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[0:00] Andrew: Hello, um, this is Editing Andrew. Before we get into this episode, I just wanted to let you know that, um, unfortunately Spotify is doing this thing where they're upset with, um, me including songs from the hit Fox show Glee within the episode. I'm getting it all sorted out, but, um, just to be safe, um, I have removed all of the songs from this episode. Um, you can listen to the full episode with the songs embedded on Patreon, patreon.com slash Gleek the Week Pod, if you want to listen along and then hear our discussions after. Otherwise, we will figure out a way to overcome this globsticle. So, um, without further ado, uh, here is the episode.

[1:20] Andrew: Oh my god! Um, another live stream episode, uh, in round three of the Glackett and I am joined by, uh, you might have heard him talk his ass about Glee before. Um, Matt, how are you doing?

[1:31] Matt: Talk out of his ass or talk his ass, like, off about Glee?

[1:35] Andrew: Talk his ass. I don't know. I've been saying that lately. I'm not sure if it even makes any sense if you're talking your ass. Probably have also talked out of my ass about Glee.

[1:44] Matt: A little bit. And who's to say?

[1:45] Andrew: What the hell is Glee? You know, I don't know.

[1:47] Matt: I know. Okay. Yeah. How are you feeling about Glee right now? I feel like I asked you last time.

[1:52] Andrew: So I will, uh, maybe this is like a through line for me, um, over the past year or so, uh, many or some or one person, maybe you might remember a while back I had brought to you in the podcast attention of like what Glee songs would be good at a wedding. Um, and yesterday I kind of like really revisited that topic for the first time in a while. I'm still not going to tell you guys, uh, just to not give spoilers away for like whatever ends up happening, but I really sat with it on like a two and a half hour car ride yesterday.

[2:23] Matt: I have to say you made a grid post. I believe it was yesterday, right? And it was a wedding post. And I was like, wait, surely enough. That's not his wedding. Uh, I feel like I would know if you were, if you were getting actually wed, um, but you were attending someone's wedding and there was no Glee.

[2:38] Andrew: There was no Glee.

[2:42] Matt: No, not, not a, not a Glee vibe, but there's plenty of songs. Of course, you know, we, we all still do, even though we know it's like the most annoying part of ourselves. Uh, we all do the, you know, they did this on Glee. Um, but then when they use the version that's not from Glee and it's disappointing, you just don't know what to do with yourself.

[2:57] Andrew: I have to say, okay, so this is a long story that will connect to exactly what we're talking about. So, um, a friend of mine, Olivia is the choreographer of a new show. Um, uh, last bimbo of the apocalypse. And, uh, I went to the opening night last night and, um, it was a star-studded affair. Nicole Scherzinger from, uh, uh, Sunset Boulevard and Pussycat Doll fame was in attendance as was I, um, we were the two A-list members there. And, um, at the after party, um, they played, I wish I recorded this. They played I Follow Rivers in two hung up.

[3:37] Matt: Wow. And I was like, I told, I told the people that I was with, like, what's the through line between those two songs. And of course no one knew that it was, of course, both Tina Cohen Chang.

[3:50] Andrew: Wow. Yeah. That would have been a, uh, prime opportunity to like flex our, our, you know, and by our, I mean your, uh, Jenna Ashkowitz friendship, but, uh, I don't know if it would have mattered to these people.

[3:59] Matt: Oh, I have so many, so many things to say about Tina and in this intro today, because, um, in the episode, uh, of, and that's what we really missed that was released today on the day of recording, um, baby girl, Jenna Ashkowitz gave me a shout out that really, really meant the world to me. Have you listened to this episode yet?

[4:20] Andrew: I might've heard the name Andrew dropped once or twice.

[4:26] Matt: Yeah. It was, it was so, I don't know. It really, it really was so special to me too, because the last time that I was on, I mentioned that so far away is a beautiful Jenna vocal and she was just like, Oh, I don't even remember doing it. I'll have to listen to it after the recording. It's like, yeah, surely she's like that. That's just all talk. She's not going to actually listen to it, but it meant the world to me listening to it today that like, she was like, I actually did listen to it after Andrew recommended it and she loved as she should.

[4:51] Andrew: I mean, look, it's a, it's an episode full of, uh, you know, nearly 10 out of 10s, if not a lot of 10 out of 10. So great music. I'm glad that they also seem to enjoy. I don't, I did not get that vibe from them that they, they, they were like, I feel the earth move and hand in my pocket should be separate.

[5:10] Matt: It wasn't as, uh, uh, much praise as I would've liked. Um, but that happens a lot. Uh, I feel like with that podcast that, um, some things that, uh, maybe just to me are so beloved, but probably to more Gleeks, um, they're seeing it for the first time either ever, or in a very long time. And you can just tell it's not like, like there's no like nostalgia and even like, uh, like much love behind the critiques of it because they're seeing it for the first time. Like we've all been sitting with these songs for years now, a decade.

[5:43] Andrew: I know. Well, okay. So like when we get to 2009, do you think that Jenna recalls going into the studio to record? I kissed a girl.

[5:53] Matt: No, I don't.

[5:55] Andrew: Can I, can I pause on that for two seconds? Did you see, I'm sure somebody had to have sent this to you. Um, cause I was going to, and I completely forgot to, I think somebody, there was a tweet going around that said, if Glee had ended this year, the episode 2009 would be titled 2019.

[6:12] Matt: I hate that. Yeah, no, that made me really sick.

[6:14] Andrew: Yeah. Um, disgusting actually, but that is, that is how time works. Um, yeah, no, I don't, I don't think that Jenna remembers almost anything about season six, which I understand for really anybody that was there. Um, you know, given the fact that they were wrapping up thinking about what the next project was taking in the emotion of like their final times on set in the studio, whatever came out of their mouths, you know, don't think, uh, don't think they need to have remembered.

[6:43] Matt: Well, speaking of, um, remember, recalling things that happened in later seasons of Glee that really lends itself to a great segue into this therapist interview of, um, with Leah, Michelle, did you, did you watch this?

[6:59] Andrew: I didn't, but I would love for you to tell me anything that I need to know. And I, I also know you may, I don't know if you want to, if you're going to use this as a plug for something else.

[7:07] Matt: Okay. Well, so I know that exists too. Um, but that's also very long.

[7:11] Andrew: No context that, that being, um, a nearly three hour recording that I did yesterday with Connor that I knew it would be lengthy that, um, he and I did a live like reaction. Both of us have watched it already, but this was their second time watching it back together. And we just shared the screen and paused and talked about whatever was happening and things that weren't happening and things that weren't actually relevant to anything that was happening. Uh, we do get to a point where we talk about why Vanessa Lenges isn't in any, in any tribute episodes, which has nothing to do with this Leah, Michelle interview. But, um, yeah. So if you would like to, um, hear that three hour long conversation with Connor and I, that is at patreon.com slash click the week pod for the lowest tier.

[8:05] Matt: Yes. Um, I've, I've absorbed some of the clips of the podcast via TikTok. Of course I've seen plenty of them shared. Um, I've seen plenty of clips of Jake Shane talking about how he's deep in his, uh, Glee rewatch right now. Um, so, you know, taking it in, but also just kind of like not giving it my full love and attention because you know, the Leah and Michelle leak of the week episode someday is going to be where I really put all of my, uh, energy into taking, uh, taking it all in.

[8:29] Andrew: Oh, that's very kind. I really do look forward to, um, clicking with, with, uh, miss Michelle, uh, in blacketing with her. Um, because, you know, it was nice to have this hour long interview with Leah and just to have that, um, as almost like a roadmap into like, okay. Uh, how does she talk about the show? And it's like, almost like I I'm as much as like, yes, of course there's a part of me that I'm like, er, I wish that was me. Um, doing this interview. Um, I'm thankful that like, I have it and it's like, Hey, you know, I can, I can use parts of this interview to be like, what interests her? What are the things that she doesn't like talking about? What are the things that she does enjoy talking about?

I mean, you know, the classic saying, uh, when it comes to like loss in particular time heals all wounds, it's been, even more time passes, you know, every time that Leah does another interview talking about things like that. And as she was talking about the quarterback, um, or maybe she was also talking about that at the concert, uh, like her concert started to do a couple of shows. So just like the progression of the way that, uh, that whether it's Leah or any of the cast members talk about things over time, definitely like, you know, the show's not on anymore and maybe there's no reboot tomorrow. Uh, but you know, hearing everybody's different perspectives as the years go on is what makes, you know, the fact that like, we're always going to love the show.

We're always going to want to talk about the show, but like having renewed, like having still having, you know, quote unquote content from the actors, uh, just discussing it alongside of the conversation we're all having is always worthwhile.

[10:07] Matt: I know it's, it feels like wild. And like, I know that we've talked about it before, but like, it does feel like we are on the edge of a Glee boot. Um, and I, I just like, it, it's always like very vindicating to me to see like the numbers on the Leah Michelle interview, the fact that like, that was a very well-performing podcast episode of his, of his podcast.

[10:27] Andrew: Thank you for letting them know.

[10:33] Matt: Is this our first recording on, on, this is our first, okay. So I've done Riverside recordings, um, uh, with, you know, with two guests with not being a live live stream, but this is the first time that we are live stream using Riverside. And so far I really like it. Um, but she's really nice.

[10:52] Andrew: Um, wait, but what was I saying? Oh, I'm sorry.

[10:58] Matt: No, it's okay. You know, when that happens and like somebody says, what was I saying? And then the other person is supposed to know, I never know.

[11:03] Andrew: Um, I don't think there's any way of knowing. I mean, like, I don't know, Glee cast members and what they're saying today, you know, Leah Michelle. Oh, oh no. It feels like very vindicated. Oh, the, the way that the, um, the, like that podcast episode performed that, like, it's like people are interested in, you know, that, that there's this many people out there that will go back to asking a question about Rachel Berry, uh, about whether it be Finn Hudson or Corey Monteith and stuff like, you know, it's always going to go back to that for them. So they can't escape it. Like when, when they signed the contract on day one and, and then again, in season two, season three and so forth, like it is a part of their lives for the foreseeable future.

[12:22] Matt: Some people do a good job of like completely hiding themselves from a certain topic or from the public if they want to. Uh, but like, if you're going to continue being in the public eye, the questions are going to come and you know, hopefully you're in a good place to answer, which it seems like at this point Leah seems to be.

[12:37] Andrew: Oh yeah. Without a doubt. Like I'm, I'm almost like taken back by how willing she is and how excited that she is to talk about it. Um, whereas like you have someone like Robert Pattinson, which I'm not like a Twihart by any stretch of the imagination, but, um, I understand that this is something that he wants to separate himself from, um, and that, you know, that's of course his prerogative, but yeah, it is always really interesting. I think he's my Zendaya by the way, as far as Connor and Zendaya are concerned, Robert Pattinson, uh, is my.

[13:04] Matt: Wait, why?

[13:11] Andrew: Um, he, they filmed, uh, I don't remember the name of the movie. Um, they filmed what you're talking about. Oh wait, no, I don't know. He filmed something, uh, for some movie at my old job. And, um, I was there that day when he was there, like changing in like broad daylight, essentially inside of one of the buildings. And I was just like, Robert, I'm conflating a.

[13:35] Andrew: Theme Park Twilight cast movie with Adventureland starring Kristen Stewart. You're familiar?

[13:43] Matt: Different. Yeah, I guess. You're mixing two things. But yeah.

[13:49] Andrew: Okay, perfect. All right. Great. Okay, wait, but then also this is I'm just saying this as a sake of segwaying out of Lea Michele back into Tina Cohen Chang. Hearing Lea Michele name drop Tina and when oh, you didn't watch the interview, but at one point she talks about listening to current music and being like, well, Mercedes would sing this part and Quinn would sing this part and Tina would sing this part. Hearing the name Tina as referred to it referring to Tina Cohen Chang come out of Lea Michele's mouth in 2025. Really, really insane to me. Even hearing the name Mercedes considering there's not a lot of love, you know, we can talk about what the actors are saying, but we know there's still some, you know, differences between some actors.

So just hearing a comment from one of those actors about another actor. Yeah. But I do think that like, I don't know, while watching that interview, and again, if you want to hear me and Connor for three hours talk about it, and I'm holding back right now. I have shit to say in that three hour long episode. But yeah, no, I'm like kind of like curious if there's, if there's going to be like, almost like a, I don't, I can't actually make this reference because I don't actually watch it. But Bravo, like the sit down at the end of the season, you know what I'm talking about? It's called a reunion.

[15:11] Matt: A reunion. There's the word. I think Bravo coined that term. And, and so I'm like curious, like, I feel like while watching, I was like, are we gonna get a Gleecash reunion? You know?

[15:22] Andrew: Nope, nope, nope. Look, the COVID, you know, get together, maybe you call it a reunion on Zoom, by like actors in the house or whatever the hell that was, was like the closest thing that I think we'll ever get. Plus, you know, Snicksmas every year, but especially like 2021, 22. Beyond that, maybe like, what's, what's like the next big anniversary?

[15:46] Matt: I, well, I thought that we would surely get something, something for the 10 year, 10 year, 10 years since the finale. I mean, maybe in 2029, 10 year, no, 20 freaking years from the premiere. Ew, I gotta go.

[16:02] Andrew: Really, really gross.

[16:05] Matt: Maybe.

[16:06] Andrew: Maybe. I think that that feels, I guess, more right than 10 years since the finale, which I don't, I don't, I don't know. I'm holding my, I just, I just recalled that Diana Agron made a grid post about Glee for the 10 year, 2019. So I'm like, maybe. I'm hopeful.

