Observations of a Crazy Brittanalyst: Part XXXVII

On Brittana and Happy Endings

All right, fandom.

Real talk time.

Does one episode which exceeded our expectations make up for a whole season—or several seasons, as it were—full of heartache, disappointment, insult, and upset upon upset?

No, not even a little bit.

After all, any story can begin “Once upon a time…” and end with “… and they all lived happily ever after;” it’s what happens in the middle that really counts.

And, in this case? The middle was disjointed and bobbled at best, offensive and caustic at worst.

Glee is not a good show.

It is hurtful in its messages, sloppy in its storytelling, and doesn’t live up to its potential, as well we all know. Though it’s an equal opportunity offender, it oftentimes does the most damage to the same marginalized groups it purports to champion.

This season finale? It doesn’t make up for the season.

That said, it was the best season finale we could have asked for, given the circumstances.

And why?

Because it allows us to finally say goodbye.

Our journey began with our girls in love in the background, a two-shot. It ends with those same girls in love, the only two characters in the frame.

So let’s talk a little bit about our ending.

One more time, guys?

Feelings, feelings, feelings after the cut.

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And now for your quick-draw “Take It or Leave It” Brittanalysis for 4x18… brought to you courtesy of Heather Elizabeth Morris’ perfect facial expressions

So some of you may remember this game from 4x10 (see here):

It’s where JJ calls the episode like she sees it without providing any substantive evidence to back up her claims—i.e., where the Brittanalysis is made up and the canon doesn’t matter.

I’m not writing this for the same reason I would usually write a Brittanalysis—i.e., because I want to fill gaps in canon and puzzle out what the events of a given episode mean.

Rather, I’m writing this because I want to make the fandom feel better in whatever way I can.

This “analysis” is for anyone who needs something to help him or her deal with what happened on Glee tonight, in terms of Bram.

It’s a labor of love for the fandom.

For the record, I think the fandom deserves much better than what Glee gives them. I think they deserve to see responsible representation and good storytelling. I think they deserve genuine entertainment. I think they deserve to see the values that Glee claims to espouse—like standing up for the underdog and seeing that differences make us special—put into action on the show itself.

I also think that the characters on the show deserve awesome narratives with continuity, dignity, humor, thought, and common sense put into them.

With that in mind, there’s lots of jabbering under the cut.

Let’s do this thing, kids!

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Observations of a Crazy Brittanalyst: Part XXXVI: “Never”

On Brittana, True Love, and Finding Your Way

So you know that moment when you’re so worried that the worst thing in the world is going to happen but then it doesn’t and something really amazing actually happens instead?

This is that moment.

“But JJ,” you might say, “surely you cannot refer to what just took place on Glee. In case you failed to notice, Brittany chose Sam over Santana. She and Santana are back to being just friends. Santana moved to New York. Have you even read the spoilers for the next few episodes? Because don’t even get me started on those. Clearly, you are delusional.”

Call me delusional, if you will—this series is entitled “Observations of a CRAZY Brittanalyst,” after all—but at least hear me out on this one.

I am here to prove that what happened between our girls tonight is actually the best case scenario as to what we could have hoped for them, given the circumstances. I am also here to prove that Brittana is always, always on.

I’ve got precedents, theory, and the Laws of Narrative to back up my claims.

Is it time to give up on our girls?

“Never.”

Feelings, feelings, oh god, the FEELINGS, after the cut!

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Floor Cheerios and Other Romantic Gestures: A Bram/Brittana Comparison

gleerant:

After several weeks of a relative hiatus from Glee and Tumblr, I’ve decided to dive back in and watch the horror that is “Swan Song” again.  The following rant is inspired by show recaps with my Tumblr bffl Kir. As expected, this analysis will not be particularly Bram-friendly, as I am still personally inclined to believe that Bram is midgame, and Brittany has only agreed to be part of this ship halfheartedly for no reason other than the physical distance from Santana. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, so let’s dive in, shall we?

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And now for your quick-draw “Take It or Leave It” Brittanalysis for 4x10… brought to you courtesy of Heather Elizabeth Morris’ perfect facial expressions

So here are the party rules:

I’m just going to call this episode the way I see it. I’m not going to provide much or any real background evidence for what I see. Rather, I’m just going to interpret as I go.

This is all just conjectural—and definitely biased. It’s more apologetic than anything.

