This week's Gleecap is going to be a little bit different than what we usually do. Usually our gleecaps are filled with snarky, fun-filled sarcasm, and a brief synopsis of what happened.
However, this week's episode addressed a serious topic. While we may add opinions, these are just our opinions. Nothing is meant to be political here - we're not that kind of blog.
We will go into detail on what happened. And then we will give our opinions on the topic. And we will invite discussion. It's something that should be talked about. It's something that should be addressed. And it's something that people should be aware of.
So first, let's get into the Gleecap:
First, the episode opens with Will naming the compeition for Regionals. I've watched the episode twice, and the only name that's stuck so far is the "Hoosier Daddies" from Indiana. Whoever came up with that one is ruuuuuullll clever.
Then, it goes into a spiel about how Ryder saw his girl - the one he's been chatting with via internet & text. He went to go see her, but Beiste stopped him. So he didn't get the chance. Instead, he went and found her, and then sang her Your Song by Elton John. Excellently sung song, Blake Jenner. Excellent.
Turns out though that the Katie he sang to was really Marissa and he just got Manti Te'o-ed.
He originally thinks it's Marley or Jake. They deny it, but he wants nothing to do with them.
Let's segway to Beiste. She cooked Will a nice spaghetti dinner and told him that she loved him. He obviously doesn't return the feelings, but most importantly, Beiste makes us cry.
Brittany thinks a meteor/astroid/comet is going to hit Earth and kill everyone. So she decides that she wants to make everything right with Lord Tubbington (because apparently they've been fighting), and Sam tells her that she should sing him a song. The New Directions sing him More Than Words (side note: Whit and I have been wanting this song for years... maybe not in this setting. BUT on this show for forever.)
Turns out the meteor/astroid/comet is really just a dead lady bug at the end of Brittany's Pringle's can, but hey, she can't blame her telescope. She finds out they're all saved, but dispands the Astrology club anyway.
As everyone's leaving, Becky asks Britany to stay in high school for forever. Becky is scared of the real world, but Brittany pinky promises him that if she prepares, the real world won't be so scary. It was probably the second sweetest moment of the whole episode.
The Glee Club's assignment is to sing songs as if it's their last chance. As Will is explaining the lesson to Beiste in the choir room, they hear gunshots. So, Beiste and Schue get the kids down low, turn off the lights and do their best to keep everyone quiet and calm. I'll briefly go through the need-to-knows during the shooting, because really you should watch this episode:
- Brittany and Tina aren't in the choir room, but most everyone else is.
- Brittany (or who you assume is Britt) tries to get into the choir room, but the doors are locked - she tries both doors, then slams another door, and you find out later she's hiding on top of the toilet, crying in the bathroom.
- You find out later, Tina was late, and she's outside with half the rest of the student body.
- Marley is concerned about her mom. She keeps texting her, but her mom won't respond.
- Kitty confesses to Marley that she took in her clothes during Grease.
- Sam really wants to go find Brittany, and almost puts the rest of the Glee club in danger by screaming about it and going to find her.
- Artie thinks it's a good idea for everyone in the room to record messages on his cell phone in case they don't make it out of there.
- Schue eventually finds Brittany and brings her into the choir room.
- Ryder calls the girl that Catfished him and a phone within the choir room rang.
The school cracks down on security. Sue thinks it's an overreaction. She also confesses to the gunshots being fired from her gun.
Ryder plans to meet the girl that Catfished him outside the choir room. She never showed, and we never find out who it is.
At the last part of the episode, we find out that Sue is really covering for Becky. Becky was scared about graduating and brought the gun to school. Sue was handling the situation, but the gun accidentally went off, Becky dropped the gun, and a second shot was fired.
Sue packs up her stuff and leaves McKinley High... whether she will come back or not is still up in the air, but the way they left it, it doesn't look good.
Meanwhile Glee club sings Say. It was seriously so emotional.
Now, let's talk about our thoughts.
First and foremost, I want everyone to know that I don't believe that gun control and mental health initiatives are mutually exclusive. I think they're both important.
But before we dive in, let's talk about how Glee addressed this episode. Personally, I think it was very well done. It made you feel - and that's what is important. I can tell you that each and everytime I hear about a school shooting in our nation I feel sick. I feel sad. I feel flabbergasted. I feel heartbroken. The amount of emotions I feel literally makes my stomach hurt.
Well tonight Glee made me feel that way. But I was okay with it, because I think it was supposed to portray that feeling. But I want to make note that I don't believe that it's a mockery or that it's "too soon" or anything like that -- School shootings have been a serious issue in our country since Columbine in 1999. All Glee did tonight, in MY optinion, is bring awareness to the issue.
Now let's talk about the real culprit here. Turns out that it was Becky who was repsonsible for the shooting. Now, we know that she did not intend on shooting, and she was seeking help from Sue. But the shots were fired, and she brought a gun to school nonetheless.