[16:26] Matt: You never know. You never know. I mean, like when things happen as in like that, you know, last time I was on, we talked about the, or I think we did, the Diana, Leah, Darren post. You just never know when that's going to come up and catch you by surprise on a random Tuesday afternoon. So it made my entire week. That was really insane. But so the Tina of it all. I don't know. I was just been thinking a lot about Tina today. And one of the things that I wanted to pass on to you and maybe just say out loud, just for myself as well, is that I just feel this recording today. I feel scared for Tina Cohen Chang. She has two solos. I don't know. I just like had this like weird feeling when I woke up and I was like, what if both Tina solos lose tonight?

I don't think that like true colors and hung up. I think that like, I think round three feels like their peak. What do you think? I could, I could, I could get some revenge on true colors today after it did what it did last round. What did it do? Wait, it took out mine.

[17:29] Matt: No, it didn't. It took out whatever happened this Saturday night. And I was like, do I keep confusing true colors with? I think I've done this four times in this podcast. What took out mine?

[17:37] Andrew: To serve with love.

[17:42] Matt: To serve with love. Oh, they're kind of the same font.

[17:47] Andrew: No, they're sisters. Yeah. I always confuse them. Okay. So I won't take anything out on Tina. But that's not happening. That's just that was a nightmare you had. And it's time to wake up, Andrew. Thank you. How far do you, how far do you think? Okay. So a solo is just generally hung up or true colors, which is making it further. True colors is certainly making it further, but hung up, hung up could be at its peak in around three, if it makes it through round three, not to say that this is like what should happen. Like I would be happy to see it go even further. Round four feels like a pretty firm, like end of the road. You made it. Yeah. True colors. I mean, should advance through round four should advance through round five. At that point. I don't know what happens. True colors is beautiful. And people in the chatter are quickly saying that chat after chat about how much they love true colors.

[18:31] Matt: Yeah. I really do love it. But then when you watch the MP4, it's not even about Tina though. You got to remember this.

[18:44] Andrew: That is true. But how many new directions we're still, you said true colors, right? Yeah. How many new directions numbers are not about the person leading it, but it's always a Rachel, it's always, I don't know, a Santana, Mercedes. It's not always a Tina.

[19:02] Matt: Well, I mean, the ones that come to mind immediately for me is Ice Ice Baby, which was pulled recently.

[19:07] Andrew: Oh, it's actually not gone. Nevermind.

[19:12] Matt: It's not gone. No. Awolo, but when you watch the MP4, it's about the camaraderie between all of them, you know? You guys got that one wrong. I'm sorry.

[19:26] Andrew: Wait, against Keep Holding On Season Five? I said goodbye to Ice Ice Baby because in my mind it should have been a goodbye. Yeah, you guys were too harsh on my little friend Keep Holding On Season Five.

[19:40] Matt: Is that okay? So in terms of Glackett grievances, you were on episode two of round three. Is that the only one? Is that the only one? That's the biggest one. That's the one. But it's also not the biggest crime ever committed on the Blackett by any means. I do have just my notes up for you. I was very happy to see Next To Me go recently. Which is something I brought you up. Amon was not happy about that, but of course, we sent Next To Me through.

[20:22] Andrew: Wait, so you're happy?

[20:22] Matt: Yeah, no, I'm not proud that Next To Me made it this far. It was Next To Me versus pretending, right? That was the big one. And we talked about it last time with pretending and me having to face pretending lovers out there. But yeah, so Next To Me just didn't need to be this far. So I was happy to see it go. And when it came to Natural Woman versus Marry The Night, I was sad to see Marry The Night go, but I was completely with the logic of like, okay, at this point, I think it was specifically – actually, no, I forget. I'm sorry, who specifically said it. Talking about at this point, let's focus on the Glee characters, right? And like, Marry The Night, Adam Lambert, incredible, incredible, incredible. But I'm not upset at this point to just start narrowing it down to like, let's keep the Mersolos around and let them fight it out with the other Merlos and Santolos and whatnot.

[21:17] Andrew: But I think we can make some exceptions. I think that it feels easy to say a blanket rule like, hey, guest stars, get out of here. But I think that we have Forget You. We have Maybe This Time, which of course features half the main character. What other guest star songs? There's just also a difference, though, between a Holly Holiday song or an April Rhodes song versus Star Child. We're talking season five, Adam Lambert, like you guys mentioned, four episodes. So it feels different. Five episodes, my deepest apologies. It just feels different. And I truly, like Marry The Night, I love every song from Akide Uragaga. And so, you know, if those could all make it to the top 100, I would be thrilled. But I also am totally fine with the decision.

[22:11] Matt: Yeah. Wow. Incredible. Anything else that you want to add before we get into glackening? Any manifestations for you?

[22:18] Andrew: But also applause is gone. That's crazy.

[22:20] Matt: I know. The only one left we have is Wide Awake, another beautiful Jenna vocal.

[22:27] Andrew: Yeah, I mean, we'll manifest that so I can, you know, help it move along into the next round. I shouldn't need to help it, but you never know what happens.

[22:34] Matt: Oh, I mean, like, it's not just Jenna. Everybody supplies kind of like, I don't know, like, it's like the best vocals. It's a really good highlight of all four of the vocalists on that track. Like none of them is a flop.

[22:48] Andrew: It is like truly beautiful sounds entering your ears anytime you play it. I love it. So I don't know, we can we can manifest that. But I'm also afraid that we could be this far in the round and have no Akide Uragaga come up for the next couple of months. So maybe not.

[23:07] Matt: That's true. We got rid of applause and Marry The Night back to back. Round three was like, no more Gaga. We're done. Great. Okay, perfect. With that, we're bringing in fan favorite from last round live stream episode, Nicole. Hello.

[23:29] Nicole: Hello. Hi.

[23:31] Andrew: Oh, my God. It's so great to see you again, Nicole. I feel like I'm not even capable of doing a worthy intro for you. But can you remind the Gleeks? What exactly was like your claim to fame in round two?

[23:46] Nicole: So my claim to fame in round two is of course championing. I was gonna make a joke about keeping holding on and then Matt said that he likes it. So

[23:56] Andrew: Wait, oh my god, that was that was your competition.

[23:59] Nicole: My competition. And I really gotta say, I'm hoping for a bloodbath this time so that my name gets brought up with horror.

[24:10] Andrew: Your name does get bring up. I mean, not with horror yet. But I feel like last time I gave my dissertation on why I actually hate the trouble tones.

[24:20] Nicole: Yeah, and I'm correct.

[24:21] Andrew: And remind me, what? What prompted that Nicole?

[24:26] Nicole: You asked? Here's the thing. I sometimes just black out and suddenly go on an ADHD tangent. Uh, listen, and this was you asked what my black at grievances was, and I got stuck on We Are Young versus Born This Way. And I'm like, um, actually, We Are Young is my accumulation of everything I hate about the trouble tones arc.

[24:49] Andrew: That's crazy. Because also, Matt hasn't watched the Leah Michelle interview, but have you? Because We Are Young was brought up.

[25:27] Andrew: Oh, my gosh. Yeah, yeah, no, but um, spoiler warning for the Leah Michelle episode, but um, she does like, weird. Okay, so the context is, Jake Shane says there is a song from Glee that literally changed everything. And Leah says, I think I know exactly what song you're going to say. And then Jake says, Okay, let's say it on three. And they both say, we are young, insane, insanity. I'm what does that mean? He must have like, said, yeah, something about this before. And maybe like, someone on her team knew this about it. Like, there's no chance that was a random occurrence out of 600 songs, probably any other song at a like, I could just pick it from your, like from your slushy cup. And I would probably have a better shot of getting a song that actually changed everything for Glee.

We are young is wild. I, I don't know. So Connor and I in this three hour plug, again, we're not going to stop plugging this, this three hour long recording, we talked about like, what would be the song that you classify as this Glee song that changed everything? I actually do have an answer if I'm like, if I'm being kind of analytical about the show. And it's probably like a prayer from the Madonna episode, because Oh, that's interesting. I feel like that kind of changed the Madonna episode as a whole, kind of changed how Glee operated a little bit into more of like,

[25:55] Nicole: I have not I, I listened to a lot of my podcasts at work. And so I was going to, I was going, I was going to watch the Leah Michelle interview via the three hour pod. Thank you. Faithful. Yeah. I'm like, Oh, that way, I just get this all done at once. Then I'm like, No, but I don't know if there's like video stuff that I should be watching for the three hour podcast. I can't do that at work. And then I'm and then I got invited. And I was like, No, that's way more important. I can save that for another time. So

[27:11] Nicole: Tribute episodes, more of the, honestly, more ensemble focus. It's the, like, Tina gets, as you guys mentioned earlier, Tina gets her solo in, yeah, Tina gets her solo in the front half, I think. I think. Hierography, I believe. Yeah, it's at the end of Hierography. At the end of Hierography. But for the most part, they were really just focusing in on Rachel, or on Finchel like solos. Yeah, more so even Will, yeah. Will and Finchel was, like, very prevalent in the front half of season one. I think, like, the Madonna episode kind of marks a point of, okay, we're going to focus on more of the kids. And I'd honestly say that's where a lot of the shift away from Will starts to happen as well, even if he is a very prevalent part of the end of season one as well.

But like, both Kurt, both Kurt, Mercedes, and Jesse, if you listen to the mp3, all go, all get like their own solo verses in that song. And it's starting to be of a, hey, we're going to focus on more of the kids. I'd say that more than We Are Young, which again, I am a hater of that arc. Fuck We Are Young. Oh, that's right. Oh, right. That's right that you didn't like the trouble trouble tones. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I should get that on a t-shirt if it wouldn't get me absolutely booed by Gleeks everywhere. No. Oh, why are you booing? I'm right. I'm right. I have too many. That here's the thing. I feel like all of my opinions are right, are correct. But all of them require nuance. People continuously and I know that you saw it as well.

The last episode that you were on that people are just championing you. That's a very difficult word to say championing. But they they loved it. Everything that you had to say. I do want to ask, though, Nicole, in terms of Glackett, where where do we stand now? It's only been a few up because you were at the end of round two. Here we are at the beginning of round three. How are you feeling about round three? Is there anything that doesn't sit right with your spirit?

[29:18] Nicole: There's like little things, but nothing that I think all of my like vehemently I am so against this decision are in round one or two, because I think that's where you get the most like, I think a lot of people have strong opinions on like, for example, Adele mashup versus Valerie. But we all agree that both like a both of them are fantastic songs. And also the Adele mashups, one of the best songs of the show. It wasn't surprising how that went. That's kind of how a lot of the season three like there's little things I think Marry the Night should have won. But like, am I that? Yeah, am I that again? I'm a champion of season five in general. So I mean, it was five. I have about as much nostalgia for season five as I do for season any season because I watched them all in 2016.

Right after the show ended. Like, I binge watched the show and was like, wait, we're not talking about the show anymore. What's going on? We get back here. Can we can we start the discourse again? Yeah. So I, I have so much love for specifically the New York stuff of season five. And so I, I especially really like Starchild. I'm a big, I really like his friend. But you're not like, but like, I'm not like, I'm not upset about you're not coming on here shaking your face. No, I'm not. I'm not against a like season five Mercedes number winning that competition. Yeah. I think it's because season three, but round three, not season three. I still hate it. We can call it people that the language is shifting.

David a few episodes ago. Yeah, I like round three of the glock at I, of all the seasons of glee. I'm a big season three hater. Yeah. So I don't want I don't want to sully the name of round three of the glock at by giving it. That's not a bad take. Not that you thought it would be a bad take, especially given your take on your team. But no, I feel like season three is not as like, as the years have gone on, every time I revisit it, I'm like, why did I think season three was like, beautiful, perfect, like pretty girl exactly why it's because that's the last season, the core cast is all right. And so everyone's like, Oh, if I round out, like, if I put together all the seasons of the core cast in high school, three is in there as well.

And it's like, Yeah, okay, but those are, it's the one where they got new writers. It's the one where they got new writers. And I don't know what the brief was to these new writers, but they tend to write all of the characters. Unless it's specific scenes highlighting certain characters. Everybody is written as a bastard version of themselves at all times.

[32:10] Nicole: I remember you saying this last time. Yeah, I stand by that. I think it's also like, you know, for the people that were waiting so long for Santana's debut to like really be the big character that she ends up being. You don't get that in seasons one and two, just as much as it starts to show up later. So you know, it's it's a hard battle when Santana is your favorite character to say, you know, I love seasons one and two more than three, which is true. But my favorite character doesn't become my favorite character really until season three. I know season two is the start. I know. Santana season two is my favorite. Santana. I think it's just like, it's, it's very complicated. And I, I remember specifically listening to Ian and Lena talk about the Blame It On The Alcohol episode.

And I don't even know if this was on the writers intention. But the fact that Santana is the weepy girl drunk, like kind of speaks to the feelings that she's like harboring that she is like, very emotional. She's hiding a lot of things and that like alcohol like helps with this release of her emotions. And so I that's like, what a weird Santana kind of like takeaway of Santana in season two, but Santana in season two is a very emotional character. Like she cries multiple times throughout that season and is allowed to be vulnerable in a way that she just inherently is not in season three.

[33:33] Nicole: Yeah, I was like, yeah, I remember when season three started and seeing like the promotional pictures of her back in like the Cheerios uniform. I was like, Oh, something doesn't feel right about this. It does like it's kind of like, back to basics in like a weird way. And I think that like Santana in season three is still very compelling. I just I think that there was an element found in season two of Santana that was missing in season three.

[34:04] Nicole: I have an incredibly hot take that might get me booted off this podcast. Okay, I'm curious in hearing of hearing it. And then we will pull up our song. Yeah. Okay. So my favorite, my favorite two characters on the TV show Glee are Kurt and Santana. And then it's probably Mercedes and Finn and they switch places because sometimes Finn pisses me off. But Santana is at her most compelling, in my opinion, and I believe this for Kurt as well. When they are not in a romantic relationship. Oh, yeah, particularly like Blaine or Brittany. Oh, okay. So that's where that's the part that I thought was gonna get me kicked off the podcast is that I actually, Brittany's biggest hater.

