While I may not be a full-blown "Gleek," I must admit there's something about this show that stirs my soul. The evidence came in a season-2 episode called "Never Been Kissed" (my wife and I gave up cable and are slowly playing catch-up with this series). Without explaining all the 'who's who' details, I'll summarize the episode by saying that a couple of the guys in Glee Club have been finding it very hard to make out with their girlfriends, who only want to kiss and continually halt them from going further. For these guys to handle this hormonal pressure, they find that they can think of something unsexy and abruptly 'cool off.' They begin thinking of their female football coach, the tomboyish Coach Beiste (yes, pronounced like 'Beast'). The girlfriends begin to suspect that they're thinking of Coach Beiste when they're making out. Not realizing their motives, the girls get jealous and begin to say off-the-cuff remarks to Coach Beiste. Their Glee Club teacher, Will, hears about this and then admonishes them for doing the very thing that the Glee Club is supposed to stand up against (discrimination of those on the 'outside'). He tells the guys to stop doing it and that they'll never tell Coach Beiste about it. When pushed as to why the guys on the football team have been acting so weird around her, Will tells Coach Beiste what the guys have been doing. She is heart-broken and decides to resign. Will goes to see Coach Beiste as she's cleaning out her office. He comforts her by saying he understands what she's going through, as he was also an outcast in high school. "I've never been kissed, Will," she says. "I'm 40 and I haven't taken those baby steps yet." Will tells her that she's beautiful and then gives her a kiss on the lips. The guys try to make things right by singing Coach Beiste a song at the conclusion of the episode, and she decides to stay.
This episode did something for me that previous episodes had not. I connected with its storyline on a personal level. Most of us can relate to being picked on in grade school, but what I really connected with was Will's willingness to chastise his Glee guys for doing something seemingly harmless. He wants them to examine their motives, remembering that they're viewed as outcasts, too, simply because they like to sing in the Glee Club.
Simple, but very profound.
I connect with what Will Schuester does because it's the very same thing that I attempt to do with my youth group at church—promoting acceptance at a heart level. The logic is that even
thinking cruel thoughts about someone else is wrong. Maybe it's wrong because it allows a level of bigotry into your subconscious. Maybe it's wrong because what's in the mind tends to flow out of the mouth. Maybe we can't explain why, but we know it's just wrong.
In this episode, in particular, we see that words sting, and even the most harmless looks can cast a long shadow of judgment. This happens, too, with another student. Kurt is the only openly-gay student at the show's high school and is constantly harassed by the jocks on the football team. He finds a friend and ally in Blaine Warbler—a student in a competing glee club. By the end of the episode, Kurt is standing up for himself against his harasser, saying he's not going to change no matter how badly he's treated. There's something special about this sequence, too. The ability to stand up for one's personal convictions is very hard to do, especially in high school. Then frame that in light of being harassed for those convictions, and it would be almost impossible not to just give up and try to blend in with everyone else. Again, in my youth group I try to teach students to be themselves, but also to be willing to go against the crowd. I don't want them to try to rock boats, but I do want them to rise above an immature status quo.
This episode, more than any other, has turned me into a true fan of
Glee. I admit, sometimes
Glee sends mixed messages that contradict the real point of the show. But there's also many virtuous undertones that I truly appreciate. I love the heart and soul of
Glee—to not be afraid to show who you are, and to bond (rather than fall apart) in the face of opposition. And while I didn't expect to find such depth in
Glee, I'm glad to say I've found it there.
