At the risk of alienating and potentially outraging much of my key target demographic here, I have to say the following statement. But first, please bear in mind that although you might not like where this article starts, I hope most of you will like where it will end up.
“Glee” fans kind of suck don’t they? Now, as a fellow Glee fan myself I am not talking about the middle of the range Gleeks who watch the show and for the most part love it, and are perfectly happy allowing Ryan Murphy and the rest of the shows creators the freedom to do whatever they want with the show… it is their show after all isn’t it? Instead, and this is arguably a critique of all fanatics, I am talking about the Glee fans that are outraged when someone even mentions splitting up one of their favorite core characters, or rage when someone suggests Santana would be better off without Brittany for example. I have only been a writer at WhatCulture for less than 2 months now, but in this time even I have been the victim of Gleek fan-girls and boys who have actually started a thread about one of my articles on a separate website moaning because I (a pretty unknown writer) merely suggested Santana would be better suited being in a relationship with a woman more on her intellectual level. And I know that from following Ryan Murphy on twitter the man daily gets death threats from Gleeks the world over who all seem to forget the simple and obvious fact that without him, this show would never have been.
But here is the thing: these sorts of Glee fans across the globe feel like they own Glee; they feel connected to it and because of this very protective of it. Glee attracts a very large teenage and even preteen audience, who are yet emotionally mature enough to really deal with the complexities of relationships Ryan Murphy rightfully wishes to convey on his show. The show may attract some of the same kind of audience as I-Carly for example, but this show certainly isn’t I-Carly. An important reason why Glee fans can often get so possessive of this show is because this show represents people, teenagers especially, like no show has before or since (especially a show on network television). Because of this simple fact, although Ryan Murphy and the creators control the show and it is arguably theirs, Glee in a way belongs to the people now… and these people (for the most part) can’t imagine a world where this show isn’t on their televisions. In a toned down, less whiny teenager manner, I am one of these people, and I’d like to explain to you all why I believe Glee is the most important show on TV, and why I believe it would be a travesty of justice if this program was forced into cancellation…
Is Glee the greatest TV program on air at the moment? In terms of acting, directing, writing and all around general production values… absolutely not. But it certainly isn’t the worst (not even by a long shot) and the show does have some extraordinarily talented actors and actresses, and the occasional brilliantly directed and written episode. I think you would be hard pressed to find actors on television currently that are that much better than the likes of Lea Michele and Chris Colfer for example (if you exclude Claire Danes and Bryan Cranston of course). But is this the only way to judge a television show? Although I can appreciate that Breaking Bad is the better show critically, and one of my personal favorite shows of all time, is it my favorite show currently on air? If I am being honest, and what kind of writer would I be if I wasn’t, I have to admit that although I occasionally cringe when a Glee episode gets some particular element terribly wrong, Glee is the show on TV currently I most enjoy watching, and because of that, it is honestly my favorite show currently on air.
This is the point in the article where I am bound to lose some readers, but I am not going to dance around the subject and I would appreciate that even if you have a different perspective, you would still be mature enough to stay with me and perhaps voice your opinions at the end. Much of the reason why I love the show so much, much of the reason why I would be upset it the show were to be canceled (a very real possibility at this point) and much of the reason why Gleeks around the world are so passionate about this show is like I said before, because it represents so many people… but more than that, it is the show on TV that best represents people like me.
You may not be all that surprised because I am a male writer writing about my love of this particular television show, that I am in fact a homosexual man. I wish for the sake of this article (not the sake of my life) that I wasn’t, just so that people wouldn’t be so quick to stereotype me. FYI, I am much more of a Blaine than I am a Kurt not that that does or should matter. It’s also important for me to point out that my love of this show isn’t simply due to the fact that it is “musical”… and we gay people sure love musicals right? Just so you know one of my least favorite movies of all time is “Moulin Rouge”. But you may be surprised, especially if you are heterosexual, that the journey I had with this show, and my initial reaction to this TV show wasn’t exactly kind.
At first, I avoided this show like the plague. The few advertisements I saw for Season 1, particularly those showing Kurt dressed like Beyoncé dancing to “Single Ladies” put me off the show, but likely for different reasons than many others, particularly heterosexual males. As a gay man, I obviously wasn’t “disgusted” or “horrified” at the more feminized representation of homosexuality on television. The reason I didn’t even watch the pilot initially was because I didn’t associate or feel represented by this particular gay character and initially thought the character represented the common exaggerated idea of homosexuality in the media, that this kind of show would anger me to the point that I simply couldn’t watch it. This was four years ago now and even I am not afraid to admit that part of me may have been just a little homophobic. Not in the sense that I hated or feared those more feminized men, but more my fear of being stereotyped this way by real homophobes made me react negatively to this representation of homosexuality on television.