[34:45] Nicole: Brittany's biggest hater? Listen, I don't particularly like the trope of too dumb to function, which is dumbing a character specifically in season three as well. I, my, my favorite Brittany stuff is in seasons two and four, which is also unfortunate. Okay, those are the seasons that they're not, Brittany's not together. But like the scene with Brittany at, like, in sexy where Santana's like coming out and saying, and like Brittany's being like, Yes, absolutely. If only I wasn't with Artie and then Santana's like, like, that is a great scene. Oh, I love Yeah, it's one of my favorite scenes. But also in that same episode, the unfortunate thing, and I'm sure other people have brought up of either Brittany is too dumb and Santana is sexually taking advantage of her.

Or what I am more inclined to believe, Brittany is well aware of this fact and is just going along with it in like intentional ignorance. Yeah, so that she can like play both sides, but then don't get mad at Artie when he calls you out on it. And like, it's meant to see as like, Brittany's the bad, like Brittany's the victim in that situation. Either she's a victim of both Santana and Artie in that situation, and mostly Santana, or Artie calling her dumb for like, I don't know, being like, for being kind of dumb. If you believe she was manipulated, and if so, I have bigger issues with the Britannia relationship.

[36:30] Kayla: Okay, yeah, well, I obviously as a Britannia defender, yeah, it's that that's when it gets really tricky. Because I do believe that Santana is manipulating the relationship. Yeah. In which, honestly, and this is a fictional person, which I feel comfortable saying, yeah, that like, you know, I, I thank you. This is a person that didn't exist and never will. That, you know, she, she is dealing, she's harboring so many feelings, manipulating another person is the only way that she can get the thing that she wants. You know, like, bending the truth and saying that cheating is different when like the plumbing is, is cheating, cheating is impossible when the plumbing is different. And so, yeah, I think, yeah, I say all this in season two is my favorite version of Brittany.

By season three. Anytime she talks, it is either it's a joke. She doesn't have actual lines that are like her own vulnerability, her own feelings about things. It's Yeah, she doesn't talk for the entirety of Santana's coming out, which Oh, no, it's sick. Yeah, which is absolutely sick. The main thing I remember her doing in the Britannia relationship in season three, is posting her sex tape without Santana's knowledge. And it's true. Here's the thing. If this is just the thing she did, if this is just the thing she did, and other characters treated it with the consequences it deserved. I'd be okay with it. But it's not she's thanked for doing this, even though at a later episode and naked Santana says it's actively ruining her life.

Like this is this is my issue with Brittany, if she was allowed to have consequences to her actions, if Santana if Brittany was allowed to like have they do things be like, like be a character, if she was allowed to be a character instead of a vehicle for jokes, and have consequences to her actions, then I would like Brittany. But more often than not, she is given lines that are like, this constant, like calling unique Mercedes and the joke. The whole I think that I use this example all the time. But like my the worst Brittany joke is season three, Michael. Unique Mercedes is really bad. But like the when Santana tells Brittany to lock the door, and she doesn't know how, like, that's like, okay, that's not even clever. What's going on? It's not clever. And here's the thing, people are saying blame the writers instead of the characters, I am of the firm opinion, and I will, I'll coin this right fucking here.

[39:10] Nicole: Wait, what is this? Is this the thesis statement? If you're talking about a character's personality, and there is like one thing that character does that you think is out of character, you get one, you get one per team. Oh, really? I think you get one per TV show that you can completely get rid of. I'm not saying that, okay, like, like, be like, Oh, interesting. Like, in my opinion, the Finn outing Santana scene was, was completely out of character, specifically the way he did it, it like actively didn't feel like Finn as a character. And like the other times that he bucks up and is like, says shitty things. Yeah, it clearly is like, like word vomit, like, didn't mean to come out of his mouth, except for that one that he is like, nearly stalking her down the hallway.

And like, yeah, like, it is a very different, like scene for Finn that we never see again. And before after, I think you get one per character of this is something I can completely remove from there, like my personal understanding of this character, I just remove from consequences of that action, but just completely remove it from that my understanding of that character. If the character is constantly saying shitty jokes, that are often just homophobic, or not, they're often just kind of racist. And they're often just kind of too dumb to function. I'm sorry. That's the character that that's who they are now. Like that is who you that if we have five if we have four seasons of a character just kind of saying too stupid to function jokes. You can't say that that's the writer's fault anymore. That is just how the character works.

[40:46] Andrew: Part of me is scared that we will pull a Britney song. Part of me is excited by the idea.

[40:51] Matt: I know. What's the better outcome?

[40:54] Andrew: Because we only have... Wait a minute. I think only one. I think we only have Christmas wrapping.

[41:01] Matt: Is that right? Let me see. How do I even check this?

[41:05] Andrew: When are you going to be able to afford to let Amelia quit her real jobs to be available to go back at 24-7? Wait, what is... How many... I think it's only...

[41:19] Matt: What other ones would there... I'm a slave for you didn't make it past round one. Let's see.

[41:25] Andrew: I'm very thankful and glad that Who Run the World is gone.

[41:29] Matt: TikTok's gone. Run the World is gone.

[41:32] Andrew: Dinosaur's here. Dinosaur. I knew there was another one.

[41:35] Matt: I'll kill that right now. Thank you so much, Jenna.

[41:36] Andrew: I'll kill that right now. Okay.

[41:38] Matt: Goodness. I mean, like, Dinosaur is on its last leg. Dinosaur is about to... I'm already ready.

[41:43] Andrew: The Britney Spears fans are clenching right now.

[41:47] Matt: Listen, if you can give me a defense of the character that is not headcanon, I'll listen to it. But actual evidence based off the TV show, and I'm not saying she doesn't have good moments. She does objectively have good moments. Let's leave on a good moment. Let's leave on a good note. Name one good Britney moment.

[42:03] Andrew: Oh, I mean, I already mentioned the scene where Santana's coming out to her in season two. But I will also say, I really actually like her for a lot of the pre-breakup season four arc for Britannia, where it's just me allowed to be vulnerable. And I fucking think that we were robbed of dancing on my own in season four.

[42:31] Matt: Giving her some authority.

[42:32] Andrew: Yeah. We actively needed something that was Britney's thoughts on Britannia because it is very Santana-centric in terms of perspective. And Nia kills it. And it's fantastic. And I think Santana is one of the most compelling characters on that show. But it does Britney no favors.

[42:50] Matt: Heather Morris' acting in the breakup could be the best acting in the hit Fox show Glee.

[42:56] Andrew: I can think of a better Heather Morris acting episode. And that, of course, is everybody's favorite episode, Shooting Star.

[43:03] Matt: Unfortunately, Heather is actually very good in Shooting Star.

[43:08] Andrew: She's eating.

[43:09] Matt: Yeah.

[43:11] Andrew: I don't acknowledge that episode.

[43:13] Matt: That's fair.

[43:15] Andrew: And that's your, yeah, that's true.

[43:18] Matt: All or Nothing is a good pick too.

[43:18] Andrew: Yeah.

[43:24] Matt: Speaking of picks, I have the song in my hand. Let's see what it is.

[43:28] Andrew: What, like a song from the show that we would watch and listen to?

[43:28] Andrew: Oh.

[43:29] Matt: Oh, we're going to do that?

[43:30] Matt: Yeah.

[43:30] Andrew: Huh.

[43:31] Matt: Do you mind?

[43:32] Andrew: I don't know.

[43:33] Matt: Uh, a little bit, but you do you.

[43:35] Andrew: I could glacken.

[43:37] Matt: All right. Oh, is that what we want to call it? Glacketing?

[43:41] Andrew: Glacketing? I think I just like that term.

[43:44] Matt: Yes. You see what it is?

[43:45] Andrew: Goodness gracious.

[43:48] Matt: Oh, I know exactly what it is.

[43:49] Andrew: Absolutely.

[43:51] Matt: Yeah, of course. It is. Yes.

[43:54] Andrew: The song here is You Can't Stop the Beat. Now on to the discussion.

[43:59] Matt: Okay, so that was this first song. How do I stop sharing? There we go. There.

[44:04] Andrew: Hey, so Matt, do you want to start the discourse on this one? Because I know there's someone in this conversation that's going to have, they're going to have a lot to say.

[44:10] Matt: It's funny because obviously this isn't like a Britney song, but like the Britney face in this number is one that like, I see it in my sleep sometimes. I'm just like, why did she make that face? What made them say this is part of the song? I mean, just because it's funny. Sure. Great. But it is hysterical. I've always enjoyed this one.

[44:39] Andrew: But I will say just like, I love starting with the song. In an episode, it's such a relief to start with the song that I'm just not nervous about. So.

[44:47] Matt: Wait, why are you not nervous about it?

[44:49] Andrew: If it goes through, cool. If it doesn't, also great. Like, it's just like, we are in round three. The stakes are high. And I like it a lot. But like, it's just like, look, you know, what I went through last time with Connor and you. And so just like to not have songs at that starting things off is such a relief. That's where I'm at.

[45:09] Matt: I will say, legal note, that when this is pulled in round two, it was against Got To Get You Into My Life. And you can check the tapes on this one. Also Elijah's Glackett that I was the sole vote for Got To Get You Into My Life. And I really do believe that it should have went through this.

[45:26] Andrew: It absolutely should have. And I'm kind of sad I missed one now.

[45:30] Matt: Yeah, who made the right call?

[45:31] Andrew: You didn't.

[45:32] Matt: Um, no, it was Aman and Allison Alamode episode. You can bring it up with them.

[45:37] Andrew: They made the right call.

[45:38] Matt: They didn't. They didn't.

[45:43] Andrew: No, Got To Get You Into My Life is one of my favorite plane duets. My favorite plane duet is-

[45:48] Matt: I think it's the best one.

[45:50] Andrew: It's the best romantic duet. I am a big fan of It's Too Late.

[45:55] Matt: Yeah. People are saying this.

[45:58] Andrew: I think that that- this is not the song, sorry.

[46:03] Matt: No, go ahead.

[46:04] Andrew: I think that Jagged Little Tapestry, in terms of just songs, because I have issues with that episode that have nothing to do with the songs, but just song wise, big contender for best overall song episode.

[46:19] Matt: I don't think that there's a long line of people that disagree with you there.

[46:23] Andrew: Um, but in terms of- I was surprised seeing in the chat when we were watching this that people don't like the beginning of this song, how it's slow.

[46:31] Matt: I don't. I actually thought this was a different- when I first was watching Glee, I thought this was a different song at first because I had heard-

[46:39] Andrew: Yeah.

[46:39] Matt: I had heard this song before I'd watched the Hairspray movie growing up.

[46:43] Andrew: But this is the first time that I had heard, like, it slowed down like that. And I was like, what song are they playing? Like, I don't even know what this is. And-

[46:54] Matt: Yeah.

[46:55] Andrew: I- it is very hard for Rachel to try to pull this off as, like, an earnest moment in- for me, when this is right after they just kicked Santana out of the club.

[47:09] Matt: Oh. People don't talk about this. People don't talk about that.

[47:14] Andrew: Also, I- what the fuck were the writers in season three on? I don't respect the writers of season three. Uh, but yeah-

[47:22] Matt: But also, can we just, like, take a moment to- that- watching that live, I spent the entire hiatus kind of just, like, being like, Santana- Santana's on the up and up. Uh, she's-

[47:35] Andrew: Yeah.

[47:35] Matt: We're- we're going into season three and I can't wait to see what she does.

[47:39] Andrew: First episode of season three, you're out of the Glee club. And I was like, what the fuck? Why?

[47:42] Matt: It's especially-

[47:45] Andrew: Also-

[47:46] Matt: Yeah.

[47:46] Andrew: So- sorry to interrupt.

[47:47] Matt: No, no, you-

[47:48] Andrew: My question is, what was the purpose of that? Because in the next episode, she still is not in the Glee club. They- they remembered that she's not in the Glee club anymore. But in the third episode, they do have a throwaway line in Asian F that she's like, it's okay now.

[48:03] Matt: Yeah.

[48:03] Andrew: And I'm like, she's back now.

[48:05] Matt: Then what was that about?

[48:06] Andrew: Why not just use Santana to start the Trouble Tones? Why not have Santana start the Trouble Tones and bring Mercedes over?

[48:13] Matt: That's-

[48:13] Andrew: That would've-

[48:14] Matt: It's so-

[48:15] Andrew: Because then that justifies Santana being in it over Tina.

[48:19] Matt: Why was Santana back in the Glee club for only Asian F and then- and then she's like, in Pot of Gold, she's like, I fucking hate this place.

[48:27] Andrew: It's also especially jarring. So again, I watched all of these back to back to back. So I go right from New York, New York to, uh, Trouble Piano Project.

[48:37] Matt: Another Britney moment I like. I- there are Britney moments I like, uh, just overall as a character. But Britney, like talking to Santana at the end of season two of like, hey, like, the Glee club is my family. And like, we're like, it doesn't matter if we lost. Like, I still care about everyone here. And then like having a moment like, what does that mean for us? And like, again, season two is my favorite Britney season. I'm just not a fan of anything they do in season three.

[49:05] Andrew: You have?

[49:09] Matt: But-

[49:10] Andrew: Yeah.

[49:11] Matt: But watching Britney say that and like having this nice moment of the two of them together to like, kicking the Quinns immediately out of- Santana gets kicked out this episode.

[49:24] Andrew: There was like, we're denying Sugar Entry for the sole purpose that he's bad when Lauren was-

[49:30] Matt: Hashtag Glee hates girls.

