NBC’s latest drama, Rise has been climbing up to one of the top shows to watch on primetime TV, capturing the hearts of many with its amazing music, real-world issues and idealistic storyline.
One could say Rise is just another Glee remake, with fresh faces and a new set of problems for each character to face.
(Warning: spoilers ahead!)
The drama starts off with Stanton High’s resident English teacher Mr. Lou Mazzouchelli, Rise’s version of Mr. Shue. Lou feels like he doesn’t make as much of a difference with his students in just teaching, so he decides to take up the mantle of theatre director, replacing long-time director Tracey Wolfe due to budget cuts. Though she slightly detests him for it, she decides to support his vision of changing the school play to Spring Awakening, a drama containing issues like teen pregnancy, abortion and LGBT relationships.
Stanton High contains your typical teenage cliques, and Lou challenges the status quo by casting kids from different groups, bringing together a rag-tag group of kids that grow to become a family as they embark on a journey to put on a great show.
A lot happens within the first two episodes, and it definitely feels like a movie because there’s so much packed into two 45-minute episodes.
One of the first obstacles Lou faces is the opposition of students, authorities and parents alike about having a play with such controversial themes. The school’s drama department has a strong lack of support from everyone, and this also attributes to the lack of funds to produce the show. The fact that there are untrained cast members also hinders the flow of rehearsals, and it seems like the whole universe is against Lou’s dream of having Spring Awakening at Stanton High School.
Like any other drama, Mazzouchelli isn’t the only person facing problems. Each main character has their own set of issues to tackle.
From parental issues to finding one’s true identity, the Rise teens have many internal (and external) struggles portrayed throughout every episode. This cast of very talented teenagers, with the addition of Disney-famous Auli’i Carvalho, have a lot of potential in their futures, making Rise their platform to jumpstart their careers. With powerful voices and raw talent, they make the show stand out.
As promising as the show seems, there are definitely some parts that could be improved. I felt that some scenes were exaggerated; either because the dialogue restates the actions of the scene or the actors were overdramatizing a situation that should’ve been more subtle. Some characters were, fairly, annoying—it’s almost like watching them bang their head against a wall over and over as they make the same mistakes. But hey, it’s a teenage drama that teaches the audience the struggles of finding oneself.