Home (Glee)
Encyclopedia
"Home" is the 16th episode of the American
television series Glee
. The episode premiered on the Fox
network on April 27, 2010. It was directed by Paris Barclay
and written by series creator Brad Falchuk
. "Home" sees new cheerleader Mercedes Jones
(Amber Riley
) deal with body image issues, while the parents of glee club
members Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) and Finn Hudson
(Cory Monteith
) begin dating, and club director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) is reunited with his friend April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth
). Chenoweth first appeared in Glee in the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
". She enjoyed the role of April so much that she agreed to return for "Home", and has expressed an interest in reappearing in the future.
The episode features cover version
s of five songs, all of which were released as singles
, available for digital download
, and four of which are included on the soundtrack album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 – Showstoppers. "Home" was watched by 12.18 million American viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Both Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times
and Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
recommended that Chenoweth receive an Emmy
nomination for her performance, and Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
opined that the episode itself should be submitted for Emmy consideration. Jean Bentley of MTV
felt that Chenoweth was overused in the episode, however, and criticized the songs performed as being unrecognizable to younger viewers. Todd VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club felt that the episode was poorly balanced, and Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
deemed "Home" the weakest episode of Glee thus far.
(Jane Lynch
) demands that new cheerleader Mercedes Jones
lose ten pounds in a week. She reserves the school auditorium for cheer practice, so glee club
director Will Schuester
has to find the club a new rehearsal space. He visits a local roller rink
where he finds former glee club member April Rhodes, who tells him that she is the mistress of the wealthy eighty-year-old tycoon who owns the rink. Upon learning that Will is looking to sublet his apartment, April invites herself to visit. After spending the night sharing a bed, Will forbids April from staying over again and tells her she is worth more than being a mistress. April says she will break up with her tycoon.
Mercedes struggles to eat healthfully and her mid-week weigh-in shows that she has gained two pounds. She begins extreme dieting and faints in the school cafeteria. Former cheerleading captain Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
) sympathizes with Mercedes, commending her for being so comfortable in her own body and advising her not to let being a cheerleader detract from that. Though Mercedes is embarrassed, Quinn tells her that she is beautiful. On the day of the pep rally
, Mercedes abandons the planned routine, and instead sings "Beautiful
". The journalist from Splits Magazine assumes that Sue engineered the performance and expresses his admiration for her, promising her positive publicity from his article.
Glee club member Kurt Hummel
sets up his widowed father Burt
(Mike O'Malley
) with Finn
's widowed mother Carole (Romy Rosemont
). He believes that it will help him become closer to Finn, for whom he has feelings. Finn is upset when Carole sells their old furniture, and stops his late father's recliner from being sold. He is initially hostile to her dating someone new, but begins to bond with Burt over sports at a group dinner. Kurt feels left out, and later asks Finn to help him break up their parents. Finn initially agrees, but relents after Burt tells him that he loves Carole and would never hurt her. They watch a basketball game together and Finn allows Burt to sit in his father's recliner, while Kurt watches on sadly through the window.
When April attempts to break up with her tycoon, he has a stroke and dies. His wife gives April $2 million in hush money
, and April uses some of it to buy the auditorium for the glee club. She plans to go to Broadway
to launch the first all-white production of The Wiz
. The episode ends with April and the glee club performing "Home
" from The Wiz.
, who also directed "Wheels
", Glee ninth episode. It was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk
, who deemed the episode potentially the best of the series so far. "Home" sees the return of guest star Kristin Chenoweth, who first appeared in episode five, "The Rhodes Not Taken
", as former glee club member April Rhodes. Prior to her first appearance, Chenoweth was already acquainted with Glee creator Ryan Murphy, having appeared in his 2006 film Running with Scissors
. Murphy commented that he loves writing for Chenoweth, and both he and Chenoweth expressed their desire for April to return to Glee in the future, with Chenoweth stating: "This part is like nothing I've had the chance to do on TV." It was confirmed in October 2009 that Chenoweth would reprise the role of April later in the first season
, and on March 14, 2010 that her return would occur in "Home".
While Glee also features Chenoweth's former Wicked
co-star Idina Menzel
as recurring character Shelby Corcoran, the producers declined to give the two scenes together, explaining that the series is story-driven, and as re-uniting the two on-screen did not work for storytelling purposes, it was deemed unnecessary. Of Chenoweth's future with Glee beyond "Home", Falchuk commented that the producers want to "have her around as much as possible", and although no plans have been solidified, she may return in the second season. He expanded: "[When] you have talents like that, it's very hard to not want them back. The one advantage we have, I think, is that we have so many incredibly talented people in our … cast that … we don't need [guest actors] as much. But there are certain very special people that, of course, you'd always be interested in."
