# Glee 4/21 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835 "2010-04-21T06:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/21 "2010-04-21T17:04:56Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I didn’t like it. The productions were nice, but there were too many of them. Two minutes of story, then burst into another song. It was like a Bollywood movie. It didn’t help that the songs were mostly mediocre. Madonna has occasional sparks, but is basically generic pop crap. > > Wait, Finn was a virgin and yet still somehow believed he was the father of Quinn’s baby? How did that work? I came in late last season. he has a problem with premature explosions. the explanation was after a makeout session in a hot tub where he spewed, the little buggers swam through the bikini bottom and up through the tubes. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/22 "2010-04-21T17:08:04Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > he has a problem with premature explosions. I kept waiting for his and Santana’s parts in the number to end early because he came early. Or at least not be able to seal the deal once it ended because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/23 "2010-04-21T17:09:01Z")
Speaking of which – is Quinn still living with Finn and his mom? Strange that hasn’t been mentioned since they broke up. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/24 "2010-04-21T18:00:22Z")
Our station messed up, so who actually went through with “the deed”? ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/25 "2010-04-21T18:11:49Z")
Only Finn went through with it. Rachel couldn’t do it because she wasn’t ready yet and Emma got squicked out again. Finn lied to Rachel and said he didn’t do it while Rachel lied and told him that she did go through with it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/26 "2010-04-21T18:12:20Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Speaking of which – is Quinn still living with Finn and his mom? Strange that hasn’t been mentioned since they broke up. I was wondering that too. They haven’t said, nor have they mentioned her plans for the baby now that Will’s wife is (presumably) out. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/27 "2010-04-21T21:56:23Z")
This was my first episode of **Glee** and it was cute, though naturally it was a little confusing for a little while there as I didn’t know the bigger story arcs. Loved the “Express Yourself,” “Four Minutes” and especially the “Like a Virgin” numbers. I enjoyed Jane Lynch – how could you not? – and I like Kurt and Mercedes a lot. Finn is quite sympathetic, though I don’t know the full backstory with him and Rachel, and I’m not sure why Jesse is untrustworthy. (What a cutie he is, btw! Wow! I feel dirty just crushing on a guy who’s at least 20 years younger than I am.) Can’t tell what I’m supposed to think about the music director (Will? Shoe?) and the virgin teacher. He’s charming but seems clueless, and whatever her story is, I feel sorry for her. Some questions to longtime viewers: is there a _regular_ chorus in this school, or anything more to its music department? Do they put on musicals? And who’s the choreographer for all these productions, btw? Is Sue a gym coach or just a cheerleader coach? And do these cheerleaders ever, like, cheer for games, or are their performances an end in itself? I’ll definitely be tuning in again. And speaking of tuning… > [@TheTerribleTako](#): > > I did like both of the Cheerio numbers and I appreciate that they’re going easier on the auto-tune as well. This was them going _easier_ on auto-tune?! YIPE. I was totally distracted and disappointed by the reliance on that crap, and was holding out hope that it was just a one-off attempt to sound more like Madonna (circa “Music”). What bugs me about the use of this gimmick…well, more than usual, since I hate its ubiquity in modern music…is that it doesn’t make sense for a high school chorus, which is presumably singing live. If these kids are supposed to be so super-talented, why aren’t we hearing them _au naturel_? And worse, the processing makes all the voices sound alike. Everyone ends up sounding like a glorified [GLaDOS](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ljFaKRTrI). ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/28 "2010-04-21T22:08:40Z")
While not a huge fan, I generally like Glee. Last night’s episode left me kind of underwhelmed. I think it was because of the “thematic.” Glee doesn’t really work when it tries to do A Very Special Episode. ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/29 "2010-04-21T22:14:40Z")
