The Untitled Rachel Berry Project

Last updated
"The Untitled Rachel Berry Project"
Glee episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 20
Directed by Brad Falchuk
Written byMatthew Hodgson
Featured music
Production code5ARC20
Original air dateMay 13, 2014 (2014-05-13)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Old Dog New Tricks"		Next →
"Loser like Me"
Glee season 5
List of episodes

"The Untitled Rachel Berry Project" is the twentieth episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee , and the 108th episode overall. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by co-creator Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on May 13, 2014, and features the return of special guest star Shirley MacLaine as rich socialite June Dolloway in her second and last appearance.

Contents

Plot

The regular Monday-night dinner is being held at Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Kurt Hummel's (Chris Colfer) apartment, and Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris) shows up unexpectedly. To her disappointment, Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) is not there—she is in Iowa shooting a commercial—and then a second, expected visitor arrives: famed screenwriter Mary Halloran (Kristen Schaal), who has been sent by the network to create a television script for Rachel to star in. The two of them later meet, and Rachel is clearly nonplussed by Mary's ideas and idiosyncratic behavior.

Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley) kicks off a nationwide shopping mall concert tour in New York; her label has added Brittany as her star backup dancer, with Santana set to join them in Reno. Her boyfriend Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) is chosen as the new underwear model for a major ad campaign. With Mercedes leaving, their friends separately urge them to break off their relationship, as they feel the strains of being apart yet faithful will be unfair to Sam, who is already struggling with abstinence. Despite the advice, both Mercedes and Sam decide to continue as a couple.

Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) meets with wealthy socialite June Dolloway (Shirley MacLaine) in advance of their NYADA showcase; he makes one more attempt to add Kurt to the event, and she is unequivocal: she will drop her sponsorship if he tries. When Kurt arrives after she leaves, Blaine confesses that Kurt is not actually in the show, but he had been hoping to convince June to include him. Kurt is furious that Blaine has again lied to him, and storms out. Later, the two reconcile: Blaine is no longer eager to do the showcase since Kurt is not welcome to perform in it, and Kurt acknowledges that they will invariably hurt one another even though they are together and their love is real, and urges him to shine at the event.

The friends gather to read Mary's script: with the exception of Brittany, they think it is terrible. Later, Rachel meets with Mary and tells her that the lead character does not sound like her. Mary points out that television viewers want anti-heroes, but Rachel responds by singing, and Mary, uncharacteristically, is moved and made happy by the performance. She agrees to redo the script, but warns Rachel that the network will never make a pilot from it.

At Sam's model shoot, the "sex buzz" present during his audition is gone. The photographer who cast him clears the room, tells him that no one will know what happens there, and kisses him. When he returns to the apartment, he confesses to Mercedes that he cheated, though it was only the one kiss, and he burst into tears. Mercedes admits that she may not be ready for years, which she feels is unfair to Sam, so though they love each other, they ultimately decide to formally end their relationship, which could nevertheless resume whenever Mercedes feels ready.

The NYADA showcase June presents for Blaine is a big success, and he and June end with a duet. He is called back to do an encore, and telling the audience that to know him means knowing the love of his life, asks Kurt to join him. June looks angry for much of the song, but her expression softens, and she joins in the dance at the end, and tells Blaine she was wrong.

The assembled friends read Mary's new script, and they all love it except for Brittany. A bus stops outside the apartment with Sam's ad featured on the outside, and though Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) congratulates him on the start of a big career, Sam says it is the finish: he is moving back to Lima where things are slower—everyone is scattering anyway. The final song shows them doing just that: Mercedes and Brittany leave for their tour, Blaine moves back in with Kurt and Rachel, Artie is busy at film school, and Sam is seen back at McKinley, looking in on the computer lab that has taken over the choir room. As the episode ends, Rachel gets a call from the network: they want her to film the pilot.

