Bad Reputation (Glee)
Encyclopedia
"Bad Reputation" is the 17th episode of the American television series, Glee
. The episode premiered on the Fox
network on May 4, 2010. It was directed by Elodie Keene
, and written by series creator Ian Brennan
. In "Bad Reputation", cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) is publicly ridiculed when a video of her dancing to Olivia Newton-John
's "Physical
" is posted on YouTube
. A salacious list about members of the glee club
circulates the school, leading certain members to try and earn themselves a bad reputation. Newton-John guest-stars as herself in the episode, and Molly Shannon
makes her first appearance in a recurring role. Following their romance in the episode "Mash-Up
", club members Rachel (Lea Michele
) and Puck
(Mark Salling) are reunited, a decision made by the producers due to the unexpected popularity of the pairing.
The episode features cover version
s of five songs, all of which were released as singles
, available for digital download
, and two of which are included on the soundtrack album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 – Showstoppers. "Bad Reputation" was watched by 11.62 million American viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
and Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
both considered it a return to form following disappointing episodes. Franich also praised the episode's cover version of "Ice Ice Baby
" by Vanilla Ice
, which in contrast was criticized by Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
and Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times
, with Kennedy deeming the performance his least favorite moment of the entire series thus far.
When glee club
member Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) steals a video of cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) performing Olivia Newton-John
's "Physical
" to a Jazzercise
routine, the club members decide to post it on YouTube
as a prank. The video becomes a viral hit and Sue is mortified. In retalliation, she gives Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
) a list she has found, called a "glist", which ranks the glee club members based on a scale of sexual promiscuity
. Figgins tells club director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) that he must either find the creator of the list, or he will be forced to disband the glee club and suspend all of its members. Will reprimands the club members, and for their weekly club assignment, he has the students find songs with bad reputations and rehabilitate them, performing Vanilla Ice
's "Ice Ice Baby
" as an example.
Sue is laughed at by her co-workers, who have seen the video, and makes an enemy of new alcoholic astronomy
teacher andbadminton
coach Brenda Castle (Molly Shannon
). Sue is reminded by her sister, Jean (Robin Trocki), who has Down Syndrome
, that when they were hurt as children they would volunteer at an animal shelter
as a reminder there was always someone less fortunate than themselves. In light of her sister's advice, Sue decides to act as a therapist
to school guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
), informing her that Will has been unfaithful to her. Emma confronts Will in the teachers' lounge, publicly shaming him.
Glee club members Kurt, Mercedes
(Amber Riley
), Artie
(Kevin McHale), and Tina
(Jenna Ushkowitz) are upset over not being included on the glist, while Brittany (Heather Morris) is puzzled at not being listed among the top three, given that she has made out with everyone in the school: boys, girls, and the janitor. They perform a rendition of "U Can't Touch This
" in the school library to cause a disruption in the hope of earning a bad reputation. Their plan backfires when the librarian asks them to perform it at her church's Sunday service. Next, Kurt confesses to Sue that he is the one who stole her video, expecting to be punished and also gain a more dangerous reputation. Instead, she thanks him, having just been contacted by Olivia Newton-John
, who requests her help remaking the "Physical" video. The song's re-release gains Sue a position in the top 700 recording artists, which ends the ridicule of her colleagues. She donates her share of the profits to her sister's residential care facility.
After apologizing to Emma and presenting her with flowers, Will sees a depressed-looking Quinn
(Dianna Agron
) in the hallway and realizes that she is responsible for the list. He confronts Quinn, who confesses. To prevent her from being suspended, Will lies to Figgins that no culprit has been found, but convinces him that as no new lists have been posted, the matter should be dropped.
Rachel asks Puck to assist her in their glee assignment, creating a video for David Geddes
' "Run Joey Run
". Unbeknownst to each of them until the video is completed, she also has Finn
(Cory Monteith
) and Jesse (Jonathan Groff
) triple-cast in the role of her boyfriend, Joey, in a bid to improve her glist rating. All three are offended and angered to see they were all playing the same role and were edited in at different points during the video. Jesse breaks up with Rachel as a result. The episode closes with Rachel singing a rendition of Bonnie Tyler
's "Total Eclipse of the Heart
" as the club members walk out of the classroom, leaving her behind.
