Re: 5x11 "City of Angels" Watch & Discussion thread

[Buenos]

Other schools had a Rachel or a Kurt? Go to hell, Mr. Schu.

Fuck the writers.

Will never utilized Kurt in competition in a major way, and he blew smoke up Rachel's ass as the greatest show choir performer ever, which in canon she did turn out to be (well there is Jesse St. James with 4 nationals) and yet  suddenly there were a bunch of Rachels?    Whatever, because of the writers, fuck you Will Schuester.    

However McKinley is gone.

     

[Ireth]

x

[Delight]

^ Thanks for posting the gifs of the NYC scene. Now I have no need to watch the episode. Which is great, because I'm saving my internet download data for much better things.

[Buenos]

Best acting and chemistry of the episode among the younger characters by far.


Though can we keep Sykar Astin?   

[valkeakuulas]

^ Thanks for posting the gifs of the NYC scene. Now I have no need to watch the episode. Which is great, because I'm saving my internet download data for much better things.

It's literarly just these for NY right? Short and sweet, VERY short I see.

I do find Kurt's concern for Glee club a bit out of my taste but I can see it somewhat why Kurt would feel and do that. Kurt the ever worried warrior. (I just wanted to call him that.)

[ColferInspired]

Best acting and chemistry of the episode among the younger characters by far.


Though can we keep Sykar Astin?   

Jean Baptiste would fit well at Nyada.

Plus he doesn't like Blaine, so I like him.   

And he did kick out the person that stole Finn's plaque and sent it back, so he wasn't the bad guy.

Imagine that someone who doesn't like Blaine, but isn't a bad person. This is a first.

[Ranwing]

ND's importance to Kurt is well founded in canon, with Burt stating outright that being in the group saved Kurt's life. So I can totally understand why he (and Rachel and Santana) would be alarmed at the group being permanently disbanded.

Rachel and Kurt in the one sentence as they are equally talented or is he dising their talent? Not sure where that comment is coming from!

It was a diss, in my opinion. I got the impression that he was saying that super-talented performers like Rachel and those with unique voices like Kurt are a dime a dozen and there was nothing particularly unique about them. But Finn on the other hand... how many groups have singing white able-bodied straight boys?

Look, I loved Cory as much as anyone here and I miss Finn's presence on the show. But the elevating him to sainthood the way the who did really set my teeth on edge. Finn was a great guy and important to the team, but he was also a total fuck up. He wasn't the perfect leader of ND. More often than not, he left Rachel call the shots and just assumed the leadership postion as a figurehead. And at times when he really did need to lead and unify the group = like when Kurofsky's bullying reached a dangerous climax and it was not unreasonable to see that Kurt's life was in danger - Finn fell down on the job.

The whole idea that the leader needs to be a male (preferably a straight one) is really offensive to me. Sam couldn't lead a party of one if he was the one in question, but because he's the senior white able-bodied straight guy, he gets to assume the defacto mantle of leadership for the group. And so much blowing of smoke up his ass about being a leader.... you know how you become a leader? By actually leading and not needing to be told that you're the leader. That was one of Finn's biggest weakness - that he wanted the title of leader without actually putting himself on the line to warrent it. And Blaine, the new Rachel? He did absolutely nothing to bring the team together.

I felt horrible for Matt last night, having to spout off that inane dialogue because I'm sure he recognized it for the total bullshit that it was. I know that we joked about Sam being Finn 2.0, but the writers were never so blatent about it.

[Jellyrolls]

I just had a thought: If Blaine is the new Rachel, and Sam is the new Finn, shouldn't Blam be endgame. I fully support that. They both suck so much they deserve each other.

[brisallie]

Best acting and chemistry of the episode among the younger characters by far.


Though can we keep Sykar Astin?   

Jean Baptiste would fit well at Nyada.

Plus he doesn't like Blaine, so I like him.   

And he did kick out the person that stole Finn's plaque and sent it back, so he wasn't the bad guy.

Imagine that someone who doesn't like Blaine, but isn't a bad person. This is a first.

