- ISBN13: 0024543643678
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Includes the first 13 episodes of season one.Few shows bottle pure delight like Glee, a Fox TV series about the ups and downs of a high school glee club, or show choir. The show lures you in with its musical numbers, a mix of classic rock and Broadway show tunes performed by a cast of marvelous singers and dancers–but what keeps you watching are the wonderful characters, ranging from Rachel (Lea Michelle), whose self-obsession is as uninhibited as it is annoying; to Emma (Jayma Mays), a germ-phobic guidance counselor hopelessly in love with a married teacher; to Kurt (Chris Colfer), a cherubic young gay man who discovers he’s got a fantastic football kick. The center of the show is Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), the earnest Spanish teacher of McKinley High School, who’s determined to guide the glee club to victory at a national competition. He sees this collection of overemotional misfits as heroic, but they’re looked down on as losers by the rest of the school–especially Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Best In Show), the ruthless cheerleading coach who will stop at nothing to destroy the glee club before they can take even a fraction of her extravagant budget.
Glee fuses adolescent soap opera, the comic pettiness of academic politics, and exuberant song and dance. (While it would be better if the songs weren’t so glossily produced, it’s impossible to deny the pep and talent of these young performers.) Somehow, the characters manage to be cartoonish yet multidimensional; even the nicest characters are capable of being jerks and the most manipulative have moments of sympathy or grace. For example, Will’s wife, Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), fakes a pregnancy because she’s afraid Will is about to leave her for Emma–but as absurd as this scenario is, it’s carefully grounded in enough moments of desperate yearning that it becomes completely compelling… particularly when Terri seizes on the unwanted pregnancy of lead cheerleader Quinn (Dianna Agron) as the solution to her problem. Throw in vividly colored costume designs and blisteringly funny rants from Sue, and it’s easy to see why Glee became an unexpected hit. Volume One: The Road to Sectionals collects the first 13 episodes, along with a smattering of extras that range from charming (the principal leads the audience on a tour through the school) to inane (bland factoids about the actors’ favorite colors). –Bret Fetzer
Stills from Glee (Click for larger image)
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Rating: 
(out of 129 reviews)
List Price: $ 39.98
Price: $ 20.49
May 27, 2010
#1
Review by Kevin G.
Rating:
My rating does not pertain to the show itself, I actually love the show, but this release is a waste of money and manufacturing resources. This set was originally planned earlier this fall when Glee was only going to have 13 episodes for the first season, but then after having such good ratings, FOX added NINE more episodes to the first season. This is a redundant release because FOX has said they will also release an actual COMPLETE first season after the show finishes airing the last 9 episodes starting in April. It will come with a coupon to save on the complete season, but unless that is $30 of more, you’ll end up paying more for both releases than if you just wait and buy the complete season. Don’t get me wrong, I love the show, but this is just a get money fast scheme and I will not support volume releases. Don’t waste your money on this, wait for the full season. Let’s make the studios realize they can’t screw us over with these types of releases just so they can make more money.
May 27, 2010
#2
Review by R. Healy
Rating:
I love “Glee.” Seriously. I have loved “Glee” since the first episode aired back in the Spring of 2009 and I dreaded waiting until the Fall for new episodes. I buy all of the songs from the show off iTunes and I watch every episode live. I really do recommend “Glee” to everyone because it is such a unique, enjoyable, enthusiastic, and downright fun show! The singing’s always great, the dancing is a thrill, the comedy is a riot, and the drama is powerful. I have no issues with this show outside of the fact that it doesn’t always let the minor characters have their chance with the microphone that often (specifically Tina and Puck). I’m itching with excitement over the back nine episodes and am eagerly waiting for them to start airing in April.
HOWEVER, with all of that said, I urge everyone NOT to waste their money on this boxset. It seriously is a scam. Originally, an interview with a producer on the show said that this first volume – containing the 13 episodes of “Glee” that have been produced and aired this past Fall – would come with a voucher for when the Complete First Season (all 22 episodes) is released in 2010 so that you wouldn’t have to pay the full price to get the last nine episodes.
In a memo to the website [...], FOX confirmed that there is not and never was a voucher with this boxset – meaning that the people who pay the price to get the first 13 episodes now will have to pay that price again PLUS another $15 (at the least) to get the complete season when it is released later this year. They’re ripping off the fans – as if they aren’t making enough money off of this blockbuster with their chart-topping, record-breaking soundtracks and songs on iTunes and getting enough recognition with the four Golden Globe nominations the show has rightfully received.
FOX is running a scam here, folks. A horrible, horrible scam. And I strongly advise that every “Glee” fan show a little patience and wait for the Complete First Season, with all 22 episodes on it, to get released this year. I can’t imagine FOX will make us wait until September for its release so I would expect it at the end of July at the earliest. And even if a Complete First Season ISN’T released – if a second volume with the final 9 episodes of season one IS released – do you really want to take that chance? Knowing FOX, it probably won’t be released and then you’ll be out $25 or more because you’ll have to pay for the same 13 episodes twice!
