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| I swear I had to do this for a friend. |
Because of the demands of law school, work and adult life, I had to cut down on the TV shows I regularly watch. House and Desperate Housewives were the first ones to go. Chuck ended. Community went into a hiatus (sort of). I dropped Suits because Mike Ross did not go to law school to become a good lawyer. I only watch The Big Bang Theory when my law school seatmate gives me copies of the new episodes. The shows that remained were How I Met Your Mother, Once Upon A Time and Glee.
Despite the glaring lack of continuity, the forgotten storylines, the recycling of storylines, the sloppy editing, the graduation of the old New Directions and the end of Britanna, I chose to stick to Glee with the hope that it will be able to reclaim its former glory (season 1 and 2).
Finally, I decided to quit Glee after watching the third episode of the fifth season, "The Quarterback." The reasons are numerous and so obvious--no character development, no continuity, no dedication to plot, weird story arcs, no connection with new characters, which is partially due to my refusal to let the old New Directions be replaced by poor copycats like Kitty and Bree. This list got longer, and I realized that there was no point in continuing to be a fan of something that has become so mediocre. Not even the amazingness of Burt Hummel can make me stay.
Quitting Glee was hard. It was a like a long-time lover who kept doing crazy things that make you want to leave him or her but he or she will do soemthing that will reel you back in just as when you start pulling away.
So here are the Five Steps I Followed to Quit Glee:
1. List down all the things you hate about Glee. List down the things you love about it. When the Hate list outnumbers the Love list by a great margin, it's time to move on. Why continue watching that sucks? You know you've reached the point of no return, when you realize that not even Lea Michele's voice or Chord Overstreet's abs can make you sit through an entire episode.
Keep this list. Whenever you're tempted to jump on that Glee train again, bring out this list and remind yourself of the many ways Glee sucked, and fcked you up as a fan and didn't even bother to make up for it.
2. Choose the right time to quit because timing is everything. Like with any addiction, an ill-timed quitting will increase one's tendency to go back.
I chose "The Quarterback" because:
(a) I'm convinced that Glee is never going to be the same again with Cory Monteith's death. Mike Astuccio put it best when he wrote: "Monteith’s passing is a resounding reminder of much darker realities that exist in our plain world." For me, Glee was an escape. It was one of the shows I watched because it was simply entertaining--the performances, the songs. With something as dark as Monteith's addiction and death looming over the show, I can't simply look at it the same way I used to.
(b) The Quarterback was a really well executed episode. It perfectly showcased the different ways in which people deal with grief. The best performance was delivered by Romy Rosemont as Finn's grieving mom, Carole Hudson-Hummel. This episode reminded me what Glee writers are capable of, if only they focused on the right things. Sadly, they have failed to come up with brilliant episodes on a regular basis.
3. Keep your Glee seasons 1 to 4 (ok, maybe up to season 2) boxed set within reach. This serves a dual purpose: (a) When you miss Glee, you're allowed to reminisce and watch the old episodes. (b) It will serve as a constant reminder of how good the old episodes were compared to the new ones Ryan Murphy comes up with.
4. Never ever forget the reasons why you loved Glee but don't let these reasons suck you back in. I will always be thankful to Glee for introducing me to the awesome-ness of Dianna Agron. Long live Quinn Fabray!
5. Read good Glee fan fiction, or visit Glee-related Tumblr pages. There are a lot of amazing, creative Tumblr blogs you can visit to help you when you get the sudden urge to know how Rachel or Kurt or Santana looks now. At some point, you will feel that you've seen, read or heard everything Glee-related you will no longer feel the urge to watch the actual show. Before you know it, you're over it.
I hope these steps will help you in your path to quitting Glee. These will only work if you've made your decision. The choice whether to walk out on the show now or stay until season 6 is, of course, all up to you.