I second this   

As regards Shue telling Sam that every glee club has a Kurt and Rachel. Ok,I remember once Sue commented that every glee club has a short girl with a big nose, but it was Sue. But Schue commenting that, I didn't believe, actually for me is more common to see a Sam or Finn, and sincerely I hate when they treat Finn as he was a 'saint', he wasn't. Even though I still liked him despite of his tantrums, I realized sometimes he wasn't the leader he was supposed to be, how many times in order to keep save himself he put aside people or had those irrational moments in which he can be rude? No, for me he's not a saint or hero, yeah is true that Finn could be a person that join people and be a leader when others needed some cheer up, and overal was a nice guy, but still has some negative traits like the one I said previously. In addition, Shue is saying that about Rachel? Are we talking about the same Rachel he always gave the preference when it comes to solos?

[Buenos]

The ratings are in:  the Worst (official) demo ever for Glee:

Time Net Show 18-49 Rating 18-49 Share Viewers Live+SD (million)

8:00PM NBC The Voice 3.4 12 13.14
ABC Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0 7 5.79
CBS NCIS -R 1.3 4 10.79
FOX Glee 0.9 3 2.34
CW The Originals 0.9 3 1.94


Glee tied the CW for Demos, that is how much RIB ran the show to the ground.  There is no way FOX is going to allow a .9 and declining Demo show to get 22 episodes next year, I'm wondering if they tell Glee to just wrap it up in the last 9 episodes this season.

[TimF]

I just had a thought:  If Blaine is the new Rachel, and Sam is the new Finn, shouldn't Blam be endgame.  I fully support that.  They both suck so much they deserve each other.

Amen. Truer words have yet to be spoken.

[fantastica]

ouch ouch ouch! the downward dive has accelerated! Lucky Matt got out just in time for a greener pasture. no way fox will give them 22 episodes next year. 13 will be a high order. maybe there won't even be 22 episodes this year either. of course, that also depends on what replacement shows fox has in the back burner.

[fantastica]

i support blam as end games, and i just want that game to end, with both of them out of my sight and ears.

[brisallie]

The ratings are in:  the Worst (official) demo ever for Glee:

Time Net Show 18-49 Rating 18-49 Share Viewers Live+SD (million)

8:00PM NBC The Voice 3.4 12 13.14
ABC Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0 7 5.79
CBS NCIS -R 1.3 4 10.79
FOX Glee 0.9 3 2.34
CW The Originals 0.9 3 1.94


Glee tied the CW for Demos, that is how much RIB ran the show to the ground.  There is no way FOX is going to allow a .9 and declining Demo show to get 22 episodes next year, I'm wondering if they tell Glee to just wrap it up in the last 9 episodes this season.

Uff Glee has the same ratings than CW? That's not good. And I see Glee wrapping up the story this season, though is not my ideal I see klaine being endgame, or surprisingly Kurt decides he wants to focus on his career, Rachel being sucessful with her play, Artie doing fine at Film School, Sam doing modelling, so on. Actually, during season 4 I didn't mind if Glee ends up this season, but RIB decided to extend the school year   see the consequences.

[fantastica]

ok, can someone explain to me these numbers? i assume 2.34 means millions of viewers tuned in? 0.9 is the rating? so what's "3" here?

[Jellyrolls]

I wonder how shows have done in that time slot historically. It is a terrible time slot--just about anything would do bad opposite the Voice and NCIS. If Fox has nothing else to put in there, they'll probably give it at least a half a season next year as filler (but very low budget).

Can we wish that they have Klaine broken up at the end of the season (because of Blaine's continued douchiness) and they don't pull the plug on the show until after the final episode is filmed (so that Klaine will never get married).

Ryan killed this show, and Fox allowed it to happen. What the hell were these people thinking? No showrunner or television exec in their right mind sidelines award winning and nominated actors to focus on unknowns and second string talent. You always build the show around your strongest talent. It is embarrassing what they did to Chris, Lea, Matt, and even Cory and Jane and Naya.

I won't say that this is Darren's fault, but it should have been clear long ago that he wasn't capable of carrying the show. Ryan made the fatal error for this show when he mistook song sales and social media activity as popularity. Darren has a fanbase that is very active and savvy about social media, and they are very loud. Though there are people like us who are 35 or older who are on social media, the majority of the GA who fell in love with the show in season one probably don't tweet, use tumblr, or facebook actively the way Darren's younger fans does. Ryan mistakenly took that feedback for popularity and put Darren in a position on the show that he had no business having.

If you look at the ratings, you can see the show start to decline after they started changing the format and song selection to appeal to the younger viewers that started watching because of Darren (as opposed to the older audience that got hooked in season one), and more and more adult viewers dropped the show when the songs became the more current songs, and the storylines because repetitive. That works fine for kids, but most adults get bored with that overtime. Look at how many of us don't watch anymore, or how many of us only watch because of Chris.

