Glee Episode 5: Featuring Kristin Chenoweth!
Download tonight’s Glee music from iTunes:
- Maybe This Time – April (Kristin Chenoweth) and Rachel
- Alone – April and Will
- Last Name – April and Glee
- Somebody to Love – Glee
Download Video from iTunes:
Rachel quit Glee last week to take the lead in the new school musical, Cabaret–a plot hatched by the evil Sue Sylvester (Needed more Sue in this episode!). Ex-gGee director and wanna-be Liza Minelli, Sandy, is directing the musical. He’s mean to Rachel because he’s sooo jellus of her. But Rachel doesn’t quit–she’s determined to be a star.
Finn flirts with Rachel in an attempt to lure her back to Glee. He figures that’s his only chance to get a music scholarship to college. He’s worried about taking care of Quinn’s baby, which he believes is his (it’s not, it’s Puck’s. Finn, thinks sperm can find a vajayjay by swimming through chlorinated water. Dumb ass.)
So Finn kisses Rachel at the bowling alley, and her heart’s all aflutter–she decides to quit the musical and go back to Glee–except when she shows up at Glee rehearsal, the kids are gossiping about Quinn and her baby daddy, Finn. Ouch! Rachel finds Finn in the hallway and bitch slaps him. Not that he didn’t deserve it.
Videos after the JUMP…
Finn’s all mixed up–he feels responsible for Quinn, but you know he’s secretly digging on Rachel.
In the meantime, Will looks up an old high school chum. With Rachel gone, he figures finding a ringer to take her place will be the only way to win nationals. April (Kristin Chenoweth) was the star of Glee back in the day. Will had a big crush on her. But April has fallen on some hard times. After hooking up with the wrong guy and failing at the star thing, she took to the bottle.
Will figures April needs a second chance. (Not only is she a drunk, but a high school drop out too!) After Will helps her re-enroll, April becomes the newest member of Glee. She wins over the kids by corrupting them–she thrills Kurt with her collection of retro muscle magazines while getting him drunk on Chablis.
Chenoweth spends a good portion playing drunk in the role, and she’s a delight. The writers totally saved some of their best one-liners for her, and her performances, of “Maybe This Time”, “Alone” (with Will, Matthew Morrison singing! Yay!) and a hilarious, drunken “Last Name” with Glee are all top-notch.
In the end, April realizes she has to straighten her life out, but without stealing the thunder of kids half her age. She quits Glee during the intermission of New Direction’s first big performance.
Rachel, who has been humbled, finally, by her crappy experiences with the egomaniac Sandy, comes back to Glee to “understudy” for April. The show finishes with the showstopping “Somebody to Love”. Mercedes sings the very last note, and the roof of McKinley High School nearly blows off.
And thus concludes another totally awesome episode of Glee. What did you think of this week’s episode? What were some of your favorite one liners?
Videos
April (Kristen Chenoweth) and April sing “Maybe This Time”
April and Will sing “Alone”
April and Glee sing “Last Name”
Rachel Comes Back to Glee to sing “Somebody to Love”. Mercedes! Glory Note!
Posted in Glee
75 Responses to “Glee Episode 5: Featuring Kristin Chenoweth!”
The thing is, I haven’t heard one person on this show who CAN’T sing. The casting director deserves an emmy for casting. Granted, there are some true standouts, but everyone I’ve heard so far more than holds their own.
The mix of music and witty, slightly naughty humor is really making this show work. I was worried they wouldn’t be able to pull it off, especially in a high school setting. But for the most part, so far, so good.
I would have loved to have seen Sue and April go toe to toe with some witty, off color banter. That would have made the ep almost too awesome.
It’s kind of weird seeing Quinn not in her cheerleading uniform. And her hair not in a ponytail.
i loveeeeeeeeeeee glee! i hope more people start watching so fox doesnt cancel it,it has a strong fan base but needs more viewers.
todays episode was great, now lets get on to the heart of the show, glee cast singing with rachel in the lead.
I think that Kristin Chenoweth should be preparing her speech again for next year. From start to finish she did everything perfectly and was a joy to behold. She also started belting old school Broadway songs and then effortlessly switched to powerbelting 80’s Rock and current Country Hits with no problem. I think this was a great episode to push her closer to household name status.
Drunk Kurt’s Bambi line to Emma was the BEST EVER.
