The Rhodes Not Taken
- Episode aired Sep 30, 2009
- TV-PG
- 1h
Will thinks the glee club desperately needs more of an edge, so he brings in his former classmate, April Rhodes, to spice things up. Will's plan seems to be going smoothly until he realizes ... Read allWill thinks the glee club desperately needs more of an edge, so he brings in his former classmate, April Rhodes, to spice things up. Will's plan seems to be going smoothly until he realizes he may be losing a key member of the club.Will thinks the glee club desperately needs more of an edge, so he brings in his former classmate, April Rhodes, to spice things up. Will's plan seems to be going smoothly until he realizes he may be losing a key member of the club.
- Brittany S. Pierce
- (as Heather Morris)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Kristin Chenoweth was a guest star on this episode of Glee (2009), series regular Chris Colfer told The LA Times that for him, "working with Kristin is what I can imagine what a priest would go through if they worked with Jesus.".
- GoofsThroughout most of Glee, it is widely known that Rachel is a vegan, but in this episode she is seen sharing a pizza, which Finn says has pepperoni on it.
- Quotes
Emma Pillsbury: [after stopping Kurt in the hall] Kurt, I'm a girl who knows her solvents, and your breath smells like rubbing alcohol.
Kurt Hummel: [Watching Emma drunkenly] Oh Bambi... I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy...
[Bends down and throws up on Emma's shoes]
- ConnectionsReferenced in Late Show with David Letterman: Episode #17.13 (2009)
- SoundtracksMaybe This Time
(uncredited)
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Performed by Kristin Chenoweth and Lea Michele
The cast performances are all really good. Matthew Morrison is great as Will Schuester. It's really nice to see how hard Will works to take care of the people he cares about. He had to make a difficult decision in the previous episode and is dealing with the consequences by having to replace the star of the club. Inviting someone he barely knew but admired to replace Rachel was a bold move but proved rather interesting. Jane Lynch is fine in her short role as Sue Sylvester, as well as Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester. Jayma Mays is great as Emma Pillsbury. Besides helping Finn figure out his future, she tries to convince Will that April is bad news and will only hurt the Glee Club. Stephen Tobolowsky is funny as Sandy Ryerson. This time, he's pretty much berating Rachel for the entire episode, and it's pretty funny to watch. Lea Michele is great as Rachel Berry. While it starts to become more understandable why she doesn't want to come back to Glee, her reasons for doing so are sort of contradictory. When she goes bowling with Finn, she mentions to him that she doesn't see the point in being somewhere where she isn't appreciated. If that's the case, why doesn't she quit the play due to Sandy berating her? Is it her trying to prove a point to the club or to herself? Cory Monteith is pretty good as Finn Hudson. While his reasons for hanging out with Rachel in this episode are a little selfish, it's understandable and doesn't make him an unlikable character, as he really just wants to find a way to support Quinn. Dianna Agron is fine as Quinn Fabray in her short appearance. Chris Colfer is hilarious as Kurt Hummel. It's always funny when I rewatch this episode, and he's drunk and throws up on Emma's shoes. Mark Salling is pretty good as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman but also doesn't have a large role. Kevin McHale, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Naya Rivera, and Heather Morris are all fine as Artie Abrams, Mercedes Jones, Tina Cohen-Chang, Santana Lopez, and Brittany. Guest star Kristin Chenoweth is great as April Rhodes and gives one of the best performances in the entire episode. A few years older than Will, she inspired him to join Glee Club, and she has an incredible voice. After failing to make it big, she became an alcoholic and had no place to go. Even though Will tries to help her reinvent herself, she struggles giving up alcohol and her spotlight. The end of the episode is where the character really shines. Coming to terms with where her life is now, she realizes that she needs to move on to something else and let the Glee kids have the dream she always wanted. It's a really inspiring scene.
April's storyline was really the most interesting to watch. She's an interesting character with really difficult struggles, and she really just needs a fresh start in life. The idea of her joining the Glee Club actually works, as it makes the club invested in her witty personality. Although they're reluctant, they all quickly grow to like her but for all the wrong reason. And although it wasn't a major storyline in the episode, I liked how the Glee Club found out about Quinn's pregnancy. While it may be seen as poorly written, like Kurt said, this was the Glee Club's first big scandal. And for the (unbeknownst to them) father of the baby to tell the club that Quinn was pregnant was pretty crazy, and it was sort of a betrayal in a way. Plus, it shocked everyone, especially Rachel, as it made her feel betrayed by Finn.
The musical performances were also really good, with the standout obviously being 'Somebody to Love'. Incredibly sung, this song worked really well for a group number, and all the harmonies flowed together well. Overall, this episode was definitely solid even though it may not be viewed as one of the best episodes of the season.
Pros: -Great cast performances -Great musical performances -April's storyline -Glee Club finding out about Quinn
Cons: -Some of April's choices -Rachel's choices for not coming back to Glee
8/10 "Great"
- ari-kagan
- May 8, 2019
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