Being in New York hasn’t been the easiest time for the Glee gang. Kurt and Blaine’s relationship has suffered since moving in together. Rachel and Santana were butting heads for a while. Sam and Mercedes were on again/off again left and right recently. Artie has been trying to maneuver the mean streets of NYC. And just last week, Kurt was the victim of gay bashing.

Unfortunately for them, it looks like this trend is continuing — at least into this week — when the guys get tested for STDs, and Artie receives some bad news.

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FOX has released a clip from tonight’s episode, fittingly titled “Tested.” Even though STDs is yet another serious topic (especially coming off of what Kurt went through in “Bash”), it looks like it won’t be all-serious-all-the-time. Rather, there will still be some humor and tongue-in-cheek moments.

The episode will start with a cold open that takes its inspiration from propaganda films. The black-and-white video below is a 1950s-inspired newsreel that warns Blaine, Kurt, Sam and Artie about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. “America is under attack!” declares the announcer. “Did you know there’s an epidemic in this country? Well, there is. And it could be hiding in your trousers.”

This video makes it seem like the guys are completely ignorant about STDs. That, along with all the other humorous bits, may be taking a very light-hearted approach (and there really isn’t anything funny about this topic), but it’s obvious that Glee‘s angle is to try and bring attention to it in a non-traditional manner. Having a black-and-white newsreel to start off the episode is definitely a unique way of grabbing everyone’s attention.

Since Artie will have to tell his sexual partners that he tested positive, this begs the question: how many people has he hooked up with? Are they all people we know already? Or is it only those he knew from McKinley? And will we find out if he and Kitty are still together (long-distance, of course) or if they broke up when he moved to New York? 

 

What do you think of this STD newsreel clip? Are they taking the right approach to get our attention, or should they not be making light of it?

Glee airs Tuesdays at 8pm on FOX.

(Image and video courtesy of FOX)

Jeff Dodge

Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.