When I finally gave the show (which I had been curious about for the year in which I wasn’t watching) a chance, I realized how wrong I was, and although it took me a good few episodes, I fairly quickly came to love the character of Kurt, and embrace him. This show had a huge role to play in even making me, someone who would have before called myself hugely excepting and not in the least intolerant, a much more accepting, but more than that embracing person. Just because a gay character doesn’t represent me, and just because the media has this stereotypical view of gay people, doesn’t mean the gay people who associate this way don’t need to be represented. Even though I personally associate much more with Blaine’s character, my favorite character on the show currently is Kurt… and considering he started off as the reason I didn’t watch the show, this goes to show what a powerful television program this truly is.
You may be wondering why all of this means that Glee is the most important television currently on air? If you live in a very insular world, where perhaps you don’t yet know a homosexual person, you may be fooled into believing the world is an accepting place. You may even be one of those people who wish homosexual people would stop going on about “gay marriage” and equal rights for all, and be happy with what they currently have. At least it is better than it was in the 50’s right? I hope just for the sake of you as an individual and a human being you are not one of these people, but even most heterosexual people who think they are hugely tolerant are in fact a little homophobic, or at the very least still a little uncomfortable around the issue. People will deny this of course… no one likes to be called a racist or a homophobe, but we all know that the world is full of them. Everyone likes to think they are tolerant but here’s the thing… If you consider yourself an enlightened person or you like to believe that you wouldn’t have negative opinions about a person before you meet them then it is no longer (or really ever was) acceptable to just be tolerant. Instead of tolerant, why not be embracing, why not be loving, why not truly try to understand your differences and similarities and realize much of your deep-seated dislike (though you may never admit this or fully realize this) only comes from the fact the heteronormative society in which you have been brought up has corrupted your mind to make you think this way?
I was having a conversation with my parents the other day about the fact that most heterosexual people (not all) would feel uncomfortable if they saw two gay men kissing, or would cringe a little or a lot if they were to watch two gay people making love, even if they consider themselves not in the least homophobic. Most people would say that it is natural for heterosexuals to feel a little uncomfortable watching events such as this between two people they personally don’t find physically attractive… but as a gay man, I don’t feel uncomfortable watching two straight couples having sex, and I don’t feel uncomfortable watching two lesbians having sex either… despite the fact that sexually I am not in the least interested. The only reason you have this reaction is because society has made you feel like you need to. The reason gay people are comfortable with any form of physical affection between any gender, but particularly between heterosexual couples, is because the media has presented to everyone, homosexual, heterosexual or otherwise, heterosexual relationships since we were first born… and not because homosexuality is unnatural. If the majority (heterosexuals) had watched Disney movies which presented two men falling in love like homosexuals had to watch a man and a woman fall in love, then heterosexual people wouldn’t be in the least uncomfortable.
This brings us back to Glee, and the massive importance this program has, particularly in this current political climate. Glee represents. It shows teenagers at school having the freedom to embrace their sexuality, and having the freedom to freely partake in visible homosexual relationships. Although this may not be fully realistic of the current state of the world- I know for example that if I were to engage in this sort of relationship at school I probably would have been bullied out of it- it is an important message, and an important future vision for a more ideal present to give hope to many LGBT children out in the world.
Glee has already proved to have such a great power, particular with the youth who watch it. Glee has 4 lead characters on the show that are gay, lesbian or bisexual and multiple secondary characters that also fit into these descriptions. Rarely seen on network television before, these characters have the freedom to walk down their high-school corridors as a couple, and more surprisingly as someone who has been witness to many homophobic slurs over the years, these characters and their relationships in particular are widely embraced by teenagers all over the world- teenagers who before this show probably were themselves homophobes, or perhaps never even really knew what a gay person was, or what it meant to be gay. This is an extremely important message to be conveying and it is extremely positive to see that this message is sticking with many of these kids. Shows like this, but this one in particular, have the power to help enlighten children across the globe, and bring them out of the bigoted and intolerant nature of the current society. Children and teenage fans of this show will shortly be the adults of tomorrow… adults who themselves will have children and will raise them with their own morals. As a gay child (though closeted at the time) I was bullied throughout school, and I was called horrific names. Even as an adult and a writer for this site, I have read the occasional hate comment written on my posts which later had to be deleted saying truly vile comments directed at me… a person they have never met. One comment in particular expressed the commenter’s opinions that the world would be a better place if people were freely able to beat people to death on the street for engaging in a homosexual lifestyle… You can argue with me all you like about how enlightened and accepting the world is now, but if you are not a homosexual yourself you are unlikely to know the real hatred many people in society still have of homosexual people.
If Glee is unfortunately canceled this season or next, I will know that at least part of the reason of this cancellation is due to homophobia in society. That of course wouldn’t be the only reason, and I would fully be able to accept if the network decided to cancel the show because the quality had dropped significantly… but in this writers opinion, that isn’t really the case. It seemed to me that Glee lost most of its viewer after Season 2, and much of the complaints of that season were because much of the focus was on Kurt and his experiences as a gay teenager. Many people argue that the show has dropped significantly in quality, but I don’t see that much of a difference between season 1 and the current season in terms of the criteria you would normally judge a show by. In fact, I would make the argument that the musical numbers are much better now, as are the actors.