Before we begin, a note:

I will assume throughout this analysis that Brittany Pierce is not in love with Sam Evans, as she has never stated that she is in love with him in explicit dialogue on the show to date. I will also assume that Brittany Pierce likes Sam Evans as a very dear friend and also is likely attracted to and maybe even has a crush on him, but that she is nevertheless still very much—and always will be—in love with Santana Lopez and not him.

All right.

Here we go, guys!

Lots of jabbering after the cut.

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Observations of a Crazy Brittanalyst: Part XXXV

“I will always love you the most”: On Brittana, Love, and Breaking Up

All right, fandom.

This one’s gonna bruise, but I promise it will be okay in the end, all right? Just stick with me. We’ve gotten through worse situations than this one before—like 3x07, for example. For as bad as things are, they’re not as bad as they could be.

Let’s start out with a hug, okay?

::hugs::

I love you guys.

Let’s get down to it, then.

All the feelings in the world after the cut.

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“I Wish I Was There to Make it All Better” – Santana Lopez and the Art of Making Fangirls Weep and Flail in Less Than 20 Seconds

gleerant:

Is anybody alive after this episode?  No?  Me either. I’m writing this from the grave.  (Actually, I am writing this from the hell that I described here  - ya’ll are here with me too, I know it)

The Brittana Skype scene was about 20 seconds long, but so many things were going on here.  If you want the tl;dr/praise the gods for Naya Rivera post, look for it here, but now that we’ve had a little time to digest it, let’s dive in even further.

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Observations of a Crazy Brittanalyst: Part XXXIV

“It’s Brittany, bitch”: On Brittany, Discourse, Trustworthiness, and Senior Year 2.0

Ever since Brittany first delighted us with talk of gay sharks and ducks in hats, fans have clamored for a Brittany voice over, not only because our Baby Girl keeps it real and is hilarious—much like her fabulous girlfriend—but also because we’ve wanted a glimpse into Brittany’s fantastic and unpredictable mind.

How fitting, then, that on the night when we finally get our wish, Brittany’s voice overs, both real and false, provide the key for us to understand Brittany’s behavior in this episode, showing us Brittany’s motivations, intentions, and where her true feelings really lie, all before Brittany even takes action on screen.

The episode opens with Brittany standing in a crowded McKinley hallway, surveying the hoi polloi.

We come upon her from behind, just as her “voice over” begins.

“My name is Brittany S. Pierce and I finally know how Jesus feels in his house way up at the North Pole because I am on top of the world,” Brittany tells us as the camera slowly pans around to reveal her face. “Senior year was awesome and now I get to relive every minute of it. I’m Head Cheerio, Vice-Rachel of the glee club, and now I’m planning a Middle East-style sham election that will install me as senior class president for life.”

Just as the audience realizes that Brittany speaks aloud rather than in her head, Blaine Warbler does, too, and asks Brittany about what she’s doing.

Apparently sheepish for her mistake, Brittany replies that she thought she was doing a voice over—breaking the fourth wall of the show like a boss, and particularly when we consider that the second Blaine Warbler walks away, Brittany begins a voice over in earnest.

“It was kind of a rough summer,” Brittany admits in a small voice, this time using real internal narration. “I really miss Santana. But. For now, all I have to say is”—she speaks aloud again—“‘It’s Brittany, bitch.’”

With just this little bit of narration, Brittany sets up the dichotomy by which we can understand her behavior in this episode: i.e., in terms of what information Brittany purposefully publicizes concerning herself versus what information she purposefully withholds from others concerning herself.

Feelings, feelings, feelings after the cut, y’all! 

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Brittany S. Pierce and the Heartbreak of Being a Sad Panda

gleerant:

And we’re back!

This week, we get our darling precious unicorn, Brittany, to hang out with (and some Sugar, if you love her like I do). 

But let’s think about this a little more.

We have the repeat of senior year after failing it once.

We have our bb girl trying to maintain her friendships in a glee club with an altered dynamic (read: a new case of diva for everyone) and a Cheerios squad with the newest mean girl.

We have the absence of Quinn, Mike and Mercedes, three friends who we have been forced to assume, through fanon because of a lack of Brittany development, were close to Brittany.

And we have the absence of Santana Lopez.

Ladies and gentlegays, what we have is sad!Brittany.

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