(Naya Rivera
), Mike Chang
(Harry Shum, Jr.
), Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton) and Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff
), former glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
), football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher
) and Sue's sister Jean Sylvester (Robin Trocki). Mary Jo Catlett
appears as recently widowed teacher Mrs. Carlisle, and Molly Shannon
makes her first appearance in a recurring role as new astronomy teacher and badminton coach Brenda Castle. Olivia Newton-John guest-stars as herself, portraying the "dark side" of herself; a "mixture of mean and diva". She and Lynch produced an exact re-creation of the original "Physical" video, filming of which took twelve hours. Series musical producer Adam Anders felt that Newton-John's appearance in the episode was organic, explaining: "The best part of Glee is introducing new music to an older generation and old music to a newer generation. There's so much great music. We all listen to music in a vacuum, then we're exposed to things and love it. Olivia Newton-John is an example of that. It's a perfect marriage between the songs that were chosen and the storyline. When that happens, it moves people."
"Bad Reputation" shows the reunion of glee club members Rachel and Puck. The two first became involved in Glee eighth episode, "Mash-Up
", but at the time, series creator Ryan Murphy did not expect the pairing to be well-received by viewers. He believed that viewers would find Rachel "far too irritating" for Puck, and so was surprised by the positive fan response which emerged. Although Murphy described this response as "strange and bizarre", explaining that he had believed fans would prefer for Rachel to be with Finn, as a result he planned to revisit their romance later in the first season
. The first thirteen episodes had already been filmed by the time "Mash-Up" aired, and so Murphy wrote a special episode to air after the mid-season break, in which the characters could reunite in some way. Despite the popularity of the pairing—referred to by the portmanteau "Puckleberry" in the media—the series writers intend to retain Puck's "bad boy" persona, and ultimately plan on pairing him with most of the female characters.
The episode features cover version
s of five songs: "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
, Newton-John's "Physical
", "Run Joey Run" by David Geddes and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Each of the songs performed were released as singles
, available for download
. "Physical" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" are also included on the soundtrack album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
.
. In Canada, "Bad Reputation" was watched by 1.95 million viewers, making Glee the eleventh most-viewed show of the week. In Australia, Glee drew its highest-ever overnight audience with 1.31 million viewers, and won its timeslot in all key demographics. Its consolidated ratings were adjusted up to 1.41 million, making "Bad Reputation" the 13th most-viewed program of the week.
praised the episode, writing that while there had been a "self-congratulatory quality" to Glee since its mid-season break, "Bad Reputation" was a return to "the Glee [he] fell in tormented love with." He graded the songs performed "C-" through to "A-", commending what he deemed "by far the greatest performance of "Ice Ice Baby" ever". The Houston Chronicle
Bobby Hankinson also felt the episode was a return to form. He praised the decision not to "apply meaningless rules to their musical selections", writing: "The freedom to not have to use songs by one artist let the storylines take priority, and not sticking to songs that share a common lyrical theme kept those choices from feeling too forced." Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times recapped the episode positively, describing it as: "pack[ing] more camp into an hour's worth of television than most kids will get all summer." Todd VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club graded "Bad Reputation" "B+", writing that he: "enjoyed the episode quite a bit, even as [he] found some of it rather messy." Though VanDerWerff felt that not everything in the episode worked, he stated: "the stuff that did reminded me that what I like about the show is its all-out embrace of a crazy mishmash of tones."
Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
criticized most of the musical performances in the episode, calling "Run Joey Run" the highlight of an otherwise "slow, forced show". Flandez opined of "Ice Ice Baby": "Will, kicking it old school, doesn't cut it with his '80s-flashback moves because a.) he takes himself too seriously and b.) he looks like he's in a J.Crew
mag, not part of 2 Live Crew
." Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times
wrote that he hated the episode, similarly calling "Run Joey Run" his favorite song, but noting that that was "not hard considering the songbook that was offered". Kennedy deemed the "Ice Ice Baby" performance his least favourite moment of the entire series thus far. He concluded: "Each of the musical numbers felt about two minutes longer than they should have been. I love Newton-John’s walk-on cameo, but I don’t want them to fall into the habit of re-creating music videos frame by frame: It was cute - once. It sounds harsh, but I could have completely done without the episode. It was almost as if they needed filler just to showcase the "Physical" video."
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 May 4, 2010. It was directed by Elodie Keene
Elodie Keene
Elodie Keene is an American film/television director, producer and editor. As a television director her credits include ER, NYPD Blue, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Charmed, Felicity, The Wire, House, M.D., The Closer, Nip/Tuck and among other series.She has won three Primetime Emmy Awards, two for...
, and written by series 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...
. In "Bad Reputation", 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...
) is publicly ridiculed when a video of her dancing to Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
's "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
" is posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. A salacious list about members of the 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...
circulates the school, leading certain members to try and earn themselves a bad reputation. Newton-John guest-stars as herself in the episode, and Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
makes her first appearance in a recurring role. Following their romance in the episode "Mash-Up
Mash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 2009. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene...
", club members 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...
) and Puck
Puck (Glee)
Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mark Salling, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Puck was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Mark Salling) are reunited, a decision made by the producers due to the unexpected popularity of the pairing.
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 two 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. "Bad Reputation" was watched by 11.62 million American viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Darren Franich 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...
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...
both considered it a return to form following disappointing episodes. Franich also praised the episode's cover version of "Ice Ice Baby
Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice and DJ Earthquake. The song samples the bassline of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, who did not initially receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit...
" by Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
, which in contrast was criticized by Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
The 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....
and 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....
, with Kennedy deeming the performance his least favorite moment of the entire series thus far.
Plot
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...
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...
(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...
) steals a video of 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...
) performing Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
's "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
" to a Jazzercise
Jazzercise
Jazzercise is a dance-based group fitness program. Each 60-minute Jazzercise class features a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, kickboxing, and Latin-style movements set to popular music. The Jazzercise program was founded in 1969 by Jazzercise CEO Judi Sheppard Missett...
routine, the club members decide to post it on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as a prank. The video becomes a viral hit and Sue is mortified. In retalliation, she gives 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....
) a list she has found, called a "glist", which ranks the glee club members based on a scale of sexual promiscuity
Promiscuity
In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...
. Figgins tells 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...
) that he must either find the creator of the list, or he will be forced to disband the glee club and suspend all of its members. Will reprimands the club members, and for their weekly club assignment, he has the students find songs with bad reputations and rehabilitate them, performing Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
's "Ice Ice Baby
Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice and DJ Earthquake. The song samples the bassline of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, who did not initially receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit...
" as an example.
Sue is laughed at by her co-workers, who have seen the video, and makes an enemy of new alcoholic astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
teacher andbadminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
coach Brenda Castle (Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
). Sue is reminded by her sister, Jean (Robin Trocki), who has Down Syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, that when they were hurt as children they would volunteer at an animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
as a reminder there was always someone less fortunate than themselves. In light of her sister's advice, Sue decides to act as a therapist
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
to school guidance counselor 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...
(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...
), informing her that Will has been unfaithful to her. Emma confronts Will in the teachers' lounge, publicly shaming him.
Glee club members Kurt, 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:...
), 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), and Tina
Tina 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) are upset over not being included on the glist, while Brittany (Heather Morris) is puzzled at not being listed among the top three, given that she has made out with everyone in the school: boys, girls, and the janitor. They perform a rendition of "U Can't Touch This
U Can't Touch This
"U Can't Touch This" is MC Hammer's 1990 super hit signature song, from his album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The album sold more than 10 million copies, due primarily to this single, and gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, and other Recording Industries.Rick James sued Hammer...
