Fandom on the Rocks

This week on Glee on the Rocks, we cover 5x19, “Old Dog, New Tricks,” the Chris Colfer-written detour that somehow works because it’s old people, puppies, and just enough Rachel to keep the season’s chaos limping forward. Rachel tries to rebrand her image after Broadway gossip exposes her Funny Girl mess by hiring Santana as a ruthless publicist and inventing an animal-rescue charity event called Broadway Bitches, complete with a disastrous pap walk that ends with her getting dragged down the s...

This week on Glee on the Rocks, Rachel Berry gets everything she’s ever wanted and immediately decides it’s not enough. In 5x18, “The Back-Up Plan,” Rachel risks her Funny Girl dream for a TV audition she is wildly unprepared for, Kurt and Blaine get pulled into the deeply weird orbit of rich socialite June Dolloway, and Mercedes and Santana quietly become the only people in New York making choices with even a shred of common sense. This episode we break down: 🎭 Rachel Berry speedrunning career...

This week on Glee, Rachel Berry finally makes it to Broadway — and naturally, everyone else is forced to treat it like the moon landing. In 5x17, “Opening Night,” Rachel spirals over bad buzz and opening-night nerves, Sue takes a deeply unnecessary field trip to New York, Kurt’s loft becomes a site of multiple crimes, and Will Schuester pops in just long enough to cry and leave. It’s Rachel’s big moment, and Glee makes sure absolutely no one gets out alive. This episode we break down: 🎭 Rachel ...

This week on Glee, everyone gets tested — emotionally, medically, and our patience. In 5x16, “Tested,” Blaine spirals over a cronut-based body image crisis, Kurt enters his gym bro villain era, Artie discovers that sleeping with everyone at film school has consequences, and Sam Evans somehow becomes the only functioning adult in New York City. Yes. Sam Evans. Bless him. This episode we break down: 🥐 Blaine vs. the Cronut Industrial Complex 💪 Kurt Hummel’s sudden transformation into That Guy fro...

This week, Glee attempts a Very Serious Episode™ and somehow still makes it mostly about Rachel Berry. In 5x15, “Bash,” Kurt is the victim of a brutal hate crime, Blaine gets the worst phone call imaginable, and Burt Hummel shows up to remind everyone how emotions are supposed to work. Meanwhile, Rachel declares war on NYADA because accountability is oppression, and Sam and Mercedes try to navigate race, dating, and New York City while Glee makes deeply questionable choices about everything. Be...

This week, we hit Glee’s big reset button as the show abandons Lima for New York — and immediately forgets how the big city works. In 5x14, "New New York," Rachel Berry gets chauffeured through Manhattan like she’s allergic to the subway, Kurt and Blaine enters their domestic sitcom era (complete with cursed pajamas and a SodaStream), and Artie learns that accessibility in NYC is a myth. This episode we break down: 🛋️ Blaine’s fatal mistake: bringing home a couch from the street (never pick up...

The end of an era—or at least it should have been. In Glee 5×13, “New Directions,” the Glee Club is officially over, Sue has won, and McKinley’s choir room gets packed up for good this time. But instead of a graceful farewell to the kids we know and love, we get an episode written like a series finale… even though the show still had another season and a half to go. Oh, Glee. Join us (and we mean all of us) as we unpack the chaos: Holly Holiday roller-skating the Animal Husbandry Club into a bub...

Welcome back, Gleeks. You've made it to Part 2 of our look back at the 5x12, "100" - the 100th episode of Glee. We pick up right where we left off — the New Directions are still on life support, the Diva-Off is allegedly still a thing, and Rachel is still allergic to lasting character development. 💥 Part 2 Plot? Yeah, sure: Mercedes finally tells Rachel that she’s the voice in her head that whispers doubt. Rachel responds with a line that’s basically “that sucks, I’m famous.” Classic Rachel Ber...

Buckle up, Gleeks—it’s the 100th episode, which means Glee is throwing everything at the wall to see what sings. Sticks! To see what sticks. This is a no-pun zone (allegedly). We’ve got a chaotic double-feature recap for you because everyone showed up for this one and we talked too long, so you’re getting Part 1 and Part 2. The algorithm says no one wants 2.5-hour episodes 🤷‍♀️. In Part 1 of this very special (read: unhinged) 100th episode, New Directions is being shut down for real this time (...

Did you know that there are show choir blogs? Neither did we. In S5E11, "City of Angels," we follow New Directions to Nationals of… whatever year this is in canon…to Los Angeles. Mr. Schue recruits Sam to be the New Finn (not to be confused with Blaine, who we all know to be the New Rachel), tasked with keeping up spirit and enthusiasm. The Hudson-Hummel clan is out in full force with the series' best parents, Burt and Carole, coming along for the ride and finally processing some long-overdue tr...