The episode features a cover version
of "A House Is Not a Home
", performed by Colfer and Monteith, as well as a mash-up
of "A House Is Not a Home" and "One Less Bell to Answer
", performed by Chenoweth and Morrison. Morrison and Chenoweth also duet on The Pointer Sisters' version of "Fire". In keeping with the "home" theme of the episode, Mötley Crüe
's ballad "Home Sweet Home
" (and also "Heart of Glass
" by Blondie
, although this isn't about home) can be heard in the roller rink scene, but was not covered by the cast. Chenoweth performs "Home" from The Wiz, and Riley sings "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera
. The songs performed were all released as singles
, available for digital download
. Each track except "Fire" and "Home Sweet Home" is also included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 – Showstoppers.
, beaten only by Britain's Got More Talent. In Canada, Glee was watched by 2.16 million viewers, making Glee the tenth most-viewed program of the week. In Australia, the episode lead in its timeslot in all key demographics, and was watched by 1.3 million viewers, making Glee the 16th most-viewed show of the week.
deemed it the series' most emotional episode, and his favorite next to "Wheels". Kennedy praised O'Malley's performance as "nothing short of perfection" and recommended that Chenoweth receive an Emmy
nomination for her performance. Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
concurred that Chenoweth's performance was Emmy-worthy, though felt she may have been slightly overused in the episode. Stack noted that he did not love "Home" upon his first viewing, but praised it for adding depth to the characters and tackling body image and sexuality issues. Rick Bentley of McClatchy Newspapers
called the episode "as perfect as television can get", praising Colfer's performance and also deeming him deserving of an Emmy nomination. Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
similarly assessed that "Home" is: "the strongest episode of the season to date, the one Fox should submit for Emmy consideration." Perigard was impressed by the range shown by O'Malley, and opined that the episode as a whole had no low-points.
In contrast, Jean Bentley of MTV
described "Home" as "an hour of television better suited for Internet surfing than actually paying attention." She criticized the songs as being unrecognizable to younger viewers, and called the main plots "emotional doozies, with not much comic relief in between." Bentley felt that Chenoweth was overused, and called her appearance in the episode "nonsensical and unnecessary". Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
graded the episode "C". He felt that the three main plot strands were poorly balanced, resulting in an episode with "powerful moments that drown as they're nearly subsumed by everything else going on." VanDerWerff criticized Mercedes' storyline as being too abrupt, and deemed her performance of "Beautiful": "so forced that it loses any power it might have from what's a genuinely nice arrangement of the song." Finally, he expressed his concern that the prevalence of songs in Glee may detract from the quality of the show. Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
also criticized the episode, deeming it the weakest of the series so far, and one that left him underwhelmed.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
. The episode premiered on the 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...
network on April 27, 2010. It was directed by Paris Barclay
Paris Barclay
Paris K.C. Barclay is an American television director and producer. He has directed over 100 episodes of television to date, for series including NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House M.D., Law & Order, Monk, Numb3rs, City of Angels, Cold Case, and more recently The Mentalist,...
and written by series creator Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
. "Home" sees new cheerleader 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:...
) deal with body image issues, while the parents of glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
members Kurt Hummel
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...
) and Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
) begin dating, and club director Will Schuester
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 reunited with his friend April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
). Chenoweth first appeared in Glee in the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken
"The Rhodes Not Taken" is the fifth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 2009 and was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by John Scott...
". She enjoyed the role of April so much that she agreed to return for "Home", and has expressed an interest in reappearing in the future.
The episode features cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of five songs, all of which were released as singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, and four of which are included on the soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 – Showstoppers. "Home" was watched by 12.18 million American viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Both Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and 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...
recommended that Chenoweth receive an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for her performance, and Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
opined that the episode itself should be submitted for Emmy consideration. Jean Bentley 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....
felt that Chenoweth was overused in the episode, however, and criticized the songs performed as being unrecognizable to younger viewers. Todd VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club felt that the episode was poorly balanced, and Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
deemed "Home" the weakest episode of Glee thus far.
Plot
In preparation for an interview with Splits Magazine, cheerleading coach Sue SylvesterSue 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...
