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[0:00] Andrew: We've got a mission to find the best song that's ever been on Glee.

[0:09] Andrew: There's no rhyme or reason to it, so don't get mad at me.

[0:18] Andrew: Glacket by Glacket, we'll rank everyone to see which song will move closer to spot number one.

[0:26] Andrew: Gleek of the Week, Gleek, Gleek, Gleek of the Week. It's Gleek, Gleek of the Week.

[0:35] Andrew: I'm so excited. Are you, do you guys have like any questions?

[0:39] Audrey: Um, are you okay? I know, I feel like you've had a week.

[0:44] Andrew: Um, I feel like we're already in, in the episode potentially. Wait, but okay, wait, wait, wait.

[0:50] Andrew: Before anything, I do have, um, some like house cleaning items, um, to tend to before name reveal who the Gleeks are this week.

[0:57] Andrew: Um, okay, so first of all, it is, it is the new year to be a Gleek.

[1:04] Andrew: Um, and indeed, uh, we will be finishing, uh, round two, uh, this year. And I think also, which is scary to say, I haven't looked at the calendar, but I think also potentially round three will be finished this year as well, just with the timing. I don't actually know how many rounds will be, you know, done by the, by the, uh, year's end. But, uh, you know, here we are where I, it's, it's scary to think that we're also like in the, like, end of the clock. We're, we're really limiting it down.

[1:37] Andrew: Anyway, I'm very excited for this episode. We, um, I, we're recording this on December 18th.

[1:46] Andrew: Um, so I do not have the song yet that is coming back on the polls, but I would be flabbergasted if it was any other song besides Paradise by the Dashboard Light, which is currently winning in the poll right now.

[1:58] Andrew: Um, but I will insert future Editing Andrew in right now with all the statistics of how the, all the songs did right now. Thank you, Recording Andrew.

[2:06] Andrew: Um, this is Editing Andrew, with the stats. Thank you all for voting. Here are your glittistics. Uh, with 0%, we have Listen to Your Heart, Defying Gravity Season 1, I'm So Excited, Telephone, I Love New York, New York, New York, Up, Up, Up, Whatever Happened to Saturday Night, A House is Not a Home, Glory Days, and Somebody Loves You. All of them received zero votes. With 1%, What Doesn't Kill You, Parentheses Stronger, Animal, and Drive My Car. With 2%, Hello, Goodbye. With 3%, It's My Life, Confessions, Part 2, Locked Out of Heaven, All That Jazz, and Hello, I Love You. With 7%, we have Come See About Me. Coming in second place, we have Coldhearted. And to no one's surprise, in first place, with 59%, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, congratulations. You will be seeing Glackett round three. Now back to Recording Andrew.

[3:09] Andrew: He has such a beautiful voice, and I love him so much. And now we're here we are. And I'm here to, you know, I feel bad even like saying this analogy, but like dust off some Gleeks that have been not on the Glackett for a hot minute, but forever in my heart. One of them, Audrey, we just did the task of finding out when we recorded last with, and it was September 2, 2021. Audrey, how are you doing?

[3:34] Audrey: I'm doing fantastic. I'm so glad to be back. I have not left you alone in your DMs. I wasn't gonna let you forget me. It means so much to me. And I feel like so bad because I was like, you were on my, you both were on my mind. The second gleek reveal in just a minute. Because I was like, I need to get to y'all. I need to get to y'all before round two is over. And so I'm so glad that we were able to make this happen. And I'm scared and excited to hear about your hot takes.

[4:10] Andrew: Also, a fan favorite, both fan favorites from round one. I don't actually know if I can actually call the second gleek a fan favorite because what he did. Brantley, hello.

[4:25] Brantley: Hello, it is I, the infamous Brantley.

[4:34] Andrew: Brantley, do you want to explain why you're infamous?

[4:40] Brantley: Oh, yes. I just did. Yeah. For the glistorians.

[4:42] Andrew: Yeah. For the glisteners that don't know, I was the tiebreaker that made the decision to send the song Sway through to round two over My Life Would Suck Without You. And you know, that's a decision that I have had to live with for like, what, almost two years now, maybe something like that. And anytime I hear My Life Would Suck Without You on the radio, I'm haunted.

[5:01] Andrew: I know, because you're not hearing Sway on the radio.

[5:05] Brantley: No. Wait, wait, how do you, where does it stand with you now in this moment, that decision?

[5:13] Brantley: I'm so glad you asked, Andrew, because I've had conflicting feelings about this, about my tiebreaker decision to send Sway through over My Life Would Suck Without You ever since that fateful day when we recorded episode, whatever.

[5:33] Andrew: Wait, I did the task with Audrey. It's only right that I do it with you as well, Brantley.

[5:38] Brantley: Oh, great. Yes.

[5:39] Andrew: Yeah. Oh, do you want to guess? Do you have a good idea when we recorded?

[5:44] Brantley: I believe it was October of 2022.

[5:55] Andrew: Okay, you were very close. It is 2022. It was late September, late September, September 26, to be exact. And then the episode was released in October.

[6:09] Brantley: That's what I was.

[6:10] Andrew: Oh, okay. There we go. There's where it's coming from. Incredible. Brantley, we need to talk about your feelings about Sway and My Life Would Suck Without You and regretting them immediately after you had this.

[6:18] Brantley: We absolutely do. We absolutely have to talk about that.

[6:22] Andrew: Okay, because I feel like I'm having it right now, for lack of a better term, post-Glackett clarity of what's happening now with Come See About Me. I was the winning. I killed Come See About Me in favor of Take Care of Yourself.

[6:39] Brantley: You feel my pain. You understand me now.

[6:45] Andrew: I finally feel it. And it was the first competition. I feel like it's so odd that no other competitions come to mind where I feel a similar feeling that I'm just like, oh, wow, I don't feel good about this at all. And so we see each other.

[7:03] Brantley: Yeah, you see me and I see you. However, let me just say, so while I think I made the wrong decision, but I stand by that decision, even though it was wrong.

[7:14] Andrew: Okay, I feel the same exact way. And Audrey, wait, wait, wait. I need your opinions on both of these opinions, both of these competitions, please.

[7:22] Audrey: Can I say why I stand by that decision and why people should leave you alone for your decision to not send through Come See About Me?

[7:31] Andrew: Okay. I'm gonna pause you right there.

[7:35] Audrey: Yes.

[7:36] Andrew: The Gleeks have been so far so good. The episode has been out for like 24 hours. So it's like, I don't know if anybody's like late to the game and they're gonna be like mean and they're gonna like listen to the disclaimer that I put in the episode. And I'm like, please don't be mad at me. And they're like, fuck that. And they're still gonna be mad at me. That might still happen for me.

[7:51] Audrey: Wait, but Audrey, what is your opinion on My Life Would Suck Without You, Losing to Sway and Come See About Me, Losing to Take Care of Yourself? Before we go further?

[8:03] Audrey: I was not thrilled about My Life Would Suck Without You versus Sway. Like I was probably in the DMs that week being like, what the hell was this nonsense? But I mean, in the grand scheme of things, that wasn't gonna win the Glocket. I just really liked that song. And I thought I think it could have been Brantley, not to like put salt in the wound. I think it could have been like a top 50 Glocket competitor for sure. You did that. That's on you.

[8:29] Brantley: My Glocket, but sure.

[8:30] Audrey: Well, clearly, clearly not.

[8:33] Audrey: I will say, had it not been pulled against Sway, Sway, Sway.

[8:38] Brantley: Sway, that's what you call it.

[8:40] Audrey: Sway is a different song.

[8:42] Audrey: It probably would have gone a little further. But as we discussed in my episode, the Glocket is run on vibes. And while My Life Would Suck Without You is a better song, it does have the cute little throwbacks and the dance moves, like calling back to all their numbers from season 1A. It's just all of those like little cuts to Will and Emma just ruin the vibes for me. And so while My Life Would Suck Without You is a better song.

[9:09] Brantley: So you would rather vote for a Wolo in that regard, just using that logic.

[9:16] Audrey: I mean, the vibes are what they were in September of 2022.

[9:22] Andrew: The one thing I want to say for you, Brantley, is there's a lot of really good choir room songs with everybody. There's a lot of those. There's not that many great Wolos, if we're being honest. And that's actually a pretty good one.

[9:38] Brantley: It's a solid Wolo.

[9:39] Audrey: It's solid. It's not great, but it's fine.

[9:42] Brantley: I think all the Wolos are dead now, if I'm not mistaken. Not looking at a list.

[9:51] Andrew: I think that like...

[9:52] Brantley: No, one went through.

[9:54] Andrew: What?

[9:54] Brantley: Hold on. One went through.

[9:57] Andrew: I know that like Sway, so Sway has already been pulled in round two.

[10:00] Brantley: Sway's dead.

[10:00] Andrew: And all it took to kill her was I'll Remember. And like, honestly, it's so funny that that song is called I'll Remember, because I feel like most Gleeks don't remember that song.

[10:14] Brantley: So that's all it took. How does that make you feel?

[10:18] Brantley: Me?

[10:19] Andrew: Yeah, Brantley.

[10:20] Brantley: I mean, yeah, I don't know. I just...

[10:23] Brantley: See, here's the thing. I said this when I was leading, before I made my decision in that episode. I was like, here's what's going to happen. I am going to make a decision and then I'm going to think I made the wrong decision. And not two minutes later, I forgot the decision I even made. So I don't know. I just, my hands are up. Ian called me out for that in his episode.

[10:45] Andrew: Oh, that's right.

[10:46] Brantley: Yeah. By the way, Ian, I'm still waiting for you to follow me back on Instagram. Insert kissy emoji here.

[10:51] Andrew: Oh my god. Not the public call out.

[10:55] Brantley: Wait, but also, going back, Audrey, I'm still curious about...

[11:00] Audrey: Come see about me.

[11:01] Brantley: Yes, yes.

[11:01] Andrew: Take care of yourself of it all.

[11:03] Andrew: Before we get to that really quick, I have to make a quick correction.

[11:06] Andrew: There is still a WOLO moving to round three of the Glockett.

[11:09] Brantley: Does anybody want to guess what it is?

[11:11] Audrey: Wait, there's still a WOLO going to round three?

[11:14] Andrew: Going to round three. It is through round two.

[11:17] Brantley: It's not Gold Digger.

[11:18] Andrew: The Gold Digger is not a WOLO.

[11:20] Brantley: Well, that's true.

[11:22] Andrew: Um, wait, can you...

[11:24] Andrew: There is an episode named after this song.

[11:28] Audrey: Oh, okay.

[11:30] Andrew: Of the podcast. Sorry.

[11:31] Audrey: Oh, of the podcast.

[11:34] Andrew: Oh, it's Ice Ice Baby.

[11:36] Brantley: It is Ice Ice Baby.

[11:37] Andrew: I stand by that. That's okay.

[11:38] Brantley: I don't even know what it was against.

[11:40] Andrew: Yeah.

[11:41] Brantley: That one's fine. I'm not mad about that. That wasn't on my list.

[11:44] Andrew: And I think like Bust a Move was like pulled in the next episode and like we got rid of that one.

[11:50] Brantley: Yeah, that's gone.

[11:51] Andrew: Yeah.

[11:51] Brantley: Well, it was against Shake It Out, so...

[11:53] Audrey: Wait, Bust a Move. Was that not in your episode, Audrey, in round one?

[11:58] Audrey: That...

[12:00] Audrey: I feel like that...

[12:01] Audrey: I don't even know. I think it might have been.

[12:03] Brantley: I remember.

[12:05] Audrey: I think it was. It was. It was.

[12:06] Andrew: It was like...

[12:09] Andrew: Bust a Move was the winner from your episode.

[12:11] Audrey: It was.

[12:12] Andrew: Need You Now, also a winner.

[12:13] Audrey: Need You Now and Pure Imagination.

[12:15] Andrew: Pure Imagination, all dead.

[12:16] Audrey: All three are gone. I have zero impact on the Glackett and it's a tragedy.

[12:20] Brantley: Wait, wait, wait, wait. Now I'm doing the exercise of like what the competitions were.

[12:23] Audrey: Pure Imagination won over It's Too Late, which like I kind of like regret in hindsight.

[12:28] Andrew: I'm sorry that happened.

[12:30] Brantley: Yeah, they're both forgettable.

[12:32] Audrey: And then Gimme More lost to...

[12:36] Andrew: To...

[12:37] Brantley: Need You Now.

[12:38] Andrew: I think it was Need You Now.

[12:40] Brantley: And then I don't... Oh, I...

[12:42] Andrew: Oh, now this is one I stand against and I was the sole vote. What is it?

[12:46] Brantley: It's the Shirley MacLaine, Derrick Criss song from Pippin and I can't think of the name of it.

[12:51] Audrey: Oh, No Time At All?

[12:53] Brantley: Yes, and I stand by my vote on that. And I think somebody mentioned it in not like a recent episode, but somewhat recently.

[12:59] Andrew: Someone? Yeah, I...

[13:00] Andrew: You guys are... You guys, not you, Audrey. You collectively, Gleeks, are sleeping on No Time At All, Gleekcast version by Gleekcast.

[13:08] Audrey: Yeah, I agree.

[13:12] Andrew: It's kind of like really, really cute. And you guys don't know about it.

[13:15] Andrew: And it ties right back into its source material of Pippin, where in the theatrical show, the audience is called to sing along. Like if you're there in person taking in the show, you're invited to sing the chorus along. And they do that in the show. And it's so cute.

[13:29] Audrey: It is so cute.

[13:30] Andrew: It's really cute. And it's but like...

[13:31] Brantley: They do that in Glee, I mean, it's so cute.

[13:34] Andrew: Comparatively, I'm not saying the same for Piece of My Heart, Gleekcast version by Gleekcast.

[13:39] Brantley: Not, not, not hitting the same.

[13:42] Andrew: Is this... You're looking at me blankly like you...

[13:44] Brantley: That's not even memorable to me.

[13:45] Andrew: You don't even have an opinion on that song. Yeah. Where are we in the conversation now?

[13:52] Audrey: You need to get into "Take Care of Yourself" and come see about me because I will.

[13:55] Brantly: Please, thank you. Yes.

[13:56] Audrey: This was on my list of grievances, but obviously I knew it was going to come up because this just happened. I would like to preface this by like, I'm not even a Quinn girly. That's not like, I understand that is where most of the Gleeks are. We love Dianna Agron. We love Quinn. I'm just like, she's fine. She's there. I'm still gagged by this. I'm still offended by this because "Take Care of Yourself" is low key boring. And that's not a dig on Damian McGinty because it's not his fault that he was given boring songs in the show. But I'm just, I was literally, I saw that because I saw the Glockens I didn't know if the episode was going to come out before we record it. And I was like, well, I've got to see what wins.

Yeah, I saw those two songs. I'm like, okay, so "Come See About Me." But then I looked at the polls. I was like, wait, wait just a minute. And then I was just gagged. So I don't I don't really have a lot of feelings other than I was shocked that you, Andrew, did not vote for your girl.

[14:49] Andrew: Well, can I? Yeah, go ahead. Can I just say I saw I was listening to that episode today. And I when that song started playing, not only did I not remember what it was, I couldn't even identify it as Damian. I was like, is this Jake or one of the season four boys? Little Puckerman whose name is escaping me.

[15:10] Brantly: It's Jake.

