Thanks to the wonder that is the internet, I can keep up with my favorite tv shows (The Big Bang Theory and Glee, and newly discovered Sherlock) while halfway around the world.
I've been pleasantly surprised at the turn that Glee has taken. This season, they've taken a closer look at the character's personalities and how that plays out.
For the last four weeks, what's consistently floored me is Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer. Although many critics complain that all of the characters are stereotypes (and to them, I ask: when was the last time you were in high school?), these episodes are elevating Kurt past his "gay guy" label.
Since day one, Kurt's been bullied, but Karofsky, a football player, is one of the worst, and he's been the most consistent. In "Never Been Kissed," Kurt meets Blaine, who attends Dalton Academy and is comfortable with the fact that he's gay.
Karofsky's bulling gets worse, and Blaine encourages (ug. I really hate that word) Kurt to stand up for himself. In response to his somewhat nasty but very clear outburst, Karofsky forcibly kisses Kurt. In the next episode, he threatens to kill Kurt if he tells anyone what happened.
Kurt, rather obviously, is miserable. He's being bullied at every turn, but he can't exactly tell someone all of the details without, he feels, putting his life in danger.
Kurt's father finds out that his son is being bullied and insists on an audience with Karofsky, his father, and the principal (in a chilling turn of events, it's Principal Sue). Sue tells them she can't legally do anything unless Kurt's been threatened or hurt, and Kurt blurts out that Karofsky threatened to kill him (surprisingly, and pleasantly, if that's the right word, Karofsky's father believes Kurt). Sue asks why, and Kurt's stuck. He can't say that Karofsky kissed him, but there is obviously a reason he's been targeted.
Here's where my commentary comes in. What Kurt does is, I think, a huge indication of his character. Even though he could have bypassed Sue entirely and gone to the cops after the kiss (sexual harassment, I hear, lets you do that), he doesn't. He keeps his mouth shut.
Critics of the show, I've noticed, focus on the situation that the charters find themselves in and not how they respond, and, therefore, who they are shown to be.
Kurt keeping quiet is, I think, the loudest thing I've ever heard when it comes to being gay in a primarily heterosexual country. It's so difficult that Kurt's sympathy is to leave him to figure it out, even though he's still suffering for it.
Now, I do think that Kurt should have told someone about the threat on his life. I also think he did it in the right way. He forced the truth, but didn't say the one thing that Karofsky was most afraid he would.
Skipping plot (suffice it to say Karofsy's expelled and then comes back), Kurt decides to leave McKinley for Dalton. He joins the glee club there, but their entire mindset seems to be centered around their uniforms: look alike, sound alike, match personalities.
And, once again, Kurt's miserable (okay, this is me interpreting the situation, but I think it's fair). His personality was what made him an outcast at McKinley, but also what made him part of their glee club. He's the type of person who can't fit the mold, no matter how hard he tries--a quality usually admired, but not in this case.
In order to feel physically safe, he needs to become something akin to a drone. Yes, this sucks, but what makes it even worse is that Blaine keeps assuring Kurt he'll soon fit in. Encouraging words, but hollow when you consider "fitting in" means Kurt has to give up the person he is.
I'm not sure where the writers are planning on taking this, but I hope they don't trash the wonderful buildup they have. There's a lot of talent at that table, and I hope at least one of them realizes what they're setting up, and that no matter what they give him, Chris Colfer will carry it off with aplomb.
m.
No comments:
Post a Comment