Will Schuester
Encyclopedia
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 creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
, and Ian Brennan
. He is the director of the show's titular glee club
, and a Spanish teacher at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio
, where the show is set. His storylines have seen him revive the school's failing glee club, leave his wife Terri
(Jessalyn Gilsig
), and pine for the love of school guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
).
Morrison was cast as Will after Murphy spent three months observing actors on Broadway. Several musical performances featuring him have been released as singles, available for digital download
, and also appear on the soundtrack albums Glee: The Music, Volume 1
and Glee: The Music, Volume 2
. Morrison was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards for his performance in the role. The character initially received some negative reviews from critics, deemed "a little drab" by Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times
. However, as the series progressed, Morrison attracted praise for his acting in the role, with critics also commenting positively on the development of the romantic relationship between Will and Emma.
, who had previously starred on stage in Hairspray
and The Light in the Piazza. From the beginning, Murphy considered the role ideal for Morrison after being impressed by his Broadway
bravado. The creators of Glee were initially looking for a song-and-dance man who could pass as a small-town high school teacher. Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk
later commented about his casting process, "You'd think there must be a lot of good-looking 30-year-old guys who can sing, dance, and act, but there really aren't."
Morrison was cast as Spanish teacher Will Schuester, whose primary role in the series conception was re-assembling the school glee club and "restoring it to its former glory." Morrison has assessed that the crux of Glee is "about [Will's] passion for music and influencing his kids". Several songs performed by Morrison as Will have been released as singles, available for digital download
. Studio recording
s of Morrison's performances of "Leaving on a Jet Plane
" and "I Wanna Sex You Up
" were also released as bonus-tracks on copies of Glee: The Music, Volume 1
purchased from Target
stores.
) has been fired for inappropriate conduct, Spanish teacher Will Schuester volunteers to take over the club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Will is married to his high school sweetheart Terri
(Jessalyn Gilsig
), who does not support his dedication to the glee club. When Terri announces that she is pregnant, she pressures Will to resign as a teacher and take a better paying job as an accountant. Will is prepared to do so, but after a motivational talk from school guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
) and seeing the club perform well without his tutelage, Will decides to remain at the school and coach the team. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
) allows him to do so, but warns that if the club fails to place at the Regionals competition, he will close it down. Will briefly works after hours at the school as a janitor to earn extra money, unaware that Terri has discovered that she was experiencing a hysterical pregnancy and is not actually pregnant. He becomes closer to Emma, who has romantic feelings for him, but she ultimately curtails their time spent together, believing that he is about to start a family. To his dismay, she later becomes engaged to football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher
).
Will's dedication to the glee club wavers when his students question his choreography skills, but after starting a well-received all-male a cappella
group, the "Acafellas", he recommits to the club. In the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
", after Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
) has temporarily quit the glee club, Will recruits his former classmate, high school dropout April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth
), as the new female lead. However, she is an alcoholic and proves to be a bad influence on the kids, and he has her leave. In "Throwdown
", Will's nemesis, cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
), is made co-director of the club and divides up the students, but when their fighting leads the kids to walk out in disgust, Sue steps down. In the episode "Mattress
", Will uncovers Terri's fake pregnancy when he discovers her pregnancy pad in a drawer. He angrily confronts her, then walks out, but remains undecided over whether to end their marriage. He inadvertently renders the glee club ineligible to compete at Sectionals by sleeping on a mattress that they had been given for working on a television commercial, and steps down as director so they will be allowed to perform. Emma decides to postpone her wedding to Ken by several hours to accompany the glee club to Sectionals in Will's place, and the club wins. Ken ends their engagement and cancels the wedding because of this, and after he has officially ended his relationship with Terri, Will and Emma share a kiss.