[15:20] Andrew: Last time we recorded, I was fresh off a rewatch. And that was the last time I rewatched. I do watch episodes. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[15:28] Audrey: No, but I was like, is this Jake? Like, I couldn't even I couldn't remember the context. I couldn't remember that it was Damian. And I have to agree with you, Audrey. I was like, this is so boring. Like, "Come See About Me" is definitely going through and boy was I wrong. Can I put out another statement? Is that okay to put out an issue on your podcast?

[15:54] Brantly: And I think you may one more statement, actually. Because I've given it more thought. I don't even know what I said. And like the debrief with Connor after Robert left. But like, honestly, I don't want to put this on the Gleeks that I voted that way. But it is kind of like, you I have said that, like, I wasn't crazy about "Come See About Me." It's like, it's like the like, I don't know. It's the it's fallen flat for me in terms of the qualos. It's the last one. And so I feel like I said that and people got really mad. And they got really upset with me. And they're like, how dare you speak ill of "Come See About Me," Gleecast versus my Gleecast. And in that moment, when I was forced to vote against it, I was like, after fresh off seeing Wicked the third time, I'm like, y'all want to paint me as the Wicked Witch.

I'm actually gonna do what Wicked Witch things do, you know, like, I'm gonna like, I'm gonna do the things. So that was that. And then also, the Damian vocal, that high note, I don't know anything about singing. The high note that Damian does, you gotta pay respect. And also, I was like, also in a mood that day, recording that I was like, I want the songs that are in round three to be reflective of as many cast members as possible. And it's like, I don't know, we have so many we have like, I think, four out of the six quollos in round three already. And so like, it's like, can we have can we have one rollo? So that's, that's my, that's my second statement. I'm sure a third statement is coming next episode. You'll be this will haunt you.

[17:48] Brantly: Friendly, I feel your pain.

[17:53] Audrey: You feel my pain. It's gonna be two years down the line. You're gonna be like, Oh, I can't believe I did that.

[17:58] Andrew: Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna, legal note, "You Keep Me Hangin' On" is the final quollo yet to be pulled.

[18:04] Brantly: And that is the best quollo.

[18:06] Audrey: That is the best quollo. I'm scared.

[18:08] Brantly: Actually, I have a note somewhere in my things that I have to bring up about that being the best quollo.

[18:14] Andrew: Do we do we want to get into Blackett grievances at this point? Do we have any final things to say about anything that we've already discussed?

[18:23] Audrey: I think I'm good.

[18:24] Brantly: Okay, let's start with you.

[18:28] Audrey: Okay, I have a list. Because it's been we said three years since I've been on this podcast. Okay, so I didn't I didn't go too far back into round one. Actually, I didn't do anything from round one. I said, that's gone. It's done. We don't have to do that. But since we just talked about quollos, I have beef with a quollo because as I was looking through, I had a grievance from round two. And then I went to see what it took out in round one. And I was even more upset. And that would be "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." And look, look, look, hang on. I like that song. I think I actually like that more than most people would rank that. I think it's funny. I think her vocals actually sound really good and like raspy and great.

But it took out "Sweet Caroline" in round two, which I love. And in round one, it took out "Beauty School Dropout," which I don't know if anybody knows this about me. I am a Darren Criss stan. And I love that song. And I think that is offensive. So I have beef with "It's a Man's Man's Man's World."

[19:25] Brantly: That's when you put it like that. I do like I do love the practice of like seeing like what round three songs have like killed to get there. You know, my dreams.

[19:41] Audrey: Including your dreams, but you know, not not dis including and not excluding us "Sweet Caroline" or "Beauty School Dropout." Because like, yeah, when you say it like that, it's like those are kind of like, those are kind of good ones.

[19:52] Brantly: They are. They are.

[19:52] Audrey: So that's that's fun. Okay. Um, "When I Get You Alone" versus "Alone," I know this is a really unpopular opinion, because I get you're gonna see a lot of Darren Criss on this. Actually, no, I think that's the only blow low you're gonna see on this list. Okay, but and I get why "Alone" went through. I really do. But I think when I was...

[20:14] Brantly: Oh, was it?

[20:21] Audrey: And also legal note, Heather Morris episode was recorded one year ago today. And so really, the anniversary, you're bringing it back. Audrey, you're in tune.

[20:26] Brantly: Yeah, seems like it was way more recent than that.

[20:30] Audrey: No, that was that was the first episode of this of 2024. Not this year. You're listening in 2025. Anyway, continue, Audrey.

[20:36] Audrey: We're in the future. I love how cringy "When I Get You Alone" is. I agree. First of all, I love the vocals. I think the vocals on that song are phenomenal. But when you're watching it, you're like, Oh, this is so cringy. And it's so uncomfortable to watch. Because like, he's doing a great job. So you're kind of like, looking and looking and not looking. But I get why "Alone" went through. I will say that, like, that competition kind of like brings up, take care of yourself not to bring it back. "Take Care of Yourself" winning over "Come See About Me." Because it's like, okay, when you are in a zoom with Heather Morris or Robert Ulrich, and they're voting a certain way. It's like with them.

[21:21] Brantly: Yeah.

[21:25] Audrey: What did I say? The glacket runs on vibes. Those were the vibes with Heather Morris and Robert like, right?

[21:30] Brantly: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're making me really scared for today's episode.

[21:33] Audrey: Like, no, you really should be scared not to put the cart before the horse. But like, honestly, I don't know if you looked at like the remaining songs playlist. It's so scary. Real scary.

[21:42] Brantly: Anyway, continue on.

[21:42] Audrey: Um, I don't know if this is gonna get me hated on "I Know What Boys Like" versus "Ding Dong," which is that it's not a fun competition. I love that. I really like "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead." I think it's so fun. I think Rachel's like laugh that she does is so, I don't know, it scratches like an itch. And it's a little cringy at the same time. And "I Know What Boys Like" is an automatic skip for me. I'm so sorry to actually think for that. But I just I have to skip. I can't do it. I hear the intro and I say no, thank you.

[22:10] Brantly: Wait, can I ask? And there are no correct answers. But this question. How do you feel about the diversity quota? As it relates to the glacket?

[22:20] Audrey: That it's like, we're voting through like the only size solo. Um, because, you know, what do we think?

[22:30] Brantly: I'm the most basic bitch Gleek there is. I love a rollo. I love a blow low.

[22:36] Audrey: Uh huh.

[22:40] Brantly: Okay. I love Rachel and like, I love Finch. Like, you know, I'm so I'm such a basic bitch. So I'm not really a diverse diversity quota person. And I think if a song is better than the other song, it should go through.

[22:46] Audrey: So that we have a differing opinion that will make blacketing we do.

[22:50] Brantly: Yeah.

[22:50] Audrey: Okay. Okay. Wait, wait, before we go any further, Brantley, do you have any thoughts?

[23:02] Brantly: Oh, yeah. I loved that whole discussion about "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" versus "I Know What Boys Like." That was a fun competition. I do agree. How I tend to more agree with you, though, Audrey, that I'm not reaching for "I Know What Boys Like," but "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" it's freaking fun. I listen frequently in the car.

[23:22] Audrey: Yes, it's like, it is cute. Weird, like transatlantic accent that Rachel does. And it's a I love it.

[23:26] Brantly: Yeah, yeah.

[23:33] Audrey: I feel like they're like, they exist in the same like area. They're only like a few numbers away. Like in the 666 ranking. They're very, very close. You know?

[23:44] Brantly: All right. Well, back to you, Audrey.

[23:44] Audrey: I'm going to talk about that one. "Valerie" season five versus "Mr. Roboto/Counting Stars." The only thing I will say about "Mr. Roboto/Counting Stars," the "Mr. Roboto" part don't care about but the transition like the key change into "Counting Stars." I want to listen to that on a loop. I love it so much. We're actually I'm rewatching Glee with my husband right now because he's never actually watched the whole thing straight through. And we got to that part. And he's a big music nerd. And I turned and looked at him and I'm like, did you hear that? And he was like, I did. And I'm like, it's good, right?

[24:17] Brantly: Yeah.

[24:17] Audrey: So that will work. I not to like pause and have a note about every single thing that you say.

[24:22] Brantly: Oh, we can.

[24:22] Audrey: I'm in I'm in a very glockening mood today. And so I'm like, really excited to glock it. Um, it's fine. But with that competition in particular, um, I know that people like I voted for "Valerie" season five, because I was like, if "Hand in My Pocket," "I Feel the Earth Move" doesn't go through to round three, then this is like the sacrifice that will this they are carrying on the honor. And that was before "I Feel the Earth Move," "Hand in My Pocket" has moved on to round three. And so now we have both. And like when that song went through the Atlantis Carol mashup, people were like, Okay, so can we retroactively like bring back the throat explosion song, which I thought was very funny. But that's unfortunately not how the clock works. I'm so sorry to say we can't we can't do that.

[25:14] Brantly: upset as I may be about some of these. We can't do that.

[25:14] Audrey: Yeah, yeah.

[25:20] Brantly: "So Emotional" versus "I Can't Go for That/You Make My Dreams Come True." This is what I'm pulling for in the like, because I think there's another bring back a song on the glock at my right at the very end. Yes. I will be pulling for that one because that was a loss for me.

[25:32] Audrey: That's cute.

[25:37] Brantly: But Diane, it just alone. It gives me it makes me happy. And there's the vibes.

[25:42] Audrey: Brantley, it just makes me happy. But again, "So Emotional" was gonna go through like that song didn't stand a chance.

[25:48] Brantly: So the emotional baggage that comes with "So Emotional" to you pulled that song and you were like, there's no choice. I don't even care what comes out next. It's going through.

[25:54] Audrey: Right, right. And so unfortunate, because that is such a good mashup. I Oh, I love that mashup. I think that made not my like top songs on Spotify rap, but like my playlist of 100 songs that I listened to the most. I think that mashup made that playlist for me this year. Like it came on shuffle one day and I was like, Oh, this is going into rotation immediately. Like it's been a rotation for a while. And it's right back in.

[26:19] Brantly: That's good.

[26:24] Audrey: Your mashup the Diana vocal like you just said, Andrew chefs kiss.

[26:29] Andrew: Yeah.

[26:29] Brantly: How about how about that? How about that Damien vocal? Everyone? How about that?

[26:34] Audrey: I mean, they're Damien vocal in that one.

[26:36] Brantly: Yeah, Damien and Jenna like they harmonize at one point. They're like, front and center. I really like that song because it like it. It spotlights like, everybody neglected.

[26:41] Audrey: Yeah, like, I think it's, there's only four vocalists on that song. It's Diana, Jenna, um, Damien and Corey. And, and I just like, that's what a fun choice. It's a weird, not the obvious choice, but it's fun.

[27:06] Brantly: Yeah.

[27:06] Audrey: So I know we talked about this, but like, Jenna is so underutilized on the show as a whole.

[27:12] Brantly: Yeah.

[27:12] Audrey: And misused like they never, they didn't did not often choose songs that were really suited for her voice. And she still sounds great. But it's like, they never they only hit it like, nail on the head once. And it was that Madonna song.

[27:19] Brantly: But hung up.

[27:26] Audrey: I was trying to call it tick tock. And I knew that was not correct.

[27:26] Brantly: Justice for Jenna.

[27:36] Andrew: Yeah, I mean, sure. Every conversation I've had with her has been recorded. So is that really? I mean, I guess I mean, you have rapport with her?

[27:46] Andrew: It's crazy that she, like, knows how I feel about Gangnam Style, that's a memory in her brain.

[27:52] Brantly: That was one of the wildest things that could have happened on this podcast.

[27:57] Andrew: That got pulled.

[27:58] Brantly: Oh, like that was the last song of round one, with Jenna there.

[28:03] Andrew: Crazy.

[28:04] Brantly: Yeah.

[28:05] Andrew: Banana.

[28:06] Brantly: And I am so sad that Gangnam Style didn't go through, and I understand...

[28:10] Andrew: We already did this, Brantly.

[28:12] Brantly: I know.

[28:13] Andrew: We just did this.

[28:15] Brantly: I don't have to give my whole spiel about Gangnam Style, but it's so camp and I love it.

[28:22] Andrew: I understand why Jenna voted against it.

[28:25] Brantly: That whole backstory of her having to record it like she learned it, and then had to relearn it because she was taught it in the wrong dialect or something like that.

[28:32] Andrew: Crazy.

[28:33] Brantly: I was like, yeah, I might vote against that too.

[28:36] Andrew: I get it, I get it.

[28:38] Brantly: Well, and in retrospect, that really just came to haunt you, Andrew, because Two Sir With Love was what took it out.

[28:44] Andrew: I know.

[28:45] Brantly: Someone pointed out that Two Sir With Love, the competitions that that song has had, has been, like, diametrically different.

[28:54] Andrew: It's like winning over Gangnam Style and also Mine, and I know that Mine is now back, and we already had this conversation so many different times.

[29:03] Brantly: But Two Sir With Love, I'm scared for your round three matchup.

[29:07] Andrew: I'm on to you.

[29:08] Brantly: You are doing nasty.

[29:10] Andrew: Not to be presumptuous and assume I'm going to be back in round three, but if I'm back in round three and Two Sir With Love is dead on site.

[29:20] Brantly: Really?

[29:21] Andrew: Oh.

[29:22] Brantly: That's one of my grievances.

[29:25] Andrew: Okay, we're still in Audrey's grievances right now.

[29:28] Brantly: We will get to you.

[29:29] Andrew: Don't worry, I have a list.

[29:30] Brantly: I'm almost done.

[29:31] Andrew: We're getting there.

[29:33] Brantly: This one I forgot about.

[29:34] Andrew: But see, when I listen and I keep my spreadsheet updated, I, like, highlight things.

[29:37] Brantly: So when this day comes, I'm ready.

[29:39] Andrew: And this one I'd forgotten about.

[29:41] Brantly: Problem won over Buenos Aires, and that's insane.

[29:47] Andrew: Yes.

[29:48] Brantly: Okay, I'm not a season six truther.

[29:52] Andrew: I've only, I think, even watched season six maybe twice.

[29:55] Brantly: I watched it live, and then I think I rewatched it once.

[29:57] Andrew: But I usually get halfway through season five, and I just, like, can't do it anymore.

[30:00] Brantly: It's too painful.

[30:02] Andrew: But to cut out Lindsay Pierce, her problem, it was painful.

[30:07] Brantly: That one, I didn't agree with.

[30:08] Andrew: And I still don't agree with it.

[30:10] Brantly: Especially knowing the history of Buenos Aires as well.

[30:14] Andrew: That Buenos Aires won against Vogue in round one.

[30:17] Brantly: Yeah, that's a really good point.

[30:19] Andrew: And then you took her out with Problem.

[30:22] Brantly: That's interesting.

[30:24] Andrew: I think, rewind the tapes.

[30:27] Brantly: Did I vote?

[30:29] Andrew: I feel like I might have voted for Buenos Aires.

[30:31] Brantly: I think that you might be taking it up with the wrong person.

[30:34] Andrew: I might be.

[30:35] Brantly: I might be.

[30:37] Andrew: I don't keep track of that in my spreadsheet.

[30:39] Brantly: I'm so sorry.

[30:40] Andrew: No, that's okay.

[30:41] Brantly: I should.

[30:42] Andrew: If anybody out there has a spreadsheet of specific votes, I would be so interested to see that.

[30:51] Brantly: Anyway, continue.

[30:53] Andrew: I'm actually kind of surprised that doesn't exist.

