Asian F
Encyclopedia
"Asian F" is the third episode of the third season
of the American musical television series Glee
, and the 47th overall. Written by series co-creator Ian Brennan
and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it first aired on Fox
in the United States on October 4, 2011. The episode features the introduction of Emma Pillsbury
's (Jayma Mays
) and Mike Chang
's (Harry Shum, Jr.
) parents, and the final auditions for the McKinley High production of West Side Story
, in which the competition between Mercedes Jones
(Amber Riley
) and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
) leads the former to quit New Directions.
An advanced copy of the episode was released to several reviewers, and received a highly enthusiastic response. Once the episode aired many others were equally impressed, though not all. Brittany
's (Heather Morris) "Run the World (Girls)
" performance was hailed, and the entire Mike Chang storyline, especially his rendition of "Cool
" and his initial solo dance sequence, also received favorable notice. The musical numbers were generally greeted positively, among them the three that featured Mercedes, particularly "It's All Over". However, her storyline had its detractors, mostly due to the recurrence of the Mercedes versus Rachel plot, and the inconsistency of her characterization with past appearances.
Although all six songs were released as singles, available for download, only "Fix You" and "Run the World (Girls)" charted on the Billboard Hot 100
, and only "Fix You" on the Canadian Hot 100
. Upon its initial airing, this episode was viewed by 8.42 million American viewers and garnered a 3.6/10 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The total viewership and ratings for this episode were down slightly from the previous episode, "I Am Unicorn
".
(Jenna Ushkowitz), who has been helping him improve his singing. Mike begs for one more chance and promises to meet with a tutor, but later decides to follow his dreams and auditions for the role of Riff in West Side Story, performing "Cool
". He misses a tutoring session and is confronted by his mother, and when he admits he wants to be a dancer rather than a doctor, she reveals that she gave up dreams of becoming a dancer and doesn’t want her son to do the same.
To promote her candidacy for senior class president, Brittany
(Heather Morris) sings a rousing song of female empowerment—"Run the World (Girls)
"—at an impromptu assembly, with the help of the Cheerios and Santana
(Naya Rivera
), who has rejoined New Directions unbeknownst to cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
). The enormous enthusiasm of the school's entire female population worries Kurt
(Chris Colfer
), the other candidate in the race. Kurt has given up his dream to play Tony in the musical, and gives a bouquet of roses to his boyfriend Blaine
(Darren Criss
), the likely choice as Tony.
Will
(Matthew Morrison
) is insecure about his relationship with Emma because she hasn’t asked him to meet her parents, so he invites them to dinner without telling her. They mock their daughter’s OCD, which angers Will, and display an extreme hair-color obsession—Emma refers to them as "ginger supremacists". Her OCD suffers a severe resurgence under the stress of their visit. A helpless Will apologizes, and joins Emma when she prays
.
Mercedes
(Amber Riley
), supported by her boyfriend Shane (LaMarcus Tinker
), auditions for the role of Maria and impresses the directors—Emma, Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) and Artie
(Kevin McHale)—with her rendition of "Spotlight
". They schedule a callback between her and Rachel (Lea Michele
) to help them decide who should be cast in the role. Mercedes is angry about what she perceives as continued favoritism shown to Rachel, especially in the awarding of solos, and when Will pushes her in the glee club's extra dance rehearsals that Rachel is excused from, she decides she has had enough and quits glee club. When Mercedes and Rachel compete by singing "Out Here On My Own" in the callbacks, Mercedes gives a performance that Rachel privately concedes was better, which prompts Rachel to begin a last-minute candidacy for senior class president to improve her college prospects; this dismays Kurt, who now has another rival to campaign against. The three directors decide to offer the role of Maria to both contenders, with each to do half the performances, but Mercedes is convinced she deserved to win the part outright and refuses to accept half a role. She withdraws from contention, which leaves Rachel as the sole Maria, and volunteers to join Shelby Corcoran's (Idina Menzel
) new glee club. The cast list is posted, with Rachel as Maria, Blaine as Tony, Santana as Anita, Mike as Riff, and Kurt as Officer Krupke.
and the episode was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
Two new sets of parents are introduced during the episode. Emma's parents, Rose and Rusty Pillsbury, are played by Valerie Mahaffey and Don Most
. Mays was very excited when she learned Most, who played Ralph Malph
on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days
, had been cast, and exclaimed, "What? He's my father?!" Both Most and Mahaffey were so funny during the shooting of their sequence that she had to apologize for causing a portion to have to be reshot, telling them, "I'm so sorry, the back of my shoulders were shaking because I was laughing so hard."
