Season 2, Ep 7 - The Substitute
Apparently a particularly virulent strain of “Monkey Flu” is making the rounds at McKinley High, and Principal Figgins is counted among its victims; thanks to her typical machinations, Sue has been named interim Principal. Also among the ill-struck is Mr. Schuester, who convalesces at home under the watchful (and prying) eye of his ex-wife Terri. While Will seems to appreciate the care and attention Terri affords him, it seems clear the two have different ideas about why they got divorced in the first place. Before leaving, Terri puts Will’s favorite sick-movie (Singin’ in the Rain) in his DVD player. Kurt and Mercedes wait in line at the cafeteria: he wants to dethrone Rachel, who in Will’s absence has taken control of the Glee Club; she just wants to enjoy a fresh batch of tater-tots. Kurt recalls Holly Holliday: a bright, shining light of a substitute who sang Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction (What’s Your Function?)” when she taught his English class. He asks her to take over New Directions in Will’s absence. She agrees. At first the Glee kids plan on hazing the teacher just as they would any sub, but they soon discover she is more like one of them than other typical authority figures; she starts earning their trust by asking them which songs they want to sing. As opposed to the usual collection of Eighties pop music which Will typically selects, Holly takes Puck’s suggestion, and they sing Cee-Lo’s “Forget You”; the song screams to a finish of laughter and smiles: Holly has managed to charm all the kids except for Rachel, who does not appear pleased with New Directions’ new direction.
In an attempt to secure her position of power permanently, Sue begins making changes at McKinley; the first change she institutes is the banning of tater-tots from the cafeteria menu. Will has a fever dream in which he and Mike Chang perform a singing and dancing duet of “Make ‘Em Laugh” from Singin’ in the Rain; he is roused from the hallucination by the arrival of Rachel, who has come to his apartment to complain about Holly’s teaching techniques; which include playing hip-hop musical chairs to Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice.” Will doesn’t seem overly concerned until he learns that not only are the kids taking a shine to the new sub, Sue seems to be getting along with her quite well, too. In the cafeteria Mercedes complains that since Kurt has been spending more and more time with Blaine, he has less time to spend with her; her disappointment is nothing compared to how she reacts when she discovers that her “tots” are no longer being served for lunch. Mercedes takes her grievance to Principal Sue, who maintains that ⎯ seeing how “teen obesity is an epidemic” caused in part by terrible school lunches ⎯ her “war on junk food” is the right thing to do. A solemn Mercedes vows Sue will regret her dictate.
Terri returns to Will’s apartment to continue her care-giving; while applying a menthol chest-rub, their old feelings begin to resurface. She kisses him and he reciprocates. Aware that his budding relationship with Blaine is leaving Mercedes feeling left out, Kurt tells her he has gotten her a date with football player (and perennial bully) Azimio. Mercedes is less than appreciative when she learns that Kurt had to promise the jock a new set of tires; she declines the set-up. Holly confronts Rachel in the hallway, and tries to encourage the young diva to try and have more fun in Glee Club and worry less about the consequences. She asks Rachel how many of her song ideas she actually gets a chance to do. Rachel confesses that Will ⎯ who only seems interested in Journey’s song book ⎯ is “a little tight fisted with his song selections”; she admits to wanting to sing something more “upbeat and glamorous with a nice dance beat.” Holly gives her the green light to sing whatever she wants; they perform a duet of “Nowadays” from Chicago. After the song Rachel has a new, more favorable opinion of the substitute. Despite still being quite sick, Will returns to McKinley. Sue tells him that thanks to her war on unhealthy eating (and the resulting support she’s received from parents), the school board fired Figgins, and offered her his job; as her first act as full-time principal, she tells Will he’s fired.
At Breadstix, Kurt, Blaine, and Mercedes have a meal and share conversation; Kurt worries about the fact that Mercedes seems more excited by getting her junk-food fix than by spending time with friends. Will goes to the choir room to discover that Holly has already begun to make his classroom her own; he confronts her about her questionable teaching style, which he thinks is all about her giving the kids permission to have fun without advising them of the consequences of doing such. She maintains that to keep kids engaged enough to want to learn, they have to feel like teachers (and the world) care about them and what they think. Will counters that a “great” teacher shows the kids that there are other points of view besides their own.
Sue, Mercedes, and Holly meet in the Principal’s office; apparently Mercedes’ most recent act of defiance included shoving a bunch of tater-tots into the tailpipe of Sue’s “classic” nineteen-seventy-nine LeCar, resulting in a seventeen-thousand-dollar repair bill. Sue asks Holly what she believes would be a suitable punishment, but the newly installed teacher seems to be floundering in uncharted waters; Sue informs Mercedes that the felony stunt could earn her prison time. Later, Holly visits Will at his apartment; he apologizes for railing against her earlier, but she concedes: she is a terrible teacher. She explains about Mercedes, and says that when the student looked to her for help, she was unable to provide any. She tells Will that while students tend to like her “mellow, happy” vibe, over the long-term they really need a solid teacher like Will who can be “their rock.” She tells Will she’s resigning her new full-time gig, and will return to being a substitute. Their conversation is interrupted by Terri, who has arrived bearing soup; she is dismayed to discover he has company of the female sort, and wastes no time marking her territory for Holly’s benefit. Will tells Terri in no uncertain terms that “last night was a mistake”; he tells her to leave, and not return. Alone again, Will and Holly drink a beer; there seems to be some chemistry between the two.
The next day at school Kurt approaches Mercedes, and says he’s worried about her health; not only does he think she substitutes comfort food for love, he thinks she’s substituting him for a boyfriend. His words strike a chord; she admits that she does think Azimio is cute, and decides maybe talking to him would be worth a shot. Karofsky confronts Kurt, and warns him not to tell anyone about “how you kissed me”… or else; Kurt seems legitimately scared by the threat, especially since he’s already told Blaine. Will returns to the Principal’s office with a mind to “grovel” to get his job back; much to his surprise Sue seems more than willing to reinstate the teacher, due in great part to several of his students rallying on his behalf. She also says she has overturned the ban on tots in school, but reminds him the Glee kids will still need to come up with the money to repair her car. Will returns to his classroom; the kids are all happy to have him back, but their enthusiasm begins to wane when he suggests their first song at Sectionals should be “Singin’ in the Rain.” At Breadstix, Mercedes and Azimio have their date; it doesn’t go well, and he leaves early. Feeling hurt and alone, Mercedes pushes aside her healthy meal, and asks the waitress for an order of tater-tots. The next day at school Will finds Holly subbing in a history classroom; he says he has requested she be the Glee Club’s “full time sub”. Clearly there is still some spark between them. He goes on to say he’s trying to get the kids excited about singing “Singin’ in the Rain,” but they’re convinced it’s too old fashioned; he asks if she can help make it a little more modern. She agrees. In the auditorium Will and the boys, and Holly and the girls, sing a mash-up of “Singin’ in the Rain” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” Everyone cheers.
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