She’s malicious, she’s manipulative, she’s ruthless and she’s one of the greatest T.V
characters of the age. Sue Sylvester might not be the reason you watch ‘Glee’, but really she should be. The T.V series has been inspiring flash mobs and online mania the world over,and its wonderful soundtrack has been keeping me tapping my feet in the shower, but it’s thanks to Sue Sylvester I’m a Gleek.
“I stayed up till 3am watching episodes 1 -13 on a friend’s computer,” says Indrakanthi
Perera. You would think that Glee’s fanbase would consist entirely of the hysterical crowd of teenagers that show up for screenings of Twilight movies, but Indrakanthi is in her late twenties – she sheepishly admits that she finds the series wildly addictive.
The younger crowd swoons over the Glee’s attractive leads and loves their sampling of the likes of Kanye West, Beyonce and Madonna for the soundtrack. “I like that there are people from so many different backgrounds and races,” says 19 year old Saritha Amaresekera, “and they sharethis love for music.”
Saritha downloaded the whole set of episodes, and says that when faces with Glee
withdrawal during the show’s hiatus, she got her “Glee” fix by keeping the music from the show playing on repeat. The cast is made up of fairly accomplished singers, many of whom have had previous experience on broadway.
“Sue Sylvester is my favourite part of ‘Glee,’”says 21 year old Namal Ratnasiri, adding that he’s impressed that all the actors actuallysing their own songs. The show introduced him to hits from the eighties as well as classicsfrom musicals like ‘Wicked’. The second season is set to air in the U.S beginning September 21 (three new characters are expected to make their debut) and Fox is marketing the show aggressively. But all the marketing in the world couldn’t buy this kind of popularity.
Glee is incredibly inclusive and almost everyone on the show is a misfit – but you know
that despite all the slushies, these are still the coolest kids in school. It’s also disgustingly
wholesome – though the show tackles homophobia, disability, bullying and teen pregnancy, nothing stands a chance in the face of love, friendship and honesty. It’s also worth noting that no one – not even the nasty cheerleaders are left in a box. Most characters give you things to both love and hate about them, keeping them grounded and likable.
One of Glee’s creators Ryan Murphy explains: “There's so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around. This is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable. Everything's so dark in the world right now, that's why [American] Idol worked. It's pure escapism.” In the end, Glee will leave you feeling fuzzy and warm, and really who couldn’t use a little of that once a week? The first season of ‘Glee’ will be on every Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on ETV. Repeats on Saturday at 9pm.
*names changed on request.
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