Mike's parents, who may become recurring characters, are Tamlyn Tomita
in the role of Julia Chang, and Keong Sim
as Mike Chang, Sr. Recurring guest stars appearing in the episode include Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
), football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), student Lauren Zizes
(Ashley Fink
), teacher Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
) and football players Shane Tinsley (LaMarcus Tinker
) and Azimio (James Earl).
This episode features the show's first Coldplay
cover, "Fix You
". Coldplay had previously refused to license their music for use on Glee, but later changed their minds. Five other songs are covered, including Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
" sung by Morris, Jennifer Hudson
's "Spotlight
" sung by Riley, "Cool
" from West Side Story sung by Shum in his first solo, "Out Here On My Own" from Fame sung by Riley and Michele, and "It's All Over" from Dreamgirls
performed by Riley and most of New Directions. Riley appreciated the opportunity to perform "Spotlight", a modern pop song, "because Mercedes usually does the old diva-ish" songs. She found the episode challenging, as she "really had to think about who Mercedes is."
on CBS
, which earned a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and also by the third episode of New Girl, which follows Glee on Fox, and brought in a 4.3/11 rating/share and 8.65 million viewers. The Glee numbers were down slightly from the previous week's episode, "I Am Unicorn", which netted a 3.7/11 rating/share and 8.60 million viewers.
Viewership increased markedly in other countries. In the United Kingdom, "Asian F" was watched on Sky1 by 1.10 million viewers, up 10% compared to "I Am Unicorn" in the previous week. In Australia, "Asian F" was watched by 843,000 viewers, which made Glee the eleventh most-watched program of the night. The viewership was up significantly from "I Am Unicorn" the week before, which drew 729,000 viewers, and also an improvement over the season premiere's 760,000. In Canada, 1.82 million viewers watched the episode, and it was the fourteenth most-viewed show of the week, up four slots and 21% from the 1.50 million viewers who watched "I Am Unicorn".
of TVLine
heavily praised screener
copies of the episode. Dos Santos called it "arguably the best episode of Glee, not just this season but in the history of the series", while Ausiello praised the episode as "a standout hour". Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
also viewed the episode in advance, and was similarly impressed; he wrote that it was "one of the series' best episodes ever".
A number of critics who viewed the episode when it aired were equally taken with "Asian F". The Atlantic Kevin Fallon called it Glee "best ever", while others, including Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
and Abby West of Entertainment Weekly said it was the best one of the new third season. Vanity Fair
Brett Berk wrote, "This week's episode stands out as one of the most cohesive and well acted in the series's pantheon", though he wondered what had happened to the show's humorous side, something also noted by Futterman, who found it to be a significant problem: "Glee's own identity crisis of not knowing whether or not it's a sitcom has made it hard to get deeply invested in its characters." Amy Reiter of The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the producers hit every note (emotional, musical, character, plot) as squarely as Rachel Berry auditioning for a coveted role", and the episode "had emotional truth, character growth, new revelations and really good musical numbers: the kind that seem to emerge organically from the plot and deepen and advance it." AOL TV
Crystal Bell said the episode delivered on the setup in the previous "I Am Unicorn
" outing, and said "it definitely seems to echo the glory days" of the first season.
Others were not as impressed. Although he praised "fantastic performances by Harry Shum as Mike Chang and Jayma Mays as Emma", Anthony Benigno of The Faster Times
criticized the "hackneyed storytelling that moves nobody forward", and IGN
Robert Canning noted that the show's "inconsistent character development" was on display, though he gave the episode his best grade so far in the season, a "great" 8 out of 10. Samantha Urban of The Dallas Morning News
likened "Asian F" to a "half-hearted meal": while she said the subplots featuring Mike and Emma "worked really well", the main storyline featuring Mercedes "was offensive in how lazily it was executed".
The Mercedes storyline was met with widely divergent reactions, though her musical numbers were generally given high marks. In addition to Urban, many reviewers were unhappy with the return of the Rachel versus Mercedes rivalry, including Bell, who lamented that it had "been done every season". Nearly as many expressed the hope that Mercedes was not pregnant given her nausea in the first "booty camp" scene, including Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger
, BuddyTV
John Kubicek, and West. Benigno felt Mercedes was acting "wildly out of character" in the episode. Michael Slezak of TVLine
was also puzzled at her change, and asked, "When has Mercedes ever been anything other than a team player and New Directions MVP? Seriously, nobody's going to cut her slack for a bad week?" Canning agreed, and wrote: "Schue's tough love with Mercedes came out of left field", and felt it added to the "inconsistency of these characters", even though "it ultimately made sense" in the context of setup for "It's All Over". Time
James Poniewozik
wrote that having the story "turn on her resentment at being overlooked by the glee club is an apt meta-touch, since she's been overlooked by the show for some time now." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
was the most enthusiastic about her storyline, and called it "the best part of the episode": it was "all about how she now feels appreciated—because she has a boyfriend, sigh—and so she's willing to take on Rachel for the role of Maria (and, actually, beat her) and push for what she feels is rightfully hers, which involves more respect from New Directions."
