Journey - Season 1, Ep 22
Regionals have arrived, but Sue pulls a fast one which could compromise the kids' shot at the title; meanwhile, Quinn's life changes forever in the season-finale episode of Glee.
Will is disturbed to learn that Sue has been picked to be one of the judges at Regionals; apparently this year's theme involves celebrities, and the five-time champion cheerleading coach is considered to be one. He complains to Figgins, but the Principal says the decision is not his to make. Figgins reminds Will of their deal: New Directions must either win or place at the competition, or the club will be disbanded. The kids gather at Will's apartment to pick their set list, but with Sue as a judge, they have already come to expect defeat; even the ever-optimistic Rachel thinks they face a futile challenge. Will goes to Emma, asking for guidance. She reminds him that he almost quit teaching, and that doing what you love is more important than winning or losing; she also breaks the news that she's been dating her dentist… although they have not yet consummated their relationship. On his drive home Will's radio plays Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"; he pulls over, and starts to cry. In school Finn chastises Rachel for giving up on the club so quickly. He tells her they will go to Regionals, and they will win; she kisses him on the lips. In the choir room Will talks to the students about the ups and downs of the nine months they've spent together. He says: "life has one beginning and one end, and the rest is a whole lot of middle"; he loves them too much to not let them make the most of it. He reminds them about how he almost quit Glee, but their performance of "Don't Stop Believing" inspired him to stay. With that in mind he has decided that for Regionals they will do a medley of Journey songs. The kids all love the idea.
The big day has arrived; as Will enters the auditorium, the judges are introduced. In addition to Sue, the other celebrity judges include platinum recording artist Josh Groban, five-time Grammy winner Olivia Newton John, and local Emmy-winning anchorman Rod Remington. The first show choir (Aural Intensity) takes to the stage performing a mash-up of Josh Groban and Olivia Newton John songs, while backstage Will reminds his kids that winning isn't what's important. As Finn and Rachel prepare for their set, she wishes him good luck; he responds by telling her, "I love you." New Directions performs their Journey set, which consists of: Finn and Rachel sharing the lead in "Faithfully"; and group performances of a mash-up of "Any Way You Want It" and "Loving Touching Squeezing"; and their finale "Don't Stop Believing." The crowd, with the exception of Sue, loves it. Quinn's mother sits in the audience. Afterwards Judy Fabray approaches her daughter backstage; she says Quinn was wonderful, and apologizes for missing her other performances. She says she kicked her cheating husband out of the house, and wants Quinn to move back in… and keep the baby; Quinn replies: "My water just broke."
As Jesse St. James and Vocal Adrenaline perform Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," the McKinley kids (and Judy) rush Quinn to the hospital; while Judy, Puck, and Mercedes attend to Quinn, Rachel watches the hugely spectacular musical performance. By the time the song reaches its conclusion, Quinn is holding her new baby daughter. Backstage, Rachel approaches Shelby; she says her mother should leave Carmel High and come to McKinley to co-direct New Directions with Mr. Schuester. Shelby says she's finished with show choirs: it has taken too much attention away from what truly matters in life, and she wants a shot at having a real family; she says she missed out on her chance with Rachel, and she can't let that happen again. Rachel tells Shelby the news about Quinn. The judges meet to decide the winner. While Sue starts off hoping to bury New Directions, she eventually finds herself defending them against the same type of ridiculous criticisms she normally dishes out. Her chickens come home to roost when her fellow judges heartlessly point out that (unlike them) Sue isn't even a real celebrity: like the kids at McKinley, she is an "underachiever with delusions of grandeur." The judges take the stage to announce the results: Aural Intensity takes second place and Vocal Adrenaline is declared the winners. Will and the McKinley kids are crestfallen.
Quinn and Puck watch their sleeping baby. He asks if Quinn wants to keep her; she doesn't. Puck tells Quinn he loves her… "especially now"; she looks at her baby-daddy with new eyes. Shelby appears. She asks if the baby has a name; Puck says: "Beth." The next day at school Will sees Emma shouting at Principal Figgins about what he's done to the Glee Club. She says after all of the hard work they put in, the result is unjust; she is frustrated that Sue has won again. Emma wonders how Will can give up so easily, but he wonders if she is still talking about the kids. She says she is but Will isn't so sure; he grabs her, and says he loves her. They kiss. Rachel approaches them, and summons Will to the auditorium; he sees the entire club gathered onstage. Each student takes a turn describing what the Glee Club has meant to (and done for) them over the past school year, and how their lives have changed as a result of being a part of it. Though tears they sing a touching rendition of Lulu's "To Sir With Love"; Sue watches unseen from the back of the auditorium.
As Will clears the Glee Club's things from the choir room, Sue enters; she has come "mostly" to gloat. While acknowledging that his kids may not have been better than Vocal Adrenaline, Will questions how she could have voted for the obviously inferior Aural Intensity. She says she can't comment on how the voting went down ("that would betray my sacred oath as a judge or something"), but through flashback we see that Sue did in fact vote for New Directions to win. He congratulates her on her victory, but adds: "I lose… the kids lose." She continues to rub his nose in defeat, but then admits that she's not sure she could live in a world where she couldn't constantly ridicule him, his hair, or his "ill-shapen students"; to that end, Sue informs Will that (thanks yet again to her sexual blackmailing of Figgins) she has given New Directions a stay of execution, and they will get another year. Will is surprised. Sue adds she doesn't like him so much, but she admires the work he does with his kids. They shake hands; she admits she looks forward to another year of "constantly besting" him. Will says that inside she is a really good person with a heart; he appreciates what she's done, and he won't forget it. Will gives the kids the good news: they'll all be around for another year. They cheer and hug each other; Will tells them to take a well-deserved break over the summer. He (on ukulele) and Puck (on guitar) perform the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"; meanwhile Shelby finalizes the adoption of Quinn's baby by adding the name "Beth" to the baby's birth certificate.
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