Top 42 "Glee" moments, part one (21-42)
What with Glee ending its legendary first season this week, I have a tribute to pay. I will count down the 42 best moments from the series to date (with video where possible).
42. Terri walks in on Emma in Will's apartment (1x14, "Hell-O")
One of the most awkward scenes in the series, but both actresses shine here, particularly Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri); this is one of the show's three scenes that her character is well written. Emma is setting up a surprise dinner for Will, when in walks Terri, Will's soon-to-be-ex-wife. Emma gives Terri the cold shoulder and asks her to leave, to which Terri responds that she just wants to pick up the Bruckheimer DVD's she left. Terri finds a Neil Diamond record, and Emma gruffly explains that Will decided that "Hello Again" was to be their song. To which Terri responds:
Don't bother sleeping with my husband tonight - you're already screwed. "Hello" was our prom song.
And then she leaves Emma to her own devices.
41. "Take a Bow" (1x02, "Showmance")
No, it's not the most impressive number ever, but the reason it's listed is because Rachel does the song a hundred times better than Rihanna.
40. "Home" (1x16, "Home")
Kristen Chenoweth stops by McKinley High a second time and announces that with the hush money her former flame's widow gave her, she's going to New York City to do the first all-white production of The Wiz. (Big whoop. My sister's theater company practically did that last year.) Here's her doing a fantastic cover of one of the songs, and I apologize for the shoddy quality of the video.
39. Kurt comes out to Mercedes (1x03, "Acafellas")
Mercedes was under the impression that Kurt was in love with Rachel, and was clearly the only one who didn't know his true intentions. She is (hilariously) shocked, and it's just so clear that this is something that, despite his self-expression, he is clearly ashamed of.
38. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1x17, "Bad Reputation")
I'll say it - Jonathan Groff (as Lea Michele's love interest, Jesse St. James) was misused. But this scene between the two of them is glorious.
37. "Safety Dance" (1x19, "Dream On")
Was Artie's story line in this episode a little farfetched? Could a kid who's been paralyzed from the waist down from the age of eight actually believe he could be cured some time in the near future? Yeah. But was the sentiment sweet and touching? Yes. This dream sequence is divinely choreographed. Shame one of the best dancers in the cast plays a character in a wheelchair. (Video is mirror image.)
36. "Endless Love" (1x10, "Ballad")
Probably the show's second-most hilarious musical number to date. Reason 1: the voice-overs. Reason 2: Mr. Schuester's facial expressions.
35. "Highway to Hell" (1x14, "Hell-O")
In one fell swoop, we viewers are sucked into the highly pyrotechnic world of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Jonathan Groff gets to showcase his truly amazing pipes, and Idina Menzel makes her first appearance. :D (Video is mirror-image.)
34. Sue writes in her journal (1x06, "Vitamin D")
This is our first look into the devilish mind of Sue Sylvester. Only horror can ensue.
SUE. Dear Journal, feeling listless again today. It began at dawn, when I tried to make a smoothie out of beef bones, breaking my juicer. And then at Cheerios practice, DISASTER.
It was unmistakable. It was like spotting the first spark on the Hindenburg. (QUINN's knee briefly shakes.) A quiver! That quiver will lose us nationals. And without the championship, I'll lose my endorsements. And without those endorsements, I won't be able to buy my hovercraft…
(At practice.) You feeling all right, Quinn?
QUINN. I'm just tired from Glee, that's all.
SUE. (Back to her journal.) Glee club. Every time I try to destroy that bunch of scab-eating mouth breathers, it only comes back stronger, like some kind of sexually ambiguous horror movie villain. Here I am, about to turn thirty, and I've sacrificed everything only to be shanghaied by the machinations of a cabal of doughy, misshapen teens. Am I missing something journal? Is it me? Of course it's not me!