Production

Production of the episode began in mid-April, and included a Saturday shoot on April 26, 2014. Michele recorded her final song of the season, "Glitter in the Air"—which co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk allowed her to select—on April 16, [1] [2] and filmed it on April 29. [3] Filming for the episode and season ended on May 2, 2014, eleven days before the episode aired on May 13 as the season's finale. [4] [5]

According to Murphy, the events of the episode, including to the two current New York couples Kurt and Blaine, and Mercedes and Sam—"something big happens"—will set up the sixth and final season of the show. [6] Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt Hummel, said that the season "has a really nice conclusion" and that "every character gets a good send-off". [7]

Special guest star Shirley MacLaine returns as socialite June Dolloway. Other recurring characters appearing in this episode include McKinley High alumnae Mercedes Jones (Riley) [4] and Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris). [8] One character that does not appear is the character coupled with Brittany, Santana Lopez, played by cast regular Naya Rivera. Although originally set to be in the episode, Santana was later written out. [5]

Seven songs from the episode are being released on a digital seven-track EP with the title Glee: The Music, The Untitled Rachel Berry Project. These include the original song "Shakin' My Head" sung by Riley, [9] John Legend's "All of Me" sung by Criss, Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" sung by Overstreet featuring Beau Garrett, Pink's "Glitter in the Air" sung by Michele, [3] "No Time at All" from Pippin performed by MacLaine and Criss, [10] Estelle's (feat. Kanye West) "American Boy" sung by Criss and Colfer, and Bastille's "Pompeii" performed by Michele, Colfer, Overstreet, Riley, Criss, Morris, and Kevin McHale. [11] [12]

Reception

The episode was watched by 1.87 million American viewers, and attained an 18–49 rating/share of 0.6/2. [13] This marks a decrease in ratings from the previous episode, [14] and a sharp decline from the fourth season finale. [15] The show placed fifth in its timeslot (with NCIS placing first) and fourteenth for the night. [13] Including DVR viewership, the episode attained an overall 18-49 rating of 1.2, [16] down slightly from the previous episode that attained an overall 18-49 rating (including DVR viewership) of 1.3. [17] This is the least watched finale throughout the show's run.

Related Research Articles

"New Directions" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the one-hundred-first episode overall. Written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2014, and is the second part of a two-part anniversary episode that features the apparent end of New Directions after the club is shut down by principal Sue Sylvester. Many graduates of the glee club have returned, as have special guest stars Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday. This is the last appearance of Paltrow, Chenoweth, and Melissa Benoist on the series, although Benoist is still credited as a series regular throughout the remainder of the season.

"Heart" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the fifty-seventh overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by co-creator Brad Falchuk, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2012, and features Valentine's Day love songs performed by the McKinley High glee club. It also features the debuts of special guest stars Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Rachel's two fathers and The Glee Project winner Samuel Larsen as transfer student Joe Hart.

"Britney 2.0" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixty-eighth episode overall. Written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it aired on Fox in the United States on September 20, 2012, and features Glee's second episode dedicated to the music of Britney Spears. This episode features the New Directions attempting to cheer up a depressed Brittany Pierce with Britney Spears songs. Special guest star Kate Hudson returns as Rachel's dance instructor, Cassandra July.

"Makeover" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixty-ninth episode overall. Written by Ian Brennan and directed by Eric Stoltz, it aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2012. In the episode, Brittany and Blaine go head-to-head in a debate for student council president, while Kurt lands an internship at Vogue.com and Rachel decides to give herself a makeover. The episode features the introduction of special guest star Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright of Vogue.com.

"Diva" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-ninth episode overall. Written by co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Paris Barclay, it aired on Fox in the United States on February 7, 2013. Paris Barclay was nominated at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode.

"I Do" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eightieth episode overall. Written and directed by co-creators Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk, respectively, it aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2013, and features the events surrounding the long-anticipated wedding of Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury.

"Guilty Pleasures" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eighty-third episode overall. Written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner and directed by Eric Stoltz, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 21, 2013. Kelley Mitchell, Jennifer Greenberg, Melissa Buell, Tym Shutchai Buacharern, Paula Jane Hamilton and Darla Albright were nominated at the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series for this episode.

"All or Nothing" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eighty-eighth episode overall. Written by Ian Brennan and directed by Bradley Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 2013. Patty Duke and Meredith Baxter make their only appearances as a lesbian couple, Jan and Liz, who were briefly considered for an ongoing storyline. Jessica Sanchez returns as Frida Romero, a powerhouse singer for a show choir competing against McKinley High's New Directions at Regionals. Meanwhile, Rachel is auditioning for a Broadway role. Brittany develops an unusual attitude and gives out weird demands and Blaine reveals that he plans to propose marriage to Kurt after he meets a lesbian couple who legally marry. Brittany finally reveals she was given an acceptance into MIT and says a tearful goodbye to her friends including Santana and Sam, Ryder refuses to perform at Regionals unless a "Catfish" is revealed and Will and Emma get married in the choir room.