In "Hell-O
", Will and Emma try to start a relationship, but after he finds out that she's a virgin, they take a break. Will then proceeds to make out with the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
), who afterward advises him to take time to rediscover who he is now that he's ending a long marriage. In "The Power of Madonna
", after Sue tells Emma that she has no control over her own body, Emma decides to "do the nasty" with Will at his place. However, they don't go through with it, and she runs out of Will's apartment without her shoes. Will admires her for "taking control by telling herself she wasn't ready", and promises to help her with her problems and start a relationship after his divorce with Terri is finalized. In the season finale, "Journey to Regionals", the glee club comes in last at the Regionals competition. The kids, heartbroken at the thought that the club is over, sing "To Sir With Love" to thank Will for all he's done. Sue, who overhears them, convinces Principal Figgins to allow the glee club another year to prove themselves. Will finally admits that he has been in love with Emma all along and kisses her, but she tells him that she has started dating her dentist, Carl Howell (John Stamos
).
) is made the new school football coach, and the cheerleading and glee club budgets are slashed in favor of football. Although he at first conspires against Coach Beiste with Sue because of the budget cuts, Will eventually befriends her. In the episode "Britney/Brittany
", Will tries to impress Emma by purchasing a new car similar to that of her boyfriend, Carl, and by joining the glee club in a racy performance of "Toxic
". By the end of the episode he returns the car, realizing that he should be himself. When Emma mentions that The Rocky Horror Picture Show
is her favorite musical, and she and Carl have been going to see it, Will decides to have the glee club perform it, and recruits Emma to assist him. However, when Carl becomes involved and is given a role, Will joins the production himself. Carl ends up accusing Will of trying to steal Emma, and Will backs off. In "The Substitute
", Will contracts a severe case of the flu and is too ill to work. His ex-wife Terri comes over uninvited to take care of him, and the two end up sleeping together. Sue fires Will and appoints his substitute, Holly Holliday
(Gwyneth Paltrow
), in his stead. When Holly visits to ask Will for some advice, Terri discovers them talking and assumes the worst. Will tells Terri that he shouldn't have slept with her while ill, and that their divorce stands. Will is reinstated by Sue. He subsequently learns that Emma and Carl have impulsively married while in Las Vegas. He is upset, but wishes her well. He remains in love with her, and on a drunken night months later, he drunk dials Emma and leaves a highly suggestive message on the answering machine. Unfortunately, he has mistakenly dialed Sue's number, and Sue plays the message over the school's public address system. Will decides to abstain from alcohol, and gets the glee club, who have just ended a school assembly by vomiting during a song due to imbibing, to pledge to give up drinking until after Nationals.
New Directions ekes out at tie with the Dalton Academy Warblers at the Sectionals competition, and will face them and Aural Intensity at Regionals. With the football team's glee club and non-glee members at odds, the team looks doomed to defeat at the championship game, so Will and Coach Beiste agree that the entire team has to join the glee club for one week. When Sue pulls her cheerleaders from the game, the team and glee club ultimately work together to perform the halftime show, and the team goes on to win the championship. Sue's cheerleaders lose their own Regionals, their first loss in seven years, and a seemingly depressed Sue inveigles Will to let her join the glee club for a week. She is unable to bring the club down from within, so she arranges to become the coach of Aural Intensity, hoping to defeat New Directions at Regionals, but the McKinley glee club wins.
Holly returns to McKinley as a substitute sex education teacher, and starts dating Will, though they break up after five dates. At Carl's request, Holly counsels him and Emma, as they are having difficulties: Emma is still a virgin after four months of marriage. When pressed, she admits to them that she still has some feelings for Will. Carl moves out, and soon asks Emma for an annulment of their marriage. The stress makes Emma's OCD worse, and Will urges her to get treatment, which she does, and her condition begins to improve. April returns to ask Will's help: her first attempt at a Broadway show flopped, and she wants to mount a show based on her life story entitled CrossRhodes. She urges him to star with her in the show, and Emma tells him he should try. He decides to do so: he'll be in New York anyway for the glee club's Nationals competition, so he'd just stay afterward and start rehearsals for April's show. To avoid upsetting the glee club, he doesn't tell them his plans. Emma helps him pack up his apartment. In New York, he leaves the glee club unchaperoned while he goes to the Broadway theater where April's show is being mounted, and sings "Still Got Tonight" from the stage. When the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline, Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
), tries to shake New Directions by telling them of Will's impending Broadway debut, he realizes that he wants to continue coaching them, and gives up on Broadway. New Directions comes in twelfth of fifty teams, and Will returns with them to Ohio.