Mike Chang's first major storyline was the most widely praised of the episode. West said Shum "really showed his acting chops", and Urban thought the "plot worked well", though she heaped scorn on the notion that "any college would consider glee club a detriment" in an application. Mike's "Cool" performance was very well-received. Berk called it a "spectacular audition" and Bell said it was "one of the highlights of the episode"; she also noted that the episode "really solidified" Mike and Tina's relationship, though she also pointed out that Tina was "the most neglected member of the entire cast". Mike's scenes in the dance studio were even more highly praised than "Cool". The first, when Mike "dances alone and imagines Tina and his dad in the room with him" was described as "really beautiful" by Benigno. Fallon characterized it as "a standout scene": "the performer dances out his life frustrations, pirouetting-as-catharsis until he realizes that the only place he feels happy is on stage. It's a trademark Glee moment." Hyman agreed, and wrote, "When he ducked into the studio and started dancing by himself, without music, it reminded me of how special a show Glee can be". Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter
lauded the subsequent scene in the studio with his mother as the "most touching part" of the storyline, and more than one reviewer admitted shedding tears, including Reiter.
Poniewozik stated that the Will and Emma storyline "again shows how Glee handles adults much worse than teens", and added, "there's no reason this couldn't have been a rewarding plot". Hyman called it a "bizarre subplot", and Berk stated that the "patent absurdity" of the "ginger eugenics" of Emma's parents "felt out of whack, tonally, with the rest of the episode". VanDerWerff felt that the story failed to work "despite featuring Don Most and Valerie Mahaffey doing their very best". Canning thought Most's role as Emma's "racist Ginger Supremacist father was perhaps the greatest bit of casting I've seen on television all year". Urban thought the subplot "worked really well", though she added that there were "missteps". Brittany's campaign rally flash mob, complete with her performance of "Run the World (Girls)", was a huge favorite; Poniewozik called it "an excellent Brittany dance showcase". Hyman was critical of the "ridiculousness" of Rachel's run for senior class president, a development Urban said "made absolutely zero sense". VanDerWerff lauded the "montage of the kids finding out who was cast" in West Side Story, and said it "might be the best thing the show has ever done." Amy Lee of The Huffington Post
wrote, "The football team is dancing again. This can only be good." Urban mentioned that seeing "Cool" performed by the football players made her realize that "we haven't seen Karofsky this season." Benigno was more direct: "where the hell is Karofsky?"
Raymund Flandez called it a "stellar performance". Kubicek stated, "this was unbelievably superb, easily my favorite performance of the entire season". Futterman noted that "Brittany's vocals are nowhere near the power of Beyoncé's, but they're just fine for this performance, the real focus of which is the dancing."
Mercedes featured in three of the episode's musical numbers. Flandez said of her solo, "She blew Jennifer Hudson's 'Spotlight' out of this world." Benigno wrote that it was "great", but added that it was "not much of a stretch for Amber Riley to hit this one". Berk praised her "amazing voice" and gave the performance four stars out of five, and Goldberg characterized the rendition as "flawless". Other reviewers were more critical, including VanDerWerff, who said that this was the only song in the episode that "really didn't work". Slezak felt that the arrangement used was not distinct enough from the original, though he gave the performance a "B+", as did West, who wrote, "Mercedes looked fantastic and carried herself well, and her voice was as strong as ever but it felt a little lacking." In her "Maria-off" with Rachel, Benigno said they "both kill it", characterized it as "easy but fun", and gave it an "A−", as did Slezak and West, the latter of whom "didn't feel that Mercedes was the clear winner" but thought both singers were "fantastic". Kubicek thought that "Mercedes clearly won" and Flandez maintained that she "clearly outshone her rival", and continued, "You just believe so much of what she sings." Berk agreed, and contrasted the two singers with his rating scale of one to five stars: "Two stars for Rachel, who sang this like Barry Manilow; four for Mercedes, who sang this like she lived it." Futterman had a slightly different take: "Rachel puts on a diva front, but inside she's scared and nervous, while Mercedes is just a diva." However, Hyman thought that the two "were evenly matched", while Canning and Billboard
Rae Votta both thought Rachel was the victor; Votta stated, "While the show wants us to believe otherwise, Rachel clearly outsang Mercedes". "It's All Over" from Dreamgirls received the most enthusiastic commentary, including an "A+" from West, who wrote "Mercedes was at her best in this performance", a sentiment echoed by Benigno when he awarded the song an "A". Hyman called it "pretty awesome" and Flandez a "cleverly amusing take", while Futterman said Mercedes "fully embraces her inner Effie White" and that the song was "on par with the best of Glee's Broadway songs in terms of plot relevancy and vocal arrangements". She also praised "the first group showtune the New Directions have done" and added, "we want more". Votta characterized it as "a flawless fantasy homage" and stated, "It's the perfect use of the non-realism of "Glee" and the power of musical theater to express a storyline". Kubicek agreed it was "like a real musical" in these regards and praised Mike's short solo, and West liked the segment where Santana confronts Mercedes in the number. Slezak was not enthusiastic about the rendition, and wrote that he wished that the "scene gelled better than it did", and questioned why Mercedes was the character Effie while all the other members of New Directions were themselves. He gave the number a "C+".