"Movin' Out" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-fourth episode overall. It was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Brad Falchuk, and it aired on Fox in the United States on November 21, 2013. The episode is a tribute to the music of Billy Joel, and features seven of his songs. The episode features special guest star Tyra Banks as Bichette, the head of a modeling agency.

"Trio" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-eighth episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on March 4, 2014.

"New New York" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 102nd episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 1, 2014. Effective with this episode, the action of the show is to be centered in New York City, and continue there for the remainder of the season.

"Bash" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 103rd episode overall. Written by Ian Brennan and directed by Brad Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on April 8, 2014. Special guest star Whoopi Goldberg returns as NYADA dean Carmen Tibideaux, and the episode features several songs by Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim.

"The Back-up Plan" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 106th episode overall. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by co-creator Ian Brennan, it aired on Fox in the United States on April 29, 2014, and features the introduction of Shirley MacLaine as rich socialite June Dolloway.

Homecoming (<i>Glee</i>) 2nd episode of the 6th season of Glee

"Homecoming" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 110th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by executive producer Bradley Buecker, and first aired on January 9, 2015 on Fox in the United States along with the previous episode, "Loser Like Me", as a special two-hour premiere.

"Jagged Little Tapestry" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 111th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paul McCrane, and first aired on January 16, 2015, on Fox in the United States.

"What the World Needs Now" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 114th overall. The episode was written by Michael Hitchcock, directed by Barbara Brown, and first aired on February 6, 2015 on Fox in the United States.

"Transitioning" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 115th overall. The episode was written by Matthew Hodgson, directed by Dante Di Loreto, and first aired on February 13, 2015 on Fox in the United States.

"A Wedding" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 116th overall. The episode was written by Ross Maxwell, directed by executive producer Bradley Buecker, and first aired on February 20, 2015 on Fox in the United States.

"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.

References

  1. ↑ Michele, Lea (April 16, 2014). "Twitter / @msleamichele: Final recording session for #Glee season 5 today w/ @alxanders! Thank you Alex and @AdamAnders for another amazing season!" . Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  2. ↑ Michele, Lea (April 16, 2014). "Twitter / @msleamichele: And thank u @BFalchuk & @MrRPMurphy for letting me pick & sing my favorite song of all time for the season finale. Loved singing it today:)" . Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Michele, Lea (April 29, 2014). "Twitter / @msleamichele: On the #Glee set today singing my all time favorite song "Glitter In The Air" by Pink.. Thank you @BFalchuk for letting me sing it:)" . Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Listings – Glee on Fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Aguilera, Leanne; Dos Santos, Kristin (May 2, 2014). "How Naya Rivera Compares to All the Glee Cast Shake-Ups". E! Online . NBCUniversal . Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ Ausiello, Michael (April 15, 2014). "Glee Boss Ryan Murphy Reveals Game Plan for 'Satisfying' Final Season (Who'll Be Back?!); Plus—Inside the 'Painful' Rachel Romance Debate". TVLine . PMC . Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ Swift, Andy (May 5, 2014). "Glee's Chris Colfer on His Writing Debut, Klaine's Rocky Future and 'Possibilities' For Season 6". TVLine . PMC . Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ Aguilera, Leanne; Dos Santos, Kristin (April 14, 2014). "Heather Morris Is Coming Back to Glee!". E! Online . NBCUniversal . Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ Stack, Tim (May 8, 2014). "Glee season finale: Watch Mercedes & Brittany perform an original song -- Exclusive Video". Inside TV. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  10. ↑ Snetiker, Marc (April 28, 2014). "Shirley MacLaine on her 'Glee' guest spot and singing Janis Joplin". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  11. ↑ Aguilera, Leanne (May 12, 2014). "Glee Finale Sneak Peek: Rachel, Kurt and the Rest of the Gang Sing "Pompeii"— Listen Now!". E! Online . NBCUniversal . Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Glee: The Music, The Untitled Rachel Berry Project". amazon.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (July 29, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' & 'The Goldbergs' Adjusted Up; 'The Originals', 'Supernatural' & 'About A Boy' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 7, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' & 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  15. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 10, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'American Idol', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Wipeout', & 'Elementary' Adjusted Up; 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  16. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 29, 2014). "Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Has Biggest 18-49 Ratings Increase, 'Glee' Tops Percentage Gains in Week 34". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  17. ↑ Bibel, Sara (July 29, 2014). "Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Has Biggest 18-49 Ratings & Viewership Gains, 'Nashville' Top Percentage Gains in Week 33". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.