"Sectionals" | |
---|---|
Glee episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 13 |
Directed by | Brad Falchuk |
Written by | Brad Falchuk |
Featured music | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" "Proud Mary" "Don't Stop Believin' " "Don't Rain on My Parade" "You Can't Always Get What You Want" "My Life Would Suck Without You" |
Production code | 1ARC12 |
Original air date | December 9, 2009 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"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 (Cory Monteith) discovers he is not the father of his girlfriend Quinn's (Dianna Agron) baby. Football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher) plans his wedding with Emma (Jayma Mays) on the same day as the sectionals competition. Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) 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.
The episode features covers of six songs, studio recordings of four of which were released as singles, available for digital download, and are also included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 2 . "Sectionals" was watched by 8.127 million U.S. viewers, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. The episode's musical performances attracted praise, as did the development of Will and Emma's relationship, though Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly suggested it may have been preferable to leave their romance unresolved. James Poniewozik of Time felt that by concluding the pregnancy storyline in "Sectionals", Glee was able to "clear the decks for a second half of the season as the confident show it now is". [1]
As a result of a technicality in the show choir competition rules, glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is not allowed to accompany New Directions to sectionals. Guidance counsellor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) postpones her own wedding by a few hours so that she can take the club in his place, although her fiancé, football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher), feels she is choosing Will over him.
Most of the glee club has learned that Puck (Mark Salling), not Finn (Cory Monteith), is the father of Quinn's baby, and begin to mistrust Quinn. They hide this fact from Rachel (Lea Michele), believing that she will tell Finn. Emma takes over as faculty advisor of the club as they start working on their set list for sectionals. With two group songs selected, Rachel says that she'll sing the solo ballad. Mercedes (Amber Riley) jealously objects to this, and much to Rachel almost feeling dismayed, she agrees to give it to Mercedes. Mercedes sings "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" to wild applause. Rachel agrees that Mercedes deserves to sing the solo and the two hug. Meanwhile, Rachel has deduced that Puck impregnated Quinn and tells Finn, who then beats up Puck and confronts Quinn, who tearfully admits the truth. Angered by their betrayal, Finn quits the club on the eve of sectionals, and has to be replaced by school reporter Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman), who is only going to stalk Rachel. New Directions arrive at the event to discover their competitors have received an advance copy of their set list and are performing all three of their chosen songs thanks to Sue's plan to sabotage the glee club. Emma calls Will, who convinces Finn to help his New Directions teammates. Will finds Finn in the locker room and talks to him about how special he is and that the club needs him.
Emma confronts rival choir directors Grace Hitchens (Eve) and Dalton Rumba (Michael Hitchcock), while New Directions chooses new performance pieces for their set list at the last minute. Rachel asks Mercedes to perform another ballad, but Mercedes insists, with the rest of the club agreeing, that Rachel is the best choice to perform "on the fly". They also decide to include "Somebody to Love" as their closer but are stuck for a third piece until Finn arrives with new sheet music for the group, ready to perform with them. Rachel gives a solo performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade", receiving a standing ovation after finishing. The group then performs "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones, to the applause and cheers of the audience. After their performance, Grace attempts to confess her duplicity to the judges, but they have already unanimously decided that New Directions has won the competition. Will angrily confronts Sue and promises he will damage her for all the trouble she has caused.
Having previously discovered that his wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) was faking her pregnancy, Will tells her he no longer feels the same way he did when they first fell in love. He later attends Ken and Emma's delayed wedding, only to find that Ken has ended the relationship as a result of Emma's feelings for Will. She announces her intention to leave McKinley High School, explaining that it will be too painful for her to carry on working with Will and Ken. Back at school, Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) suspends cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) for leaking the glee club's set list, and has Will reinstated as the director of New Directions. The glee club members show Will their trophy and perform "My Life Would Suck Without You" for him. The dance moves in the finale are a combination of the dances from other songs that have been performed so far. As Emma prepares to leave the school, Will chases after her and stops her with a kiss. Both are happy, but uncertain of what will happen next.
