My thoughts on Glee, Season 2

It would be crazy to try to do one post covering every episode in season two of Glee, but I’ve decided to sum up my thoughts on the season following the finale, which was tonight. 

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you haven't seen the entire season and are looking to catch up on it, DON'T read past this point.

I really loved this season for character development. Although there were certainly some questionable plot moments, we’ve seen a huge difference in many of the characters. For example:

Rachel has grown a bit more mature about her ambitions. Although at the beginning of the season she was still out of hand (sending Sunshine to a crack house…) she’s become really supportive of others as she’s realized what she really wants and how to go about getting it.

Puck has gotten a lot more respect for others and become fiercely protective of the Glee club. The introduction of Lauren Zizes has improved him greatly, actually making him have to work for something; letting him know that he’s not entitled to whatever he wants. Although Lauren many times has questionable motives, I like her and Puck together. They give each other a run for their money.

Brittany has gotten wiser, if not smarter, and become the club’s most accepting member. She has always been one of my favorite characters. Brittany sees things the way they are. In fact, I’d go as far as to say she has a childlike innocence, but the wisdom of someone much older. She has handled her relationship problems admirably and fairly.

Santana has struggled to come to terms with her sexuality, increasing the depth of her character. In season one; she was just “the bitchy one.” Now we see why she acts the way she does and how she’s being faced with incredibly personal challenges. She has also become more loyal and protective of the club, although not as much as Puck. She still has her reputation!

Emma has made huge bounds in overcoming her OCD and has become a hugely supportive friend (on the way to becoming more??) for Will. I hope to see her as a more present character next season.

Sue is still Sue, but the penultimate episode of this season was truly touching.I hope we see some effects of it on her in season three.

 

On the other hand, there’s also been some negative development as well (can you negatively develop? Well, you know what I mean in any case)

Quinn has taken a swan dive back to where she was at the beginning of season one. Any lessons that she learned from being socially struck down due to her pregnancy went completely out the window. I didn’t like her with Sam particularly, but I really liked the introduction if his character (he’s such a nerd!) and she could have learned a lot from him. She and Finn back together… oy. I never liked that. It made her into a brat and didn't make Finn look very good either. I’m not sure that I ship Rachel and Finn, but I like them A LOT better than Finn and Quinn (so much rhyming!)

I think they’ve also made a few characters look weak too; Mercedes, for example. She’s such a powerhouse, but in a single episode she fell prey to the motives of Lauren Zizes. I generally like Mercedes, but I was not impressed by how easy she was to manipulate. I also really like the Asian Power Couple, but they did not handle the Tina/Artie breakup well at all. In my opinion, they've made Tina a bit shallow this season, as well as under utilizing Jenna Ushkowitz's talent.

I'm not sure how I feel about the Holly Holiday thing and (although I love Cheno) the reintroduction of April Rhodes was kind of used to force a plot progression. Also, what the heck happened to Beiste? She was awesome and she just disappeared! There were a lot of great character opportunities this season (the second half of season two particularly) that were not taken advantage of.

On a different note….

I can’t go without mentioning the introduction of Darren Criss as Blaine Anderson. I have always loved Kurt (favorite character!) and I love the way that they have used Blaine to help Kurt become more confident. Plus, in my opinion, everything Darren does is awesome beyond words.

I wish that there was a way that the Warbler’s (they are SO GOOD!) could continue to be featured as well, but in the end, I’m happy that Kurt is back at McKinley.

I’m sure that there’s much more that I could talk about, but I’d be here forever...

This season had it's ups and downs, but there's no question that I'll be eagerly awaiting season three!