[30:55] Brantly: That would take so much work.

[30:58] Andrew: If I had done that from the beginning, I would have it.

[31:02] Brantly: But at this point, it's too much to go back.

[31:05] Andrew: And for what?

[31:06] Brantly: It would take forever.

[31:07] Andrew: Yeah, yeah.

[31:08] Brantly: Just so people can't roast you, it might actually be worth it.

[31:11] Andrew: Right, so you can look back and be like, actually, Andrew, this is how he voted in 2021.

[31:16] Brantly: Yeah.

[31:17] Andrew: Yeah.

[31:18] Brantly: This one I'm not going to spend time on because she's back.

[31:22] Andrew: But Homeward Bound Home versus Barely Breathing really hurt me.

[31:25] Brantly: And I'm just glad that she's back.

[31:27] Andrew: Barely Breathing.

[31:28] Brantly: To see another day.

[31:29] Andrew: Yes, Barely Breathing.

[31:32] Brantly: This one is going to be, I don't know, Brave versus Girl on Fire.

[31:36] Andrew: That was an interesting competition.

[31:38] Brantly: I was actually shocked by what went through.

[31:41] Andrew: A hard competition.

[31:42] Brantly: Well, not for me, because fun fact about me, I hate the song Brave.

[31:46] Andrew: I just, I'm sorry.

[31:48] Brantly: I don't know what, I think it was really overused in 2013, 2014, whatever year that was.

[31:53] Andrew: It was on so many commercials.

[31:55] Brantly: It was so overplayed.

[31:57] Andrew: And I remember seeing it on the list of songs that Glee was doing.

[32:00] Brantly: And I'm like, I don't even think Glee is going to make me like this song.

[32:02] Andrew: And the arrangement they did was different.

[32:05] Brantly: It's cute, but it just didn't make me like the song.

[32:08] Andrew: And I think Girl on Fire is one of my favorite Santana vocals.

[32:12] Brantly: Interesting that you should say that Brave was overplayed.

[32:15] Andrew: I feel like I remember Girl on Fire was like an American Express card.

[32:19] Brantly: Do you remember that?

[32:21] Andrew: Wait, Brantley, yes.

[32:23] Brantly: Okay, when you say it's an American Express card, literally, I was studying abroad during college in that season.

[32:30] Andrew: I remember being in a hostel in Italy and that song playing on the radio.

[32:35] Brantly: Like literally everywhere.

[32:37] Andrew: Do you recall the commercial that I'm referring to, though?

[32:41] Brantly: No.

[32:43] Andrew: Was it an American Express commercial?

[32:45] Brantly: I'm going to fact check it, and it will be included in the carousel.

[32:49] Andrew: It's like Alicia Keys talking to one of her stage hands and being like, sorry, got to go out there.

[32:56] Brantly: And then she goes out there, and she's like, this girl is on fire.

[33:00] Andrew: And it's so dumb.

[33:02] Brantly: I'm sure you're right.

[33:04] Andrew: But that, I don't know, that one didn't bug me.

[33:06] Brantly: That one didn't stick in my brain.

[33:08] Andrew: But Brave, I remember being in my apartment watching Brave.

[33:10] Brantly: It was more overplayed than Girl on Fire.

[33:13] Andrew: I will give you that.

[33:14] Brantly: It just bugged me.

[33:16] Andrew: So anyways, grievance there.

[33:20] Brantly: And then my final one, and I don't want to spend too much time on it because I'm sure this is just going to be beaten to death, is the Paradise survivor, I Will Survive.

[33:28] Andrew: No, I want to hear it.

[33:29] Brantly: What do you have to say?

[33:32] Andrew: I think it's the, and I know we believe Paradise is coming back, and we'll know that for sure when this airs.

[33:38] Brantly: But I think that song, it makes me cry every single time because you have everybody that we love on that stage, and they just all, I think, I don't remember who was saying this, but somebody said, everybody just looks so happy during that song.

[34:11] Andrew: Versus a song which is fantastic, and also as an all-girl group choir alumni, I do love the treble tones.

[34:17] Brantly: I think that's actually one of the most true representations of show choir, like with the choreography that they do, I feel is the most on point.

[34:25] Andrew: It always takes me back to my accent days.

[34:30] Brantly: But I still don't think that should have gone through.

[34:34] Andrew: It went through because of the comeback vote, which I understand the rationale, but if we didn't have that, I don't think she would have gone through.

[34:42] Brantly: But I also think now that I've had some time with that competition in particular, that I've really considered the order of the competition, that I really do feel that, and there's nothing we can do about this, of course, but the order of the songs kind of does influence the vote, in a way, when you have these two massive songs against each other.

[34:44] Andrew: They are having the time of their lives up there.

[34:54] Brantly: And I think for me, I am a show choir alumni kid, and it just really brings back the feels of being on stage for your final performance with this group of people, and you're kind of on the verge of tears because you're so happy, and it's just going so well, and you're like, we've got this, we're going to win.

[35:10] Andrew: I feel pretty confident that if it was the opposite order, I think that we would have voted a different way.

[35:19] Brantly: You know?

[35:20] Andrew: It's the nature of the Glockenspiel.

[35:22] Brantly: The recency bias.

[35:23] Andrew: It does what it does.

[35:24] Brantly: Recency, it's just a few seconds difference.

[35:27] Andrew: Yeah.

[35:28] Brantly: Should I say it again?

[35:30] Andrew: Vibes.

[35:31] Brantly: Vibes.

[35:32] Andrew: Yeah.

[35:35] Brantly: Okay, so that was your final...

[35:38] Andrew: That's my list.

[35:39] Brantly: It's long.

[35:40] Andrew: No, I loved it, and it was years in the making, and do you feel relieved having...

[35:50] Brantly: A little bit, yeah.

[35:51] Andrew: Okay.

[35:52] Brantly: Like I said, I'm very excited to do this episode and have an impact on the Glocken moving forward.

[35:57] Andrew: Sure.

[35:58] Brantly: Because, yeah, last time around, all your songs are now dead.

[36:01] Andrew: They're gone.

[36:02] Brantly: So my impact has been just bugging you in your DMs.

[36:05] Andrew: No, no, no.

[36:06] Brantly: But also, all the songs that you sent forward, they lent a hand into bringing songs into round three, and so I think that that's the impact that we're looking at.

[36:21] Andrew: Brantley, we're going A to B.

[36:24] Brantly: Audrey to Brantley.

[36:25] Andrew: Wow.

[36:26] Brantly: Medical order.

[36:27] Andrew: I love it.

[36:28] Brantly: Perfect.

[36:29] Andrew: I did not plan that at all, but here we are.

[36:31] Brantly: Okay, so I have two major hot takes that are actually not related to competitions, so I'm going to start there, if that's okay.

[36:43] Andrew: Sure.

[36:44] Brantly: I've actually written sort of like miniature essays about both of these.

[36:48] Andrew: Okay, okay, I'm ready.

[36:55] Brantly: The first hot take is the discussion that always comes up when there is a musical number that is split between the characters who are in New York and the characters who are at McKinley.

[37:05] Andrew: So here's what I have to say.

[37:06] Brantly: Which I don't like.

[37:07] Andrew: Disclaimer.

[37:08] Brantly: I feel like I haven't.

[37:09] Andrew: Have I said?

[37:10] Brantly: I think you have.

[37:12] Andrew: I think you have.

[37:13] Brantly: Many, many people have.

[37:15] Andrew: But it's always a topic of conversation when there's a number that's split between New York and McKinley.

[37:21] Brantly: Someone always makes a comment saying something like this makes no sense.

[37:23] Andrew: Why are they singing together?

[37:25] Brantly: Did they call each other to coordinate?

[37:27] Andrew: Let's sing Mamma Mia at three o'clock today.

[37:29] Brantly: I just have one thing to say in response to all of that.

[37:32] Andrew: This show is a musical.

[37:35] Brantly: It's a musical.

[37:37] Andrew: Musicals, as many forms of media, call on us to do something called suspending disbelief.

[37:44] Brantly: By definition, that means, if you're not familiar, that you willingly accept that something is not logical or possible for the sake of enjoying the narrative that is being presented to you.

[37:55] Andrew: And musicals, in particular, rely heavily on suspension of disbelief because characters are bursting into song to convey their innermost emotions.

[38:04] Brantly: Spontaneous song and dance, that is inherently unbelievable.

[38:07] Andrew: So you have to suspend that disbelief.

[38:09] Brantly: And musicals often include group numbers.

[38:13] Andrew: And they include group numbers that are spread across multiple locations.

[38:16] Brantly: And I cannot tell you how many musicals, not only on screen but also on stage, that feature characters that are singing the same song in separate locations.

[38:27] Andrew: Great example, Hairspray, on both stage and screen.

[38:30] Brantly: I'm thinking about like a Tonight Quintet version from West Side Story.

[38:36] Andrew: Yeah, even that.

[38:38] Brantly: They know that tonight's going to be big for each one of them, but they're all harmonizing.

[38:43] Andrew: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[38:44] Brantly: Go ahead.

[38:45] Andrew: And like in Hairspray, the song Without Love, iconic, right?

[38:48] Brantly: Oh, sure. Yes, yeah.

[38:49] Andrew: And on stage, Link and Tracey, they sing their verse there.

[38:53] Brantly: Link is breaking Tracey out of jail.

[38:56] Andrew: So they're at the jailhouse.

[38:58] Brantly: Penny and Seaweed are at Penny's house.

[39:00] Andrew: And they all sing together.

[39:02] Brantly: They all sing the same song.

[39:04] Andrew: And in the movie, Link and Tracey aren't even in the same location while they are duetting in their verse.

[39:07] Brantly: Tracey is being broken up.

[39:11] Andrew: Oh, he's like singing to the picture of Nicky Vonsky.

[39:15] Brantly: And in Hairspray with Zac Efron did things to me when I first saw that in theaters.

[39:20] Andrew: You're not alone.

[39:21] Brantly: Yeah, me too, yes.

[39:23] Andrew: But to bring it back to Glee, there are multiple examples of split location musical numbers throughout the entire series.

[39:32] Brantly: The prime example from season one is Like a Virgin.

[39:35] Andrew: There are three couples in three separate bedrooms singing one song.

[39:40] Brantly: Do you think they all called each other and said, hey, we're all going to have sex tonight.

[39:44] Andrew: Let's all sing the same song.

[39:46] Brantly: I think 7.46 p.m. sounds great.

[39:48] Andrew: Like, no, it's a musical.

[39:50] Brantly: They were singing to convey their innermost emotions.

[39:53] Andrew: And we as the audience suspended our disbelief to accept that narrative and to enjoy that number.

[39:59] Brantly: Now, I will say, in defense of people who bring this up specifically about the split numbers between New York and McKinley, there is something to be said about those songs are often diegetic.

[40:12] Andrew: And that can make it a little harder to suspend your disbelief.

[40:15] Brantly: But Glee blends diegetic and non-diegetic singing all the time.

[40:20] Andrew: And so we should be able to suspend our disbelief no matter what.

[40:23] Brantly: So in conclusion, musicals on both stage and screen call on the audience to suspend their disbelief.

[40:26] Andrew: And we as a Glackett community need to remember to suspend our disbelief and stop calling out musical numbers that are split between locations as unrealistic.

[40:38] Brantly: That is my chief grievance.

[40:40] Andrew: Thank you.

[40:42] Brantly: So that's leading the way.

[40:44] Andrew: That's leading the charge with the grievances.

[40:46] Brantly: Yes.

[40:47] Andrew: I didn't realize that we were promoting this opinion that much, but I see that we clearly are.

[40:52] Brantly: Like, maybe I've made such a big thing out of it because I'm like, y'all, suspend your disbelief.

[40:58] Andrew: But it has been brought up multiple times.

[41:01] Brantly: Wait, do we know if there's any songs that fit that bill that are left?

[41:08] Andrew: I actually don't know.

[41:10] Brantly: Oh, I know, like, maybe this time.

[41:13] Andrew: It kind of like fits that bill a little bit.

[41:15] Brantly: It does.

[41:16] Andrew: It absolutely does.

[41:18] Brantly: That's interesting.

[41:20] Andrew: Okay, well, out of curiosity, Brintley, how long have you had this written and how long did it take you?

[41:25] Brantly: I had the thought probably in like April or May of this year.

[41:30] Andrew: I made a little note of it.

[41:32] Brantly: I wrote that little spiel maybe about an hour ago.

[41:37] Andrew: Okay. Okay. That's perfect. Okay. Amazing. I mean, obviously I would have taken any answer, but I was just very curious how long you've been sitting on that document. I mean, I've been sitting on the thought of like, y'all, it's a musical, suspend your disbelief. I don't care that it's diegetic or not. Like, that's been stewing for a while.

[41:57] Audrey: Um, wait, and you mentioned that. Is there another essay? Is there two essays?

[42:01] Brantly: It's a little shorter.

[42:03] Audrey: Okay.

[42:04] Brantly: But I did. I have all night.

[42:06] Audrey: Just as passionate, I'm sure.

[42:09] Brantly: Sort of. Um, I'm gonna leave this up to you, Andrew. I did bring a clip that I could play during this essay, or I could quote.

[42:15] Andrew: Um, wait, I'm curious about the clip. And I think that the listeners would, the glisteners, of course, the glisteners would love a little clip.

[42:26] Brantly: Okay. I'm gonna give you screen sharing. Um, okay, great. Do you need to, do you need to set up this clip in any way?

[42:32] Brantly: No, I have it pulled up. Please ignore my atrociously messy desktop. Um, let me make sure I'm sharing audio.

[42:39] Andrew: You can't share a screen of an episode of Glee.

[42:42] Brantly: Oh, can you not?

[42:43] Andrew: No.

[42:44] Brantly: Oh, shoot. Okay. Well, I do have a quote, just in case I was not able to share the clip, which apparently I'm not. So, okay. You can cut all that out if you want. But I do have a second essay.

[42:54] Audrey: Whatever.

[42:58] Brantly: Okay, my second grievance is titled, actually, it makes total sense for Rachel to leave Broadway for television.

[43:04] Audrey: Okay.

[43:05] Brantly: Wait, this is, this feels like it would be longer than the essay that you just read.

[43:10] Audrey: Maybe with the clip. I don't know.

[43:12] Brantly: On my little notes app, it's shorter. But, um, uh, I'm just as passionate about this one.

[43:20] Audrey: So I'm excited to hear.

[43:21] Brantly: Okay. So this grievance was birthed from the Gleek of the Week episode titled, A Gleek Gleek, where the song Uninvited was pulled.

[43:27] Audrey: And there was a major discussion in that episode.

[43:32] Brantly: A bleak bleak, yes.

[43:34] Audrey: A bleak bleak.

[43:35] Brantly: Yes, a Gleek bleak, a bleak bleak.

[43:39] Audrey: I don't remember a Gleek bleak, but I do remember a bleak bleak.

[43:42] Brantly: Okay, there we go. Okay, so you pulled Uninvited in that episode.

[43:46] Audrey: Yes.

[43:47] Brantly: There was discussion in that episode. And if I'm not mistaken, in episodes prior and subsequent, about how it doesn't make sense for Rachel to leave Broadway for television. However, I would like to draw your attention to the pilot episode of Glee.

[44:00] Brantly: Um, the On My Own sequence, um, which was pulled actually the episode prior to A Bleak Bleak. Um, Rachel.

[44:09] Audrey: The bleak before.