33. Puck's vignette about Judaism (1x08, "Mash-up")
"My history teacher once told me, 'Only Nixon can go to China.' I have no idea what he meant, but it reminded me of the time that my family ordered Chinese food and sat down for our annual Simchas Torah screening of Schindler's List. It wasn't the most normal tradition, but we did for my mom. She said it made her feel connected to her Jewish roots.
As she was handing me my sweet-and-sour pork, she said something that really hit home: 'You're no better than them, Noah. Why can't you date a Jewish girl?'
That night, I had the weirdest dream. I knew it had to be a dream, because there was no way Rachel could've climbed up the wall outside my window with no shoes on.
When I woke up, I knew it was more than a dream. It was a sign from God. Rachel was a hot Jew, and the good Lord wanted me to get into her pants."
32. "Somebody to Love" (1x05, "The Rhodes Not Taken")
I know it's bad that I'm saying this, but I still like this better than the original.
31. "Run Joey Run" (1x17, "Bad Reputation")
This is Rachel's attempt at musical promiscuity, as she put it. She casts Puck as her boyfriend (yeah, Team Puckleberry!) and herself "as the stunning young ingenue who dies à la Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!" It's ridiculously campy, and so overacted, and glorious. The last five seconds are the best part. And there's a surprise in store in the boyfriend casting (watch carefully at 1:49)… (Video is mirror-image.)
30. "Beautiful" (1x16, "Home")
Rounding out the Kristen Chenoweth/body image episode is this thrilling rendition of Christina Aguilera's best song to date. (Again, shoddy video.)
"Hi, guys, I'm Mercedes Jones. So most of you know Cheerios is about perfection and winning. About looking hot and being popular. Well, I think it should be about something different. How many of you at this school feel fat? How many of you feel like maybe you're not worth very much? That you're ugly, have too many pimples, or not enough friends? Well, I've felt all of those things about myself at one time or another. Hell, I've felt most of those things about myself today. And that just ain't right. And we've got something to say about it. And if you like what we have to say, come down here and sing it with us."
29. "Respect"/"Mr. Cellophane"/"I Kissed a Girl"/"On My Own" (1x01, "Pilot")
The auditions are funny unto themselves, but Rachel's vignette during her song goes smoothly from hilarious to heartbreaking in just two minutes.
28. "Like a Virgin" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
This whole episode was a triumph, and this number was HOT.
27. "Dream On" (1x19, "Dream On")
A Matthew Morrison/Neil Patrick Harris duet?! Sign me up! (They're so GOOD! I just hate that vague thumbs-up thing NPH does throughout the song.)
26. Kurt talks to his dad (1x09, "Wheels")
My mom loves this scene. It's so simple, yet so profound. And it's great that Kurt's "masculine" father truly cares for his son, and vice versa.
BURT. How'd the tryout go?
KURT. …They gave the part to Rachel.
BURT. I knew it.
KURT. I blew the note. I wanted to lose.
BURT. Kurt, I stick my neck out for you, and this is how you repay me?
KURT. Dad, I've known who I was my whole life. I adapted.
BURT. I can handle myself just fine.
KURT. No, you can't. That phone call the other day was just the beginning. I saw how you were, and you were so hurt, and so upset. And it just killed me. I'm not saying I'm going to hide in the closet. I'm just saying I love you more than I love being a star.
BURT. …You are your mother. You know, she was always the strong one? (Beat.) Look, you want to help me put some wheelies on this bad boy?
KURT. Just let me change into my coveralls. This sweater's Alexander McQueen.
25. "Jump" (1x12, "Mattress")
Just look at the choreography.
24. "Maybe This Time" (1x05, "The Rhodes Not Taken")
This was from Kristin Chenoweth's first guest appearance. This is a duet between her and Lea Michele. Uh…SOLD!
23. "Like a Prayer" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
Hot damn. That's all I have to say.
22. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (1x13, "Sectionals")
Mercedes can play Effie in Dreamgirls any day with that voice.