I really hope that Ryan screws over the K(B)lainers in the end and has Klaine split at the end of the show because being married to Blaine would not be a happy ending for Kurt. It would be a tragic ending.

[tanita_mors]

man, i still haven't seen this episode. just can't make myself to be honest. not when i have 5,6 other tv show episodes in line that I KNOW will be hella better.

[Jellyrolls]

man, i still haven't seen this episode. just can't make myself to be honest. not when i have 5,6 other tv show episodes in line that I KNOW will be hella better.

Do yourself a favor, and skip it. It was horrific.

[Glorfindel]

OK, so in the Glee time line, it's probably less than a month since Finn died, and Burt and Carole are this composed?  OK.  And I still have issues with them having time to go to Nationals now, but not when their kids were actually in it. 

It's at least 2 to 2 1/2 months, as the Quarterback was 6 weeks after Finn's death.
Although don't ask me what month they are in now, because it was already at least April when Blaine proposed to Kurt, so that puts them well into June or Juli now.

And yeah, 2 to 2 1/2 months would still not be enough for a grieving mom.

Chord actually isn't bad in this scene. I'm telling you, he is a good supporting actor.  He can bring his acting up when he isn't opposite Darren or Heather. 

I also found him okay in his crying scene after their performance. His acting abilities really depend on wo he's working with in a scene.

I am so tired of sad sack wet mop Marly. So her song didn't win a contest and she's just going to ditch everything. That's just the kind of determination we need in this world. What is it with this crowd that no one can overcome any kind of setback without having someone blow sunshine up their asses.

What a difference with how Rachel and Kurt fought and fought to get where they are now and never gave up (okay: more Kurt than Rachel, but she too had setbacks in the first seasons).

Burt and Carol are the only things worth watching in this ep. And I hate the fact that they're using them to try to manipulate me into feeling something.

The manipulation was so clear, and it angered me a lot, even though I got teary eyed when I saw the flashbacks of Finn.
I can't imagine what Mike and Romy must have felt for being trodded out to prop the Noobs Direction up by using Finn's (and therefore also Cory's) death.
It was tacky.

If the girl who does the NY edits put up the 15 seconds, that's all I'm watching of this episode.

The youtube video has alrready been posted, but here's also a vimeo link.

Actually this is my biggest peeve about the whole competition, other than Kurt never featured in  ND entry, that the so-called glee clubs all became back up dancers for one lead singer.  The one time Rachel wasn't there was the only time you had a sense of all members of glee club had a purpose.

   This.

I do miss you Cory, you had class, and you made me believe. That is the only good thing I take from this episode.

Yes.

[tanita_mors]

i was reading the afterelton/backlot recap for this episode and one thing that the recapper wrote resonated with me so much

To this very day, it’s still jarring to me when a Glee song shuffles onto my iPod and I hear Monteith’s voice.

this is me. i still find it hard to listen to his solos and songs. when they come on, just just skip them otherwise the reality that this actor i rather liked who had a bright future is no longer here. it brings tears to my eyes and i wasn't even his stan.

[Glorfindel]

^Same here.  

I also didn't expect those flashbacks during 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' and I sort of gasped while my heart was being squeezed.


My TWoP post:

How to still get an emotional punch and some relevance for an already written off storyline and a going-through-the-motions episode: trod out Carol and Burt and make the whole Nationals experience about someone who died way too young. That’s always good for a sniffle or two.
It was indeed manipulative, and though I couldn’t help choking up when they showed old footage of Finn, at the same time I got angry because I knew I was being played by the writers and was tearing up because of Cory and not because I was supposed to feel so much for the New Directions.
 
And wow, how nice of you to put all that pressure on Sam, Mr. Shue. It’s not like Sam isn’t a high school kid who lost his friend too only about 2 months ago, and Sam even lived in Finn’s home for quite a while. Plus what’s this nonsense again about ND needing a leader amongst the kids: Will is their teacher, so he should lead, not making Sam feel solely responsible for ND’s success or failure.
The idea of Sam being Finn 2.0 is appaling to me, and yet they are practically hitting it into our heads with a sledgehamer.
 
