The season one Glee episode "Dream On" is about dreams, obviously. An old nemesis of Will's (Matthew Morrison), Bryan Ryan (Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother) is the newest member of the school board. After having his own dreams of being a performer dashed, Bryan decides that the glee club should be cut, as a favor to the kids who are in it. Will fights him on it. Jesse (Jonathan Groff) encourages Rachel (Lea Michele) to seek out her mother, while Artie (Kevin McHale) struggles anew with his crippling condition.
Neil Patrick Harris is amazing in "Dream On," even when given a mediocre character, which Bryan is. This is because Bryan changes his opinion and motivations every few hours on a number of whims. Some people are flighty, to be sure, but to go from wanting to cut the arts, to championing them, back to cutting, then to ambivalence, in a few short days does not a realistic character make. Yes, Bryan has more than a few issues to work out. In the end, trading his favors for a part in a community theater production? Not acceptable. Which begs the question, how did such an unstable man get onto the school board, and why is he given any power at all over which programs get money, and how much, at McKinley High?
Thankfully, Harris saves the Glee appearance from being a waste with his duets with Will. While Bryan makes a great friend or foe to Mr. Schue, but can't make up his mind which he is, his plot falls flat. But his musical ability soars. The two first sing together in a bar to the classic "Piano Man." Later, they war with "Dream On," trying to get the same part in a production of Les Miserables. Both songs, even with such different tones, are great numbers, with terrific vocals. As such, Harris's guest spot in "Dream On" is at least partially a success.
Also, in a too brief sequence, Bryan goes up against Sue (Jane Lynch). He defends the actual merits of arts education, something that is far too often forgotten about in school budgets. Sue argues the pros of athletics. Both get their facts right on the benefits research touts for both of these extremely important fields. Unfortunately, Sue gets reality completely wrong when she claims districts are much more likely to cut sports than music. It's far more often the exact opposite, a real shame in this reviewer's opinion. With an obesity epidemic happening, yes, physical education is important. But so is nourishing one's mind and soul, and the pluses the fine arts add to other academic areas are extremely valuable. Schools need to realize that these things are core, not extracurricular, and they should not be pawns on the chopping block.
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