Votta wrote of "Cool" that "for Mike Chang's first solo it's impressive", and added, "maybe he should play Tony instead of Blaine"; Slezak also thought he should have been considered for Tony since it was "performed with such verve and swagger and charisma". Even so, he conceded that Mike (and Shum) was "not the strongest singer", an assessment echoed in the "decent singer" characterizations from Hyman and Kubicek, and the former called the performance a fine job while the latter wrote that "Mike Chang is the total package". Flandez said Mike's singing "wasn't so terrible", but while Lee said his is "not, by any means, a wonderful voice" she also said "he still pirouettes with the kind of easy grace that makes each move a joy to watch." Futterman wrote, "He's got the smooth dance moves down ... but, most impressively, his slick vocals are on point, hitting nice rises and falls at certain moments but mostly staying 'real cool', as the song calls for", and Berk gave the performance five of five stars. "Fix You" received the least warm reception of the songs in the episode. Benigno criticized it for being "exactly like the original", though he gave it a "B" and noted that the "last bit is kind of chillingly good in Matthew Morrison's hands". Flandez felt that the show's version "pales in imitation to the original". Futterman thought it was "thematically appropriate" but "not Schuester's finest singing moment", and Lee stated that "the song does not fit Morrison's range comfortably". Kevin P. Sullivan of MTV
called it a "surprisingly tragic and moving rendition", but Kubicek characterized it as an "emotionally manipulative song", and West did not like the "implied condescension" of Will singing the song to Emma and gave it a "B", though she thought Morrison "sounded good" and it was a "good way to close out the show".
: "Fix You" debuted at number fifty-three and "Run the World (Girls)" at number ninety-one. "Fix You" debuted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100
, and was the only song from the episode to appear on that chart.
Glee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
of the American musical television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and the 47th overall. Written by series co-creator Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it first aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on October 4, 2011. The episode features the introduction of Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
's (Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
) and Mike Chang
Mike Chang
Michael "Mike" Chang, Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum, Jr., and has appeared on Glee since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preggers", first broadcast on September 23, 2009...
's (Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
) parents, and the final auditions for the McKinley High production of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, in which the competition between Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
) and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) leads the former to quit New Directions.
An advanced copy of the episode was released to several reviewers, and received a highly enthusiastic response. Once the episode aired many others were equally impressed, though not all. Brittany
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
's (Heather Morris) "Run the World (Girls)
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...
" performance was hailed, and the entire Mike Chang storyline, especially his rendition of "Cool
Cool (Leonard Bernstein song)
"Cool" is a song from the musical West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein composed the music and Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics.-Context:In West Side Story, the song is sung by Riff before the Rumble meeting. The Jets are itching to fight with the Sharks, but Riff tells them to wait for the rumble.In...
" and his initial solo dance sequence, also received favorable notice. The musical numbers were generally greeted positively, among them the three that featured Mercedes, particularly "It's All Over". However, her storyline had its detractors, mostly due to the recurrence of the Mercedes versus Rachel plot, and the inconsistency of her characterization with past appearances.
Although all six songs were released as singles, available for download, only "Fix You" and "Run the World (Girls)" charted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and only "Fix You" on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. Upon its initial airing, this episode was viewed by 8.42 million American viewers and garnered a 3.6/10 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The total viewership and ratings for this episode were down slightly from the previous episode, "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
".
Plot
After Mike receives an "A−" on a chemistry exam, his father is upset by this "Asian F" and the danger it poses to his chances of attending Harvard, and insists that Mike focus more on his studies and give up glee club and his girlfriend TinaTina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jenna Ushkowitz), who has been helping him improve his singing. Mike begs for one more chance and promises to meet with a tutor, but later decides to follow his dreams and auditions for the role of Riff in West Side Story, performing "Cool
Cool (Leonard Bernstein song)
"Cool" is a song from the musical West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein composed the music and Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics.-Context:In West Side Story, the song is sung by Riff before the Rumble meeting. The Jets are itching to fight with the Sharks, but Riff tells them to wait for the rumble.In...
