Missing a Bit of 'Glee'?

I watch "Glee" every week. Partly because I like the cute freshman show with inventive and impressive musical performances. This Wednesday night ritual is also because of the company I keep, however: two of the girls I live with are what some might label "Gleeks." I adore them, and have come to really enjoy this fall's somewhat unlikely musical television hit as well.

In the recent episode "Vitamin D," the show furthered what have become increasingly darker turns. We're already dealing with baby drama on two fronts. There's the hysteric pregnancy/cover up scheme of Mr. Will Schuester's unlikeable wife, preventing Matthew Morrison's character from leaving the Mrs. and ending up with Emma, the quirky, germaphobic guidance counselor. Then, there's the teen pregnancy and baby-daddy drama of abstinence champion and head cheerleader Quinn, preventing another hookup we want to watch amidst the song and dance numbers--Lea Michele's Rachel and Cory Monteith's Finn.

Now, said guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury has gotten engaged to sloppy schmuck football coach Ken Tanaka. Not only is Emma dating him merely because of her desolation about Will's unavailability, but she agrees to marry Ken, live across town, have no witnesses, and keep the arrangement a secret because, she says upon accepting, she fears being alone forever.

Add in a key subplot where Mrs. Schuester, growing suspicious of the Will-Emma potential, becomes the school nurse and gets the glee club kids amped up on over-the-counter cold medication, and we have a recipe for some dark drama. And crystal meth, as indicated by the FBI's arrest of one character buying up so many decongestants at Mrs. Schuester's direction. The kids' high led to some great performances in a mashup competition, but that's really beside the point. The music and the--perhaps somewhat faint--authenticity of the characters' stories is increasingly overshadowed by these plot twists.

"Glee" has thus far defied the skeptical predictions of a quick loss of enthusiasm and fast fade for the musical television series. Adding depth and dramatic plotlines is a great move to keep audiences tuning in, but so far, there's a lot of disproportionally heavy drama without much justification.