[44:10] Brantly: Yeah, the bleak before.

[44:11] Audrey: Yeah.

[44:14] Brantly: Um, okay. So Rachel is, uh, in one of her like monologue in the middle of On My Own. She is explaining the importance of posting her like self-tapes singing to MySpace every day.

[44:29] Audrey: Yeah.

[44:30] Brantly: And she says, um, and I quote, the only our fame is the most important thing in our culture now. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that no one's just going to hand it to you.

[44:44] Brantly: And yet, so I think this is the thesis statement for Rachel's character for the entire show, like the entire series. And so yes, Rachel's dream is Broadway. Yes, she idolizes Barbara. She wants to play Fanny Bryce on Broadway. But when she achieves that dream, it's only in service of that broader goal to chase fame.

[45:04] Brantly: Sure. And, um, when she has the opportunity to leave Funny Girl to, for a star vehicle television show that will potentially make her even more famous, of course, she's going to throw that Broadway dream aside. The dream has been achieved. It no longer serves her. And she has a chance for bigger fame, which going back to her thesis statement in the pilot episode, that's what she wants. She wants to be relevant. She wants to be famous.

[45:28] Brantly: Um, now, hold on, I lost my spot. I apologize. Um, yeah, she's gonna take that chance. This is the like, progression of her posting videos to her MySpace every day is going to film a TV show.

[45:46] Brantly: Um, and not only that, but like in real life, it is quite common for Broadway stars to leave Broadway for film and television. Uh, many of them actually flip between mediums once they've established themselves on both stage and screen.

[46:04] Brantly: Uh, chief case, then very relevant, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, Queens of Broadway did some film and television have both been on Broadway multiple times since they made the switch to film and television.

[46:09] Audrey: Yeah.

[46:10] Brantly: Um, and this is Rachel Berry's goal, right? Like she wants to be famous and television is just the next step in that process after Funny Girl.

[46:17] Brantly: Now she did not know that her television show was going to flop. She did not have the, she, she was like, what, 21, 22, her brain wasn't fully developed. She didn't realize that doing this was going to destroy her relationships with Broadway producers.

[46:30] Audrey: Yeah.

[46:32] Brantly: And that she would end up back teaching at her high school, like between two to four years after she graduated, she didn't know that she was blinded by her pursuit of fame that was set up in Glee season one, episode one.

[46:44] Audrey: I wait, is that? That's it.

[46:46] Brantly: Yeah, that's, that's, that's the essay.

[46:48] Audrey: I have response. Um, I think that you've like effectively, I feel like that is such a area of this series that I will like have, like, depending on the day, I will have a different opinion on right now in this moment.

[47:02] Audrey: You've effectively convinced me that I think that like, it's like, it's, um, it's, I think it's like, it's almost like the audience that it's like, Hey, Rachel, like we've all learned, we all know this is a bad idea. Why can't you see that? It's a bad idea.

[47:17] Brantly: And it's like, if Rachel was agreeing with it, if any of these characters were agreeing with all the things that we were saying to do, that it wouldn't make it for a fun show.

[47:27] Audrey: Yeah, it's dramatic irony.

[47:28] Brantly: Yeah.

[47:29] Audrey: And so it's like, it's like fun to be like, Hey, you're going into that, like, haunted mansion or whatever. And it's like, well, I would like to see you go into that haunted mansion because it would be fun to watch what happens inside.

[47:42] Brantly: And so, yeah, I don't know. I think, but also like, it's so important to like, remember that, like Rachel and all these characters are like, so young as well.

[47:55] Audrey: That it's like, I, even when you were like talking about like this, like making a career mistake, it's like, yeah, I'm like thinking about career mistakes that I made when I was like 21, 22.

[48:07] Brantly: But it's like, yeah, if I could go back and be like, audience member be like, don't do that, then like, I guess that I wouldn't, but like, I didn't.

[48:16] Audrey: I don't know.

[48:17] Brantly: Yeah.

[48:18] Audrey: Yeah. Anyway, you get it. Anyway, that's it's people say that all the time. Like, it doesn't make sense. I think it makes perfect. I think it's like, it's, it's almost, it's almost like lumped in.

[48:29] Brantly: Oh, not to like, not to talk down about anybody that has said this, that exact opinion before.

[48:37] Audrey: Oh, yes, absolutely. This is no shade to any form.

[48:40] Brantly: No shade. I just need to set the record straight.

[48:41] Audrey: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[48:42] Brantly: But it, it, it almost like feels in line with like, Mr. Shoe is creepy. End of conversation. Thank you.

[48:50] Audrey: Yes.

[48:51] Brantly: Yeah. Well, and specifically, also people conflating the character of Mr. Shoe with Matthew Morrison.

[48:56] Audrey: Oh, we're not, we can't even get into that.

[48:59] Brantly: We, yeah, that's the kind of words.

[49:01] Audrey: Yeah, but yeah.

[49:03] Brantly: Wait, Audrey, yeah. I have a slight rebuttal just to a little bit of, there was some character assassination, I think of Rachel Berry because.

[49:11] Audrey: Yeah, I think, I think that they can both be true.

[49:14] Brantly: Yes.

[49:16] Audrey: I agree with almost all of what you said. The only points I would like to bring up are number one, if she had been at any other Broadway show other than Funny Girl and her dream role, it would have made so much more sense, but like that was her goal for so long.

[49:28] Brantly: And then this, this takes me to my second point, how quickly she was ready to throw it away is bananas because this is where I am in my rewatch.

[49:43] Brantly: Funny Girl premieres. It opens on Broadway. And in the next episode, she is calling out sick to go to LA.

[49:53] Audrey: Okay.

[49:53] Brantly: I don't know if like Brantley has like effectively convinced me so far in this direction, but I will say that in that episode backup plan, the, they do have a musical number in that episode, wake me up where like, we see that like, this is progression of time.

[50:09] Audrey: And so it's not like, Hey, we are a week into this run. It's like communicated to the audience that like.

[50:16] Brantly: How much time?

[50:17] Audrey: Well, and well, and even if it's, I would say, and even if it's not like effectively portrayed, like I'm going to take it back to suspension of disbelief, like television shows, like often truncate timelines, just in service of telling the story and like, like getting, like getting to the point quicker because, you know, I mean, even in the heyday of like 22 episode network television, like we necessarily have the luxury of like spending.

[50:44] Brantly: Oh, what would be a realistic timeline?

[50:46] Audrey: Like, like what, 10 episodes dedicated to Rachel being in Funny Girl, like people would turn out, but it's a good rebuttal though.

[50:57] Brantly: I wish we'd gotten even one episode of like, she's in Funny Girl and she's living her dream rather than like, I don't, we go through it.

[51:05] Audrey: We go through all of the rehearsals and we see her rehearsing and we see opening night. And then the next episode opens with her being bored with her dream that she's had for so long.

[51:16] Brantly: And that's where I think it's a little bit of like character assassination because the Rachel Berry I know for the first five and a half seasons of Glee would have been living her best life.

[51:25] Audrey: Okay. Wait, wait, wait. I'm going to, if you don't mind, I'm going to put a little stamp at the end of this conversation because I know that we're nearing an hour and we sure are without a song being pulled right there at the end.

[51:38] Brantly: If you don't mind, if I put the stamp, writers were put in a very difficult position where I think that like that episode, that season is two episodes shorter than a regular season. It's only 20 episodes.

[51:52] Brantly: And I think that they were like under the gun and they were like, Oh, we got to like, we got to like move momentum in, in, in direction of, you know, the final season of Glee. And we had no time to spare because there's opening night backup plan, Old Dogs, New Tricks, and then untitled Rachel Berry project.

[52:11] Audrey: That's four episodes.

[52:12] Brantly: Old Dogs, New Tricks almost felt like, Hey, we promised Chris Colfer an episode. And like, he needs to have this episode contractually or whatever.

[52:21] Brantly: And so it's like, we only have backup plan to like set in motion, season finale stuff and, you know, going into final season. That's what I have to say.

[52:32] Audrey: And it's fair.

[52:33] Brantly: Yeah.

[52:34] Andrew: Brantley, do you have a discussion? Do you have a potentially speed run?

[52:41] Brantly: Yes.

[52:41] Andrew: Glackett opinion?

[52:43] Brantly: Yes.

[52:44] Andrew: Glackett grievances?

[52:46] Brantly: I do. And I can actually I only brought like three song grievances to begin with.

[52:51] Andrew: Oh, okay. Here we go. We'll just breeze through them.

[52:53] Brantly: Okay. There was an episode with Connor and Patrick. One of them said that Never Can Say Goodbye is the best polo. And thank you, Andrew, for being we already discussed this a little bit, but for being brave, and pointing out later that You Just Keep Me Hanging On is in fact the best Quin solo.

[53:12] Andrew: I hope that's what I said earlier in this episode, because that's what I'm going to say.

[53:12] Brantly: Okay, good. And also, in my opinion, Never Can Say Goodbye is not even up there in terms of best polos. I think the second best is Say A Little Prayer.

[53:23] Brantly: And the third best is a toss up between It's A Man's World and Come See About Me. And Andrew, as we also discussed earlier, I forgive you for giving Come See About Me the boot last week.

[53:33] Andrew: And I love that we're not even acknowledging Papa Don't Preach.

[53:38] Brantly: Papa Don't Preach was the only polo to not make it out of round one. And that is a good one.

[53:44] Andrew: I don't know. Yeah, whatever. I do love that one.

[53:50] Brantly: Okay, this one I was quite salty about, but a unanimous vote for my favorite things over pure imagination.

[53:59] Audrey: Audrey, your baby.

[54:02] Brantly: Yes. Well, it's not my baby, because I didn't have strong feelings about that competition.

[54:10] Brantly: But okay, this is why it's madness to me. My favorite things is not a Christmas song.

[54:15] Audrey: Thank you.

[54:19] Brantly: It mentions snow, so it must be Christmas. Like, no.

[54:21] Audrey: But they say they say they say ribbons.

[54:27] Brantly: No, they do not.

[54:27] Audrey: They don't say Christmas.

[54:29] Brantly: They talk about presents and like ribbons and silver white winters that melt into spring.

[54:36] Audrey: Okay, yeah, but also, hey, wait, not a Christmas song. Do all Christmas songs say Christmas in the in the lyrics for it to be a Christmas song?

[54:45] Brantly: I'm just like annoyingly devil's advocate right now. Most of them are like, concretely tied to Christmas with something like Santa or holidays.

[54:53] Audrey: Like, okay, yeah. So like, my favorite things is kind of like the diehard of Christmas songs, where it's like, it's really devastating.

[55:01] Brantly: Yes.

[55:02] Audrey: Sure. That's actually a great analogy. Truly, I think. That like, people are really firm in their stance on both of those things.

[55:12] Brantly: Anyway. Be brave and share with the class that I have actually never seen diehard.

[55:17] Audrey: So I can't have an opinion on that matter.

[55:19] Brantly: I think you would enjoy it.

[55:20] Audrey: I love movies. It is it is hard for me to find a movie that I don't dislike. So I'm sure I would love it.

[55:27] Brantly: Watch it this holiday season and tell me and tell me.

[55:30] Brantley: But okay, so my favorite things winning over Pure Imagination. I would have immediately disqualified my favorite things because it's not a Christmas song and it's presented in a Christmas context. And additionally, Pure Imagination, it's just a better Glee song. It's like heyday season, I think it's season two, season one or two. And it's so it's like heyday material. It's got smart character dynamics. It's a great Jenna vocal. And my favorite things is just kind of a overly like, it's a Julie Andrews impersonation. And that's it. I think that this song that my favorite things Glee casters Mike Lee cast is similarly to take care of yourself bringing it up again. It's like it's on that upward.

It's like it's like climbing the ranks in my book that I'm like, wait, I've never actually considered it. And they're they're doing something. They're doing something fun and interesting. Watch it back. Tell me that like Lea Michele and Amber Riley specifically aren't like acting for their life. And they're they're having yes, they are playing the camera in such a fun way that I don't know it's it's fun to me. Anyway, it is fun. And I'm this is not to say that I just hate that perform their performance, but I would have 100% voted pure imagination. Listen, I get that. Yeah. My final grievance with the glacket is one that has been brought up many times. And there's also referenced earlier in this recording, mean versus to serve with love.

And to mine. Wrong, wrong. Sorry. Yes. No mean mind that you know, the one that starts with them and is one word and to serve with love would have been dead on site no matter what it was against for me. I have never liked it. Never. That's crazy. I've hated it since that episode of Glee premiered. I think the melody is weird. The rhythm of the song is weird. Hating it since 2010. Oh, yeah. Wow. I've never reached for this song like ever. It's always a skip for me. Another beautiful Jenna vocal that you're in the MP4. Oh, they're sitting on stools. I don't think it's a good way to say goodbye to Mr. Shoe. I think the lyrics it's overly saccharine. And I'm a sucker for overly saccharine. And I think it's overly sad.

I want to like, I want to fight you today, Brantley. Brantley, this is a crazy. I just think like, the Taylor Swift song, it's such more of an interesting storytelling choice, which I believe Ian said in that episode too and to serve is just not. And it's taken out two really great songs on the black it and for that I can never forgive to serve with love, especially because I've been an OG hater of that song. That's for everyone playing at home. The songs that he's mentioning that it took out are Gangnam Style. Uh huh. Mine are the two great songs that that to serve with love has taken out. Can I say something on this Glee podcast? Sure. Gangnam Style is a final round Glee song for me. Final round.

That means final round. Do you understand what that means? Does it? Well, it is like, it is at least in the top four, maybe maybe the sweet 16. It's getting real far in my black it like, okay, I thought that we were agreeing about Gangnam Style, but I don't know if it would make it that far. Oh, that is what Glee is supposed to be. It's campy. It's funny. It's chaotic. Yeah, yeah. No, I agree. I don't think it's making it to the top 16. Also, I, I reach for it all the time, all the time. I know, I know, it's really good. I'm not, I'm just not cosigning on top 16. That's fair. That's fair. Okay. Okay. We're gonna ask a quick question. I know we're like an hour in this podcast. Brantley, mine versus Gangnam Style.

What are you doing? That is so tough, because... Is it? Yes, because I love, love Gangnam Style. It's as I just said, one of my favorite Glee songs. But also, I am a major Swifty. I don't know if you can see that little sparkle on the wall behind me. That is like a framed Taylor Swift CD. Like, I'm like, I went to the Aries tour twice. Like, I'm like, I was defending her on Twitter in high school. I was defending her on Twitter in high school. Like, I'm an OG Swifty. And they do something really unique with that song on Glee. So I don't know, I think I would have to rely on the vibes of the episode. And we don't have those vibes right now. So I can't make a decision. Do we do we want to say what we're manifesting?

Just like how? What are we really rooting for this evening? I just have to report a crime. And that is that there is no Darren Criss left on the blacket for me to listen to. And that is truly painful. Oh, wait, really? All the Blolos are done? I looked, they're all gone. There's not even a duet. Okay. Wow, that's a really fun legal note. A lot of them went through to round three. As of right now, this recording, there are more Blolos than any other solo going through. Right over, I think Mercedes and Rachel, but that can change very easily. I know that like, I know that Rolos there. Again, we have some big Rolos left. Yes. Yeah. So that is the crime I would like to report. But there, as you said, there are some really big songs left.

