Isn't timing a bitch? Ever since the internet told me that the Glee Christmas episode was going to feature a rendition of Do They Know It's Christmas sung to homeless kids (or similar) I knew watching it was going to be a trial. However I didn't count on Community doing a Christmas themed episode heavily spoofing Glee within the same week. When comparing the two it's difficult not to cry yourself to sleep over the fact that Glee has been nominated for Best TV series music/comedy Golden Globe AGAIN and Community has been snubbed AGAIN. (Seriously though Hollywood Foreign Press Association's have you seen Remedial Chaos Theory/Paradigms of Human Memory? Have you seen Pot' O Gold/Asian F/anything other than The First Time?). One is magnificent one is not.
For such different shows as previously discussed on this blog I thought it was interesting that in some ways they both addressed a similar idea within this episode. Well perhaps better expressed that they they approached the obligatory true meaning of Christmas shit that all christmas themed episodes MUST address from a similar angle. To demonstrate this here are two quotes. One from Extraordinary Merry Christmas (Glee) and one from Regional Holiday Music (Community).
“It's the sad things that make you realise what's really important”
“Maybe forcing things to be bright just makes the darkness underneath darker”
The first is said by Sam to Artie when Artie wants their televised special to be Extraordinarily merry. Artie wins out in terms of the special although I think we're meant to think Sam wins in the end, I don't really care. The second is said by Abed about the disaster that is the Christmas pageant (“Oh Britta's in this?”-Classic Dean) and the revelation that Mr Rad killed the last glee club. Side note who can totally see Will doing this at the end of season 3? I have an image of him riding off into the sunset wearing Rachel's head as a hat! Sorry diversion, back to quotes, these sentiments seem to show the differences in the two show attitudes and the Community one seems to point out one of the massive issues with Glee, both its approach to Christmas and life in general. However much Glee wants to make it a show about young people having fun singing about discovering the meaning life and their place in it. Their almost never ending happy positiveness just makes the fact it's meant to be based in real life ever more laughable. Sometimes shit doesn't work out singing about it won't change this or make it better all the time. I'm not dissing music here, music is great and very important but it can't solve all ills. This focus on everything being cheerful and fun also means when they try and do deep moving shit, eg this weeks charity is awesome message, the show can't shake the glossy shiny happy time surface. This sanguine veneer it spend so much time on means that any deeper meaning is often curtailed or half baked. Another issue is the the overall attitude seems to suggests that just by acknowledging the darkness, it makes it all better. It doesn't Glee and trying against all odds to be happy doesn't mean we can't see through it. In reality a hefty chunk of these people would not leave Lima and definitely wouldn't become the stars they dream of. That's another issues despite all their “selflessness” this week we all know they are essentially the same self obsessed people they've always been. Community has always been very good at dancing between a funny light hearted show and one that's saying something about these people and without over stating it, the human condition. Within the 20 minutes Community has it does funny, moving, clever and manages to be christmasy without being cliché or obnoxious. With Glee's 40 minutes it manages none of these things but does end up being sanctimonious, confusing and nauseating in equal measure.
If I needed anymore proof I feel posting the links to the ending moments of both episodes speak volumes. Granted the Glee clip isn't actually the last scene of the episode but the last last one isn't on youtube. It's basically Rory(remember him), Sam, Finn and Rachel trying to raise money or some shit. What we have here is the last song the aforementioned Do They Know It's Christmas. Notice how there is a cut to a shot of a black kid while singing about Africa....awkward.
Here is Community's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLV_N2DnSmg&feature=related
Yes, it's just some friends hanging out watching terrible TV and no they're not giving presents to the homeless, but to me the Community entry is about 5 millions times more moving.
I could talk more in detail about the actual plots of both episodes but that doesn't really seem necessary. Community did a mash up (Glee term- see what I did there!) of christmas show, a Glee spoof and a horror movie and made it awesome! Glee told me I should give to charity (but only at Christmas because lets be honest it's difficult to care ALL year round) while making me sick to my stomach. What it also did was freak me out, which brings me to the little bit I do want to discuss: the Christmas special within a Christmas special, aka the black and white section. I'm pretty sure it was meant to be a funny homage thing, but I've never seen the Judy Garland Christmas or whatever it was meant to be based on so the level of hilarious reference was lost on me. Already being one down and given that Glee has, for so long, abandoned its self-aware-comedy-hat I wasn't sure what I was meant to be doing/feeling. Should I have been laughing or crying? Are they being clever or stupid? Is it meant to be knowingly terrible or is it all accidentally terrible? Impossible to tell. So I just sat there agog at the insanity I was witnessing. I genuinely looked around my empty room open mouthed every now and again to check I hadn't slipped into an alternate reality. What the fuck was all the chat about Global warming and the end times? I'm still trying to deconstruct the whole thing. It was the single most confusing television experience of my life. I don't what to do with myself to properly cope with it.
I think its probably best to leave this post on a better, less confusing note so here is another Community song. Well in fact it's two because I couldn't pick a favourite.
If this has to be the last time we ever get a new Community episode at least it went out on such a ridiculously amazing string of episodes. As I type that sentiment I was already regretting typing it. So no I want to take it back, I refuse to be ok with that situation if NBC really does Britta this whole situation. I demand more Community.
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