Saturday, August 25, 2012

Cinema Saturday

Glee Season Three
20th Century Fox
August 14, 2012
Not Rated; 963 minutes, 22 episodes
Blu-Ray: 4 discs, Region A/1; DVD: 6 discs, Region 1
IMDb show info/DVD & BluRay on Amazon


After their controversial finish at nationals in New York in last season's (somewhat iffy overall) season finale, the Glee kids from McKinley High are back home in Lima.

The third season brings the question of whether or not New Directions will make it to Nationals again - and how they'll fare if they do - as well as what will happen with a lot of the club (Rachel, Finn, Puck, Santana, among others) in their last year at McKinley.


Season Three of Glee continues with the musical aspect (characters, as part of their high school glee club, singing current, past - and some show tune - hits, often with choreography. With songs from The Go-Gos, Pink, West Side Story, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston, among others, this season does not disappoint.

As some of the characters prepare to leave McKinley, changing, at the very least, the dynamic of the show, Glee actually gives us a better look at some of them. We get to see the more vulnerable side of some of the show's more caustic regulars - without losing what's made them so great over the past seasons. It not only made the characters seem more real, it made the show feel more whole - and gave it more depth.

Some of the more examined characters from past season, namely Kurt and Rachel, seemed not to change very much. Though, they were definitely not neglected and had a lot happen to them, as well. (Disclaimer: I personally, am not a Rachel fan and several events this season moved me from being neutral towards her to actually disliking her.)

Like in past seasons, Glee addressed social issues that one may - or may not - deal with in high school or after, but which are important to discuss, either way. They did so without sounding preachy or moving into public service announcement territory. The resolutions weren't always perfect, not always neat and tidy but that actually kept it seeming real.

For the look we got into some of the less 'big' characters, the issues addressed (so well), and the arcs of the upperclassmen characters, this might be my favorite season of Glee.

I missed a lot of episodes as it was airing (I"m looking at you DirecTV and your issue with thunderstorms) and was actually feeling unsure of the direction of the show. Either watching the season as a whole or seeing the episodes I missed has reminded me what I do love so much about the show (and, to be fair the bits I don't love so much). I'm feeling hopeful for the start of next season.


The Blu-Ray, as a whole has a great set-up. The audio for the musical numbers is fantastic, the menu is easy to access and gives quick access to not only the summary - and titles - of the episodes on the disc but those of the whole season. When pausing, the progress bar that is displayed is not only for the episode, but the whole season. Each new disc knows that a season is in progress and will start at the beginning of the episode - as opposed to the main menu - if you wish. It's an excellent disc setup. (Though my Blu-Ray player that needs an upgrade did seem to take forever to start playback; the internet connected one that is updated had zero problem.)

Bonus features: 
Disc 1:
Glee Music Jukebox (videos of the music numbers from episodes on the disc)
Glee Under the Stars
Ginger Supremacists
Sue Flashback

Disc 2:
Glee Music Jukebox
Santa Baby

Disc 3:
Glee Music Jukebox
Glee Give a Note

Disc 4:
Glee Music Jukebox
Glee-Swap: Behind the Scenes of 'Props'
Meet the Newbies
Saying Goodbye
Ask Sue: World Domination Blog
Return of Sue's Quips

My Faves:
Three great things from the season:
1) Santana - in general and that she seemed to get more screen time
2) Santana and Brittany
3) Becky's inner voice

Three favorite episodes from Season Three:
1) Props
2) Yes/No
3) Choke




thank you to Fox and Think Jam for the Blu-Ray that I reviewed!

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