On its third season, “Glee” has lost some of the ability to surprise and provoke that made it an exciting treat for viewers in its first year. It’s also become embarrassingly obvious that some of its original cast members have become way too old to pass for high-school students. It is high time they moved out of the campus and into the real world of adults, where they properly belong.
To keep viewers interested, the show has been focusing on the lives of the teachers and school officials in the series’ cast of characters.
Its latest surprising plot twist is Sue Sylvester’s decision to have a baby all by her lonesome, with the help of a male consort’s sperm. The twist is surprising because she’s on the wrong side of 40, and the last time we checked, she was a man-hating lesbian, but there you go: Anything to keep the viewers glued to their sets!
But not every new factor introduced on the show these days is for shock or trend value. A distinctly bright spot in the series’ chronology of events is the guest star stint of Ricky Martin as a Spanish teacher.
The move is inspired by quite a number of counts: Martin is a controversial star, so his current inclusion should be a ratings booster. In addition, his being Latino adds heat and visceral focus on Spanish songs and rhythms, which adds to the series’ artistic vitality.
Most potentially game-changing of all is the fact that Latin-Americans are becoming a major demographic in the States, so it’s about time that they were represented in a big way on a hit show like “Glee.”
True enough, when Martin made his first appearance on “Glee,” the show’s excitement and energy level palpably rose, and even the regular cast members perked up.
As for Martin’s first musical number, it was a blast, showcasing his sexy moves and saucy, sizzling performance style. We hope that he’ll stay with the show for a while longer, because it needs more of his Latino licks and show-biz savvy.
As for the rest of the cast, they’ll have to hustle more to keep up with the guest stars who, of late, have been spicing up the series’ palette and palate of flavors.
It’s great to be in a hit show but if they enjoy themselves too much and relax, they could find themselves on the periphery of the action and not at its storm center. In a show about young lovers turned dreamers and winners, that would never do!
In addition, the show’s original young actors have to worry about what’s in store for them when the current season ends.
Will the series follow them to college? To other relationships and adventures? Will there be a new spin-off series for some of them? The possibilities are certainly there.
Even if “Glee” chooses to quit while it’s ahead, however, it will be remembered as having reestablished music as a key component in TV’s continually evolving comedic-dramatic mix. Meanwhile, it has launched emulators such as “The Kitchen Musical” and “Smash.”
For the “little” show that became a huge hit, that’s not too shabby an accomplishment.