". He misses a tutoring session and is confronted by his mother, and when he admits he wants to be a dancer rather than a doctor, she reveals that she gave up dreams of becoming a dancer and doesn’t want her son to do the same.
To promote her candidacy for senior class president, Brittany
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Heather Morris) sings a rousing song of female empowerment—"Run the World (Girls)
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...
"—at an impromptu assembly, with the help of the Cheerios and Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
), who has rejoined New Directions unbeknownst to cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
). The enormous enthusiasm of the school's entire female population worries Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
), the other candidate in the race. Kurt has given up his dream to play Tony in the musical, and gives a bouquet of roses to his boyfriend Blaine
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
), the likely choice as Tony.
Will
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) is insecure about his relationship with Emma because she hasn’t asked him to meet her parents, so he invites them to dinner without telling her. They mock their daughter’s OCD, which angers Will, and display an extreme hair-color obsession—Emma refers to them as "ginger supremacists". Her OCD suffers a severe resurgence under the stress of their visit. A helpless Will apologizes, and joins Emma when she prays
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
.
Mercedes
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
), supported by her boyfriend Shane (LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as teenage football star Dallas Tinker on the NBC and Direct TV television drama Friday Night Lights, and as Kevin on the ABC comedy Cougar Town...
), auditions for the role of Maria and impresses the directors—Emma, Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) and Artie
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Kevin McHale)—with her rendition of "Spotlight
Spotlight (Jennifer Hudson song)
"Spotlight" is an R&B song written and produced by Ne-Yo and Norwegian production duo Stargate for Jennifer Hudson's self titled debut album. It was released digitally on June 10, 2008 as the album's first single, and reached the top thirty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
". They schedule a callback between her and Rachel (Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) to help them decide who should be cast in the role. Mercedes is angry about what she perceives as continued favoritism shown to Rachel, especially in the awarding of solos, and when Will pushes her in the glee club's extra dance rehearsals that Rachel is excused from, she decides she has had enough and quits glee club. When Mercedes and Rachel compete by singing "Out Here On My Own" in the callbacks, Mercedes gives a performance that Rachel privately concedes was better, which prompts Rachel to begin a last-minute candidacy for senior class president to improve her college prospects; this dismays Kurt, who now has another rival to campaign against. The three directors decide to offer the role of Maria to both contenders, with each to do half the performances, but Mercedes is convinced she deserved to win the part outright and refuses to accept half a role. She withdraws from contention, which leaves Rachel as the sole Maria, and volunteers to join Shelby Corcoran's (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
) new glee club. The cast list is posted, with Rachel as Maria, Blaine as Tony, Santana as Anita, Mike as Riff, and Kurt as Officer Krupke.
Production
The episode began filming on August 29, 2011; the finale was filmed on September 16, 2011. The script was written by series co-creator Ian BrennanIan Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
and the episode was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.
Two new sets of parents are introduced during the episode. Emma's parents, Rose and Rusty Pillsbury, are played by Valerie Mahaffey and Don Most
Don Most
Don Most is an American actor best known for his role as Ralph Malph on the television series Happy Days.-Acting credits:...
. Mays was very excited when she learned Most, who played Ralph Malph
Ralph Malph
Ralph Malph is a character on Happy Days played by Don Most.-Background of Character:He usually had two things on his mind, girls and jokes...
on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, had been cast, and exclaimed, "What? He's my father?!" Both Most and Mahaffey were so funny during the shooting of their sequence that she had to apologize for causing a portion to have to be reshot, telling them, "I'm so sorry, the back of my shoulders were shaking because I was laughing so hard."
Mike's parents, who may become recurring characters, are Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Naomi Tomita is an actress, who has appeared in many Hollywood films and television series.-Early life:Tomita was born in Okinawa, the daughter of Shiro and Asako Tomita. Her father then later became a Los Angeles Police Officer, rising to the rank of sergeant. He succumbed to cancer in...
in the role of Julia Chang, and Keong Sim
Keong Sim
Keong Sim is an American actor. A Korean American, he is a native to the city of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature graduate of the University of Chicago. He is a comedy mentor of Laughter for a Change, and has acted in numerous television, film and stage productions...
as Mike Chang, Sr. Recurring guest stars appearing in the episode include Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
), football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), student Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Ashley Fink
Ashley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink is an American actress, known for her role as Lauren Zizes in the television series Glee, and also as Carter McMahon in Huge.-Personal life:...