' s Maureen Ryan opined following Glee pilot episode: "Casting Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester [...] was a wise move; the actor not only has a sweet voice but a hangdog hopefulness that gives a needed anchor to the show's more satirical elements." In contrast, Tom Shales for The Washington Post
criticized Morrison as Will, writing: "Morrison is definitely not gleeful and doesn't seem particularly well equipped to be a high-school impresario; as pipers go, he's not even marginally pied." Robert Lloyd for the Los Angeles Times
commented on the show's early episodes that the adult characters "tend more to caricature than character", stating that by contrast, "Will, as the show's only normal person over the age of 18, [can] seem a little drab". However, he noted that Will "comes alive when singing and dancing", citing his "exuberant" performance of "Gold Digger" in the episode "Showmance
".
Reviewing the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
", Mike Hale of the New York Times commented on Will's actions in having former member April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth
) re-instated in the glee club: "It's now time to wonder when the show will stop making Will behave in ways completely at odds with Mr. Morrison’s bland, gentle performance. (Or, conversely, when Mr. Morrison will start playing him the way he’s written.)" Mandi Bierly for Entertainment Weekly
praised Morrison's acting in the episode "Vitamin D
", writing: "Matthew Morrison
communicates so much with his eyes. There’s a softness and a longing in them that I’m always surprised Emma matches." Eric Goldman for IGN
enjoyed Morrison's music performances in the episode "Mash-Up
", commending: "I have to hand it to Matthew Morrison for just going for it in these sequences. There is of course something completely dorky about seeing this guy perform these songs, but Morrison infuses Will with such enjoyment in what he's doing, he completely sells it. And yes, the guy can dance."
Liz Pardue of Zap2it
praised Morrison's acting in "Mattress", calling him "beyond fantastic" during the confrontation between Will and Terri. Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
wrote that he "was glad to see Will react with the appropriate level of rage", but felt that the scene became too tense, leaving him almost feeling bad for Terri. Raymund Flandez of the Wall Street Journal wrote that he was happy to see the "convoluted" fake pregnancy storyline end, commenting that it had seemed unreal to him from the outset as "Will Schue doesn’t strike me as a guy who misses much of anything. [...] The covered pregnancy storyline makes a mockery of his instincts and intelligence." Aly Semigran for MTV
praised "a devastated Matthew Morrison" for "nail[ing] just what a scary, sad, and life-altering moment that [was]." Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times commended: "Matthew Morrison showed another dimension to Will, and did a remarkable job doing so. There was anger and anguish all intertwined in this bitter and broken shell of a man. And he played it well enough where you feared for Terri."
Following the broadcast of the mid-season finale episode "Sectionals
", in which Will and Emma kiss, IGN
's Eric Goldman commented: "Schue and Emma finally coming together was very hard to not feel good about, even though you know it just won't be that easy when the show returns". Pardue was impressed with Will for leaving Terri, and called the kiss between Will and Emma "romantic" commenting that it made her "heart happy". Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that although there was satisfaction in the episode ending on the kiss, it may have been "more intriguing" to conclude with Will finding Emma's office empty, questioning whether it was too soon for the two of them to begin a relationship.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from 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...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
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 character is portrayed by actor 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...
and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, 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:...
, and 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...
. He is the director of the show's titular 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...
, and a Spanish teacher at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
, where the show is set. His storylines have seen him revive the school's failing glee club, leave his wife Terri
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
), and pine for the love of 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...
).
Morrison was cast as Will after Murphy spent three months observing actors on Broadway. Several musical performances featuring him have been released as singles, 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 also appear on the soundtrack albums Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Glee: The Music, Volume 1 is the debut soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee, which airs on Fox in the United States. It features cover versions from the first nine episodes of the first season and was released on November 2, 2009 by Columbia Records and 20th...
and Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the second soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, featuring songs from episodes nine to thirteen of the show's first season. It was first released on December 4, 2009 in Australia by Columbia Records...
. Morrison was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Musical or Comedy at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards for his performance in the role. The character initially received some negative reviews from critics, deemed "a little drab" by Robert Lloyd 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....
