Let’s face it – TV shows need ratings and nothing boosts ratings more than controversy. Sure there might be some negative backlash, but the “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission” philosophy seems to work for companies like MTV and shows like Fox’s ‘Glee’. Most people think news organizations exaggerate information anyway, so when a story comes out like, “Straight, Gay Couples Lose Virginity on ‘Glee’ Episode, Spark Controversy” a lot of us think they are just trying to find a story and that it probably wasn’t that bad. If you are a fan of the show you might find yourself saying things like; “they unfairly represented the show”, “they just don’t understand the symbolism”, or maybe the one most of us use regularly “it really wasn’t that bad.”
The celebration, support, and approval of teen sexuality in this week’s episode of ‘Glee’ was really that bad. For many fan’s of the show this blog might seem to be unfair, but this blog is not about hating on ‘Glee’. It’s about looking at content and deciding how it measures up with truth and reality. For anyone who missed the episode, here is a summary:
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“Losing my virginity was a great experience for me because it was with someone I loved.” This quote from Tina sums up this week’s ‘Glee’ episode. So far, episode 3 of season 5 has caused more controversy than any other episode. Why? Because all 42 minutes are dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and approving of teen sexuality.
The theme of the episode is a high school production of West Side Story. Artie, the student director, begins the episode by challenging the two main stars Blaine and Rachel with their virginity. It just so happens that both stars are virgins, and are waiting for the “right time.” Artie replies, “as your friend I support your strange aversion to fun, but as your director I’m concerned…how do you expect to convey the human experience to an audience when you haven’t even opened yourself up to one of humanity’s basic and most primal ones.”
As a result, both stars begin the process of giving away “something that no one else will ever get (Rachel).” At first, they both are considering sex for the wrong motives – to become better actors. Rachel even gets caught putting her acting before her boyfriend Finn, and it causes a small rift in their relationship. Luckily, Rachel has friends that are “experienced” and can help her through the rough patch in their relationship. Unfortunately, neither Blaine nor Rachel get a chance to have sex before their performance, and that’s when Rachel says one of the most telling lines of the day: “The audience is smart! The only sensible solution is to cancel the show.” The story ends with Blaine and Rachel both learning that they have been selfish, and that their boyfriends are all that matter. In the end they give away their virginity, and the audience is left with the call to celebrate the consummation of their relationships.
There was almost a redeeming part in the episode, when Quinn, the girl with the most “experience” in the group asks, “Do you want my advice? Just wait – look what happened to me…I’m not just talking about getting pregnant – I’m talking about losing something you can never get back. It changes you. It makes everything more complicated.” But even in this dialogue there’s a problem: waiting is not about right vs. wrong, Quinn's reason for waiting is still all about her.
The reasons she gives for waiting are: you might get pregnant and be inconvenienced. You might lose something you can never get back. You will change. You will have a complicated life. That seems to be the problem with the entire episode. Sexuality is reduced to the pursuit of selfish pleasure.
This leads us to a very important question: is sexuality all about us and finding pleasure? Find out what Axis thinks about this episode tomorrow, but for now we'd like to know what you think. Please comment below...
*image from "The First Time" espisode: http://www.gleeimages.com/albums/promotional/episodes/3x05/normal_304GLE_305-sc4_0548.jpg
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