September 26, 2012

Quick Thoughts: THE NEW NORMAL, "Obama Mama"

I'll say one thing about "Obama Mama;" it was a dang good episode of Glee.

Let me clarify, Glee is at its best when it's self-deprecating, self-aware and doesn't take itself too seriously, so all of the backstage drama on the set of Sing was pretty funny. As for the rest of the episode, that's up for debate.

Now, I will applaud Ali Adler for trying to flesh out Jane via her politics because I did feel that everything the character was saying was grounded in right wing rhetoric, but I never felt like she was being made the butt of Republican jokes... at least not by the show. The way David and Bryan pushed her buttons at the dinner party was un-called for, yet it did underline the message about hypocritical liberals and their responses to the GOP and I was actually glad Jane called them out on their behavior.

The thing is, all three characters came off as really unlikable throughout the entire episode. We expect Jane and Bryan to say radically insensitive stuff, but David's pushiness was off putting and I didn't appreciate how he picked a fight in front of company. Yet, he wasn't responsible for the show's lowest point because that once again went to Jane when she tricked the men into humiliating Goldie. None of it was funny and it was all just mean-spirited.

But this is a Ryan Murphy production and this approach to comedy is one of his calling cards. I'm not even saying I disapprove because when it's done right it can be really funny, but this time around it all felt like mean for the sake of mean. I also could've done without the over-emphasis on politics, but young Jane shouting, "I Like Dick" was pretty funny.

Ultimately, I do have to give Adler and the show some credit for calling out the liberals while being somewhat respectful of the conservatives. It just would've been better if everyone was nicer about it... but then it wouldn't be The New Normal I suppose.

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