. However, as the series progressed, Morrison attracted praise for his acting in the role, with critics also commenting positively on the development of the romantic relationship between Will and Emma.
Casting and creation
In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway, where he found Matthew MorrisonMatthew 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...
, who had previously starred on stage in Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and The Light in the Piazza. From the beginning, Murphy considered the role ideal for Morrison after being impressed by his 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...
bravado. The creators of Glee were initially looking for a song-and-dance man who could pass as a small-town high school teacher. Glee 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:...
later commented about his casting process, "You'd think there must be a lot of good-looking 30-year-old guys who can sing, dance, and act, but there really aren't."
Morrison was cast as Spanish teacher Will Schuester, whose primary role in the series conception was re-assembling the school glee club and "restoring it to its former glory." Morrison has assessed that the crux of Glee is "about [Will's] passion for music and influencing his kids". Several songs performed by Morrison as Will have been released as singles, 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...
. Studio recording
Studio recording
The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.-Studio cast recordings:...
s of Morrison's performances of "Leaving on a Jet Plane
Leaving on a Jet Plane
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate to Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title....
" and "I Wanna Sex You Up
I Wanna Sex You Up
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a hit single for R&B group Color Me Badd in 1991, released as the first single from their debut album C.M.B.. It achieved a huge success in the U.S., UK and New Zealand, where it reached #1 on the charts. It spent four weeks at No...
" were also released as bonus-tracks on copies of Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Glee: The Music, Volume 1
Glee: The Music, Volume 1 is the debut soundtrack album by the cast of the musical television series Glee, which airs on Fox in the United States. It features cover versions from the first nine episodes of the first season and was released on November 2, 2009 by Columbia Records and 20th...
purchased from Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
stores.
Storylines
Season 1
Upon learning that William McKinley High School's glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen TobolowskyStephen 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...
) has been fired for inappropriate conduct, Spanish teacher Will Schuester volunteers to take over the club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Will is married to his high school sweetheart Terri
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
), who does not support his dedication to the glee club. When Terri announces that she is pregnant, she pressures Will to resign as a teacher and take a better paying job as an accountant. Will is prepared to do so, but after a motivational talk from 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...
) and seeing the club perform well without his tutelage, Will decides to remain at the school and coach the team. 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....
) allows him to do so, but warns that if the club fails to place at the Regionals competition, he will close it down. Will briefly works after hours at the school as a janitor to earn extra money, unaware that Terri has discovered that she was experiencing a hysterical pregnancy and is not actually pregnant. He becomes closer to Emma, who has romantic feelings for him, but she ultimately curtails their time spent together, believing that he is about to start a family. To his dismay, she later becomes engaged to football coach Ken Tanaka (Patrick Gallagher
Patrick Gallagher
Patrick Gallagher may refer to:*Patrick Gallagher , Canadian actor*Patrick Gallagher , soccer player*Patrick Gallagher , former Irish politician with Sinn Féin the Workers' Party, Workers Party of Ireland and Democratic Left*Patrick J...
).
Will's dedication to the glee club wavers when his students question his choreography skills, but after starting a well-received all-male a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, the "Acafellas", he recommits to the club. 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...
", after 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...
) has temporarily quit the glee club, Will recruits his former classmate, high school dropout 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...
), as the new female lead. However, she is an alcoholic and proves to be a bad influence on the kids, and he has her leave. In "Throwdown
Throwdown (Glee)
"Throwdown" is the seventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 2009. It was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk...
", Will's nemesis, 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 made co-director of the club and divides up the students, but when their fighting leads the kids to walk out in disgust, Sue steps down. In the episode "Mattress
Mattress (Glee)
"Mattress", also known as "Once Upon a Mattress", is the twelfth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on December 2, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In "Mattress", the glee club is omitted from the...
", Will uncovers Terri's fake pregnancy when he discovers her pregnancy pad in a drawer. He angrily confronts her, then walks out, but remains undecided over whether to end their marriage. He inadvertently renders the glee club ineligible to compete at Sectionals by sleeping on a mattress that they had been given for working on a television commercial, and steps down as director so they will be allowed to perform. Emma decides to postpone her wedding to Ken by several hours to accompany the glee club to Sectionals in Will's place, and the club wins. Ken ends their engagement and cancels the wedding because of this, and after he has officially ended his relationship with Terri, Will and Emma share a kiss.