> [@choie](#): > > This was them going _easier_ on auto-tune?! YIPE. I was totally distracted and disappointed by the reliance on that crap, and was holding out hope that it was just a one-off attempt to sound more like Madonna (circa “Music”). Yup. The actors are (mostly) pretty talented singers, so I’m not sure why they feel the need to auto-tune so much. The earlier episodes were much worse, especially any song that involved Finn. Sue is only the cheer coach but they’ve established that the Cheerios are national champions akin to the cheerleading team in Bring It On. They were present at a football game earlier in the season though. If you’re referring to the chorus at the end of the episode, nope, they’re not from the school or regulars or have any logical reason to be there. They’re there for the same reason the Glee kids, despite their unpopularity, can manage to get a whole passel of band kids for _every single_ jam session they have. It’s just Glee and it defies common sense and logic. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/30 "2010-04-21T22:29:47Z")
> [@TheTerribleTako](#): > > Sue is only the cheer coach but they’ve established that the Cheerios are national champions akin to the cheerleading team in Bring It On. They were present at a football game earlier in the season though. Which, for those new to the series, is ironic because the football team sucks. The first 13 episodes are available on DVD through netflix and anything since is still on [Fox.com](http://Fox.com) if you want to play catch up. It’s well worth it. Also wikipedia gives character profiles and episode synopses. I was glad to see Becky (the cheerleader with DS) again. Too often they introduce a special character (whether it’s someone in a wheelchair, retarded, blind, or even sometimes just fat or unattractive) to show somebody’s nice side and then they shove them back into Narnia. (Also for newbies: so far the only soft side Sue has shown is for the retarded sister she mentioned last night, and luckily even she wasn’t too glurgey- well, I suppose her confession about her hair was a vulnerable side, if she was telling the truth [which she may not be because she’s does lie {e.g. that she’s 29, that she had her tear ducts and her uterus removed so that she won’t cry or have kids that betray her, etc.] but she is telling the truth about her sister, who was on the program in an episode.) Nobody is quite sure what Jesse’s angle is yet, though he is definitely a mole for Vocal Adrenoline’s coach (Idina Menzel). ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/31 "2010-04-21T23:11:23Z")
is mercedes EVER autotuned though? that girl has pipes. i wish the camera would slow down a tad during the musical numbers. what’s the point of having eye candy if they’re a blur and you can’t see them? especially quinn. that chick is almost distractingly hot. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/32 "2010-04-21T23:21:15Z")
Ah! Thanks very much for the answers, guys. Yeah, I figured the chorus wasn’t part of the school, because one thing I noticed about this glee club/school is that it seems _very_ white, aside from Mercedes and the Asian chick who was yelling at the kid in the wheelchair. What I meant re: my question was about a regular school chorus or orchestra or any other music program. They seem to have a stage band. Is Will/Shoe (is Shoe his last name?) a regular music teacher too? > [@Sampiro](#): > > (Also for newbies: so far the only soft side Sue has shown is for the retarded sister she mentioned last night, and luckily even she wasn’t too glurgey- well, I suppose her confession about her hair was a vulnerable side, if she was telling the truth [which she may not be because she’s does lie {e.g. that she’s 29, that she had her tear ducts and her uterus removed so that she won’t cry or have kids that betray her, etc.] but she is telling the truth about her sister, who was on the program in an episode.) Now that’s especially helpful, because I assumed she was lying about the whole thing! > [@](#): > > Nobody is quite sure what Jesse’s angle is yet, though he is definitely a mole for Vocal Adrenoline’s coach (Idina Menzel). This is a club from another school, presumably? I don’t want to look at Wikipedia too early lest I be spoiled. But I’ll catch up soon via Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/33 "2010-04-21T23:37:28Z")
I agree with Mercedes and Kurt that they don’t get enough time. Actually, none of the side characters get enough singing time. I liked the “Like a Virgin” number because we finally get to hear Santana sing. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/34 "2010-04-22T00:02:13Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > is mercedes EVER autotuned though? that girl has pipes. I loved her comment last night about how she never gets a solo “unless it’s to WAILLL out the last notes!” She also had one of my favorite punchlines of the series- when Sue hijacked all of the minorities (i.e. Kurt, Artie and non-white) and was mentioning how (I’m paraphrasing) “Though society has thrown them to the curb, they grew up on food stamps and welfare and scrounge through our scraps for survival…” and Mercedes interrupts with “Um… my dad’s a dentist”. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/35 "2010-04-22T00:13:27Z")
