TV Geek Out 186: Glee, "Grilled Cheesus," "Duets," and "The Rocky Horror Glee Show"

It's time to take another ride on the Glee roller coaster! Season two has had some thrilling, and not so thrilling, ups and downs since the last time we discussed it. "Grilled Cheesus" fell into some of the traps we at TV Geek Out cannot stand about the show: it took on a heavy subject -- religion -- but did so in a simplistic, patronizing fashion, once again used Kurt and Burt Hummel's fraught but ultimately loving relationship as a vehicle for a Very Special Episode, and reduced the rest of the characters to caricatures (we're looking at you, Finn, you numbskull). "Duets," on the other hand, was a tantalizing reminder of just how great Glee can be. Not only did we get more of new character Sam (the fantastically named Chord Overstreet), the episode actually had the New Directions kids performing believable songs in a believable way for a believable reason -- to win dinner at Breadsticks! Glimpses of Santana and Brittany's relationship and great performances of "River Deep, Mountain High," "Le Jazz Hot" and "Sing!" made it one of the second season's best moments. Finally, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" got into the Halloween spirit while remaining completely Glee: racy, campy, subversive and heartwarming all at the same time. That the kids didn't get to perform the show for an audience was a bit of a buzzkill (as was Mr. Schue's increasing creepiness), but with Glee being so unpredictable this year, you take your pleasures where you can find them. We discuss all this and more here.

TV Geek Out 178: Glee, "Audition" and "Britney/Brittany"

How has the TV Geek Out trio responded to Glee so far this year? Well, one of us is thinking our relationship with the show might be as dead as Don and Betty’s marriage on Mad Men. Find out who might be happier with a whole lot less Glee as Dana, Perry, and Heather debate the merits of pop tunes vs. showtunes, lament the lack of screen time for our favorite characters, and wonder if Glee’s Brittany S. Pierce has more talent than Britney Spears. Check it all out here.

TV Geek Out 156: Gleekout 2

If there was any doubt that Glee is the TV series of the moment, its 19 Emmy nominations proved that there is a lot to love about this show. However, the second half of its debut season also revealed some cracks in its foundation: repetitive jokes, disappearing plots and characters, and musical numbers that were increasingly separated from the show's reality of a misfit glee club trying to prove itself in an Ohio high school. Despite, or perhaps because of, themed episodes and celebrity cameos, the show seemed to lose its focus somewhat compared to the funny and heartfelt first half of the season -- a difference made all the more disappointing after its lengthy hiatus. But just because the TV Geek Out geeks find a few faults with Glee doesn't mean we don't like the show; we're critical because we care about it! Check out our season-one postmortem and our hopes for season two here.

TV Geek Out 140: Gleek Out!

The show that makes you smile when you say its name is back! Yes, Glee has returned, and though the second half of the season -- which goes well into June -- has a lot to look forward to, including new love interests, new choirs to compete against, and the much-touted Madonna episode, TV Geek Out takes a look back at what made the first half of Glee's first season so great. We geek out over Artie, Rachel, Finn, Puck, Mr. Schue, Emma and, of course, Jane Lynch as the incomparable Sue Sylvester. We anticipate Glee's New Direction for the second half of the season with a full-on TV Gleek Out, comin' up right here!