In "Hell-O
Hell-O
Hell-o! is the debut album by Gwar. The album was released in 1988, on Shimmy Disc Records.Gwar's angle on the album is that of a morbid punk band obsessed with debauchery, violence and toilet humor...
", Will and Emma try to start a relationship, but after he finds out that she's a virgin, they take a break. Will then proceeds to make out with the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, 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:...
), who afterward advises him to take time to rediscover who he is now that he's ending a long marriage. In "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...
", after Sue tells Emma that she has no control over her own body, Emma decides to "do the nasty" with Will at his place. However, they don't go through with it, and she runs out of Will's apartment without her shoes. Will admires her for "taking control by telling herself she wasn't ready", and promises to help her with her problems and start a relationship after his divorce with Terri is finalized. In the season finale, "Journey to Regionals", the glee club comes in last at the Regionals competition. The kids, heartbroken at the thought that the club is over, sing "To Sir With Love" to thank Will for all he's done. Sue, who overhears them, convinces Principal Figgins to allow the glee club another year to prove themselves. Will finally admits that he has been in love with Emma all along and kisses her, but she tells him that she has started dating her dentist, Carl Howell (John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
).
Season 2
In the season two premiere, Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie JonesDot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
) is made the new school football coach, and the cheerleading and glee club budgets are slashed in favor of football. Although he at first conspires against Coach Beiste with Sue because of the budget cuts, Will eventually befriends her. In the episode "Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
", Will tries to impress Emma by purchasing a new car similar to that of her boyfriend, Carl, and by joining the glee club in a racy performance of "Toxic
Toxic (song)
"Toxic" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears, co-written and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, from her fourth album, In the Zone. It was released on January 12, 2004, by Jive Records as the second single from the album. After trying to choose between " Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to...
". By the end of the episode he returns the car, realizing that he should be himself. When Emma mentions that The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
is her favorite musical, and she and Carl have been going to see it, Will decides to have the glee club perform it, and recruits Emma to assist him. However, when Carl becomes involved and is given a role, Will joins the production himself. Carl ends up accusing Will of trying to steal Emma, and Will backs off. In "The Substitute
The Substitute (Glee)
"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010...
", Will contracts a severe case of the flu and is too ill to work. His ex-wife Terri comes over uninvited to take care of him, and the two end up sleeping together. Sue fires Will and appoints his substitute, Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and appeared three times during the show's the second season. Holly is Paltrow's first-ever role in a scripted television show...
(Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
), in his stead. When Holly visits to ask Will for some advice, Terri discovers them talking and assumes the worst. Will tells Terri that he shouldn't have slept with her while ill, and that their divorce stands. Will is reinstated by Sue. He subsequently learns that Emma and Carl have impulsively married while in Las Vegas. He is upset, but wishes her well. He remains in love with her, and on a drunken night months later, he drunk dials Emma and leaves a highly suggestive message on the answering machine. Unfortunately, he has mistakenly dialed Sue's number, and Sue plays the message over the school's public address system. Will decides to abstain from alcohol, and gets the glee club, who have just ended a school assembly by vomiting during a song due to imbibing, to pledge to give up drinking until after Nationals.
New Directions ekes out at tie with the Dalton Academy Warblers at the Sectionals competition, and will face them and Aural Intensity at Regionals. With the football team's glee club and non-glee members at odds, the team looks doomed to defeat at the championship game, so Will and Coach Beiste agree that the entire team has to join the glee club for one week. When Sue pulls her cheerleaders from the game, the team and glee club ultimately work together to perform the halftime show, and the team goes on to win the championship. Sue's cheerleaders lose their own Regionals, their first loss in seven years, and a seemingly depressed Sue inveigles Will to let her join the glee club for a week. She is unable to bring the club down from within, so she arranges to become the coach of Aural Intensity, hoping to defeat New Directions at Regionals, but the McKinley glee club wins.
