Glee 105 The Rhodes Not Taken
Oct. 6th, 2009 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
noracharlesA less enjoyable episode, though not as boring as Acafellas.
Will was not only able to magically heal Emma of her mental illness when it was inconveniencing him, he's also able to cure April of substance addiction when it inconveniences him, just by flirting! Truly, he is a great man. Or maybe he's a loathsome, egocentric, condescending, manipulative asshole? Whichever it is, sadly, as with Emma, the effect only lasts for as long as the woman is willing to tolerate his attitude for the sake of flirting.
I'm feeling a lot better about how much Will sucks, now that the show is consistently showing him to be flawed in this way, and I've decided it's deliberate and the writers are poking fun of people like him.
Thanks to horrible loser April (mother to mixed raced children, oh the shame!?!), female characters figured strongly in the two main storylines, and the episode passes the Bechdel test.
April comes back to high school as a ringer in glee club, since she still needs three credits to get her diploma, but rather than making a better life for herself, she starts spreading her bad influence and infecting the kids with her losertude. Substance abuse storylines are hard for me to watch, but I did enjoy the realism and humor. April was so gross she lessened my enjoyment a bit every time she was on screen, though.
Rachel (I love you, Rachel!) clashes horns with a bigger prima donna than her: Sandy. Oh Sandy, Sue is not going to be happy with you for alienating your star when you were supposed to keep her out of glee.
Finn shows that he can be almost as self-centered and manipulative as his role model Will, when he uses his sexual wiles to lure Rachel back to glee club. Too bad he's kind of dumb, and nearly makes her decide to stay away forever.
New storylines:
Puck decides to not sabotage Quinn and Finn outright by revealing his betrayal of his best friend - instead, he'll harass Quinn by spreading rumors. He's a lot better at manipulation than Finn.
Will gossips about his students' private business not only to his wife, but also to Emma.
Sandy bites the hand that feeds him. Sue gives Rachel control over the musical, but what will she do when she learns Sandy failed in the only thing she gave him his job back to do?
Old storylines:
Tina stands up to Rachel, willing to take the solo when April quits.
No news about Quinn and Santana vs. Sue, no news about Quinn's pregnancy, no news about Terri's "pregnancy".
Female characters:
Good percentage of characters, as always. And a good pass on conversations! April and Rachel had good storylines, and Emma picked up Will's manipulation slack when Will decided to bet on April rather than on getting Rachel back.
Characters of color:
Again, a fail on the second premise - no conversations between characters of color, though there was an okay percentage of speaking characters of color.
Tina stood up for herself, and Santana is making more of a presence of herself in glee club, not just as Quinn's yes-woman.
But there were no storylines for characters of color.
Characters with disabilities:
Poor Emma had to go to the emergency room, when Kurt was sick on her. But because she rocks, she was back at work later, even though she was visibly affected. She continues trying to win Will, with some masterful manipulation. I suspect she's starting to see his flaws, though.
Artie did not have a storyline, but was in the glee club's performance. In the first act he sang and danced, and in the second where the others were dancing on stairs, he sang and played with the band, which was highlighted more than what the other glee club members who did not have solos were doing. I take that as evidence that the writers are trying not to fall into the same traps they ridicule the characters for doing, and I like that! As with the Will is a jerk thing, I'm starting to trust the writers more.
Will was not only able to magically heal Emma of her mental illness when it was inconveniencing him, he's also able to cure April of substance addiction when it inconveniences him, just by flirting! Truly, he is a great man. Or maybe he's a loathsome, egocentric, condescending, manipulative asshole? Whichever it is, sadly, as with Emma, the effect only lasts for as long as the woman is willing to tolerate his attitude for the sake of flirting.
I'm feeling a lot better about how much Will sucks, now that the show is consistently showing him to be flawed in this way, and I've decided it's deliberate and the writers are poking fun of people like him.
