Glee: Rolling Down The River

By Cindy Graham on November 12th, 2009

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Three weeks without Glee was much too long, but I suspect it made fans appreciate what they were missing—especially if the old adage, “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” rings true. Glee returned with more heart and soul, than when it departed and the story lines propel viewers toward a greater understanding of the pain behind each character’s behavior.

We find out that the cause of Artie’s (Kevin McHale) disability is an auto accident that also involved his mother. Although repressed by his confinement to a wheelchair, he is his own man and shows it as he sings his first solo, Generation X’s “Dancing with Myself,” and when he and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) grow momentarily close, share a tender moment, and then drift apart again.

Sue (Jane Lynch) is full of surprises as she readily agrees to diversify the Cheerios team with a Down’s Syndrome student, after initially bucking the request. Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) keeps a watchful eye on her coaching tactics, sure that she is planning something evil, when in fact, we discover that her sister also has Down’s Syndrome, and Sue actually has a soft spot for her. It is very rewarding to see this tenderness and depth in Sue, and gasp, even makes her likable.

Then there is a touching moment between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and his father when Kurt realizes that his dad would do anything for him, regardless of his sexual orientation. Kurt comes to a deep understanding that he has a choice to be respectful of his father’s pain and fears, and put his own desires aside, when he realizes that his choice to sing a female part in Wicked, would inflict pain on his father.

Much of the episode was spent in teachable moments for the Glee Club kids as Mr. Schuester confined them to wheelchairs, for three hours a day, so they could understand Arties’s feelings and empathize with him. The Gleeks took to it like chickens to their feed, and ended up performing Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” without ever leaving the wheelchairs. Regarding the sweat and tears that went into a performance of this kind, choreographer Zach Woodlee stated, “If it looked too fun and easy, it wouldn’t read right. Ryan (Ryan Murphy, the show’s creator) really wanted people to understand what Artie deals with.” The Glee-clubbers pulled it off and even had fun doing so.

For those who are impervious to the pain or disabilities of others, this episode succeeds at gently putting forth a dose of reality and a glimpse into the human condition. What was the message? Each of us has a deep need to be loved for who we are, regardless of our limitations.