer (witness the all-male Warblers’ a cappella performance of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” – in eight-part harmony, no less).  And then there are moments of sheer brilliance.  The virtual shot-by-shot recreation of Madonna’s “Vogue” video by Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester added just enough humor to the mind-blowing pastiche to avoid being sycophantic; while the head-to-head duets/showdowns (including  “Defying Gravity,” “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy”), between Rachel (Lea Michelle) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) are truly moving.

Lea Michele as Rachel Berry ("Don't Rain on My Parade")

Sure, the standards you’d expect are here, such as the beautifully performed “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret, and “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables.  But better still are the unexpected, like the all-girl rendition of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and Madonna’s “Burning Up” with the girls backing-up Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff).  And the mash-ups – such as Rihanna’s “Umbrella” and Gene Kelly’s “Singin’ in the Rain” (with a cameo by Gwyneth Paltrow) are just a pleasure to watch.

Me?  I just sit there, incredulously wondering how this public high school can afford a Cirque du Soleil-esque rain-feature onstage, in their auditorium – but as Jacob reminds me, I’ve got issues, and that’s just me losing sight of the fantasy of it all.

Lauren Potter as Becky Johnson

But Glee is more than just the songs and performances.  It manages to stay on point with current events and doesn’t brush sensitive issues under the rug.  When a student with Down’s Syndrome (Lauren Potter) tries-out for the cheerleading squad, for instance, the otherwise heartless Sue Sylvester brings her on as her assistant.  Later, we come to find that Sue’s older sister has Down’s, thus allowing for the one soft spot in her otherwise brusque demeanor.  The character of Becky was met with such positive reaction, that Potter has been brought-on as a series-regular and as a result of her spot-on delivery, is given some of the best lines on a show positively riddled with zingers.

To wit, the operatic chorus of Brittany (Heather Morris) who delivers some of the most genius lines of idiocy, and her BFF Santana (Naya Rivera) who reacts with looks of worry and befuddlement.  (My favorite example: “Did you know that dolphins are just gay sharks?”)

And as for things that just won’t fit into any closet, there’s the of-the-moment poignancy of the physical and mental intimidation faced by Kurt (William McKinley High’s only “out” gay student) that drives him to leave WMHS, so he can attend the private Dalton Academy, where – due to its zero-tolerance policy on bullying – he feels safe to be himself.  Ironically, there are already hints that he misses the uniqueness that Dalton’s well-meaning uniformity seems to hamper.

Darren Criss as Blaine with the Dalton Academy Warblers ("Teenage Dream")

Of course, I lose my mind over the absurdly chic (think: preppy à la McQueen) uniforms worn by the students at Dalton (navy blazers trimmed in red grosgrain), as well as the posh school itself (it’s a private school in Ohio, not Brideshead, for heaven’s sake).  But again, that’s just me…

Jayma Mays as impeccably-styled guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury

On the other hand, we delight in the show's deliciously nuanced treats, such as "Sue's Corner" (the op-ed segments that Coach Sylvester does for the local network news), and how guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) is sublimely tailored in '50s attire but also suffurs from obsessive compulsive disorder.

Jane Lynch as Coach Sue Sylvester ("Sue's Corner")

My obsession with realistic art direction notwithstanding, Glee has become one of the most acclaimed series on television, today.  This year, alone, it won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy; a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series; and garnered 19 Emmy Award nominations, of which it won four, including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Jane Lynch.

Long-story longer – I’m an out and proud member of the Gleek Nation, and welcome you all to join me.  You might get a little misty, at times, but you’ll see some pretty awesome singing and dancing, and you’ll do a whole lot of laughing.

Glee on FOX
Tuesdays at 8pm

  Get into it!