Plot-wise, I appreciate that they tackled the very serious issues of G-d and grilled cheese, and I even appreciate the variety of music that was on display (a number of genres spanning several decades). But the performances themselves? Uh ...
"I Look to You". C+. Just average, just Amber Riley trying to show off her voice in the same way she does on every song. Wake me up when she tries something different.
"Papa Can You Hear Me?". B. Lea Michele can knock it out of the park when she's allowed to go full-tilt on Barbra (like in last year's mid-season finale). This was good, but sleepy, and I was actually kind of glad when it was finally over.
"I Wanna Hold Your Hand". B-. By far the most interesting experiment of the week. Re-configuring the Beatles' giddy boyish fantasy into a ballad about treasuring childhood memories with one's father was ... a bit creepy and ghoulish, TBH. Teenage lust remixed into pastry parties and walks through the cemetery to the grave of Kurt's mother? It was brave, I'll give them that.
"Losing My Religion". D-. Things I hate about "Glee" -- using songs out of context based around the title of the song and not its content. "Losing My Religion" has nothing to do with religion, it's southern slang for (approximately) "I'm at the end of my rope", in case you didn't know. So it was ridiculous to have the glee club stage a minor rebellion over Finn singing an "anti-religion" song. But the worst part of the song was the tuneless, lifeless, shapeless vocals. "Losing My Religion" doesn't have a strong vocal melody, Michael Stipe's singing is all about the tone of his voice and his enunciation. "Glee" should never attempt these types of pop songs. At least Puck knows not to extend himself by not straying beyond Billy Joel and Neil Diamond.
"Bridge Over Troubled Water". C. This song has been covered in a million different ways, and this was no better or worse than any of them. The definition of average.
"One of Us". F. Let's finish the show with a dab of spiritual revelation and waste of the few might-have-been-really-touching Sue Sylvester moments by soundtracking it with one of the worst songs of all time. The fact that someone took Joan Osborne's puerile lyrics seriously and used them to close a religion-based episode of a major TV show makes me worry about what's going through the brains behind "Glee" sometimes.
3 comments:
Agree. In fact, I fast-forwarded through Rachel's ditty. While the performances were mediocre I still love how they handle the relationship between Kurt and his Dad. Kind of touching despite the crappy singing.
Kurt's dad is one of the best characters on the show. Sometimes they it was a bit too much last season when he would go overboard in "defending" his son, but generally he's great. I find myself disliking Kurt more and more these days though.
And BTW, brilliant casting I thought for 'young Kurt'!
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