After LOST ended in March, I wondered what else I could watch to fill the void. After all, there were only two television shows I religiously followed, the other being Top Gear (which is still on).
Last year, I heard a lot about this show Glee, with all its covers of popular ’80s and ’90s songs dominating the charts. My older brother started watching it first and after he was done, I began watching it.
And now I’m hooked.
Fine, the first half of the series did seem like they crammed in way too many plot twists and the reveals came too quick — but I feel it was only done that way because they needed to draw in an audience to stay on air longer. After the break, and once Glee officially became a hit, it got better in the second half.
Glee is a breath of fresh air in the world of television programming. A varied cast, great characters, popular music and well produced, Glee was like High School Musical… only better!
So as the season 2 kicks off in the US with more new music, I’m going to share all my ‘favourites’ from season one.
Favourite cast members/characters
Just like a million other Gleeks, I’m in love with the incredibly talented Lea Michele. Just about anything she’s had her vocals showcased, it soon became my favourite. Not only does she play the adorable and hyperactive Rachel Berry (one of the best characters on the show) her vocals are only second to Celine Dion’s as far as popular female singers go. Easily the best singer on Glee.
Favourite songs sung by Lea Michele:
“Defying Gravity” (a duet with Chris Colfer)
“Take a Bow” – Face it, Rihana can’t sing. Lea Michele does this song justice!
Chris Colfer, who plays the gay Kurt Hummel.
He plays his part well (he’s gay in real life too, so that helps) and is a great dramatic performer.
Heather Morris, who plays dumb blonde cheerleader Brittany.
She doesn’t get to say much in season 1 but this dancer now turned show-regular had some of the funniest lines in Glee. My favourite?
“Did you know dolphins are just gay sharks?”
LOL!
Covers I liked more than the original
“Beth” – originally by KISS but sung better by Mark Salling (who plays bad boy Puck). “Beth” is KISS’s most popular ballad, but I never thought much of it. Maybe that’s because it needed a better singer…
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” – originally by Bonnie Tyler. An epic power ballad from the 1980s, I prefer Le Michele’s clear voice compared to Bonnie Tyler’s.
Best Mashups
“Borderline/Open Your Heart” – performed by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith. From the awesome Madonna special, this song also ranks as one of the best visualization/videos on Glee. Great song!
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me*/Young Girl^”- performed by Matthew Morrison
*originally sung by The Police
^originally sung by Gary Puckett And The Union Gap
Best Videos
“Run Joey Run” (Funny :))
The aforementioned “Borderline/Open Your Heart”
“Safety Dance” – performed by Kevin McHale (who plays wheelchair-bound Artie)
Boy band NLT may not have survived long, but it was enough of a training ground for Kevin McHale, who along with pro dancers Mike Chang and Heather Morris appear in the best dance choreography of season 1!
Best Male Singer
Cory Monteith gets all the male leads, Chris Colfer gets the falsetto, Matthew Morrison is the experienced all-round entertainer but the guy whose voice I like best is Mark Salling’s.
Prettiest Cast Member
Dianna Agron, who plays mean bitch Quinn Fabray. But despite her character on the show, watch her videos and you realize she’s quite a sweetheart.
She’s also real-life roommate to Lea Michele.
And now, some of my not-so-favourites.
Act I Found Annoying
Matthew Morrison’s “Hey, even I can act all hip & cool. Now watch me dance!”
Yeeeaahhh… didn’t really feel the vibe on “Gold Digger” or “Bust a Move“.
Covers That I Just Went “Meh”
“Dream On” performed by Matthew Morrison and Neil “Awe-some” Patrick Harris.
Sorry, but this song can only be done right by the great Steven Tyler.
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
Another rock classic that underwhelmed. As great a singer Jonathan Groff is, again, you just can’t out-perform rock legends like Freddie Mercury.
And finally… now I know Glee is credited to reviving Journey’s fame with Don’t Stop Believin’ but despite doing an entire medley of their songs in the season finale, I’ll take the originals with Steve Perry on vocals (or even Arnel Pineda) any day! I love Journey a little too much to see a less on par cover.
With that said, I’m looking forward to season 2 of Glee. Now that it’s a monster hit, getting big stars to appear on the show and rights to music should be a lot easier (though Bryan Adams is still yet to say ‘yes’). Show creator Ryan Murphy did say that season 2 won’t cram in so many musical numbers in every episode and that the pacing would be better, which is welcome news.
But safe to say, I’m now officially a “Gleek”!
