# Glee 2/22: On My Way **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576 "2012-02-22T01:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/61 "2012-02-25T19:36:58Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Did Vocal Adrenoline just disband when the zombie apocalypse hit the eastsouthern central west part of Ohio? They’ll probably just show up at Nationals like last year, despite not having been seen at Regionals. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/62 "2012-02-26T23:36:03Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > They’ll probably just show up at Nationals like last year, despite not having been seen at Regionals. I think they had some throwaway line about them being in a different division, like they shuffle which teams go to which sectionals and regionals. That’s why we don’t see Aural Intensity anymore either. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/63 "2012-02-26T23:52:06Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > They’ve referred to Regionals as the Midwest Regionals, so it is presumably a multi-state competition. Checking online, I see that Aural Intensity, who competed at Regionals 2010 and 2011, were announced as being from Indiana. Since there’s apparently no state level competition, it’s unclear how they wind up with 50 teams at Nationals…especially since it’s my impression that show choirs are mostly a Midwestern thing. In reality, show choirs are really rare. There is one in my district. There are seven in the whole state of Minnesota. And we have a show choir that has gone to nationals with some frequency - and they are no where near that good. They also start with a set list picked by the director in August, and sing those same songs all year long. None of this “regionals is two weeks away, what are we going to sing.” There is a lot of musical fantasy in Glee. You have to roll with it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/64 "2012-02-27T02:00:12Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I think they had some throwaway line about them being in a different division, like they shuffle which teams go to which sectionals and regionals. I don’t remember anything like that being mentioned last season, but a few episodes back Sebastian did say that the Warblers had been assigned to a different Sectionals date than New Directions. And of course there must be at least three Sectionals competitions that feed into Regionals. > [@](#): > > That’s why we don’t see Aural Intensity anymore either. I figured AI just didn’t win their Sectionals this year and thus did not qualify for Regionals. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/65 "2012-02-27T02:24:26Z")
[QUOTE=Dangerosa] None of this “regionals is two weeks away, what are we going to sing.” [/QUOTE] To me the shark jumper was “Nationals is two _hours_ away, what are we going to _write and_ sing?” I’ve wondered if _Community_ was deliberately parodying that in the Christmas episode when Abed tells Britta “the words are in your heart”. (For those who don’t watch Community, the Christmas episode was definitely a GLEE parody, and towards the end the non-singing drama queen member of the group is sent onstage with no preparation.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/66 "2012-02-27T23:35:57Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To me the shark jumper was “Nationals is two _hours_ away, what are we going to _write and_ sing?” [/SIZE]) And choreograph…because the synchronized dancing doesn’t just break out ala West Side Story in real life. Musical fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/67 "2012-02-28T00:28:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To me the shark jumper was “Nationals is two _hours_ away, what are we going to _write and_ sing?” I’ve wondered if _Community_ was deliberately parodying that in the Christmas episode when Abed tells Britta “the words are in your heart”. Could be – that parody was dead-on with a lot of _Glee_ elements, including the vague and illogical way the competitions are organized. (I can’t find the exact quote online, but there was a great bit about “We’ve got to make it to Regionals! And then Sectionals! And then Regional Sectionals, Semi-Nationals…”) > [@Dangerosa](#): > > And choreograph…because the synchronized dancing doesn’t just break out ala West Side Story in real life. Musical fantasy. I’m fine with well-rehearsed musical numbers appearing with no on-screen rehearsal – it would be boring to see all the rehearsing, and we can just assume it took place off-screen – but it did annoy me that last season’s finale made it explicit that their Nationals performance had been written, choreographed, and rehearsed in its entirely the night before/morning of the actual competition. I actually don’t even have a problem suspending my disbelief enough to accept that an entirely original routine _could_ be worked out overnight, I just couldn’t believe that all the characters would be _willing_ to do it that way. It would have been both easier and more professional to just fall back on any of the dozens of numbers they’d performed in the past, or even some existing song that they knew well but had never performed as a group. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/68 "2012-02-28T01:35:38Z")
