Overly Positive

This week’s episode of Glee on Fox was a great one for Gleeks like me, for a variety of reasons, notwithstanding the dueling vocals of Chris Colfer and Lea Michele’s rendition of Wicked‘s “Defying Gravity”. The main reason, however, was a sense of an uncomfortable feeling that stemmed from seeing characters who were not considered “normal” trying to fit into normal roles. This feeling, and many other bitingly comedic moments like it, is part of the appeal of the show that separates it from being a glorified high school drama.

For those who aren’t watching, the main plot point revolved around wheelchair-bound Artie, and Glee teacher “Mr. Shue” trying to get the other members of the club to see what it was like to not have the use of your legs. There are several scenes in which the characters themselves express apathy, disregard, and sometimes unintended hurtful commentary towards their wheelchair-riding fellow member, and I definitely felt uncomfortable to begin with.

But that wasn’t all. The episode hit many notes of unease, from putting forth the question of whether a male (and a homosexual male at that) could be accepted as singing a prominent song written for a female, how a simple stutter can isolate you from people, and whether those with mental disabilities can be cheerleaders. The power in Glee is not just in the fact that there’s a stereotypical exploration of those who aren’t “normal”, but that it forces you to look through their eyes at what they have to go through. Environmental consequences, collateral damage to loved ones, the uncomfortable moral need to accept those not like us as normal even though we know they are not – these are the things that Glee screwed our eyes open to watch. And while sometimes things end pretty nicely, Glee isn’t afraid to drop the ball and show you what happens when the fairy tale idea of acceptance isn’t widely shared by all.

More than ever, Glee continues to show us that the premise and theme of the show is not just the done-to-death “geeks, freaks, and unpopular kids triumph over adversity”, but also how geeks, freaks, and unpopular kids cope with and adapt to adversity that, in reality, never goes away. This is the serious and uncomfortable undertone that punctuates parts of the comedic moments (a bake sale succeeding through the use of medical marajuana, for example), and it lends power to the series that can and should be its greatest strength. I know it keeps me watching, certainly, and it should have the same effect on you, no matter how uneasy it makes you feel.