Long removed from its days of grace, “Glee” is no longer capable of generating the buzz it did during its wildly successful first and second seasons.
But fans and reporters demonstrated what discussion the show could drive last month when news broke that “Glee” was preparing to tackle one of the most controversial and frightening high school topics imaginable in an episode unfortunately titled “Shooting Star.”
Lacking a reputation for subtlety and sensitivity, “Glee”‘s decision to develop such an episode struck justifiable fear in its vocal fanbase. Would characters on the FOX dramedy tastelessly perform a song like “Pumped Up Kicks” in the key action scene? Would “Glee” vilify one of its characters in order to help the storyline better resonate with viewers (or, alternatively, would “Glee” excessively victimize certain characters to elicit sympathy)? Would it overly exploit such a touchy–and tragic–subject in order to make a social or political commentary?
It speaks volumes that such questions could even surround a major primetime television series, and it boggles minds that viewers and critics could sense any probability of affirmative answers. But even if one placed his faith in FOX and “Glee” to avoid such disastrous pitfalls, he could not shake one very important concern about Thursday’s episode: will the viewers care?
On the surface, that question, too, seems ludicrous. The episode will feature a crop of high school students dealing with an “unthinkable,” ripped-from-the-headlines event. Even if viewers had never once met these characters, they couldn’t possibly be immune to someconcern?
But that precisely speaks to the challenge. Invoking a card like the one in “Shooting Star” is a very easy way to immerse viewers in the show’s universe. Transcending that exploitation and actually giving viewers a reason to invest themselves in the specific motivations, actions and consequences of the pivotal storyline is a far more difficult task.
Is “Glee,” a show notorious for reducing its characters to plot devices, capable of that transcendence?
The answer is far closer to “yes” than you might expect.
As The AV Club perfectly articulated in a recap earlier this season, “Glee” can best be described as a collection of moments.
These moments–think the final reveal in “Preggers,” Sue’s storyline in “Wheels” and even the Rachel-Finn breakup in “Goodbye”–can be so brilliantly dramatic and arresting that they create the guise of character development, but the truest meaning of “development” is rarely in play. Characters are ultimately used as devices to fuel these moments; viewers might perceive “development” by connecting the dots between these independent occurrences, but by no means does “Glee” excel at organically scripting that journey.
While “moments” have fueled many great characterizations on “Glee,” the event at the center of “Shooting Star” is a different sort of animal.
Mike Chang expressing his long-term commitment to dance, though narrated in isolated “moments,” established characterization because the motivation, actions and consequences tied directly and specifically to him. It was specifically his future and his bond with his parents and girlfriend at stake and therefore not a reach for viewers to treat the storyline as character development.
Here, save for the person(s) directly responsible for the key event, “Shooting Star” does not provide such specificity and relevance for certain characters. It is a general device that plays to a general concept (how do we approach life when the future is uncertain) and thus not independently enough to make viewers care about the individual characters.
For the moment to work, it must draw its emotion not only from the gravity of the event but from each of the characters’ unique characterizations and bonds. If there is some element to Marley’s story particularly affected by the event, for instance, it becomes far easier to invest in Marley’s outcome.
For all the (often justified) criticism about poorly-developed pairings and incomplete characterizations in “Glee” season 4, “Shooting Star” manages to unlock enough real, organic character emotion to succeed. It manages to make viewers care not because innocent teenagers are going through a crisis but because specific characters we know are facing specific hardships.
Make no mistake: this is a shocking episode that will prove difficult for some to watch. And it is not without its technical and tonal flaws. It, nonetheless, is one that is worth watching. It is one that will bring viewers to the farthest edge of their seats.
But what contributes to such an engaging atmosphere? What makes the episode work? Here are five reasons why the fear that “Glee” could not succeed with such an episode was in vain.
1) “Shooting Star” values the power of relationships
Given the aforementioned criticism of “Glee”‘s character development, how is it that so many viewers care so passionately about the characters? The answer is relationships.
“Glee” writers often struggle at creating and maintaining organic relationships, but by putting talented actors in position to develop chemistry, magic happens.
One might not be inclined to give the “Glee” creative team credit for creating strong character bonds, but this episode is very mindful of their value to the “Shooting Star” storyline. “Glee” fans who felt one particular character–let’s say she may or not be an eccentric blonde cheerleader–might justly believe she had more chemistry with a different character, but the writers still work hard to generate genuine interest in her scenes with a current lover.
