SOUND OFF SPECIAL EDITION: GLEE Gets Sexy, But Does It Really Go There?

How does Season 2B of GLEE stack up against the first season and a half of the show? Did Gwyneth make "Sexy" truly titillating and tremendous? Has GLEE finally found its rhythm and found a way to contain the unyielding beast it is? The method to the madness and more in this analysis of Season 2B so far (from post-Super Bowl "Sue Sylvester Shuffle" all the way up to Tuesday's "Sexy") and, of course, the Top Ten songs you need to download right now - after all, the song downloads are what make it unique (and uniquely successful) and have helped it to become an entertainment institution rather than just a little TV show.

Belting & Bullying

It's been a long-time coming. Has GLEE jumped the dolphin (to cite Brittany(not Britney))? Will it end with a whimper and not a shout? Will it ever end? Has it even really begun? Season Two so far has shown that Ryan Murphy is taking GLEE in a decidedly different direction in very many ways as the worldwide phenomenon threatens to swallow the show and its stars (but probably not its resilient show runner) up whole. Can GLEE continue on as a madcap musical frippery with moments of greatness amidst a muddy stew of camp, quirkiness, frank teenage commentary and the divinity known as Sue Sylvester forever? Such are the complaints of few, praise of many and criticisms of most when it comes to GLEE Season 2B. So, how far is too far and when does camp become parody? Is there a point where sexiness become smuttiness - as if that were even possible on FOX in the first place. As last night's episode - and all of Season 2B so far - proves: the show has hit its stride. It reinvents itself each week. It may get frustrating - but, you gotta admit, it never gets old. Freshness is the elemental ingredient to the ephemeral nature of such things becoming an ever-blooming rose - or, to quite Fred Ebb in THE ACT, a money tree. But, the thing with GLEE is that it is its own entertainment behemoth onto itself - complete with its own galaxy in which the most vocal advocates and deriders may co-exist, well: gleefully. After all, GLEE is ostensibly about bullying and Broadway, at its core, no? Singing - and then screaming, as a slushie is thrown in your face? There's a reason that's the logo. So, too, does the show run hot and cold - and sometimes white hot and bone-chillingly true-to-life while the songs dazzle and the jokes almost always land.

That's the theme of GLEE Season 2 - belting and bullying - and, generally, the thesis of the show is that music brings people together so they may rise above societal differences. Sweet. Corny. True. It is what it is. Nevertheless, it is the bitchy, biting humor that Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan and company bring to the show that gives it its teeth and bite - along with the candid social commentary provided by many of the storylines that unfortunately end up getting dropped (what happened to the weekly visits promised to the paralyzed football player by Rachel, for instance?). Yet, as with all comedy series - and GLEE is billed as a comedy, first and foremost - freshness is key and GLEE has set the precedent in the second season for always investing a Heavy Dose - some would say overdose - of new, recurring, one-off, star appearances, and cameos - tonight's reappearance of Holly Holiday, portrayed by Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow, the latest in a series of Emmy-bait examples ranging from Carol Burnett to Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff all the way to Olive Newton-John last season. Most importantly - above all else - GLEE goes for it, no matter what the issue. It is rare that the show backs down or backs off without at least making a stance on an issue in one way or another - thought comedic conclusions tend to disappoint many who forget the show is, at its core, a musical comedy. That being said, GLEE goes further - and pushes vital, hot-button issues like gay marriage, teenage pregnancy, body image and bullying, to the forefront more - than any other show on network television. Sure, it's fun - but the issues addressed are what make the show honorable. Or, at least, an honorable mention in the pantheon of TV.

Moving beyond the cultural and political issues at the core of the themes in this season, if not in the more light-hearted and intentionally over-the-top (remember the 10-episode pregnancy subplot between married thirty-somethings?) first season, this season of the show has a more variety-show style where every week it is something else. We have seen that from "Britney/Brittany" to "Silly Love Songs" to "THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW" to "Sexy". The connectivity of the series remains in the songs and the performances of them by the cast. Those song performances will live forever on iTunes and iPods and DVDs and Blu-Rays and Digital Downloads - as the thirty-million-plus sales figures surely attest. At the end of the day, that's the bread and butter - creatively, spiritually (really), thematically and dramatically as far as the show is concerned. Problems are worked out in song; questions are answered and new clues are given. It's clear to see and even more impressive to hear where GLEE has gone in the last few episodes - just the addition of Darren Criss makes this particular section of the series so far the musical highlight of the whole show to date. While the plots have become more wild and, at times, repetitive - and Sue Sylvester's outlandish cruelty sometimes going over the line, perhaps to prompt conversation? - it still never overstays its welcome in anyway. Quite the opposite, actually. But, then again, we always have to remember that GLEE is a comedy. Comedy has to go far to have an effect - especially now. Plus, it has to remain relevant above all else. So someone's offended? They did their job. No "I'm Sorry" from Sue Sylvester. Perhaps that's why the music, too, is pushed to the nth - the Autotune is only the beginning of the pumped-up sound that GLEE is identified with - because that was the plan from the very beginning. The show is called GLEE, not GLUM. Or, even, GRAND - which has a certain Great White Ray ring to it, no? It is polished and almost robotic in its glossy sheen. It's cotton candy. And, ass with any musical, no one comes out humming the message or singing the book - the music is what sticks to your bones and remains in your brain. The musical quotient of GLEE has benefited in any number of ways by two new additions to the Gleek universe.

