Glee

Sept 2010

Having read rave reviews in the papers about Glee, I finally decided to watch the first episode of Glee. 

After watching the first episode of Glee, I’m an instant fan. They were right. It’s a great show ! Great songs, great singing, great dance routines, and by the end of the first episode, my only regret was I shouldn’t have waited so long to catch this show. 

Here’s a quick summary of my favourite episode so far – the Pilot episode. 

Will Scheuster teaches Spanish at McKinley William High School. He loves his job and he couldn’t be happier when the Glee Club teacher advisor role becomes available. He decides to take it. Glee by definition is “opening yourself up to joy”, we find out.

He tells bored-looking principal he wants to take over the Glee Club. “You want to take over as Captain of Titanic too?” he asked Will. It is clear he’s not passionate about his job, quite the opposite of Will. He tells Will he has to pay $60 a month to keep the Glee Club going. 

Will decides to take up the challenge of motivating his kids to excel, even if it means forking out money to do something which he is supposed to be paid for. He declares

There’s no joy in these kids. They feel invisible. That’s why every single one of them has a MySpace page.

He has an inspiration for the new name for his Glee Club team – New Direction. Audition begins for New Direction. Five kids decide to sign up:

Gay looking Guy (Kurt) 

Plump African-American Girl (Mercedes)

Asian looking Girl (Tina)

Wheelchair-bound Guy (Artie)

The Star (Rachel) 

In what he describes as the blackest day in his life, Will tricks the popular Football Star to sign up as the male lead after hearing him sing in the shower after football practice

Can’t fight this feeling anymore

Don’t know what I started fighting for 

Glee Club desperately need a male lead singer and he hopes by signing up the Football Star, other kids will sign up too. 

The Glee Club decides to take a field trip and check out their competition. At the performance, we find out that last year’s regional champion is Vocal Adrenaline. They appear on stage, girls in blue and the guys in white shirt. They start on a sedate note, with heads bow down 

Ohio, ohio, ohio

And then burst into frantic energy of

They tried to make me go to rehab 

And I won’t go, go, go

It was non-stop, top-notch dancing and singing till the end of the song. This Amy Winehouse song has never sounded so good. The audience burst into wild applause. 

Camera zooms in our Glee Club members. They look stunned. “We’re doomed”, Asian looking girl said. Will’s jaw has dropped and remains in that position.

Back at the home front, Will finds out that his wife is expecting their first child. He now has a family to support and has to do the right thing. He decides to give up his dream – the Glee Club and his teaching job. He needs a better paying job with better benefits. He breaks the news to his Glee Club.

As Will walks down the hallway on his last day at school, he hears music from the auditorium. He decides to take a last look at his dream. He sees

On stage: everyone is dressed in red t-shirt and dark blue jeans. They are rehearsing a new routine, without Will. 

Football star starts to sing

Just a small town girl

Living in a lonely world

She took the midnight train 

Going anywhere

Rachel then sings

Just a city boy

Born and raised in South Detroit

He took the midnight train

Going anywhere

All five singers are now singing together, and for the first time, looking happy doing what they enjoy doing - singing. 

Don’t stop believing

Hold on to that feeling

Will knew what he had to was the right thing. He steps in to tell his kids. 

End of Episode 1