Sandy Hook Parent Warns Community About Watching Latest 'Glee' Episode

This article was originally written by Aaron Boyd and Davis Dunavin and published on Newtown Patch. It was updated by Jessie Sawyer to reflect more information on Thursday night's 'Glee' episode. 

Newtown families were cautioned about watching Thursday night’s episode of the television series Glee, which was expected to depict a school shooting through the eyes of a student hiding in the dark, according to television spoiler website TVLine.com.

The episode called "Shooting Star" centers around the response and reaction when a firearm is discharged at Glee's William McKinley High School while some students and faculty are still inside, requiring them to go into lockdown. 
A disclaimer before the show returned from each commercial break warned viewers that the episode might be disturbing for some to watch, including scenes of "tension" after gunshots are heard in the school. The disclaimer also stressed that the scenario depicted is Hollywood-created fiction.

The dialogues delved into topics on guns that have been circulating nationally since the Newtown tragedy like mental health, law-abiding gun owners' rights, fear that President Barack Obama and the government will take away people's guns and talk about whether teachers should carry firearms in school.

Spoiler alert: if you've seen the episode or don't mind having the plot spoiled, HuffPost TV interviewed one of the show's cast members about the controversial episode.

Before the episode aired Thursday night, rumors of the upcoming episode prompted Newtown residents and officials to spread the word, including a district-wide email from Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson Thursday afternoon.

Sandy Hook parent Andrew Paley said a friend who writes for TVLine.com who found the episode “extremely harrowing” contacted him Wednesday.

“It’s not a good idea for us to watch it, it’s not a good idea for many in Newtown to watch it,” Paley said as a parent of children who attend Sandy Hook Elementary. “It’s a tough story for us to relive it. I wouldn’t want anyone to watch it and reopen wounds we’re trying to heal.”

Paley suggested that local families who do watch the show “watch with caution.”

Did you watch the April 11 episode of Glee? What did you think about its message? Tell us in the comments.