But as a television lover I am worried for the future of TV if Glee is canceled shortly. Glee is the program on TV that represents more LGBT than any other, and is one of the more popular network shows with younger audiences. If Glee goes, many teenagers and children will lose this connection they have, and this virtual friendship they have with these fictional gay characters they love so much. If Glee is canceled, many shows will be even more fearful of representing gay characters on TV and many people, but teenagers especially, will grow up without this important representation they simply aren’t getting from Disney movies for example. If you are heterosexual you may not understand this importance, but just imagine you never had any role models around you who could guide you. Imagine you had been brought up with only homosexual representations on screen, and imagine all of your family members had been homosexual and you were the only heterosexual you knew. Imagine if you were told by many people that it was wrong for you to be heterosexual and there were no other things telling you otherwise. Wouldn’t that be a scary place to live in?
If you don’t watch Glee for reasons connected to homophobia, or you are scared to watch the show in fear of being called out for being homosexual (though you likely aren’t) give the show another chance, and try to watch it without wanting to hate it. The fact of the matter is, although it represents more gay people than any show on television currently and has the representation of being the “gayest” show on air (meant as an insult usually) it is still much more tailored towards heterosexuals and still deals with heterosexual relationships far more than homosexual ones. One thing for the future I would like to see Ryan Murphy change is the unfair lack of gay affection on the show compared to the heterosexual characters. You may not watch the show because you think it is too “gay” for you, but very rarely will you ever see Kurt and Blaine or Santana and Brittany passionately kiss (a peck if anything)… however, there was a while when Rachel and Finn would openly and passionately kiss in the school corridors pretty much in every episode.
The thing is, Glee is the most important show on television currently because other shows that steer around the need to represent LGBT characters have the freedom of solely being entertainment shows. Glee has the privilege, but perhaps also the burden (one which may be in part responsible for its cancellation) of flying the flag for LGBT in the media and has the responsibility of trying to move society forward… but it still has much work to do which would make it’s cancellation so tragic. Glee has recently introduced a transsexual character into the show and many Glee fans were furious about this addition. Bill O’Reilly, the bigoted “news” anchor even had a feature on his show about how this character potentially would suddenly turn all the children into transsexuals (this isn’t how it works)… but like with the gay issue, given time, Glee could help enlighten people away from hate, and embrace transgendered people who are more excluded from media representation than really any other type of human.
To conclude this article, I’d like to remind any potential homosexual readers out there who watch the show or used to watch the show that despite the fact that the gay characters are treated unequally to the heterosexual characters in terms of public displays of affection… don’t give this cause for you to help sink this ship which is already struggling somewhat to stay afloat. Glee is one of very few shows that is actively trying to make a difference, and is actively on your side… and in this unsure political climate where gay rights could go one of two polar opposite ways, we need as many people on our side as we can get, and so do the children and teenagers who really need a show like “Glee” in their lives.
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22 Comments
Ummmm no.
1 – Its not very good.
2 – We’ve seen gays and lesbians on TV before. Queer as folk, sugar rush etc.
The whole show just pangs of some check-list – disabled guy – check, blind guy – check etc etc etc.
And the musical numbers are painful. I understand what you mean about representing minorities so maybe I’m not the best person to comment on this (white, straight, male, able-bodied etc) but I can’t help but feel that a better show, would surely represent minorities better…
I think it is a lot better than people give it credit for, forgetting about the minority issue for a second. The problem is people judge it too harshly and forget that Glee isn’t supposed to be a serious drama, and it isn’t supposed to be a comedy either. It’s not as dramatic as Breaking Bad and it isn’t as comedic as Modern Family but it isn’t supposed to be… in my opinion it is the more entertaining show, even if it has more flaws.
Secondly, yes there have been gays on television before but not really like on Glee, and particularly not directed to the audience Glee is directed towards. Sure, shows like Queer as folk and Sugar Rush are some good examples, but those shows were mainly seen by teenager/young adults and weren’t watched by families of preteens like Glee is. Plus, those shows were focused on just representing gay people almost exclusively, as apposed to representing them with a whole host of other people. Glee teaches people not to judge and not to hate people, especially for there differences. Those shows may have done this, but the audience was much smaller andd they were directed at adults who more or less had formed there opinions about these people already.
My point is, take Glee off of television and what do LGBT kids really have on TV that they can relate to. Sure, shows like True Blood and Modern Family represent homosexuality, but they don’t represent teenage homosexuality. As much as it is great to show kids like with Modern Family that when you are an adult you can live a happy and accepted life as a gay adult… but kids need to now that you can (or at least should be able to) live a happy life as a gay teenager now. In my opinion, no other show does this… and at the very least no other show does this as well.