[49:31] Andrew: Lauren quit.

[49:32] Matt: Yeah.

[49:33] Andrew: In a move that also pisses me off for season three and everything that I've heard about that behind the scenes wise continues to piss me off. Lauren should have stayed in the club.

[49:44] Matt: She was just beginning. Yeah.

[49:47] Andrew: Kicking her out and replacing Lauren with the idea of Kurt and Lauren doing the-

[49:56] Matt: Secondhand news.

[49:57] Andrew: Secondhand news, absolutely. But I've also heard rumors that like, they were supposed to be the ones who did the-

[50:01] Matt: Election?

[50:04] Andrew: The school president. Yeah, the school president. And they replaced her with Britney, which pisses me off.

[50:08] Matt: Oh my god. I hate the school election plot. I hate the school election plot.

[50:14] Andrew: Wait, but just like Nicole, I genuinely would love like the episodic recaps from you.

[50:21] Matt: Oh, Nicole. Yeah, you have too many thoughts that, from my knowledge, are they being tapped elsewhere?

[50:29] Nicole: Me and my friend Emma are starting a podcast. It's not specifically Glee, but it was going to be-

[50:35] Andrew: Can it be? Is it too late?

[50:39] Nicole: She's not a Gleek. I've tried to get her to watch it.

[50:42] Andrew: But if I had somebody else to do Glee, I'd do a second podcast just for that.

[50:47] Nicole: Our podcast is going to be called A Terrible Place to Start, and we're watching the worst episodes of TV shows.

[50:52] Andrew: Oh my god, I love that.

[50:54] Nicole: Yeah.

[50:59] Andrew: Wait, so, okay, with that in mind, what is Glee's?

[51:04] Nicole: If I were to show- Yeah, if I were to like pick the worst episode of Glee, I think I'm picking late season four, because it just gets boring.

[51:07] Matt: Shooting Star, right? Here's the thing, shooting-

[51:10] Nicole: Are you shooting it? I think it might be Lights Out.

[51:15] Matt: Fair. Like, it-

[51:16] Nicole: I-

[51:19] Andrew: Oh, actually, no, let me just like-

[51:21] Nicole: God. Hold on.

[51:23] Andrew: There's like two episodes in a row. I'm also-

[51:26] Nicole: I would offer Acapella's. Acapella's is pretty bad.

[51:28] Matt: Here's the thing about Acapella's. It's not a great episode.

[51:31] Nicole: First episode of Glee to make me cry.

[51:34] Matt: We do get Bust Your Windows in it.

[51:36] Nicole: We get Bust Your Windows, and I cried at the scene of Kurt coming out the Mercedes the first time I watched it.

[51:41] Matt: Yeah.

[51:43] Nicole: It's like, there's some very good stuff in there.

[51:49] Andrew: He's got so much angst in that coming out.

[51:51] Nicole: He got so much angst in that coming out.

[51:54] Andrew: Listen, I understand. I was also a queer teen who was like, everything is dramatic all the time. I absolutely understand.

[52:06] Nicole: But if I'm saying worst episode, I'm saying everything about it makes me want to just skip. Like it's-

[52:11] Andrew: I think Lights Out is where I go because-

[52:17] Nicole: That's interesting.

[52:20] Andrew: I can find-

[52:22] Nicole: I can find redeeming parts in other episodes.

[52:25] Andrew: It's when an episode is bland that I'm like, what are we doing here?

[52:31] Nicole: The worst thing a TV show can-

[52:33] Andrew: The worst thing Glee can be for me is boring.

[52:36] Nicole: Yeah, that's an Ian Allred original thought.

[52:38] Andrew: Yeah. I absolutely loved Recovering Glee. I did listen to all of it.

[52:43] Matt: Yeah.

[52:43] Andrew: But so if I'm-

[52:46] Nicole: Because I know, Andrew, you've said before the worst episode for you is Moving Out.

[52:51] Andrew: I don't like it.

[52:52] Nicole: Yeah.

[52:53] Andrew: But then also, I talked to-

[52:55] Nicole: I was on the DJ Bob show with Bob Runkle, who was also on-

[53:00] Andrew: And that's what we really missed recently.

[53:02] Nicole: And he had a bone to pick with me about me bad mouthing.

[53:09] Andrew: Moving Out.

[53:10] Nicole: And I guess I completely glossed over the importance of this beautiful Artie and Becky storyline that happens in it.

[53:14] Andrew: So I don't know.

[53:18] Nicole: I think it's an interesting conversation that we have plenty of options, as it turns out.

[53:24] Andrew: We have plenty of options.

[53:26] Nicole: I think it truly is the-

[53:30] Andrew: Because when I rewatch a lot of season four and five, I'm going to the New York stuff.

[53:36] Nicole: My favorite characters are Kurt and Santana.

[53:38] Andrew: I want to watch them be friends in New York.

[53:43] Nicole: But when I am kind of bored with the New York stuff, and so I go to McKinley and I'm bored and like, okay, writing decisions that are, let's make this very special episode where half the club sucks because we need to make a character feel bad.

[54:01] Andrew: That is Lights Out.

[54:02] Nicole: Yeah.

[54:02] Andrew: Yeah, this is Lights Out.

[54:04] Nicole: I do think Lights Out is the worst episode.

[54:06] Andrew: Shooting Star, as horrifying as it is, at least the actors are truly acting their fucking hearts out.

[54:13] Nicole: Yeah, yeah.

[54:13] Andrew: And at least that part is compelling.

[54:16] Nicole: It's compelling to watch.

[54:17] Andrew: I hate everything behind the scenes of what compelled them to do it.

[54:22] Nicole: But like, Glee does not need to save the world all the time. But like, it's at least I can watch it and be compelled. Nothing in Lights Out is like, this is really compelling. I think the concept of like Kurt, Santana and Rachel all going to like, a fancy New York party as like part of the staff and like getting into shenanigans. Yeah. Sounds like a fun concept. And then they don't do anything with that. I love the idea of Kurt working at Vogue.com. I don't care how unrealistic it is. It's fucking Glee. It's fucking Glee. I like it. Yeah. I want him to work at Vogue.com. And I want him to be into fashion instead of just like, following Rachel to NYADA because of course she got into NYADA first despite the fact that she loved her auditioning Kurt, canonically nailed his, regardless if you like that song.

I fucking do by the way. Not the Boy Next Door is a fucking great song. But uh, regardless of if you think that, that he deserved to get into NYADA for, Rachel, Rachel like choked twice. Rachel choked twice.

[55:41] Matt: I hear you. I hear you, Nicole. I, I, I do. Matt, you wanted to say something and then we will pull the song that is against, I believe we're having the discourse around you can't stop the beat.

[55:47] Nicole: Yeah. Oh, wait. Fun fact about this song, uh, before Matt goes, sorry, this is actually about the song though. Uh, I think this is the only song that all six original members are in. I looked this up.

[55:57] Matt: If you're choosing the MP3 version.

[56:00] Nicole: I looked up the, on Glee Wiki, Matt, we will get to you. I promise you stay in line. I'll be here all night. Tina Cohen Chang. Um, it's, oh my God. When the day is done, like when they're like, they speed it up toward the end. It sounds like Tina, but it's not actually. Fin sings Harmony with Rachel when they moved to the auditorium, right?

[56:24] Matt: Um, wait.

[56:25] Nicole: That's what I thought. So, but Jenna just brought up, uh, when does Fin sing? And that's what I thought.

[56:30] Matt: Yeah. Fin sings Harmony with, with Rachel. Kurt already obviously have their iconic, I call the NAACP. Um, Mercedes does the, um, Motor Mouth. Is that the character's name from Hairspray? Yes.

[56:43] Nicole: I think so.

[56:44] Matt: Um, the Queen Latifah part. Uh, and then Artie and, and then Artie and Tina, um, provide, uh, backing vocals as the song goes on. But Tina doesn't actually have any like, vocal spotlight, but they are all out on the track, which is special to me. I think, I think this is the only song that that happens. Somebody can blackjack me, but I.

[57:06] Nicole: It's so weird that it's like, it's this one. It feels the same way with like, Kurt Latana, Rachel Santana, their only like true trio song is Here Comes Santa Claus. Weird to me. Anyway. Um, Matt, what say you about anything?

[57:22] Matt: About, you know, if I had a specific thought earlier, I don't remember it. Um, we did go a lot of other places, um, which is always fun. Um, but just like, you know, final notes about the song. I, I don't dislike the song. I think I made that clear at the beginning. I said, I like this just fine. Um, it's just, it's, it's a fun way to start off the season. Um, I think probably a good amount of us, maybe not all of us, um, you know, we're watching Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron, you know, with Hairspray.

[58:00] Nicole: Uh, it was a movie that was released within our generation's timeline to be, you know, Nikki Blonsky, past Gleek of the Week, Zac Efron, future Gleek of the Week.

[58:05] Matt: Yeah. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Um, and so, yeah, I was, you know, very happy to hear, uh, Hairspray on the show. Um, and I feel like they do a little bit of the, you know, the season one of like, okay, there's Gleek club members that are going to be like, you know, don't stop believing you have exactly actually Quinn and Santana, not as part of don't stop believing. And they kind of wish that they were. So there's like a little bit of that, that like, they're not there, but like, they probably wish that they were. And I feel like they were doing that on purpose.

[58:30] Nicole: Um, and so I like to like, think that through and try to draw the parallels. But, um, again, if this loses, it's okay. It made it to round three. I am kind of praying for its downfall a little bit.

[58:39] Nicole: Why you like it?

[58:44] Matt: Yeah, sure. I just think that it's like, okay. It's had a good run. There are days I go harder for this song than today. But today, all I'm thinking about is this being the uplifting song that is of this episode, this being the like come together Glee Club moment when the whole episode was getting rid of characters. And this next arc we're about to see is getting rid of more characters like this. Also, like, it also feels like a fucking course I chose this song. I, I just feel like sometimes they do this thing in Glee where they, they tie a connection between two songs within the episode, only two, don't make actually any like, language or dialogue that says like, hey, we're doing this on purpose.

I'm of course talking about the Purple Piano Project, being home to we got the beat, and you can't stop the beat. Another example that's coming to mind right now is the fact that they sing to Petula Clark songs in New New York, but they don't acknowledge it. And it's like, so what?

[59:50] Nicole: I mean, I like it. It's fine. There's a through line.

[59:54] Matt: Yeah. Kind of like that more than the alternative, which is what Vash does of, we're going to make this a Sondheim theme episode, but not really because we have two, we have a natural woman and colorblind also in that episode instead of giving-

[1:00:08] Nicole: Right. Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Sondheim and Mercedes Jones. They are-

[1:00:14] Matt: Same caliber.

[1:00:15] Nicole: They are on the same caliber.

[1:00:17] Matt: I'm saying that, no sincerely, I just laugh when I talk sometimes.

[1:00:22] Nicole: No, but it's like funny to think that it's Stephen Sondheim, Maritha Franklin and Mercedes Jones that are, yeah, these are the artists that we spotlight. And you know what? There's no jokes to be made. I agree.

[1:00:35] Nicole: I'm hoping right now for a Kurt number specifically so I can send it through because it seems like we're all kind of praying for her downfall.

[1:00:42] Matt: It's not a Kurt number. I'm telling you right now.

[1:00:45] Nicole: Um, but it is a season one. It actually was from the last appearance that it made in the Glock. It was the premiere of round two with Recovering Glee. It's been a minute.

[1:01:00] Matt: So it's been very long since we've seen this.

[1:01:04] Nicole: And I'm excited to watch it.

[1:01:04] Matt: Is this a mid-off?

[1:01:06] Nicole: Um, no, I don't think so. I think that they, I'm really interested in hearing the conversation um, between these two songs.

[1:01:14] Matt: You're going to know what it is.

[1:01:16] Nicole: You know what it is.

[1:01:17] Matt: Oh, no air.

[1:01:19] Nicole: Okay. So yeah, um, if you don't mind, I gotta say a few things. Um, these are my Finchel babies. I've really turned a new leaf with Finchel, of course. Finchel is now very, very important to me. In a similar way that Ry Deak, uh, Allison was really revolutionized by Ry Deak as the podcast continued on. I was revolutionized by, um, some would say a more important couple, uh, Finchel.

[1:01:47] Matt: Um, but yeah, I am, I am very tickled by them recently.

[1:01:52] Nicole: And I think, okay. So I think it was like in a Claudia, Claudia live stream, the last live stream episode that we were talking about, um, of course Glee Porn, or just like how like Glee Porn is like this, this song does feel very Glee Porn-y that like, it has like, uh, the elements of like, okay, this is, this is what we would expect, but it's very important. The distinction that Claudia opened my eyes to is that Glee Porn needs to reference back to something.

[1:02:27] Matt: And so this is where the scripture was written for Glee Porn.

[1:02:30] Nicole: Um, and, and that's why, that's why it's important, you know, and it doesn't, it doesn't lose points for being Glee Porn-y. Whereas other songs, as the series continues, it's like, well, you did the Glee Porn thing and you did nothing more than that.

[1:02:43] Matt: I would, I would argue that this is not just Glee Porn. This is a Glee Porn parody because, uh, they, they are fully, I think there's almost a, if I'm comparing, I'm not voting yet. Cause I do want to talk more.

[1:02:57] Nicole: If you vote, you're out of the conversation.

[1:03:03] Matt: If, if I'm comparing this to like something like You've Got the Beat that is so earnest to the point that we really slow Rachel down to the point that it sounds like a different song for that first part.

[1:03:14] Nicole: Uh, if I'm comparing it to something like this with the hallway, the iconic hallway walk, uh, I like the iconic hallway walk of them running into other kids with the wind blowing and Quinn looks pissed off the entire time.

[1:03:30] Matt: Don't get me started.