) demands that new cheerleader 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...
lose ten pounds in a week. She reserves the school auditorium for cheer practice, so glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
director Will Schuester
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...
has to find the club a new rehearsal space. He visits a local roller rink
Roller rink
A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...
where he finds former glee club member April Rhodes, who tells him that she is the mistress of the wealthy eighty-year-old tycoon who owns the rink. Upon learning that Will is looking to sublet his apartment, April invites herself to visit. After spending the night sharing a bed, Will forbids April from staying over again and tells her she is worth more than being a mistress. April says she will break up with her tycoon.
Mercedes struggles to eat healthfully and her mid-week weigh-in shows that she has gained two pounds. She begins extreme dieting and faints in the school cafeteria. Former cheerleading captain Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is a former cheerleader at the fictional William McKinley High School in...
(Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
) sympathizes with Mercedes, commending her for being so comfortable in her own body and advising her not to let being a cheerleader detract from that. Though Mercedes is embarrassed, Quinn tells her that she is beautiful. On the day of the pep rally
Pep rally
Pep rallies are events that occur primarily in the United States and Canada. A pep rally is a gathering of people, typically students of middle school, high school and college age, before a sports event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support members of the...
, Mercedes abandons the planned routine, and instead sings "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...
". The journalist from Splits Magazine assumes that Sue engineered the performance and expresses his admiration for her, promising her positive publicity from his article.
Glee club member Kurt Hummel
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...
sets up his widowed father Burt
Burt Hummel
Burt Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mike O'Malley, and first appeared on Glee in the fourth episode of the first season, "Preggers". Burt was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Mike O'Malley
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
) with Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
's widowed mother Carole (Romy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont is a television actress who has appeared in multiple TV series, including Shark, Grey's Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Prison Break and Private Practice. She got her break in 2010, playing Carole Hudson in the musical series Glee...
). He believes that it will help him become closer to Finn, for whom he has feelings. Finn is upset when Carole sells their old furniture, and stops his late father's recliner from being sold. He is initially hostile to her dating someone new, but begins to bond with Burt over sports at a group dinner. Kurt feels left out, and later asks Finn to help him break up their parents. Finn initially agrees, but relents after Burt tells him that he loves Carole and would never hurt her. They watch a basketball game together and Finn allows Burt to sit in his father's recliner, while Kurt watches on sadly through the window.
When April attempts to break up with her tycoon, he has a stroke and dies. His wife gives April $2 million in hush money
Hush money
Hush money is an informal term for financial incentives or rewards offered in exchange for not divulging information.Hush Money may also refer to:* Hush Money , a 1921 silent film directed by Charles Maigne...
, and April uses some of it to buy the auditorium for the glee club. She plans to go to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
to launch the first all-white production of The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
. The episode ends with April and the glee club performing "Home
Home (The Wiz song)
"Home" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical, The Wiz. The song was performed by Stephanie Mills in the stage production and by Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation and released on the soundtrack album in 1978....
" from The Wiz.
Production
"Home" was directed by Paris BarclayParis Barclay
Paris K.C. Barclay is an American television director and producer. He has directed over 100 episodes of television to date, for series including NYPD Blue, ER, The West Wing, CSI, Lost, The Shield, House M.D., Law & Order, Monk, Numb3rs, City of Angels, Cold Case, and more recently The Mentalist,...
, who also directed "Wheels
Wheels (Glee)
"Wheels" is the ninth episode of the American television series Glee. Written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 2009...
", Glee ninth episode. It was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
, who deemed the episode potentially the best of the series so far. "Home" sees the return of guest star Kristin Chenoweth, who first appeared in episode five, "The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken
"The Rhodes Not Taken" is the fifth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 2009 and was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by John Scott...
", as former glee club member April Rhodes. Prior to her first appearance, Chenoweth was already acquainted with Glee creator Ryan Murphy, having appeared in his 2006 film Running with Scissors
Running with Scissors (film)
Running with Scissors is a 2006 American comedy-drama film based on Augusten Burroughs' 2002 memoir of the same name, written and directed by Ryan Murphy, and starring Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, and Gwyneth Paltrow with...
. Murphy commented that he loves writing for Chenoweth, and both he and Chenoweth expressed their desire for April to return to Glee in the future, with Chenoweth stating: "This part is like nothing I've had the chance to do on TV." It was confirmed in October 2009 that Chenoweth would reprise the role of April later in the first season
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
, and on March 14, 2010 that her return would occur in "Home".