Keep watching the show. Keep recommending the show. Keep downloading the songs off iTunes. But DO NOT buy this boxset and waste your money! Wait until we know what will happen once the season ends – until we know if we’ll be getting Volume Two or if we’ll get the Complete First Season.
May 27, 2010
#3
Review by Nathan Andersen
Rating:
When I first heard of Glee, about a group of outsider high school students who find something to care about as they take part in glee club, I thought for sure it was going to be a “high school musical” type sap-fest, and that I’d hate it. Still, we happened to catch the second episode on television and after that we were hooked. We caught up, and kept watching and now we can’t wait until the second part of the first season this spring. My early teenaged kids purchased and listen to the music on their ipods, and love to sing along. In spite of my early reservations and expectations, I found the show taking me back to my own high school days when I played minor roles in a few community musical theater shows and loved it even though I instinctively knew it wouldn’t win me any popularity contests among my fellow students.
There’s an infectious joy to the musical numbers, and the story has the poignancy mixed with darkly hilarious viciousness and acts of deception between rivals that my wife and I had come to love in Desperate Housewives, just never quite as dark. It’s funny and touching, and always entertaining. Jane Lynch is perfect as Sue Sylvester, the ambitious and arrogant “cheerio” coach you can’t help but love to hate. Lea Michele brings a brilliant mixture of insecurity and overconfidence to the role of the lead glee club singer. All of the actors are extremely talented.
At bottom, it’s intelligently written high school soap opera, played by extremely talented actors and performers. There’s nothing profound here, but it doesn’t try to be. Still, there’s an intriguing social edge to this show, as the students deal with issues such as homophobia and racism, handicaps, gender roles, teenage promiscuity and pregnancy, drugs, bullying, infidelity, intolerance, and gossip, but the writers avoid the usual cliches and platitudes that often tend to surround these issues. The show manages to raise awareness and provoke thought without raising the red flag of “political correctness.” It’s a lot of fun to watch, and demonstrates that every once in a while primetime television can still manage to surprise and delight.
May 27, 2010
#4
Review by Stephanie Cao
Rating:
Utterly brilliant, insightful, poignant and astounding! Although it hasn’t been the full season yet, the first 13 episodes and the outpouring of support on I-Tunes with the show’s songs have proven that “Glee” is a force to be reckoned with. Created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck), the show follows the William McKinney HS club led by Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison)who finds something special and wonderful in each of the Glee members. Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is head of the school’s cheerleading team and part co-sponsor who hilariously never ceases to scheme to take out the Glee club. Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), the “doe-eyed neat freak”, is the school’s counselor who finds herself becoming closer to the club than expected. Jessalyn Gilsig (who portrays Will’s wife, Terri), is supportive of her husband’s decision to take over Glee but becomes selfish in her hopes to start a family. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) displays her abilities as a diva and proves that she is confident in her talents and goals. Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) reluctantly joins the club and ends up having to make a decision between Glee and football. Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) is proud of having an independent spirit and her vocals are out of this world. Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) struggles to admit his sexual orientation but his passion for the music is inspiring after he joins the football team and teaches them a thing or two about dancing. Noah Puckerman (Mark Salling) is Finn’s best friend who at first, dislikes the club for it’s flamboyancy, but has a change of heart for a very different reason. Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron) is the all-American cheerleader who is head of the celibacy club and joins Glee to assist Sue in taking the club down. Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) is another fellow Glee-ster who wears Gothic clothes regularly and has a speech impediment who becomes a worthy adversary for Rachel. Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) is a handicapped student who reaches out to the club in proving that his disability hasn’t limited him in being an outstanding guitar player and singer. There were so many moments that were so touching, funny and all-around joyous that it’s hard to completely mention. From laugh-out-loud musical numbers of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” to the momentous hit of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, the tie-in soundtrack is a MUST for any die-hard fan of the show! The ultimate breakout smash of the ’09-’10 TV season, “Glee” is THE show you don’t want to miss.
May 27, 2010
#5
Review by Lisa Marie Kelly
Rating:
I’m a big Glee fan – I bought the soundtracks right away, and I was tempted to buy this partial DVD season, but after reading several reviews here, and learning that there is no discount voucher provided for the later full-season purchase, I will wait FOX out and not waste my money.
As a public library employee at the Jersey Shore – may I make a suggestion: check your local library for this DVD release and SAVE YOUR MONEY! My library has this set available to loan to our patrons, and I will get my Glee fix for free! Why should I spend my hard-earned money twice? Sorry, FOX, this is shady, to say the least. I trusted that the rumored voucher would materialize, showing your good faith toward the Glee fans.