Have you ever wanted to spend more time in your high school than strictly necessary? If so, this episode of Glee is for you. This is S5E10, "Trio." At McKinley, Tina, Blaine and Sam decide to the most of their last days of the school year by attempting to stage a "senior lock-in." In New York, Rachel bonds with Elliott, which annoys Santana and sets off even further antagonism between Rachel and Santana and leads to Elliott quitting Angela Lansbury. Won't somebody stop the fighting? Fed up wit...

Everyone's feuding again this week on Glee on the Rocks. This is S5E9, "Frenemies." Glee once again raises the age old question: are these people even friends at all? Probably not. Artie and Tina, two of our New Directions OGs, compete for both Senior Class Valedictorian and a solo at Nationals. Which...is a like a week or two away. You'd think they'd have this set list locked up by now. In NYC, Santana decides to audition for the role of understudy in Funny Girl. Rachel's Funny Girl. Rachel's...

Christmas is coming and what more could we ask for than a truly chaotic, non-canonical episode of Glee. This is the infamous S5E8, "Previously Unaired Christmas." While Glee's Christmas episodes are generally beloved by fans, this is not one of them. In an alternate version of Lima, Ohio where The Glee Club gets things done, the New Directions are preparing for the Annual Christmas Decoration competition while also planning a living Nativity Scene for the school. On the East Coast, Santana joi...

Have you ever wondered what an episode of Glee would be like while crashed out on carbon monoxide poisoning? Well, now you know. This is S5E7, "Puppet Master." Blaine Warbler Anderson struggles to be seen as a leader of the New Directions despite his longevity in the club. A gas leak in the choir room leads to puppet-filled hallucinations that somehow leads to no one receiving medical attention. Everyone's favorite tracksuit wearing principal Sue Sylvester embarks on a journey of femininity aft...

Billy Joel is next on the Glee Tribute Episode chopping block as the New Directions seniors remember it's almost time to move on out of McKinley High. This is S5E6, "Movin' Out." Graduation looms large (maybe larger than Nationals) and Blaine and Sam take a week off school to take a sneak peek at their upcoming lives in New York City. Artie attempts to encourage Becky to take a chance on her own college dreams, while Sue Sylvester tries to keep Becky back in Lima as her secretary where she thin...

Google searches for twerking peaked in August of 2013. So of course Glee dedicated an episode to it that aired in October of that year. This is S5E5, "The End of Twerk." Blaine gets caught throwing it back in the choir room, inspiring Mr. Schuester to attempt to incorporate the dance into The New Directions' repertoire. It goes just as well as you can imagine. Unique struggles to to use the McKinley High bathroom that aligns with her gender identity, facing bullying and discrimination, a storyl...

This week on Glee on the Rocks we're parsing one of the greatest questions of human history: are you a Katy or are you a Gaga? This is S5E4, "A Katy or a Gaga." Nationals is looming and the latest competition, Throat Explosion, are stepping on the New Directions' niche of being "outsiders." Instead of dividing the New Directions into boys and girls for this week's Glee Club lesson, Mr. Schue opts to separate them into "Katy Perrys" and "Lady Gagas" in order to push them out of their comfort zone...

This week on Glee on the Rocks we're talking S5E3, "The Quarterback." When a television show intersects with real-life tragedy, the aftermath can be a delicate dance between the narrative and respect. "The Quarterback" serves as Glee's heartfelt tribute to Cory Monteith and his beloved character, Finn Hudson. As we navigate through the episode, we discuss how Glee chose to honor Cory and Finn's memory on screen, because these songs are not just performances; they're eulogies, farewells, and lov...

This week on Glee on the Rocks we're talking Season 5, Episode 2, "Tina in the Sky with Diamonds." The Glee Club is back on deck tackling the music of The Beatles in what is definitely not part two of the season premiere. Tina Cohen-Chang is on a quest for Prom Queen glory, but will a slushie catastrophe ruin her night? But at least she has the New Directions to back her up. Over in New York, Kurt is navigating the complexities of indie band auditions and rampant jealousy as Glee introduces us ...

The halls of McKinley High are ringing with the first notes of a new season of Glee. This week we're talking Season 5, Episode 1, "Love Love Love." The New Directions are given one of their biggest assignments yet: The Beatles. Mr. Schuester has Nationals in his sights (though maybe not his timetable) and challenges the kids to master the Beatles' catalogue over two weeks. But one Blaine Anderson has even bigger things on his mind: a proposal that could change everything. With Rachel's Broadway...