Since last May, “”Glee”” has become one of the hottest shows on television. When it went on a break for “”American Idol”” in December, fans waited anxiously for its return. Now that April has come and the popular show has returned, “”Gleeks”” the world over are rejoicing. But considering the first new episode, do they have any reason to? Not yet.

Last Tuesday’s episode “”Hell-O,”” lacked the show’s previous shine. The reason? The writers failed to follow a very simple rule of storytelling: rising action.

I understand that “”Glee”” is still in its first season and has not reached its finale. Still, it did reach one climax and some resolution in the last minutes of “”Sectionals,”” the last episode before the break.

You’d think the writers would have tried to ease audiences back in after a four-month lull to give Gleeks a chance to cool off after the dramatic roller coaster they just stepped off. You have to walk before you run right? Well, “”Hell-O”” hit the air sprinting and fell flat on its face.

*SPOILER ALERT*

What specifically was wrong with it? There were a multitude of things. Everything about the episode was predictable. “”Glee”” is too young of a show to have the Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury, played by Matthew Morrison and Jayma Mays respectively, or Rachel Berry  and Finn Hudson, played by Lea Michele and Cory Monteith, end up together already. Not only that, but who didn’t expect to see the devious “”Cheerios”” coach Sue Sylvester, played by the devilishly talented Jane Lynch, coming back through some deplorable act of coercion?

Then there was Rachel’s new boyfriend in the form of pompous rival Jesse St. James, played by Jonathan Groff, Michele’s old co-star from her “”Spring Awakening”” days. Nobody could have actually thought he cared for her because everyone knows by now that nothing just falls into Rachel’s lap. She is, and always will be, the kind of character who has to work hard and struggle for anything positive in her life. It was just too easy for her. Oh, and of course Finn would finally come around just when she found someone else.

Another problem was that the episode didn’t feel fresh. Rachel getting kicked out of the club for the thousandth time was just obnoxious, and the way she sang a retaliatory song to Finn wasn’t original either. Also, I don’t know who decided that all of Sue’s hair jokes toward Schue were still funny, but they’re beating a dead horse.

Considering that both the series premiere and the last episode before the break featured jaw-dropping performances, I was hoping to be blown away with a huge musical number. Instead, Rachel just managed to look lost and emotionally confused in most every number she was in. It was cute, but it wasn’t what I’d been hoping for.

I also found myself craving something more epic in their song selection. Sure, the “”hello”” theme was interesting and all of the songs well performed as usual, but none of them had the show-stopping capabilities of Journey’s “”Don’t Stop Believin'”” or “”Don’t Rain On My Parade”” made famous by Barbra Streisand.

It would have been nice if the club had more than just the end of one episode to enjoy winning sectionals. It was a good choice to leave them as school losers, but even losers deserve some reprieve. It was out of the frying pan and into the oven for the Glee club. Drama drives a show but sometimes an audience wouldn’t mind seeing their favorite characters catch a break now and then.

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean the rest of this season is going to be bad, by any means. Despite the fact that fans and latecomers were thrown back into the series head first, “”Glee”” has proved in the past that they could put together well written episodes with moving musical numbers. Still, the writers need to take a hint. If they keep giving loyal Gleeks episodes like “”Hell-O,”” they’re setting themselves up to lose fans, including this one.

You can catch the episode

“”Hell-O”” on hulu.com.