You seem like the sort of person who dislikes Glee because you just don’t really enjoy the genre which is perfectly cool and acceptable… but I know many many people simply won’t watch Glee because they think it is too “gay”, and that just isn’t right (especially when the show is actually much less aimed at homosexual people than most people would ever think).
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on this issue… I’d be interested to hear what you think is the most important show currently on air, if you think there is one?
Also, who is the blind guy on Glee?
I think people are possessive of specific couples such as Brittana because they want to make a point to the writers that they want their couple to have more screen time. It’s really obvious and if you are on twitter, you’ll see that a lot of the fans believe that Ryan Murphy likes Klaine and Finchel more than Brittana. He doesn’t hate them but he definitely doesn’t give them equal amount of attention. If you watched the break up episode and the entire season 3 you’ll see that Brittana is always put more as a background couple. I find this ridiculous because I honestly know for a fact that Brittana has a much bigger fandom than Finchel, so it is frustrating that they aren’t taken seriously. Glee at some point or another could be considered the most important show but not anymore. The big cast, the newbies, the bak sand forth between Lima and NY, all this isn’t working.
Thanks for commenting. I am aware that a lot of people love Brittana as a couple but I would be surprised if either Brittana or Klaine has more fans than Finchel… although I believe the Klaine fans and Brittana fans are more vocal.
You are right that Brittana does get less screen time but you have to realise that it is a TV show and not all characters can get an equal amount. Rachel in the main character of the show, so for sure her and Finn’s relationship will be the more important relationship on the show. Even though Kurt is apparently the second next most important character, I actually believe he gets very little screen-time, especially compared to Blaine these days. But like Rachel in the main character of the NY storylines, Blaine is the main character of the Lima storylines, hence why it makes sense that Finchel and Klaine are the most featured relationship.
Obviously Brittana is an important relationship to you which proves Glee’s importance as a television series but if I were you I would just be thankful that Brittana does get screen-time. They may get less than Finchel and Klaine, but they get a lot more than Tike ever did or Wemma. Especially considering Santana and Brittany started off the show more as background characters, it is impressive that they both are now integral to the show.
Plus, I also think that Brittana got more focus in much of Season 3 than Klaine ever did… and the have had a lot of focus in Season 4. Although the Break Up episode focused on them less, Britney 2.0 (even though Santana was absent) focused on their relationship a lot. Also, Santana is going to be a much more important part of the rest of Season 4 than she has been so far so I wouldn’t worry that much yet.
“Plus, I also think that Brittana got more focus in much of Season 3 than Klaine ever did”
That is simply not correct.
Obviously you don’t give a rats ass about Brittany and Santana so you didn’t notice. The only CONVERSATION they had with each other as a couple was about a god damn sex tape and that’s it. They didn’t even get ONE private scene in the entire season 3. Sure Santana had a lot of scenes with other people, plus the songs, but Brittany and Santana as a couple only got background scenes. I’m not expecting “equal” amount of time as Finchel, no I get that they’re the core couple, but what gets to me most is that Brittany is rendered mute when she’s with Santana, but they give her all the scenes, conversations, development, and apparently duets as well, when she’s suddenly with a boy. Same thing happened in season 2 as well. We’d been begging for Brittana since early season 1, they finally take the next step in 2×04 then in the same episode Brittany suddenly is with Artie and stays that way with LOTS of scenes until 2×15. Then Brittana angst for 3 episodes, that time was great of course, but then NOTHING.
Can you imagine an important episode for any other character (imagine if any of them had to come out) with their significant other not even uttering a word the entire episode? That’s what happened in 3×07 after Santana was pushed out of the closet. And come on, we had to BEG them for three years to finally get a “first on screen kiss”.
Should I be grateful for “Especially considering Santana and Brittany started off the show more as background characters”? Then why can all the characters that started the show way after them continue to get way more than them without being reminded that they’re newer than the rest?
I understand that Glee has done a lot for the LGBT community, especially for the gay guys, and Glee did help me during season 2 when Santana finally realized. But then it also made me feel worthless, like I don’t matter, with the way they’ve acted as though Brittany and Santana as a couple is only a chore to them.
Thanks for this comment. I admit that my statement that Brittana got more focus than Blaine is Season 3 is incorrect and this was much more a miscommunication on my part.
What I meant to say was that Santana’s sexuality storyline was a main focus at the beginning of Season 3… much more focus was on Santana in the entirety of Season 3 than was on Kurt certainly. As for Klaine, yes they got more screen time, but Santana individually in this season went from being a very much background character to arguably the second most important character on the show (behind Rachel).
What I will say is don’t hate the show because Brittany and Santana as a couple didn’t get all that much of a focus… at least a lesbian relationship is featured on the show. For sure, the writers could have conveyed this relationship better and given them more screen-time, but at least it is representing. I also think Season 4 will hold a lot of good things in terms of lesbian relationships certainly for Santana.