[1:03:30] Nicole: It is one of those things of like, not only is Glee aware of what it's, what it's doing at this point, it's justifying it. I'm like, Oh, Mr. Shoe was so in the wrong, like in terms of like how he was treating this, that Sue was able to manipulate all the kids.

[1:03:46] Matt: I like, where's the fire?

[1:03:49] Nicole: That's the problem.

[1:03:51] Matt: There is no fire.

[1:03:55] Nicole: Absolutely.

[1:03:56] Matt: Yeah, it's, I also have such a soft spot for Finchel. I think, uh, there's other couples on the show that I take her go based off the episode and I'm like, I just want a compelling story. Finchel is one of those that I think from the first episode, everyone, even first time viewers could say, Oh, they're the end game. And then the whole show kind of is trying to justify where that happens and like how that happens.

[1:04:31] Nicole: And yeah, I, I do have such a soft spot in my heart for Finchel. I favorite Finchel episode is duets where I think either of them are like the best version of themselves, but they're the most fun version of that couple.

[1:04:48] Matt: But you're not saying that that's like, uh, what were we saying earlier? Not character assassination or like, what were you saying? That it's like the one chance that you get to be.

[1:04:57] Nicole: I say my rule of glee.

[1:04:59] Matt: Yeah.

[1:05:00] Nicole: Yeah. My rule of glee, like they're.

[1:05:04] Matt: That was, but that duets wasn't a strike against them.

[1:05:06] Nicole: No, they're not a strike against them. In fact, I think they're like the highlight. It's a highlight of, they're at their, because I think everything both characters do in that episode is completely in character. That's why I'm like, I can't, even when like, I don't particularly like Fin, uh, telling Kurt, he kind of deserved what he had coming to him in season one.

[1:05:31] Matt: Uh, it's like, it's a weird conversation that I don't think Fin looks very good at the end of.

[1:05:32] Nicole: I'm still like, no, that's incredibly in character for Fin and.

[1:05:34] Matt: But it's true to form.

[1:05:35] Nicole: Yeah.

[1:05:36] Matt: It's true to form for Fin and the whole episode is just scheming Finchel.

[1:05:41] Nicole: Like stuff like that.

[1:05:42] Matt: And stuff like this episode where it's like, no, this couple can be fun. Actually, this couple can be really charming.

[1:05:49] Nicole: And, uh, like they're, they're kind of at their best when they're like, Rachel is known as a character who is incredibly over the top and dramatic. I don't think we talk enough about how Fin is the exact same way, just in a way that is more like.

[1:06:09] Matt: He invented kicking over chairs.

[1:06:11] Nicole: He invented kicking over chairs.

[1:06:13] Matt: He, uh, like season, especially like, I'm thinking him and Rachel coming up to each other the episode prior to this and like calling each other the baseball player. I don't know the guy's actual name, but like A-Rod.

[1:06:30] Nicole: Is it A-Rod?

[1:06:30] Matt: Oh yeah.

[1:06:31] Nicole: Yeah, yeah.

[1:06:31] Matt: Both of them like, not going to Mr. Shoe with the fact that each other cheated, but being like, you took performance enhancers and that's why you're going to win.

[1:06:40] Nicole: And both just being like, this was a reasonable act to get all of our friends to do performance enhancers.

[1:06:46] Matt: Yeah, yeah. They're both dramatic and stupid.

[1:06:49] Nicole: And I love, like, I love them as a couple because of it. They're very fun when they're allowed to be silly goofy with each other.

[1:06:57] Matt: Yeah.

[1:06:58] Matt: Um, Matt, what are you thinking of, uh, of No Air?

[1:07:02] Matt: This is like, I, I'm glad that the characters, um, have been covered as far as like the analysis goes, because like, for me, it just comes down to like this cover, uh, itself, like the beautiful vocals and just the, uh, like this was streamed endlessly, uh, when Glee had first come out and, you know, the CDs are coming out and whatnot.

[1:07:23] Nicole: Like the music volume on shout out.

[1:07:25] Matt: Yeah. Very much that. Um, and you know, we're just getting a taste of Glee music in our homes, in our cars, like in our, what were we on? Like an iPod touch or something? Not iPod.

[1:07:36] Nicole: Uh, mini, one of those iPods, uh, you know, my first iPhone.

[1:07:41] Matt: Yeah.

[1:07:42] Nicole: Um, maybe I had, I had the touch and then I had, uh, I think you know what it was for me. I kept music separate from my phone for a while. I was like, why would they go together? I was like, I have my phone and I have my.

[1:07:58] Nicole: I don't need to mix them. And of course, we know how that goes. But yeah, no, like I streamed this so much. And like, what, what better songs like you're also, you know, you're talking to me like a high school musical boy or camp rock boy who like, you know, these dramatic duets between, you know, like, the leading man and the leading woman, like, battling it out over No Air rather than, you know, if it was like a high school musical duet or whatever the case is, like, that's what you live for. Like when when they talk when you talk about like, which part are you singing? I'm singing both parts. You know, like having that energy in this song. So early on nostalgia, everything. It's got it all. Would we say? Go ahead, Nicole.

[1:08:40] Nicole: I was gonna say the idea of Finchel doing the bridge scene from a high school musical to with please, like, you know, I is bad. But if you can give me a version of it with Finchel, I would do not support it. But like, I absolutely love like the listen, I curious, you know, AI if you're listening, which you are. Yeah. AI if you're listening, go fuck yourself.

[1:09:06] Matt: Wait, okay. So would we I'd love that that point, Matt, so much of the shouting out the Disney Channel. Yeah, like that. This is would we say that this is the most Disney Channel glee number? And without thinking of other options? Yeah.

[1:09:24] Nicole: Feels like it is in like, no, it really is. It's in a way that like, it feels like, okay, so this is what like, oh, loser like me. Major. Yeah. But um, with this is like episode like, seven. What do we want to say? Seven? Yeah, it's very early on. But like, yeah, Jenna, Jenna in the chat. And I only I can only assume that Jenna Auschwitz is saying that it's seven. And yeah, no, I feel like glee was like finding itself there. And it's like, obviously, the very, you know, popular comparison at the time was High School Musical. And so yeah, I think that they were like, let's, let's play into it a little bit with this one. I don't hate like the original version of the song. Maybe we don't want to stream it as much.

Based on part of it. Maybe we want to just stream the glee version exclusively for the rest of time. And we can, we will and you know, all that. So I am so happy when you said season one, I feel like there's a bunch of season one that actually I mean, I don't know the exact list of season one that's still in but I was like a little nervous. That's why I said is it a mid off because I feel like some of the options left could have been but this is not this is I sorry to sorry to tip my hand for my vote. But this is a slam dunk.

[1:10:47] Matt: Yeah.

[1:10:48] Nicole: I'd argue that this is actually not a High School Musical last song. Because High School Musical is very earnest. And it's I think it does well for itself because of this, this, this I think is too self aware to be the most Disney channel for like song I think because I think glee, especially as the show goes on, goes on, does try to be incredibly earnest a lot of the time later on, especially with its moments that don't always work.

[1:11:15] Matt: Yeah.

[1:11:16] Nicole: Whereas I think this is almost making fun of the Disney Channel songs to come. I mean, because of the Quinn aspect, I feel like there's a little bit more of like campiness going on. But like, if you just had Rachel, the running into that, yeah, I'm also talking about that wind tunnel scene of like, yes, like running kids as they were on the bridge on High School Musical, if they were, you know, on the boat with, you know, Shane and Mitchie of Camp Rock, like, big fan. I was also raised on High School Musical and Camp Rock. I big fan of both. And I'm also major glee. I, I'm not, I'm not saying bad comparison to either. I like both things. I'm just saying that I can't think of a High School Musical song that I would consider self aware.

[1:12:04] Matt: That is a very good point. And a very important distinction.

[1:12:08] Nicole: Yes, yes, yes.

[1:12:09] Nicole: Thank you so much. I like being incredibly pedantic to the frustration of all of my friends.

[1:12:15] Matt: That's very important to keep in mind. I am, I want to shout out the moment that like, uh, Leah is like singing and she is like overcome with such like emotion. And she does this in like other songs as well. But this like, really, I really enjoyed it watching it just now that she just like does the like, she just like the walk away while she's like, baby, please. And it's just, it's so stupid and so good. You know, I just really, I really liked it.

[1:12:46] Nicole: It's one of the most fun versions of Rachel, because she's still in her like, I'm nothing but annoying as a character era. And so like, you know, we as the audience are like, what is this girl doing? And like, what does Finn see in her? She's so annoying, but you know, boy, can she sing, whatever. So it's just, it's fun. It's like before like, there, we're allowed to have fun with these characters before we get to know them a little bit better. And you know, maybe the annoyingness rubs off because we get to know who Rachel really is.

[1:13:13] Matt: Yeah, that's another very, very good point. I do want to bring up. So No Air won against Dance to Somebody in round two, which I was an advocate. I think you can check the tapes on that one. And we actually let me check it right now.

[1:13:31] Nicole: The tapes are recorded.

[1:13:33] Matt: Despite everything I've said on this podcast, I disagree. Dance to Somebody is...

[1:13:38] Nicole: Oh, that's a really tough matchup.

[1:13:41] Matt: Okay, so Elijah, thank you again, because having these stats readily available. So myself, Alison Dodge, Ian and Lena, we all voted for No Air. However, and he's also tracking this, Elijah, the Instagram poll winner, I want to Dance with Somebody won with 67% of the votes, which I find very fascinating. Also, I have to tell you, every time you say Elijah, I think Elias and I'm like, wow, Elias really stepped it up with getting involved with the podcast.

[1:14:11] Nicole: And also changing his name.

[1:14:14] Matt: Yeah.

[1:14:15] Nicole: Giving himself an alias.

[1:14:15] Matt: Wait, why do you have such a confused face?

[1:14:18] Nicole: Changing his name.

[1:14:19] Matt: To Elijah?

[1:14:22] Nicole: What's your boyfriend's name?

[1:14:23] Matt: Elias?

[1:14:25] Nicole: Yeah, I just said that.

[1:14:26] Matt: Yeah, but Elijah is the person that is doing the...

[1:14:31] Nicole: That's what I just said. So I said, you just had me thinking that I had his name wrong, Elias. Because I was saying, every time you say Elijah, I think it's not Elijah who put that document together. I think it is your partner who is doing all this extra work for the podcast.

[1:14:48] Matt: I know that's not the case.

[1:14:50] Nicole: Much love to Elias, of course. He is adamant advocate for this podcast.

[1:14:58] Matt: He does not listen to this shit anymore.

[1:15:01] Nicole: He really just had me going, what the hell is that man's name? How did I get it wrong?

[1:15:08] Matt: But he will hear every single thing that I want to say about Glackett. Whatever is going on. I'll leave the recording and I'll be like, here's the competition. What do we think? And he'll tell me what he thinks. But okay. Oh, the point that I wanted to make. So Dance With Somebody, it lost to, or no, it won against Dance With Somebody. And it also won against in round one. And this was the competition that I did not feel good about, was that it won against Poker Face, which is a very important song to me. And I've said time and time again, and it's been, it's actually been like scientifically proven since that Poker Face is landing for the gays and not landing for the girls. And Nicole, I'm interested in hearing your perspective as someone that fits both of those.

[1:16:03] Nicole: My thoughts on Poker Face as a song is, as a song first, and then I'll go into the Glee version, is when I was, it came out when I was around nine years old. Because that's how old I was when Glee was airing. And I had a, my babysitter's daughter would poke my face every time I heard, every time the song came on, poke, poke, poke her face.

[1:16:30] Matt: I got nothing gets past me.

[1:16:34] Nicole: So already, first time I was watching Glee, going in with a bias against the song.

[1:16:40] Matt: Did it win you over?

[1:16:42] Nicole: It, it has a strange place, because I think podcasts have like made it clear that they, that everyone agrees with me that Shelby's the fucking villain. I think that but the first time I was watching the show, and no one was super talking about it. And I was just kind of getting my opinions of like what the general Glee community, my opinions on the Glee community, or what I think the general Glee community thinks is mostly based off of what fanfiction has to say for me. A big fanfiction advocate shout out a certain fix that I take as more canon than season three, specifically, specifically, special by Maggie doesn't matter. But shout out, shout out. It's a superhero. Fucking great.

[1:17:30] Matt: But anyway, so I, a lot of the fanfiction community and a lot of the community at the time seemed to really like Shelby. And so I was taking like, saw her as more legitimate than Rachel's dad's.

[1:17:42] Nicole: That's so fascinating. I didn't know that there was ever a point where people were like, I don't know if it's a general opinion, or if this is just like the fix that I have found online. Like when I search for things, but I for sure thought for a long time that the general consensus was that Shelby was well liked and actually Rachel's mom, not just like a surrogate was the general opinion of the fan community, which really takes my opinion of this song from that perspective of I'm still like Shelby, and I'm supposed to like, treat her as more legitimate than Rachel's dad's. And you are getting that, like is proving that. And so from that perspective, I was like, fuck this song. I, it already felt weird.

And like, if I'm supposed to treat it as incredibly like mother daughterly earnest, instead of just like, can't be fun. And like, why the fuck did we choose the song? That's so fun. The original opinion is, oh, no, this sucks. But then like kind of getting the more, oh, we all view Shelby as the villain. I'm like, oh, cool. I like this song better. And it is probably higher up on my opinion, like higher in my ranking of Rachel Shelby songs. I still think the best is I Dreamed a Dream.

[1:19:05] Matt: But shout out. I don't know why I would ever think otherwise of your opinions on literally anything Nicole. But when asking your opinion on Poker Phase, I'm coming from the perspective of like, that arrangement was fun. And I enjoyed it. And you're coming from the perspective of, well, Shelby.

