Review: “Glee” Returns with Decent Episode, But “Madonna” Brings Magic

No network show in the past few years has returned with as much pressure to deliver as FOX’s “Glee.”

Even with the benefit of the “American Idol” lead-in for its pilot/preview presentation, FOX’s musical comedy did not emerge as a surefire ratings winner. Its initial critical acclaim, while generally strong, was similarly not game-changing. There was nothing to indicate that FOX had a series that could mix musical theater with quirky, off-color comedy in a teen soap-esque-setting and become a sustainable flagship for the network.

But as the show found its voice–and one of the most passionate fanbases on television–its legend immediately grew. Despite scoring ratings that only modestly put the show into “hit” territory, it managed to become the talk of most water coolers and the recipient of the Golden Globe for Best Comedy. And the phenomenon has escaped the world of television; the two soundtrack albums were massive hits with record buyers, while the upcoming live tour should do strong business. Simply put, with shows like “American Idol” and “Grey’s Anatomy” down from their ratings peaks and the conversation-starting “Lost” episodes away from calling it quits, “Glee”‘s spring premiere comes with more momentum than any series on television.

And it is in that vein that “Glee” faces so much pressure Tuesday night. Even though “Idol”‘s audience is simultaneously smaller and less willing to sample new shows than it was in the past, it is still a massive viewership that will guide “Glee” to its highest rating of the season. All of these people have heard the raves and possibly even listened to some of the songs on iTunes, but the question becomes whether they will be impressed with what they see?

One similarly cannot forget the diehards. They likely shed tears during the show’s brilliant fall finale, and now as the show starts planting seeds for the remainder of the season (and future seasons), will they feel the same excitement and emotional connection?

In both cases, the answer is ‘yes,’ although the ‘yes’ is more a product of “Glee,” in general, being such a strong show than “Hell-O,” the actual premiere episode, doing anything special.

Anyone on the fence with this episode will be sucked in within a few minutes, at which point Finn (Cory Monteith) delivers yet another gem in the show’s series of laugh-out-loud voiceover monologues. The humor within the first five minutes is just so biting, sharp and calculated, managing to come across as immensely intelligent without resorting to indulgent pretentiousness. And as the more breathtaking of the early spring season musical numbers are reserved for the upcoming “Power of Madonna” and “Home” episodes, the show relies on its unique humor to get the buzz flowing all over again.

Set shortly after the New Directions’ victory at sectionals, the dust has settled on a number of the fall’s developments. Rachel and Finn have begun dating (although only one is taking the relationship seriously), the group’s members have eliminated some of their self-consciousness about participating in glee, Sue has returned from suspension (the storyline explaining her return, as told through brief cutaways, is ridiculously amusing in that “Family Guy,” “this would be quite offensive if it was not so obviously over-the-top” way) and Will and Emma are going to try their luck at a relationship. As has always been the case with “Glee,” none of the storytelling is particularly innovative, but the great acting, expertly-drawn characters, unparalleled sense of humor and breathtaking musical performances make worrying about the storylines seem almost unnecessary (this is, however, a review of the episodes, so that analysis is a must).

Freshly-committed to mocking Will’s hair (in a stream of jokes that gets so tedious, a rarity for the show, that the characters actually address the issue in the “Madonna” episode) while destroying his glee club, Sue sets her sights on Rachel, the team’s clear star. Aware of Rachel’s emotional vulnerability, including her feelings for Finn, Sue recruits Cheerios members Santana and Brittany to seduce Finn and turn Rachel’s world upside down.

Making the matter more complicated is the arrival of Jesse st. James (Jonathan Groff), the male lead for rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Though his motives for wooing Rachel are suspect, Jesse is a far better fit for Rachel on paper, and his presence definitely throws a wrench into the Rachel-Finn dynamic.

The resulting drama, though fairly ‘textbook teen soap,’ produces some of the show’s brighest moments to date. Former Broadway colleagues Groff and Lea Michele (Rachel) have great vocal chemistry, notably producing a touching rendition of Lionel Riche’s “Hello.” But Michele and Monteith also have an undeniable connection, and their struggles to hold their ground in the face of heartbreak produces entertaining acting and more great music.

The true resulting highlight, however, is the Brittany-Santana duo, which emerges as the absolute bright spot of the show in the first two return episodes (yes, even eclipsing the beyond brilliant Sue (Jane Lynch)). Having served fairly limited roles in the first part of the season, the two take center stage in the early part of the season, showcasing some of the show’s sassiest and funniest one-liners to date. The combination of the sultry ‘mean girl’ Santana (Naya Rivera) and the arrogant, yet totally clueless Brittany (Heather Morris) produces a bottomless bowl of humor, instantly getting these characters over as girls to watch.

And the writers are well aware of their power. In addition to factoring greatly into the aforementioned season premiere storyline, Santana gets involved in two of the most important musical montages in the Madonna episode; Brittany is not featured as much but is arguably even more memorable comedically.

Producing an inevitable point of struggle, however, is the Will-Emma relationship. Due to the writers’ noncommittal attitude regarding their pairing (they do not want to disappoint fans who cheered when the two kissed at the end of the fall season yet similarly realize that rushing a show’s most anticipated romance is almost always a bad idea), the storyline gets excessively convoluted, to the point of fault. Will’s various choices (choosing a certain song from his past, ‘introducing himself’ to a new guest character, etc) are hard to judge as good or bad simply because the audience is left with a muddled understanding of the relationship. There is also little humorous about their interactions, ultimately turning a once magical pairing into one of the show’s few black spots.

