Showmance

Showmance is the second episode of Glee's first season and the second episode in the series overall. It premiered on September 9, 2009.

The Glee Club performs in front of the school for the first time and surprises everyone in the audience. When Rachel realizes her feelings for Finn, Quinn goes to great lengths to keep her man of the moment. Meanwhile, Will's wife Terri reveals some surprising news, leaving Will to find a new way to make ends meet. The title is a play on the words show, referring to the New Directions' performance at the school, and romance, alluding to the various love triangles.

The episode was directed by Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy.

Plot[]

Will pulls into the school parking lot, his license plate reading "glee". He meets several members of the Glee Club, all of whom have been very enthusiastic since Don't Stop Believin'. All except Kurt, who is once again thrown into a dumpster by Puck and his football lackeys.

Emma hides behind a wall, waiting for Will to walk by so she can "accidentally" run into him. He thanks her for the advice she gave him and mentions that coaching Glee Club is where he belongs. The two are interrupted by Santana, who tells them to get a room, while Quinn tells Will that Sue would like to see him in her office. When Will enters Sue's office, she backhandedly mentions to Will that if New Directions does not place at Regionals, Principal Figgins will cut the program. Will tells her not to worry and that they'll be fine. Sue then informs Will that she was at the library and came across the show choir rule book. It turns out that Will needs twelve members to compete in sectionals. Sue offers Will a list of special education students who might be interested in joining New Directions, since she feels that no one will want to join Will's "Island of Misfit Toys". She warns him to "euthanize" the Glee Club, but Will refuses to back down and confidently says that New Directions will perform at Regionals.

Sm02 — Sue tells Will to "euthanize" the Glee Club

Rachel is at her locker and eavesdrops on Quinn complaining to Finn about him being in Glee Club, mentioning that he is risking her popularity just so he can express himself. Finn tells her she is making too big a deal out of it, and Quinn offers to let him touch her breast (under her shirt, over her bra) if he quits Glee Club. Finn refuses, much to Quinn's dismay, and he leaves for class. Quinn then catches Rachel eavesdropping and tells her that she will never have Finn. Rachel then counters that she is an honorable person and that every day her status in the Glee Club goes up while Quinn's status as head cheerleader goes down. Immediately after, she gets hit in the face with two slushies, compliments of Puck and his friend.

The Glee Club is practicing Le Freak by Chic in the choir room, which is not going very well. The students complain that the song selection is terrible, with Kurt calling it "really gay". Artie suggests that they sing more modern music, but Will dismisses this, telling them that they need to sing this at their school assembly to get more people to join the Glee Club.

Sm04 — Terri tells the realtor that she wants her dream home

Sm03 — Quinn laughing at Rachel for getting hit by the slushie

Will and Terri are with their realtor looking for their dream home. Will mentions in voice-over that it all started during brunch with Terri's sister, Kendra, Kendra's husband, Phil, and their unruly children. When Kendra asks where they're going to put the baby's crib, Will suggests Terri's craft room, to which Kendra tells Terri not to give it up because it will keep her from going "Susan Smith" on her baby. Kendra then tells her to buy a house in her subdivision as she will not allow her niece or nephew to be brought back to Will's apartment. While looking at a house that Terri loves, Will learns that the price is way too high. Terri shows him a little girl's room where their daughter or gay son would sleep. She tells him that she was hoping that Will could put in a piano and put on shows with their baby, which hits Will's sweet spot. Will is reluctant, but with a little more manipulation from Terri, he agrees to sign the papers, much to Terri's delight.

Kurt and Mercedes are having a friendly argument while Rachel watches Finn tie his shoes from a distance when Will enters the choir room with some sheet music of a Kanye West song. The kids are excited, but disappointed that it's not for the assembly and they're still going to perform disco. Artie tells Will that they really don't want to do disco, but Will ignores him and instead tells Finn that he will lead. Finn declines, saying he's still learning how to walk and sing at the same time, so Will offers to take his place. Mercedes, Will, and Artie perform Gold Digger by Kanye West ft. Jaimee Foxx as a cutaway shows Terri and Kendra taking measurements of the new house that Will and Terri are planning to buy.

