12.11.2009

To hell with it. I have a headache

*sigh*

I'm having one of those "virtue vs. fun" blogging moments.

On the one hand, there is no shortage of Important, Substantial Topics to be discussed. The House just passed a landmark financial regulation bill. Atul Gawande has an article in The New Yorker about health care costs and reform. I should be reading and attending and commenting, yes?

On the other hand, I don't know jack crap about financial regulation. You could tell me the Fed plays a significant role in policing the international bunny trade, and I would probably believe you. (Well, OK, maybe not that.) In fact, I checked Megan McArdle's blog (hence my most recent post below) because I wanted to see what she said. And I've been thinking about and working on health care all day, what with it being my job. And I'm on call and I have a headache and I had to attend not one, not two, but three C-sections yesterday, and I just don't feel like it. So I'll finish the Gawande article later. Maybe.

Instead, I'm going to talk about the season finale of "Glee." For those of you who don't care, or are inclined to roll your eyes at my frivolity, or don't watch the show, etc., I say "sue me." Check in on Monday, when maybe my headache will be gone. This probably leaves me with no readers at this point, but I'll live with it.

So, about that finale? I didn't love it. I should go ahead and warn you that the rest of this post will be laden with spoilers.

First of all, Rachel's spilling the beans about the whole Quinn/Puck/Finn pregnancy secret was just a crappy thing to do, and I don't buy for one second that Quinn would have found a way to forgive her so readily. I also don't believe that the other members of the show choir wouldn't crucify her for lousing things up so badly for them. I found that whole abrupt resolution of the ongoing father of the baby lie to be completely implausible, and too pat.

Next, can we talk about Mercedes singing "And I Am Telling You" from "Showgirls"? Over at Project Rungay (which I only just now learned about), they think she "[expletive deleted] NAILED IT." No, she didn't. I love her voice, and think she's a great character/performer, but her rendition was empty and mannered. There's just no comparison with Jennifer Hudson's recent rendition (which was fantastic, and was probably the sole reason she landed that Oscar), and Amber Riley didn't come off well in the comparison.

Two more gripes, then I'll be done, I swear. I also had a hard time buying the crowd's reaction to Rachel's performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade." True, she sounded fantastic and really sold it, blah blah blah. But isn't this supposed to be a show choir competition? Why did everyone go nuts when the rest of the choir just strolled in at the end? Nope. Didn't buy it.

And finally, I know that they scripted the judging scene for laughs, but I think they sacrificed something meaningful in doing so. By having three stupid/indifferent judges, the win for New Directions was arbitrary and hollow. We've been rooting for them all season, and they win in what amounts to a fluke? Sure, the scene was funny, but it was funny at the expense of a satisfying conclusion to the story arc.

I still love the show, largely for the big production numbers. (Oh, I also think they've made Kurt a wee bit too bitchy. But now I'm done for serious.) I loved that last poignant, sweet kiss. But I found the episode as a whole a bit of a let-down.

Right. Back to Important Matters at Hand next week.

1 comment:

  1. I agree with your comment on the judging, although it was probably one of the more realistic elements of the show (remember, it was only sectionals, so there will be more on the line next season!).

    Otherwise, I thought it was a terrific finale! The music was the best all season (minus the Stones number).

    -joe

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