> [@choie](#): > > This was them going _easier_ on auto-tune?! YIPE. Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing. But then I told myself that maybe I am hyper-sensitive to auto-tune because of my great hate for modern R&B music. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/36 "2010-04-22T00:20:29Z")
While we’re requesting less autotune, how about less shakeycam, too? I don’t like it when it’s overused in an action movie; I really hate it when I’m trying to watch two people talking in a school. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/37 "2010-04-22T00:24:20Z")
> [@choie](#): > > …Is Sue a gym coach or just a cheerleader coach? And do these cheerleaders ever, like, cheer for games, or are their performances an end in itself?.. She’s probally a gym teacher _on paper_, but devouts all her efforts to coaching the cheerleaders (& scouting for talent in her classes) instead of actually bothering trying to teach her PE students anything (the boys’ PE teachers at my school had a similar arrangment). Likewise Will is supposed to be a Spanish teacher, but that doesn’t come up much. We saw a little of that in the early episodes when he discovered that most of Sue’s Cheerios were illiterate. Speeking the Cheerios; have we seen any male Cheerios before? Kurt clearly can’t be the first one as Sue already had male performers in the number where every was on stilts? ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/38 "2010-04-22T02:08:56Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Ah! Thanks very much for the answers, guys. Yeah, I figured the chorus wasn’t part of the school, because one thing I noticed about this glee club/school is that it seems _very_ white, aside from Mercedes and the Asian chick who was yelling at the kid in the wheelchair. What I meant re: my question was about a regular school chorus or orchestra or any other music program. They seem to have a stage band. Is Will/Shoe (is Shoe his last name?) a regular music teacher too? Will’s last name is Schuester, everyone shortens it to Schue. As for music program, we’re not shown any other music programs at McKinley High except for the glee club, which got taken over by Mr. Schue this year. The associated instrumental players (I think that’s the stage band you’re talking about) that seem to pop up all over the place were given a cursory explanation in the beginning, i.e; “Oh look, guys, I got some band members to come play for us.” As the season went on though, they just seemed to materialize. They also seem to be telepathic since there’s at least one incident where they started playing the music _without_ anyone telling them what to play! > [@choie](#): > > This is a club from another school, presumably? > > I don’t want to look at Wikipedia too early lest I be spoiled. But I’ll catch up soon via Netflix. Vocal Adrenaline is the National Champions of show choir and their direct competition. Earlier in the season, we saw them in action and they are very professional and as a program, very ruthless. The show is really silly at times and you really can’t take the storylines too seriously. Some of the writing and dialogue can be really awful when it comes to Very Special Episodes, but I still like it for reasons I can’t quite pinpoint. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/39 "2010-04-22T02:41:42Z")
Did anyone notice the titles of this week’s Counselor pamphlets? “Help! I’m In Love With My Stepfather!” and “Breastfeeding: How Long Really Is Too Long?” StG ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835/40 "2010-04-22T02:48:48Z")
A word of warning also: the TV show is basically a weekly musical comedy and it follows the logic of musical comedies: assume that if somebody begins playing a piano or a guitar that a whole invisible band is going to join in, or that if somebody takes three awkward self-conscious steps then they’ll soon be spinning around with something that looks like it took weeks to choreograph, and several of the songs are inside the heads of the characters. (One of my favorites so far was this way- Artie’s _Dancing With Myself_ number.) Either that or Will just happens to keep a black choir on payroll and standing around outside the school in case they need back up and the choral room has the best acoustics in the known universe. But that gives us moments [like this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2FMdOLyRcA), so I’m not complaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glee-4-21/536835.md?page=3)