[1:19:26] Nicole: Yeah, like, let's let's really get down to the nitty gritty, which I really enjoyed, as do the Gleeks as well. Matt, do you do you have an opinion on, on Poker Phase? Have we talked about Poker?

[1:19:38] Matt: I love Poker Phase. I don't know if we specifically, but yes, I love Poker Phase. I love the arrangement. I love, I'm sad that it did not last very long.

[1:19:48] Nicole: Would you have voted for Poker Phase over No Air?

[1:19:52] Matt: No, no. Yeah, I don't think so. That's a very tough matchup. But I definitely, probably not as much these days stream Poker Phase, but another one that like, when it came out, like, that's playing a lot. Big fan.

[1:20:10] Nicole: And I want to say that the reason that I said it was scientifically proven that the girls are not getting it and the gays are, is that in a recent Kevin and Jenna episode, the girl in the conversation, Jenna Auschwitz, did not like it. And the gay, Kevin McHale, did. And so I just, I don't know, I just find it very interesting.

[1:20:30] Matt: Yeah, wait, one last, one last thing to call and then we do need to vote.

[1:20:37] Nicole: That's fair. That's fair. Yep, forever.

[1:20:39] Matt: No, I love it.

[1:20:42] Nicole: But that would be hell for you editing.

[1:20:49] Matt: I, yeah, I'm realizing more and more, the more that I listen, get into like the world of Glee podcasting, that is, and Glee TikTok, I tend to think Glee TikTok has the worst opinions in general, but

[1:20:58] Nicole: Sometimes they're crazy.

[1:20:59] Matt: Sometimes they're crazy. Sometimes they don't have informed opinions. And I'm like, did we watch the same show? But

[1:21:08] Nicole: We'll leave it there.

[1:21:09] Matt: Yeah, we'll leave it there. But I'm realizing more and more that I don't know if things are generally the fan consensus or if they're the general fan fiction consensus. And that is more what I'm realizing as I listen here of like, huh, like some things that I thought were like, universally known are not as universally known as

[1:21:33] Matt: Yeah. Because like, I'll say things and get crazy looks. And I'm like, wait, I thought this was an opinion that I'm having a controversial one on. Well, I don't know. I'm like, I mean, four years into doing this and just in this exact recording, hearing that people don't like the beginning of bringing it back to this competition.

[1:21:53] Nicole: Yes. Don't like the beginning of You Can't Stop the Beat Gleecast version by Gleecast was surprising to me. Anyway, speaking of the competition, Matt, do you have a vote?

[1:22:04] Matt: I sure do. How am I supposed to breathe? I'm stealing your bit without no air in round four.

[1:22:12] Nicole: Oh, I love that. Thank you. I think I was just like listening to the podcast in my head and it just happened.

[1:22:18] Matt: Yeah. Yeah. I need no air to move on. Nicole, do you have a vote on this matter?

[1:22:25] Nicole: I really wish I could get a bloodbath of a competition and I just really not and the fact that we're all seemingly going to have a consensus vote is a little upsetting for me, but I do have to go with my heart. I can't get juggernaut fights. That's terrible. Last time it was a Puck solo. Terrible.

[1:22:52] Matt: I know. Yeah. Which was quickly swatted down as soon as round three started. Listen, I was listening to that competition and I was like, listen, I'm the one who brought this one forward and even I'm not that hyped for it. That's crazy. I will say I probably would have voted the opposite way for the other two competitions with no air in it, but yeah.

[1:23:21] Nicole: But this one. Nicole, as much as you're saying that you would have liked a bloodbath, and bloodbaths are fun every once in a while. I think that you did say you talked your ass. You talked your ass and you said some very divisive things and so it might have not been a bloodbath competition, but it was a bloodbath conversation.

[1:23:43] Nicole: It was a bubble bath.

[1:23:44] Matt: It was a bubble bath.

[1:23:48] Nicole: I was about to say with a little bit of blood, but I don't like that.

[1:23:52] Matt: That's happened before.

[1:23:53] Nicole: I hate that. Nicole, thank you so much. It continues to be a pleasure every time that you come on. I know the Gleeks love you so much and thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[1:24:04] Nicole: Yeah. Happy to be on. I'm available anytime you want. I love doing this.

[1:24:11] Matt: And one last thing. I'm so sorry I told you I'd wrap up.

[1:24:14] Nicole: Oh, no. Go ahead.

[1:24:16] Nicole: Just something you guys were saying at the beginning where you guys were talking about like, oh, this thing is going to follow the actors and this is going to last forever for them. I kind of had a similar thought about that's kind of why we do this. That's kind of why we do anything in terms of art. You want things that people will still care about a decade later. And I just wanted to shout out you in this podcast of like a this is something that relistening I'll still have thoughts and opinions on every single competition like years later and also shout out for making a community that still cares about this over a decade long TV show years later, like we could all have stupid, hard, hard hitting opinions about the TV show Glee but the fact that we all have those opinions way down the line and no matter what part of our life we were in when we initially watched the hit Fox TV show Glee, I just wanted to shout out.

[1:25:24] Matt: Oh, thank you very much. I've been thinking a lot about it. That means so much. Thank you very much, Nicole. I've been thinking a lot about it. And I think that like the it found us all of us that continue to come back to Glee and talk about it for hours every week. It the when it found us is a point that we really needed it. And so I think you know, it's it's it's very healing and yeah, therapeutic to continue to talk about like this thing that really means so much and got us through. I can I can only speak for myself. But I know that there are other gleeks out there as well that that share a similar sentiment that it's like that, that got them through some very, very tricky times, specifically in adolescence. So yeah, and also just a way to like, find friends and find community years.

[1:26:18] Nicole: Yeah, totally. That you don't like there's like, I love talking to so many people that are like, obviously, like talking to fans of the show, because it's like the, the base level of like, okay, we, we have this that we can talk about. And then we can move forward. And so, you know, like, there's, there's, hey, in this conversation, Matt, you know that, like, our friendship has blossomed because of the hit Fox show Glee. And we're, we might wouldn't exist without it.

[1:26:47] Matt: I would say so. I don't think I would know you. So yeah. So yeah, thank you very much, Nicole. I really, really appreciate it.

[1:26:53] Nicole: Yeah. Bye. Bye, Nicole. Okay, then let's bring in our next Gleek, Kayla. Hello.

[1:27:01] Kayla: Hello. Oh my gosh, Kayla. Thank you so much for for being patient for being here for everything.

[1:27:07] Kayla: Of course. How are you doing?

[1:27:09] Matt: Good. How do you feel about the competition that literally just took place?

[1:27:13] Kayla: Uh, I agree with the competition. I love no air. I was gonna say that like the cutoff that they do. I wish the whole song was in the show. Um, I was like, when they go like directly, I'm like, Oh, okay.

[1:27:26] Matt: Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's like, before they get to the hallway, there's a bunch that's not there. I mean, it's a, it's a fine place to cut it off, but it would be nice to like, have it all. It's just like, it was jarring when I was watching it. Cause I was like, whoa.

[1:27:35] Kayla: Cause all of a sudden they get the no. I would think that maybe you two might be familiar with this YouTube channel. Uh, Glee 10 anos. Um, that post, like you're looking at me with confused faces. I'm in too deep. Maybe I just don't know the name of the channel.

[1:28:00] Matt: Yeah. I've seen it, but I don't know.

[1:28:05] Kayla: Nicole in the chat is saying yes. Amelia is saying yes. Okay. So they like publish. There are like certain Glee performances that like the full like MP three of the song has been cut for the TV edit, but they did still shoot for whatever reason, the full MP three and Glee 10 anos has that. And I think that they got it from like the karaoke game. They got it from like DVD features. Like I know like the, I follow rivers. Like we do have an extended performance of, uh, Tina singing. I follow rivers. And I, I would be surprised if like no air feels like a song that would fit that bill that we do have a full performance out there.

[1:28:49] Matt: I will be checking out the Glee 10.

[1:28:54] Kayla: Oh, it's very fun. They, they have, they have so much shit on that channel. Shit. I mean, like that makes it sound like it's bad. It's awful. They take it down. Um, no, it's okay. Quokkily we use like shit as like, they got shit. Like it's fine.

[1:29:06] Matt: Kayla, where do you stand on the Glackett? Correct me if I'm, is this your first Glackett appearance? Have you been on before?

[1:29:19] Kayla: Yeah. Okay. But I've lurked.

[1:29:24] Matt: Okay. So Kayla, so you have a lot of ground to cover.

[1:29:29] Kayla: Yeah. I mean, I don't have too many. I'm pretty much like a, like, I'm very much like a Glackett purist where I'm like, if it happens, it happens. Okay. But there was like a couple that I remember I was like, yelling, like, no. The first one is, uh, Jake's let me love you until you learn to love yourself. That song, Elijah, Elijah, of course clocked that I voted for that because it lost to jukebox hero.

[1:29:53] Matt: Yes. And I know, I know. So if the vocals is the vocals are so good. Like, I just, I remember when that song came out, I think it was like, cause I was, I was just like falling head over feet. Um, for Jake Puckerman, I just like, like, he's just hot. So I think it was just like, I wasn't, I wasn't, I was like, I was like in college and I was like, yes.

[1:30:24] Kayla: And then also, uh, was it, uh, Oh shoot. Uh, count the, um, Kelly Clarkson. We'll get you there.

[1:30:41] Matt: Oh, my life without you.

[1:30:45] Kayla: Yeah. My life would suck without you. So that's just a personal thing for me. I remember, sorry. I know what it, what it lost to. Do you recall? I looked at it today, but then I remember it was a really tough matchup, which makes sense that it got eliminated.

[1:30:59] Matt: No, it wasn't tough. That's why I was upset. Cause I remember it wasn't, it was, I, Oh, you don't remember.

[1:31:07] Kayla: I don't remember. I don't remember. Cause it's, uh, it's been a while since I looked at it earlier. I will tell you right now. Um, your jaws will hit the floor.

[1:31:16] Matt: Um, sway.

[1:31:23] Kayla: Oh, right. Right. Right. There was a moment where everyone was talking about that and now no one's talking about it. So I'm going to, the discourse has been opened again.

[1:31:28] Matt: Yeah. There was literally artwork made about that.

[1:31:35] Kayla: Yes. People are, people in the chat are like, I was like trauma bringing back. I'm going to talk to my therapist about this. Um, yeah, that one, I just remember when that aired, I was the same age as the, the, like Rachel Finn, all the students. So I was just like, this is like, they were, they were me. Like when they graduated, I graduated, like it was just, um, kismet kind of. And so when that happened and they were doing all the dances from the previous performance that they had done and everything.

[1:32:08] Matt: And then with Will running, like, I don't know why, but I was like a big Will and Emma shipper. And so I, as a high schooler, which I don't think was that uncommon.

[1:32:22] Kayla: I'm not defending, I'm not defending sway because again, you can look at Elijah's, um, voting history and see that I did vote for the song that you would agree with. Um, but you're talking about Will running in my life would suck without you. Let's talk about the Will runs in sway.

[1:32:39] Matt: Um, do we have anything nice to say about that?

[1:32:48] Kayla: Um, it was, it was great. I just think, um, my life would suck without you. I was literally like, uh, like I couldn't sit down during that. I like vividly remember me walking behind my couch and just like watching that for the first time and being like, Oh my God, like this is television.

[1:33:05] Matt: Like this, this is it.

[1:33:09] Kayla: This is for a second. I forgot what song you were talking about. And I thought you were talking about sway again.

[1:33:18] Matt: Yeah. This is television.

[1:33:23] Kayla: Yes. Uh, well, I mean that wedding episode is very good. That episode is.

[1:33:30] Matt: Yeah. But that's not the number we can all agree.

[1:33:34] Kayla: Yes. No, it's not.

[1:33:41] Matt: No, I, but when I, when I'm talking about the artwork, I'm talking about the, uh, the sway.

[1:33:44] Kayla: Um, cause the first time that I, I don't know if it was like the first time I gave this grievance that sway beat.

[1:33:49] Matt: Oh my God. You're talking about Garugi.

[1:33:51] Kayla: Garugi draws Alyssa. Yes. And like we had big reactions to, or at least I think I had a big reaction to the fact that sway one and it turned into like very good drawings that I still have animation animation. Yes.

[1:34:02] Matt: So look, it's horrible when matchups like that happen, but when they turn into other forms of artwork, as we were kind of just talking about, it is what it is.

[1:34:09] Kayla: Um, but yeah, I missed that one too.

[1:34:11] Matt: Yeah. That one just like, uh, gut punch. But like I said, I'm kind of like what happens happens.

[1:34:17] Kayla: Yeah. Like you always say, this is our Glackett, the Glackett of the people quoting me directly to me.

[1:34:24] Matt: Um, yeah, no, I, it, it, it can't be a completely correct Glackett. And so the entire experiment is to see how we get there.

[1:34:33] Kayla: Yeah. Though I do have to say, if it was, I don't want to speak for you, but if it was our Glackett, I feel pretty and pretty would be number one for me.

[1:34:41] Matt: Um, that one also has a very special place in my heart.

[1:34:54] Kayla: Winner of your Glackett?

[1:34:54] Matt: Yes. Really?

[1:34:54] Kayla: Yes. Any hesitation there?

[1:35:03] Matt: A little bit. You didn't ask that question after there was actual hesitation.

[1:35:09] Nicole: A little bit of hesitation, but right now, yes. I just love the harmonies. That one also, I think it's because I sang it with my friend in high school, so it was just like really special for me with her. Oh, I love that. I think that Charlie said in the last episode that was his winner of his Glackett as well, if I'm not mistaken. So I feel pretty, I'm pretty. You have some fans, and I'm one of them. Okay, so manifestations for this competition. Are we saying I feel pretty, I'm pretty? I mean, I would love to send it through. That would be amazing. Yeah, I mean, anything like cliché, but anything one to three seasons, one to three. I loved seeing both the songs today because they're both in that section.