Holly returns to McKinley as a substitute sex education teacher, and starts dating Will, though they break up after five dates. At Carl's request, Holly counsels him and Emma, as they are having difficulties: Emma is still a virgin after four months of marriage. When pressed, she admits to them that she still has some feelings for Will. Carl moves out, and soon asks Emma for an annulment of their marriage. The stress makes Emma's OCD worse, and Will urges her to get treatment, which she does, and her condition begins to improve. April returns to ask Will's help: her first attempt at a Broadway show flopped, and she wants to mount a show based on her life story entitled CrossRhodes. She urges him to star with her in the show, and Emma tells him he should try. He decides to do so: he'll be in New York anyway for the glee club's Nationals competition, so he'd just stay afterward and start rehearsals for April's show. To avoid upsetting the glee club, he doesn't tell them his plans. Emma helps him pack up his apartment. In New York, he leaves the glee club unchaperoned while he goes to the Broadway theater where April's show is being mounted, and sings "Still Got Tonight" from the stage. When the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline, Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
), tries to shake New Directions by telling them of Will's impending Broadway debut, he realizes that he wants to continue coaching them, and gives up on Broadway. New Directions comes in twelfth of fifty teams, and Will returns with them to Ohio.
Reception
The Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
criticized Morrison as Will, writing: "Morrison is definitely not gleeful and doesn't seem particularly well equipped to be a high-school impresario; as pipers go, he's not even marginally pied." Robert Lloyd for 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....
commented on the show's early episodes that the adult characters "tend more to caricature than character", stating that by contrast, "Will, as the show's only normal person over the age of 18, [can] seem a little drab". However, he noted that Will "comes alive when singing and dancing", citing his "exuberant" performance of "Gold Digger" in the episode "Showmance
Showmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
".
Reviewing 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...
", Mike Hale of the New York Times commented on Will's actions in having former member 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...
) re-instated in the glee club: "It's now time to wonder when the show will stop making Will behave in ways completely at odds with Mr. Morrison’s bland, gentle performance. (Or, conversely, when Mr. Morrison will start playing him the way he’s written.)" Mandi Bierly for 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...
praised Morrison's acting in the episode "Vitamin D
Vitamin D (Glee)
"Vitamin D" is the sixth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 7, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In the episode, glee club director Will Schuester pits the male and female club members...
", writing: "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...
communicates so much with his eyes. There’s a softness and a longing in them that I’m always surprised Emma matches." Eric Goldman for 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...
enjoyed Morrison's music performances 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...
", commending: "I have to hand it to Matthew Morrison for just going for it in these sequences. There is of course something completely dorky about seeing this guy perform these songs, but Morrison infuses Will with such enjoyment in what he's doing, he completely sells it. And yes, the guy can dance."
Liz Pardue of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
praised Morrison's acting in "Mattress", calling him "beyond fantastic" during the confrontation between Will and Terri. 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...
wrote that he "was glad to see Will react with the appropriate level of rage", but felt that the scene became too tense, leaving him almost feeling bad for Terri. Raymund Flandez of the Wall Street Journal wrote that he was happy to see the "convoluted" fake pregnancy storyline end, commenting that it had seemed unreal to him from the outset as "Will Schue doesn’t strike me as a guy who misses much of anything. [...] The covered pregnancy storyline makes a mockery of his instincts and intelligence." Aly Semigran for 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....
praised "a devastated Matthew Morrison" for "nail[ing] just what a scary, sad, and life-altering moment that [was]." Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times commended: "Matthew Morrison showed another dimension to Will, and did a remarkable job doing so. There was anger and anguish all intertwined in this bitter and broken shell of a man. And he played it well enough where you feared for Terri."
Following the broadcast of the mid-season finale episode "Sectionals
Sectionals
"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
", in which Will and Emma kiss, 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...
's Eric Goldman commented: "Schue and Emma finally coming together was very hard to not feel good about, even though you know it just won't be that easy when the show returns". Pardue was impressed with Will for leaving Terri, and called the kiss between Will and Emma "romantic" commenting that it made her "heart happy". Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that although there was satisfaction in the episode ending on the kiss, it may have been "more intriguing" to conclude with Will finding Emma's office empty, questioning whether it was too soon for the two of them to begin a relationship.
External links
- Will Schuester 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...