But it certainly shouldn’t make you feel worthless (I am assuming you are a homosexual female?) because Glee is still one of very few shows on TV with a lesbian couple, and for most of Season 3 Santana was one of the four main characters on the show. The fact is though, there are so many relationships on the show so a couple are bound to be represented less. It is unfortunate that the lesbian relationship took a bit of a backseat, but not as much as Tike did for example. It is surely better than had they not represented female homosexuality though at all… and who knows what the future brings.
There is a lot about Kurt and Blaine’s relationship that I, as a gay man, do not like (and I am glad they are taking a breather at the moment) but I am happy that such a popular relationship on TV that appeals to younger audiences is a homosexual relationship so I can forgive it a few smaller details. I would be much happier if the network allowed more gay kisses, but I wouldn’t blame Ryan Murphy or the show for this- there are more gay kisses here than on Modern Family for example.
Everytime I write a Glee article, most of the people who comment are angry Brittana fans. This to me shows how passionate this fandom is and how important the show is to many people for it’s representation of lesbians on TV. You may get angry that the show isn’t exactly what you wish it would be, but try to be less negative about it all and at least enjoy the fact that homosexuality is getting much needed representation on a show that is watched by millions of people around the world.
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Thanks for writing this article Daniel. There is so much to agree with here – not necessarily to do with the specific couples but the general importance of Glee as a series on network television today.
I think you make some really valid points. As a heterosexual, with many gay and lesbian friends, I think your views on “homophobia” are completely accurate. There are many people I know that aren’t comfortable, or don’t embrace homosexuality, even though they’re okay with it. I’ll have to admit that I was one of these people that was “okay” with it, but didn’t embrace it — until Glee showed me that it SHOULD be embraced and encouraged.
It’s not even limited to homosexuality, though. While I believe this is a main underlying theme of the entire series, think of all the things it teaches one to be comfortable with or teaches one to deal with: bullying, death, suicide, domestic abuse, losing your virginity, falling into stereotypes and archetypes. It’s amazing to me that these taboo barriers can be broken down simply by relating to a character on television. In fact, I wrote a similar post on the issue here: http://www.troutymouth.com/2012/08/what-glee-means-to-me.html
I think you’re absolutely accurate in the assumption that people don’t give Glee enough of a chance. I think Gleeks, and audience members in general, need to see the big picture here: By design, this show shouldn’t work on tv. But it does, BECAUSE these issues are addressed. And while we are all cheering for our ships to make it — and perhaps get a little too negative when we feel our favorite characters don’t get enough screen time — not everyone feels the exact same way you do.
That said, I don’t think it’s the writers’ jobs to appease what we want for our ships. It’s the writers’ jobs to produce the best television show they can produce with interesting storylines to keep our attention spans. And if there’s one place I’d disagree with you in reading this article, it is that Glee would be canceled partially due to societal homophobia. I think that if Glee were to be canceled it’s because it’s becoming increasingly more difficult the more characters and plot lines that are introduced, to keep hold of our ever-changing attention spans.
I really enjoyed reading your take on this show. Furthermore I agree with you 100% that Glee teaches you that there’s a big difference between being “okay” with something, and fully accepting it. And for that reason, I also agree that Glee is not only the most important show on television, and to date, there’s not been a TV show to accomplish the things that Glee has accomplished.
Thank you for this comment. I am glad you enjoyed the article and it is great to find another Glee fan who not only feels the same way about the show as I do, but also who has felt a positive attitude in their own lives because of this show. Although this article may seem more focused towards the homosexual audience, this show is very important to all sexualities… particularly in making heterosexuals more enlightened and embracing. I also completely agree with you, it is not the writers job to appease the audience… it is their job to create the best program they possibly can, even if this means doing things to characters we find difficult to watch and be on board with at the time. I bet there were many people who were annoyed when Brittany and Artie’s relationship broke up, and were claiming never to watch the show again after this… but this brake up lead to one of the most popular relationships on the series and on television.
I do stand by my point that if Glee were to be canceled it would be in part to do with homophobia. What I mean by this is that I know a lot of people who don’t watch the show because they are homophobic… in fact I would bet that the majority of particularly straight males won’t watch the show in fear of being called a homosexual- or don’t watch it because they themselves are homophobic. Like I said before, a lot of the audience who used to watch the show but gave up on it claim Season 2 (the season where Kurt’s struggles with homosexuality were the main focus) as the reason why they no longer watch. Glee also continues to get a lot of bad press from right wing media stations and I guarantee a lot of parents are wrongly uncomfortable with their kids watching this show. I hope Glee isn’t canceled and is allowed to run to a natural end (particularly one which shows a clear and tied up arc for Rachel and Kurt) but if it is, there will be no doubt in my mind that had this program aired 10 years from now when people will hopefully be more comfortable with the issues addressed then Glee would find a much larger audience than it already has. I do believe that we will at least see a 5th Season of the show though, as although Glee suffers somewhat in the Nielson ratings, the show is hugely popular on DVR and on sites such as Itunes, Netflix and Hulu.
