Anyone who follows entertainment news has heard the rumors. Next week’s episode of Glee will be the best, not only of the season, but of the entire show. While I’m skeptical, I’m also willing to believe that Glee still has some of its first season magic left. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the superficial mess that was season two, but in no way did it hold a candle to the first season. So I’ve decided to compile a list of the five episodes I think fall in the best episodes of all time category. For me to think that the new one is really that good, it will have to be better than all of these:
#5- Prom Queen, Season 2
This episode rocks for a number of reasons: pretty dresses, lots of fighting, plenty of tears, and of course the big shocking Prom Queen announcement. Though some of the songs: “Dancing Queen”, “Friday” (the biggest abysmal of the entire Glee song track and that includes “Run Joey Run”) weren’t as good as others: “Rolling the Deep”, “I’m not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You”, and “Jar of Hearts”. But really I love this episode for Jesse’s entrance, Quinn slapping Rachel, Jesse and Finn’s fight, Mercedes’ chance to be Cinderella and Kurt’s brave moment.
#4- Rhodes Not Take, Season 1
YOU CANNOT GO WRONG WITH KRISTEN CHENOWETH!! And as an alcoholic April Rhodes, Kristen Chenoweth is at her best. With Rachel gone from the glee club, they need a new female lead who has the talent to carry Glee. Who wouldn’t think to call on April Rhodes? The songs in this episode: “Maybe This Time”, to this day one of my favorites, “Alone”, good but not overly memorable, “Last Name”, absolutely fantastic, and “Somebody to Love”, quite possibly the greatest Glee performance of all time, are some of my go to glee songs. And two of the most memorable quotes in Glee history were in this episode: “Put that in your pipes and smoke it” said by Kristen Chenoweth and “Oh Bambi, I cried so hard when those hunters shot your mommy,” said by Kurt to Emma, who really does look like Bambi it’s an easy confusion to make, even if you’re not drunk.
#3- Dream On, Season 1
With its epic duets, Will Schuester, I mean Matthew Morrison, and Neil Patrick Harris, I mean NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, and Idina Menzel and Lea Michele, this episode is absolutely fantastic. Not to mention the revelation of what Jesse has really been doing at McKinley High (spying for Shelby, AKA Idina Menzel plus the revelation that Idina Menzel is Rachel’s MOM!). This episode just kills it. Rachel confused and brooding, Neil Patrick Harris killing Glee dreams, and Artie rising up out of his chair in a day dream to dance his heart out but then coming to terms with and accepting his condition. The songs, “Dream On”, “I Dreamed a Dream”, “Piano Man” (it still kills me that this isn’t available on iTunes) “Dream a Little Dream of you” and “Safety Dance” are seriously awesome.
#2- Power of Madonna, Season 1
OK so I have to admit, I’m not the biggest Madonna fan, so I wasn’t sure about this episode. It was the first time an episode was going to be dedicated to one artist and I wasn’t thrilled with the artist, but I was pleasantly surprised. The songs themselves (“Like a Prayer”, “Borderline/Open Your Heart”, “Like a Virgin”, “4 Minutes”, “What it Feels Like For A Girl”, “Express Yourself”) are enough to carry this episode, but then you have the whole aspect of female empowerment, Jesse and Rachel’s romance blossoming and culminating into Jesse’s transfer, Sue’s hair dilemma and merciless jokes about Will’s hair, the impending loss of a few virginities, and Finn’s jealously toward Rachel’s relationship with Jesse. This one will always be one of the best to me.
#1- Sectionals, Season 1
The episode features everything I love about Glee: Amazing Songs (“Don’t Rain on my Parade”, one of the most authentic “star moments” Rachel has ever had on this show, “You Can’t Always Get What you Want”, perfectly rearranged to highlight the glee club’s talent, “My Life Would Suck Without You”, a tribute to Mr. Schuester and all the performances the Glee club had done so far),a much anticipated kiss between Will and Emma, Finn being a leader instead of a doofus, an exposed secret, a foiled plan, and a major comeback as a result of the Glee club pulling together like a team. But most of all, this episode was the perfect recipe for a midseason finale: just enough to keep us complacent for a few months, but still leave us wanting more.
Honorable Mentions: Born This Way, Season 2; Funeral, Season 2; Pilot, Season 1.
Now I will say this list was particularly difficult to make, because there are a lot of episodes that were memorable for different reasons. And also because I love this show so much that even episodes that aren’t my favorite are still good enough for me to watch over and over again. In case you hadn’t noticed I am a gleek. The above list reflects a combination of great songs, interesting storylines, memorable quotes and other jaw-dropping moments. While there are many episodes that for me are great because of that one song or that one moment, they couldn’t make the list because they weren’t as great overall. Feel free to disagree (or agree), I’d love to hear your comments.
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