Top 10 BEST Glee Episodes
#10: “Original Song”
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The New Directions have done extremely well performing covers, but on a trip to regionals, they decide to change things up. It was pretty great getting to see the Glee kids sing songs of their own creation as they prepared for the upcoming competition. This episode gave us such timeless classics as “Trouty Mouth”, “Big Ass Heart” and “Hell to the No”. But after a long trial and error process, the Glee club finds inspiration from unlikely sources. Quinn inadvertently gives Rachel the push to write an emotional song, “Get It Right”, and the club take a cue from Sue, accepting their loser label with “Loser Like Me”, which gives them the elusive win.
#9: “Grilled Cheesus”
Glee tackled some pretty profound topics throughout its run. When Finn thinks he sees the face of Jesus in a grilled cheese sandwich, and Kurt’s father has a heart attack, both events launch the Glee kids into a conversation about faith and religion. Naturally, Sue wants to disrupt whatever the Glee club is doing, so she brings up her own conversation about whether or not religion has any place in a public school- which is a polarizing real life issue. At the same time, Kurt and Finn struggle with their faith in completely different ways. Ultimately, the episode doesn’t try to tell you what to believe, but rather offers many different perspectives.
#8: “Dream On”
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Can you blame us for giving the episode guest starring NPH a spot on this list? Especially when it includes an epic sing off between him and Mr. Shue. In this episode all about dreams, Neil Patrick Harris guest stars as Bryan Ryan who comes in and crushes the Glee kids’ aspirations. Watching all the members shine can’t always be easy for Mr. Shue when his own dreams didn’t exactly come true. But he learns that teaching is actually a pretty sweet deal. While the other kids dream bigger than ever, Artie, and the audience, gets a reality check that his dreams of being a dancer can never come true, despite his and Tina’s best efforts.
#7: “Britney/Brittany”
Another special guest star episode, this one stars beloved pop icon, Britney Spears. The recreations of Britney Spears’ music videos are awesome, and so is getting an in depth Brittany S. Pierce episode. Brittany has been a part of the Glee club since season one, but this is the first time the spotlight is really on her. Brittany is conflicted about performing Britney Spears songs because they have the same name, but after a trippy visit to the dentist, she embraces the connection they share.
#6: “Mash Off”
The tension in the Glee Club between the kids who are usually the stars, like Finn and Rachel, and the kids who feel neglected, like Mercedes and Santana, turns into an all out war in season three. The Glee Club has split into the New Directions and the Troubletones, and Finn and Santana are leading the war parties. It’s understandable that Santana is so angry, considering Finn publicly outed her. We can’t really blame her for slapping him. But things get out of control fast with a dodgeball game. It is hard to watch the group be divided, but thankfully it only leads to them eventually coming back together stronger than ever.
#5: “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”
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Season two of “Glee” was saturated with specialized tribute episodes, and there is no denying that this is one of the best. The covers of “Damn It Janet” between Finn and Rachel, and “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me” by Ms. Pillsbury are especially fun to watch. And then, of course, there’s the “Time Warp”. Also, because they’re acting in a play, we got to see the kids playing different characters, which is a nice glimpse into how they will be as future performers. Lastly, Sam and Finn feel insecure about showing off their bodies for the play, and remind all of us, that guys have body image issues too.
#4: “Born This Way”
Speaking of body image issues, when Finn accidentally breaks Rachel's nose, she thinks about getting a nose job to make herself look more “demure” like Quinn. This sparks a discussion about how young girls are pressured to look certain ways, and an even bigger discussion about self acceptance - a discussion that was previously sparked in the episode “The Power of Madonna”. Everyone else addresses their own insecurities and the club revisits Lady Gaga with an inspired performance of “Born This Way”. They wear T-shirts putting their insecurities on display for the world to see and accept themselves and each other for who they are.
#3: “Pilot”
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We couldn’t forget the episode that started it all. In addition to introducing all the main characters, establishing the dynamics between them and setting up the main theme of being yourself and following your dreams no matter what anyone else thinks, we also get a bunch of awesome song covers sung by the original Glee kids. If for no other reason that it simply is the first, this episode is a favorite. You can’t help but look back on this premiere fondly. We get to see Finn and Rachel sing together for the first time, we get the first ever infamous slushie to the face, and the first ever “Glee” version of Don’t Stop Believin’.
#2: “The Quarterback”
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Many of Glee’s best episodes are the ones that have us laughing. But this one left us in tears. This touching tribute to Cory Monteith has most of the main cast returning to the music room to sing songs that remind them of Finn as they struggle to deal with the sudden death of their friend, their leader, and their quarterback. Witnessing how deeply everyone truly felt about Finn was beautiful, even if it came out under such unfortunate circumstances. Even Sue confesses that she really liked Finn. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: “Dreams Come True” “A Wedding” “New Directions”
#1: “Journey to Regionals”
No song is more emblematic of “Glee” than “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. It’s basically the Glee Club’s theme song. So the performance of this song yet again during their first ever regionals, this time with the original Glee Club, makes this episode very special. But more than that, this is the episode where Quinn has her baby, Finn finally tells Rachel he loves her, and despite knowing they are facing a loss to Vocal Adrenaline, the Glee Club celebrates their journey. What more could you want from a season finale?