), teacher Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
) and football players Shane Tinsley (LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as teenage football star Dallas Tinker on the NBC and Direct TV television drama Friday Night Lights, and as Kevin on the ABC comedy Cougar Town...
) and Azimio (James Earl).
This episode features the show's first Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
cover, "Fix You
Fix You
"Fix You" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y. The track is built around an organ, that is accompanied by slow tempo drums, and a vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from X&Y and...
". Coldplay had previously refused to license their music for use on Glee, but later changed their minds. Five other songs are covered, including Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)
Run the World (Girls)
"Run the World " is a song performed by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It was written by Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Knowles, Nick "Afrojack" van de Wall, Wesley "Diplo" Pentz, David "Switch" Taylor, and Adidja Palmer and produced by Switch, The-Dream, Knowles and Shea Taylor...
" sung by Morris, Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
's "Spotlight
Spotlight (Jennifer Hudson song)
"Spotlight" is an R&B song written and produced by Ne-Yo and Norwegian production duo Stargate for Jennifer Hudson's self titled debut album. It was released digitally on June 10, 2008 as the album's first single, and reached the top thirty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
" sung by Riley, "Cool
Cool (Leonard Bernstein song)
"Cool" is a song from the musical West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein composed the music and Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics.-Context:In West Side Story, the song is sung by Riff before the Rumble meeting. The Jets are itching to fight with the Sharks, but Riff tells them to wait for the rumble.In...
" from West Side Story sung by Shum in his first solo, "Out Here On My Own" from Fame sung by Riley and Michele, and "It's All Over" from Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
performed by Riley and most of New Directions. Riley appreciated the opportunity to perform "Spotlight", a modern pop song, "because Mercedes usually does the old diva-ish" songs. She found the episode challenging, as she "really had to think about who Mercedes is."
Ratings
"Asian F" was first broadcast on October 4, 2011 in the United States on Fox. It garnered a 3.6/10 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and received 8.42 million American viewers during its initial airing. It was second for the third week in a row in its timeslot to NCISNCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, which earned a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and also by the third episode of New Girl, which follows Glee on Fox, and brought in a 4.3/11 rating/share and 8.65 million viewers. The Glee numbers were down slightly from the previous week's episode, "I Am Unicorn", which netted a 3.7/11 rating/share and 8.60 million viewers.
Viewership increased markedly in other countries. In the United Kingdom, "Asian F" was watched on Sky1 by 1.10 million viewers, up 10% compared to "I Am Unicorn" in the previous week. In Australia, "Asian F" was watched by 843,000 viewers, which made Glee the eleventh most-watched program of the night. The viewership was up significantly from "I Am Unicorn" the week before, which drew 729,000 viewers, and also an improvement over the season premiere's 760,000. In Canada, 1.82 million viewers watched the episode, and it was the fourteenth most-viewed show of the week, up four slots and 21% from the 1.50 million viewers who watched "I Am Unicorn".
Critical reception
Kristin dos Santos of E! Online and Michael AusielloMichael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
of TVLine
TVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
heavily praised screener
Screener
A screener is an advance screening of a film sent to critics, awards voters, video stores , and other film industry professionals, including producers and distributors. A screener often has no post-processing....
copies of the episode. Dos Santos called it "arguably the best episode of Glee, not just this season but in the history of the series", while Ausiello praised the episode as "a standout hour". Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
also viewed the episode in advance, and was similarly impressed; he wrote that it was "one of the series' best episodes ever".
A number of critics who viewed the episode when it aired were equally taken with "Asian F". The Atlantic Kevin Fallon called it Glee "best ever", while others, including Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and Abby West of Entertainment Weekly said it was the best one of the new third season. Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
Brett Berk wrote, "This week's episode stands out as one of the most cohesive and well acted in the series's pantheon", though he wondered what had happened to the show's humorous side, something also noted by Futterman, who found it to be a significant problem: "Glee's own identity crisis of not knowing whether or not it's a sitcom has made it hard to get deeply invested in its characters." Amy Reiter of The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the producers hit every note (emotional, musical, character, plot) as squarely as Rachel Berry auditioning for a coveted role", and the episode "had emotional truth, character growth, new revelations and really good musical numbers: the kind that seem to emerge organically from the plot and deepen and advance it." AOL TV
AOL TV
AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display , and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV....
Crystal Bell said the episode delivered on the setup in the previous "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
" outing, and said "it definitely seems to echo the glory days" of the first season.
