Friday, October 8, 2010

Losing my religion

So, Glee. They just had to go and tackle the God question, eh? I totally get it. High school is when awkward, pimply-faced teens usually start to wrestle with the religion issue...wondering why a loving God would make them so awkward and pimply-faced to begin with. Everyone wrestles with that issue. It's everyone's personal internal debate with no correct answers and no bell to let you know when the debate is over (um...except I guess when you keel over and find out for sure).

In spite of how contrived I felt the episode was (if only Burt had eaten Kurt's grapefruit offering!), and how annoyed I was by the ending (isn't the "waking up from a coma right at the emotional climax" just a tad overdone by now?), Kurt's performance was emotional and heartfelt. He didn't mince words, and it felt honest. And the Jesus freaks were pretty annoying, which is generally true to life. (When my dad was in the hospital, I really appreciated an amazing friend of mine who visited him out of the blue. She, however, brought him snacks and treats rather than lighting a candle [how does that not violate some kind of hospital fire code] and creepily putting her hands all up in his business. So, I digress, WTF Rachel?)

The main feeling that I took away from this episode was unique in my experiences watching Glee: I don't want to see it again. Usually I will watch and re-watch the episodes during my lunch hour, on the laptop while I'm cooking, or on our tv downloads while Husband plays a video game on his computer. But this episode? It was uncomfortable (yes, yes, I know, that was probably the point). It didn't leave me giggling like a Glee groupie. It left me to my own thoughts, thoughts that I don't want to have to confront just because of some television show.


Did this episode seriously follow the one about Britney Spears...?

Husband sent me a really great Skepchick article that says some things I wish I could articulate. It's worth a read.

2 comments:

blind irish pirate said...

I was pretty annoyed how it pussy footed the line. I'm all for people doing what they want with their faith and what not, but it seems the the writers pretty much sold into the stereotype that Christians are religious-pushing, obnoxious wankers with little to no depth. Whitney Houston? Was that what they sang? Seriously could not have picked something else? Praying to grilled cheese and then acting disappointed when you find out that it's not going to give you everything that you want?

Really? REALLY? I love some Jesus, but this episode made me all kinds of uncomfortable.

And, since I'm being honest here, what drives me up the wall is that there are some people who are like, "Yeah! That's exactly what it is like! You go Sue, telling off the bimbo religious wing nuts!" Come ON.

Go deep or go home.

KittyMarie said...

Uncomfortable is just such a good, accurate word for this ep. Blah.

I just couldn't help feeling that they went whole hog embracing the Mercedes stereotype, too. Belting out "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with an all-black gospel choir? C'MON!

P.S. I KNEW "Bridge" would come sometime. Just didn't know when. Sigh.