# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/41 "2012-12-02T00:20:17Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > My point is that “quirky” or “not classically beautiful” actresses have always had a place in Hollywood. And that place is playing the funny friend of the traditionally beautiful lead. > [@](#): > > 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. So is Lea Michele supposed to pretend that she _wasn’t_ told she needed to get a nose job if she wanted to make it in Hollywood? Her nose is big enough that I’m sure interviewers ask about it and whether she ever considered plastic surgery. > [@](#): > > 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. No, actually, I didn’t hear it a lot. Or ever, in fact. I remember that the first _Sex and the City_ movie and _Bridesmaids_ got a lot of attention for being hit movies that had predominantly female casts and were raunchier than the average “chick flick”. IIRC it was also notable that _Sex and the City_ became a hit despite male theatergoers mostly avoiding it; I can’t remember hearing that this was the case with _Bridesmaids_. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/42 "2012-12-02T17:09:12Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > 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. Huh, I’ve never noticed that spelling, but it’s also used by Rachael [sic] Ray, a cooking show host. It looks like Rachel survived mostly unchallenged from Genesis 29 to around 1970, and then Rachaels, Racheals, and Raechels started sneaking in. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/43 "2012-12-02T19:32:56Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > Huh, I’ve never noticed that spelling, but it’s also used by Rachael [sic] Ray, a cooking show host. It looks like Rachel survived mostly unchallenged from Genesis 29 to around 1970, and then Rachaels, Racheals, and Raechels started sneaking in. Its on record with that spelling with the SSA back to the original 1880 records. Its an alternate spelling, but a valid one that has been around for 130 years at least. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/44 "2012-12-02T22:34:34Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > And that place is playing the funny friend of the traditionally beautiful lead. Which is not what she said, but you keep defending her. She said that it’s unusual for ANYONE who looks like her to get a job in Hollywood. It’s false information that makes her seems stuck up, as completely discounts many other stars. And if you want quirky looking stars, you can get Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, etc. There are plenty of them. Their faces all look weird to the point that people make fun of them for said faces. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/45 "2012-12-03T02:59:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Which is not what she said, but you keep defending her. She said that it’s unusual for ANYONE who looks like her to get a job in Hollywood. It’s false information that makes her seems stuck up, as completely discounts many other stars. I didn’t say that’s what she said. It was what I said. As for the words attributed to Lea Michele by **Justin\_Bailey** , he didn’t provide a cite, I don’t think he intended it to be taken as a direct quote, and the only hit I get for “You don’t normally see women that look like me in a Hollywood production” on Google is this thread, so those probably were not her exact words. Even if they were, it looks like pretty accurate information to me. I can’t think of “many other stars” who look like Lea Michele. When I asked for examples, all the suggestions were women who are much taller and/or have smaller noses. Perhaps you don’t think her height and the size of her nose are Lea Michele’s distinguishing physical traits, but the _Harper’s_ quote I posted above indicates that she sees herself that way, or at least that she feels she is perceived that way by others. As for being stuck up, I don’t see how it’s stuck up for an actress to suggest that she’s not as pretty as most other actresses. What sort of reaction do you think Lea Michele would get if she said that she _was_ just as pretty as most other actresses? > [@](#): > > And if you want quirky looking stars, you can get Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, etc. There are plenty of them. Their faces all look weird to the point that people make fun of them for said faces. I assume this is supposed to be some sort of joke. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/46 "2012-12-03T03:52:15Z")
While Rachel’s nose virtually fueled the plot of season two’s “Born this Way,” it was brought up as early as season one’s “Acafellas,” the third episode of the series, when a well-known glee club choreographer told Rachel to get a nose job. I agree with pretty much all of the complaints above about season four, especially Marley failing to notice that all her other clothes still fit, but I think it’s starting to pick up. “Dynamic Duets” in particular proved to me that the Ohio half of the show can still be good, and it offered some decent character development for Ryder and Jake. I’m still waiting on a reason to keep Kitty on the show, but honestly if she does turn out to really be a psychopath (which is my current interpretation of her), it will be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/47 "2012-12-03T04:51:36Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > I agree with pretty much all of the complaints above about season four, especially Marley failing to notice that all her other clothes still fit, but I think it’s starting to pick up. “Dynamic Duets” in particular proved to me that the Ohio half of the show can still be good, and it offered some decent character development for Ryder and Jake. I’m still waiting on a reason to keep Kitty on the show, but honestly if she does turn out to really be a psychopath (which is my current interpretation of her), it will be interesting. Well, the actress playing Kitty does seem like a good singer and dancer so she’s got that going for her, but thus far I’d agree that she’s not contributing anything worthwhile to the story. Maybe the writers felt that with Quinn and Santana both having graduated the show was short on mean cheerleaders, but pushing another girl into an eating disorder is arguably worse than anything they ever did.