Others were not as impressed. Although he praised "fantastic performances by Harry Shum as Mike Chang and Jayma Mays as Emma", Anthony Benigno of The Faster Times
The Faster Times
The Faster Times is an online newspaper launched by Sam Apple on July 9, 2009. Many print newspapers were going out of business and reporters were losing their jobs. The New York Times reported that in this climate, Apple was able to recruit professional writers guaranteeing them 75% of revenue...
criticized the "hackneyed storytelling that moves nobody forward", and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Robert Canning noted that the show's "inconsistent character development" was on display, though he gave the episode his best grade so far in the season, a "great" 8 out of 10. Samantha Urban of The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
likened "Asian F" to a "half-hearted meal": while she said the subplots featuring Mike and Emma "worked really well", the main storyline featuring Mercedes "was offensive in how lazily it was executed".
The Mercedes storyline was met with widely divergent reactions, though her musical numbers were generally given high marks. In addition to Urban, many reviewers were unhappy with the return of the Rachel versus Mercedes rivalry, including Bell, who lamented that it had "been done every season". Nearly as many expressed the hope that Mercedes was not pregnant given her nausea in the first "booty camp" scene, including Vicki Hyman of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
, BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
John Kubicek, and West. Benigno felt Mercedes was acting "wildly out of character" in the episode. Michael Slezak of TVLine
TVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
was also puzzled at her change, and asked, "When has Mercedes ever been anything other than a team player and New Directions MVP? Seriously, nobody's going to cut her slack for a bad week?" Canning agreed, and wrote: "Schue's tough love with Mercedes came out of left field", and felt it added to the "inconsistency of these characters", even though "it ultimately made sense" in the context of setup for "It's All Over". Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik
James Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
wrote that having the story "turn on her resentment at being overlooked by the glee club is an apt meta-touch, since she's been overlooked by the show for some time now." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
was the most enthusiastic about her storyline, and called it "the best part of the episode": it was "all about how she now feels appreciated—because she has a boyfriend, sigh—and so she's willing to take on Rachel for the role of Maria (and, actually, beat her) and push for what she feels is rightfully hers, which involves more respect from New Directions."
Mike Chang's first major storyline was the most widely praised of the episode. West said Shum "really showed his acting chops", and Urban thought the "plot worked well", though she heaped scorn on the notion that "any college would consider glee club a detriment" in an application. Mike's "Cool" performance was very well-received. Berk called it a "spectacular audition" and Bell said it was "one of the highlights of the episode"; she also noted that the episode "really solidified" Mike and Tina's relationship, though she also pointed out that Tina was "the most neglected member of the entire cast". Mike's scenes in the dance studio were even more highly praised than "Cool". The first, when Mike "dances alone and imagines Tina and his dad in the room with him" was described as "really beautiful" by Benigno. Fallon characterized it as "a standout scene": "the performer dances out his life frustrations, pirouetting-as-catharsis until he realizes that the only place he feels happy is on stage. It's a trademark Glee moment." Hyman agreed, and wrote, "When he ducked into the studio and started dancing by himself, without music, it reminded me of how special a show Glee can be". Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
lauded the subsequent scene in the studio with his mother as the "most touching part" of the storyline, and more than one reviewer admitted shedding tears, including Reiter.
Poniewozik stated that the Will and Emma storyline "again shows how Glee handles adults much worse than teens", and added, "there's no reason this couldn't have been a rewarding plot". Hyman called it a "bizarre subplot", and Berk stated that the "patent absurdity" of the "ginger eugenics" of Emma's parents "felt out of whack, tonally, with the rest of the episode". VanDerWerff felt that the story failed to work "despite featuring Don Most and Valerie Mahaffey doing their very best". Canning thought Most's role as Emma's "racist Ginger Supremacist father was perhaps the greatest bit of casting I've seen on television all year". Urban thought the subplot "worked really well", though she added that there were "missteps". Brittany's campaign rally flash mob, complete with her performance of "Run the World (Girls)", was a huge favorite; Poniewozik called it "an excellent Brittany dance showcase". Hyman was critical of the "ridiculousness" of Rachel's run for senior class president, a development Urban said "made absolutely zero sense". VanDerWerff lauded the "montage of the kids finding out who was cast" in West Side Story, and said it "might be the best thing the show has ever done." Amy Lee of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
wrote, "The football team is dancing again. This can only be good." Urban mentioned that seeing "Cool" performed by the football players made her realize that "we haven't seen Karofsky this season." Benigno was more direct: "where the hell is Karofsky?"
Music and performances
The episode's musical performances were generally well-received, though a few reviewers, including Benigno, chafed at the continued emphasis on Broadway showtunes. Both of the major dance numbers came in for considerable praise, and "Run the World (Girls)" garnered the most superlatives: Fallon wrote, "Brittany's performance of "Run the World (Girls)" was thrilling. It was the most adrenaline-pumping musical number the series has produced: intricately choreographed, expertly shot and edited, perfectly woven into the story, and performed exquisitely by Heather Morris." VanDerWerff "enjoyed the ginormous production number built around it quite a bit", and The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
Raymund Flandez called it a "stellar performance". Kubicek stated, "this was unbelievably superb, easily my favorite performance of the entire season". Futterman noted that "Brittany's vocals are nowhere near the power of Beyoncé's, but they're just fine for this performance, the real focus of which is the dancing."