Without a doubt the stars of Season Two so far are Darren Criss and Gwyneth Paltrow. Going from Prince to CHICAGO to Fleetwood Mac and Rihanna, Paltrow has proved she has the chops to take the stage with a ferocity that is delightful to witness in a star we have only known for her acting abilities for the last fifteen years or so. "Sexy" proved that she - like Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in Season One - has the enviable combination of star-power, pizzazz and punch. She also is musically quite practiced and polished - no one is going to top the Fleetwood Mac original, but her "Landslide" was admirable if not quite as applaud-able. Then again, compared to other covers of the song it was sublime (no names named). Speaking of shining even brighter than the brightest stars on the entertainment landscape - Lea Michele should be constantly commended for her strong work on the show, even though her character has been largely missing from much of the drama of Season Two. Michele not having the big Broadway moment that made her the sensation of the biggest sensation this century (hyperbolic as that sounds, like it or not, for TV, it is true) is a crime. If there's anything GLEE needs, it's more musical theatre material. Yet, we have the potential male musical theatre discovery of the century so far in Darren Criss. Indeed, the contributions to Season Two by Darren Criss - along with the Warblers, which is actually an a capella group from Tufts University - have prompted the producers to release a Warblers-only album later this Spring, which is proof-positive that GLEE has its first potential spin-off star, should that be a path that Criss, Murphy and crew are planning to take. It makes sense, if so. Chord Overstreet has been overshadowed by Criss, yet he adds a nice dose of gentility and provides an excellent foil to Dianna Agron's Quinn. Rachel and Finn have gotten considerably less screen time this season - less than half as much as they had at this point last year, not even mentioning the early episodes where their stories and songs dominated the drama and music of most episodes - so, along with Puck's time in juvenile hall (aka Mark Salling's side solo album project's promotion period) it marks the downplaying of any real lead players or protagonists and establishes a more consistent ensemble cast feel. The promotion of B players like Heather Morris, Naya Rivera, Henry Shum and others from the ranks of featured to starring status is a sure indication that the plan is to stretch the cast canvas as thin as can be without the show losing focus. Such is the balancing act and the art of what will decide what the legs of the show will ultimately be. There is clearly a plan in place for where things are going with each episode - with a constant effort to never repeat - yet it seems that at some point the show will have to run out of steam a little if only because it moves overwhelmingly quickly through plotlines, jokes, songs and stories. It is a rare occurrence that the show ever dwells on one specific thing - whether that be one character, storyline, song or, even, theme - for too long. Actually, that seems to be one of the issues - too much, too fast. If there would be any advice to offer forth for the rest of Season Two it would be to let the audience slow down and smell the roses a little bit. The grass is only greener until it turns brown - and it all turns brown eventually - so let us enjoy the Spring while we have it - sooner or later it will turn to Winter. Also, we will only have the original cast for so long - high school doesn't last forever (despite what SAVED BY THE BELL and 90210 might have told you). Judging from the Valentine's Day episode and tonight's entry as evidence, it will be a long time before GLEE isn't green any longer. Perhaps the garden is overloaded with flowers and foliage, but there is no shortage of freshness to experience and enjoy each and every episode.

So, with five episodes in, the Season 2B score is certainly a solid five out of five. Each episode has had at least one unforgettable moment, at least as far as the GLEE musical universe goes - from a hungover Artie breaking into Jamie Foxx‘s "Blame It On The Alcohol" in the high-school's hallway giving the episode its title, to Lea Michele's blisteringly, blazingly brilliant take on Katy Perry's "Firework" to last night's "Kiss" and "Landslide" courtesy of Gwyneth, Matthew Morrison and, of course, the Gleeks.

Since we are more than halfway through Season Two now, it is the perfect time to name the top ten song performances of at least the last five episodes in Season 2B - to go along with the SOUND OFF Top Ten list of Season 2A.

TOP TEN SONGS OF SEASON 2B (SO FAR)

1-"Firework" - Lea Michele
2-"When I Get You Alone" - Darren Criss & The Warblers
3-"Kiss" - Gwyneth Paltrow & Matt Morrison
4-"Don't You Want Me" - Darren Criss & Lea Michele
5-"Take Me Or Leave Me" - Lea Michele & Amber Riley
6-"Fat Bottomed Girls" - Mark Salling
7-"Sing" - GLEE Cast
8-"Blame It On The Alcohol" - GLEE Cast
9-"Silly Love Songs" - Darren Criss & The Warblers
10-"I Know What Boys Like" - Ashley Fink

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