(no subject)

[solaciolum]

Oh, Glee. Glee, we need to talk.

Your snappy musical numbers are amazing, Glee. They inject just the right amount of- dare I say it- gleeful absurdity into an already absurd show and make it sparkle. And look at you, with your quota-filling cast of minority characters! Diversity in a show about high school? I'm so proud of you, Glee!


But, seriously. Your tired stereotypes are not fun. The quiet Asian with a stutter? The misunderstood sassy black girl? (Which, by the way, is a stereotype I have a huge mental disconnect over, because girls like Mercedes were the ones on the cheerleading squad and the ones getting solos in Gospel Choir at my high school.) The gay boy who listens to Liza Minelli and wears fabulous clothes? The nerd in the wheelchair, the overachieving Jewish princess (we had those at my school, too- they usually ended up being class president), the manipulative and evil cheerleaders? Couldn't you have tried a little harder? Just a little?

Now, I do understand that the show is attempting to subvert these stereotypes, and I look forward to seeing that actually happen as the show goes on. But sometimes I wish that writers and producers would stop relying on stereotypes and just create characters who are people.

But I'm not annoyed enough by the blatant stereotypes among the kids to keep from being entertained- I am really easily distracted by snappy musical numbers, let me tell you.

The adults, though. The adults make my skin crawl. The kids may be crafted out of stereotypes, but those stereotypes are mostly just worn out- offensive, yes, but not actively harmful. We're supposed to like the kids. But the adults- there's the histrionic, manipulative wife, who pretends to be pregnant to keep her husband involved with her; the neurotic, OCD quietly suffering martyred woman in love with a married man, who gets involved with the overweight, overbearing football coach (he's funny because he's fat! *kills something*). And then there's the feminazi pseudo-lesbian cheerleading coach, the gay teacher who got fired for suspected pedophilia, and the miserly Indian principal who has to make budget cuts all the time.

I have a serious problem with Terri and Emma- we're supposed to hate Terri, because she's everything that makes women awful, amirite? You know, the gold-digging, pregnancy faking, spoiled, lazy, manipulative, self-centered bitch who just makes life difficult for her poor, sacrificing husband? Sure, it's caricature, the whole point is that it's over the top. But it still isn't funny. Because Terri is demanding and wants things, and we're supposed to feel sorry for Will and we're supposed to hope he breaks up with her and gets together with Emma. Emma, who is quiet and sweet and understanding, whose neuroses make her cute, not annoying, who doesn't demand anything.

Now, it is possible to note the subtle opposition to Terri and Emma found in Rachel and Quinn; Rachel is the ambitious, outspoken, driven young woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to say so, while Quinn is the catty, manipulative one who knows her place and stays in it. But 'subtle' is not a word I would generally use to describe this show, so I'm going to chalk that up to coincidence.

I'm just very tired of seeing women on TV turned into villains and caricatures for the sake of a laugh. I stopped laughing a long time ago.

I'm still amused enough by other aspects of the show- the music, and the occasionally brilliant dialogue- to keep watching. For now, the shiny factor is beating out the problematic aspects of the show, and I really hope it keeps doing that.