Ryan Murphy raised more than a few eyebrows with his recent comments that he might find a way to resuscitate Glee, his hit musical series which exploded onto television screens in the late 2000s and became a cultural fixture of the subsequent years. Whatever its flaws, Glee offered a fresh style of entertainment different from anything else on television.
A key draw to the series was its characters, from fan favorites like Blaine to polarizing figures like Rachel. However, as compelling as they were, many were wildly inconsistent, and this led to some unfortunate character changes.
Sending Finn Off To The Army Just To Get Him Out That Way
In the middle of the series’ run, Finn decides to join the army. At first, it seems like this might be a good thing for both him and Rachel but, as is so often the case with later Glee storylines, it’s a moment of character change that ultimately goes nowhere.
Almost immediately after he enrolls, Finn is discharged after accidentally shooting himself. This is a bit of a wasted opportunity, and it unfortunately shows that, even at this stage, the series was running out of material for its main characters.
Blaine Becomes Increasingly Manipulative
When he first appeared, Blaine quickly established himself as one of the best characters on Glee. However, as the series continued, he lost some of his free, independent spirit, the very thing that had made him so appealing.
In the later seasons, Blaine seems to project many of his relationship problems onto Kurt. Though Kurt is in a good place and is moving down the right path, Blaine seems to drag him down where he was once so inspiring.
Sue Goes Back To Being Terrible Multiple Times
Though Sue Sylvester did the worst things on Glee, actor Jane Lynch played the character with such charm that she was beloved by the audience. However, Sue's character development throughout Glee was one of the show's weak spots.
In particular, there are numerous times when Sue seems on the verge of becoming a better — or at least not as malicious — person, only for her to return to her old, sinister ways. This wouldn’t have been such an issue if it meant some sort of forward character development, but instead, it felt as if the show was constantly reinventing the character just to keep the viewer involved.
Will Claims To Be A Good Person But Does Terrible Things
Will may not have ever been one of the best teachers on television, but at the beginning, he really did try. As the series went on, however, his character began to change, and often in some very unpleasant directions.
Increasingly, Will shows that he is willing to do terrible things for his own benefit. Among his worst crimes is joining forces with Sue to bully Coach Bieste, which goes against everything he seems to allegedly stand for as a champion of misfits.
Puck’s Constant Changes
In some ways, Puck was the most tragic character on Glee, having endured quite a lot in his young life. Unfortunately, Glee never seems to know what to do with him.
As a result, he has to go through some of the worst character changes in the series. While at first, it seems like he is going to grow up and become a more responsible adult, it’s not long before he starts backsliding and pulling the same stunts he did in earlier seasons before finally leaving to join the Air Force. Obviously, characters are entitled to make mistakes but it would have been better to have some notable consistency for Puck.
Rachel’s Many Career Changes
As any Glee viewer knows, there are a number of things about Rachel Berry that aged badly. One of the most notable is the fact that she made so many career changes as the seasons progressed. In the later seasons, she bounced between starring in Funny Girl on Broadway to being on a television series to ultimately moving back to Ohio.
Her constant changes seem to be the result of writers not knowing what to do with her character but needing to keep things interesting. The result is frustrating inconsistency.
Emma’s Struggle With Herself Was Just Dropped When It Wasn’t Needed As A Foil For Will
For much of Glee's earlier seasons, Emma was a truly great character. Riddled with angst and self-doubt, she was often open about her struggles with self-acceptance. This marked her as a notable foil for Will, who was mostly self-assured.
However, it seemed like Emma's complexities and character nuance were only there to serve Will's story, as they were dropped in Glee's later seasons. This was an unfortunate development because it robbed Emma of what had made her an interesting addition to the cast in the first place.
Writing Off The Entire New Set of Cast Members From Season 4
As Glee went on, it became necessary to bring in new cast members, particularly once the original group began to age and graduate. Season 4 was particularly notable in this regard, and it brought in some interesting new people.
Alas, as was unfortunately often the case with Glee, the show didn’t quite know what to do with them. Many of their storylines were essentially written off in subsequent seasons, in order to largely focus again on the original group. It was an unfortunate writing decision, and one which did the show no favors.
Writing Sam Into Being The New Finn
For the most part, Glee was fairly adept at introducing new characters and giving some room to grow. When Sam was first introduced, he seemed like he was going to be a different type of heartthrob than Finn.
But with every passing season, it became clear that the series only had a very limited idea of what a teenage boy like this one should act like. As a result, Sam’s growth was restricted by the idea that he would become another iteration of Finn, much to his detriment.
Source:gamerant.com