From a musical perspective, the opening episode is very hit-or-miss. All songs are related to the “Hell-O” title, meaning viewers will hear songs like the aforementioned “Hello” (the best number of the episode), “Hello, I Love You” (a strong visual showing, but a fairly-routine vocal performance for Finn), “Highway to Hell” (a standard Vocal Adrenaline performnace),” “Hello Again” (really only half of a vocal on the episode) and “Gives You Hell” (though it is performed with fire-like intensity by Rachel and her New Directions teammates, the vocals are a rare disappointment for the unbelievably-talented Lea Michele).

The show’s climactic number–given away on most of the television commercials–is oddly used moreso as a storytelling device than as a bombastic musical performance, hindering what should have been a performance on the scale of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Somebody to Love” or “You Can’t Always Get what You Want.”

Ultimately, the episode does quite a few things right. It re-introduces viewers to the comedic brilliance of Jane Lynch. It establishes Lea Michele as one of the most talented performers in the industry. It generates interest in the Finn/Rachel/Jesse dynamic. It introduces Santana and Brittany as the funniest twosome on television. It features some interesting musical covers. It forces viewers to smile and laugh with its non-stop reel of side-splitting lines and scenarios. It gets viewers excited about “Glee” all over again.

But so much of what “Glee” could have accomplished with its return episode is absent due to not opening the spring season with the Madonna-themed episode. The musical performances are not top-notch for the show. Some of the storylines (Will and Emma’s fling, in particular) are convoluted and messy. Jane Lynch is not as consistently hilarious as she has been in the past. While the humor is great, a lot of the uniquely-quirky elements of “Glee” are neutralized due to an excess of story development. Most of the performances and visuals are conservative–nothing gets as deliciously “weird,” for instance, as the “Vogue” cover in the Madonna episode.

And the worst part about the situation is the fact that save for ONE musical number (albeit an important song from Madonna’s catalog and a pivotal part of the show’s romantic storylines), much of the action in the episode could have taken place without the developments from Tuesday’s “Hell-O” episode. It is such a shame that after waiting several months to see new “Glee” episodes, viewers will need to wait one more week to see the most brilliant segment to date.

Though Santana and Brittany remain phenomenal and Rachel steals the show with some of her best vocals to date (“Like a Prayer” is just stunning), the “Power of Madonna” episode absolutely belongs to Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester. With back-to-back brilliant speeches, first in explaining that a Madonna album will be blasted–on a loop–over the school PA system, even while students are in classes and then in instructing her Cheerios to live the Madonna lifestyle of dating younger, inferior men, Sue Sylvester is an absolute riot in making her case as the best female character on television. Her simultaneous ability to remain arrogant and obnoxious while returning to the “touching” background viewers first witnessed in “Wheels” is an absolute delight.

There is other signature “Glee” weirdness in the episode. Artie and Tina have two absurdly funny scenes throughout the show. The guys all sing-along to “What It Feels Like for a Girl.” Kurt, an ‘honorary girl’ as he’ll describe himself, is the only male who does not look as if he is about to vomit after watching the girls perform “Express Yourself.”

Oh, and the “Vogue” video and modified lyrics. You’ll love it.

Featuring some of the best-sung and most visually exciting performance pieces to date, “The Power of Madonna” reminds viewers why “Glee” truly is the most entertaining comedy on television. It does things no other show can do, all while being funnier and more clever than virtually any sitcom.

And, beyond that, there is also some key storyline development, notably as it relates to Jesse and Finn. So while this is not necessarily a “pivotal” episode in the development of the drama, it is far too amazing to be considered ‘filler.’ Much like “The Chinese Restaurant” defined “Seinfeld” and “Slap Bet” defined “How I Met Your Mother” (or, at least, the “How I Met” that was incapable of delivering an episode as atrociously unfunny as ‘Zoo or False’) “The Power of Madonna” epitomizes everything “Glee” is about.

“Home,” the third episode of the spring season, is fantastic but in a different kind of way. Similar to “Preggers,” which joins “Wheels” as the best dramatic episode, this episode goes for the heart, with touching storylines involving Mercedes, Kurt and Finn. Chris Colfer’s performance as Kurt continues to be one of the show’s bright spots, and his emotional reaction in one of the episode’s closing moments (involving guest star Mike O’Malley, who continues to be outstanding as Kurt’s father) hits hard. Mercedes’ issue is not quite as poignant, but it does result in a touching speech from Dianna Agron’s Quinn (who, with baby daddy Puck, is otherwise a non-factor in the first few episodes), a strong rendition of a Christina Aguilera ballad and a great final twist for Sue.

More importantly, the episode brings April (guest star Kristin Chenoweth) back to the table for some great comedy and phenomenal musical performances.

All in all, “Glee,” which returns on Tuesday, April 13 at 9:28PM, did not lose a step in its hiatus, although it again is unfortunate that “The Power of Madonna,” the show’s best episode to date, was not selected to usher in the remaining part of the season.