For FOX series, the notion of embarking on a brief hiatus while World Series Baseball coverage reaches its pinnacle is nothing new.
But for the current season of “Glee,” it had a special meaning. The baseball interruption served as the dividing line between the “Glee” that had to take care of old business–including honoring its fallen star Cory Monteith–and the one that can truly look to its creative future.
The initial season five episodes were not without consequence. They contained key developments, including the introduction of Erinn Westbrook’s Bree as the latest New Directions adversary, the debut of Demi Lovato’s Dani as a love interest for Santana, the revelation that Rachel was cast in “Funny Girl” and the beginning of Blaine and Kurt’s engagement, and absolutely set the wheels in motion for season five.
But with so many “Glee” fans unable to look past the dreaded, yet ultimately beautiful tribute to the deceased Monteith in episode three, the early episodes did not feel like the unflinching start of a new season. They felt like the remnants of an era “Glee” can never get back.
Such fans will not forget Monteith when “Glee” returns on November 7, but they will recognize that the show is beginning its new direction.
That direction begins with the episode “A Katy or a Gaga.”
Strategically timed between the releases of Katy Perry’s “Prism” (October 22) and Lady Gaga’s “Artpop” (November 11), the episode focuses on two women of immense interest to the “Glee” demographic. It, naturally, also features the “Glee” cast channeling the recognizable imagery of the two pop stars.
Still photos from “A Katy or a Gaga” follow (click the thumbnails for larger-scale images):