Sm05 — Will raps *Gold Digger* with the New Directions

Emma catches Rachel trying to throw up in the girls' bathroom and asks her to come into her office for a talk. Emma gives Rachel a pamphlet about overcoming bulimia and then informs her of the dangers of the disease. Rachel tells her that she tried and failed and would never do it again. When Emma asks her what made her do it, Rachel mentions that she wanted to be thinner and prettier like Quinn. She then asks Emma if she has ever locked herself in a room and put on sad music and cried, to which Emma says no. However, in the cutaway scene, we see Emma crying and singing along to Eric Carmen's All by Myself. Emma then talks about crushes and tells Rachel to protect her heart. She then asks Rachel if she ever talked to the boy she likes, but Rachel replies that he doesn't notice her. Emma advises her to find some common ground and show him a side of Rachel that he wouldn't have expected, to which Rachel smiles and nods in agreement.

Sue takes Will, Rachel, and Finn to Principal Figgins' office after catching Rachel and Finn printing posters on the copy machine that is dedicated to the Cheerios. Sue demands punishment, but Will offers a compromise that they just pay for the photo copies and Figgins lets them off with a warning, much to Sue's chagrin. Figgins also orders Sue to clean up the mess she made after catching the two Glee Club members. Finn apologizes to Will, but Rachel tells him that she wants the flyers up before lunch. Will says he doesn't want to hear it and tells her that they're still singing Le Freak. Rachel tells him that the Glee Club is killing any chance the Glee Club has, but Will still won't listen and tells her that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do. Finn blanches at the thought of being dead after the assembly, but Rachel reassures him that he's talented. She then offers to practice for the assembly at her house, but he declines, saying he has a Celibacy Club meeting.

Will and Terri take a bath together and he tells her he has some bad news. He says he is having trouble finding a second job, which upsets Terri. Will tries to comfort her, but Terri angrily tells him that she wants her dream house. She gets out of the tub and asks when they are going to take a break before they leave. Later, Will finds Figgins cleaning up the smoothie mess that Sue was supposed to clean up, but tells him that Sue got a note from the school nurse saying that her lupus prevents her from bending over. With an idea in his head, Will offers to take one of the janitorial positions at half pay, which Figgins happily agrees to.

At the Celibacy Club meeting, Quinn reluctantly allows Rachel to join the club and introduces her to the Cheerios. Rachel asks where the boys are, and Quinn tells her that they are in the next room and that they will meet in half an hour to share their faith. In the next room, the football team, including Finn and Puck, are sitting around looking very bored, and a nerdy student, Jacob Ben Israel, is talking about his uncontrollable hormones. Puck then makes a lewd comment about Santana and we cut to Santana twirling in her Cheerios skirt. Quinn comments, "God bless the perv who invented this," and laughs with the girls that it's "all about the teasing, and not about the pleasing," while Rachel looks on alone. A football player asks Finn how far Quinn lets him go and Finn replies that they grind when they make out. Jacob then asks how he keeps from "ejaculation arriving early" and Finn comments that it's not a problem for him.

Sm08 — Finn tells his friends about ejucalation arriving early

In a voice-over, Finn reveals that it is indeed a problem, and that the only image that keeps him from prematurely ejaculating is a memory of learning to drive with his mother and subsequently hitting a mailman. Back at the Celibacy Club, Quinn blows up balloons for the guys and girls to place between them while they grind against each other, reminding them that the popping "makes the angels cry". Rachel is paired with an eager Jacob, much to her disgust, and Finn accidentally pops the balloon. Rachel then blurts out that this method is ridiculous, saying that celibacy does not work in high school. She also mentions that the way to deal with their hormones is to be prepared and use contraception. This infuriates Quinn, who warns her not to use the "C" word, and Rachel tells everyone that girls want sex just as much as guys. Then she storms off.