Glee was originally commissioned by Fox for a thirteen episode run, culminating with "Sectionals". On September 21, 2009, the network announced an extension of the first season, [2] ordering a further nine episodes. [3] "Sectionals" therefore serves as the mid-season finale, with the remainder of the season airing from April 13, 2010. [4] Events in "Sectionals" are influenced by the season's eleventh episode "Hairography", in which cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester gave New Directions' competition set-list to their rival glee clubs. She had it that the clubs perform New Directions' songs first, making it appear that they are copying them, so New Directions, as Morrison explained, "have to do this impromptu thing and fly by the seat of [their] pants." [5] Morrison has called "Sectionals" "the best episode" of the series. [6]
"Sectionals" was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk. [3] Recurring characters who appear in the episode are glee club members Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) and Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton), football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher), school reporter Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman), Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) and local news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones). Anna Camp and Patricia Forte guest star as sectionals judges Candace Dykstra and Donna Landries, Peter Choi is the Emcee, and Thomasina Gross plays Perfect Engleberger, a member of the Jane Addams Academy glee club. "Sectionals" also sees the return of Eve and Michael Hitchcock as rival glee club directors Grace Hitchens and Dalton Rumba. [7] Eve was offered the role of Grace after Whitney Houston declined to appear. [8]
The episode features cover versions of "Don't Rain on My Parade" by Barbra Streisand, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones, "My Life Would Suck Without You" by Kelly Clarkson, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls , "Don't Stop Believin' " by Journey and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. [9] Studio recordings of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", "Don't Rain on My Parade", "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "My Life Would Suck Without You" were released as singles in December 2009, available for download. [10] They are also included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 2 . [11] "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" charted at number 85 in Canada and 94 in the US, [12] while "Don't Rain on My Parade" charted at number 59 in Canada and 53 in the US. [13] "You Can't Always Get What You Want" charted at number 51 in Canada and 71 in the US, [14] and "My Life Would Suck Without You" charted at number 66 in Australia, [15] 40 in Canada and 51 in the US. [16] The performance of "My Life Would Suck Without You" showcased choreography from numerous performances from earlier episodes. [17]
The episode was watched by 8.127 million US viewers. [18] It was the show's highest-rated episode ever with teenagers, [19] and its season high in the 18-49 demographic, with a rating/share of 3.7/9. [18] In Canada, it was the tenth most watched show for the week of broadcast, attaining 1.64 million viewers. [20]
"Sectionals" received mostly positive reviews from critics. TV Guide 's Natalie Abrams felt it ended the beginning of the season on a "high note", [21] while Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal commented: "You couldn’t have asked for a better cliffhanger of a fall finale". [17] IGN's Eric Goldman rated the episode 9/10, calling it "very satisfying", [22] and Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times commended it as "fine television." [23] James Poniewozik of Time wrote: "I'm not sure I expected or wanted a feel-good ending out of the first half of Glee. But what we got from "Sectionals" left me feeling very good about where the show is going this spring." [1] In contrast, Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger , felt that the episode brought too many storylines to a head at once, "not allowing all to have as much impact as they might have had the big developments been spaced out". Sepinwall commented, however, that the acting and especially singing performances were "uniformly strong." [24]
"The number reminded me how much I like what the show's done with Rachel: she's a lead character, yet the show allows her to be annoying—but at the same time, her dedication makes her likeable. And as we see here, as much of a pill as she can be, her ability to whip out a performance she's been working on since age four is an asset."
