Glee has returned for a highly-anticipated fourth season with tons of new faces and updates from beloved McKinley High graduates Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel.
What is not new about the season so far is the ever-crowded list of stereotypes found among the show's characters. The season premiere, 'The New Rachel,' definitely had some strong moments and great character development despite some predictability.
It is made clear from the first chords of the 'Call Me Maybe' cover that there will be a year-long power struggle among Brittany, who is currently taking a victory lap at McKinley after failing every class her senior year, Blaine, Mercedes and Tina, who spent the tail end of last season determined to become the New Directions' main soloist and adopt Rachel's crown.
Two new characters pose some threats for both the status quo and vocal dynamic of the glee club: Marley, a new student from an impoverished family whose mother is, as anyone could see coming from a mile away, the new lunch lady. In Noah "Puck" Puckerman's absence we are introduced to another brooding, introverted, yet stunningly talented student named Jake. In not-so-typical Glee fashion, the episode was well written to introduce the shock factor of Jake being Puck's half-brother.
More typical of Glee is the aptly named Brody, a strikingly handsome New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts student in Rachel's class who takes a liking to her as she stares at Finn's Facebook photos from the army on her phone. Following in the footsteps of Gwenyth Paltrow is Kate Hudson, who plays Rachel's unforgiving alcoholic has-been dance teacher. Last and probably the least necessary, it would not be a new year at McKinley without a new bratty Cheerios cheer captain and two football players armed with red slushies to throw at the 'gleeks.'
This episode had some charming points, such as Kurt's adventure to New York to surprise Rachel and pursue his dreams. Where the episode lacked was in the development of these new stereotypes in a very overdone episode on peer pressure, in which glee club members like Artie spend ample time making fun of Marley's mother for the approval of the cheer captain.
The future seems shaky for how these students will work together despite their off-the-charts talent, but this sets up much to anticipate in the coming weeks.
Charlotte Lewis can be reached at charlotte.lewis@student.shu.edu.