Emma finds Will scraping gum under the desk and Will tries to deny that he's a janitor. He tells Emma that he's struggling to make ends meet and he's really embarrassed and asks her not to tell anyone. She tells him she won't say a word and offers to help. Will declines at first, but Emma's efficient cleaning skills impress him. While cleaning, Emma mentions that she admires Will for getting a second job. Will then tells her that he wants to help her with her problem since she's been so helpful to him. Emma denies that she has one, but Will looks at her knowingly and Emma reveals that she developed her OCD when she was a little girl and visited a dairy farm where her brother pushed her into the runoff lagoon. Will then puts some chalk dust on his thumb and rubs it on Emma's nose to help her overcome her OCD. He rubs it off her nose after ten seconds and Emma says it's a new record. She then says she has to go and leaves the room. From outside the classroom, Ken watches her with a hint of jealousy.

Sm09 — A sweet moment between Will and Emma

Rachel calls a meeting of the Glee Club in the gym and suggests that they change the song by giving the school what they want: sex. Later, at the school assembly, Will gives a speech about how the Glee Club needs recruits and then introduces the New Directions. The New Directions come out and perform a very provocative rendition of Salt-N-Pepa's Push It. As Emma and Figgins join in the performance, Will and Sue look on with disappointment and shock, respectively.

Will is brought into Figgins' office with Sue, and Will learns that parents have complained about the performance. Sue demands that Will resign from the school and that the Glee Club disband. Figgins disagrees, saying that the kids are talented and that he has not seen the student body so excited since Tiffany's performance at the North Hills Mall. He gives Will a list of pre-approved songs that are family-friendly and reflect the community's values, which are basically songs with either "Jesus" or "balloons" in the title. Figgins says he's cutting the Cheerios' dry cleaning budget to pay for new costumes for Glee Club, which upsets Sue.

Rachel tries to apologize to Will, but he angrily tells her that she may have ruined the Glee Club's chances for new members and gives her the pre-approved song list. Will says he understands why she did what she did, but he doesn't like the way she did it.

Sm11 — Ken tells Emma how he feels about her

Emma is eating lunch in the teachers' lounge when Ken comes by with a ticket to a tulip festival, but Emma declines, citing asthma. Ken asks her why she's chasing a married man. He then tells her that she shouldn't be the rebounder and mentions that he's a good man and will treat her right. He says she could do a lot worse and she won't do much better than him in this town. He then leaves her to her thoughts.

Rachel and Finn are practicing in the auditorium and they decide to take a break from practicing. Rachel reveals that she made a picnic for the two of them for lunch. Rachel asks him why he came to her for help with his singing and Finn mentions that he wants to be good because she's good. Finn tells her that he thought she was crazy, but then he heard her sing and says that it touched something in his heart. He tells her she's cool and Rachel offers him a virgin Cosmopolitan. They toast and Finn rubs some of the juice off her lip. Rachel tells him he can kiss her if he wants to and he says he does. He gets on top of her and they begin to kiss. Suddenly Finn starts to ejaculate prematurely and says he has to go.

Terri is at the gynecologist's office getting her first sonogram and the doctor tells her she has a hysterical pregnancy, leaving Terri in shock.

Will is in the choir room with Quinn, Santana, and another Cheerio, Brittany Pierce, who have all come to audition for New Directions. Will is suspicious, but Quinn tells him that since Finn is in Glee Club, she wants to join to show that she is a good girlfriend. Will then allows them to audition and they sing a tongue-in-cheek rendition of I Say a Little Prayer by Dionne Warwick. Sue confronts Quinn, Santana, and Brittany about joining the Glee Club and Quinn tells her that she is worried that something is going on between Rachel and Finn and begs Sue not to kick them out of the Cheerios. Sue then tells her that Quinn reminds her of a younger version of herself (without the bone structure), and Sue then tells her that she's going to make them her spies to help take down the Glee Club, which the girls happily agree to do.