James Poniewozik of Time on Rachel's performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade". [1]
Musical performances in the episode attracted praise. Aly Semigran of MTV called Riley's rendition of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" "goose bump-inducing", [25] while Goldman commended: "Riley absolutely killed it as Mercedes belted out that song". [22] In contrast, Poniewozik wrote that it was the one song choice he didn't like, feeling that it is overused, thus diminishing its impact. [1] Abrams deemed Rachel's solo performance at sectionals "amazing", [21] and Flandez recommended: "Watch it again if you ever want to take back three minutes of your life that you’ve wasted on something else." [17] Pardue called the group performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" "energetic [...] casual [...] and very Glee", but felt it "would have been nice" to feature different singers. [26] Dan Snierson for Entertainment Weekly similarly noted that he would have preferred "more vocal interplay between all group members". [27] In December 2012, TV Guide named the rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade" one of Glee's best performances, commenting: "Glee has done Broadway many times, but rarely better than this." [28]
Critics also commented positively on the development of Will and Emma's relationship, with Abrams noting that she had been waiting for them to kiss since the pilot episode, [21] and Goldman deeming their coming together "very hard to not feel good about". [22] Snierson, however, wrote that although there was satisfaction in the episode ending on the kiss, it may have been "more intriguing" to conclude with Will finding Emma's office empty, questioning whether it was too soon for the two of them to begin a relationship. [27] The end of Quinn's pregnancy secret was also well received. Poniewozik wrote that the pregnancy storyline had felt as though "the early Glee wasn't confident that people would be interested in it without these over-the-top soap opera twists." He noted that in concluding the pregnancy deception in "Sectionals", Glee: "seemed to clear the decks for a second half of the season as the confident show it now is." [1]
Finn Christopher Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character was portrayed by Cory Monteith and first appeared on television when Glee premiered its pilot episode on Fox on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. Glee follows the trials of the New Directions glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in the town of Lima, Ohio. Finn is initially quarterback of his high school football team. A popular jock at the top of the school's social hierarchy, when he finds himself forced to join the school's glee club, he discovers that he loves it, although he risks alienation from his friends by remaining a member. His storylines see him struggle with his decision to stay in the club, which is at the bottom of the social ladder, while he maintains his popular reputation and the respect of the other jocks. The character has dealt with his attraction to both self-centered head cheerleader Quinn Fabray and ambitious yet kindhearted glee club star singer Rachel Berry, the series' female lead. Following Monteith's death on July 13, 2013, it was announced that Finn's own death would occur in the third episode of the fifth season, titled "The Quarterback".
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.
Emma Pillsbury Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. She is a guidance counselor at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the series is set. Emma suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and has romantic feelings for glee club director Will Schuester, but she becomes engaged to football coach Ken Tanaka, as Will is married. Ken ultimately breaks up with her on their wedding day because of her feelings for Will, and when Will leaves his wife, Terri, he and Emma share a kiss. Their relationship is short-lived, and in the second season, Emma and her dentist boyfriend Carl Howell marry in Las Vegas. The marriage is later annulled, as it was unconsummated. At the beginning of the third season, she and Will are living together; they become engaged shortly after New Year, and they consummate their relationship near the end of the school year. Emma leaves Will at the altar midway through the fourth season, but the two later reconcile and marry in the season finale. She becomes pregnant during the middle of the fifth season.
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.
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Initially, she is a shy and insecure performer with a fake stutter, and member of the glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, where the show is set. As the series progressed, she became more independent and confident.
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. She is a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up, and is a member of the glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.
"The Rhodes Not Taken" is the fifth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 2009 and was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by John Scott. The episode features glee club director Will Schuester recruiting former star April Rhodes, hoping to improve the club's chances in the wake of Rachel’s defection to the school musical. Finn flirts with Rachel in an attempt to convince her to return, and although Rachel is angry when she discovers Finn's girlfriend is pregnant, she ultimately rejoins the club.
