'Glee' Confuses Audiences With Number of Characters

By NANCY BELLE

“Glee” is a show that you really need to watch starting from the first episode for it to fully make sense.

While the plot is nowhere near as complex as other shows like “Lost,” which require background knowledge to understand, the number of main characters and their back-stories and relationships with each other may leave the novice viewer confused after a few minutes.

All in all, “Glee” has become a mess. Between having too many main characters and two locations where the show takes place, “Glee” is confusing even for those who have watched from the beginning.

If you have never seen “Glee” or cannot remember who half of the characters are, then you are in for a bit of confusion if you try to watch it. After focusing on 10 or so main characters in season one, such as Finn Hudson, Rachel Berry, and Will Schuester, “Glee” has grown to center around 20 main characters in season four, some of whom are in New York City and the rest in Lima, Ohio.

Despite the fact that many of the original members of the McKinley High School Glee Club graduated in the last episode of season three last May, all will return in some form or another this season, according to the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy. Many characters either show up or are mentioned in passing in the first episode of the new season.

There is a new cast of characters introduced this season. Some are in New York, where Rachel’s storyline takes place, and some are back in Ohio as new members of both the New Directions and the Cheerios. In New York, there are two new characters, Brody, played by Dean Geyer, Rachel’s classmate at The New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA,) and their dance teacher Cassandra July, played by Kate Hudson.

Back in Lima, we are introduced to Marley, played by Melissa Benoist, the lunch lady’s daughter, and Jake Puckerman, played by Jacob Artist, the half brother of former Glee Club member, Puck. Both become new members of the Glee Club, as well as Kitty, played by Becca Tobin, a new member of the Cheerios.

With so many characters to deal with, not much else really happened plot-wise. Rachel is miserable, alone in New York where she is now just another Midwest girl with dreams of becoming a star at the NYADA. Kurt is also conflicted about what he is still doing in Lima, Ohio, working at a coffee shop after being rejected by NYADA.

Luckily, the music in this episode does not disappoint. Of the five songs sung, the best by far is the cover of Imagine Dragon’s “It’s Time,” sung by Blaine. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepson, the ubiquitous anthem of the summer of 2012, is another memorable cover sung by Blaine, Wade, Brittany and Tina. Even if the plot and characters are confusing, at least the songs are enjoyable.