First of all, let's not confuse mental health with a genetic condition. Down's Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects the chromosomes of a person - NOT their mental stability. BUT, that brings me to my first point that I'd like to address: Mental health is such an important issue in our country and we need to be aware of it.
However, in the case of these school shootings that have happened over the last 15 years, most of them are mentally ill. If you haven't heard about the blog article I Am Adam Lanza's Mother, then read the article and come back to this.
Let me preface this statement with "we're all human". We're all fallible... Whether healthy, mentally ill, or born with Down's, we can all feel trapped, lash out, or make mistakes. However, generally those who can think clearly can know the difference between what's right and what's wrong.
However, those with mental illnesses that feel this is their only way out, or that feel that they need to bring a gun to school to make a statement, or that truly feel that the only way they'll be free is to kill those "holding them back"... they especially need help. What really makes me think about the woman in the article I linked to above is that the only way anyone could help her is if this kid was "in the system". That's not going to help anyone. That child needs help - while he's still innocent.
I'm going to stop there, becasue the thoughts that come after are political. And personally I'd like to keep that as separate as possible. But regardless, it's a serious issue within our country.
Next, it's gun control. While I'm not going to express my personally beliefs on gun control, I will say that not everyone should have a gun. And whether we make laws, or restrictions, or make tests for who can have them -- whatever the case may be... not everyone should have a gun.
With that said, I know that those who want them will get them if they set their minds to it.
That's why tonight's Glee episode was so important. Becky's not a terrorist. She's not a bad person. She's scared, as Sue said -- just like everyone else. The way she handled it might have been different than how someone else may have handled it, and Sue was trying to address it in the best way possible. But it shouldn't be up to Sue.
It's scary for teachers to wake up and go to school every day. It's scary for kids to go to school every day. We need to figure out a way to make it harder for those that are unqualified to get guns, and easier for those who have mental illnesses to find the help they need - however big or small the issue may be.
That being said, I believe this episode was about awareness. Glee addressed the school shooting tastefully in my opinion. They were showing that it's scary, it could happen anywhere, and it could happen for any reason -- but we have to figure out how to weed out the possibilities with every student without having metal detectors at the front entry way of every school.
It may be an impossible feat. But it's something we have to at least aspire to do. Someone's got to make a difference. Someone's got to step in and try to stop these unnecessary tragedies.
Moreover, I believe that Glee wanted to show that school is supposed to be a safe place. And lately it's not. Even at McKinley High -- the safest school we all know -- it doesn't even feel safe. How do we make our schools safe again? How do we make school a place where parents feel safe sending their kids and school? how do we make kids feel safe in the classroom, in the hallways, in the common grounds of their school?
Maybe these questions won't get answered. But it's sure something that should be addressed, and in my opinion, it's something that we should all be aware of.
In closing, I'll say this: These issues are serious. They are hurtful. They are sensitive. And moreover, we need to know that we can find help, somehow some way... And right now I believe the lack of help is the issue. Becky was asking Sue for help. If you need help, there's someone that you can ask help from, too, and we're here to post those numbers. So, here's all the research we've done:
| Adolescent Suicide Hotline | 800-621-4000 |
| Adolescent Crisis Intervention & Counseling Nineline | 1-800-999-9999 |
| AIDS National Hotline | 1-800-342-2437 |
| CHADD-Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder | 1-800-233-4050 |
| Child Abuse Hotline | 800-4-A-CHILD |
| Domestic Violence Hotline | 800-799-7233 |
| Drug & Alcohol Treatment Hotline | 800-662-HELP |
| Eating Disorders Center | 1-888-236-1188 |
| Family Violence Prevention Center | 1-800-313-1310 |
| Gay & Lesbian National Hotline | 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564) |
| Gay & Lesbian Trevor HelpLine Suicide Prevention | 1-800-850-8078 |
| Healing Woman Foundation (Abuse) | 1-800-477-4111 |
| Incest Awareness Foundation | 1-888 -547-3222 |
| Learning Disabilities - (National Center For) | 1-888-575-7373 |
| Missing & Exploited Children Hotline | 1-800-843-5678 |
| National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) | 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) |
| Panic Disorder Information Hotline | 800- 64-PANIC |
| Rape (People Against Rape) | 1-800-877-7252 |
| Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network (RAINN) | 1-800-656-HOPE (1-800-656-4673) |
| Sexual Assault Hotline | 1-800-656-4673 |
| Sexual Abuse - Stop It Now! | 1-888-PREVENT |
| Suicide Prevention Lifeline | 1-800-273-TALK |
| Suicide & Crisis Hotline | 1-800-999-9999 |
| Suicide Prevention - The Trevor HelpLine (Specializing in gay and lesbian youth suicide prevention). | 1-800-850-8078 |
| Teen Helpline | 1-800-400-0900 |
| Victim Center | 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255) |
| Youth Crisis Hotline | 800-HIT-HOME |
As always...
Peace.Love.Glee
-Bonnie & Whitney
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