Glee is easily one of, if not my number one, favorite show on the air right now. I have no problem looking past its (multiple) flaws and failures and instead throwing myself whole-heartedly into an episode by episode deep over-analysis of its literary merits and cultural significance. I can lose myself in its superficial candy coated shenanery and revel in its excellence when it digs deeper and gets things right.
Throughout Seasons 1 and 2, Glee found a pretty solid formula: in each episode, no matter what someone was going through, all problems could be solved with a song. That formula was compounded by a core group of virtually unchangeable misfits. Sure, they swapped out the virtually non-existent Matt for the delightfully doofy Sam. And yes, Lauren (who I just loved with Puck) briefly filled the void left by Kurt until she was unceremoniously dumped from the cast. But the core eleven stayed the same. More than that, they dove deep enough into some of those characters who were originally brought in as little more than background scenery (like Santana, Brittany, and Mike) to the point where almost everyone had enough to make them a character rather than an archetype, a person in their own right that an audience would be invested in.
It wasn't until Season 3 that the problem of making every single character fleshed out and beloved was realized. In that very first episode back in May 2009, Rachel had in no uncertain terms declared herself a sophomore. This was now senior year. This was the last year these kids would all be together. How was the show supposed to continue without these characters we'd become so attached to and still remain true to its original premise? How could the show follow all these beloved characters on to their lives throughout the country without becoming so fractured that it eventually just broke? Season 3 had to recognize that they were quickly coming to a cross-road.
And so Season 3 became one of transition. But...sneakily. Yes, we still had those core 11 and they continued on with the formula that had served them so well for the past two years. But at the same time, Season 3 slowly but surely moved towards new directions beginnings.
First up, the transfer of Blaine. A smart move, he was already an established character and half of a couple with an extremely devoted (and sometimes demonic) fanbase. His addition wasn't much of a shock. He was familiar, he was comfortable. There might have been some controversy over his newly revealed age and grade level, but his presence at McKinley was to be expected. Then we welcomed Sam back from his brief departure. His financial situation was still the same, we were reminded of his relationships with both Quinn and Santana, and his declaration of love for Mercedes was a reprieve for a previously dropped storyline. Again, familiar and comfortable. And another junior.
Throughout the year, we were introduced to Sugar, Rory, and Joe, interspersed enough to make each new addition unique and to not dump too much new on the audience at one time. For me, Sugar and Joe were especially welcome additions as their characters were so vastly different from anyone else in New Directions (whereas I felt Rory was just another Finn or Sam, kind of dorky and clueless). Of the three, Joe was my favorite as he was directly responsible for two of my favorite conversations during Season 3 (the God Squad's discussion of homosexuality was hilarious, and Joe and Sam's heart to heart on how to balance a sexual relationship with Quinn and a relationship with God I found to be a very honest look at that particular struggle without being remotely mocking towards Christians or preachy towards non-Christians).
Another very smart move made in Season 3? "Hold Onto Sixteen" gave us a Sectionals competition that was completely Rachel-free. The New Directions were also missing Santana and Mercedes, their two other power house female voices (though we did see them compete as members of the Troubletones). Instead Tina sang lead, Blaine and Artie had a duet, and basically everyone had a solo somewhere. Take note of who those three featured students were. All juniors. Those three will ease us in to Life After Rachel. And tell the truth, i found it to be one of my favorite competition episodes of the whole series (with my absolute least favorite costumes, both New Directions and Troubletones). Maybe more spotlight sharing will continue into Season 4?
All of these moves during Season 3, not to mention letting the audience cling to Tina and Artie (and a lesser extent, Blaine and Sam) as juniors, and Brittany as a super-senior, eased the shock that could have been Season 4.
I have some thoughts on the first episode back: the new characters and certain people or storylines I'd like to see more fully explored, but that will have to wait until tomorrow...
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