Glee Live! In Concert! was a 2010—2011 concert tour performed in-character by members of the cast of the popular television series Glee. The tour, created by series creator Ryan Murphy, was designed to build on the overwhelming response to the series, with Murphy stating that the series' soundtrack and concerts were an additional revenue stream from the series. The tour, which played in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, received positive responses from both music critics and fans of the series. The first North American leg of the tour in May 2010 played ten shows, in four cities, seen by over 70,000 spectators, generating over five million dollars in ticket sales and ranking ninth on the Billboard Hot Tours list. The 2011 tour was seen by an audience of over 485,000 and placed sixteenth on Billboard's annual Top 25 Tours list, earning over $40 million from 31 shows, played in 21 cities.
"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 and Sue Sylvester. Club member Quinn gives birth to her daughter, Beth, whom rival glee club coach Shelby Corcoran adopts. Co-captains Finn and Rachel reunite, and director Will Schuester professes his love for guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury. Although New Directions comes in last in the competition, Sue persuades Principal Figgins not to disband the club for another year.
Sam Evans is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010. Sam is a transfer student to William McKinley High School who becomes a member of the football team, as well as a member of the glee club, New Directions. In his first episode, Sam performs Travie McCoy's "Billionaire" with some of the guys in the glee club, but Finn ends up mocking Sam because of his talent and terrifies Sam. Because of Finn’s mean tricks he does not show up for tryouts due to the low social status of the club's members. He later joins, nonetheless.
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and first appeared in the show's second episode, "Showmance". Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. In Glee, Brittany is a ditzy cheerleader, or "Cheerio", for the fictional William McKinley High School, and a member of the school's glee club led by Will Schuester. Morris was originally hired to teach Beyoncé's "Single Ladies " dance to the Glee cast. At that time, the series was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris landed the role. Morris was upgraded to a series regular in the series' second season, in which Brittany is given a larger storyline, solos and dance routines to perform.
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the thirty-first episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010. In "Special Education", the McKinley High School glee club New Directions competes in the Sectionals round of show choir competition against the Hipsters and the Dalton Academy Warblers, while dealing with internal feuding that threatens to rip the club apart.
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011. McKinley High's glee club, New Directions, decides to prepare original songs for the Regionals competition against the Dalton Academy Warblers, and Westvale High's Aural Intensity coached by Sue Sylvester. Blaine finally shows his affection for Kurt. Rachel tries to repair her relationship with Finn and faces off with Quinn. New Directions wins the Midwest Regional Show Choir competition, advancing to the upcoming Nationals competition in New York City.
"Yes/No" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the fifty-fourth overall. Written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Eric Stoltz, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on January 17, 2012. It contains the revelation of an elopement, and two marriage proposals, including the proposal by Will Schuester to Emma Pillsbury.
"The Role You Were Born to Play" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-first episode overall. It was written by Michael Hitchcock and directed by Brad Falchuk, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2012. The episode features the return of Mercedes and Mike, and the introduction of The Glee Project second-season winner Blake Jenner as McKinley student Ryder Lynn. This is the first episode of the show where lead star Lea Michele did not appear as Rachel Berry since her introduction in the show's pilot episode.
"Thanksgiving" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-fourth episode overall. Written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner, and directed by Bradley Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on November 29, 2012. The episode features the return of many of the New Directions graduates to help in coaching the current glee club for Sectionals competition, which takes place on Thanksgiving, and the reappearance of special guest star Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright, Kurt's boss in New York City.
"Swan Song" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-fifth episode overall. Written by Stacy Traub and directed by co-creator Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on December 6, 2012. The episode features the return of special guest stars Whoopi Goldberg as New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA) dean Carmen Tibideaux and Kate Hudson as NYADA dance instructor Cassandra July, on the eve of the school's Winter Showcase.
"Wonder-ful" is the twenty-first episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eighty-seventh episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 2013, and features the introduction of special guest star Katey Sagal as Nancy Abrams and the return of special guest star Kate Hudson as Cassandra July. The episode is a tribute to the music of Stevie Wonder.
"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.
{{cite magazine}}
: Check |url=
value (help){{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)