Mercedes featured in three of the episode's musical numbers. Flandez said of her solo, "She blew Jennifer Hudson's 'Spotlight' out of this world." Benigno wrote that it was "great", but added that it was "not much of a stretch for Amber Riley to hit this one". Berk praised her "amazing voice" and gave the performance four stars out of five, and Goldberg characterized the rendition as "flawless". Other reviewers were more critical, including VanDerWerff, who said that this was the only song in the episode that "really didn't work". Slezak felt that the arrangement used was not distinct enough from the original, though he gave the performance a "B+", as did West, who wrote, "Mercedes looked fantastic and carried herself well, and her voice was as strong as ever but it felt a little lacking." In her "Maria-off" with Rachel, Benigno said they "both kill it", characterized it as "easy but fun", and gave it an "A−", as did Slezak and West, the latter of whom "didn't feel that Mercedes was the clear winner" but thought both singers were "fantastic". Kubicek thought that "Mercedes clearly won" and Flandez maintained that she "clearly outshone her rival", and continued, "You just believe so much of what she sings." Berk agreed, and contrasted the two singers with his rating scale of one to five stars: "Two stars for Rachel, who sang this like Barry Manilow; four for Mercedes, who sang this like she lived it." Futterman had a slightly different take: "Rachel puts on a diva front, but inside she's scared and nervous, while Mercedes is just a diva." However, Hyman thought that the two "were evenly matched", while Canning and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Rae Votta both thought Rachel was the victor; Votta stated, "While the show wants us to believe otherwise, Rachel clearly outsang Mercedes". "It's All Over" from Dreamgirls received the most enthusiastic commentary, including an "A+" from West, who wrote "Mercedes was at her best in this performance", a sentiment echoed by Benigno when he awarded the song an "A". Hyman called it "pretty awesome" and Flandez a "cleverly amusing take", while Futterman said Mercedes "fully embraces her inner Effie White" and that the song was "on par with the best of Glee's Broadway songs in terms of plot relevancy and vocal arrangements". She also praised "the first group showtune the New Directions have done" and added, "we want more". Votta characterized it as "a flawless fantasy homage" and stated, "It's the perfect use of the non-realism of "Glee" and the power of musical theater to express a storyline". Kubicek agreed it was "like a real musical" in these regards and praised Mike's short solo, and West liked the segment where Santana confronts Mercedes in the number. Slezak was not enthusiastic about the rendition, and wrote that he wished that the "scene gelled better than it did", and questioned why Mercedes was the character Effie while all the other members of New Directions were themselves. He gave the number a "C+".
Votta wrote of "Cool" that "for Mike Chang's first solo it's impressive", and added, "maybe he should play Tony instead of Blaine"; Slezak also thought he should have been considered for Tony since it was "performed with such verve and swagger and charisma". Even so, he conceded that Mike (and Shum) was "not the strongest singer", an assessment echoed in the "decent singer" characterizations from Hyman and Kubicek, and the former called the performance a fine job while the latter wrote that "Mike Chang is the total package". Flandez said Mike's singing "wasn't so terrible", but while Lee said his is "not, by any means, a wonderful voice" she also said "he still pirouettes with the kind of easy grace that makes each move a joy to watch." Futterman wrote, "He's got the smooth dance moves down ... but, most impressively, his slick vocals are on point, hitting nice rises and falls at certain moments but mostly staying 'real cool', as the song calls for", and Berk gave the performance five of five stars. "Fix You" received the least warm reception of the songs in the episode. Benigno criticized it for being "exactly like the original", though he gave it a "B" and noted that the "last bit is kind of chillingly good in Matthew Morrison's hands". Flandez felt that the show's version "pales in imitation to the original". Futterman thought it was "thematically appropriate" but "not Schuester's finest singing moment", and Lee stated that "the song does not fit Morrison's range comfortably". Kevin P. Sullivan of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
called it a "surprisingly tragic and moving rendition", but Kubicek characterized it as an "emotionally manipulative song", and West did not like the "implied condescension" of Will singing the song to Emma and gave it a "B", though she thought Morrison "sounded good" and it was a "good way to close out the show".
Chart history
Only two of the six cover versions released as singles debuted on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
: "Fix You" debuted at number fifty-three and "Run the World (Girls)" at number ninety-one. "Fix You" debuted at number seventy-six on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, and was the only song from the episode to appear on that chart.