I should've known that "Lights Out" was going to be a hot mess when it was revealed that Ryan Murphy penned in, but things never change because while there was a lot I disliked about this one, I couldn't help but fall for some of the tricks. All that said, this was probably one of the most disappointing episode of Glee yet.
A week-long power outage prompted "unplugged" week, but the stripped down theme transcended the music because it allowed Ryder to open up to the glee club since he wasn't sure if "Katie" would reveal the dark secrets he shared with "her." He came clean and admitted that he was molested as a child, and while some reacted immaturely, Kitty related and a new bond (and possible ship) was formed. Too bad for her, he was still hung up on a person he never met.
Meanwhile, NYC was all about ballet for some reason, and Santana decided to take some dance classes while she figured out what she wanted to do with her life. Oh, and Sue started her new career as a personal trainer and refused to go back to coaching in spite of Becky's pleas to return to McKinley, but we all know she will.
For the longest time, I've defended Glee and brushed off the criticisms when people called it too "after school special," but I don't know if I can do that after watching "Lights Out." Ryder's secret was so out of left field that it was hard for me to take it seriously, which was a shame since child molestation shouldn't be a subject that gets glossed over. Things were not helped by the fact that we got tone deaf reactions from Sam and Artie about how any boy would have loved to be fondled by a teenage girl, but was more insulting was the fact that everything came to a screeching halt. Ryder didn't confront Artie and Sam about how he really felt, and nothing was really resolved when it was all said and done. Sure, it could be argued that this is Glee being Glee, but the half-assed approach really irked me this time around.
And don't get me started on the utter waste of time that was New York.
Yet, there were a few beats that I found somewhat entertaining. I liked the acoustic/Stomp-inspired/acapella spin on some of the songs, and I'm not inherently against Ryder and Kitty getting some character development . Heck, I even think sexual abuse is be a subject that could be effectively explored by a show like Glee... just not Glee.
Other Odds and Ends:
- Naya Rivera's great, but I cannot muster any emotion for Santana as a character.
- After "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'," I thought this was going to be a Sam-centric episode. Classic bait and switch.
- Brittany ceased to be one of my favorite characters a while ago, but HeMo was missed.
- Oh yeah, Vogue.com was a thing that happened.
- Putting together a love letter to ballet should've been right up Glee's alley, but it was such a colossal miss.
- I really wasn't surprised by Artie's reaction to Ryder's news because he's always been a pig, but I was pissed that Ryan Murphy threw Sam under the bus for a cheap joke.
- Kitty and Ryder could work.
- I'm sure A Chorus Line is great and all, but "At the Ballet" went on way too long and sucked all of the wind out of the sails. It might go down as my least favorite musical moment ever.
- Musical Highlight: "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'"
Stumbling on an important topic, a giant time-suck of a B-plot, and an overall cluelessness combined to give us one of the more aggravating episodes of the season, but it still wasn't enough to convince me to turn on the show. At this point, I don't know if anything will cause me to give up on it completely.
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