# The characters on "Glee" are dumber than boxes of rocks. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 26, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194 "2012-11-26T20:13:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/21 "2012-11-29T03:49:38Z")
Her nose is a bit big, there, I said it. I also think sometimes the show goes out of its way to emphasize it with unflattering angles. Of course I wouldn’t call her, or any of the cast, unattractive in real life but she’s no Dianna Agron, who is also perfectly cast because she is pretty to the point of being distracting.:o ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/22 "2012-11-29T15:21:33Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Oh, and _Rachael_? Really? Is Rachel that hard to spell? Sorry 'bout that. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/23 "2012-11-29T18:31:46Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > What other Hollywood actresses do you think look like Lea Michele? Um, all of them? She’s a very attractive twentysomething. I’m pretty sure Hollywood still has a need for those. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/24 "2012-11-29T18:42:52Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > My high school – which, admittedly, was very small – never had understudies for the musicals. Do other schools do that? I went to a big high school, and they used to have understudies but stopped having them because the understudy for the big role was put in a very shitty position. They have to learn the entire part, but don’t get to perform it. On top that they don’t even get a “good” part for the real show either. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/25 "2012-11-29T20:22:24Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Speaking of Glee, anyone know the real-world reason that the teacher played by Matthew Morrison is absent from the show? The in-show explanation is that he had to go to Washington on sabbatical, but presumably there’s another explanation. I don’t think there is a “real world” reason. It could be that, by moving Will to Washington, it makes it easier for him to show up in New York. It could also be just part of, “We need a decent reason to bring Finn back.” ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/26 "2012-11-29T22:17:53Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > 1st case in point: Marley’s “Grease” costume keeps getting tighter and tighter so she figures she’s gaining weight. It was really Kitty (“New Quinn”) secretly re-sewing them. Cue Kitty telling Marley all about purging in an effort to make her go bulimic. > > Umm…Marley, you dumb shit, obviously all your other clothes still fit. If it’s just your costume getting tighter then it’s obviously being tampered with. > > Marley is pretty but dumber than a sack of hammers. ``` That was pretty much my thought when I was watching. Even if that wouldn't clue her in, if only there was some kind of device that people kept in their bathrooms that would tell you if you were gaining and loosing weight. Also the fact that she seem perfectly willing to take really bad advice from a person who has made no secret of having it in for her, but not from anyone who she should trust. Yes, Marley is currently challenging Brittany for the dumbest character on the show. ``` Of course, as others have said, the only reason to watch this show at all is for the music. That’s why I wasn’t that unhappy with Santana taking over as Rizzo. Yeah it was rather dumb plot wise, but hey, I got to hear her sing. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/27 "2012-11-30T01:55:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Um, all of them? She’s a short brunette with a big nose. I’m struggling to think of even one other current, successful Hollywood actress who fits that description. > [@](#): > > She’s a very attractive twentysomething. I’m pretty sure Hollywood still has a need for those. You may find her very attractive, but if I were a film or television actress who looked like Lea Michele I would expect to, at best, wind up playing the _friend_ of the leading lady. She’s pretty, but she’s not “Hollywood pretty”. Even if she were, she’d hardly be the first woman to have an overly negative opinion of her own appearance. > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > I don’t think there is a “real world” reason. It could be that, by moving Will to Washington, it makes it easier for him to show up in New York. It could also be just part of, “We need a decent reason to bring Finn back.” Since Burt Hummel is also now in DC part of the time, I’m wondering if something is going to come of that. That whole Burt-for-Congress storyline was basically dropped as soon as he won, so maybe something will finally come of it. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/28 "2012-11-30T14:27:49Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > She’s a short brunette with a big nose. I’m struggling to think of even one other current, successful Hollywood actress who fits that description. How about 2012’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” Mila Kunis. > [@](#): > > You may find her very attractive, but if I were a film or television actress who looked like Lea Michele I would expect to, at best, wind up playing the _friend_ of the leading lady. She’s pretty, but she’s not “Hollywood pretty”. Even if she were, she’d hardly be the first woman to have an overly negative opinion of her own appearance. This is really why it drives me crazy. There is no monolithic “Hollywood.” There have been less than quirky or awkward looking women in starring roles forever. Teen actors especially have a history of this… Blossom, Punky Brewster, Sue from “The Middle,” Sara Gilbert, etc, etc. It’s just one of the many myths of entertainment media reporting… “There’s no women who look like me on TV!” “This person [with a 20 year career] is an overnight success!” “Nobody’s going to the theater anymore!” And so on. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/29 "2012-11-30T14:39:56Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > She’s a short brunette with a big nose. I’m struggling to think of even one other current, successful Hollywood actress who fits that description. Penelope Cruz? Rachel Weisz? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/30 "2012-11-30T15:04:58Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > How about 2012’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” Mila Kunis. Mila Kunis has a big nose? Since when? Kunis is at least 2 inches taller as well ;). And I have to agree, Lea Michelle is attractive, but not Hollywood attractive. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/31 "2012-11-30T15:08:09Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Penelope Cruz? Rachel Weisz? Cruz is listed as 5’6’’ and Weisz as 5’7’’ - that ain’t short as far as women go. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/32 "2012-12-01T00:58:40Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > How about 2012’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” Mila Kunis. If you think Mila Kunis has a big nose, I’m surprised you don’t think Lea Michele is a circus freak. > [@](#): > > This is really why it drives me crazy. There is no monolithic “Hollywood.” There have been less than quirky or awkward looking women in starring roles forever. Teen actors especially have a history of this… Blossom, Punky Brewster, Sue from “The Middle,” Sara Gilbert, etc, etc. Lea Michele isn’t a teenager, she just plays one on TV. Mayim Bialik, Soleil Moon Frye, and Sara Gilbert all starred in popular TV shows as actual children/teens, but have not had much in the way of lead roles since then. Post-_Blossom_, Mayim Bialik was mostly doing voice work until she joined the cast of _The Big Bang Theory_…as a supporting character…who’s considered unattractive. I can easily believe that Lea Michele was pleasantly surprised to be offered a television role that _wasn’t_ the minor “ugly girl” character on a show where the leading lady is [more conventionally attractive](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm220771840/nm0080524). