Fox's "Glee" Earns Its Encore

Fox has every right to be "Glee"ful about a property like "Glee". The unending promotion and the plum post-"Idol" time slot for the pilot's May 19 debut were not in vain. Like the glee club it takes its name from, "Glee", the series, shows promise, but on points.

The camerawork and the editing prove to be the highlight of the series, transcending the banalities of the usual television vocabulary to give a comedic series the same sort of cinematic edge usually reserved for dramas. The documentary-like camera, jittery and searching, is appropriate for the world of high school, reflecting the state of tension and flux the characters live in, still not comfortable in their own skin. The editing is briskly-paced without resorting to MTV fast-cutting clichés; whip pans, non-diegetic bumpers and rapid-fire layering of images gives the show a youthful feel. Under slick direction from series creator Ryan Murphy, these elements unite to create a high school show that moves at the speed of students. From the dynamic cheerleader opening onwards, "Glee" is nothing if not energetic. The material moves.

Also of note is the unusual soundtrack; not only the tunes performed by the glee club itself, which must have been quite the negotiations nightmare for the legal department, but the a cappella chorus providing the background music. The show relies on them a bit much, but at least it's something new.

Unfortunately, the writing simply is not up to the technical strengths of "Glee"-and that's a complaint usually reserved for the TV episode's counterpart, the short film. It's not that the lines are bad or the decisions are ill-considered; it just feels bland, over-massaged. The characters feel too considered, as if the producers hammered them out by committee and sprinkled in some traits and calculated eccentricities. Witness a character introduction where a star in her own mind reveals she affixes a gold star to her signature; it feels like it comes from a note from a helpful screenwriter, a fun way to reveal character. The lead character, glee club coach Will Schuester, seems to have been developed from the standpoint that the show needed an anchor, and the result is a plain vanilla center who serves only to bring the more sharply drawn characters into a room together.

Even when the show does have an interesting character on hand, it can't quite figure out where to go from there. Take Rachel Berry, she of the gold star. She starts as the driven student born to succeed and (more importantly) to be famous: the ambition of Tracy Flick with a twist for the twenty-first century of celebrity. But before the first commercial break, she drops the façade, reveals that maybe there's a real person behind that ruthless exterior. The problem is, within ten minutes we've already taken the character to a crucial breaking point: where to go from here? Even if this had been a movie, one wouldn't do a touching little scene like this in the first hour, much less the first ten minutes.

Perhaps the most telling criticism of the show's flow is to discuss a visual gag. Schuester has called a student into his office, and is doing something that does not help said student. We rack focus to reveal a sign on his wall that says that the school's number one priority is to "help the kids". It's just as ham-handed on the screen as it reads. You could tell the producers felt they needed a joke there, it's a good time for one, but, you know what, this just wasn't it.

"Glee" has its heart in the right place, and everyone from choir kids to drama clubbers (past and present) will find some cheerful memories stirred up. It's a good idea that simply doesn't deliver on its promise. Maybe that's appropriate for something about high school. Based on the look and feel of the pilot, it's clear someone behind the scenes knows what they're doing. The best may be yet to come. Don't stop believing, indeed.