With the airing of the second episode of "Glee's" third season, "I Am Unicorn," I find myself looking for the return to basics programming that Kevin Reilly promised fans back in August, three months after the end of the altogether lackluster second season. That is unless the phrase "back to basics" referred to rehashing plotlines that were fun the first time around when "Glee" was new and shiny but don't really fly when New Directions members and McKinley High teachers should be a little older and wiser.
Sue Hates the Glee Club
Whoever would have thought that Sue Sylvester didn't like the glee club? The writers for "Glee" obviously feel like repeat viewers from the previous two seasons didn't catch on to the Sue/Will power struggle and have chosen to rehash it on a more epic scale for Season 3. Sue's bitter diatribes and physically violent tendencies are one thing within the slightly unrealistic McKinley bubble, but this year her behavior goes beyond improbable. The idea that Sue would actually be able to seek political office while exhibiting such bizarre behavior is an excellent commentary on the current political situation in America, but the entire anti-arts platform is a bit silly.
Emma Has Issues
Yes, another serious plot twist that came out of nowhere is the fact that Emma has 99 problems, and intimacy is one. I was honestly surprised to see that Emma and Will had become a full-fledged couple over the summer, but I am even more surprised to see that her intimacy issues and OCD personality still absorb the larger portion of her screen time. Jayma Mays and Jane Lynch are both better actresses than their redundant material on "Glee" has allowed them to be.
Kurt Hummel Isn't Straight
Kurt announced that he was gay in Season 1, dealt with a bully in Season 2 and found love at the end of that same year. I can't help being surprised that his sexuality is once again a plot issue in "Glee" as he has to deal with the reality that his effeminate persona makes him seem unrealistic as a heterosexual lead in a play while his boyfriend, Blaine, projects a masculine appeal that could make him a shoe-in for the role of Tony in the dramatic production of West Side Story.
Quinn Is Horrible
Quinn has been mostly horrible for almost two entire seasons of "Glee." Her moments of normal, nice behavior have been few and far between. While the idea of her being a skank was a bit of a stretch, the idea of her turning into Miss "I'm going to get full custody of my baby by returning my hair to blonde and signing back up for glee club" is a bigger stretch. Please tell me I'm not going to watch a custody battle unfold on a prime time comedy aimed at a teen and young adult demographic. Pretty please?
We are two episodes into Season 3 of "Glee," and the writers are still beating variations of the same dead horse...or unicorn if you prefer. Things need to pick up soon or the show will die a long, painful death for the rest of senior year.
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