There's Always That One Person You Don't Like

I am proudly on the Glee bandwagon. I really enjoy the show and it's like a breath of fresh air on television, not only because of the music, but the writing is great. I think the cast is so wonderful. Everyone is very talented in many ways and even supporting characters, like the parents, are good.

I really enjoyed last night's episode. True, it wasn't the bombastic in-your-face type of episode like 'The Power of Madonna,' but a nicer, quieter, more emotional Glee was pleasant to watch. There's another reason why I enjoyed last night's episode; no Rachel Berry.

I like almost every character on Glee except Terri and Rachel. I can't stand Rachel. I have a lot of problems with her, starting from her character-type on 'Glee' and I even harbor a little dislike for Lea Michele.

Now, before everyone goes flying off the handle at me criticizing her, I will admit that she is insanely talented. I agreed with Ryan Murphy when he said on Oprah that Lea has a 'once in a generation' voice. I got chills when she first sang 'Don't Rain on My Parade' and I've listened to it no less than 36 times on my iPod. I like her voice. I also appreciate that she, like me, is tattooed (she has seven and if you look closely sometimes you can see the poor job they do of covering up the one on her wrist and the one on her shoulder). But I've read about how she can be a real bitch and the epitome of a diva. I know she's got a good sized ego because she was on Broadway and everything, but I get a sort of weird vibe from her when I watch her interviews.

The other thing about the character Rachel is I have a hard time sympathizing for her. I really cannot stand her type-A bossy personality. It turns me off to her. Plus, when compared to the other characters, Rachel's story line is hard for me to accept and it's not nearly as compelling. A girl raised by two gay dads (side note: WHERE ARE THE GAY DADS?!) is struggling with the pains of growing up and fitting in. This is a simple story line, but I do not feel any sort of emotional connection to her at all and I should! She has the every-girl story line and it should work, but for me it doesn't. I can' quite pinpoint why this is. Maybe it's because she uber-talented to the point of it being unbelievable. Maybe it's because Lea is an attractive girl and I can't understand her problems with boys because boys like attractive girls. I also find her character to be too much of a Tracy Flick imitation and that probably factors in there somewhere.

Now Jonathan Groff was brought in to to play the male equivalent of her and it turns out that I find him obnoxious as well! His voice is fantastic. I would love to listen to him sing for hours and hours. I just don't feel any connection to his character and it's hard for me to feel connected to Rachel.

My three favorite characters on Glee are Finn, Kurt, and Mercedes. Last night's episode had great scenes with all three of them, especially Kurt, who really is the emotional core of the show. Plus, I feel connected to Finn and Mercedes. Finn is essentially a man-child, but he's not a hallow man-child and he's one of those characters that is changing some. Plus, I feel bad for him that he doesn't have a father. I love Mercedes because she loves herself and that's great to see on screen. And Kurt is wonderful because he's so real and so hilarious. He truly is the emotional soul of the show and they give him great lines!

Compared to these three, Rachel does not really do much, except for dwell on the men in her life. Relationships are very important, but they aren't everything. I find no enjoyment in watching her and Jesse St. James together. I do not care about whether or not he breaks her heart. I don't even want her and Finn to get together just yet (though I think they should). Does Rachel even have any friends? Usually I feel sorry for friendless people, but I don't feel sorry for her because even I wouldn't want to be her friend! In the back nine, so far, I haven't seen Rachel grow as a person. During the first half, she had some remarkable things to say to Quinn and to Mr. Schuester, but now those remarkable things have gone out the window. In fact, I enjoy Quinn more than Rachel now and I used to HATE Quinn.

I guess this is the nature of television. Some characters step back so other ones can develop. So far I find that I can't appreciate, love, and connect with Rachel as much as Kurt, Mercedes, Finn, Tina, Artie, Emma... the list goes on. This could very well change because you never know what the Glee gurus have up their sleeves (and I don't read spoilers).