What I’m Watching: Glee

Glee: Season 2, Episode 15 “Sexy” (C)

This show certainly isn’t shy about having big name guest stars pop up to help drive viewership, and this marks the third time that a big name has returned for a second and not necessarily clamored-for episode (I’m counting Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel – you might count others, and if so, please say so in the comments). I was very pleasantly surprised the first time around by Gwyneth Paltrow’s guest spot, and while it’s certainly not a bad thing to see her back on the show, less than three months seems like an awfully short window for the show to go back to using her. It wouldn’t be a problem if she could be seamlessly incorporated into the story as a regular cast member, but whenever she’s around, it’s as if all aspects of the show’s attention are immediately diverted until further notice, and there’s just no reason for that. And while I would never discourage the return of Emma, or even John Stamos’ Carl, I do think that it becomes problematic when the sex life of one of the faculty is put pretty much on even ground with that of the students. The fluctuating members of the celibacy club also turn that into simply a punchline. Santana’s confession of love to Brittany strikes me as something that will be disregarded and forgotten in future weeks, and I’m much more intrigued by Quinn’s sneaky duplicity, and hopefully she’s not just leading Finn on once again since it seems as if he’s really fallen back in love with her.