Thanks again for reading and offering a mature and considered take on the points and issues I raised in this article. I am glad that the show has helped you to embrace homosexuality as opposed to just tolerate it.
Thank you for writing this article. I always like reading people’s personal experiences and thoughts about a show I pretty much obsess about.
I agree with your points about it being sensational for a show to have this many LGBT lead characters. That’s amazing and a huge step forward. But we are talking about visibility here, not equality. You mentioned that in your article (that gay couples often don’t get the same treatment as heterosexual ones), but there’s also another view from many, many other people (myself included) which makes me actually want to quit Glee.
You see, I’m a Brittana shipper. I’m aware that they’ll never get the same amount of screentime as Finchel or Klaine. But here comes the term equality again. In season 3 we’ve seen a huge difference in how Brittana was treated compared to other couples. Them finally getting together was anti-climatic, then Santana got outed (I’ll get into that later) and her girlfriend wasn’t allowed to say anything about it, then Brittany went mute for a couple episodes, we got the Valentines episode which was basically a big “here’s your lesbian kiss, now shut up”, plus in that quite ‘Brittana focused’ episode they had one conversation which lasted about 1 minute. Let’s continue shall we? No words were spoken between the lovebirds for a couple more episodes, then in the disco episode we got that horrible sex tape plot (written by the same guy who was responsible for the offensiveness that was I Kissed A Girl). So, when it involves a sextape, then they’re allowed to talk and have longer conversations? Talk about stereotyping and sexism by the way. Then for a while they did not talk either and we close the season with Santana not knowing Brittany was failing her year. To one of your arguments above: Brittana did not get more focus than Klaine, not in the least possible way. Brittana got a total of 5 minutes of screentime together (over 22 episodes!!) which was actually less than Wemma and just a bit more than Tike. So, not only did they not have the screentime (which isn’t even what Brittana shippers wanted), the only (!) storyline they did have (the sextape plot) would’ve been better if left out.
To make it worse; what was supposed to be an empowering episode for millions of gay girls, ended in a pile of suck and offensiveness. Finn outs Santana and she thanks him for that. Santana suddenly can’t survive without Finn’s wisdom because else she’ll kill herself. Finn sings ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ to Santana and the audience is supposed to bow before him for reaching out to Santana, obviously not caring about the offensiveness of the title alone. Finn never once apologizes. Compare Santana’s treatment to Kurt’s?! The difference in quality and visible care put into it is huge!
This is just one of the few examples (although the worst) of a girl on Glee needing to be saved by a guy. I can give you plenty more examples. I think misogyny would be the correct term for this. I’m sick of it and I’m sick of them being incapable of showing Santana in Brittany in a serious and loving relationship, which they have done with Klaine, Finchel, Wemma and Tike.
Sorry for my novel, but I want to make my point clear. So, after season 3 Brittana fans raged, as they had every right to do and wanted them to have serious conversations for once. Ryan & Co. listened and what do we get? A serious and ~long conversation where they break up! It’s insane. We’ve seen the beginning of their relationship and the ending, but never have we seen them being portrayed as any other serious, supporting and loving relationship on the show. As a gay female I’m deeply saddened by the fact that they obviously don’t even care about that, when they do care about the male gay couple. There are double standards everywhere. Not only hetero relationships vs. homosexual ones, but also with the female and male homosexual relationship. Gay girls are apparently on the bottom of the totem pole, that’s what Glee tells me. Now, I don’t know if you keep up with spoilers, if not, stop reading here. But we’ve already seen Sam in Brittany share 2 scenes where they’re cuddling and talking about feelings. Already two things Brittana never got. Spoilers tell us that we get a (second) Brittany and Sam (love) duet and they’re apparently have some more scenes together. Probably long, cute scenes I can imagine, where they’re in private, sitting close to each other and talk about how they feel (again). That’s a wonderful message there, Glee. Lesbian relationships are apparently incapable of support and love, it’s all about making sex references. The bisexual girl is immediately put in a relationship with a guy, with whom she’ll have more scenes than with her ex-girlfriend, while said girlfriend will be the single lesbian. Nice.
Again, sorry for the long post, but I wanted to tell you this. Glee is just too focused on the guys and their issues and they obviously don’t give a rats ass about the L in LGBT, which is why I’m quitting. It’s too offensive.
Thanks for this, and I am aware of many of the points you have brought up. I Kissed a Girl was a terrible episode and I too was very angry how the writers made Finn out to be the hero in this episode when in reality he outed Santana and never said sorry. He deserved to be slapped and after the great episode that was “Mash Off” the following episode was a huge let down. Perhaps it is partly because the writer of I Kissed the Girl is dating (or was) Naya Rivera, and wrote her as a lesbian from a male fantasy perspective.
As much as I would love to reply to every point you made, I simply don’t have the time… I am sorry. I have recently replied to a comment similar to this above which you can feel free to read. I apologize for saying Brittana got more screen time than Klaine when I really meant Santana got much more screen-time than Kurt.