So I just would like a song that's going to make an impact. And I have a feeling we could fight because the take I just heard from Brantley is really crazy. Me too. I am only here to cause chaos and controversy. Okay, so Brantley, are you manifesting something specific? Anything from a musical. I had, like, I think in my original episode, three of the six songs were, if not explicitly from a musical, or at least from a jukebox musical. And that was just perfect for me because I am a musical theatre girly. Oh, I only I can only remember one. No, I think it's just by proxy of like Audrey being like, much earlier that like, I can remember those early episodes. Brantley, I remember that you had Tonight, not the quintet version.

Oh, no, not tonight. You had One Hand, One Heart. Yeah, that's right. It was One Hand, One Heart. I don't remember. I don't think I can recall any other ones though. Dancing Queen. I could have danced all night. Oh, okay. Yeah, which I believe I just saw on the remains. It's still around. Yeah, yeah. I would love Oh, also sell Black Tango, I believe is still yet to be pulled. I could talk about that right now. Like, oh, yeah. Anything. So anything from musical, Drumpf is Rachel's Drumpf is still here, right? Yeah. Rachel's Drumpf, My Man, and It's All Coming Back to Me Now are all making me scream. And Andrew, we haven't, and I don't think we have time to talk about it right now. But we have not even discussed how we were at the same performance of Maybe Happy Ending and didn't even know.

I know that. I'm so jealous. It was so jealous. I was so sad to know that we missed each other. I know. And also Allison was there. Oh, Allison. Hi, shout out. I missed you. Yeah, I know. That is crazy that that happened. I was like, were you by chance at the same performance? It is lore between my best friend and I. Well, it is her lore for me that you actually hate me, Andrew, because and I don't cosign this. Let me just say that. Okay, because I'm glad that you don't. I think there were two times I was coming to New York and I reached out to you to to like go out for drinks or something. And both times you were out of town or going out of town. Yeah. And then we were at the same performance of Maybe Happy Ending.

And I hadn't reached out to you at all. So their their opinion does actually have some legs now that I'm hearing all this. Yeah, yeah. No, it was like she's like, oh, well, he just hates you, I guess. He's not even going to invite you back on that podcast. Well, and here we are. Well, in a recorded fashion. Here I am. And he doesn't hate me. And we're over an hour in on song number one. Okay. Okay. All right. I'm excited to talk. Can we can we guess what it is based on the screen? You can. Here is oh, you are not going to get it from this frame. You will not. We are looking at do we even know what we're looking at? Describe to audience. It's someone coming around the corner and the background looks like it's like maybe snowy outside or just a really light pavement sidewalk. Yeah, I thought it was hand on a door. So I'm I'm off. That could be it, too. No, no, you were you were correct, Brantley. You want me to tell you? Yeah. Yes. [1:04:35] Natural woman.

[1:09:23] Andrew: Racist for one episode, which I have like weird feelings about that. It's like I don't remember that he wasn't racist. He's okay. He's doing like microaggressions. Yes. Oh yeah. He's just like so blissfully unaware of what he's doing. Like he's not doing it maliciously at all, but like it's still very cringy to somebody who can see the picture. Yeah. And so it's this also the episode where he's like, we like, I can't have a relationship without sex? Is it that? I think that's this is the story like that. Oh, as much as I love the same episode. No, no, no. The same cities, the same cities like no sex plotline does go on for like five consecutive episodes. And it's just like they I feel like they have the same conversation every single episode. And it's like, am I crazy? Or did we not just have the same conversation like the past four weeks? But yeah, no, I don't know how they resolved it. I still don't know how it resolved.

[1:10:28] Brantly: They broke up. They broke up. Yeah. Well, and I actually touched on this in my original episode. I re-listened to my original episode in preparation for tonight. But like homework, I actually appreciate that storyline. I agree, Andrew, it does get a little repetitive. But I went when this was airing, I was raised in a churchy like kind of environment. And like, storylines like, yeah, I'm Mercedes. But like storylines like that, that would have resonated with me at the time, like, when I was in that churchy environment, like, I feel like we did not get like nuanced portrayals of kids who were raised in the church and who were secular but had their held beliefs as like Christians or churchgoing people, whatever you want to call them.

And that was like one of the only ones I think was done well, not only in the broader scope of like pop culture, but like specifically within Glee. Because, and again, I referenced this in my episode, like the Christian characters were like Quinn and Kitty, like, and they were insane and awful. And I mean, we don't have to get this conversation could get very like political, but like, and like, I've grown as a human since my feelings about this like plot point at the time, but like, I really appreciated that storyline in 2014. Now, it did make me sad that they broke up. And, but I do agree, it did get really repetitive.

[1:12:05] Andrew: Yeah, it's also interesting to learn in the year we're recording, not the year that you're listening, that Amber Riley said that there was initially like a different ending to that plot line, where Mercedes is like, yes, we can have sex, and had a conversation with Brad Falchuk, and was like, um, no, like, that's not what we're doing. Like, initially, like the plot was, they were going to, you know, it was written that they, you know, Mercedes, for whatever reason, you know, has a change of heart. And like, they go into a room and like, close the door, like there wasn't actually like going to be like a like a virgin kind of like sex scene. But like, there was the implication that they did have sex that Amber Riley specifically made so that it wasn't going to happen. And I feel like that would have happened in like the season five finale, if I were to guess.

[1:13:11] Brantly: Um, but... Is this from the same episode as Let's Wait Awhile?

[1:13:16] Andrew: Um, no. Is it just like we rehashed the same plot over and over? This is from Bash. Natural Woman is from Bash. Let's Wait Awhile is from Tested. Okay, yeah. Yeah, same location. They're, they're singing. They love that pier.

[1:13:23] Brantly: Yeah, yeah. Sam's, that's their spot. And also, while we're on the subject of that being their spot, I do need to shout out Loyal Glistener Albert, who is one of the biggest gleeks that I know. And he, him and his then boyfriend, traveled, then boyfriend, it sounds like they broke up, but they actually got engaged at this park. Because I, my implication was because of Sam Sadie's. It could also, it was heavily featured in the, it's very, very sweet. It could also be because of the movie Past Lives, which also did film in this park. I don't know if either of you watched that movie.

[1:14:08] Audrey: But Sam Sadie's, Sam Sadie's kind of did it first, if I have to say. Sorry, Greta Lee.

[1:14:14] Brantly: Yeah, they were like the original Past Lives, now that I think about it, because it was like, they, they were high school lovers. And then like, yeah, it was only like two years difference. But sure.

[1:14:22] Andrew: Yeah. Anyway, do we have any further thoughts about Natural Woman?

[1:14:29] Audrey: I thought I was gonna cry that whole time. It is an astounding performance. I mean, it is no wonder that Amber Riley has won an Olivier Award. Like she is acting down, she is giving choices. She's making choices. I don't even remember the specific context of the song. But I was picking up on the choices she was making in her performance. And it's just stunning.

[1:14:51] Brantly: Vocals, just which is a given with anything Amber Riley is gonna sing. But it made me emotional. And I think about that shot at the carousel. I think about that often. Like when I think about Amber Riley on Glee, that is one of the top things I think about.

[1:15:09] Andrew: Yeah. And it's like, as I was watching this, I like had the realization that it was like, this is obviously near, nearish to the end of season five. That they, if I were to guess, that it was like, I feel like the writers were like, oh, we still haven't had Mercedes sing Natural Woman, a song that like, definitively, we need to have her sing by series end for sure. That and like, I'm so glad that they did it. And it's like, it's interesting because I was thinking that and then my brain went to the episode prior to this, New New York, where I remember like telling my mom that like the song, the track listing to New New York as if like, she gave a fuck about any of this. And I was like, Rachel's going to be singing a song named People.

Do you know that song? And I because I didn't know it at the time. And she was like, wait, she hasn't sung that yet. And it's surely not like that. The People in Natural Woman exists in that space that it's like, yeah, we need to have these two vocalists sing this song by series end. So yeah, exactly. So that's all I gotta say. I love this song so much. I'm, I'm scared for her. I think that like, she's a more solo that like, she flies under the radar. She flies under the radar exactly. Because they shoehorned her in.

[1:16:38] Brantly: Yeah. So any, any final beats? Good luck. Are we ready for song number two?

[1:16:47] Audrey: Yes. Great. Here we go. I was hoping that you would.

[1:16:50] Brantly: I love that you still use the cup.

[1:16:53] Andrew: Brantley, you manifested it.

[1:16:58] Brantly: Oh, wait, I did. What did I manifest? Is it a musical number?

[1:17:01] Andrew: Is that the cellblock tango?

[1:17:04] Brantly: It is cellblock tango.

[1:17:06] Andrew: Oh, no. And now the six married murderesses of the Cook County Jail in their rendition of the cellblock tango.

[1:17:10] ♪ Musical number: "Cell Block Tango" — performed by the cast of Glee ♪

[1:19:13] Andrew: I have such a complicated relationship with this song.

[1:19:32] Brantly: Absolutely.

[1:19:33] Audrey: Wait, complicated?

[1:19:35] Andrew: Yes. Well, specifically with Glee. And I was not thinking about that when I was manifesting it.

[1:19:43] Brantly: Oh, of course.

[1:19:44] Andrew: I was thinking of the MP3, not the MP4.

[1:19:47] Audrey: Of course. Audio medium, we do see some displays of domestic violence during that performance. But yeah, that's an important discrepancy. Audrey, what are you thinking?

[1:20:02] Audrey: Well, I always know, like, I know the context of that song within the episode. I do forget that we get the flashback. So it started and I was like, oh my gosh, the staging, the choreography, the outfits, Vanessa Lundgey's, there was like a vocal moment at the beginning that just like.

[1:20:16] Brantly: Oh, yes. Vanessa Lundgey's, it's what? She gets pop and squish, I want to say.

[1:20:23] Audrey: I thought she was lip shits.

[1:20:25] Brantly: Lip, you're right. You're absolutely right. She does get, does she get pop as well?

[1:20:31] Audrey: Oh, I don't even know.

[1:20:33] Brantly: Oh, in the carousel.

[1:20:35] Audrey: Oh, yeah, exactly. Go ahead, Audrey. Sorry.

[1:20:38] Audrey: It just, it gets dark so quickly. So you go from like smiling, like having a great time to, oh, this is like so serious. And then I remember, I think it's a Sue's line, like afterwards, she like follows Beast out and she's like, I know it was bad, like you didn't have to leave. And then it obviously turns very serious again. But yeah, it is. It's a very conflicting song because it's a great time and the MP3 is so good. But the MP4 gets very serious and it's hard to have a good time watching it. But you want to have a good time watching it because the four girlies are killing it.

[1:21:11] Brantly: Yes. And it's like,

[1:21:13] Audrey: There's a bit girly. There's a bit girly. I mean, we get Amber Riley at the beginning, getting the Taye Diggs part that I'm like, girl, they could have had Damian McGinty do the Taye Diggs part. I don't know. But I want to see you with the girls. I don't know.

[1:21:33] Brantly: What are you thinking?

[1:21:35] Brantly: I just, it is so conflicting. And here's the thing. That is such an iconic number in the musical theatre canon. Are they just kind of recreating that in their Glee performance? They're kind of recreating what's done on Broadway eight times a week? Yeah. Do I care? No, that's what I want. Like, I want that or I want Chicago the film, like I want one or the other.

[1:21:58] Andrew: So like, it's just so good. Their performance. I do not love the flashbacks that we get. I do not love that they thought this was an appropriate song to sing for Beast given what she was going through. Granted, they didn't really understand the full extent of her situation. But so the plot context is just oh, it I feel like, like, my chest is gonna like, cave in on itself. Like, I feel so embarrassed for them. But like, the song itself. Oh, it's just so wonderful.

[1:22:32] Brantly: Um, I feel like, okay, I started the conversation with I have complicated relationship with the song. None of which was the reason that either of you just said, Oh, boy, I don't really like, I don't know if this is a hot take or anything. But like, I it's like, okay, like, and you'd be like, very safe maneuvering through this, this conversation. Okay, but I don't mind these homages to domestic because I think that that's what like, Glee does. Well, they like teeter this line of like, hey, they're doing something really campy, but they're also doing they're like, like, literally, I'm going to be quoting I'm quoting Glee to support my.

[1:23:15] Audrey: I argue that like Gwyneth Paltrow and Holly Holliday has like in the sexy episode that she's like, okay, they're like sneaking. I don't even know what the quote is, but like they're like trying to get like kids to eat vegetables or something. And like they're being very strategic in the way of like doing that, that I feel like this is absolutely an example of that, that it's like, we're teaching a lesson in the world that we already exist in. And it's like, yeah, they're going to be like they're young people alluding back to what we were talking about earlier, Brantley, that it's like brains not fully formed. And this is their idea of what, you know, domestic violence is. And so they're going to be singing within their repertoire and being like, hey, here's this, this really, by all extensive purposes, it's a great performance.

Yeah. My problem lies within the fact that we didn't get all six stories that it's like, if you're going to be doing Cell Block Tango, then I want to be seeing all six. The fact that we only get two in the episode, and then just only an additional, like third in the like the full like mp3. And it's like, yeah, if we're gonna like, at least release like the full six mp3. I just felt so cheated. And it was just like such a safe way of doing Cell Block Tango that I was like, okay, then just don't do it at all. That's how I feel. I feel like if you're gonna do it, like, yeah, give us the like, give us the recreation, like kind of how Brantley was saying, like, I want to see what they're doing on Broadway eight times a week.

Yeah, the whole thing, please. Right. And it's like, if you're showing me that you are so like, cut for time, that it's like, we don't have time to do all six stories. So here's two. And it's like, that's not like, I like Cell Block Tango because all six. Can you imagine? You don't have time to show us Vanessa Lungey's doing her part.

[1:25:24] Brantley: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:25:26] Audrey: Exactly what I was about to say.

[1:25:27] Brantley: Lipschitz.

[1:25:28] Audrey: Right out of my mouth.

[1:25:29] Brantley: No, she does.

[1:25:30] Audrey: We just had this discussion.

[1:25:32] Brantley: No, she does Lipschitz.

[1:25:34] Audrey: She does. Yeah, wait, but how does Lipschitz, how is Lipschitz part of the story? I'm forgetting.

[1:25:39] Brantley: It's someone's name.

[1:25:43] Audrey: It's been so long since I've seen Chicago.

[1:25:45] Brantley: I know. Wait, how do we feel about Chicago the Musical in this group, by the way? Because it's kind of, it can be somewhat of a, at least in this day and age, like a polarizing piece, just because it's been running for so long.

[1:25:56] Audrey: I've actually only seen like a small, no, I've seen a production of it twice. I've never seen it on Broadway.

[1:26:05] Brantley: And I've actually, oh, this is bad. I've never seen the movie.

[1:26:11] Audrey: Oh, you've got to see the movie.

[1:26:12] Brantley: Well, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know the music and I've seen the show, but I've never actually watched the movie.

[1:26:18] Audrey: Arguably one of the best stage to film adaptations of all time.

[1:26:22] Brantley: Well, like that's like the Wicked discourse.

[1:26:24] Audrey: Yes.

[1:26:25] Brantley: That it's like, okay, this is, you know, on par, Wicked is on par. And I'm going to say it, Chicago is better.

[1:26:32] Audrey: I haven't watched Chicago in so long, so I can't speak to that.

[1:26:39] Brantley: It's really, really incredible. It won Best Picture. Anyway.

[1:26:43] Audrey: It did.

