I was reading a BlogHer post about Glee this morning and found myself nodding my head in agreement. I still like that show. I keep recording it. Certain individuals keep me hanging on, but the show has dropped so many potentially great threads in the story arc that it makes me wonder what the writers are thinking and if they’re going to weave anything out of them at any point or if they’re gone forever.
I think Glee is pretty much doomed. (For your amusement I recommend you read a recap of “Glee’s dropped storylines” over here.) How much longer will it last before people give up on it?
The girls – remember, they are (almost) 10 and (almost) 12 – were asking Mark and I if they could watch it recently. Apparently all of their friends watch Glee (this is especially true in the elder child’s case) and I have to say, I am surprised that the parents let their kids watch the show.
I fully expect to get shot down here, but I have to put it out there anyway. Do those parents really know what goes on in the show? Or are they letting them watch it because everyone else does, and on the surface it just appears to be a show about misfit kids who love to sing?
In the past two episodes, sex and alcohol have been the main feature. I’m no prude, we talk about sex around here (even what it means to be homosexual), as well as alcohol. But I just wouldn’t know where to begin explaining things like celibacy clubs, sex tapes (Lauren and Puck had a plan, but they learned that it’d be classified as child prn if they went through with it), and why Emma and Carl haven’t consummated their 4-month old marriage.
You can read some amusing episode recaps at Television Without Pity.
Mark and I talk to the girls about responsible use of sex and alcohol. We tell the girls it’s better to be kind and smart than gorgeous and popular. I know that Glee is supposed to be entertainment, and that viewers are not supposed to search for role models in their television shows, but I have been struggling to find a good female character in the show. I’ve come to realize that it’s important for me given the amount of television the girls watch. They actually don’t watch very much, so shouldn’t the stuff they DO watch have at least a minute amount of redeeming quality? I’m not saying that everything they should be watching needs to be educational, but still.
I’m savvy enough to disregard Rachel’s self-centred quest for fame, Santana’s spite and cruelty, and Quinn’s popularity issues (where is her baby anyway?) but are my daughters? And I know that my kids hear a lot of crap in the schoolyard, but the language that comes out of Glee character’s mouths makes me cringe.
I know it’s all in the name of “edgy comedy,” but I can’t imagine telling my kids that it’s supposed to be funny when Sue Sylvester (whom I ADORE by the way) shoves a teacher down the staircase because her goal is always to win. Even though the writers occasionally hint at her having a heart (I love it when we meet her sister), she’s a bully, plain and simple. Why is it forgiven, time and time again?
I’m fully aware that the girls will probably end up watching Glee at someone else’s house, so I hope that we’ve given them enough information to be able to break everything down for themselves (and come to us instead of their friends) if they have questions.
If Glee is on in two years (and I doubt it will be) I might consider letting my kids watch it, but not now. What do you think? I’d love to hear someone else’s perspective on this.
If you’re a parent who isn’t sure whether a particular movie, video game or TV program is appropriate for kids you should check out Common Sense Media. Here’s what they have to say about Glee. Do you agree with their assessment? Disagree?