" in the school library to cause a disruption in the hope of earning a bad reputation. Their plan backfires when the librarian asks them to perform it at her church's Sunday service. Next, Kurt confesses to Sue that he is the one who stole her video, expecting to be punished and also gain a more dangerous reputation. Instead, she thanks him, having just been contacted by Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, who requests her help remaking the "Physical" video. The song's re-release gains Sue a position in the top 700 recording artists, which ends the ridicule of her colleagues. She donates her share of the profits to her sister's residential care facility.
After apologizing to Emma and presenting her with flowers, Will sees a depressed-looking Quinn
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...
) in the hallway and realizes that she is responsible for the list. He confronts Quinn, who confesses. To prevent her from being suspended, Will lies to Figgins that no culprit has been found, but convinces him that as no new lists have been posted, the matter should be dropped.
Rachel asks Puck to assist her in their glee assignment, creating a video for David Geddes
David Geddes
David Cole Idema , best known by the stage name David Geddes, is a soft rock singer who had a U.S. Top 5 hit with "Run Joey Run" in 1975, which peaked at #4 in October 1975.-Early life:...
' "Run Joey Run
Run Joey Run
"Run Joey Run" is a teenage tragedy song performed by soft rock singer David Geddes. It was a U.S. Top 5 hit which peaked at #4 in the fall of 1975.-Story:The song opens with a female voice pleading with her father:...
". Unbeknownst to each of them until the video is completed, she also has 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...
(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:...
) and Jesse (Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American singer-songwriter, stage, television and film actor. He originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening and appeared as Jesse St...
) triple-cast in the role of her boyfriend, Joey, in a bid to improve her glist rating. All three are offended and angered to see they were all playing the same role and were edited in at different points during the video. Jesse breaks up with Rachel as a result. The episode closes with Rachel singing a rendition of Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
's "Total Eclipse of the Heart
Total Eclipse of the Heart
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night...
" as the club members walk out of the classroom, leaving her behind.
Production
Recurring characters who appear in the episode are glee club members Brittany (Heather Morris), Santana LopezSantana 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:...
), 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...
(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...
), Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton) and Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American singer-songwriter, stage, television and film actor. He originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening and appeared as Jesse St...
), former glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
), football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher
Patrick Gallagher (actor)
-Career:Gallagher is best known for his television roles as Det. Joe Finn in Da Vinci's Inquest, the alcohol salesman in Entourage, Leon in The Line, Farhod the Fierce in Pair of Kings, and Ken Tanaka in Glee, and his film roles as Awkward Davies in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World...
) and Sue's sister Jean Sylvester (Robin Trocki). Mary Jo Catlett
Mary Jo Catlett
-Life & career:Catlett was born in Denver, Colorado, the daughter of Cornelia M. and Robert J. Catlett. She is best-known for her role as housekeeper Pearl Gallagher on Diff'rent Strokes....
appears as recently widowed teacher Mrs. Carlisle, and Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
makes her first appearance in a recurring role as new astronomy teacher and badminton coach Brenda Castle. Olivia Newton-John guest-stars as herself, portraying the "dark side" of herself; a "mixture of mean and diva". She and Lynch produced an exact re-creation of the original "Physical" video, filming of which took twelve hours. Series musical producer Adam Anders felt that Newton-John's appearance in the episode was organic, explaining: "The best part of Glee is introducing new music to an older generation and old music to a newer generation. There's so much great music. We all listen to music in a vacuum, then we're exposed to things and love it. Olivia Newton-John is an example of that. It's a perfect marriage between the songs that were chosen and the storyline. When that happens, it moves people."
"Bad Reputation" shows the reunion of glee club members Rachel and Puck. The two first became involved in Glee eighth episode, "Mash-Up
Mash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 2009. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene...