[1:26:44] Brantley: Um, yeah, I've seen the movie a few times. I have seen the stage show twice. It's great. And Chicago is one of those shows that like, that's what I like tell people when like, they're coming to like, New York for the first time, or like, it's their first time like seeing a Broadway show.

[1:27:02] Audrey: Yeah.

[1:27:03] Brantley: Shows like Wicked and Lion King in Chicago have been running for so long for a reason that it's like, yes, that's the, those are the musicals that it's like, that's, that's your in, go in that way. Yeah, they're great.

[1:27:17] Audrey: Also, these days, add and Juliet and Moulin Rouge into that because those are crowd pleasers.

[1:27:22] Brantley: Yeah. Yeah. And it's also both of those musicals that you listed it like they include songs.

[1:27:27] Audrey: Or jukebox musicals. Yeah.

[1:27:29] Brantley: All, yeah, all these songs, all these musicals include songs that like, you might not think that you know a song from Chicago, but you go into Chicago, and you know, at least like three.

[1:27:39] Audrey: Yeah.

[1:27:39] Brantley: Can I say this is a little bit on a tangent, you just mentioned knowing songs going in, I know two people in my life that went to go see Wicked, did not know the plot, and said they did not know any of the songs.

[1:27:51] Audrey: How?

[1:27:52] Brantley: There is no way.

[1:27:53] Audrey: I went to go see Wicked with my friend the other day, and they had the same exact opinion.

[1:27:57] Brantley: That's insane to me.

[1:27:58] Audrey: What planet do these people live on? That blew my mind. And then I had to tell them like, don't look up spoilers, like either watch the slime tutorial on YouTube or like, yeah, but like, do not look up spoilers.

[1:28:12] Brantley: No.

[1:28:14] Andrew: I do want to ask, did you get to see Chicago with Jinkx Monsoon?

[1:28:19] Audrey: No, I did not.

[1:28:20] Andrew: Oh, okay. Wait, you're not a Drag Race girly, are you?

[1:28:22] Audrey: No, I'm not.

[1:28:22] Andrew: Oh, okay. Okay, that makes sense. Nevermind.

[1:28:24] Audrey: I did. I did. I did work for Jinkx Monsoon for like a year.

[1:28:30] Andrew: Casual and fine.

[1:28:31] Audrey: I always like forget about that. Because like Jinkx Monsoon, like I'm not a Drag Race girly. So I don't like lead with that. Like it would mean something if not to be so if Jinkx Monsoon meant something to me.

[1:28:45] Brantley: Jinkx Monsoon means a lot to a lot of people.

[1:28:48] Audrey: But I look back at that. I'm like, wait, that was like, weird. That's like a really big deal. We're gonna need an offline that I want to hear.

[1:28:55] Andrew: Oh, no, it was like nothing big. I just like I booked, I was that.

[1:28:59] Brantley: Did you listen to their podcast Jinkx Monsoon?

[1:29:01] Audrey: Hi, Jinkx.

[1:29:03] Andrew: Uh-uh.

[1:29:03] Brantley: No, it's okay. I booked for that, though.

[1:29:06] Andrew: No, that's right. You are a professional.

[1:29:09] Brantley: Outside of Gleek of the Week, you work on podcasts.

[1:29:11] Audrey: Yeah, this is what I do.

[1:29:15] Andrew: Podcasting aside, Cell Block Tango, do we have any final notes?

[1:29:18] Audrey: I do want to give a shout out to that Jenna monologue.

[1:29:22] Brantley: Oh, she...

[1:29:23] Audrey: So fierce. So fierce.

[1:29:25] Brantley: Not to pit two beautiful women against each other, but like, Jenna versus Naya, I think Jenna like kind of like ate up her monologue a little bit more.

[1:29:34] Audrey: Maybe, maybe.

[1:29:35] Brantley: I also don't see Naya's really because we're getting the flashbacks.

[1:29:39] Audrey: I feel like we're kind of like this.

[1:29:39] Brantley: That's a very good point.

[1:29:41] Audrey: Where you start kind of being like,

[1:29:43] Brantley: Yeah, I need to see it a little.

[1:29:45] Audrey: That also just made me, you know, as we all know, in this group chat, like, Chicago is a stock casting era and has been for many years. When are we getting Jenna Ushkowitz in Chicago? Like, when?

[1:29:57] Brantley: Oh, I want it. I need it. Give it to me.

[1:29:59] Audrey: Who would you want Jenna as?

[1:30:01] Brantley: Well, I feel like the obvious choice is to put her as Roxy. But like, even if it was like, a two week engagement as that role she just did in that performance, like, I don't think, like, I don't know if they like if they stunt cast that role.

[1:30:16] Audrey: They don't. Yeah, no, but they do.

[1:30:18] Brantley: I mean, they do. I mean, the ones they generally stunt cast are Roxy, Velma, no, Velma's not.

[1:30:26] Audrey: I don't know. So someone fact check me on this.

[1:30:28] Brantley: Why am I forgetting Richard Gere's character's name?

[1:30:32] Audrey: Billy Flynn.

[1:30:32] Brantley: Billy Flynn.

[1:30:34] Audrey: Billy Flynn is sometimes like he's not as often, but they do stunt cast him.

[1:30:39] Brantley: And then I feel like Jinkx was kind of an anomaly with Matron Mama Morton.

[1:30:45] Audrey: Forgot that Jinkx was Mama Morton. That's, oh, that's so fun.

[1:30:49] Brantley: I got to see it. It was so fabulous. Like, she was absolutely perfect.

[1:30:57] Audrey: And it's not like in full costume, but Andrew, just you should look up on YouTube. Jinkx performed her big solo from that, from Chicago.

[1:31:06] Brantley: When You're Good to Mama.

[1:31:07] Audrey: Yes, When You're Good to Mama. Thank you.

[1:31:09] Brantley: She performed that on Drag Race finale, like, just as a guest appearance.

[1:31:14] Audrey: It's she was fabulous.

[1:31:16] Brantley: Yeah.

[1:31:17] Audrey: I did not need to see Chicago on Broadway again, but I went specifically for her and it was the correct decision.

[1:31:24] Brantley: Because I feel like Pamela Anderson was also in Chicago for a limited engagement as well. And I feel like I heard like so much more buzz about like Jinkx Monsoon than I did about like Pamela the Anderson, you know?

[1:31:39] Audrey: She like broke records like for sales like Jinkx did when she like it was kind of insane. And then she did a return engagement this past summer, I believe like.

[1:31:49] Brantley: Yeah.

[1:31:50] Audrey: If she goes back again, you should go, Andrew.

[1:31:53] Andrew: Um, you know what, Chicago is fun. Like Chicago is like you are it's like crazy how much of it like a clear production it is to that it's like you go in and it's like, they have really like finessed this this show and especially like the fact that they go from once there's like, there's no dull period of like, we they song to song to song to song you are not it's like tick tock brain enabled. Yeah. So anyway, the framing of like it all being just like cabaret style. So clever.

[1:32:26] Audrey: Andrew, if you have the opportunity, you got Broadway, you and I, that's gonna be us.

[1:32:31] Andrew: Y'all should go. If you don't want to reveal this to the glisteners, are you in New York?

[1:32:37] Audrey: Unfortunately, no, I'm in the opposite of New York. I'm in Indiana.

[1:32:41] Andrew: That is the opposite.

[1:32:43] Audrey: I have family there. So we should offline about that.

[1:32:46] Andrew: Sorry.

[1:32:48] Audrey: Wait, so Andrew, do we want to get into voting? And do you have any immediate thoughts about this competition?

[1:32:53] Andrew: I'm afraid this is it's not a mid off because neither of these songs are made. It's like an above average off.

[1:33:01] Audrey: It's a good and just a B plus a minus off.

[1:33:04] Brantley: Yeah, I kind of agree.

[1:33:09] Audrey: But it's a tricky one because it's hard for me to not vote through Natural Woman because, you know, like, it's just it is so fantastic, but it's also not the best Marcello.

[1:33:23] Brantley: Yeah.

[1:33:24] Audrey: And Cell Block Tango sparks a good discussion. And it's a better production, I think.

[1:33:30] Andrew: Cool. So you don't know what you're voting for?

[1:33:33] Audrey: I don't know what I'm doing yet.

[1:33:35] Brantley: Can I vote? I think it's probably already obvious.

[1:33:38] Audrey: Please.

[1:33:39] Brantley: It's obvious. Yes.

[1:33:40] Audrey: No, you're looking at me. Audio medium. You're looking at me like no, okay.

[1:33:45] Brantley: No, I'm voting for Natural Woman. That's my number one play.

[1:33:48] Audrey: Oh, I guess you did say that. You did. Yeah.

[1:33:50] Brantley: Yeah. And I feel like I kind of like talked a little bit of smack about Cell Block Tango about like, hey, if you're gonna do it, do the entire song. That's my that's that's what's motivating my vote. Anyway, I was leaning. I was already leaning to Cell Block Tango.

[1:34:06] Audrey: Oh, do you want to confirm that and then do this to Brantley?

[1:34:10] Brantley: It's you can't I'm prepared. I know my vote.

[1:34:13] Brantley: I think I'm gonna do I think I'm gonna say Cell Block Tango.

[1:34:16] Audrey: Okay.

[1:34:18] Brantley: I thought I did manifest Cell Block Tango.

[1:34:23] Andrew: Just I'm gonna take it back to the vibes and the cut scenes.

[1:34:29] Brantley: That was very uncomfortable. The context is uncomfortable. And as much of a great performance as it is. I am going to go with Natural Woman because like I said, I think about that song often with like unprompted. I think about her performance. I think about that shot of the carousel that will hopefully be in the carousel.

[1:34:49] Audrey: Carousel carousel.

[1:34:50] Brantley: Is that that's like also a title that maybe I don't know if that makes sense. I'd like reading it. But yeah.

[1:34:58] Audrey: Yeah, so Natural Woman is my vote.

[1:35:00] Andrew: Do you think that this decision will haunt you?

[1:35:05] Audrey: I do not.

[1:35:05] Andrew: Okay, okay. I feel that it is far less controversial. And the fact that Audrey also was kind of hesitant about her vote, like and could have, I was getting that you could have gone either way. Audrey, am I wrong?

[1:35:20] Audrey: Totally could have gone either way. I'm not mad about it. Not at all.

[1:35:23] Andrew: So yeah, I feel confident in my vote.

[1:35:31] Brantley: Great. All right. Well, are we ready for competition number two? Nearly two hours in, but I feel like it's like kind of like what y'all deserve for.

[1:35:39] Audrey: It is. It feels correct.

[1:35:43] Andrew: I also want you to know that I am skipping or postponing my viewing of the Survivor finale.

[1:35:48] Brantley: Me too.

[1:35:49] Andrew: I didn't realize that when we scheduled this. My husband was like, so what are we doing about the Survivor finale? And I'm like, you can watch it. I'm just going to watch it afterwards and stay off Twitter.

[1:35:57] Brantley: I am so sorry.

[1:35:59] Andrew: My sister texted me this morning because we usually text while we're watching it. And she was like, finale night. She sent a little gif of Jeff Probst. And I was like, um, about that.

[1:36:10] Brantley: Sorry, I got to talk about another show right now.

[1:36:13] Andrew: The Glockenspiel is important.

[1:36:15] Andrew: I have a season six song, which I'm like kind of surprised.

[1:36:19] Brantley: Interesting.

[1:36:21] Andrew: There's not many of those left.

[1:36:23] Audrey: Not at all. Do we have shot in the dark? Audio medium? What are we looking at, Audrey?

[1:36:28] Audrey: We're looking at Sue and Becky.

[1:36:34] Brantley: I know Bitch is left. Is it? But I don't know what that is.

[1:36:38] Audrey: Left is...

[1:36:43] Brantley: I mean, do you want me to?

[1:36:45] Audrey: I told you I'm a season six. Like I don't know her.

[1:36:48] Brantley: So...

[1:36:50] Audrey: But I feel like it's only right that I tell you that you did just name what the song is.

[1:36:54] Brantley: It is Bitch.

[1:36:55] Audrey: Oh boy. Okay, here we go.

[1:37:09] ♪ Musical number: "Bitch" — performed by Meredith Brooks ♪

[1:39:06] Audrey: I liked that more than I thought that I would. That was so fun.

[1:39:09] Brantly: Yeah, it was the same.

[1:39:12] Audrey: Okay, because I started it and I was like, okay, how did this get to round two? I looked it up.

[1:39:17] Brantly: It won against Rock Lobster, which I think is from the same episode.

[1:39:22] Audrey: Bitch and Rock Lobster are both from Hurt Locker part two.

[1:39:28] Brantly: It broke from season six at the very least.

[1:39:30] Audrey: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, um, I don't know. I had fun watching that. That was a good watch.

[1:39:36] Brantly: Yeah, yeah, I agree. That is kind of on the same plane in my head as Little Girls. Like, it makes sense that Sue Sylvester sings those two songs.

[1:39:48] Audrey: Yes. And I mean, I had so much fun watching her. Did anybody clock the sign as she was going down the hallway?

[1:39:58] Brantly: ISIS Awareness Week.

[1:40:00] Audrey: ISIS Awareness Week is so inspired. I love it.

[1:40:05] Brantly: I literally wrote it down in my notes app and all it says, all caps, is ISIS Awareness Week. I wrote it. A skull emoji. It's really great.

[1:40:14] Audrey: It was so campy, the whole thing. And, like, Jane Lynch, we know this. This does not need to be stated, but I'm going to state it anyway. Comedy legend.

[1:40:25] Brantly: And that, like, staring into the camera, the faces she was giving us, that was, it was comedic gold.

[1:40:32] Audrey: That was so fun. There was eye contact.

[1:40:35] Brantly: Yes.

[1:40:36] Audrey: She looked into our souls.

[1:40:38] Brantly: Yeah. I will say, I know this is like almost like a tired opinion, possibly. An opinion that I feel like I probably borrowed, just like I'm taking from the glinternet. But this song and also Love Full are two songs that were incorrectly stolen from Lucy Quinn for Bray.

[1:41:05] Audrey: That, like, those two songs are, you're looking at me confused as if you disagree, but I feel like both, Bitch, I feel like it's like all the things that Meredith Brooks is saying in Bitch, that she's like, she's a daughter, she's a mother, she's a sinner, she's a saint. Like, all these things, like, just like plot-wise make sense. I know that it works for Sue. But I think it's like, I would have much rather seen Quo Lo version. Thoughts?

[1:41:41] Brantly: I would love to see that. You're so right. I didn't even think about that, but you're so right.

[1:41:47] Audrey: Yeah. I never thought of it, but now that you say it, it would have been perfect for her vocal range, if nothing else. I can hear it.

[1:41:55] Brantly: That would be, it would be a slay, as the kids say.

[1:42:00] Audrey: It would be a slay. And also just like, Love Full too. And I'm like, Love Full, it like hits that same range that it's like, it didn't need to be a Rolo.

[1:42:10] Brantly: It did not need to be a Rolo.

[1:42:11] Audrey: Can you please remind me how that song goes? I'm drawing a total blank and you're going to say it and be like, obviously.

[1:42:16] Brantly: Love me, love me, say that.

[1:42:18] Audrey: Yeah. I just forget that that's called Love Full.

[1:42:21] Brantly: Yeah.

[1:42:22] Audrey: That would have also been great. Full me, full me. Go ahead and full me. Bitch.

