On Thursday, the popular high school musical series “Glee” attempted to tackle the current hot topic of gun control and school shootings. And by “attempted to tackle,” we mean, “tried to ride the issue’s coattails for ratings.”
The episode, titled “Shooting Stars,” featured a gun scare where two shots fired off in the normally chirpy halls. Then came uncomfortable, hard-to-watch moments as students huddle in terror-clenched darkness.
As the script unfolds, we realize that the gun went off by mistake and that no one was injured during the hoopla. Everyone went home happy.
Coming just four months after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, critics have been quick to note that featuring a shooting on the show was “too soon,” if unnecessary altogether.
The Washington Post critic Emily Yahr writes: “the disturbing images, particularly in the wake of the horror of events such as Newtown, brought up a question: Why, exactly, did “Glee” feel the need to tackle such a sensitive issue?”
“I think it’s terrible that the writers and producers of that show didn’t think to contact someone in Newtown to let us know this was coming,” Newtown resident Andrew Paley told The Newtown Bee on Thursday after seeing a screener. “A lot of people watch that show. They shouldn’t be upset by it.”
Previously, creator Ryan Murphy, who called the “Shooting Star” episode “the most powerful, emotional ‘Glee’ ever,” cancelled a press conference about the episode due to his “production schedule.”
It’s currently unclear whether the FOX series will return for a fifth season. What is certain is that “Glee” just jumped the shark in the most offensive way possible.
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