Glee Season 2 Premiere 2010 Review

‘Glee’ had become the TV equivalent of a teenager — tart and capable of sweetness, sure, but also frequently possessed by wild mood swings, identity crises and infected with an increasingly not-adorable sense of entitlement.

‘Glee’ amusingly takes on many the criticisms leveled at the show in the opening minutes of the pleasing season 2 premiere, which begins with McKinley High blogger Jacob Ben Israel peppering the New Directions glee club with cheeky and knowing questions. Is Rachel “difficult to work with”? Who’s dating whom? And does Mr. Schuester know that there’s a whole forum on Jacob’s site devoted to stopping Mr. Schu from rapping?

And though ‘Glee’ makes light of the criticism aimed at the show, it’s clear that the show is trying to address at least some of the messiness and randomness that afflicted Season 1. But how long will this good behavior last? ‘Glee’ was so inconsistent in its first season — and so handsomely rewarded for that inconsistence by awards-giving bodies and the media.

There are far fewer songs in the Season 2 premiere, and there is an actual attempt to tell a story with heart, which is what ‘Glee’ would sometimes do in the past, when it wasn’t content with being a punchline delivery system and a visual shill for a series of soundtrack albums.

A few new characters are introduced: A tough new female football coach who gives Sue Sylvester a run for her money in more ways than one, a female character whose pipes are almost as memorable as Rachel’s and a new football player who has a surprisingly good voice. So far the football coach is an effective foil for Sue Sylvester, who is still the most enjoyable part of the ‘Glee’ lineup.