Glee reached a big turning point this summer with the graduation of most of the main cast characters. That's the problem with aging students: they can't stay in school forever, unless they're yellow and live in Springfield. Ryan Murphy was at first very clear: graduating students would have to leave McKinley (which they did). Then, the hypothesis of a spin-off relating New-York's journey of these students grew, then collapsed.
In the facts, there are now two distinct story-lines in Glee: one in New-York, with Rachel and Kurt experiencing the Big Apple, and one still in Ohio, at McKinley, with the underdogs from the previous seasons and some uninteresting "new" heads.
Let's talk about what happens in McKinley High in this beginning of fourth season. The pride of the Nationals success has quickly disappeared to ensure status quo. Blaine's mind is directed towards Kurt (which left for NY), while Brittany only thinks of Santana, which left for who cares where. Most of the characters from the original cast are unuseful. Artie is transparent. Tina should have been the new soloist, we barely see her. Sugar, Sam, Teen Jesus, Unique, are figurants. Will tries to find inspiration again, and we hope he finds it soon, since his affair with Emma becomes just boring.
Some "new" characters arrived in Lima, but they are obviously not interesting. I thought Marley could be the New Rachel, regarding the season premiere's title, yet she only lives through her fat momma and her poverty. Far from being a strong character yet. And Jake is just a light Puck, who rides his scooter in the hallway. What a rebel ! His love affair with Marley is superficial, but that's the most we see of them. Finally, there's the new mean religious cheerleader. But as her face is not as pleasant as Dianna Agron's, she looks just like a hateful Quinn. So that's it ? Same stereotypes play again ? Did you really just let Puck and Quinn go to bring the exact same characters 4 years younger ? Congratulations for the imagination. Still, they rejected some people at the auditions. That goes against their principles from the first seasons, and they don't even reach the number of 12 singers they have to reunite to participate to the competitions. So, I guess some new students will still come to fill the number.
Even if these new characters had been wonderful, the problem of these students is that those who graduated still take more room than them, and probably for long.
The fact is, Glee isn't about a high school choir in an Ohio high school. Glee is before all about Rachel. Then, about Kurt, Finn, Quinn, Puck, Blaine. Then, some less used students as Artie, Tina, Mike before he left, Brittany. Will and Sue are just here to help them or destroy them. Sugar, Teen Jesus, Unique, can't catch up the sympathy the first cast got. Only Blaine successfully managed that, I think. That's why the part in NY is the most interesting now: because we follow these students, even if it has to be out of the walls of high schools. We follow their story. When they made Puckermann come back to talk to Jake, that was not interesting. Why ? Because we didn't follow him through his story: he was there just set up Jake's character, and that sucked.
But when Finn, Puck or Santana comes back, it feels good. If Dianna or Mercedes or Mike comes back (I'm not sure which of them will come back), it will feel good. But there is a problem: each of them took a different road. And that's normal. That's life.
So, even if the NY part is the most interesting, McKinley remains the link between the students who left and those who stayed. It would have seemed weird if all of the graduates moved altogether to NY City. But how long will they keep on coming to their former high school ? Finn was back in this week's episode, but he can't hang around forever (though it is highly possible for him to stay in Lima). They graduated. They should turn the page. Some did. But others are still in the show,and they occupy most of the plot. The spin-off would have been a wonderful idea, but it didn't happen. So, Glee should have chosen a side.
The first possibility could have been to stay in McKinley. Let Rachel and friends go, stay with some underdogs from the seasons before, and bring some powerful new characters, as the main cast was. The graduates would have come back once in a while to say hello, but the New Directions would have been in the center of the story. Almost starting over. Cut the bridges with those who are gone. I thought that's what Ryan Murphy wanted to do. But he didn't. Probably because of the importance of the original cast (and because it would have been very hazardous).
So, as the authors didn't want to let Rachel go, Glee should have left McKinley, and followed Kurt and Rachel in N-Y, and let the main serie become what the spin-off should have been and follow the main cast. They could easily have brought there Blaine. Finn would have followed Rachel. Quinn is not far from NY. Puck could have joined them too probably, to team with his old mate again, I don't know. Of course, they could not have brought the whole cast, that would have been jumping the shark. But bringing a core of some of the main cast in N-Y and stick to them would have been wonderful. They would still have sung their songs to express what's in their mind. Who cares about show choirs competitions any more, anyway ? They lost, they won, ok, we got it.
Yet, Glee didn't choose. They decided to sit between two stools: to follow Rachel and Kurt, and to try to maintain the New Directions alive. But, for the moment, that doesn't work. Because for the moment, those we want to watch are in New-York, not in Lima. In this week's The Break Up episode, the couples between former and current New Directionners all broke up, as to separate even more the graduates from the others. They are loosing the ties, but is it to let a side go ?
If they want the New Directions to exist, then they have to show less of N-Y, and give the new New Directions a new chance. Maybe that Grease or the regionals will be a good spot to show the new New Directions perform, because they didn't perform much on stage for the moment (and when they did, it was in playback). That will give less exposure time to Rachel and friends. But how to tell to Rachel to back off ? She can't. She's the star since the beginning. And where she is, nobody else can shine.
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