The End of Twerk

Last updated

"The End of Twerk"
Glee episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 5
Directed by Wendey Stanzler
Written by Michael Hitchcock
Featured music
Production code5ARC05
Original air dateNovember 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"A Katy or a Gaga"		Next →
"Movin' Out"
Glee season 5
List of episodes

"The End of Twerk" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee , and the ninety-third episode overall. Written by Michael Hitchcock, and directed by Wendey Stanzler, it aired on Fox in the United States on November 14, 2013, and features the return of special guest stars Ioan Gruffudd as Paolo San Pablo, the Funny Girl leading man, and Peter Facinelli as Rupert Campion, the show's director.

Contents

Plot

Glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) decides to have New Directions twerk in Nationals to "edge up" their performance, and recruits Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist) and Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin) to teach the dance to the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Wade "Unique" Adams is caught using the girls' bathroom by Bree (Erinn Westbrook), and is forced to use the boys' bathroom from then on.

In New York, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) rehearses "You Are Woman, I Am Man" from Funny Girl with her co-star, Paolo San Pablo (Ioan Gruffud), and surprises the director, Rupert Campion (Peter Facinelli), by wearing a wig during the performance, which he agrees fits the character. Rachel later tells Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) how it was positive for her to rebel a bit after Finn Hudson's death, and convinces Kurt that they should both get tattoos.

In Lima, Principal Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is appalled by Will's assignment and bans twerking from McKinley High. Will refuses to accept this and performs "Blurred Lines" with New Directions and other students, misunderstanding the meaning of the song. Sue fires him, but he appeals to the school board by showing how several dances were, in their time, considered as controversial as twerking, and is reinstated.

Unique is bullied while using the boys' bathroom and sings "If I Were a Boy" in frustration. She later asks Sue for a unisex bathroom, and Sue places a portable toilet in the middle of the choir room to get back at Will. He then volunteers to let Unique use the faculty bathroom every time she needs. Upon learning of this, Sue offers to give Unique her own key if Will ends the twerking assignment and cancels his plans to have them do it at Nationals, and Will grudgingly accepts Sue's proposal.

Back in New York, Kurt is horrified to find out his tattoo is wrong, and that Rachel didn't get hers. He later confronts the tattoo artist (Bradford Tatum), who reveals Kurt misspelled it. He offers to fix it free of charge in order to motivate Kurt to not stop taking risks, and Kurt ends up getting a tongue piercing as well. Unbeknownst to him, Rachel did, in fact, get a tattoo, which spells "Finn".

Back in Lima, Bree tells Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist) that she had sex with Jake. Marley confronts Jake and breaks up with him when he confirms he has cheated on her with Bree. A heartbroken Marley then sings "Wrecking Ball". The following day, Will tells the club about his deal with Sue, and Blaine announces he has found a perfect song for them to do that fits their style: they perform "On Our Way".

Production

Co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed the name of the episode in a tweet on October 2, 2013. [1] In response to a later tweet, he said that the show would be doing at least one song by Miley Cyrus during the season, and continued, "I think she's wildly talented and very smart." [2]

Special guest stars Ioan Gruffudd and Peter Facinelli return as Paolo San Pablo and Rupert Campion, the Funny Girl leading man and director, respectively. [3] Other recurring characters in the episode include TV anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones) and his wife Andrea Carmichael (Earlene Davis), McKinley's new superintendent, Bob Harris (Christopher Cousins), and McKinley cheerleaders Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter) and Bree (Erinn Westbrook). [3]

Five songs from the episode are being released as singles: "You Are Woman, I Am Man" from Funny Girl sung by Gruffudd and Michele, Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball" sung by Benoist, Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy" sung by Newell, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" sung by Morrison, McHale, Artist and Westbrook, and The Royal Concept's "On Our Way" sung by New Directions. [4]

Reception

Ratings

The episode was watched by 4.22 million American viewers, and received an 18-49 rating/share of 1.4/4. [5]

Critical reception

The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Rae Votta of Billboard gave the episode a positive review, saying "An episode with a title like 'The End of Twerk' sounds like a Glee recipe for disaster, but by all miracles this week skirted the line of absurd, touching, and managed to advance multiple character narratives. The last is especially a feat in the world of Glee, and if the audience has to endure a little booty shaking and inappropriate Mr. Schue failures to get there, then so be it." [6] Derek Chavis of The Baltimore Sun also gave the episode a positive review, despite expecting to dislike it, saying "Glee nailed tonight for the first time all season and made me feel like I was watching the show I've loved for the last four years." [7]

