As soon as Sue Sylvester uttered the words “homeless shelter”, I knew this would not end well. But let’s back up a bit. You see, Sue Sylvester, last seen trying to end liberal arts programs in Ohio public schools, asked the Glee kids to help her feed some local homeless on a random night in December and also if it’s not too much trouble, could they, while there, sing a bit about how awesome they are for helping her feed homeless people?
Glee and Community are polar opposites. Glee seems revel in how lazy it can be. It’s a show built on routine that seems more intent on maintaining its franchise than taking risks. Risk taking is what Community feeds on. It’s a carefully crafted show that thrives on being as different as possible, constantly walking a tightrope where one false move could send it into failure – but it’s the risk itself that makes each of the more daring episodes work so well.
The songs were really great this week. I realized that I don’t talk enough about the musical numbers, which is probably the show’s biggest draw, and let me say upfront the songs were all pretty damn stellar this week. I’d never heard the one about the red plastic cup before, and I like it. Not sure what the hell that had to do with Sam returning, but whatever.
There are seven members of the study group on Community, but sometimes it seems like there might as well be six, because Shirley so often gets the short end of the stick. Often she’s given only a few lines an episode and a chance to coo “that’s niiiiice”, or to make a judgemental remark under her breath. But even in the tiny hints we’ve gotten of Shirley’s life we’ve seen we know that she’s hiding a tremendous rage underneath her glittery surface.