I started to engage someone over a crappy, hateful post, but then thought better of it. There’s no reasoning with people like that. Better to ignore than to invite wank.
I will say that I had no idea there were people who hated Blake Jenner. Haters, I don’t understand you, and I don’t want to. You stay in your little corner, and I’ll stay in mine.
Blake Jenner’s voice is so soft and pretty. It’s like he’s singing kittens into my ears. ♥
At first I had trouble telling Blake and Chord apart from behind. Then I thought ‘which of them is built like a refrigerator and looks like he might have trouble fitting through narrow doorways?’ and realized Blake was the one on the right.
(Seriously Blake your shoulders are ridiculous.)
Ryder seems to be taking a lot of flack for being ‘the new Finn,’ or ‘the next Great White Hope,’ and I’m a bit baffled, because that’s not what I got from him at all. They say first impressions are everything, and based on his introduction, Ryder is easily my favorite of all the new kids. Here’s why:
1. Ryder is funny.
Glee is a comedy. The writers regularly forget this, but funny Glee is the best Glee. And what is the first thing we see Ryder doing? Being funny. His entire introduction centers around the dorkiest end zone dance in the history of mankind. It made me laugh, and it gave me a distinct moment to connect to his character, which is very important in an introduction. Jake’s intro was petulant and angry. Marley’s was so bland I literally cannot remember it. Kitty tried to be funny, but she just came off as a wannabe Quinn, which brings me to my next point…
2. Ryder is different.
We were all expecting a carbon-copy of Finn, but that really isn’t what we got. Ryder’s touchdown groove was very unique. Finn would never have done something like that. Puck maybe, but I doubt he would have carried it that far. Finn wanted everyone to like him. Puck wanted people to think he was badass. The first thing I got from Ryder is that he wanted to make people laugh. That was not the dance of someone who thinks they have mad skills. That was a dorktastic performance meant purely to entertain. Ryder strikes me as a bit of a clown, which is honestly something I don’t think Glee has had yet (Sam might qualify, but his comedy is more vocal than physical).
3. Ryder stood up for someone.
Glee’s writers are particularly proud of their one-liners (and not without reason), but their insult-happy humor often has the side effect of making characters look like tools because everyone just lets it happen. How many times this season has Kitty spewed acid on someone while others stood there and watched? She does this to Marley in front of Ryder and after one line, he says “Wow, you’re kind of a bitch.” The sexist slur is kind of bad, but god damn it feels good to hear someone call Kitty out for once. Ryder is not okay with you shitting on people in front of him. This is a good character trait.
4. Ryder is an underdog.
Finn had pretty much everything before he joined the Glee Club. He literally had to be blackmailed into it. Ryder, on the other hand, has basically nothing. He flunked out of another school, he’s doing bad in this one, and according to Coach Beiste, he’s not even that great at football (unless I heard her wrong). He doesn’t even have friends, because he spends all of his time studying to very little effect. He’s not some popular douchebag who bullies and walks all over people like Finn was (and often still is). He’s quite the opposite, which is part of what makes it easy to root for him. The other part is possibly the most important one of all…
5. Ryder is happy.
In a season with new characters whose primary character traits are brooding (Jake), bile (Kitty), and blah (Marley), Ryder was a breath of fresh air because he just seemed happy to be who he is. Even when he got down on himself, it never felt like he was wallowing in self-pity like Finn was. Instead, he was making the most of what he had and trying to enjoy it. Blake Jenner always looks like he’s having a blast in performances, and that energy is infectious. His first song was perfect, because there at the end, when he stared out over the auditorium, you know he had legit stars in his eyes. That was a character who was struck by lightning from a clear blue sky, who discovered a brand new passion he’d never even considered, and it was awesome to watch.
Now, I’m sure the show will find some way to ruin him. They always do. But for now, I really like Ryder, and I feel like a lot of people aren’t giving him a fair shake. Don’t let Finn taint your view of him. He’s not Finn. He’s what Finn should have been.
Glee Cast | Juke Box Hero
this is unexpectedly awesome.
come on, glee. i already love blake jenner; getting me to like ryder should be easy. don’t blow it.
(via ohblainers)
Source: hudsonpuckerman
“Ryder looks up to Finn and sees him as a role model and mentor and wants to try and be what Finn is because throughout Finn’s time in New Directions, he’s grown as a person and Ryder is a lot like Finn when he first started: he’s not clear on who he is just yet and has a lot of question marks in his life.”
if Ryder wants to figure out who he is, Finn is kind of the last person he should try and emulate. >_> and this is from someone who actually likes Finn.
this is really not okay. i can’t remember the last time i went from zero to stan that quickly.
but it’s just. he’s so cute. that little video. his little pratfall. my little heart. <3
bracing myself for inevitable disappointment because you know ryder is going to be a dull-ass clone of an existing character, because ryan murphy has creative alzheimers and keeps doing things he has already done because he doesn’t remember he already did them.
