Mrs. Magoo Reads

Pretty Little Liars: Season One

One year ago, Alison mysteriously disappeared, and her four best friends were left to wonder what happened.  Now, her dead body has turned up- but high schoolers Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna have hardly found closure.  They have started to receive texts from an anonymous "A" who somehow knows all of their secrets.

The girls had grown apart after Alison's disappearance, since it seemed that the manipulative popular girl was the only thing holding them together.  As they search for the truth behind Alison's murder, "A" haunts them with their potentially life-ruining secrets, both old and new.

Pretty Little Liars seems silly at first, but is actually extremely addictive and surprisingly clever.  The audience is kept guessing and enthralled by the show's many mysteries, and every character is well-developed and relatable.  Each show usually ends on a scary and suspenseful note, with a twist thrown in to entice the viewer to come back for more.  After watching an episode, it's almost impossible not to return for the next one.

Teenage girls will most enjoy Pretty Little Liars, as they can best relate to the four main characters.  Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna all have distinctive styles and are dressed extremely at all times.  While this might seem a little unrealistic, it keeps the show interesting when the plot slows down.

Although the show is based off of a book series, the TV show's plot strays away from that of the novels, so that even the books' readers won't know all the answers.

Glee: Season One

One might not expect there to be much talent at an unremarkable Ohio high school, but talent- and lots of it- is exactly what Will Schuester finds when he decides to start a glee club at the school he teaches at.  As a result, every episode in season one of the extraordinarily popular TV show Glee features enjoyable music sung by the members of the glee club.

It soon becomes clear that the two members of glee club who will be receiving all the solos are Rachel and Finn.  Rachel is an unpopular, ugly-sweater wearing, ruthlessly ambitious girl whose sights are set right on Broadway.  Finn, on the other hand, is a football player risking his hard-earned reputation by singing in glee.  Other big singers include Mercedes and Kurt, who are both outcasts at school.

Rachel and Finn develop feelings for each other, and although Rachel would date Finn in a moment, it's not so simple.  Finn is dating popular cheerleader Quinn, who also joins glee club flanked by Brittany (the stereotypical dumb blond cheerleader who every so often delivers unwittingly hilarious one-liners) and Santana.  As if the Rachel-Finn-Quinn triangle isn't enough, drama rapidly ensues involving Quinn and Finn's best friend Puck.

However, the plot is not contained to only the teenagers.  Although Schuester is married (his wife is hilarious, and I wish she had gotten more air time!), he has undeniable feelings for the school counselor, Emma, who suffers from OCD.  And then, of course, my favorite character: Sue Sylvester, the seemingly heartless cheerleading coach who is determined to bring down glee club.

While all of this is going on, glee club prepares its numbers to compete in sectionals, regionals, and (possibly) beyond.

I absolutely loved the first season of Glee.  The musical numbers were diverse and original, and every single actor did well.  Every character started out strong, and although many continued to please (most notably Sue), some began to get on my nerves midway through the season.  Rachel is the most obviously annoying, as her character is written to be obnoxious, but after a while Mr. Schuester began to come across as corny and irritating.

Glee can be watched on a variety of levels: the music and jokes will be appreciated by a younger audience, but deeper issues and questions also surface on the show.  Glee is off to a strong start, and I'd recommend it to teens and adults of all ages.

Buy Glee: The Complete First Season