Glee: The Rocky Horror Glee Show

Posted by: Mike Walkey  •  November 1, 2010 @ 7:18pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

So last week Glee was a rerun, but that didn't keep it out of the news, as parent groups were in an uproar over some racy photos of cast members taken for a GQ magazine cover.

GQ replied by stating that all the actors on the cover are not kids but in fact all in their 20s.

A valid point by GQ, but seriously, what's all the concern about? First of all, GQ is not a magazine that is even targeted to the tween audience. Secondly, and most importantly, anyone who has actually watched Glee would agree with me in saying that the show is not really for younger viewers. Yes it takes place in high school, but this is no High School Musical. It's not even Saved By The Bell for those old enough to remember. Glee is a racy yet sentimental satire (satiremental?) taking jabs left and right at the politically correct high school world that young people currently live in.

Would I let my young kids watch it? Probably not. It should come to no surprise that I don't have my own kids. I don't know if being a 31 year old straight male who watches Glee has anything to do with it, but that's a topic for another article!

So how did the writers of the show respond to all this hoopla? By airing an episode dealing with issues of body image and censorship. Okay, so this episode was in the can and scheduled to air long before the GQ cover shoot took place, but I have to admit, the timing is perfect.

In a nutshell, the episode is about Will Shuster's attempt to get the Glee kids to put on a Rocky Horror stage musical to impress Emma who is still dating the hunky dentist Carl, played with such gusto by John Stamos.

Of course Sue Sylvester gets involved as she is hired by two local TV station managers (stars of the original movie, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf in hilarious cameos) to act as a spy and put a stop to the production.

As entertainment goes, the episode rocked. The vibrant numbers were better integrated into the show's plot than previous tribute shows. And it was fun to see some new faces perform: Carl got everyone on their feet during a rousing "Hot Patootie" audition, and Emma performed a steamy serenade of "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch me" to Will.

As social commentary however, the show was less consistent. It's refreshing to see the male body image issue tackled, but Finn, who is supposedly embarrassed by his 'doughboy' physique has a better body than most guys I know. It's hard to feel sorry for a guy who's ashamed of his six pack of abs!

The ending was a bit too neat and tidy for my interest but I give them points for trying. Accepting that Rocky Horror is too risque to be performed in front of an audience at McKinley High, Mr. Shuster decides the Gleeks should just perform it for themselves.

A bit of a copout if you ask me, but what do you guys think?

Tags: Glee, Rocky Horror Picture Show

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Original Comments Posted (1)

crimson says...

I love how you sneak self-deprecation into your reviews.

Nov 2, 2010 6:12pm

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