\* And if the writers really wanted to do an(other) eating disorder storyline, Marley could have become bulimic without anyone deliberately encouraging her. Thinking of characters who seem like psychopaths, while I liked the “Dynamic Duets” episode I could have done without the return of Sebastian and REALLY could have done without the introduction of Sebastian 2.0. IMHO Sebastian was the dullest villain the show has ever had, but if they needed an evil Warbler they just should have stuck with him (his sudden heel face turn was unconvincing anyway) rather than adding a nearly identical new character. I’m still not clear on how or why the Warblers turned into a bunch of thugs; they were so polite and by-the-book back in season two. The show already had a “villain” choir, Vocal Adrenaline, and I think it would have been more interesting to have the Warblers as the friendly rivals of New Directions. \*Telling your boyfriend you’re pregnant with his child when the pregnancy was actually the result of your one-night stand with his best friend is very bad indeed, but at least Quinn wasn’t endangering Finn’s life. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/48 "2012-12-03T06:09:33Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Thinking of characters who seem like psychopaths, while I liked the “Dynamic Duets” episode I could have done without the return of Sebastian and REALLY could have done without the introduction of Sebastian 2.0. IMHO Sebastian was the dullest villain the show has ever had, but if they needed an evil Warbler they just should have stuck with him (his sudden heel face turn was unconvincing anyway) rather than adding a nearly identical new character. I’m still not clear on how or why the Warblers turned into a bunch of thugs; they were so polite and by-the-book back in season two. The show already had a “villain” choir, Vocal Adrenaline, and I think it would have been more interesting to have the Warblers as the friendly rivals of New Directions. Yeah it was odd to have Sebastian show up just to say, “Oh yeah, that guy over there is the bad guy now.” The Warblers were ruled by a very conservative council of upperclassmen in season two. They’ve been AWOL ever since, and it’s hard to imagine them letting the Warblers do the things they did in seasons three and four. I was even against Blaine transferring to WMHS. I liked him and the Warblers as friendly rivals quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/49 "2012-12-03T23:33:51Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > Yeah it was odd to have Sebastian show up just to say, “Oh yeah, that guy over there is the bad guy now.” > > The Warblers were ruled by a very conservative council of upperclassmen in season two. They’ve been AWOL ever since, and it’s hard to imagine them letting the Warblers do the things they did in seasons three and four. I believe Sebastian (in season three) and Sebastian 2.0 (this season) were both referred to as captains of the Warblers, a position that didn’t seem to exist in season two. What we saw during Kurt’s time at Dalton was that Blaine was the star soloist of the Warblers but had no special title or formal authority; the choir was run by the three-man Council. I guess we’re meant to understand that they underwent a major restructuring some time during season three, but it seems strange that the loss of their star performer would prompt them to put all their eggs in one basket and give their new soloist formal control of the group. > [@](#): > > I was even against Blaine transferring to WMHS. I liked him and the Warblers as friendly rivals quite a bit. I understand the writers wanting to have Blaine in a more prominent role – he’s a popular character and one of the better male vocalists on the show – but thinking back on season three then some of their storylines might actually have worked better with Blaine at Dalton. Sebastian would have been a more credible threat to the Kurt/Blaine relationship if he were with Blaine every day, and the whole “Warblers stole our setlist” plot would have made more sense if it had been Kurt blabbing to his boyfriend rather than Blaine blabbing to a guy he barely knew. The could even have contrived a reason for Blaine to play the lead in _West Side Story_, e.g. it was a joint McKinley/Dalton production due to a lack of student interest at McKinley. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194/50 "2012-12-04T16:00:30Z")
When I saw the Michael Jackson episode, I thought the Warblers would perform those songs and then the judges would vote against them because they didn’t like Michael Jackson. Considering the judging we’ve seen, that would be totally in character. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-characters-on-glee-are-dumber-than-boxes-of-rocks/642194.md?page=2)