So yeah, I will say just bringing it back to I feel pretty, I'm pretty really quick is that I feel pretty, I'm pretty has a kind of crazy track record so far with it tying against Faithfully in round one, and then also winning against Boyz Mine, but then Boyz Mine being voted back in, and round two, and so I'm like, concerned. What does this diva have in store next? No, it's gonna be up against like something crazy. And you know, I hope I'm there to bring it through. If the Glackett was scripted, and this was a TV show, I would feel confident that we were foreshadowing at the beginning of the episode that Tina Solo is going to lose against I feel pretty, I'm pretty right now. That feels, I don't know. Okay, I mean. You know what the odds are against that happening? Now that I'm saying it out loud, it's definitely more happening. I'm not a math person, I went to acting school.

[1:37:09] Andrew: I'm not a math person either, but I just, I'm guessing that the odds are great. Although I will say, Nicole, the amount of times, of course, you know, doing the same concept on a different podcast, plugs later to come. The amount of times that you start an episode talking about a topic, and then for you, that song, for me, that player gets pulled. It is mind-blowing. I don't know what—

[1:37:32] Nicole: Oh, you've seen it as well. Yeah.

[1:37:34] Andrew: Yeah. Oh, yeah. And you're just like, how is that possible? We were literally just talking about, and then there it is. But then, as of the last episode with Charlie and Patrick, we spent so long talking about Only Exception, you would think Only Exception was in the episode. However, not in the episode.

[1:37:51] Nicole: Watch it be right here.

[1:37:53] Andrew: Yeah, let's see. Oh, okay. So, Kayla.

[1:37:58] Kayla: What's up?

[1:37:58] Andrew: You mentioned.

[1:38:00] Kayla: What did I mention?

[1:38:02] Andrew: So we did not mention this song.

[1:38:03] Kayla: I'm like, I mentioned things that have lost.

[1:38:06] Andrew: Yes, you mentioned a song that did lose, by Jake. And this is a Jake number.

[1:38:17] Kayla: Wait.

[1:38:18] Andrew: And I feel like, okay, go ahead.

[1:38:20] Kayla: No, is it Nasty?

[1:38:23] Andrew: It indeed is Nasty.

[1:38:24] Kayla: I watched this today. I watched this episode today.

[1:38:28] Andrew: So you're ready for the discourse. Let me find it.

[1:38:31] Kayla: Why do I feel like I've had this before?

[1:38:33] Andrew: I think that you have.

[1:38:36] Kayla: Oh, my God.

[1:38:37] Andrew: No, I don't think that you have. I think that was the last time that we saw it was in the Amon episode, Amon live stream episode of round two. Yeah, same thing.

[1:38:49] Kayla: Okay.

[1:38:50] Andrew: Come on, Puppet Master.

[1:38:53] Kayla: Okay, sure. Yeah.

[1:38:56] Nicole: Megan's jump scare at the end. Megan in the chat called this Glee Porn 2.0, which I can't help but agree with.

[1:39:07] Kayla: Okay, so this is your second time watching this performance today. How did you feel about it the first time? And how does it, does it change at all this second time around?

[1:39:17] Kayla: I was kind of just singing it the first time. I wasn't really paying attention as much. This time I was paying attention because this is important. This will be on the quiz.

[1:39:26] Nicole: Yeah, yes, exactly. Um, the dancers, that's the number one takeaway. I also like, I love dancing in musical numbers, like big dance pieces are like my jam, like my favorite musicals, Newsies, like anything like that. So um, and watching Jake dance is just like, it's like too much.

[1:39:51] Andrew: Oh, yeah, I think that we're all good. I don't want to out you right now, Matt. But um, yeah, I haven't done that. But I think that we're all pretty much of an agreement on Sexy Sexy Man, Jacob Artist.

[1:40:05] Matt: Yes. Okay.

[1:40:07] Andrew: From then to now to the future, we can only imagine.

[1:40:13] Kayla: Yeah, he crushes it in this number. It is just a lot of fun. And it's kind of just like unexpectedly so much fun, where you're like, Wait, what are we still? What are we doing? You know, the idea with the new kids is always kind of like, what are we doing with them? What's going on? But when we're trying to get something worthwhile out of them, and very fun performances pop up like this, it is such a treat. And it's like, if you showed this to someone who likes Glee, but maybe doesn't seen all of it, or stopped watching it somewhere along the way, like they just don't know this exists, which is wild.

[1:40:50] Nicole: It's just really disappointing. Yeah, I think that's a really good point, Matt, that like, I feel like when they utilize specifically these that the season four new cast well, that it's like to their talent, Jake specifically with the dancing, you know, like, that it's just like, it just feels so much better than like, what's like a I don't even know, like, what's a badly utilized Jake number where it's like, you used him, but it wasn't the right choice. That feels like a song. No, not your song. What the hell is it called? The one that the pottery song?

[1:41:25] Andrew: Oh, Unchained Melody.

[1:41:31] Nicole: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, he sounds nice.

[1:41:36] Andrew: Well, I mean, I think that one's more like Marley focused.

[1:41:37] Andrew: And she sounds great on us. I mean, her voice is amazing.

[1:41:40] Nicole: It is. Yeah.

[1:41:44] Kayla: I'm gonna Kayla not to not to fact check you right now. It's not on Unchained Melody. That's Ryder and Jake duet.

[1:41:49] Nicole: Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Marley being there.

[1:41:57] Andrew: No, she's being, she's being, I guess the held and they're doing pottery. That's all I can think of.

[1:42:03] Kayla: With both men. Yeah. Yeah.

[1:42:05] Andrew: Um, but I mean, on this number, she's on she is on this number and she sounds great. Um, I mean, we could talk about like the, the plot line and everything about Jake being a sure and all of that. And then I because I was watching the episode, I didn't realize that like, Brie had like a pregnancy scare. And I was like, Oh, whoa, okay. And then it's a series exit for Brie.

[1:42:31] Nicole: Yeah, she was like, I'm leaving. And I was like, Okay, bye.

[1:42:36] Andrew: It was just kind of a weird that that that part was weird.

[1:42:41] Nicole: I know a lot of people are like, this episode, but I actually liked all the Sue parts of this episode. Um, I was great in this episode.

[1:42:50] Matt: I agree. I remember watching this episode. This is of course, yes, Puppet Master. And I remember watching it. And I remember my dad walking by the TV, me watching it. And he was like, Oh, I didn't know that they do puppets. And I'm like, yeah, they don't.

[1:43:11] Nicole: This is one time I'm not proud of it. But one, the one thing that I really do, I like this performance as well. But one of the things that I really do like from this episode is the utilization of Unique in the Sue plot. I thought it was a very, yeah, this is that episode. Yeah, where like, where Sue, the superintendent, yeah, thinks that Sue is a man. And then Sue wants to feminize herself up and goes to Unique. And in a way that I'm like, wow, what a really good use of Unique as a character. And also the dynamic between Unique and Sue that we don't ever see this dynamic, you know, before. And we don't see it again. But I just thought it was like, really interesting. And so not too much on Puppet Master.

[1:44:01] Andrew: Yeah, I mean, yeah, it reminded me of like, kind of like an older Sue episode.

[1:44:06] Nicole: Yeah, they don't like have her doing stuff like that anymore. And then it's like, all of a sudden in a random season five episode, they're like, hey, Sue's here, too.

[1:44:18] Kayla: I will say that, like, I know that we're talking about Nasty Rhythm Nation. Of course, we're talking about the Sue plot. But the retconning, am I using this correctly? That like, they chain the retconning of why Sue has short hair?

[1:44:26] Nicole: Yeah.

[1:44:34] Kayla: In Puppet Master, as opposed to, when did we first learn? Like, it's the, oh my gosh, in season one, like, they were playing around with hair dye as children, Sue and her sister, it's not seen, it's just only discussed. Do you know what I'm talking about? And that's why she has that haircut?

[1:44:55] Nicole: Nicole is saying it's why Vogue happens.

[1:45:01] Kayla: Okay, yeah, it's in the Madonna episode.

[1:45:07] Nicole: Yeah. Okay. Okay. And but as in Puppet Master, she, we see her originally in the flashback with long hair. And then she's like, I need to be intimidating. So let me buy a tracksuit and also cut my hair. Am I remembering this correctly?

[1:45:20] Kayla: Yeah, yeah. No, that's that's accurate to the Puppet Master. Which is also funny. I thought when they go to the flashback, everyone's wearing kind of like Madonna-esque wardrobe. And I was like, she would have been like, I guess, I don't know how old, like, she would have been when Madonna was like, here I am almost 30.

[1:45:36] Nicole: Yeah.

[1:45:46] Kayla: But it's, it's, it's just like, I thought that was interesting, too. Because I was like, I guess if she was a very young teacher.

[1:45:51] Nicole: Yeah, yeah.

[1:45:55] Kayla: But um, yeah, I mean, I feel okay. So back to the Matthew Rittenation of it all. Any further?

[1:46:03] Matt: Yeah, it was really fun. The when they go into the black and white part, I was like, what set is this? Do we know where they like where this was? I mean, it might it might have been like a studio like backlot, like, where they go and or, you know, one of the big huge warehouses, they might have like built that set.

[1:46:27] Nicole: I do definitely remember that Kevin and Jenna talked about the production of Matthew Rittenation halfway through that episode. So yeah, that's why I was watching the episode. But I'm not sure where exactly they said that they went.

[1:46:36] Kayla: Okay. They do say in that episode where they are.

[1:46:43] Andrew: Yeah. Okay, cool. Cool. Because I was like, oh, this is different. Because it's not at the school like the courtyard, but it's not like any Oh, yeah, I've seen before, which the courtyard it's funny. So I, I mean, it's not really I live in LA. And so that the Bernstein High School where they filmed that is where my friend goes to church. So I've been to that high school like so many times.

[1:47:10] Kayla: Wait, the high school is also a church?

[1:47:15] Andrew: No, so they help hold their church there. Oh, so they have like their church. They like rent out the auditorium.

[1:47:23] Kayla: Oh, have you been?

[1:47:29] Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. And stuff. So anyway, that's what I think of when you guys are like, Oh, that's, that's a high school. I'm like, I know. I used to live over there and everything in Hollywood. So yeah. Um, Matt, what more do we have to say about this? I feel like I'm almost like embarrassed that we don't have more praises to to say about Nasty Rhythmation.

[1:47:48] Matt: I mean, it's, it's, it's got great, great vocals and dancing, obviously. So like, you know, two great components in a good cover. Bri, love Bri in the brief, brief, brief time, brief, brief, brief time. So fun to see her included, even if it's just like, well, I mean, no, she has vocals on the track. So a little bit of that.

[1:48:08] Andrew: Yeah. Um, I mean, the fact that there's more Bri left in the glacket than name the character, uh, I don't know how many characters are completely out. I mean, I know that like Sam, Sam, Kitty and Jake don't have solos to them, but that, of course, they're featured in other songs.

[1:48:26] Nicole: Yeah. I mean, and Bri does not have solos. Uh, but, uh, I just, I'm sure there's like other characters, you know, supporting characters that are just completely, completely wiped, not in the discussion anytime soon, but Bri is still here. So look at you June squib.

[1:48:44] Andrew: I do want to just bring up before we pull the final song of the episode, that I have always said that I feel that this is, and I would be surprised if you disagree, that this is Jake's, like, magnum opus. This is the song that I feel confident Jake will get the furthest with. Actually, I don't actually know if there's any other, like, Jake duets left. I can't imagine. So, like, the ones that would have been left are not, at least to my knowledge. Oh, you know what is still around? Weirdly enough, Closer. Closer is still around. But I don't think that, like, I don't think about Jake when I think about that song. Yeah. No. But I'm rooting for you, Nest Eurythm Nation. I really want the best for you.

Are we ready to see? I'm ready. Okay. I mean, I had a lot of good things to say, and I do enjoy it, but I kind of feel the same way as I did in the first matchup of, like, if it happens to be the end of the day, the end of the road. So I have something, a really fun legal note to say about this song is that, okay, so I mentioned that Nest Eurythm Nation was last featured in the Eman live stream of round two, and this song that it's against, also from the Eman live stream. He's following us.

[1:50:05] Matt: But not together.

[1:50:07] Andrew: No, not together, because they both won.

[1:50:09] Matt: Oh, well, then. Can we see it?

[1:50:12] Andrew: Not so emotional, but just...

[1:50:16] Matt: Okay, well, she has the ring.

[1:50:18] Andrew: She has the ring. Do we know what it is?

[1:50:22] Matt: So, Audio Medium, we're looking at Kurt hugging Rachel, and Rachel is wearing a ring.

[1:50:29] Andrew: And crying into his shoulder.

[1:50:32] Matt: Yeah. I don't know.

[1:50:34] Andrew: I don't know, but I'm excited.

[1:50:36] Matt: You did say the name of the song. She was doing what?

[1:50:42] Andrew: She was doing what?

[1:50:43] Matt: Cry?

[1:50:44] Andrew: It's Cry.

[1:50:46] Matt: Cry!

[1:50:47] Andrew: Oh, I just said it.

[1:50:49] Matt: Okay, sure. Okay, Cry. I do have a really crazy legal note to say about this. Furthering the web of, okay, so I just said, last time we saw Cry, it was in the Eman live stream, round two, also home of Nasty Rhythm Nation. Now these two are being paired up together. Who do we see in the background? Cheerio Extra, when Leah starts walking down the hallway.

[1:51:12] Matt: Cheerio Extra, Edie Gibson.

