Glee...How Did I Get Along Without You?

I'm currently addicted to Fox's Glee. It's the perfect merging of High School Musical, every other high school teenage soap opera, and satire. I absolutely LOVE this show! It does fall into many stereotypes, but there's something unique that makes it better than any high school drama on TV. I'd say it's the choice in casting, the music, and partly the story. I also admit, I largely live vicariously through these characters in this show.

The characters are all really quirky and colorful despite all being stereotypes and undergoing little to no development. You love almost all of the characters from the start; you don't want them to change except to become more confident. They all make me laugh. My favorite characters are Kurt and Tina. Kurt is so earnest in his love for sparkles and theatre and performing. He's the guy I would want to hang out with in high school or any other time. Tina's got the super fun goth clothes complete with the blue streaks in her hair. She's awkward and shy, but pretty cool all around. Shame she doesn't get that much screen time or many solos; love her and Artie as a couple. The more of Rachel I watch, the more I realize she's the most like me. Smart, pretentious, ambitious, yet with a lot of anxieties and a deep seated desire to be popular even though she knows it's shallow and "wrong." My sister was the one who first pointed out our similarities. Now I can't get over how much I was like her in high school even down to the clothes; as Kurt said, she [read: I] dresses somewhere between a three year old and forty year old woman. She drives me crazy, and I have to wonder did I drive people just as crazy.

This show has plenty of awesome music. It mixes Broadway showtunes, with modern pop and r&b music, with 80s rock hits! I'm still squeeing over Heart's "Alone" performed in a duet by Kristen Chenoweth (she plays the role of a former high school student and Glee Club member) and Matthew Robinson (Mr. Schuester)! I adored the homage to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" music video. The Glee Club's rehearsal of "Don't Rock the Boat" had me in stitches. There's so much variety of music in the show. Furthermore, the music is so expertly arranged that you find yourself enjoying songs that you originally didn't, for example "Mercy" by Duffy.

The story isn't anything original; the usual underdogs rising to the top and dealing with the issues of being a high school teenager. I think the scenarios that come up and obstacles they have to face make the story different and interesting. I keep thinking the way Mr. Schuester made Finn join the Glee Club was pretty unusual, not to mention hilarious. One of the best things about the show is the bringing in of all the celebrities for different wacky, characters. Hello, IDINA MENZEL! I could wax forever about GLEE and why I love it, but I think I'll stop here.