", but at the time, series creator Ryan Murphy did not expect the pairing to be well-received by viewers. He believed that viewers would find Rachel "far too irritating" for Puck, and so was surprised by the positive fan response which emerged. Although Murphy described this response as "strange and bizarre", explaining that he had believed fans would prefer for Rachel to be with Finn, as a result he planned to revisit their romance 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...
. The first thirteen episodes had already been filmed by the time "Mash-Up" aired, and so Murphy wrote a special episode to air after the mid-season break, in which the characters could reunite in some way. Despite the popularity of the pairing—referred to by the portmanteau "Puckleberry" in the media—the series writers intend to retain Puck's "bad boy" persona, and ultimately plan on pairing him with most of the female characters.
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: "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice, "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
, Newton-John's "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
", "Run Joey Run" by David Geddes and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Each of the songs performed 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 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...
. "Physical" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" are also 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
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
-Sales and chart performance:The album debuted at number one on the American, Australian, Canadian, and Irish charts. It sold 136,000 copies in its first and 63,000 in its second week of release in the US, and saw the Glee cast beat the record previously set by The Beatles in 1966, for shortest...
.
Ratings
In its original broadcast, "Bad Reputation" was watched by 11.62 million American viewers and attained a 4.9/13 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, the episode was watched by 1.65 million viewers and was the 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...
. In Canada, "Bad Reputation" was watched by 1.95 million viewers, making Glee the eleventh most-viewed show of the week. In Australia, Glee drew its highest-ever overnight audience with 1.31 million viewers, and won its timeslot in all key demographics. Its consolidated ratings were adjusted up to 1.41 million, making "Bad Reputation" the 13th most-viewed program of the week.
Critical response
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Darren Franich of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment 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...
praised the episode, writing that while there had been a "self-congratulatory quality" to Glee since its mid-season break, "Bad Reputation" was a return to "the Glee [he] fell in tormented love with." He graded the songs performed "C-" through to "A-", commending what he deemed "by far the greatest performance of "Ice Ice Baby" ever". 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...
Bobby Hankinson also felt the episode was a return to form. He praised the decision not to "apply meaningless rules to their musical selections", writing: "The freedom to not have to use songs by one artist let the storylines take priority, and not sticking to songs that share a common lyrical theme kept those choices from feeling too forced." Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times recapped the episode positively, describing it as: "pack[ing] more camp into an hour's worth of television than most kids will get all summer." Todd VanDerWerff of The A. V. Club graded "Bad Reputation" "B+", writing that he: "enjoyed the episode quite a bit, even as [he] found some of it rather messy." Though VanDerWerff felt that not everything in the episode worked, he stated: "the stuff that did reminded me that what I like about the show is its all-out embrace of a crazy mishmash of tones."
Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
The 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....
criticized most of the musical performances in the episode, calling "Run Joey Run" the highlight of an otherwise "slow, forced show". Flandez opined of "Ice Ice Baby": "Will, kicking it old school, doesn't cut it with his '80s-flashback moves because a.) he takes himself too seriously and b.) he looks like he's in a J.Crew
J.Crew
J.Crew Group, Inc. is a multi-brand, multi-channel, specialty retailer. The company offers an assortment of women's, men's and children's apparel and accessories, including swimwear, outerwear, loungewear, wedding, bags, hair accessories, belts, jewelry, and shoes. As of January 30, 2010, it...
mag, not part of 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
." 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....
wrote that he hated the episode, similarly calling "Run Joey Run" his favorite song, but noting that that was "not hard considering the songbook that was offered". Kennedy deemed the "Ice Ice Baby" performance his least favourite moment of the entire series thus far. He concluded: "Each of the musical numbers felt about two minutes longer than they should have been. I love Newton-John’s walk-on cameo, but I don’t want them to fall into the habit of re-creating music videos frame by frame: It was cute - once. It sounds harsh, but I could have completely done without the episode. It was almost as if they needed filler just to showcase the "Physical" video."
External links
- "Bad Reputation" 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...