And, beyond that new, hotly-debated bond, “Glee” also relies on some proven, chemistry-rich relationships to drive the episode’s narrative. Two pairings involving adult characters and one involving a character and his or her parent have resonated from their introduction to “Glee”‘s audience, and “Shooting Star” believably taps into those connections to bring sincerity to what could be a “stunt” storyline.
Try not caring when two deeply-connected characters are faced with an urgent, frightening dilemma. Or when one character cannot pick up his or her phone to confirm safety to a loved one.
2) “Shooting Star” is faithful to “Glee”
Insofar as the McKinley alumni (Rachel, Santana, Finn, Kurt, etc) do not come into play, many are likely laughing at this suggestion. How can an episode–especially one like this–honor “Glee” history without incorporating those characters?
But love it or hate it, the McKinley tunnel vision was a conscious creative decision by the writers, and they do operate very honestly and organically within that framework. And if one can accept that “Glee” can be “Glee” without those characters, he will find that “Shooting Star,” despite being completely unlike any “Glee” episode ever filmed, is actually more true to “Glee” than the show has been in years.
Important relationships dating back to season one are at play in this episode (as are bonds from season two and earlier episodes in season four). The action, while completely amplified for the unprecedented, dramatic, dark tone, has the heart and sincerity that used to be commonplace on “Glee.” And yet despite how outrageously emotional the episode becomes in its middle segment, it opens with “Glee”‘s trademark, offbeat sense of humor.
Oh, and some veteran characters return. One of them “pops up” (hint) as a complete surprise.
3) “Shooting Star” focuses on the “event”
While one would certainly hope “Glee” never considered using the aforementioned “Pumped Up Kicks” in this episode, it certainly seems plausible that the show might have attacked this issue by “singing about what happened.”
Instead, “Glee” goes for the more organic, palatable, intriguing direction of focusing on the event itself. That reliance on real-time drama not only makes for a more tense, edge-of-your-seat, gut-wrenching episode but also makes questions of mortality and priority so much more meaningful.
Rather than the “Glee” kids passively singing about what could might have happened, we get to actively see what they do when crushing fear takes over. How do the different characters handle the tragedy? About whom do they care? To whom do they want to share their feelings and confessions?
After seeing that, the episode’s musical theme (introduced prior to the episode’s key event will have far more meaning, and songs choices like John Mayer’s “Say” are far less schmaltzy.
4) “Shooting Star” features an ambitious “Glee” team ready to succeed at risky endeavors
Though Brittany’s concern about an asteroid hitting earth drives the episode’s early action, it is Ryder’s quest to meet his mysterious online crush “Katie” that shines in the episode’s early going. A storyline about someone being “Catfish”‘d–especially one that not only uses that term but also references Manti Te’o–could easily be groanworthy. And how could it not feel comically disingenuous?
Blake Jenner, that’s how.
The series has greatly invested in its second “Glee Project” winner, and as Ryder, Jenner has absolutely been making the most of situation. Thin, repetitive writing has prevented new characters like Ryder from connecting the way the “original” male characters did, but it was clearly not the fault of the actor, and with a decently-constructed storyline here, Jenner absolutely shines.
Ryder’s glee at finding his “Katie” (Ginny Gardner in a very cute, albeit fairly simple turn) pops off the screen, as does his heartbreak when he learns of the Catfish scheme.
And that is not all. “Glee” introduces an awkward “Matzah Ball” (credit: “Seinfeld”) in a dinner conversation between platonic friends. It also teases the departure of an important character.
Best of all, everything works. Rather than halfheartedly using any of these individual plot points in a desperate effort to reverse declining ratings, “Glee” recognizes the risks and steps up confidently to the challenge.
5) The episode is extremely well-acted
No, none of the cast members demonstrates Claire Danes’ skill for crying on cue–some are actually pretty disappointing in that regard. But the cast’s ability to sell the dramatic urgency of such a frightening situation is incredibly impressive. From their facial expressions, to their line readings, to their physical (and sometimes confrontational) interactions with others, the cast does its job to immerse every willing participant into the episode’s tragic universe.
By playing out such a horrifying scene in near real-time, “Shooting Star” places incredible faith in its actors to maintain an unshakeable aura of believability. This goes far beyond “Glee”‘s usual call–asking talented, young musical performers to successfully portray talented, young musical performers–and demands that they create a tangible, resonant, tragic environment.
That they can convey such horror and emotional urgency without visual aids or the expectation that significant “massacre” is forthcoming speaks immensely to the cast’s talent.
“Shooting Star” airs Thursday, April 11 at 9PM ET on FOX