Glee is Back! So why am I not gleeful?

Finally, FINALLY, after months of waiting Glee has returned.

And yet, after watching the aptly named "Hell-O", I'm feeling a little depressed more than anything else.

Was I let down? No, it was a solid episode. It's just the characters were going through some bad times, and I don't like that. This is supposed to be a happy show, dammit! But I guess you can't do the happy without the sad.

As I predicted, the Will/Emma romance fizzled pretty quickly. He's not ready, as he aptly showed by making out with Vocal Adrenaline's coach after just splitting with his wife and getting together with Emma (btw, said coach is played by Idina Menzel, and she better damn well be singing at some point in the near future). Will and Emma were both swept up in the thrill of it; as she sagely pointed out, they're around teenagers so often they sometimes act like them. I think it will happen for them at some point, but it's just too early for the characters and in the show.

Their problems ran parallel with Finn's and Rachel's. Rachel wants to date Finn, Finn is enjoying being on his own after splitting with Quinn, and Rachel is therefore left vulnerable to the romantic manipulations of Vocal Adrenaline's lead male singer Jesse St. James (cool name). It seems that Jesse is going to fulfill the fears of the rest of the Glee club and cause some trouble, and Rachel is such an insecure ball of angst that she'll probably see him on the sly. Trouble brewing!

At least Sue is back and in fine form. My favorite line, said to Will: "I have no intention of burying the hatchet, unless I have a clear shot to your groin."

But one of the biggest let downs for me has to be the final performance. I had seen previews of the cast's performance of "Hello/Goodbye", by my favorite band the Beatles. I had expected it to be a glorious return to form. Instead, it was an awkward summary of the back and forth decision making between the characters. If you're going to take on the Beatles you better damn well make it fantastic (I'm saying damn a lot, aren't I?)

But I was depressed after watching the first episode the show aired in September too, and it got better. And next week is the much hyped Madonna episode, another of my favorite artists. I admit, I'm excited, despite the gloominess of "Hell-O". That's the power of Madonna.

Your thoughts on Glee's return?