This is exactly what I was hoping for: the quality of Glee stories after flagship episode The Rocky Horror Glee Show hasn't tailed off, and The Substitute is another fine (if flawed) instalment in the US comedy. Gwyneth Paltrow joined the cast while Will Schuster was off sick, and although her more emotional side proved more an irritation than something to empathise with, Paltrow's voice perfectly suits the show, adding some more fun and originality to a programme that often becomes stale and repetitive. "Singing In The Rain/Umbrella" was a great addition to Glee's ever increasing number of hit covers, plus "Forget You" certainly stood out too. For once, though, the quite overwhelming five numbers performed in The Substitute meant the plot suffered as a result, sketching hastily together scenes with Jane Lynch loving it as her Sue Sylvester became principal for a week and Will contemplated leaving behind the dizzying amount of Journey songs his club had to use. Neither of these storylines had enough time to develop in between the songs, which wouldn't have been a problem if more of them reached the quality of the "Rain" mash-up: "Conjunction Junction" and "Make Em Laugh" were nothing to get excited about, so why did they need to be included? The Substitute did manage to keep the quality of Glee at a relative high, however it would perhaps be nice to see some balance between plot and music in weeks to come (but with a wedding, Christmas episode, Super Bowl special and Sectionals on their way to our screens, that may not be the case...)
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Tuesday 22 February 2011
Glee: The Substitute Review (4/5)
This is exactly what I was hoping for: the quality of Glee stories after flagship episode The Rocky Horror Glee Show hasn't tailed off, and The Substitute is another fine (if flawed) instalment in the US comedy. Gwyneth Paltrow joined the cast while Will Schuster was off sick, and although her more emotional side proved more an irritation than something to empathise with, Paltrow's voice perfectly suits the show, adding some more fun and originality to a programme that often becomes stale and repetitive. "Singing In The Rain/Umbrella" was a great addition to Glee's ever increasing number of hit covers, plus "Forget You" certainly stood out too. For once, though, the quite overwhelming five numbers performed in The Substitute meant the plot suffered as a result, sketching hastily together scenes with Jane Lynch loving it as her Sue Sylvester became principal for a week and Will contemplated leaving behind the dizzying amount of Journey songs his club had to use. Neither of these storylines had enough time to develop in between the songs, which wouldn't have been a problem if more of them reached the quality of the "Rain" mash-up: "Conjunction Junction" and "Make Em Laugh" were nothing to get excited about, so why did they need to be included? The Substitute did manage to keep the quality of Glee at a relative high, however it would perhaps be nice to see some balance between plot and music in weeks to come (but with a wedding, Christmas episode, Super Bowl special and Sectionals on their way to our screens, that may not be the case...)
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