Just get happy
This blog is in danger of becoming GLEE blog. Anyway, it’s what I want to talk about today, and it’s an important show and reflection of pop culture, so…
I’m a major fan of Chord Overstreet in GLEE.
No, not his abs.
(OK, yes, his abs, but that is not what I’m writing about. Right now.)
Sam displayed a kind of sensitivity on the show this week we rarely get on GLEE for all its grandstanding on homophobia. I found myself touched by it. Even though Finn is mostly correct that there is a big difference between being opposed to Kurt being gay and opposed to Kurt’s unbelievable abrasiveness when he likes someone, he is still ruled by perceptions and not his own moral code. Sam’s shrugging off of all of the things that Finn is talking about in terms of perceived homosexuality was genuine and believable. Mind, he’s the one who first didn’t want to be in Glee because of how Finn gets talked about – but that didn’t have to be because of the gay underpinnings of those talks, just the way they tag a person as uncool. It’s important to note that when this involved the feelings of another person, Sam was unwilling to save his reputation at cost to his word or someone else’s self worth. That’s touching in itself, but the casual way Chord Overstreet played it – a literal shrug, not a second of doubt about it no matter how Finn was trying to sell him on selling out Kurt – meant even more.
On Finn:
I get where he’s coming from, and he had some good points. But he goes on sometimes about wanting to be a leader, and sometimes being a leader means doing the unpopular thing, getting slushied for it, and working to change people’s perceptions. It’s NOT “let’s see what everyone else thinks and do that.” I know that = high school, but if you want to be a leader, be one. You want to change how people think about something, change it. I don’t actually think this is a flaw of the show, I think it is one of its strengths: Finn is imperfect, while much better about homosexuality than his ridiculous roidhound football teammates. He’s not brilliant and navigating all these impossible high school political landscapes. Neither is Kurt. Neither is Sam. But of all the ones who end up being a real leader in the school, my bet is that Sam becomes one unwittingly. He seems to walk around with that impenetrable air, he seems to care less about the politics than one might expect now that he’s over his first flush of being scared of being in Glee club.
On the final song:
You know, I’ve been pretty hate-ey on Rachel and Kurt so far this season. But I loved, loved, loved that they connected over the classic Barbra/Judy Garland song – you MUST watch this original – (even if Rachel was stretching to even ACT like Barbra from the original in it, whatever, you know that character has been practicing that part of that song since she could say “Funny Girl”). For all the talk of Rachel doing nothing that wasn’t selfish here, finally, was something she did just to be good to a fellow person in need. And in a time when it’s been pretty terrible out there for gay teens, this lilting, hopeful song sung by two of the biggest divas of all time (and remade by GLEE’s biggest divas) added a little “it gets better” nod to the show without being overt, preachy, or insufferable. Gorgeous touch.
“I know you’re lonely. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be to have feelings in high school that you can’t act on for fear of being humiliated or ridiculed or worse. We’re going to win Nationals this year. You know how we’re going to do that, because we have you. [Kurt, with full belief: “That’s true.”] That’s twelve people who love you just for being exactly the way that you are. I know you’re lonely but you’re not alone.”
One little note about that performance, though – Lea Michele is clearly trying very hard to be the new Barbra Streisand. Good for you honey. Shoot for the stars. But study that performance and then Barbra’s… and note the big fat difference. Barbra’s is effortless, and technically flawless while being effortless. Lea Michele is amazing. But she is not Barbra.
And, hell, one more note on this: whatever Glee does to the vocals, isn’t it great that a whole new generation of people are being introduced to these fine performances, showtunes, fantastic melodies and music that the current radio trash can’t touch, through this show? Yes, I thought so 
