Season 2, Ep 5 - Rocky Horror Glee Show
As the Glee kids rehearse their production of The Rocky Horror Show, Santana sings “Science Fiction Double Feature”; Finn, Rachel, and the others begin to sing “There’s A Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place),” but are interrupted by Emma’s boyfriend Carl, who busts in and accuses Will of breaking their deal regarding him staying away from Emma. We flashback a week in time: Will talks to Emma in the teachers’ lounge. He discovers (much to his dismay) that her ongoing relationship with the dentist has been having a positive effect on her neuroses as evidenced (in part) by her willingness to attend weekly screenings of the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show; she also joyfully participates in the raucous (and messy) happenings included. In an attempt to rekindle their bond, Will blurts out the fib that he too loves the film, and says coincidentally (a week ago) he chose Rocky Horror as the Glee Club’s annual school musical.
Will presents his idea to the kids, who seem a little taken aback by the radical choice; Will counters that the point of art is “pushing boundaries… doing things for the sake of self-expression.” He says because of the cast breakdown, some roles will be cut and others doubled; due to the risqué nature of the show, the kids will need to get permission slips signed by their parents. The kids are excited: the initial casting includes Artie as “the guy in the wheelchair”, Finn and Rachel as “Brad” and “Janet,” and Sam as the hunky “Rocky.” During their first rehearsal, Finn (who apparently has body-image issues) is mortified to learn he will have to appear on stage in only his “tighty-whities.” Rachel reassures him: he has nothing to worry about as he’s “the hottest guy in school.” At the WHON Television station Sue does another installment of “Sue’s Corner”; she rails against Halloween, and how the true meaning of the holiday (fear) has been supplanted by trick-or-treating. The next day Sue receives a visit from station executives Barry Jeffries and Tim Stanwick. They tell her they’ve learned McKinley is planning a production of Rocky Horror, and suggest she do an exposé on how the “progressive agenda” has finally infiltrated Ohio’s public schools. They suggest the piece could win her a local Emmy; she loves the idea.
In the choir room the kids rehearse “Damn It, Janet”; Sue drops by. At first Will thinks she is there to try and stop the show, but he is surprised when she asks to join the cast. He’s confused by her uncharacteristic request, but accedes. Will goes to Emma’s office; he asks her to help out on the show by doing costumes. He says no one knows Rocky Horror better than she does, but in truth it is really just another ploy to spend more time with her; she agrees. Mike Chang (who was set to play the role of “Dr. Frank N Furter”) says his parents aren’t cool with him “dressing up like a tranny,” and have pulled him from the play. Will breaks the news to Sue: without a Frank N Furter there can be no show. Sue sees her Emmy dreams slipping away.
In Emma’s office Carl shows her his Halloween costume; having decided to dress as characters from Rocky Horror, he has brought in his “Frank N Furter” corset. Sue catches a glimpse, and has an idea; she suggests Carl join the cast to fill the void left by Mike’s departure. Carl agrees. In the choir room Will is chagrined, but allows Carl to audition for the show; Carl sings “Eddie’s” song “Hot Patootie (Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?)” The kids go wild, but Sue points out that the cast needs a “Frank,” not an “Eddie” (a role that has been cut). Carl thinks casting an adult as “Frank” would be inappropriate for a high-school production. A timid Mercedes pipes up, and says she would love to play “Frank”; Will agrees. A self-satisfied Sue thinks they’ve killed two birds with one stone: they can restore the role of “Eddie,” and they’ve found a “Frank.” Will views Carl’s joining the cast as another stumbling block in his main objective of winning back Emma.
In Rachel’s bedroom she and Finn rehearse; he seems to be overcoming his fear of performing in his underwear. The couple strips down in order to attempt a “dress rehearsal,” but their close proximity and lack of clothing proves too titillating for Rachel; she changes her mind about rehearsing, which causes Finn’s confidence to quickly dissipate. The next day at rehearsal, Mercedes (in full costume) performs “Sweet Transvestite”; everyone agrees the casting was a great decision. Will seethes when Emma credits putting Mercedes in the role to Carl turning it down.
The next day Will tells Emma he’s decided Carl was right about some of the roles being inappropriate for high-school students. That being the case, he’s decided that he (not Sam) will play “Rocky”; he asks her to help him rehearse the highly sexualized “Rocky” and “Janet” duet: “Touch-A Touch Me.” She agrees; as she sings and they dance (the exact choreography from the film), she begins to give over to the character’s lusty quality. The heat between the two is palpable; when the song ends, a breathless Emma rushes out of the room. Will thinks his mission has been accomplished. Having learned that Sam was replaced, Finn worries that he will be the next to go unless he can get past his body image problems. Sam convinces him that the “Brad” role isn’t about “looking hot”; it’s about being confident “no matter how douchey you are.” Finn understands… or maybe he doesn’t: he leaves the weight room “to show everyone how hot and sexy” he is. Later Figgins calls Will into his office; he says that Finn was walking thru the halls wearing nothing but his jockey shorts, and as a result will be suspended. Will manages to get the Principal to reconsider, and Finn is let off with a warning. Figgins says that he has already begun to hear complaints about the risqué show. If the production “goes too far” Will could be putting the entire Glee Club program at risk.
In the auditorium we are back to the moment from the start of the show: Carl bursts in, and accuses Will of breaking their deal and hitting on Emma; apparently she told the dentist about their sexy impromptu rehearsal. Will feigns innocence, but Carl isn’t fooled; he says that unlike Will he believes in “the power of the arts,” and doesn’t use them to “try to score with other guys’ chicks.” Carl’s words strike a nerve with Will. Later Will learns that Sue may not be as supportive of the show as she’s been leading on; he sneaks into her office, and finds a pre-taped recording of a “Sue’s Corner” segment in which she blasts the use of public tax dollars to fund arts projects that exist solely to “push the envelope.” In the segment Sue goes on to say ⎯ quite cogently ⎯ that while adults are certainly free to debate society’s morals, they shouldn’t make their children “fight the culture war” for them. Will confronts Sue but she maintains that nothing she said was unreasonable; he begrudgingly agrees. She points out her belief that whatever his reasons for choosing the material, it had little to do with helping the kids. Sue makes her points well… perhaps too well for her own good; Will decides to cancel the performance, signaling the end to her Emmy dreams. In the auditorium Will tells Emma what he’s decided; he also confesses that all his actions were designed to get closer to her, and doing so put everything he cares about at risk. He admits he believes her relationship with Carl is helping her get better, and that being with him is the best thing for her. He promises he’ll back off. In the choir room Will tells the kids his realization that the Rocky Horror phenomenon was never for “envelope pushers,” it was for outcasts who needed to find a place where they felt they belonged: people like them. They will perform the show once; not for an audience, but for themselves. In full costume the kids perform “Time Warp.”
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