Glee really could have gone Shakespeare on us if they wanted to.
I really hope Glee can maintain its momentum after this intense episode. Seriously, all this sex play better lead to more dilemmas, otherwise Glee is climaxing way too soon. I mean this both literally and metaphorically. This week’s Glee episode has two fan favorite couples considering the horizontal shuffle and a new character that will make you feel Shakespearian all over.
Our two main plots deal with Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) and two of Glee’s lovely couples. One is Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Cory Monteith) the other Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer). Coach suffers from crippling self-esteem issues about her looks and she might – for the first time in her life – end up on a real date. Meanwhile, Blaine and Rachel, the leads of the school musical, are directed by Artie to have more “passion” in their romance scenes. He then questions their virginity. The two begin to rethink their relationships. Yes, Artie (Kevin McHale) – the guy who lost his virginity to cheerleader who didn’t even say his name during the act –is criticizing Rachel and Blaine over their virginity.
The episode is structured in a “will they or won’t they” way at the end of it, and I was surprised with the results. Let’s just say there were two happy endings. However, I found myself rethinking the way the story was told. I began to think in “what ifs.” What if Blaine had made a drunken mistake that night with Sebastian (Grant Gustin)?Sebastian’s character appears to be the classic Shakespearian trickster; what will he play next? He got Blaine drunk and awakened Kurt’s jealousy; if the writers play their cards right they have a real dramatic villain on their hands. Grant Gustin’s a bit stale with delivery though. He smiles all the time and looks like a Stepford Ken doll.
Other arcs receive attention as well. Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) has a falling out with his father and the school musical finally kicks off. Glee is briskly going through its many plots. I just hope it doesn’t run dry.
Some stats and info about Glee, “The First Time”
TV SHOW – Glee
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 3, Episode 5
AIRED ON – November 8th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – FOX/Hulu
GENRE – Drama, Musicals, Comedy
CREATED BY – Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy
CAST – Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Kevin McHale, Naya Rivera, Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Heather Elizabeth Morris, Chord Overstreet, Darren Criss, Harry Shum Jr., Cory Monteith, Jayma Mays, Dianna Agron
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.