Glee: did they treat Finn fairly?

Are you still reeling from the magic that was Glee tonight? The episode had a focus on Lady Gaga, although there were plenty of other amazing songs and moments packed into the episode titled “Theatricality”. We loved the speech and message we got about treating gay people or “freaks” of any sort fairly, but wasn’t Finn being pushed a little hard into his grumpy mood?

Glee goes Gaga! Photo credit: Fox

Glee songs in “Theatricality” included: Bad Romance, Loser, Beth, Funny Girl, Shout it out loud and Poker Face. Costumes in the episode ranged from extremely satisfying Gaga ensembles to KISS outfits. Ryan Murphy told E! of the first Lady Gaga song and dance, “It’s, I think, our most expensive number because the set is crazy and the costumes are crazy.” Oh, and there was some vampire stuff. Did you know that vampires are real? Shh…don’t let Principal Figgins know that they’re not.

For Glee, it’s not enough for an episode to break barriers in just one way per episode. While the episode talked about the relationships between mother’s and daughter (Shelby and Rachel) and father’s and sons (Burt and Kurt), it also talked about being bullied or being called freaks. There was a specific emphasis on homosexuality. I agreed with the entire speech that Burt gave about how wrong it is to use the word “fag” (I never let anyone say “oh, that’s gay!” because I think that’s very offensive), but I did  still have a small quabble with the Kurt/Finn storyline.

Glee: ‘Home’ as seen through my Mother’s eyes

The line revolved around how Finn was not being sensitive to Kurt, and  he definitely shouldn’t have been so mean to him. But in what might be a confusing idea to explain, I also felt bad for Finn. Although the emphasis wasn’t on it in this episode, we already know that Kurt has a major crush on Finn and that he is (or at least was, previously) trying to get with Finn. If Finn senses this, or thinks this, is there any wonder why in the midst of his Mom surprising him by moving their family out of their house and putting him in a room with a new brother – who just happens to be gay and have a crush on him – that Finn was feeling cranky? The sentence is so garbled because the entire situation is so garbled!

I loved how Burt stood up for Kurt, but I think that Finn was generally already the kind of guy who would put on a red shower curtain to stand up for Kurt, anyway. While the message did need to be made, I’m not sure if Finn is the one who most needed this message. It was easier to play it against Finn, because he’s a likable character who can easily and realistically turn around. But had this message been delivered to a character like Puck or one of those football players, wouldn’t that have been even more effective?

Hey ‘Glee’, We Have Our Own Glist

Finn was just pushed pretty far into some weird emotions in this episode. I’m not sure if the show plans on dropping Kurt’s crush on Finn, but even if they don’t – having a new brother who is SO okay with moving in together that he’s eager to start elaborate decorating before you have a second to digest what is happening? That has to be like a punch to the gullet. It was only as a reaction to Kurt’s strong pushing that Finn reacted how he did. Again, I would never say that reaction was right. I’m just saying that I understand why it happened. I don’t feel that Finn is a homophobe, it’s never felt like he disliked Kurt for being gay. He just doesn’t like Kurt trying to make him his boyfriend. Which, would be ever weirder for Kurt to pursue if they do end up step-siblings!

Sound off in the comments if you want, just keep them civil. Do you think Finn was pushed too hard or did the show treat his character fairly? Will your mind change if Kurt tries to kiss his pseudo brother in the next episode? I root for Kurt, but I want him to pursue someone he can have a real relationship with!

Previously: Chris Colfer Bowed to the Royal Lady Gaga