Gleefully I Roll Along

As usual, I'm coming late to a trend: I watched my first episode of "Glee" a few weeks ago. And I love it! I'm simultaneously watching the beginning of the first season and the current new episodes, more for the music than the plot. Though, in its almost surreal wackiness (the musical numbers, of course) and humor it reminds me of "Northern Exposure," which I liked a lot too.

Last night's "Sexy" episode particularly caught my attention for its deft handling of sex. Straddling (tee hee) between the over-the-top (and in relationship to high school students) over-the-hill sexuality of Gwyneth Paltrow and the geeky, daresay (and they did) frigid Chastity Club, the episode delivered both some important PSAs on STDs (To paraphrase, "When you sleep with someone, you sleep with everyone they've slept with. And everyone has a random.") and illegality of sex tapes of minors, and two very touching scenes, both involving same-sex love, but really so much more than that. The most talked about sex-talk scene was between gay crooner Kurt and his supportive dad, who told him:

You’ve got to know that it means something. It’s doing something to you, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it feels like you’re just having fun…. When you’re ready, I want you to be able to do everything, but when you’re ready, I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person. Don’t throw yourself around like you don’t matter. Because you matter, Kurt.

I have a few years to memorize that because I think it's perfect. Which is why this Glee episode was so powerful: amid all the usual songs and humor were these real jewels. Sure, both ends of the sex spectrum were exaggerated, with the "do-it" end receiving more attention and less ridicule, but any student--gay or straight or questioning--and their parents, could find something in it. And since most Gleeks will watch it over and over again, the message will hopefully sink in.

Okay, back to the other scene, between Santana and Brittany, who are exploring each other and themselves. Santana realizes why she's angry and bitchy all the time. It's because she's scared to realize her feelings for another woman and even more scared of the labels. "I can't go to an Indigo Girls concert. I just can't." (I love that the IG are still a current pop culture reference some 20 odd years on.) And Brittany turns her down--she loves her, but she loves her boyfriend, too. If you've ever had your heart broken, as all teenagers have . . . . Mama would say straight girls will break your heart every time (I did. But I fixed it. Maybe Brittany will come around, too.)

All this musical watching (and I caught both High School Musical 1 and 2, neither of which have the depth of "Glee," but have talented casts and peppy songs. Yes, I like pop.) had me remembering the high school musical of my own era (the genre seems to have a long pedigree. Think West Side Story)--the movie version of Grease (I saw the stage show as a young girl and remember being asked after by an older woman if I'd learned any new words, since it was quite graphic. I lied and said yes. My mom thanked me later!). Talk about a completely different show. I was listening to it, gulp, with the kids, as I realized the lyrics of the songs I was singing out loud--"you are supreme, the chicks'll cream"--mercy. How did I not notice that for 30 years? Sure, it's got the sex continuum from Sandra Dee to the T-Birds, and even an unwanted pregnancy, just like on "Glee", but I won't be quoting it to the kids as advice.

We'll just dance around the living room to it. And all the other high school musicals . . . .