Thanks to horrible loser April (mother to mixed raced children, oh the shame!?!), female characters figured strongly in the two main storylines, and the episode passes the Bechdel test.
April comes back to high school as a ringer in glee club, since she still needs three credits to get her diploma, but rather than making a better life for herself, she starts spreading her bad influence and infecting the kids with her losertude. Substance abuse storylines are hard for me to watch, but I did enjoy the realism and humor. April was so gross she lessened my enjoyment a bit every time she was on screen, though.
Rachel (I love you, Rachel!) clashes horns with a bigger prima donna than her: Sandy. Oh Sandy, Sue is not going to be happy with you for alienating your star when you were supposed to keep her out of glee.
Finn shows that he can be almost as self-centered and manipulative as his role model Will, when he uses his sexual wiles to lure Rachel back to glee club. Too bad he's kind of dumb, and nearly makes her decide to stay away forever.
New storylines:
Puck decides to not sabotage Quinn and Finn outright by revealing his betrayal of his best friend - instead, he'll harass Quinn by spreading rumors. He's a lot better at manipulation than Finn.
Will gossips about his students' private business not only to his wife, but also to Emma.
Sandy bites the hand that feeds him. Sue gives Rachel control over the musical, but what will she do when she learns Sandy failed in the only thing she gave him his job back to do?
Old storylines:
Tina stands up to Rachel, willing to take the solo when April quits.
No news about Quinn and Santana vs. Sue, no news about Quinn's pregnancy, no news about Terri's "pregnancy".
| Episode | Speaking characters | Female characters | F-Bechdel | Characters of color | R-Bechdel |
| 101 | 19 | 8 (42%) | Pass, 2 out of 3 conversations | 6 (32%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 102 | 21 | 11 (52%) | Pass, 6 out of 8 conversations | 6 (29%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 103 | 26 | 12 (46%) | Pass, 4 out of 8 conversations | 9 (35%) | Fail, 0 out of 1 conversation |
| 104 | 21 | 10 (48%) | Pass, 1 out of 2 conversations | 5 (24%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 105 | 18 | 9 (50%) | Pass, 4 out of 4 conversations | 4 (22%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| Episode | Speaking characters | Female characters | F-Bechdel | Characters of color | R-Bechdel |
| 101 | 19 | 8 (42%) | Pass, 2 out of 3 conversations | 6 (32%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 102 | 21 | 11 (52%) | Pass, 6 out of 8 conversations | 6 (29%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 103 | 26 | 12 (46%) | Pass, 4 out of 8 conversations | 9 (35%) | Fail, 0 out of 1 conversation |
| 104 | 21 | 10 (48%) | Pass, 1 out of 2 conversations | 5 (24%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
| 105 | 18 | 9 (50%) | Pass, 4 out of 4 conversations | 4 (22%) | Fail, 0 conversations |
Female characters:
Good percentage of characters, as always. And a good pass on conversations! April and Rachel had good storylines, and Emma picked up Will's manipulation slack when Will decided to bet on April rather than on getting Rachel back.
Characters of color:
Again, a fail on the second premise - no conversations between characters of color, though there was an okay percentage of speaking characters of color.
Tina stood up for herself, and Santana is making more of a presence of herself in glee club, not just as Quinn's yes-woman.
But there were no storylines for characters of color.
Characters with disabilities:
Poor Emma had to go to the emergency room, when Kurt was sick on her. But because she rocks, she was back at work later, even though she was visibly affected. She continues trying to win Will, with some masterful manipulation. I suspect she's starting to see his flaws, though.
Artie did not have a storyline, but was in the glee club's performance. In the first act he sang and danced, and in the second where the others were dancing on stairs, he sang and played with the band, which was highlighted more than what the other glee club members who did not have solos were doing. I take that as evidence that the writers are trying not to fall into the same traps they ridicule the characters for doing, and I like that! As with the Will is a jerk thing, I'm starting to trust the writers more.