I would ask you not to over react though. Like I said in the article, Glee fans get very protective of the show and occasionally lose perspective. Yes I agree that the lesbian relationship on the show wasn’t dealt with wonderfully… though nor have really any of the relationships fully… but you should remember that not all Glee characters are equal on the show. Unfortunately maybe for you, Santana is a less important character than both Kurt and Rachel, and therefore it makes sense that her relationship gets less screen-time.
You should also bare in mind that though the show rightfully angers you at time, this isn’t really reason to quit the show. It is really the only show on TV that features such an important (especially teenage) lesbian character… and if you quit the show all you will be left with are shows that avoid representing homosexuality what so ever- which are much more worthy of you hate than a show that tries valiantly (though often fails) to represent all different kinds of people.
Also, remember that although there have been some huge hiccups in the Santana and Brittany storylines, there have also been some truly wonderful moments. Obviously you know this, otherwise you wouldn’t ship there character at all. Hopefully you are not blinded by your love of this couple. I for one am looking forward to not only Brittany exploring her further relationships (be that with a male or female) but I am really looking forward to seeing Santana explore her own sexuality further in Season 4, in which she is apparently going to feature much more than she has so far.
Thank you for answering. I agree my post may seem very heated, but sadly that’s what the show did to me with the double standards going on. I’m glad lesbians have somewhat representation on Glee, and I know Santana is a less important character than for example Kurt or Rachel. But they could have decided to at least give Santana a respectful storyline regarding her sexuality, within the time limit. Or to give her relationship with Brittany a small but heartfelt storyline, within the time limits. I just know already that I’m going to keep tuning in to see Naya get a bigger role in the second half when she hopefully gets to New York. I’ve been a fan of her when I tuned in in season 2. But unlike you, I am not going to enjoy Brittany and Sam and be reminded of what the writers never wanted to write for the lesbian couple, whatever their reasons.
Thank you. I for one personally think (my opinion) Brittany and Sam are more suited to each other than Brittany and Santana… I am looking forward to this relationship though I have heard that it won’t last much more than a few episodes.
The relationship I am much more looking forward to (much more so than Rachel and Brody) is Santana’s future relationships. Hopefully the writers and the show will have learned its lesson and will be more respectful of lesbian relationships in the future.
I have heard (and I think it has been confirmed) that Santana is on her way to New York shortly… but it won’t be till at least after Sectionals… I predict that it will probably be the focus of the first episode in the New Year (or maybe even the Christmas episode). I am hoping that Santana will move in with Kurt and Rachel and be a much greater focus for the show, because out of all the character Rachel, Kurt and Santana are my favorites… who have each been my favorite individual character many times throughout the show. I previously in fact wrote an article for this website that you can read a couple of weeks back predicting the futures for the main characters on the show… but don’t worry if you do not have the time.
Thanks again for reading and giving your opinions. Your point of view is greatly appreciated and will make me more tuned in to the lesbian relationships on the show, although I was before aware of the many issues lesbians have with the storylines.
I respectfully (take this into account) disagree. It was a very good show in its first season, then heavily decayed in quality as the seasons went along and is now.. well, bad actually. I don’t watch it anymore simply because it’s become bad, and I seriously don’t know how anyone could remotely imply that any actor in it is nearly as good as Bryan Cranston or Claire Danes (or Aaron Paul, etc.). As for your statement that the show is “important” because of the kind of some of the relationships in it – there are a lot of other shows with similar caracteristics, and I don’t believe that the mere presence of said relationships on the show merits it being called important, much less the most important one (and remember, even if it was important – which it is not – you’d have to believe that that kind of discrimination is the most important issue nowadays).
The fact that you said you don’t watch it anymore means you can not judge whether or not it is bad now… it is not bad, and it is just as watchable as the first season. In fact, re-watch the first season and I would make the argument that this current season has been better. Terri faking her pregnancy, Tina faking a stutter, Finn thinking he got Quinn pregnant… there were some truly terrible storylines in season 1 that people forget. You sound like you want to hate the show so you do as apposed to someone who hates the show because it is actually bad (though I don’t know because I don’t know you). I have read a couple of professional critics opinions on the new season and most people seem to agree that the show is back on form… even still, it is a show people judge too harshly because people don’t know how to take a show which is neither comedy or drama. If you don’t like the show fair enough, but it isn’t a bad show, especially in comparison to 70 percent of other TV shows on air. Have fun with it and it is, in my opinion probably the most enjoyable (occasionally stupid- but not necessarily in a bad way) 40 minutes on TV.
My article states why I believe the relationships in this show are more important than others in other shows… namely the fact that we are watching youth and MANY diversities are represented. But as much as I respect your difference of opinion, to state that this show ISN’T important is a silly claim to make… it may not be important to you, but the fact that it has importance to me and many, many underrepresented fans and other fans means the show undeniably has importance.