Emma is cleaning a water fountain and Will stops by and asks if she wants to join him for another cleaning session. Emma refuses and tells him that she's going to Tuli-palooza with Ken. She then leaves him disappointed.

Sm14 — Terri hugs Will and is uncomfortable because she lied to him

Will goes home to find that Terri has cooked for him and he gratefully mentions that family is important to him. Terri tells him that she went to the gynecologist and impulsively lies to him that they're having a boy. She then tells Will to quit his second job and turn her craft room into the baby's nursery. She tells him that the only project she wants him to work on is their family, and they embrace.

At school, Will tells Rachel that he is giving Quinn the solo because of her deception, and Rachel is disappointed. Rachel says he's punishing her, but Will counters that it's not always about her. He also says that he screwed up, too, because he never should have pushed disco so hard. He says that Glee is supposed to be about having fun. He tells her that she won't always be the star. Rachel asks if she can use the auditorium to practice since her neighbors are filing a lawsuit for her excessive singing, and Will agrees.

Rachel sings Take a Bow by Rihanna in the auditorium with Mercedes and Tina backing her up, and we see her in a cutaway scene staring longingly at Finn as he dotes on Quinn.

Songs[]

Song Title	Original Artist	Performer(s)
Gold Digger	Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx	Will Schuester and New Directions
Push It	Salt-n-Pepa	New Directions
I Say a Little Prayer	Dionne Warwick	Quinn Fabray with Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez
Take a Bow	Rihanna	Rachel Berry with Mercedes Jones and Tina Cohen-Chang

Unreleased Songs[]

Le Freak by Chic sung by New Directions.
All by Myself by Eric Carmen sung by Emma Pillsbury.

Background Songs[]

Ain't That a Kick in the Head by Zoom Karaoke in the style of Dean Martin.
Looking Back by Kerry Muzzey.

Guest Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Stars[]

Michael Loeffelholz as Phil Giardi
Josh Sussman as Jacob Ben Israel
Ethan, Aidan, and Ben Freedman as Giardi triplets
Jacob Hashem as Amir

Trivia[]

Heather Morris was originally hired as a choreographer for the show, but the producers liked her so much that they wrote the character of Brittany for her on the same day.
The line "When pigs fly!" was ad-libbed by Jennifer Aspen.
The glasses Jacob Ben Israel wears have no lenses in them.
This is the second episode ever written by all three co-creators, the other six being Pilot, The Quarterback, Loser Like Me, 2009, Dreams Come True.
On a rare occasion, this episode happened to air on 09.09.2009.
Quinn said "Time for some girl talk" as "Time For Some Girl Talk" played in the background.
As Sue talks to Quinn, Brittany, and Santana, the beginning of the pilot episode plays on Sue's TV.

Mistakes[]

Quinn mentions to Will that he should know that her and Finn dated from the school newspaper. However, in Rumours, Terri says that the school paper had been discontinued two years earlier, a year before the events of Showmance.
Emma reveals that she developed her OCD when she was five, when her brother pushed her into the garbage dump of a dairy factory. In Asian F, however, a flashback shows that she developed her OCD as a toddler when her mother forced her to clean her glass.
While talking to Will, Sue implies that she euthanized her mother. However, her mother is introduced in Furt and is very much alive.

Quotes[]

“	Rachel: You're so chivalrous. Finn: Thanks. That's a good thing, right?	”
—Rachel and Finn

“	Kurt: One day, you will all work for me.	”
—Kurt

“	Terri: This is where our daughter or gay son will sleep.	”
—Terri

“	Rachel: I guess I just don't have a gag reflex. Emma: One day, when you're older, that'll turn out to be a gift.	”
—Rachel and Emma

“	Sue: Lady Justice wept today.	”
—Sue

“	Quinn: Remember the power motto, girls. Cheerios: It's all about the teasing and not about the pleasing.	”
—Quinn and the Cheerios

“	Sue: That was the most offensive thing I've seen in twenty years of teaching. And that includes an elementary school production of Hair.	”
—Sue