"Journey to Regionals" | |
---|---|
Glee episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 22 |
Directed by | Brad Falchuk |
Written by | Brad Falchuk |
Featured music | "Magic / You Raise Me Up" "Faithfully" "Any Way You Want It / Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' " "Don't Stop Believin' " "Bohemian Rhapsody" "To Sir With Love" "Over the Rainbow" |
Production code | 1ARC21 |
Original air date | June 8, 2010 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Journey to Regionals" is the twenty-second episode and first season finale of the American television series Glee . The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on June 8, 2010. In "Journey to Regionals", New Directions performs at Regionals in front of celebrity judges Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John, Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones) and Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). Club member Quinn (Dianna Agron) gives birth to her daughter, Beth, whom rival glee club coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel) adopts. Co-captains Finn (Cory Monteith) and Rachel (Lea Michele) reunite, and director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) professes his love for guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). Although New Directions comes in last in the competition, Sue persuades Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) not to disband the club for another year.
The episode features cover versions of nine songs, seven of which are included on the EP Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals , released on June 8, 2010. The album charted at number one in America, setting the record for the shortest span between first weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 with different releases, charting only three weeks after the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers also reached number one. While "Journey to Regionals" is the first episode of Glee to have none of its musical performances released as singles, all six EP tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100.
"Journey to Regionals" was watched by 10.92 million American viewers and attained the highest finale rating for a new show in the 2009–2010 television season. The episode was the most-watched scripted show of the week of broadcast in the 18-49 demographic, and received generally positive reviews from critics. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club deemed it among the best of the entire season, and Time 's James Ponieowzik felt that the episode was a return to Glee's roots, justifying its renewal for a second season. In contrast, Brett Berk of Vanity Fair felt that "Journey to Regionals" was a mediocre episode, while Jean Bentley of MTV found it uneven, representative of the season as a whole.
The episode begins with a flashback of the night Quinn Fabray lost her virginity to Noah Puckerman when they had sex in her bed, unbeknownst to her then boyfriend, Finn Hudson.
When cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) announces that she will be one of the judges at Regionals, along with Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John, and local news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), the glee club members worry that New Directions will soon be disbanded. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) stands by his requirement that glee club must place at Regionals to continue, despite director Will Schuester's (Matthew Morrison) protestation that Sue is attempting to sabotage them. Will turns to guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), who reveals that she has begun dating her dentist, Carl Howell.
Rachel (Lea Michele) kisses Finn (Cory Monteith) when he encourages her to be more optimistic. At Regionals, Aural Intensity is first to perform, singing a mash-up of "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John and "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban. Will gives New Directions a pep talk, and Finn professes his love for Rachel just before going on stage. The club pays tribute to Journey, performing "Faithfully", a mash-up of "Any Way You Want It" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin' ", and "Don't Stop Believin' ".
Quinn's (Dianna Agron) mother, Judy Fabray (Charlotte Ross), comes to watch Quinn perform. She tells Quinn that she kicked her father out of the house after she found out he was having an affair and invites Quinn to come back home. Quinn informs her that her water has broken, and is rushed to the hospital, where she gives birth to a girl. While the other New Directions members accompany Quinn to the hospital, Rachel stays at Regionals to watch Vocal Adrenaline's performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody". She asks their coach, her biological mother Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel), to help coach New Directions, but Shelby tells Rachel that she's tired of coaching glee clubs, and is stepping down as Vocal Adrenaline's coach to settle down and start a family. Shelby adopts Quinn's baby, whom she names Beth at Puck's (Mark Salling) request.
During the pre-vote discussion, the other celebrity judges insult Sue for her lack of fame. Aural Intensity is named runner-up, and Vocal Adrenaline wins, with New Directions coming in last. Emma argues with Figgins about the club's future, but he remains intent on disbanding it, since it failed to place. Will has accepted their loss, and professes his love for Emma and kisses her. Sue overhears New Directions' performance of "To Sir With Love" in appreciation of all that Will has done to help them grow. It is revealed that Sue voted for New Directions to win, and has agreed to end her blackmail of Principal Figgins in exchange for giving New Directions at least one more year to prove themselves and win Regionals. She explains to Will that she may not like him, but she respects his work with the students. Will tells the club of its extension, and performs Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's version of "Over the Rainbow" with Puck in celebration.
