The RBI Report: "The Rocky Horror Glee Show"

Hello, Glee fans! Glee is back this week, and so is DR SHE BLOGGO with the "RBI Report." In case you're just joining us, the RBI Report is a weekly rundown of the Glee episode from the standpoint of writing and directing. RBI, of course, is an acronym for Ryan, Brad, and Ian, the main writers on the show. If you'd like to read their Season 1-era writer profiles as broken down by SHE BLOGGO, check it out.

To business!

"The Rocky Horror Glee Show," written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Adam Shankman.

First of all, can I just say: ADAM SHANKMAN IN THE HOOOOOOUSE! Who's Adam Shankman? Kill yourself! If you're unfamiliar with the man, check him out. You may have seen him getting teary-eyed and over-emotional as my favorite judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Fellow Buffy fans, he choreographed "Once More With Feeling" way back when, and we also have him to thank for directing the musical version of "Hairspray," which I love.

Basically, we owe this man a lot. To me, having "Shankers" come and direct is almost like having Joss Whedon come and direct.

That being said, the direction in this episode didn't blow my mind away. It was good, solid, musical direction, and Shankman did his job well. No complaints here. I just like that Adam Shankman is involved with another project I love.

To be honest, I don't have much material for this RBI Report. I will give you a glimpse of my notes from the show though. Some choice quotes:

"Carl's 'winning'...? WINNING, WILLIAM?!"
"Schuester, I hate you."
"TAKE YOUR PETTY ELSEWHERE, SCHUE."
"UM. SCHUE AS ROCKY. WHAT THE SWEET EFF."
"Everything Schuester does is AWFUL."
"AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE CANDY FOR BECKY?!"

It seems William Schuester is continuing to tank in the likeable department. It's frustrating! A memo to the Glee writers: flawed characters are awesome. But you know what's nirvana for a writer? A character who is flawed, yet still likeable! Imagine that! I know you're capable. Season 1 Rachel is a straight-up testament to that concept, and yet we still seem to be having trouble with Season 2 Schuester. His objective is fine: get Emma back. Sure. I'm on board. But his actions? Wouldn't it be so much better if he tried to be the bigger person and not such a jackass? (Yes, yes it would be.)

Hopefully, what with Will and Emma's talk at the end of the episode, he will truly back off. Emma and Carl seem really happy together, and the more Carl is onscreen, the more I love him. It's really hard to root for Will and Emma when it's increasingly apparent that Emma deserves better.

Perhaps I just don't really favor the adult drama. The kids' storylines from last week were almost entirely dropped, which in the long run isn't a huge issue. However, looking at the way the school RH was cast, it could have made for an interesting continuation of the drama from previous episodes. Santana and Quinn shared Magenta, which could have been used to create tension between the former friends, and perpetuate the drama that resulted from Quinn ousting Santana from the head cheerleader position. I even thought they might do something with the relationship between Columbia and Eddie, when Eddie was played by Mike and Columbia by Tina. The characters in Rocky Horror all interact in crazy ways, so some small part of me was hoping for the Glee kids would follow suit.

Alas.

That being said, I certainly don't think this episode was a waste. Glee covering musicals is almost always divine, and I liked seeing the Glee Club tackle a whole production as opposed to just one musical number. And for those who dislike Mercedes' version of "Sweet Transvestite?" Haters gonna hate; I thought it was awesome. Touching on Finn's insecurity about his body was an interesting development (and kudos as well to Cory Monteith for donning those glasses and walking down the hall in his underwear) although it's starting to make me worry about Sam. Damn you, Cool Ranch Doritos! Sue Sylvester's points about questionable material in school just make me think she's the smartest person on the show, and are certainly interesting in light of the stupid GQ scandal. Brittany and Santana continue to own my heart even though I wonder why they aren't fighting anymore. But all is forgiven because Brittany continues to be hilariously no-brained, Santana continues to be hilariously gutter-brained, and together they are just too adorable for words.

That's all for this week. Thanks for muddling through my very disorganized thoughts on "The Rocky Horror Glee Show." We have another week off while the Giants and Rangers duke it out, and then we get "Never Been Kissed." Looks like Puck's out of juvie...

The RBI Report Card...
Musical Numbers: A+
Dance Numbers: A+
Dialogue: A
Plot: B
Schuester: F
Episode MVP: Carl