The continued presence of the older crowd also steals focus from the newbies. Marley (Melissa Benoist) and Ryder (Blake Jenner) barely open "You're the One That I Want" before being replaced by Rachel and Finn, and soon Kurt and the others are imagined into the scene, too. Yes, it's nice to see some more resolution will all of the recently dissolved couples, but not at the expense of some characters that are just beginning to grow on us.
Unique (Alex Newell) gets the biggest shaft in "Glease." His parents (including Chuck's Mark Christopher Lawrence) pull him from the show because they are worried about bullying, since he has a female part, even though they do accept their son for who he is. This seems a step backwards from the Kurt days, with Unique having to re-fight some of the same battles. It also means that s/he only gets a few lines of "There Are Worse Things I Could Do," a crying shame, no matter how good Rivera can handle the number.
Also, I don't care how dumb Brittany (Heather Morris) is, we cannot honestly be expected to believe that she thinks Mercedes and Unique are the same person.
Quick side note, Jenner is just not doing it for me as Ryder. I felt let down at his take on Danny Zuko, and his acting just isn't up to par with his cast mates. He may grow into the role,
as others have done, but it seems like he got a little too much focus, a little too quickly.
I also did not care for Marley's bulimia plot. She is a gorgeous, thin girl, and while Kitty's ability to trick her into puking makes sense, it also ventures a little too far into after-school-special territory. It will be awfully hard to make Kitty sympathetic after she goes to such depths, and Marley's "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" ends up being heart wrenching at a time when she should be enjoying her chance to shine as the musical lead. It works for the story, but I wish that the writers chose to take her in a happier direction.
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Article comments
1 - Maskay
I had an issue with Marley's storyline. Is the girl that stupide that she thinks she's gaining weight because her costume is getting tighter, but the clothes she wears everyday aren't? With an overweight mother, her character would be very in tune with her body on a daily basis.
And Tina couldn't tell someone else has re-sewn the clothing? Very weak.
Agree with the graduates coming back--they've been gone six months, they aren't adults, makes no sense.
2 - Jerome Wetzel
Maskay - Excellent point! I didn't even think about her other clothes!
I'm not surprised Tina couldn't tell, though. I don't care for her anyway. :)
3 - Lori
Are you seriously saying that Alex Newell is a good actor? Better than Blake Jenner? You've got to be kidding? Alex way overacts - if you can call it acting. He's terrible and so is Samuel Larson. Blake acts circles around them.
4 - Charlotte
Really? All this review does is bag out glee. There are some things I agree with such as Santana and Mercedes and stuff coming back especially Mercedes never ever liked her. But eating disorders are serious and they can start with simple things like that. Girl's are sensitive about weight and even the smallest things can make you think you're fat. It's an issue of the mind not really of your outside. Most girls with eating disorders start off small. I know because I have one. And Unique needs to go. The character is too over the top and not believable. He was very annoying on the glee project and doesn't deserve to be on a show such as glee. Blake is a great actor and has jumped into the role very quickly and very well All Sam does is mope around and look deep in thought no that hard. I like the story lines and think Glee is going down the right path.