> [@lamia](#): > > could be – that parody was dead-on with a lot of _glee_ elements, including the vague and illogical way the competitions are organized. (i can’t find the exact quote online, but there was a great bit about “we’ve got to make it to regionals! And then sectionals! And then regional sectionals, semi-nationals…”) “What the Hell Are Sectionals?!!!?” Also the “You do see him too, don’t you?” pianist. I can’t believe they’ve never given the pianist anything remotely character building when he’s had more screen time than some of the students who’ve sung solos. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/69 "2012-02-28T01:47:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > To me the shark jumper was “Nationals is two _hours_ away, what are we going to _write and_ sing?” I’ve wondered if _Community_ was deliberately parodying that in the Christmas episode when Abed tells Britta “the words are in your heart”. Of course they were. GLEE! ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/70 "2012-02-28T01:56:04Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > In reality, show choirs are really rare. There is one in my district. There are seven in the whole state of Minnesota. > > And we have a show choir that has gone to nationals with some frequency - and they are no where near that good. They also start with a set list picked by the director in August, and sing those same songs all year long. None of this “regionals is two weeks away, what are we going to sing.” > > There is a lot of musical fantasy in Glee. You have to roll with it. /putting on show-choir nerd hat/ Well, Iowa is pretty much stuffed with show choirs. There are six pretty good varsity programs here in Cedar Rapids alone, not to mention the prep/junior varsity groups. There’s a couple of programs in Iowa City, a couple in Waterloo, a few in Davenport/Quad Cities. Even small schools like Benton Community, Vinton, Mount Pleasant and Muscatine have competitive show choirs. So yeah, we’ve got plenty of 'em around here. Some even have freshman show choirs, and there’s enough middle-school programs for a competition here in town this weekend. The Omaha-Lincoln area has several good choirs, as well as southwestern Wisconsin. I know Indiana is a hotbed, and maybe Illinois, too. Another thing about 'Nationals" in reality … there is indeed a “National” show choir contest. But there’s no regional/sectional/supersectional tournament setup to get there. All you have to do is send in your application to go (with the application fee, of course), and if there’s still room available, you’re in. One of the Cedar Rapids high schools has gone there at least once in the past four or five years. In all honesty, it’s really not that big of a deal. And now I’ve revealed a bit too much about myself … /removes show-choir nerd hat and slinks away/ ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/71 "2012-02-28T02:28:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > “What the Hell Are Sectionals?!!!?” > > Also the “You do see him too, don’t you?” pianist. I can’t believe they’ve never given the pianist anything remotely character building when he’s had more screen time than some of the students who’ve sung solos. I’ve been wishing for a long time that they’d do a sort of _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_ episode from the perspective of the pianist and the jazz band, or at least have them do _something_ where they demonstrate some personality. When Rachel was trying to find a prom date I was hoping it would be revealed that, say, the bass player had a longstanding crush on her and finally worked up the nerve to ask her out, only to be refused because he’s not a singer. The pianist is presumably a faculty member and may be off teaching music classes when not in the choir room, but the jazz band members must be students. What is their social standing at McKinley, given that they’re the backup band for a club that is itself considered the bottom of the totem pole? While we’ve occasionally seen them at lunch, they don’t seem to get invited to social events organized by New Directions members. They’re never thanked, and rarely acknowledged even fleetingly, for their contributions to the glee club. While Googling the _Glee_ jazz band I found these two animated videos on YouTube, in which the band lets New Directions have it for how they’ve been treated over the years: [Jazz Band Fights Back!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJLV_vaP9VY) and [Jazz Band Fights Back 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU1dXEuVcUo&). ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/72 "2012-02-28T03:35:49Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I’ve been wishing for a long time that they’d do a sort of _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead_ episode from the perspective of the pianist and the jazz band, or at least have them do _something_ where they demonstrate some personality. That would be brilliant. You’ll never see it, but it would be brilliant. I’ve always assumed the pianist not only still lives with his mother but, she beats him, which is why a middle aged guy doesn’t mind playing silently after school for a bunch of drama queens. The teens on guitar and brass and all were McKinley students who died of suicide and gang related crimes over the past century and this is something they must do before they’re released from Purgatory (which is somewhere between Lima and Steubenville). ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/73 "2012-03-01T04:59:40Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The teens on guitar and brass and all were McKinley students who died of suicide and gang related crimes over the past century and this is something they must do before they’re released from Purgatory (which is somewhere between Lima and Steubenville). The poor drummer must be _really_ mad whenever Finn insists on playing the drums! ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/74 "2012-03-01T05:11:32Z")
The stand-out of the episode, to me, was that the guy who plays Karofsky can do pathos well. I already knew Chris Colfer could, so their scene was pretty thick with eye-moistening emotion. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576/75 "2012-03-02T03:21:17Z")
Hmm. The Trevor Project (an LGBT call center for anyone unfamiliar) reported a [300% increase](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/28/glee-suicide-storyline-trevor-project_n_1307872.html?ref=mostpopular)in calls and an even bigger increase in web traffic after the episode. I forget sometimes how powerful a medium even a cartoonishly glurgey show can be. (I don’t know why I forget- Tyler Perry is a near-billionaire for a reason.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-2-22-on-my-way/613576.md?page=3)