21. "Express Yourself" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
This number is really hot. It's my favorite of the episode. I really wish I'd grown up in the '80's.
42. Terri walks in on Emma in Will's apartment (1x14, "Hell-O")
One of the most awkward scenes in the series, but both actresses shine here, particularly Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri); this is one of the show's three scenes that her character is well written. Emma is setting up a surprise dinner for Will, when in walks Terri, Will's soon-to-be-ex-wife. Emma gives Terri the cold shoulder and asks her to leave, to which Terri responds that she just wants to pick up the Bruckheimer DVD's she left. Terri finds a Neil Diamond record, and Emma gruffly explains that Will decided that "Hello Again" was to be their song. To which Terri responds:
Don't bother sleeping with my husband tonight - you're already screwed. "Hello" was our prom song.
And then she leaves Emma to her own devices.
41. "Take a Bow" (1x02, "Showmance")
No, it's not the most impressive number ever, but the reason it's listed is because Rachel does the song a hundred times better than Rihanna.
40. "Home" (1x16, "Home")
Kristen Chenoweth stops by McKinley High a second time and announces that with the hush money her former flame's widow gave her, she's going to New York City to do the first all-white production of The Wiz. (Big whoop. My sister's theater company practically did that last year.) Here's her doing a fantastic cover of one of the songs, and I apologize for the shoddy quality of the video.
Click to view39. Kurt comes out to Mercedes (1x03, "Acafellas")
Mercedes was under the impression that Kurt was in love with Rachel, and was clearly the only one who didn't know his true intentions. She is (hilariously) shocked, and it's just so clear that this is something that, despite his self-expression, he is clearly ashamed of.
38. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1x17, "Bad Reputation")
I'll say it - Jonathan Groff (as Lea Michele's love interest, Jesse St. James) was misused. But this scene between the two of them is glorious.
37. "Safety Dance" (1x19, "Dream On")
Was Artie's story line in this episode a little farfetched? Could a kid who's been paralyzed from the waist down from the age of eight actually believe he could be cured some time in the near future? Yeah. But was the sentiment sweet and touching? Yes. This dream sequence is divinely choreographed. Shame one of the best dancers in the cast plays a character in a wheelchair. (Video is mirror image.)
36. "Endless Love" (1x10, "Ballad")
Probably the show's second-most hilarious musical number to date. Reason 1: the voice-overs. Reason 2: Mr. Schuester's facial expressions.
35. "Highway to Hell" (1x14, "Hell-O")
In one fell swoop, we viewers are sucked into the highly pyrotechnic world of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Jonathan Groff gets to showcase his truly amazing pipes, and Idina Menzel makes her first appearance. :D (Video is mirror-image.)
34. Sue writes in her journal (1x06, "Vitamin D")
This is our first look into the devilish mind of Sue Sylvester. Only horror can ensue.
SUE. Dear Journal, feeling listless again today. It began at dawn, when I tried to make a smoothie out of beef bones, breaking my juicer. And then at Cheerios practice, DISASTER.
It was unmistakable. It was like spotting the first spark on the Hindenburg. (QUINN's knee briefly shakes.) A quiver! That quiver will lose us nationals. And without the championship, I'll lose my endorsements. And without those endorsements, I won't be able to buy my hovercraft…
(At practice.) You feeling all right, Quinn?
QUINN. I'm just tired from Glee, that's all.
SUE. (Back to her journal.) Glee club. Every time I try to destroy that bunch of scab-eating mouth breathers, it only comes back stronger, like some kind of sexually ambiguous horror movie villain. Here I am, about to turn thirty, and I've sacrificed everything only to be shanghaied by the machinations of a cabal of doughy, misshapen teens. Am I missing something journal? Is it me? Of course it's not me!
33. Puck's vignette about Judaism (1x08, "Mash-up")
"My history teacher once told me, 'Only Nixon can go to China.' I have no idea what he meant, but it reminded me of the time that my family ordered Chinese food and sat down for our annual Simchas Torah screening of Schindler's List. It wasn't the most normal tradition, but we did for my mom. She said it made her feel connected to her Jewish roots.
