DVD Reviews

Glee, Vol. One: Road to Sectionals – DVD Review

By Dana Rae Jan 5, 2010, 19:58 GMT

From Ryan Murphy, the creator of "Nip/Tuck," comes "Glee", a new comedy for the aspiring underdog in all of us. The series follows an optimistic teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), who - against all odds and a malicious cheerleading coach (Jane Lynch) - attempts to save McKinley High\'s Glee Club from obscurity, while helping a group of aspiring underdogs realize their true star potential. ...more

The smash hit television series Glee arrives on DVD as ‘Glee, Vol. One: Road to Sectionals. While fans might find season one a tad short (only 13 episodes) the DVD set does include some decent special features and the musical numbers are so incredibly awesome.

The Glee Club at William McKinley High School has fallen on hard times until Spanish teacher Mr. Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, grabs a hold of it and takes it to new levels.

Never mind that the totally awesome musical numbers are done by professional actresses and actors who don’t look a day under 25 - we don’t care because they are totally awesome (Just don’t try some moves at home). Who cares if they are supposed to play confused high schoolers in the throngs of hormones and growing up? We don’t care because we believe, baby, we believe! And its fun to sing along and wish we could dance that way. 

The totally awesome ensemble high school cast includes: Dianna Agron as the pregnant cheerleader Quinn (also president of the Celibacy Club), Chris Colfer as Kurt the incredibly gay better-than-you know-it-all type, Kevin McHale as Artie the wheelchair guy, Lea Michele as the talented lead star, Cory Monteith as Finn the dumb jock type, Amber Riley as Mercedes the ‘Aretha  Franklin’ type (and can she sing!), Mark Salling as Puck the jock Mohawk tough guy, and Jenna Ushkowitz as solid, slightly gothic Tina.

Faculty members include Jane Lynch as the unflappable and manipulative nemesis of Mr. Schuester, Sue Sylvester (whose performance is worthy of many, many accolades), Jayma Mays as the timid Emma Pillsbury who is Mr. Shoe’s confidant, and Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins.

Put all together, the cast is huge, and so many characters in the mix might make one shy away, but a word of caution: don’t. This show is just incredible.  The music, the dance, so many off-beat characters throw together, all blended together nicely with a parody on modern times and remixes of favorite songs both old and new.

From John Lennon’s Imagine (done by a competitive deaf Glee Club from another school), to Beyonce’s Single Ladies (sung and danced to with unending hilarity by the football team and Kurt), 70 songs are used in these first thirteen episodes. Any fan of music will be blissfully happy, and the songs stay in your head long after.

As for the plot of the show, some might think that there is much to be desired there. Yes, at times, the weak plot points might shine through. For instance, Jessalyn Gilsig plays Terri, Mr. Schuester’s wife. She is hiding a rather gigantic secret from him, and she involves one of his students, Quinn.

She then becomes school nurse without a nursing degree (lots of manipulation on the part of Cheerio coach Sue Sylvester) so that she can spy on her husband as she thinks he is having an affair with Emma Pillsbury (guess who put that little gem of information in her head? One guess: initials are S.S.) 

But we don’t care about weak plot points! The music! The music! The dance! And yes, we love the campy jokes, played to the hilt. This show is just so much fun. 

Special features will make fans happy. There are audition pieces, a Welcome to McKinley Featurette, a Casting Season session, a Deconstructuring Glee Featurette, and a Dance Boot Camp. 

Packed with modern music golden and new and dance movements that leave your mouth hanging open, Glee never fails to delight and deliver great entertainment. Highly recommended for sheer entertainment value, 5 golden stars.

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