Why My 2009 Was “Glee”-ful

“To those who understand, no explanation is needed. To those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.” – Unknown

“I once pulverized my own gall stones by yelling at them.” – Sue Sylvester

I have tried several times over the past year to explain the appeal of “Glee.” Why a show that debuted on May 19, 2009, after “American Idol” spawned a mall tour and number one single before the show’s run actually began on September 9, let alone why we “Gleeks” are depressed until the show returns on April 13, 2010.

Naturally, there is a question of taste. If you’re not already into the mentality of musicals, then another music show on FOX probably isn’t going to win you over. “Glee” is like reliving your high school experience while wearing your iPod (I personally survived high school solely because of my Walkman), but everyone’s singing along.

I’ve been told that “Glee” is unrealistic—just another show about the pretty people picking on the geeks. Most of the people who have told me this actually are pretty people, so I can see how this might upset them. However, most of them only watched the Pilot, not continuing on with the show to see how real the pretty people became. The popular blonde cheerleader / President of the Celibacy Club got pregnant, and not while on opposite ends of the hot tub from the quarterback as she claimed. (Interestingly, after that episode FOX put a PSA on their website explaining to teenagers that it’s not actually possible to get pregnant that way—something someone should have told some of the boys I went to high school with who fell for similar stories.)

Of course, there is the appeal to gay men and the women who love them and the straight men who love those women. When the news went around that Idina Menzel may join the show’s cast in the spring, one of my friends posted, “OMG it’s an orgy of musical theater divas! If this is true, the gays are gonna explode!”

And really, that gets to the heart of the show. More than just an orgy of musical theater divas, “Glee” is, overall, about community. Sometimes about finding community where you didn’t know there was one. “Glee” appeals to those of us who grew up on “Heathers,” the “Mean Girls” generation, and the kids who are posting rude comments about each other on Facebook, because it shows that while high school—and life—are rough, there’s always a way to get through it. We sometimes find support in unlikely places, and you never know when belting out “Don’t Stop Believin’” will just plain help.

So keep the faith, my fellow Gleeks. “Glee: Volume 1, The Road to Sectionals” was released on DVD this week, and there are two soundtracks currently available (not to mention the download of the “Glee” cast singing “Last Christmas”) to keep us happy until April.

Don’t stop believin’.