As she was handing me my sweet-and-sour pork, she said something that really hit home: 'You're no better than them, Noah. Why can't you date a Jewish girl?'
That night, I had the weirdest dream. I knew it had to be a dream, because there was no way Rachel could've climbed up the wall outside my window with no shoes on.
When I woke up, I knew it was more than a dream. It was a sign from God. Rachel was a hot Jew, and the good Lord wanted me to get into her pants."
32. "Somebody to Love" (1x05, "The Rhodes Not Taken")
I know it's bad that I'm saying this, but I still like this better than the original.
31. "Run Joey Run" (1x17, "Bad Reputation")
This is Rachel's attempt at musical promiscuity, as she put it. She casts Puck as her boyfriend (yeah, Team Puckleberry!) and herself "as the stunning young ingenue who dies à la Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!" It's ridiculously campy, and so overacted, and glorious. The last five seconds are the best part. And there's a surprise in store in the boyfriend casting (watch carefully at 1:49)… (Video is mirror-image.)
30. "Beautiful" (1x16, "Home")
Rounding out the Kristen Chenoweth/body image episode is this thrilling rendition of Christina Aguilera's best song to date. (Again, shoddy video.)
"Hi, guys, I'm Mercedes Jones. So most of you know Cheerios is about perfection and winning. About looking hot and being popular. Well, I think it should be about something different. How many of you at this school feel fat? How many of you feel like maybe you're not worth very much? That you're ugly, have too many pimples, or not enough friends? Well, I've felt all of those things about myself at one time or another. Hell, I've felt most of those things about myself today. And that just ain't right. And we've got something to say about it. And if you like what we have to say, come down here and sing it with us."
29. "Respect"/"Mr. Cellophane"/"I Kissed a Girl"/"On My Own" (1x01, "Pilot")
The auditions are funny unto themselves, but Rachel's vignette during her song goes smoothly from hilarious to heartbreaking in just two minutes.
28. "Like a Virgin" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
This whole episode was a triumph, and this number was HOT.
27. "Dream On" (1x19, "Dream On")
A Matthew Morrison/Neil Patrick Harris duet?! Sign me up! (They're so GOOD! I just hate that vague thumbs-up thing NPH does throughout the song.)
26. Kurt talks to his dad (1x09, "Wheels")
My mom loves this scene. It's so simple, yet so profound. And it's great that Kurt's "masculine" father truly cares for his son, and vice versa.
BURT. How'd the tryout go?
KURT. …They gave the part to Rachel.
BURT. I knew it.
KURT. I blew the note. I wanted to lose.
BURT. Kurt, I stick my neck out for you, and this is how you repay me?
KURT. Dad, I've known who I was my whole life. I adapted.
BURT. I can handle myself just fine.
KURT. No, you can't. That phone call the other day was just the beginning. I saw how you were, and you were so hurt, and so upset. And it just killed me. I'm not saying I'm going to hide in the closet. I'm just saying I love you more than I love being a star.
BURT. …You are your mother. You know, she was always the strong one? (Beat.) Look, you want to help me put some wheelies on this bad boy?
KURT. Just let me change into my coveralls. This sweater's Alexander McQueen.
25. "Jump" (1x12, "Mattress")
Just look at the choreography.
24. "Maybe This Time" (1x05, "The Rhodes Not Taken")
This was from Kristin Chenoweth's first guest appearance. This is a duet between her and Lea Michele. Uh…SOLD!
23. "Like a Prayer" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
Hot damn. That's all I have to say.
22. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (1x13, "Sectionals")
Mercedes can play Effie in Dreamgirls any day with that voice.
21. "Express Yourself" (1x15, "The Power of Madonna")
This number is really hot. It's my favorite of the episode. I really wish I'd grown up in the '80's.