Mike and Romy knocked it out of the park, as usual, but I couldn’t enjoy their craft because of the clear propping up and emotional manipulation they were used for. Still: their scenes and the 30 seconds of NY this episode (why did they even bother?) this episode was garbage.
Oh, correcting myself here: Throat Explosion was nice watching and listening to as well, and they won Nationals fair and square.
 
Little stuff:
- So a straight jock is more valuable to a glee club than a girl and a gay guy with more talent between them than all of the current ND combined.
- Sam got 3 Cheerios to join ND to get 12 members, a week before Nationals. The writers don’t even try anymore, do they?
- Mercedes getting another record contract? Come on. And she was also painfully used to prop up ND and especially Marley. So now suddenly Mercedes knows everything about what it takes to become a pop star?
- Couldn’t really laugh at having a deaf jury member for a show choir competition: they peed over all logical show choir rules and requirements too often for me to enjoy a joke like that. Lord, these writers have soured me.
- The competition songs were the worst they’ve ever done. ‘America’ was awful, and the other 2 songs were not much better, if at all.
- Even the dancing during Nationals was below par. But that’s what you get when choir practice consists of running around on stage.
- Sue ending glee club after they came in second at Nationals: sure. If all schools did this there would be no glee clubs left, nor any other extra-curicular activities or sports teams.
- Becky is so awful: her calling Will “Shuester” and her gay comment in Sue’s office made me cringe.

[Glorfindel]

8:00pm
Fox – Glee
Viewers: 2.44 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#4t)

8:30pm
Fox – Glee
Viewers: 2.24 million (#4), A18-49: 0.9/ 3 (#4t)


FOX Glee 0.9 2.34


Ouch.  

[brisallie]

I also found blatantly manipulative the way they used Finn, therefore Cory, in this episode. So never before we saw Burt and Carole supporting ND in a choir competition, I remember I saw them once in season three, the same episode Finn and Rachel wanted to get married, but before or after that, nothing. So even though I confess I felt weepy when I saw the flashbacks, I disagree with those comments I've read somewhere else saying this was a better tribute than The Quarterback, not, this was emotional manipulation. You know, I'd have somehow understood this in the following episode as is the 100th and everybody is getting back to Lima. But now...no, I don't get it.

P.S I'm glad Mercedes is doing so well with her album, but her as she got that is so unbelievable unrealistic. Or she really has a good star, or luck.

[Ranwing]

The ratings are in:  the Worst (official) demo ever for Glee:

Time Net Show 18-49 Rating 18-49 Share Viewers Live+SD (million)

8:00PM NBC The Voice 3.4 12 13.14
ABC Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0 7 5.79
CBS NCIS -R 1.3 4 10.79
FOX Glee 0.9 3 2.34
CW The Originals 0.9 3 1.94


Glee tied the CW for Demos, that is how much RIB ran the show to the ground.  There is no way FOX is going to allow a .9 and declining Demo show to get 22 episodes next year, I'm wondering if they tell Glee to just wrap it up in the last 9 episodes this season.

Uff Glee has the same ratings than CW? That's not good. And I see Glee wrapping up the story this season, though is not my ideal I see klaine being endgame, or surprisingly Kurt decides he wants to focus on his career, Rachel being sucessful with her play, Artie doing fine at Film School, Sam doing modelling, so on. Actually, during season 4 I didn't mind if Glee ends up this season, but RIB decided to extend the school year see the consequences.

I have no sympathy for the network because they let this happen. They should have reined in Ryan Murphy long before now and put their foot down on what they expected out of the show. The fact that the show floundered for over a year and a half, sidelining their strongest and most accalimed performers in favor of no-names and second-string players and they absolutely killed this show. They took a well-regarded, profitable show and let a show runner who had more ego than common sense run rampant and this is what we end up with - a show that is so far gone that not even bringing back it's top actors to lead position will fix what they broke. Glee is not even on life support at this point - it's on hospice care.

FOX could have stopped this little "experiement" by Ryan Murphy long before this and they didn't so if the ratings suck and they lose revenue, that's too bad for them. Lea and Chris will be fine if the show gets canceled earlier than planned. Chris can finally get away from this mess and start doing the projects that he really wants and not be tied to a show where the writers and  producers no longer value or respect him.

[fantastica]

I wonder how shows have done in that time slot historically.  

wasn't glee in this time slot in the past? before it moved to thursday, 9pm? that was season 3. don't remember season 1 and 2.

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