While Glee also features Chenoweth's former Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
co-star 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:...
as recurring character Shelby Corcoran, the producers declined to give the two scenes together, explaining that the series is story-driven, and as re-uniting the two on-screen did not work for storytelling purposes, it was deemed unnecessary. Of Chenoweth's future with Glee beyond "Home", Falchuk commented that the producers want to "have her around as much as possible", and although no plans have been solidified, she may return in the second season. He expanded: "[When] you have talents like that, it's very hard to not want them back. The one advantage we have, I think, is that we have so many incredibly talented people in our … cast that … we don't need [guest actors] as much. But there are certain very special people that, of course, you'd always be interested in."
The episode features a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "A House Is Not a Home
A House Is Not a Home (song)
"A House Is Not a Home" is a 1964 song recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick. Written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song was a modest hit in the U.S. for Warwick, peaking at #71 on the pop singles chart as the B-side of the top 40 single, "You'll Never Get to Heaven "...
", performed by Colfer and Monteith, as well as a mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
of "A House Is Not a Home" and "One Less Bell to Answer
One Less Bell to Answer
"One Less Bell to Answer" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally written in 1967 for Keely Smith, the song was rediscovered in late 1969 by Bones Howe, the producer for The 5th Dimension, and the song was included on the group's 1970 debut album for Bell Records, Portrait. ...
", performed by Chenoweth and Morrison. Morrison and Chenoweth also duet on The Pointer Sisters' version of "Fire". In keeping with the "home" theme of the episode, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
's ballad "Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home (Mötley Crüe song)
"Home Sweet Home" is a song by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was originally released in 1985 on the album Theatre of Pain, and again in 1991 for the Decade of Decadence compilation album...
" (and also "Heart of Glass
Heart of Glass (song)
"Heart of Glass" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie, written by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. Featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines, it was released as a single in January 1979 and topped the charts in several countries, including the US and UK.Rolling...
" by Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, although this isn't about home) can be heard in the roller rink scene, but was not covered by the cast. Chenoweth performs "Home" from The Wiz, and Riley sings "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
. The songs performed were all released as singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. Each track except "Fire" and "Home Sweet Home" is also included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 3 – Showstoppers.
Ratings
In its original broadcast, "Home" was watched by 12.18 million American viewers and attained a 5.2/13 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, the episode was watched by 1.91 million viewers and was the second most-watched show of the week on the non-terrestrial channelsDigital television in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom now has three major forms of broadcast digital television , a direct-to-home satellite service from the Astra 28.2°E satellites provided by British Sky Broadcasting and Freesat, digital cable television services provided by Virgin Media and WightCable, and a free-to-air digital...
, beaten only by Britain's Got More Talent. In Canada, Glee was watched by 2.16 million viewers, making Glee the tenth most-viewed program of the week. In Australia, the episode lead in its timeslot in all key demographics, and was watched by 1.3 million viewers, making Glee the 16th most-viewed show of the week.
Critical response
"Home" received mixed reviews from critics. Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
deemed it the series' most emotional episode, and his favorite next to "Wheels". Kennedy praised O'Malley's performance as "nothing short of perfection" and recommended that Chenoweth receive an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for her performance. 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...
concurred that Chenoweth's performance was Emmy-worthy, though felt she may have been slightly overused in the episode. Stack noted that he did not love "Home" upon his first viewing, but praised it for adding depth to the characters and tackling body image and sexuality issues. Rick Bentley of McClatchy Newspapers
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
called the episode "as perfect as television can get", praising Colfer's performance and also deeming him deserving of an Emmy nomination. Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
similarly assessed that "Home" is: "the strongest episode of the season to date, the one Fox should submit for Emmy consideration." Perigard was impressed by the range shown by O'Malley, and opined that the episode as a whole had no low-points.
In contrast, Jean Bentley 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....
described "Home" as "an hour of television better suited for Internet surfing than actually paying attention." She criticized the songs as being unrecognizable to younger viewers, and called the main plots "emotional doozies, with not much comic relief in between." Bentley felt that Chenoweth was overused, and called her appearance in the episode "nonsensical and unnecessary". 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...
graded the episode "C". He felt that the three main plot strands were poorly balanced, resulting in an episode with "powerful moments that drown as they're nearly subsumed by everything else going on." VanDerWerff criticized Mercedes' storyline as being too abrupt, and deemed her performance of "Beautiful": "so forced that it loses any power it might have from what's a genuinely nice arrangement of the song." Finally, he expressed his concern that the prevalence of songs in Glee may detract from the quality of the show. Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
also criticized the episode, deeming it the weakest of the series so far, and one that left him underwhelmed.
External links
- "Home" at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox 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...