"Journey to Regionals" was filmed in April 2010, with fans of Glee invited through Facebook and Twitter to attend the filming of Regionals at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. [1] In the episode, both Josh Groban and Olivia Newton-John reprise their roles from earlier in the season, appearing as themselves to judge the Ohio Regionals round of show choir competition alongside Sue and Rod Remington. [2] Series creator Ryan Murphy explained: "The theme of Regionals is celebrity judges. Sue is now a nationwide celebrity. And Olivia and Josh only like choirs that sing their songs, so that's funny. They wanted to do something that played against what people think about them... to play against type. So we gave them an opportunity. And it's funny to have Sue as a judge when she doesn’t really know about [music], and she has it out for that darn Glee club." [2]
Other recurring characters who appear in the episode are glee club members Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Brittany (Heather Morris), Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.) and Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton), Principal Figgins, Vocal Adrenaline lead singer Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff), Vocal Adrenaline coach and Rachel's birth mother Shelby Corcoran, and Quinn's mother Judy Fabray. [3] Emma's new love interest does not appear in the episode, but will become a major character from early in the show's second season, [4] played by John Stamos. [5] Will and Emma's kiss in "Journey to Regionals" was unscripted. Falchuk chose not to inform Mays that it was planned to ensure authenticity in her reaction. [6]
Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals , an EP containing songs from the episode, was released on June 8, 2010. It features cover versions of Journey's "Faithfully" and "Don't Stop Believin'", as well as a mash-up of "Any Way You Want It" and "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'". "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen is also on the EP, as is "To Sir With Love" by Lulu and Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" as reinvented by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. [7] The EP debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 158,000 copies, [8] and at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 14,000 copies. [9] It entered the Irish Albums Chart at number 14, [10] climbing to number 1 in its second week of release, becoming the fourth Glee cast release to top the Irish charts. [11] In America, Journey to Regionals was the cast's third number one album, charting only three weeks after Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers , and beating its own record for shortest span between first weeks at the top position with different releases, previously held with Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna and Volume 3 Showstoppers. [8]
"Journey to Regionals" is the first episode of Glee to have none of its musical performances released as singles. [12] Despite this, all six EP tracks charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100, the highest-charting being "Faithfully" at number 36 in the US, and "Over the Rainbow" at number 31 in Canada. [13] A mash-up of Newton-John's "Magic" and Groban's "You Raise Me Up" is also used in the episode, but does not feature on the EP. [14] Glee's costume designer Lou Eyrich took inspiration from 1960s girl groups for the outfits worn by the show choirs, selecting black and fuchsia sequined dresses for Vocal Adrenaline, [15] and Betsey Johnson's "Goldie" brocade halter dress for New Directions. [16]
In its original broadcast, "Journey to Regionals" was watched by 10.92 million American viewers, and tied with the 2010 NBA Finals to lead in the 18–49 demographic in its timeslot, attaining a 4.6 Nielsen rating. [17] The series' 18–49 viewership was up 18 percent on the previous episode, giving Glee the highest finale rating for a new show in the 2009–2010 television season. [18] "Journey to Regionals" was the fourth most-watched show of the week in the 18-49 demographic, the highest scripted show, and the sixth most-watched program amongst all viewers. [19] In the UK, the episode was broadcast on Monday 14 June 2010, and was watched by 2.354 million viewers (1.952 million on E4, and 402,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on E4 and E4 +1 for the week, and the most-watched show on cable for the week. [20]
The episode received generally positive reviews from critics. Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly called it "just about perfect", writing: "this was one of those high-energy episodes that narrowed its song focus [...] and found a just-right mix of cynicism and optimism, of banal reality and glam performance." [21] Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal commented: "It's been a long premiere season of ups and downs, and this last show is a warm embrace that — let’s face it — you just don't want to let go." [22] The Houston Chronicle 's Bobby Hankinson deemed the episode "awesome", observing: "While it was light on the usual humor, it was heavy on emotion, and I think that's ideal for a season finale. Glee ended its freshman season with a real wallop that took a couple of unexpected turns before pulling nicely into a satisfying finish." [23] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club graded the episode "A−", deeming it among the best of the entire season. She felt that: "On its own, 'Journey to Regionals' is a fantastic episode of Glee. As a capper to the season, it mostly works." While VanDerWerff had some issues with the episode, including Shelby's sudden decision to adopt Beth, she summarized that: "for once in this back nine, the good stuff absolutely overwhelms the stupid stuff." [24] Jessica Derschowitz of CBS News felt that: "Glee wrapped up on a high note, leaving some of the season's less-appealing plotlines behind and heading towards the promise of more performances and more amazing Sue Sylvester one-liners next season." [25]