Laura Frances of Screen Crave gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10, saying "Even if twerking is an awful dance, it's always entertaining to watch people 'shake it', especially when they don't know how to (which was pretty much the case in this episode). For the most part, 'The End Of Twerk' was another success for Glee's fifth season. New storylines were introduced like Unique's bully problem, and Marley and Jake's breakup. Plus, we like that Mr. Schue is playing on Sue's level. He was on fire last night." [8]

Miranda Wicker of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3 out of 5, signaling mixed to positive reviews, saying the episode "was actually not terrible despite the ridiculous devotion to the dance move currently winning awards for the dumbest name ever. Will Schuester actually made me think twerking is maybe not so bad... and then I started to wonder if perhaps I'm living in some sort of parallel universe." [9]

Lauren Hoffman of Vulture gave the episode a 2 out of 5, signaling more negative reviews, saying

What exactly was the point of last night's episode? Why revisit Miley and twerking and the inarguably rape-y implications of 'Blurred Lines'? Because it's certainly not like viewers at home have been champing at the bit to see how, exactly, Glee inserts itself into that particular drama. The debate around twerking started months ago and, in my estimation, ended soon after. How in the world does Glee stand to benefit from reigniting that debate? It seems reasonable to conclude that the entire point of last night’s episode was that viewers should re-engage and get up in arms about 'Blurred Lines', but I'm personally exhausted when it comes to that particular battle and I'm willing to bet that the majority of Glee's viewers are, too. [10]

Hoffman did comment positively on Rachel and Kurt's subplot, saying "What's intriguing is Rachel's insistence to Kurt that rebellion is, in some way, desirable and important. Glee has examined rebellion in the past, but never as a virtue that the New Directions members should strive for." [10] MaryAnn Sleasman of TV.com also commented on Rachel and Kurt's storyline, saying "Rachel and Kurt, struggling to reconnect to themselves in the wake of Finn's death, [...] could've used more screen time. The disruptive Lima/NY narrative split has been an issue since Rachel's class graduated and went their separate ways, though some episodes have handled it better than others." [11]

Esther Gim of BuddyTV gave the episode a negative review, saying "This is one of the most unoriginal storylines in the history of the show, like someone zapped all the writers of their creative juices. But hooray, there is an end in sight, since the episode is titled 'End of Twerk' after all." [12]

Related Research Articles

"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.

"Glease" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-second episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 15, 2012, and features the McKinley High production of the musical Grease, and the return of special guest star Kate Hudson as Cassandra July. Kurt and Rachel have awkward reunions with their exes, Will prepares to leave for his vacation and puts Finn in charge of the Glee Club while he is gone. Rachel and Kurt sever ties with their respective exes and leave at the end.

"Glee, Actually" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-sixth episode overall as well as the show's third Christmas-themed episode. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by Adam Shankman, it aired on Fox in the United States on December 13, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitty Wilde</span> Fictional character from the Fox series Glee

Kitty Wilde is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Becca Tobin, and appeared for the first time during the first episode of the fourth season, "The New Rachel", first broadcast on September 13, 2012. Kitty was introduced as a bully and a member of the McKinley High cheerleader squad who slushies the newest members of the Glee club, Marley Rose and Wade "Unique" Adams, and serves as the new teen antagonist for the season, as well as serving as a parallel to an early Quinn Fabray. As the season progressed, she joins the glee club and becomes Marley's worst enemy. However, later it is shown that Kitty also has a soft side. Her harshness and cruelty seems to be greatly lessened during the fifth and sixth season, as she is seen becoming a better person, though she still acts rudely in general most of the time.

"Naked" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the seventy-eighth episode overall. Written and directed by co-creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, respectively, it aired on Fox in the United States on January 31, 2013.

"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.

"Feud" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eighty-second episode overall. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by Bradley Buecker, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 14, 2013.

"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.

"Love, Love, Love" is the premiere episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the eighty-ninth episode overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Bradley Buecker, and first aired on September 26, 2013 on Fox in the United States.

"Tina in the Sky with Diamonds" is the second episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninetieth episode overall. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Ian Brennan and first aired on October 3, 2013 on Fox in the United States. The episode is the second of two tribute episodes to the Beatles. It features the prom, Tina Cohen-Chang runs for prom queen, the crush of Sam Evans on the new school nurse, the new romance between Santana Lopez and Dani, and a surprising news for Rachel Berry about Funny Girl. Special guest star Lovato makes her first appearance as Dani, a struggling artist in New York City, and Peter Facinelli returns as Rupert Campion, the Funny Girl director.

