As some of you may already know, I'm a big fan of Glee. Yes, I'm aware that it's probably gayer than Queer as Folk, and that I'm very stereotypical for liking it. fuck off.
Anyway, this week's episode was a very significant one for a number of reasons. It seems like it was written in response to all of the suicides that have been happening recently and came off as a bit of an afterschool special.
Still, it was overall a good episode that touched on some important issues.
SPOILER ALERT
Some backstory: one of the show's main characters is Kurt Hummel. Kurt is a gay highschool student who came out early on in the series. While Kurt was initially portrayed as little more than a one-dimentional stereotype, he quickly became the most interesting character on the show. The scenes revolving around Kurt's sexuality are probably the best moments in the show. Much of this is due to the incredible acting of Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt, and Mike O'Mally, who plays his father, Burt. The great quality of these scenes is also due to how well written and grounded they are. The scene where Kurt comes out to his father was positive yet realistic, with Burt being immediately supportive but admittedly not 100% comfortable with the idea.
What happened on this episode:
Kurt's been dealing with bullying like he has for the past season and a half. As the only out kid at his school, he is targeted quite a bit for his sexuality. However, he seems to be experiencing more than usual lately, mostly from a football player named Dave Karofsky. Because of this, along with the suggestion by his fellow glee-clubbers to spy on their competition, Kurt decides to visit Dalton Academy, an all-boys boarding school. While there, he meets an opening gay character named Blaine. Blaine is somewhat of an idealized character, being openly gay, completely accepted by his friends and lacking any apparent character flaw. Blaine explains that he transferred to Dalton because he couldn't take the bullying at his own school. Kurt considers transferring to Dalton himself, but Blaine recommends that Kurt face his homophobia head on, rather than run away from it like he did.
Kurt follows this advice. After coming back to his own high school, Kurt is shoved into some lockers by Dave. Kurt chases after him into the boy's locker room. Kurt confronts Dave, and the more Kurt tells Dave off, the more anxious and upset Dave gets. The scene climaxes when Dave pulls Kurt in for a long, hard kiss. Kurt is so shocked that he doesn't move. When Dave tries to kiss him again, Kurt pushes him back, and Dave storms off in a tantrum.
Later in the episode, Kurt tries to confront Dave again, this time with the help of Blaine. Blaine tries to empathize with Dave, but Dave denies the kiss ever happened and storms off.
First of all, I have to give props to Max Adler, the actor who plays Dave Karofsky, for delivering an amazing performance last night. His acting was incredibly believable, I was also very impressed that the show decided to give a previously very minor character a very interesting storyline. I know, a closeted gay male who tries to deny/hide his own sexuality by beating up other gay kids is nothing new, but a storyline like this one has a lot of potential. I think there are a lot of guys out there who are like Dave. So far, Kurt's done a good job representing a lot of problems that gay teen males face, particularly effeminate ones. However, a single character can't encompass every problem faced. That's why Dave can be a great addition to the show. As a big, masculine football player, he can represent the problems that masculine gay teens face. It would be even better if Dave's parents were introduced, and they turn out to not be supportive of their son's sexuality. While that's a horrible thing to happen, it is a reality for many gay kids and I think it would be good to represent that.
I was a little disappointed that Dave was the only homophobic football player shown in this episode. Personally, I think it would've been good if Azimio, another football player who is frequently seen bullying with Dave, was included and seen bullying Kurt. I think that would show that while some homophobic people are trying to hide their own sexuality, some are simply homophobic. It would also shed more light on Dave's personal problems. Not only does he have to hear gay jokes and other homophobic remarks, but he has to hear them come from his closest friends. He also has to say them himself in order to maintain his image. I supposed the show has time to do this in the future, but I don't think it would've hurt to show a little bit of it now.
anyway, that's my rant on glee. And yes, I do want to see Kurt and Dave (eventually) get together. Eventually
If you want to see the episode, click here
If you want to see the big confrontation, click here
If Dave really does become more fleshed out, and I really hope he does, he'll probably sing eventually. I've heard that Max Adler did musical theater in high school, so he probably has at least some skill.
Some songs I could picture Dave singing:
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (just replace the feminine pronouns with masculine ones)
Mr. Brightside by the Killers
Shadow Stabbing by Cake
Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen
and maybe Here's Where I Stand by Tiffany Taylor