LMAO
I was just looking at the Itunes Store and Glee is really a phenomenom. I mean, almost ALL their songs are in the TOP 100 (I don’t see Gold Digger – a shame, because I LOVE their version of the song).
Anyway, It will just keep selling more and more. From what I’ve heard of the rehearsals they did of Halo/Walking on Sunshine, It’s my Life/Confessions they will have hit after hit after hit.
Can’t wait to hear the full version of Halo (uptempo!!!)
This was the best episode yet. Kristin was superb – I hope they bring her back. Maybe people who didn’t think she was a good choice for an Idol guest judge will think again after hearing her tonight.
This article about Mercedes is both Glee and Idol related. I kind of loved it.
http://www.accesshollywood.com/_article_23649
I swear to God if Emma and Mr. Schuester don’t bone by the end of this season, I’m going to kill myself.
I’ve been a Kristin Chenoweth fan ever since I saw her fist her mouth on Leno a while back. What a quirky bundle of talent that woman is.
This episode was fantastic. Everything was spot on and I loved that there was so much music! Somebody to Love is epic and climbing the charts (currently #9). This show is revolutionary!
But can Carrie sing it in a drunken fashion?
suebrody, I think you’re mixing up characters with the performers. As a performer, I think Lea Michele can hold her own against Kristin Chenoweth. However, the over-the-top character of April will naturally outshine everyone else around her, including the more repressed and introverted character of Rachel.
Er… you mean Lea (rather than Rachel). If you’re referring to their inter-cut performance of Maybe This Time, they showed Kristin singing more, including some of the more dramatic parts of the song.
I agree! His line delivery was spot on and his expression was priceless.
La Chenowith is a force of nature. Love Glee and love that woman! (Although her Glee appearance made me a little nostalgic for Pushing Daisies and Olive Snook, sniff.) ETA: someOlive and Aunt Vivian belting out some They Might Be Giants on Pushing Daisies, because it’s always awesome when Broadway stars show up on episodic TV and randomly break into song. Well, I guess it might have been a bit much if Mandy Patinkin starting belting out People Are Strange or something during Criminal Minds, but otherwise…awesome.
What a great bunch of singers! My only gripe is that the lip synching could be a lot better. I have to try to ignore it.
Yes! Isn’t it surprising that people from “Broadway” can actually sing other genres of music? haha
That’s what I said a month ago. Chenowith is one talented lady!
I, too, am LOVING this show! I miss Pushing Daisies (sniff), but this show reminds me more of Ally McBeal. When that show was running on four cylinders it was awesome. (Although, I always hated the main character, and all of the Glee characters are great.)
LOOOVE GLEEEE!!!!!!! IMHO I think the Glee cast sounds soo much better together than the top 10 idols did on tour. GO Glee…
Kristin Chenoweth is a really impressive soprano. It was incredible to hear her doing such an incredible job in her alto, middle voice range on these songs. Esp. Alone, which really is an alto belter song. She’s so talented (and really small).
I really enjoyed last nights show – and having someone like Kristen Chenoweth showed the “amateurs” how it was done.
But someone help me out… “Somebody to Love” really sounded incredibly auto-tuned, especially Finn, no?
They all have enough talent to not need that over producing.
I can’t decide if last night’s episode or “Acafellas” was my favorite episode so far. I would have loved if they would have Kristin Chenoweth stick around for a couple episodes.
I can’t wait for the undoing of Will’s wife…someone put that woman out of our misery.
Kristin is just fabulous. She can sing any style of music. I’ve even heard her sing opera. Plus, she’s adorable and funny. I so miss Pushing Daisies.
I’ll admit it, i watched the episode again as soon as i woke up. Its like every episode is an A+, but they are all so different.
And I feel like I’m watching Fame Highschool because all these kids have beyond amazing voices.
And Mercedes big note at the end of the episode might have made my life.
Glee is hands down the best new show this year! So addicting! This episode was the best so far I think. Can’t wait for next week!
Watched the whole episode just to see Kurt again. The rest of the story, doesn’t appeal to me so far. Especially the wife pretending she’s pregnant.
I really liked this episode, especially the musical numbers.
The studio version of “Somebody to Love” is by far the best recording that the Glee cast has done. It’s just SO fantastic… I’ve been listening to it on repeat ever since it was released last week.
<3 Kristin Chenoweth