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/33 "2012-12-01T18:19:42Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > If you think Mila Kunis has a big nose, I’m surprised you don’t think Lea Michele is a circus freak. What I’m saying is that her nose isn’t really that big. She’s an attractive brunette. Those are her defining characteristics. And last time I checked, attractive brunettes aren’t considered charity cases. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/34 "2012-12-01T19:43:09Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > What I’m saying is that her nose isn’t really that big. It’s noticeably bigger than Mila Kunis’s. I can think of successful actresses with large noses, but even [Sarah](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1392685824/nm0000572) [Jessica](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2326966272/tt0109707) [Parker](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2118497024/nm0000572), who’s mocked all over the Internet for having such a big, ugly nose, looks to my eyes to have a smaller nose than [Lea Michele](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm822128640/nm0584951). > [@](#): > > She’s an attractive brunette. Those are her defining characteristics. According to you. I’ve seen plenty of references to her big nose, and I’m sure she’s been hearing about it since she was a kid. A quick Google turns up interviews where Lea Michele says she was encouraged to get a nose job to help her career but did not do so in part because she was afraid it would affect her voice. In [this interview with _Harper_’s](http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/cover/lea-michele-interview) she says “I’m five foot three. I don’t look like a lot of other people, you know what I mean? I look like I’m 12…How many managers told me, ‘Get a nose job. You’re not pretty enough’? But I proved them wrong.” It’s nice that you think she’s attractive, but I really do not think Lea Michele is lying about her appearance limiting the kinds of roles she was considered suitable for. Before _Glee_ she was successful on Broadway but [her only previous television role](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0584951/) was appearing in one episode of _Third Watch_ when she was 13. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/35 "2012-12-01T20:42:18Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > It’s nice that you think she’s attractive, but I really do not think Lea Michele is lying about her appearance limiting the kinds of roles she was considered suitable for. Before _Glee_ she was successful on Broadway but [her only previous television role](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0584951/) was appearing in one episode of _Third Watch_ when she was 13. Not lying, mythmaking. It’s the same bullshit where people claim that Christina Hendricks and Melissa McCarthy are so lucky to have found hit projects because “Hollywood doesn’t hire people who look like them.” It’s bullshit because Hendricks and McCarthy had steady careers stretching back a decade before their “overnight success.” Lea Michele never had a Hollywood career before Glee because before Glee she was a full-time Broadway actress. And the only reason she made the jump to a Hollywood show is because the part was written for her. Like I said, it’s mythmaking and it irritates me. Maybe someday I’ll start a thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/36 "2012-12-01T21:19:13Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Not lying, mythmaking. It’s the same bullshit where people claim that Christina Hendricks and Melissa McCarthy are so lucky to have found hit projects because “Hollywood doesn’t hire people who look like them.” It’s bullshit because Hendricks and McCarthy had steady careers stretching back a decade before their “overnight success.” You said you hated Lea Michele for saying that there weren’t many actresses in Hollywood productions who look like her. That’s not a myth. There _aren’t_ many short actresses with large noses starring in Hollywood productions, and she personally had virtually no television or film experience prior to _Glee_. > [@](#): > > Lea Michele never had a Hollywood career before Glee because before Glee she was a full-time Broadway actress. And the only reason she made the jump to a Hollywood show is because the part was written for her. Yeah, that’s what I just said. She was successful on Broadway but had no significant TV experience because, prior to _Glee_, she wasn’t being offered good roles. She says herself that she was told by people in the industry that she wasn’t pretty enough to be successful and that she was advised to have a nose job. I don’t see any reason to doubt this, as she does in fact have a noticeably bigger than average nose. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/37 "2012-12-01T22:58:37Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > You said you hated Lea Michele for saying that there weren’t many actresses in Hollywood productions who look like her. That’s not a myth. There _aren’t_ many short actresses with large noses starring in Hollywood productions, and she personally had virtually no television or film experience prior to _Glee_. Because she didn’t really attempt to get any, but that’s beside the point. My point is that “quirky” or “not classically beautiful” actresses have always had a place in Hollywood. The mythmaking part of my point is that every few years, someone will act as if the latest quirky/not classically beautiful actress to hit the bigtime is the first one to do it ever. It drives me even crazier when it’s the actress themselves. It’s like the “women don’t see movies in the theater” trope. You heard it a lot in 2008 when Sex and the City was a huge hit and then you heard it again in 2011 when Bridesmaids was a huge hit. You can’t rewrite history. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/38 "2012-12-01T23:10:57Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > That bothered me too, having Santana come back to play Rizzo (with no rehearsal!) If you’re talking about having a former student come back to take part in a school musical a year or two after graduating, I’ve seen that in real life… ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/39 "2012-12-01T23:12:45Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > It’s like the “women don’t see movies in the theater” trope. Wait, what? There are way too many successful (in the theater) romantic comedies for that to have been a trope. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/40 "2012-12-01T23:53:24Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I liked the first season, and the first episode or two of the second, but then it ran off the rails. > > Oh, and _Rachael_? Really? Is Rachel that hard to spell? I have a girlfriend that spells it Rachael - and its her name. Since I spell her name a lot and I’m not sure if I’ve seen Rachel from Glee’s name ever spelled, I’d spell it Rachael. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194.md?page=3)