Also, LGBTQ issues are the most important social issue nowadays… name another social issue more important? The fact that people, myself included in this group don’t have equal rights under the law is embarrassing and completely shameful. Maybe you don’t notice because you don’t belong to the LGBTQ group but this is the most important issue because it is still an issue. When being gay isn’t an issue in society then it won’t be this important, but because there is still SO much progress to be made, shows like Glee have so much importance to the youth of today. What other show would you say is more important? (note “important”… not better).
As for the actors, I stand by the fact that although I think Bryan Cranston and Claire Danes are better, dramatic acting is easier than comedic acting, and Lea Michele and Chris Colfer are pretty terrific at both (as is Cranston, hence why I think he is a better actor all round). Watch “The Break Up” episode to see how great those too actors can act.
I certainly don’t want to hate it, why whould I? Like I said, it used to be a very good show, just.. not anymore. And when I said I don’t watch it anymore I meant that I stopped watching around the beggining of season 3 (and believe me, some storylines and the way they ended were a bit painful), and didn’t check back until the beggining of season 4. It was still bad. While it was very good in season 1 and more or less the beggining of season 2, it was very inconsistent, with great episodes and plain terrible episodes in between. I also think that, at this point, you could confuse mindless (which it has become) with “entertaining”, as it doesn’t require much thought or analysis (not that it was very deep or anything at its best – whereas with shows like Breaking Bad you could spend hours analyzing it, and episodes like Fly actually REQUIRE putting a lot of thought into them). As for your social issue claim, Modern Family started the same year as Glee in case you forgot, and there are a lot of other shows with such type of relationships in them, making Glee not that relevant anymore (again, the sole presence of said relationships doesn’t make a show important). Also, there are a LOT of important social issues at the moment, all of them noteworthy. Hence why I disagree.
Again, you aren’t really understanding my point. The reason Glee is more important than Modern Family (which I actually wrote an article on and which I think portrays minorities badly and embarrassingly stereotypically to the point that whereas I was once a fan, I find myself going off) is because Glee represents LGBTQ youth, as apposed to grown adults… and youth need considerably more help and acceptance.
Plus, again, Breaking Bad is entirely different and the two shows are incomparable… not because Glee is necessarily worse, but because Glee is a completely different show and shouldn’t be judged against dramas on cable. First of all, Glee is not a drama. Secondly, it exists in more of a fantasy, satirical universe whereas Breaking Bad is meant to be believable.
As much as I love Breaking Bad and believe it to be the best drama on TV, and I can accept that the show is written and acted better than Glee, I enjoy watching Glee more than Breaking Bad- so although I can accept BB is the “better” show, I prefer watching Glee. If you can embrace Glee’s genre, and accept that not all good things need to be intellectually stimulating (though BB hardly is this) than Glee is A LOT of fun.
And if we are comparing Glee with Modern Family, I would say Modern Family’s fourth season has been a major disappointment so far whereas, like I said, Glee’s season 4 has mostly been good/great.
And although you may think it’s silly to want to hate things, I guarantee a lot of people like Glee but don’t want to- mostly men who are embarrassed to watch it or admit to watching it in front of their friends… and any excuse to jump on a hate band wagon with the show they will jump at. These same people probably watch it every week, secretly love it, but pretend they are only hate watching it. Glee episodes do particularly well online and on Itunes TV store for example, where people can secretly watch the show on their laptops and not in front of family members and friends etc etc.
http://www.hitfix.com/monkeys-as-critics/glee-recap-glease-is-not-a-word
That’s a link that should tell you critics DO NOT approve of Glee season 4. Want another one?
No, sorry. Couldn’t find any, because all critics have given up on it a long time ago. You can’t possibly say it’s as good as season 1, much less better.
I can and I am. In my opinion, so far, it has been overall better than Season 1. I am not really familiar with the site or the reviewer but this reviewer and this site is much more credible, and they have positive things to say…
http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/seitz-on-ryan-murphys-glee-american-horror-story.html
I also don’t exactly expect the average TV reviewer (white, male, straight, middle aged and rich) to get the show, so completely understand why it often gets less than favorable reviews. The average critic isn’t really the shows target audience so it really isn’t the best judge.
This all said, I like the show, I don’t care who does and who doesn’t agree with me. I would prefer all those people who don’t like shows to just shut up and not watch and not critique them (especially if you haven’t watched the episodes you are complaining about). There are plenty of so called good shows on TV that I don’t like, but I have better things to do than post negative things about that show in comments pages.
I do too. I was just bored, since I have nothing to do until afternoon. You can’t say that only gay people “get the show”, as you yourself can’t know that. You’re only taking into account the anti gay discrimination part and blowing it out of proportion – that alone doesn’t make a show good. The storylines are absurd in a bad way (mostly they used to be in a good way) and poorly handled.
Besides, the critic you just quoted, is a jackass. He says Breaking Bad is only one of the best dramas on tv, as opposed to the best drama and show overall on tv (Note that I’m not calling him jackass because I disagree with him, rather because he provides poor and unfounded arguments for his opinions, which are most of the times wrong).