The Quarterback (<i>Glee</i>) 3rd episode of the 5th season of Glee

"The Quarterback" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-first episode overall. Written by all three of the show's creators—Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan—and directed by Falchuk, it first aired on Fox in the United States on October 10, 2013. The episode sees the death of character Finn Hudson, and acts as a tribute to Hudson and to actor Cory Monteith, who had played the character since the start of the series, and who died on July 13, 2013. The episode's plot centers on the impact Finn's death has on the characters, specifically Kurt Hummel, Will Schuester, Santana Lopez, Noah Puckerman, and Rachel Berry.

"A Katy or a Gaga" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-second episode overall. It was written by executive producers Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner, and directed by co-creator Ian Brennan, and it aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2013. The episode features the music of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, the debut of guest star Adam Lambert as Elliott "Starchild" Gilbert, and the return of special guest star Demi Lovato as Dani, Santana's girlfriend.

"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.

"Puppet Master" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-fifth episode overall. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by Paul McCrane, it aired on Fox in the United States on November 28, 2013. The episode features the return of special guest star Demi Lovato as Dani, and of Adam Lambert as Elliott "Starchild" Gilbert. The reason why Sue Sylvester always wears tracksuits is finally revealed.

"Previously Unaired Christmas" is the eighth episode and fall finale of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the ninety-sixth episode overall. It was directed by Wendey Stanzler and written by Ross Maxwell, and it aired on Fox in the United States on December 5, 2013. The episode is the show's fourth Christmas special, but due to season five being set in the same calendar year as season four, it is a non-canonical episode which purports to be the original season four Christmas special, suppressed by Fox.

"100" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 100th episode of the series overall. Written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, and directed by Paris Barclay, it aired on Fox in the United States on March 18, 2014. The episode features the apparent end of New Directions after the club is shut down by principal Sue Sylvester. Many graduates of the glee club return, as do special guest stars Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes and Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday.

"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.

Unique (<i>Glee</i>) Fictional character from the Fox series Glee

Unique Adams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee who first appeared in "Saturday Night Glee-ver", the sixteenth episode of the show's third season. Portrayed by actor Alex Newell, Unique is notable for being the show's first transgender character. Introduced as shy teen boy Wade Adams, the character is the featured vocalist of New Directions' rival group Vocal Adrenaline. She quickly finds the confidence to perform as trans woman Unique. She later transfers to William McKinley High School at the beginning of the fourth season in order to be in a place where she can be her true self.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marley Rose</span> Fictional character from the Fox series Glee

Marley Rose is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Melissa Benoist, and appeared in Glee since the premiere of the fourth season, "The New Rachel" first broadcast on September 13, 2012, up until the thirteenth episode of season five. Marley is a shy, unambitious wallflower who is the daughter of McKinley High's cafeteria lady, and aspires to be a singer on radio rather than on Broadway.

References

  1. ↑ Murphy, Ryan (October 2, 2013). "Twitter / @MrRPMurphy: Epi. 5 is called The End of Twerk. Apologies accepted" . Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ Murphy, Ryan (October 7, 2013). "Twitter / @MrRPMurphy: @Sayvon Yes. I really love her. I think she's wildly talented and very smart" . Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Listings – Glee on Fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Glee Cast – MP3 downloads". amazon.com. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  5. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 15, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; 'The X Factor', 'Parks and Recreation', 'The Millers', 'Sean Saves the World', 'Glee', 'The Michael J. Fox Show' & 'Parenthood' Adjusted Down". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  6. ↑ Votta, Rae (November 15, 2013). "'Glee' Recap: The 'End of Twerk' Episode Not As Bad As It Sounds". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  7. ↑ Chavis, Derek (November 15, 2013). "'Glee' recap: 'The End of Twerk'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  8. ↑ Frances, Laura (November 15, 2013). "Glee: The End Of Twerk: Episode 5 Season 5 – TV Review". Screen Crave. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ Wicker, Miranda (November 14, 2013). "Glee Review: You Better Twerk". TV Fanatic. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  10. 1 2 Hoffman, Lauren (November 15, 2013). "Glee Recap: Twerking, Moles, and 'Blurred Lines'". Vulture. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  11. ↑ Sleasman, MaryAnn (November 15, 2013). "Glee "The End of Twerk" Review: Split Decisions". TV.com. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ Gim, Esther (November 14, 2013). "'Glee' Recap: Before the End of Twerking, There Must be Lots of Twerking". Buddy TV. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
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.