Last night’s season three premiere had a certain musical flair, with songs from Hairspray, Annie Get Your Gun, Anything Goes, and The Wizard of Oz. There was even a nod to Grease in Quinn’s rebellious turn as a pink(-haired) lady and one of the potential New York Academy of Performing Arts students playing Rizzo in an all-male production of the musical.

The colours and vibrancy of the episode, with Quinn’s new hair, the indigo costumes for New Directions’ “You Can’t Stop the Beat” performance, the purple pianos—and let’s not forget the Cheerio’s costumes and Sue Sylvester’s tracksuit—was also a highlight.

There were also some “underlying messages” in Sue’s campaign to shut down arts programs in public schools (an issue that has been rampant in schools, especially in the U.S., for as long as I can remember), whether following your dreams is a feasible option for everyone and whether Rachel and Kurt are good enough to make it to New York. The latter two were particularly poignant for me, as these are issues I have been struggling with of late.

In typical Glee fashion, there were still some offensive comments (Sue likening “Chopsticks” to the national anthem for “whichever country” Tina and Mike come from; the “self-diagnosis” of Asperger’s syndrome to explain away new student Sugar’s blatant uncouthness) but, if this episode in an indication of what’s to come in season three, I like this new direction. See what I did there?

Images via VideoBB.