[1:42:30] Brantly: I don't know. I really was vibing. Do we have further notes about Bitch?

[1:42:33] Audrey: I loved those comedic moments also of her, Rachel opening her desk drawer, because it's a season six when Rachel's teaching McKinley for the Glisteners. And Sue's laying in the desk drawer.

[1:42:46] Brantly: For like a really, it's almost like it's too long. The bit lasts.

[1:42:51] Audrey: The song ends by Rachel closing the drawer and putting Sue.

[1:42:59] Brantly: And she first opens the drawer like very, very early on in the song.

[1:43:05] Audrey: And then also being in, oh, what? Jane.

[1:43:11] Brantly: Jane's locker. All I could think of was Samantha Marie Ware.

[1:43:14] Audrey: Yeah. But yeah. That was a time. I thoroughly enjoyed that. And when we pulled it, I was like, oh, okay. I do fear that this is like a layup for a bigger song.

[1:43:27] Brantly: Yeah.

[1:43:28] Audrey: I'm hoping not for a song that I'm like, I'm hoping to almost like lay Bitch to rest right now.

[1:43:35] Brantly: Yeah. I don't know. Any final notes?

[1:43:40] Audrey: It was fun. And I'm excited to see what comes for her.

[1:43:43] Brantly: Yeah. Bitch. You got a big storm coming.

[1:43:48] Audrey: Here we go.

[1:43:49] Brantly: This.

[1:43:54] Audrey: Oh, this is such an interesting. I'm like mad.

[1:43:57] Brantly: Oh no. Is it a mid-off?

[1:44:01] Audrey: I'm like, no, because like, it's like these things happen. And I feel like we had, it was like, who was it? It was like Patrick and Claudia's episode where it was like, most of the songs in that episode were just like stinkers.

[1:44:21] Brantly: Happened to me last time. It's my fault.

[1:44:24] Audrey: This competition is like both of these songs. I'm really drawing it out. Both of these songs could easily lay up like my man.

[1:44:36] Brantly: Drump.

[1:44:37] Audrey: I'm talking about Nutbush City Limits. But here we go. And these two songs are against each other and it just doesn't feel. It doesn't feel good.

[1:44:45] Brantly: But alas. Here we are.

[1:44:52] Audrey: It's okay. Sharing screen. The screen grab that you're looking at right now is Rachel. Pouty face holding her phone.

[1:45:02] Brantly: Rachel is not in this, in this song. It's about to cut to McKinley. The episode where she's doing the student film.

[1:45:12] Audrey: And she's going to be naked on screen.

[1:45:14] Brantly: No, it is not.

[1:45:15] Audrey: This is my only guess. She, I believe is about to say.

[1:45:21] Brantly: That she got a callback.

[1:45:24] Audrey: If I'm not mistaken. Here we go.

[1:45:27] Brantly: Boom.

[1:45:44] ♪ Musical number: "Outcast" — performed by Glee Cast ♪

[1:47:57] Audrey: Can I, can I start off by saying something? Maybe crazy.

[1:48:06] Brantly: Please do.

[1:48:07] Audrey: I also really enjoyed that.

[1:48:13] Brantly: You're lying.

[1:48:14] Audrey: No, that was actually like.

[1:48:16] Brantly: No, I'm not. This is not a bit. I promise.

[1:48:19] Audrey: I kind of like enjoyed that and maybe this is because we're like almost like two hours into recording that I'm like delirious. But like that kind of like hit.

[1:48:30] Brantly: Two hours into a recording.

[1:48:32] Audrey: But Andrew. I your face. Like I made note of your face. And you were kind of audio medium. You were kind of like scowling the whole time. Like no.

[1:48:40] Brantly: But like.

[1:48:42] Audrey: I don't know. It's because this is maybe like galaxy brain. Maybe it's. It's probably not.

[1:48:51] Brantly: Okay.

[1:48:52] Audrey: If you're going to make me feel like a heightened emotion. Either direction. Or in any direction. You know. Either I really, really like it. Or I really, really am like so confused by it. And I'm just like. I just feel like I'm. I felt so much during that. And I was like. It almost like turned. Indearing. That I was like. This is actually like. There's something kind of like. Silly and stupid and fun about this.

[1:49:28] Brantly: I don't disagree. I just was not getting from your facial expression during the performance. I'm glad that we're having a conversation about it then.

[1:49:34] Audrey: Yeah. Well. This is an original song.

[1:49:37] Brantly: Yeah.

[1:49:38] Audrey: Yeah. Yeah. No. Yes.

[1:49:41] Brantly: Okay. Canonically Marley. This is Marley.

[1:49:44] Audrey: Marley in the book.

[1:49:46] Brantly: Yeah. Can I just say. Like. She's got so much hate and I think she's a wonderful vocalist and I do not understand why people think that she sounds so throaty.

[1:50:04] Brantly: In my life have said this.

[1:50:05] Audrey: Like. Saying that. People are saying this.

[1:50:05] Audrey: Marley is. I wrote it. Has been said on the Glocket I could be totally wrong.

[1:50:07] Brantly: You're saying that people are.

[1:50:09] Audrey: Maybe not necessarily on the Glocket but like people.

[1:50:10] Brantly: Wait. Can you define.

[1:50:13] Audrey: I don't know. Singing. Someone said. Oh. It sounds like. There's like. A mucus bubble. In the back of her throat. While she's singing. And I'm like. No. That's incorrect. But that's what. That's how it was described to me. And I've never understood.

[1:50:29] Brantly: It's actually like. It's actually. Glinda's bubble. It's actually. It's the spirit.

[1:50:35] Audrey: It's the spirit. Of Kristen Chenoweth. And are. Also Ariana Grande. Coming through her. Her throat.

[1:50:41] Brantly: Yeah. It's good to hear her.

[1:50:44] Audrey: Isn't it? What are you thinking?

[1:50:46] Brantly: I'm a little speechless. At your reaction. Honestly. That to me. Is. I'm not looking at a list. I think that's the worst. Original song on Glee. But I think.

[1:51:01] Brantley: This is not what your intention was, Audrey. The worst original song, at least it's not boring. It's not boring, but I'm cringing, because I feel like the whole Gleek Hub got together and they're like, okay, I know Marley, she was really scared to share her songs with us, and now she did, and now we have to pretend that they're good, but I know this is bad, but we have to do it, because we prefer to share these. One of my notes, too, was I don't hate it, but I don't love it. And I feel that this is going to be controversial. It's no Loser Like Me. I love Loser Like Me. I understand. This is like, oh my gosh. I love Loser Like Me season two or three. No, I don't like season five. Oh, you like the two.

Yeah, like the original. And I know that that is not a common opinion on this podcast. It died in round one. Yeah, it did. And I was so sad. But season five is seeing round three. And I don't agree with that. I did elect to leave that out of my grievances. But here we are. It is in the same vein of Loser Like Me, though, of like, oh, we're downtrodden, but it's okay. I think. Okay. Sorry. It's Loser Like Me in a different font. Yeah, I think. And this is maybe like bad on me for like quadrupling down on this. But like, the cousin. Okay, so I don't like Loser Like Me season two. Like, I'm like, it's good. It's fine. It's Glee. Glee I'm going to enjoy. But I'm like, there's something there. I don't think I have the words to describe Loser Like Me season two right now.

It's like the cousins of Loser Like Me season two. And that includes Loser Like Me season five, and also Outcast. But these are two clear extensions of Loser Like Me that I'm like, once you put like a hat on a hat, I know that like, it usually doesn't work. But I think it works. But I'm like, there it's like stupid on stupid, you know? It was endearing. I do you do stupid. If you do stupid ones, it's like that's not stupid enough. You got it. You got to double the stupid. Does that make sense? It makes sense. But I just disagree. I'm going to talk this up to you being delirious. I'm being delirious. I am. I've been up since like 5am. I like I just like, yeah. I don't know. I genuinely don't know how I'm going to vote on this one.

Because I feel like we were all cringing during that song. So that's why I'm so shocked. Well, so I will say towards the end of that song, I was like, yeah, I'm voting for Bitch. But then we got into the discussion. And I was like, Oh man, is this gonna be my next? Am I doing? Am I changing something? Well, look at the good thing about this. Brantley, I don't think that you're doing a sway. My life would suck without you. Okay, that was my fear. But they're too mid for that. Yeah, exactly. There's no like, clear, like better song here. I mean, I would argue that if you're, I know we're talking about Glee. If you take Glee out of it, the better song is Bitch. Yeah, of course. Yeah. But we're going on vibes.

[1:54:31] Brantley: I have a legal note, if we're ready for that.

[1:54:33] Audrey: I'm ready.

[1:54:34] Brantley: It's a very fun legal note that occurred to me while we were watching. Both of these songs, Bitch and Outcast, their round one competitors were both Max George songs from season six Vocal Adrenaline that I'm like, I am so haunted by the fact that every song and I think that like both of those competitions are clear, like, okay. Like they're, what do I want to say? My brain is hardwired hardwired. Like, Outcast was egregious. I think that people were upset about that. Because like, You Give Love a Bad Name was the Max George song that lost. And then like, I thought Alice and I both thought like, oh, we were doing a good thing by like setting Outcast through instead of a Max George song. But everyone was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, we actually stand by that Max George song.

What did you just do? Um, so and also, I just need to flag this while I'm making the carousel. Eduardo made a very, very funny graphic that mentions the Max George, like, killing spree during round one. So I will include that in the carousel. It's very, very funny. That meme where it's the Grim Reaper going down the line. Just killing everyone. It doesn't matter. Okay, how are we feeling? Do we want to talk about Outcast more? Do we want to vote? What do we want to do?

[1:56:08] Audrey: I just feel very torn. I feel like we need to hire lawyers for both of those songs.

[1:56:14] Brantley: Let me advocate for Bitch for just a moment. I think it would be wrong to not give another set of people the opportunity to have eye contact with Jane Lynch.

[1:56:25] Audrey: I will say in your defense, this is the only How do we want to say it? Swallow? Yeah. Little Girls and Vogue, as we've talked about earlier, they both died in round one, this was the only one, this is the third and only one that made it to round two. And so I think that you make a potentially good defense if you want to carry on Sue's legacy to round three.

[1:57:00] Brantley: I will go ahead. I'll start the wheel here. I will vote for Bitch to go through.

[1:57:08] Audrey: I guess like...

[1:57:11] Brantley: Don't do this to Brantley.

[1:57:13] Audrey: I know. I'm like, do I want to just do this? Brantley, what are you thinking?

[1:57:17] Brantley: I'm thinking if you vote for Outcast, the decision is not going to be the same magnitude as Sway versus My Life Would Suck. But internally, it feels the same. Do you have what your heart is saying right now or not?

[1:57:31] Brantley: I am going back and forth between the two every second. Let me think this through out loud, if I may.

[1:57:40] Audrey: Yeah, go ahead. I love that.

[1:57:41] Brantley: I'm thinking, okay, going back to my notes that I made while we were watching Jane Lynch, for Bitch, Jane Lynch, comedic legend, Isis Awareness Week, hysterical. Being in the drawers, being in the lockers, that was great. It was a really funny musical number. And while we were all kind of cringing during Outcast, I did say justice for a Marley vocal. And I don't hate it, but I don't love it. But it has grown on me throughout the discussion. Oh, and we didn't even talk about the wheel cartwheel at the end. Yeah, Mr. Schuster coming on to the stage.

[1:58:27] Audrey: Why? That could kill it for me, honestly.

[1:58:30] Brantley: Really?

[1:58:31] Audrey: It was really cringe. The cartwheel.

[1:58:36] Brantley: The cartwheel.

[1:58:38] Audrey: Oh, that's also like maybe title that.

[1:58:40] Brantley: Cartwheel.

[1:58:43] Audrey: Well, we've got some good options.

[1:58:44] Brantley: Yeah, you're supplying them. After that, do you feel confident about?

[1:58:50] Audrey: I'm reading more a particular way than I was before.

[1:58:53] Brantley: Wait, Audrey, go ahead.

[1:58:55] Audrey: You mentioned the Marley vocal, and I believe there are several, I think, I'm not looking at a list anymore, vocals going through. Because I agree with you, I love her voice.

[1:59:04] Brantley: Thank you.

[1:59:05] Audrey: I think she should progress, but not in the song. I also just going to throw it out there in the vein of Marley vocals. Justice for Wrecking Ball.

[1:59:16] Brantley: No, this is no, we're not talking about Wrecking Ball right now.

[1:59:19] Audrey: No, I can't get into it.

[1:59:20] Brantley: No, no.

[1:59:22] Audrey: Okay, I'm ready to vote.

[1:59:25] Brantley: Okay, I think.

[1:59:25] Audrey: Do you want me to vote first, Andrew?

[1:59:27] Brantley: Yeah, I think I know your vote, just based on what you just said.

[1:59:30] Audrey: I'm voting for Bitch.

[1:59:31] Brantley: You're voting for Bitch.

[1:59:32] Audrey: So then I'll do like a pity one.

[1:59:34] Brantley: And this is like an honest pity one for Outcast.

[1:59:38] Audrey: That like Outcast.

[1:59:39] Brantley: I don't mind the pity votes, honestly.

[1:59:40] Audrey: They're Outcast.

[1:59:41] Brantley: I'll miss that.

[1:59:48] Audrey: I'm so glad I don't have to listen to that again. It's like, you know what? That song, it might not be moving forward on the Glackett anymore. But I think it's going to be a part of the rotation from now on. I'm going to be listening. I'm going to be streaming. Outcast, you may be dead in the Glackett, but you're alive to me.

[2:00:10] Brantley: Okay, are we ready for the final competition?

[2:00:14] Audrey: I'm ready.

[2:00:15] Brantley: I hope this is one of those where like the first two rounds were so like kind of dull. And then we get like.

[2:00:20] Audrey: I hope we get heavy hitters.

[2:00:22] Brantley: And I hope we kind of, I don't want to say I want us to fight. I don't want us to fight. But I want us to have a spirited discussion.

[2:00:28] Audrey: Okay, spirited discussion for sure.

[2:00:30] Brantley: This is like, okay.

[2:00:31] Audrey: Okay, so we're looking at a quarterback song.

[2:00:36] Brantley: Oh no.

[2:00:37] Audrey: I knew there were two left.

[2:00:38] Brantley: There are two left.

[2:00:39] Audrey: This isn't like the, it's not like the more.

[2:00:43] Brantley: It's not If I Die Young.

[2:00:45] Audrey: It's not If I Die Young.

[2:00:46] Brantley: Okay. I was not emotionally prepared for that.

[2:00:49] Audrey: It would be I'll Stand By You.

[2:00:52] Brantley: It is indeed I'll Stand By You.

[2:00:55] ♪ Musical number: "I'll Stand By You" — performed by Mercedes ♪

[2:01:25] ♪ Musical number: "I'll Stand By You" — performed by Mercedes ♪

[2:01:55] ♪ Musical number: "I'll Stand By You" — performed by Mercedes ♪

[2:03:26] ♪ Musical number: "I'll Stand By You" — performed by Mercedes ♪

[2:03:30] ♪ Musical number: "I'll Stand By You" — performed by Mercedes ♪

[2:03:34] Brantley: No, no, no.

[2:03:38] Audrey: I'll Stand By You.

[2:03:46] Brantley: Okay.

[2:03:49] Audrey: I'll Stand By You, Mercedes version. Obviously, trickier territory than what we were just talking about.