Time 's James Poniewozik wrote that with "Journey to Regionals", Glee "returned to its roots, balancing its weirdness, snark and bombast with intimate stories of small-town high school life. And it, too, by showing what it can be at its best, made its case for staying around another year." [26] IGN 's Eric Goldman rated "Journey to Regionals" 8.5/10, signifying a "great" episode. He felt that while it did not match the standards of the mid–season finale episode "Sectionals", it was "still a very satisfying wrap up to the first year of Glee." [27] Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times noted that he "went into the finale peeved at how incredibly messy last week's episode was", but overall he deemed the finale a success. [28] Vanity Fair 's Brett Berk found "Journey to Regionals" a fulfilling, albeit "pretty mediocre" episode, describing it as having "a sense of narrative cohesion that went beyond the writers’ usual throwing-flatware-down-the-garburator modality". [29] Jean Bentley of MTV found the episode representative of the first season as a whole, explaining: "Much like the entire first year of the show, the uneven episode started out with a promising, action-packed plot, impressed with a couple of flashy musical numbers, then got too cheesy for its own good and petered out with an overly sentimental song." [30] Fellow MTV writer Aly Semigran noted: "I was hoping for a little more excitement from the episode, though it all did feel very full circle for so many of our characters we've come to know and love. Here's to hoping Glee can get back its stellar momentum in season two." [31]
William Michael Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional teacher character and one of the two main protagonists from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee, alongside his student Rachel Berry. He appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was portrayed by Matthew Morrison, and was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. He is a Spanish teacher at the fictional William McKinley High School and the director of the show's titular glee club in Lima Ohio, where the show is set. He ultimately becomes the school's principal. His storylines have seen him revive the school's failing glee club, leave his wife Terri, win the love of school guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, and marry her.
Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through the show's final episode, first broadcast on March 20, 2015.
Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists, alongside Mr. Schue in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. She is the glee club star of the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set. Her storylines have seen her suffer peer alienation due to her Broadway ambitions and over-eager personality, but she is very kind-hearted and willing to help even if people do not need it and develop romantic feelings for Jesse St. James, a member of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, but primarily for quarterback and glee club co-captain Finn Hudson, to whom she eventually becomes engaged.
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the TV series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is the cheerleading captain at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, as well as a member of the school's glee club. In the first episode, Quinn is introduced as an antagonistic queen bee stock character. She joins the school glee club to spy on her boyfriend Finn Hudson and becomes a spy for cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester ; she remains part of the club after she is removed from the cheerleading team, the "Cheerios", due to her pregnancy. Over the course of the first season, her character matures and builds friendships with the other outcasts who make up the glee club. Quinn gives birth at the end of the first season to a baby girl, Beth, whom she gives up for adoption. Quinn was 16 years old when she had her baby.
Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character was portrayed by Mark Salling, and appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, to the series finale, broadcast on March 20, 2015. Puck was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. He is Finn's best friend and football teammate, who initially disapproves of Finn joining the New Directions glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set, but he eventually joins it himself. In 2010, Salling was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male for his work as Puck, and in 2011 for the Choice TV: Scene Stealer Male category.
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new members by performing Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" in a school assembly. It advances the love triangles between Rachel, Finn and Quinn and Emma, Will and Terri, and sees antagonist Sue Sylvester begin to conspire against the club.
"Acafellas" is the third episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 16, 2009. It was directed by John Scott and written by series creator Ryan Murphy. The episode sees glee club director Will Schuester form an all-male a cappella group, the Acafellas, neglecting the club in favor of dedicating his time to the new endeavor. New Directions struggle with choreography, and resist attempts at sabotage by members of the cheer squad. Mercedes harbors romantic feelings for Kurt, who comes out as gay.