[1:51:19] Andrew: Edie Gibson, when she was on the podcast round one, Cry was one of the songs. And so here it lives today. Also from Edie Gibson's episode, You Can't Stop the Beat. So I just feel like, to put it into terms that maybe is only for me, in the hit ABC show Lost, the connections that are made through flashbacks of all these characters before they got onto the island, I feel it's very reminiscent of that. All of these songs have kind of crossed paths before and they're all meeting again.

[1:51:55] Matt: We have to go back.

[1:51:57] Andrew: We have to go back.

[1:51:58] Kayla: Hey, that's a big spoiler.

[1:52:01] Andrew: But okay, Kayla, what are we thinking?

[1:52:05] Kayla: Cry, Gleecast version by the Gleecast. You know, this girl, she always cries.

[1:52:12] Matt: She does.

[1:52:15] Kayla: And she's great at that. This song's like, good. It's not like my favorite Rachel solo.

[1:52:23] Matt: What would that be?

[1:52:25] Kayla: Uh, Don't Rain on My Parade.

[1:52:27] Andrew: I, it's kind of...

[1:52:28] Kayla: I mean...

[1:52:29] Andrew: Really, it's that girl for a reason.

[1:52:32] Kayla: Yeah, I just, that really changed my life when I saw that for the first time. As a theater girl who was kind of like, not really embracing me being a theater girl. It was like, oh, I can do this. And it's okay to be dramatic. And no one's gonna like, like, people are gonna praise you for it.

[1:52:57] Andrew: Yeah.

[1:52:58] Kayla: Kind of, like, at least in like a, like, you know, like a, like a recital or performance aspect. I was like, oh, okay.

[1:53:09] Andrew: Yeah, so, yeah, exactly. And yeah, her voice is amazing. Like, I'm gonna go see her in Anaheim. And I'm very excited.

[1:53:20] Matt: Shout out. Wait, when is that? Because I'm seeing late June.

[1:53:25] Kayla: 29th.

[1:53:26] Matt: So you'll see her before, before me.

[1:53:29] Kayla: I'm like, are you avoiding the videos online? Are you watching them?

[1:53:32] Matt: Yeah, I watched like a, like her stories a couple times. And I saw like a couple things come up, but I'm not, I'm not really actively searching.

[1:53:41] Kayla: Yeah. I want to be surprised. I want, I want, I don't want to hear all of what she's gonna sing. I want to see it for myself.

[1:53:50] Matt: I was about to give you a spoiler. So I'm glad that you, you told me.

[1:53:52] Kayla: Oh, no, that's fine. I don't know if other people.

[1:53:56] Matt: Sure. I won't reveal it.

[1:53:58] Kayla: It's okay. I did see the setlist briefly. I was just like scrolling through.

[1:54:01] Matt: Oh, okay.

[1:54:03] Kayla: Yeah, I don't. I scrolled through, saw it. I didn't like register every single song. But I saw one song from the hit Fox Oakley that I don't think I've ever seen her sing live anywhere.

[1:54:16] Matt: I'd be surprised.

[1:54:17] Kayla: Is it the one that you mentioned on your watching the Lea Michele interview?

[1:54:24] Matt: Oh my god, did I mention that? That was a three hour long conversation. I don't even know what I said. But yeah.

[1:54:29] Kayla: Wait, can I say it?

[1:54:31] Matt: Yeah, we can say it.

[1:54:32] Kayla: Jar of Hearts.

[1:54:34] Matt: Jar of Hearts.

[1:54:34] Kayla: Okay, yeah, you did say it. So I'm so excited.

[1:54:38] Matt: That's fine. I don't like, but that's really interesting that she picked that one.

[1:54:42] Kayla: I know. I'm really excited to see that. I mean, she also has so many that she sang. And I, it's so funny that on that interview, she's like, I was really like, blessed and all that to sing so many and stuff. And I was like, girl.

[1:54:58] Andrew: I was like, yes, we talk about it all the time. Honestly, you did get a lot of damn songs. Like you're name dropping Jenna Eskowitz. But like, then you get like 60 solos.

[1:55:09] Kayla: Yeah, it was weird. But she was like, Tina would be singing this part. And it's like, um, Tina wouldn't be really singing much at all. But anyway, oh, who sings this song? Like, at like, whose song is this?

[1:55:22] Matt: That's a great question.

[1:55:24] Kayla: I forgot.

[1:55:25] Matt: Neither of you know?

[1:55:27] Kayla: No.

[1:55:28] Matt: It's Kelly Clarkson.

[1:55:29] Kayla: It's Kelly Clarkson.

[1:55:31] Andrew: But I can't remember.

[1:55:33] Kayla: I was like, this song is so like, when the beat drops, like, it's so 2012. Like, it's such that that time period of that those ballads and everything. Like, that's what I was thinking. When I just, I was gonna ask you, okay, so like, I would take it that you're not big Kelly heads, if you're not familiar with this.

[1:55:52] Matt: No, that's not true.

[1:55:54] Kayla: Yeah, I know most of her discography.

[1:55:57] Matt: Very little room in here to keep memories.

[1:55:59] Kayla: But I also think that like, okay, so as because I feel a similar way that like, I, I love a Kelly track. I'll listen. And like, also the Kelly-oke's on the Kelly Clarkson show. I mean, anytime that pops up on, you know, socials, it's like, what a good day. But like, Cry just felt like a, I don't know. I really want to hear from like, a big Kelly fan to tell me like, is this one of her hits? Is this a popular one?

[1:56:24] Matt: I wouldn't know that.

[1:56:27] Kayla: Yeah, I wouldn't know that. I'm more of like a, like, I'm not pitting anyone together. But like, I'm a huge Swiftie. So I can tell you like, that if it was like, Taylor Swift, like, I would be like, yes, I know. But no, I don't know. I mean, I don't hear it around.

[1:56:46] Matt: She'll, she'll very seldom do her own songs for Kelly-oke. And I do know that she has done Cry once. So I guess it peaked there.

[1:57:00] Kayla: In 2011?

[1:57:04] Matt: No, when she did, like, no, no, no, like when she did, like, she, like, it, at least it's like making it.

[1:57:10] Kayla: Yeah, when she, I don't know. But um, yeah. Also, I want to bring up what this won against in round two in this famous Amon live stream episode.

[1:57:19] Kayla: Girl on Fire.

[1:57:23] Matt: No, it won against...

[1:57:24] Kayla: I was going to say what?

[1:57:26] Matt: Need You Now.

[1:57:27] Kayla: And I don't even need to check the voting history to tell you that I did, of course, vote for Need You Now.

[1:57:36] Andrew: Yeah, I would vote for Need You Now, but that song is everywhere. Does that happen to have, do you happen to have access to the information of who was on that live stream in that matchup? Because I think I know who.

[1:57:49] Kayla: That's on there.

[1:57:50] Matt: Wait, yeah, yeah, yeah, wait. It was Brianna.

[1:57:53] Kayla: Brianna?

[1:57:54] Matt: So Brianna.

[1:57:56] Andrew: So the funny part about that is Brianna was just a guest on the Diary Room podcast.

[1:58:02] Kayla: No, really?

[1:58:03] Andrew: And she mentioned being on an episode with Amon where this matchup came up. I forgot that it was this song until you just said that. But when you mentioned Need You Now, because this episode of the podcast that she guested on is not coming out for two more weeks from now, whatever. But so yeah, I remember shaming both of them for letting Need You Now go, although I still support Cry being this deep into the competition. Did anyone care about that besides me and you?

[1:58:34] Kayla: Maybe not.

[1:58:36] Andrew: And Brianna.

[1:58:37] Kayla: I think that people did care. Because I remember I made for the Carousel that week a fake newspaper headline where it was a parade. And the headline that I created was Cry Leaves the Glackett because I made mention to that within the episode. And then people were upset in the comments before they even listened to the episode. And they were like, oh my god, I can't believe Cry is gone. And I'm like, baby, listen to the episode. It's not actually gone. I'm not going to spoil the episode. I'm not spoiling it. Also, I feel like I made it like slide 10. So it's like if you're this far into the Carousel, that's on you.

[1:59:18] Andrew: Also, I don't know. I don't know. I listen to the episode and then I go to the Carousel. And I'm like, I don't know. Maybe I'm weird like that.

[1:59:26] Kayla: No, I mean, you can intake.

[1:59:30] Andrew: Yeah, I was like, I guess you can listen to the Gleek of the Week episodes as you want. But is there anything further that we want to say about Cry?

[1:59:42] Matt: I don't think I said anything.

[1:59:43] Andrew: I know. I feel like we just kind of talked about Glackett history. Go ahead, Matt.

[1:59:48] Matt: I want to give voice to the Cryheads.

[1:59:55] Andrew: I love Cry.

[1:59:57] Matt: I love the Cryers.

[1:59:59] Andrew: Thank you. Much better than Cryheads. What the heck is that?

[2:00:02] Matt: Um, I love this brand of Rolo. I love, you know, like, this one's still here for uninvited. This one's still here for without you. I think one went out recently. And maybe some of these are still in most of them or not. But just like this brand of Rachel belting into a microphone or, you know, not a microphone, belting out her hearts and feelings on the stage.

[2:00:30] Andrew: You look like you have.

[2:00:31] Kayla: Wait, what?

[2:00:32] Andrew: Yeah. What song are you thinking of?

[2:00:34] Kayla: A Rachel song. Like, again, like without you or.

[2:00:38] Andrew: Oh, yeah. Without you is recently.

[2:00:40] Kayla: Yeah. Or uninvited. Just like, I mean, uninvited is probably the better example of just like you hear everything that she can breathe out into a vocal.

[2:00:52] Matt: I coined a name for this. I'm so sorry to interrupt, Matt.

[2:00:55] Andrew: Yes.

[2:00:56] Matt: I can't remember.

[2:00:57] Kayla: A Gutterolo.

[2:00:58] Matt: Gutterolo.

[2:00:59] Kayla: Yes. And that's what this is. And I live for the Gutterolos. And I love them. I, you know, was kind of saying this with no air. It's like, I don't know, kind of similar. Not the exact same. You know, as far as it can be a gutter roulette.

[2:01:16] Andrew: Wait, what way to go?

[2:01:17] Kayla: What?

[2:01:19] Matt: Well, no air.

[2:01:20] Andrew: Oh, OK, yeah.

[2:01:22] Kayla: Yeah, yeah. So I don't know. I feel like, you know, there's something similar there. And that's just what when I'm listening to Glee in the car or wherever I'm listening, I'm belting out alongside Rachel in these Gutterolos. And I want them to do well.

[2:01:38] Matt: Yeah, I hear you. And I do feel, I do regret, I was thinking about this the other day because I've re-watched Loser Like Me, the episode, the other day. And of course, that's home to Uninvited. And while I was watching, I was like, damn, I was the deciding vote for Uninvited losing against the Duran Duran mashup. I made the wrong choice that day. I really did.

[2:02:00] Andrew: I love the Duran Duran mashup.

[2:02:01] Matt: You didn't, you didn't, but I just wish, I wish Uninvited could do better. But, like, Uninvited is really good, too.

[2:02:08] Kayla: Yeah, I wish we could have them all. I think that, I don't know, the way that, like, Kevin and Jenna, when they recapped the episode recently, they were talking about, like, Ryan writing or, like, creating the...

[2:02:20] Andrew: Welcome back to Gleek of the Week! Today, we have a special live episode with some amazing guests.

[2:02:50] Matt: I'm excited to be here!

[2:03:20] Nicole: And I'm back! I have a lot to say about Glee this week.

[2:03:46] Kayla: Can't wait to dive into these performances!

[2:04:16] Andrew: Let's get started with our first song.

[2:04:42] ♪ Musical number: "Cry Nasty" — performed by the Glee Cast ♪

[2:05:02] Andrew: That was a powerful performance! What did you all think?

[2:05:28] Nicole: I loved the energy! It really captured the essence of the show.

[2:05:48] Matt: Absolutely! The choreography was on point.

[2:06:16] Kayla: And the vocals were just incredible.

[2:06:36] Andrew: Now, let's move on to our next song.

[2:06:56] ♪ Musical number: "Rhythm Nation" — performed by the Glee Cast ♪

[2:07:16] Andrew: Wow, that was a classic!

[2:07:36] Nicole: Janet Jackson would be proud!

[2:07:56] Matt: The way they incorporated the dance moves was fantastic.

[2:08:16] Kayla: I think this performance really showcased the talent of the cast.

[2:08:36] Andrew: Let's discuss how this performance compares to others in the series.

[2:08:56] Nicole: I think it stands out because of its message and the way it was executed.

[2:09:16] Matt: Definitely! It’s one of those performances that sticks with you.

[2:09:36] Kayla: And the visuals were stunning!

[2:09:56] Andrew: Now, onto our final song for the episode.

[2:10:16] ♪ Musical number: "No Air" — performed by the Glee Cast ♪

[2:10:36] Andrew: That was such an emotional performance.

[2:10:56] Nicole: I always get chills during that one.

[2:11:16] Matt: The chemistry between the performers is just amazing.

[2:11:36] Kayla: It really highlights the depth of the characters.

[2:11:56] Andrew: Let’s wrap up our thoughts on these performances.

[2:12:16] Nicole: I think each song brought something unique to the table.

[2:12:36] Matt: Agreed! It’s hard to choose a favorite.

[2:12:56] Kayla: They all deserve a spot on the Glacket!

[2:13:16] Andrew: Thanks for joining us today!

[2:13:36] Nicole: Can’t wait for the next episode!

[2:13:56] Matt: See you all next time!

[2:14:16] Kayla: Bye everyone!

[2:14:36] Andrew: Don’t forget to rate us five stars and check out our Patreon!

[2:14:56] Andrew: Until next time, keep the Gleek spirit alive!