The greatly anticipated season three premiere of Glee started with a different tone than past seasons. The Fox series, which portrays the daily lives of teenagers who sing their hearts out in the midst of their high school hallways, has become more then a TV series; it has become an entertainment enterprise. The show has won six Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and six Teen Choice Awards. Cast members have been spread across the covers of a multitude of magazines. And last summer, the "Glee Live! In Concert!" tour took both national and international venues by storm. The positive response to the concert was overwhelming, and it even spawned its own 3-D concert movie.
With such a high-profile summer, expectations for the season three premiere naturally were high. Fox knew that every Gleek would have gathered his friends around the television last Tuesday night - despite the fact that it was a work/school night - and fully expect an hour full of new plot lines, amazing vocal performances and fun dance scenes. The stakes for season three are even higher considering the backlash that began last season, as fans grew concerned that the plot was taking strange turns and wondered if the writers were aware of what direction the show was going.
After watching the premiere, I pondered if, despite the still-solid musical aspects of the show, Glee still appealed to me as it had in the past. The once-fresh plot lines now come off as contrived. The most glaring problem is the new relationships that have formed over the summer. Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), the student counselor who suffers from a case of OCD, and glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) are in a relationship, as are star vocalist Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith). The show also seems to be introducing a topic of current political debate with the budding romance between Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss). These relationships are built off of long-held tension between the characters and, now that they are together, we wonder whether the writers will be able to keep us entertained. As if the slew of new relationships was not enough, former Cheerios captain Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) has decided to cut off her hair and become a member of "The Skanks," a girl gang notorious for skipping class and smoking under the bleachers.
Despite these changes, however, I do not think that Glee has "jumped the shark" just yet - as always, its stellar musical numbers are enough to keep me watching. In the premiere, the show returned to its Broadway roots with stunning numbers from Anything Goes and Hairspray as well as some oldies-but-goodies like the Go-Go's "We've Got the Beat." I hope for great things from this season of Glee, and I have a feeling that my fellow Gleeks and I will not be disappointed.
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