Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

To say that Mr Schuester was actually a bit of a dick?

25 replies

SachaStark · 29/10/2019 22:35

I’ve been re-watching Glee because it’s on Netflix now, and I’ve not watched it since it was first aired, when I was in my early 20s.

The main observation I’ve come away with is, wow, when I was younger, I never realised how much of a DICK Mr Schu is a lot of the time!

He’s massively self-centred, highly jealous of other males he deems to be more successful than him, quite controlling of Emma, a poor Spanish teacher... and so on and on.

AIBU to say that the apparently lovable butt-chinned teacher is really quite the dickhead?

OP posts:

BritishHorrorStory · 29/10/2019 22:49

Maybe that's why Ryan Murphy cast Matthew Morrison so, er, generously in American Horror Story 9, to make the point?

But yes he was quite the dickhead character. YANBU.

VanyaHargreeves · 29/10/2019 22:54

Mr Schu is a massive dick and is from Episode 1

Episode 1 spies on a lone naked teenager in a shower and then blackmails him by planting pot in his locker to make him join the clubs

Several episodes later refuses to let the girl with Downs join the club even though being a decent singer doesn't appear to be a requirement and she could have participated in some way

amy85 · 29/10/2019 23:01

Yup he's a massive dick...never liked him first time watching it either

MajesticWhine · 29/10/2019 23:11

Funny that. I imagined the creepy abusive teacher in the book I just finished (Three Women) as Mr Schue. YANBU.

AnneLovesGilbert · 29/10/2019 23:15

He’s pretty losery, not sure I think he’s a dick though. I hadn’t seen it before but been watching it recently.

Tina is the pits. Cannot stand her. Brittany and Bieste are great.

lurker2003 · 29/10/2019 23:25

He also had a go at a student for not going on stage wearing barely any clothes..... jail time please

KilljoysDutch · 29/10/2019 23:32

He's a huge creep him singing don't stand so close to me to a student. I loved it when it came out but I couldn't rewatch it when I tried. Every minority is in the Glee club and they're all stereotyped versions of their minority.

VanyaHargreeves · 29/10/2019 23:36

It has dated SUPER quickly I think

The way it handled disability was really bizarre, some of the stuff they did was beautifully done and brilliantly handled and yet some of it was near physically cringeworthy in how bad and second hand embarrassing it was.

WelcomeToGreenvale · 29/10/2019 23:39

Yeah he was always vile. I enjoyed the show at the time but can't help but wonder how it affected the cast. Can't watch it now after what happened with two of the main cast.

UnitedRoad · 29/10/2019 23:55

I watched it with my children when it first came out and now my 21 year old and I are rewatching. I hated Mr Schuster then and still do. He’s so creepy.

Sorry if someone’s already said it but the actor who played Artie is on celebrity X factor. He’s not as good as I thought he might be, considering the rest of the contestants aren’t professional singers.

Namechangeymcnamechange11 · 30/10/2019 05:50

Watching for the first time now it's on Netflix. Can't say I'd noticed that he's generally a dick, except the planting weed thing. But my judgement is probably clouded by fancying the pants off Matthew Morrison.

ConfessionsOfTeenageDramaQueen · 30/10/2019 05:55

I also just finished re-watching it (and was in my early 20s first time round) - I never watched it to the end the first time and was actually really disappointed by Coach Bieste's storyline - why couldn't she have just been a non-conforming woman (which is what she is in real life) rather than coming out as trans? Just seems so unnecessary.

As for Mr Schue, the dickiness was noticeable but didn't bother me too much.

But my main takeaway was that NeNe Leaks was absolutely amazing in it - stole every scene she was in and more than gave Sue a run for her money. Can't believe she started her TV career on a reality show (I think that's right?)

Doobigetta · 30/10/2019 07:04

The transing of Coach Bieste was one of the things that made me start to question the whole gender identity bandwagon more closely.

Bluewavescrashing · 30/10/2019 07:12

I love Mr Schu. I want to love him so I overlook the dickiness.

Agree that Glee would get a completely different and more negative reception if it aired now. It tried to deal with differences disabilities etc but mostly failed.

TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 30/10/2019 07:52

He really annoyed me when he went out drinking with the female coach (was it Bieste? Haven't watched since it was first on) and she confided she'd never been kissed so he gave her a very chaste kiss on the lips and said "Now you've been kissed."

So now her first ever kiss is a pity kiss.

Utter dick.

Biancadelrioisback · 30/10/2019 08:08

I never watched it back when it was on, so this was my first time.
He made me really uncomfortable and, as much as I would have loved to join a singing club in school, if he was my teacher id be running for the hills.

Also I never realised that two of the cast had died since it was on!

Inferiorbeing · 30/10/2019 08:11

He is a massive dick, it's also especially creepy whenever he chooses a song so that he can perform with them (looking at you britney episode..)

Alloftheboys · 30/10/2019 08:21

Yes he’s a dick along with Mr Big (Sex and the City) and McDreamy (Grey’s anatomy).

Original poster

SachaStark · 30/10/2019 11:35

Absolutely agree it would NOT be received very positively if it was released now. It was very “of its time” for the early 2000s, but it’s surprising to see how quickly it's (badly) dated.

The handling of disability is particularly shocking. I like Kevin McHale as Artie very much indeed, but how awful that an acting opportunity was stolen from paraplegic actors.

OP posts:

Venger · 30/10/2019 11:46

I agree its dated really badly. I've been rewatching it with DS and felt really old when I was having to explain various bits as being accurate for the time especially as PP have said, attitudes to disability and homosexuality.

I reckon it'll be rebooted in a few years time and then we can all be treated to Old Town Road week, Greatest Showman for the school musical, and Fondue For Two being an viral hit on Instragram.

Original poster

SachaStark · 30/10/2019 13:19

Urgh, yes, if they did do a re-boot there would DEFINITELY be a lot of Greatest Showman numbers, and the sooner that film is forgotten, the better. Horrific, revisionist history bollocks. P.T. Barnum is an awful example of humanity, not a hero.

But back to Glee, I have to say that the best thing about this rewatch is Brittany. I’d forgotten half of her storylines, and her comedy lines, especially the ones that are meta critical of the show itself, are fantastic.

OP posts:

lotsofoysters · 30/10/2019 13:28

but how awful that an acting opportunity was stolen from paraplegic actors.

They probably wanted an actor who could dance or walk out of a wheelchair in case of any future dream/dance storylines. Which did happen.

The worst episode of glee is the one where gwyneth paltrow advises the kids on sex and then songs a Gary Glitter song with them. Just awful.

amy85 · 30/10/2019 19:11

The transitioning of Bieste annoyed the hell out of me....they had spent so long with the story line that she was a confident non conforming female and then back tracked and ruined her

VanyaHargreeves · 30/10/2019 19:16

I think it was more complicated than that I don't think the envisaged an episode were he dances in a dream several series away at the point of hiring.

I think they originally hired an able actor without giving much though to it and then listened to responses and cast actual disabled actors later, which shows an impressive willingness to hear and learn.

This development over time was one of the things they did right

AnneLovesGilbert · 31/10/2019 22:21

Can I add that Blaine is nearly as big a dick as Shuester. One of the best performers but the way he treats Kurt is shocking.

Flip