“Glee” Rebounds With Excellent “Grilled Cheesus” Episode

On the whole, it is hard to say “Glee” has not been getting the job done in its second season. Last week’s Britney Spears-themed episode, after all, not only posted a series high rating but topped every series on broadcast or cable in the adults 18-49 demographic.

Still, many diehard fans and critics, including Headline Planet, identified significant flaws in the second season’s first two episodes. Yes, the show was doing what it needed to do to remain a pop culture phenomenon, but it appeared that so much of the magic–notably the combination of honest dramatic storytelling and subtle, if not dark, humor–was traded in favor of shallow character development and obvious, slapstick comedy.

Having already been let down by the bulk of last season’s back nine, a number of “Glee” bloggers and message board fans were questioning whether the FOX series could ever recreate the excellence of last season’s first thirteen episode.

Based on Tuesday’s “Grilled Cheesus” episode, the answer was a resounding yes.

As the first episode to truly address the dynamic between Kurt and his father Burt, season one’s “Preggers” accomplished things that no future “Glee” episode will be able to rival. But that is not to say the show cannot still be fantastic, and the proof is in the grilled cheese.

Serving as “Glee”‘s heavily-hyped “religion episode,” there was a lot of concern that the largely left-skewing series would mockingly use a conservative theme to further a liberal agenda. While there were definitely some stinging shots at organized religion and this was by no means a glowing endorsement of any church, the issue was handled tastefully and appropriately. Even if some of the religion-supporting characters could fairly be called naive or ignorant, none was treated in a way that suggested those behind “Glee” disrespected theism. And though the show was largely unwilling to give religion the intellectual edge in the conversation, it certainly provided it with the sentimental favoritism.

But regardless of how one evaluates the bias, the real brilliance of the episode was the fact that it did not pull punches–it offered honest, high school-age discourse about the role of religion. By addressing the issue so directly and candidly, “Glee” risked alienating fans who might have mistaken this for some sort of overly preachy, ‘after school special’ style episode. In essence, it took the very risks that were missing from the excessively innocuous first two episodes of the season.

Religion aside, the episode simply fired on all of its crucial cylinders. A bit over-the-top in theory, Burt’s heart attack and subsequent coma gave Mike O’Malley and Chris Colfer the chance to display their immaculate dramatic chemistry without restricting the storytelling to Kurt’s sexuality. Burt and Kurt’s very candid and genuine dealing with his homosexuality produced some tremendous scenes in the early part of season one, but by the later episodes, it felt like there was limited growth in terms of the issues. Yes, the addition of Finn, a heterosexual athlete more in line with what Burt would have envisioned for a son, brought something fresh to the storyline, but at the end of the day, it felt like the same issues kept being repeated. That has been one of the few consistent knocks on “Glee”–whether dealing with Artie’s handicap or Rachel’s insecurities, the characters and conflicts so rarely evolve.

The heart attack, however, gave Kurt a chance to bond with his father over something that had nothing to do with the gender to whom he is attracted. What resulted was proof that Chris Colfer’s acting brilliance has nothing to do with “playing gay”–he was able to turn the fairly cliched “dad, what if I don’t get a chance to tell you I love you?” issue into one of the most emotionally-riveting performances seen on any show this television season. Colfer is a legitimate acting talent, and it is a shame his character is most likely not funny enough to give him a Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Emmy win over actors like Eric Stonestreet and Jon Cryer, who support more traditional comedy efforts.

Drama was not limited to Kurt and Burt, however. Sue’s infinitely endearing chemistry with her sister produced heartwarming moments, and though Jane Lynch is generally looked to as the show’s scene-stealer from a comedy and dialogue standpoint, her dramatic acting chops were on fire as well.

The show also succeeded on the comedy front. Finn, in particular, came across as absolutely hilarious, with his prayers recalling the humor of some of his excellent season one monologues. It would be unfair to say that Cory Monteith is necessarily funnier than Heather Morris, but whereas last week’s “Brittany/Britney” episode overexposed the often hilarious Brittany character by forcing her to spit out a series of weightless one-liners, this week’s episode really enhanced Finn. Finn’s candid and non-chalant conversations with God, including how God screwed Artie in the legs department and how he wants to touch Rachel’s boobs even though they’re not that big, were amusing yet effortless. Following the sheer hilarity of worshipping a piece of grilled cheese, his subsequent overreactions to revelations about God (first when he believes his prayers are coming true and then when Emma, of all people, provides more earthly explanations) were over-the-top and charming, resulting in a performance that was an absolute delight. Nothing Finn did was especially clever, but the thought and delivery behind the lines made for the most effective comedy of season two.

The return of “Jewish Puck” provided another comedic bonus. His straight-ahead delivery of outrageous comments related to Judiasm and faith continues to be one of the most bankable elements of the series, and it is shocking that the character does not always have a role at least this extensive. Mark Salling’s looks appeal to many of the show’s female fans, his vocal ability drove “Sweet Caroline” to tremendous success last season and his comedic timing is impeccable, yet he rarely gets the chance to shine. Forced romantic storylines do not necessarily count.

And, of course, who can dismiss the singing? After a week of Britney songs that provided little in the way of musical success (in fairness, it was not the cast’s fault–Britney Spears’ songs simply are not “singer” songs), nearly every song clicked on this week’s episode. Fittingly, Kurt stole the show with his haunting, “Across the Universe”-inspired rendition of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” but Rachel and Puck effectively delivered theatrics and charisma, respectively, on “Papa Can You Hear Me” and “Only the Good Die Young.” Mercedes was, as usual, vocally stunning on her numbers, while Finn continued to show vocal improvement on “Losing My Religion.” “One of Us,” a number involving the whole group, will certainly score a lot of downloads.

Even though there were so many songs, the performances were so good and the selections were so interesting that the “this was just a series of music videos” complaint would not apply. Musically, this was a fantastic week for “Glee.”

If “Glee” was this hard-hitting every week, it would be a disaster. There is no way to avoid depressing audiences with repeated instances of “heavy” storylines involving life, death and religion. But while this sort of drama should be limited to three or four episodes per season, the fundamental elements of what made this episode work need to return to being a staple of the series. Driven character development, carefree but clever humor and interesting musical choices are three essentials to assuring “Glee” remains a television sensation that is not simply popular but creatively excellent.