"Vitamin D" is the sixth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 7, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In the episode, glee club director Will Schuester pits the male and female club members against each other for a mash-up competition. Will's wife Terri takes a job as the school nurse to stop him becoming closer to guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury, and starts giving the students performance-enhancing pseudoephedrine tablets.
"Throwdown" is the seventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 2009. It was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk. The episode includes a clash between glee club director Will Schuester and cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester when she is named co-director of the glee club. As Sue tries to divide the club by turning the students against Will, his wife Terri blackmails her OB/GYN into colluding with her over her fake pregnancy.
"Sectionals" is the thirteenth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win the sectionals round of competition, advancing on to regionals. Glee club member Finn discovers he is not the father of his girlfriend Quinn's baby. Football coach Ken Tanaka plans his wedding with Emma on the same day as the sectionals competition. Will Schuester is unable to take the students to sectionals and Emma offers to take them. The episode sees the return of Eve and Michael Hitchcock as rival glee club directors Grace Hitchens and Dalton Rumba.
"Hell-O" is the fourteenth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 13, 2010. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan and directed by Brad Falchuk. In "Hell-O", cheer-leading coach Sue Sylvester attempts to sabotage the relationship between glee club members Finn Hudson and Rachel Berry. Glee club director Will Schuester attempts to begin a relationship with school guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury, but several obstacles come between them, including the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline.
"Funk" is the twenty-first episode of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene. It premiered on the Fox network on June 1, 2010, and was watched by 9 million viewers. In "Funk", New Directions is intimidated by rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Jesse St. James defects back to Vocal Adrenaline, and New Directions explores funk music, knowing it is their rival club's weakness. The episode features cover versions of six songs, all of which were released as singles, available for download, and two of which are included on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers.
"Theatricality" is the twentieth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode was written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and premiered on the Fox network on May 25, 2010.
Shelby Corcoran is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Idina Menzel, Shelby was introduced in the fourteenth episode of the show as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, a rival show choir to New Directions, the show's primary musical group. Fans had lobbied for Menzel to be cast as Rachel Berry's biological mother, due to the strong physical resemblance between Menzel and Michele. After it is revealed that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother, Shelby discloses that she had signed a contract that stated that she could not seek out her daughter until she was eighteen. She tells Rachel that instead of trying to act like mother and daughter, they should just be grateful that they have met, and maintain a distance.
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the forty-sixth overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States. It features the return of Shelby Corcoran to the show to direct a rival glee club at William McKinley High even while New Directions, the current club, is having trouble recruiting members. Shelby also wants Quinn and Puck, the biological parents of her adopted daughter Beth, to be a part of Beth's life. The director of New Directions, Will Schuester sets up a "booty camp" for the less capable dancers in the club, and auditions for the school musical, West Side Story, begin.
"Nationals" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixty-fifth overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by Eric Stoltz, the episode is the second of two new episodes that aired back-to-back on Fox in the United States on May 15, 2012. It features New Directions facing off against Vocal Adrenaline at the Nationals show choir competition in Chicago, and several special guest stars: Whoopi Goldberg as NYADA dean Carmen Tibideaux, Jonathan Groff as Vocal Adrenaline director Jesse St. James, Lindsay Lohan as herself judging the competition and Rex Lee playing a Chicago alderman who is another of the judges.
"The Hurt Locker, Part One" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 112th overall. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Ian Brennan, and first aired on January 23, 2015 on Fox in the United States. It is the first part of a two-part episode which concluded on January 30, 2015 with the episode "The Hurt Locker, Part Two".
"2009" is the twelfth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 120th episode overall. Written by the show's co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan and directed by Paris Barclay, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 20, 2015, along with the next episode, "Dreams Come True", as a special two-hour season and series finale. The episode features a flashback from the show's pilot episode that explores the reasons why the original five members of the New Directions glee club decided to join.
"Dreams Come True" is the series finale of the American musical television series Glee. It is also the 13th and final episode of the show's sixth season and the 121st episode overall. Written by the show's co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan and directed by Bradley Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 20, 2015, along with the previous episode, "2009", as a special two-hour finale.