[2:04:02] Brantley: Yeah.

[2:04:03] Audrey: Do we have anything that we want to lead with discussion?

[2:04:07] Brantley: I was not as prepared for that as I thought it was going to be. I was crying. I had to go on mute for a second to sniff. It's just, it's the cutaways to all the characters looking so shocked and dejected. And I know that that wasn't acting for them. And not to get too personal on this Glee podcast, but I know what that feels like. And it just, it sucks. And I hate that they were going through that in real life. And in light of what we now know from, and that's what you really missed, about how they feel like it was actually the wrong decision to continue filming so soon after Corey passed, like, oh, that was rough. Or just to do this episode in general. Yeah.

[2:04:53] Andrew: Yeah, which is like not like an opinion. I mean, I would expect my 17-year-old self to have, but also like my 17-year-old self is like, yeah, this feels like this would be the next step to have this episode and like, not taking into consideration, but it's like, hey, this was a person that everybody in that room is feeling grieving, like they're having they're processing their emotions at a different rate. And it's like, whoa, like, it's so crazy to think about, like, because like, I remember watching it at 17 years old. The next day, I went into school talking about it with other people. And I was like, here are my notes. Here are my notes, like a memorial episode of a person that actually died.

And I'm like, whoa, that's crazy 17-year-old me. But like, now I'm looking back and I'm like, those Yeah, those cutaways are um, insane. And also just like, God, I'm sure that they they likely consider stock stopping production. Like they were just like, hey, is this episode actually a good idea? A number of times, but they actually like needed to satisfy the episode for you know, but like, it's, it's a what a what an insane episode.

[2:06:19] Audrey: Yeah, I hate to pass it to you. No, I what are you thinking? I have a really hard time with this episode because and I think this was shared on the and that's a really missed episode where they had all the fan voicemails, the quarterback. I have half of me where I know, as a human how hard that had to have been like impossible that was to film like, I can't even imagine. But then there's the half of me that is a fan. And Corey was like the first, like, and still to this day is like the biggest celebrity loss that I've suffered. Yeah, really, but it is and this episode really helped me process that grief and live through it. And every time I watch it, it still reminds me and makes me think of Corey and, you know, so that's kind of my conflict with it is I'm like, I really appreciate and value that episode. But at the same time, I wish they did not have to do that. I almost wish they could have AI the whole episode.

[2:07:26] Brantly: Sure. You didn't have to do it.

[2:07:34] Audrey: Yeah, cosine 100% Audrey, like, as a fan, that episode is very healing. And I actually I do seek out this episode from time to time. I haven't done it in a while. But like, if I just like need to feel an emotional release, or I'm feeling bad about something, and I just need to like, really, like, get my emotions going. Like, this helps me revisit like, because like you were saying, Audrey, like, this was also one of my first, if not my first, the first big celebrity death that I experienced. And so like revisiting those emotions, but also just knowing now what we know and how. And I think we even knew at the time that like, a lot of this episode was like, and someone may need to fact check me here.

But I remember hearing that most of this episode was like one take per scene because they weren't acting, they weren't acting. And it's just as like you said, Audrey, like as a fan, such a healing experience. So glad we have it, had it. But as a human, it trying to feel empathetic towards other humans, like, the fact that they had to do that, like, and you can see it on their faces, like we just saw.

[2:08:41] Andrew: Yeah. And how quickly it was done. Like, I remember watching, I want to say it was the Teen Choice Awards that year. And it was like the first time that Leah had been like seen in public. Oh, I just remember like crying seeing her and her like thinking that like the whole cast was up on stage with her. Yeah. And, and it was like, it wasn't that long after that.

[2:09:04] Audrey: No, it was definitely under a month. And it's also interesting to, I feel so weird about like, listening to like, cast members like Kevin and Jenna included with the way that they talk about like going into production with the quarterback episode. And they were like, yeah, it was like two months later. And I was like, No, I know. A lot of times I know this show better than y'all. This time being one of them. That was like less than a month that you went into production after he died that you like we're doing this, this tribute to the character that he portrayed. It's like, I like, I don't know. It's like, it drives me a little crazy that they have, understandably, a skewed perception of what happened.

It's like, no, that was actually like, that was a crazy situation to begin with. But here, here's a like an element that makes it even crazier. You were doing this sooner than you even thought that you were. So yeah, no, it's, it's, it's crazy that, like that happened. And I'm but I'm glad that like, I'm like, I have the foresight to, you know, confront 17-year-old opinion about this episode and be like, angry, like I was like, I remember being like, upset about like the Diana Agron erasure during this episode, and like the fact who got like songs in this episode, like this song being one of them that I was like, why I remember being like, kind of like upset that Mercedes had a song in this episode when it's like, this isn't a character that like you had a relationship with.

And so it's like, you are, this is 17-year-old me talking, you are taking up like, like time of like, you know, Mr. Shoe getting a song or Kurt getting a song specifically, you know, two characters that had a much closer relationship, but who am I big Andrew talking, like, who am I to dissect, you know, what this episode was, you know, the fact that it shouldn't even happen in the first place.

[2:11:06] Brantly: And I guess I don't know, the production side of this episode, but in my head, my head canon, is that they, the people that say, and I'm sure this isn't correct, the people who sang songs were people who were like, I can handle it.

[2:11:25] Andrew: So yeah, I wouldn't know if that's correct. I was wondering the same thing, singing songs. That's what I would imagine. And I will I do I do know that, like, like Naya stepped up to the plate. And like, she is. I feel correct in saying this, like she is like, main character in this episode. Like, like a lot of the story does follow her grieving process. And she like stepped up to the plate, because obviously, like, Leah wasn't going to be around until the final act of the episode. So, yeah.

[2:12:00] Audrey: I think the last time I watched this episode, no, was my rewatch. But prior to that, the last time I actually saw it out on its own, was after Naya died. Yeah, that was another obviously significant celebrity death. And I was much older at that point. But like, I was like, I just need to like, agree. That was a way of grieving was revisiting this episode. And it sounds weird to grieve a celebrity. But like, it's, you know, the show is special and had a really big impact on me. And to lose someone who was such a big part of that is kind of it's heartbreaking and devastating in a way. But yeah, this it's but again, just such so many complicated feelings as time has about this episode exists.

[2:13:30] Brantly: I think also what really, like breaks my heart for them the most is that they had to film those two Beatles episodes before they film this, if I'm not mistaken.

[2:13:39] Andrew: Yeah, yeah. And I remember some production photos, or maybe stills or something of that nature being released from the Beatles episodes. And I remember thinking, looking at those photos and thinking to myself at the time, like, you can tell they're not ready to be shooting the show at all. Like they're they had joyful expressions on their face, but you I could just see it in their eyes. And maybe that was me projecting my feelings about them going to production so soon on to them. But like, man, I will say all around one of the things that I recently like, found out through Kevin and Jenna's podcast, that like the drive my car musical performance of like, them at a carnival, like the way that they were talking about it, maybe I'm like, completely misremembering the way that they were talking about it.

But it almost like felt like a, hey, here's like an actual carnival, because we know that like, this is really stupid that we're all here. And like, here's like a little like, window into like a celebration where you can like, hopefully like forget all this mess, which I thought like that was I never considered it through that lens that it's like, hey, yeah, like, here's that here's a treat, you know.

[2:14:12] Andrew: So but what I have to say about I'll Stand By You just as a number I know that we're talking about, like, like, very, like, broadly about like, quarterback, and Corey right now, but like, I'll Stand By You as a number. I really, really enjoy I remember this was from episode two of Gleek of the Week. And so I remember like voting for it. Oh, my gosh, against Toxic Season Two, which I think I would vote in a different, in a different way. If I were to vote right now, I would I think I would vote for Toxic Season Two. But I, I like I'll Stand By You, Mercedes version, I prefer audio, Mercedes video, Finn, if that makes sense.

[2:15:02] Brantly: Right? Absolutely.

[2:15:07] Andrew: And legal note, Finn's version is already going to round three.

[2:15:13] Brantly: And I also just want to bring up the fact the follow version is so I don't know if you remember this about it. It's so cut short, that it's like they are in there out. And like, as I was watching this right now, I've been so programmed by the Finn edit of the episode version that I'm like, Mercedes is like singing a lyric that is actually next in the song, but like actually has been cut out of the follow version that I'm like, Oh, you're singing the wrong part right now. Mercedes, but it's like, no, you're actually just singing the actual song as it exists. So anyway, oh, and then also, this is like a, an annoying 17-year-old opinion of the song that I need to get out. Mercedes knowing that Finn sang this song has never really.

[2:16:07] Audrey: I thought about that while you're watching.

[2:16:12] Andrew: I honestly like don't care. I don't care now. But I'm like, I just remember holding on to that opinion for a very long time. I suspended my disbelief.

[2:16:19] Brantly: Yeah, I might say.

[2:16:19] Andrew: Yeah, yeah. I don't think that's something that he like shared is like a gag. Like, guys, I was so like, I really thought I was this baby's dad. So I sang to this ultrasound. I mean, it's like, Kurt was there for it. So it's possible that Kurt told Mercedes. It's Yeah, it's fine. Kurt played the piano for all stand by you follow version.

[2:16:40] Brantly: Oh, you're right. You're right. You're right.

[2:16:45] Andrew: I'm just like, I'm seeing him in his room singing.

[2:16:45] Brantly: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[2:16:45] Andrew: Yeah. And then it like cuts to his room. And then also just quick legal notes. seasons of love is the only quarterback song that is seeing round three so far. This song and if I die young are the only remaining songs in round two. We'll see how the this competition goes, of course. And then also like a fun legal note. A fun legal note about the song. Here we go. Um, okay, so it's something that I discovered a while ago. And here I go saying it. The four characters that have original songs in the episode original song, puck, Mercedes, Santana, Rachel are also the four characters that have solos in the quarterback.

[2:17:25] Brantly: Huh? Fun fact. Fascinating. Store that away. Do nothing with that information. There will be a glee trivia night one day and I'm gonna pull that out.

[2:17:43] Andrew: Right? What do the quarterback and original song have in common? Do we have any final notes on the standby season five version? The Mercedes vocal is obviously insane. Like do I even need to say that like, it's, it's such a stunning listen. Just context. It's just Yeah, killer.

[2:18:10] Brantly: Yeah. I feel like if we were to vote it out, it would to be Oh, no.

[2:18:22] Andrew: Um, okay. Oh, this is fascinating.

[2:18:29] Brantly: Oh, boy. This is a I know that we're like over two hours. We are recording. Okay, this is a biggie. I'm scared.

[2:18:37] Andrew: Another season six. That's crazy.

[2:18:43] Brantly: Oh, geez. Audio medium. We're looking at little adrenaline. They're shocked. Yeah, you know what, Audrey, if it's a biggie that I there's only one in season six, I think.

[2:18:46] Andrew: You got it, come on.

[2:18:48] Audrey: I Know Where I've Been?

[2:18:49] Brantly: It's I Know Where I've Been.

[2:18:50] Andrew: Oh, man.

[2:19:16] ♪ Musical number: "I Know Where I've Been" — performed by Alex Newell ♪

[2:21:35] Brantly: That shot where Alex Newell is doing that last high note, and it's on a dolly, and it's like close up, and then it yanks back to show the entire choir, I think is so funny.

[2:21:48] Audrey: Yeah, well, it did kind of, the high note took me by surprise. I forgot they did the option up there.

[2:21:56] Brantly: The option up.

[2:21:57] Audrey: And also it's just like, it's, I feel like every time I've listened to this song, I'm like, oh, there's a high note that like, is very high leading up to the big high note that I'm like, oh, that's the high note. And then I'm like, oh, when you actually get to the final note, it's like, no, there it is.

[2:22:16] Brantly: This kind of like gave me, like, I have like a complicated relationship with this song. Before we get too dark, can I ask a question as, I swear, I like the show. I love the show. Can someone just give me the context? Because like I said, famously, I watched season six, like, maybe twice. Can someone just like give me the context?

[2:22:37] Audrey: The story leading into this is at the beginning of season six, Coach Beast comes out as trans. And so like leaves episode three to transition, then comes back to the school in this episode, which I think is like episode nine. And is like, hey, guys, I'm back. And then Vocal Adrenaline, Will's club at that point, is like their entire team is being assholes to Coach Beast. And then Unique comes back to McKinley and is like, hey, Coach Beast, here's some tips. Like we were in this together. And then they trick Vocal Adrenaline to come to the auditorium so they can sing the song at them.

[2:23:39] Brantly: At them. I got crazier than I thought I was gonna get. Okay, so I knew the basic context, but I'm glad I have the pieces filled in. Thank you.

[2:23:47] Andrew: Um, okay. Wait, how do we want to have this conversation?

[2:23:51] Audrey: Oh, I really enjoyed that. I am a sucker for a Hairspray number. I really, really appreciate the recontextualization to be more about the plight of the trans community, which, as we know, intersects with people of color a lot too. So I just, I don't know, I thought that was really a really beautiful way to recontextualize a song.

[2:24:18] Brantly: Um, can I just say like, also, you brought up like the Hairspray of it all. This song always like takes me out. I'm like, I need to look at the, like the, the, the history of I Know Where I've Been. Because just like that song just is a tier of its own with Hairspray numbers. That it's like, was the same person like cooking up this one too? Because that's crazy.

[2:24:37] Audrey: You know, they're all great. But this song is like, it just, it just feels like an entirely different, it feels like yanked from a different musical, if that makes sense.

[2:24:55] Brantly: Yeah, that's fair.

[2:24:57] Audrey: Yes, yes. That's not the 11 o'clock number of Hairspray?

[2:25:02] Brantly: Um, I feel that it is, but I haven't, it's been a while since I've seen or watched Hairspray.

[2:25:07] Audrey: Where does this fall in?

[2:25:10] Brantly: It's right, it's at the end. It's in, it's well, so it's different on stage than it is on the movie, in the film.

[2:25:16] Audrey: I've only seen the stage.

[2:25:18] Brantly: So is it okay? Because I know that like Tracy, Tracy marches with them. She sneaks out of her house and marches and, and then like attacks the police officer with a sign, right?

[2:25:33] Audrey: But is during that, that's in the movie.

[2:25:37] Brantly: Yes, I believe on stage. They're literally just chilling in her record store.

[2:25:43] Audrey: And I know that was like Hairspray live.

[2:25:45] Brantly: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[2:25:48] Audrey: But it's been several years since I've seen a live production of Hairspray. That's all I remember. I don't remember it being the impetus for Tracy being taken to prison.

[2:26:02] Brantly: Okay, so I'm looking at the track list right now. Um, just yeah, does it fall before without love or after without love? Where is I know where I've been?

[2:26:11] Audrey: Okay, so, oh, it's okay. Right before without love. And after everyone's favorite Hairspray number. You're timeless to me.

[2:26:25] Brantly: Um, yeah, so it's not the 11 o'clock number that I've totally, it's fully an act.

[2:26:32] Audrey: It does. Yeah, yeah.

[2:26:34] Brantly: But it's, it's, it's a great song. It's, it's great. Like you said, Andrew, that it does always take me out to, um, yeah. And we have so many incredible renditions, like we had the Broadway. That was the original. And then we get Queen Latifah in the film. And we wasn't, it was Jennifer Hudson in Hairspray live.

[2:26:54] Audrey: Yes.

[2:26:54] Brantly: So interesting. Not to publicly go against Queen Latifah's version on this podcast. Queen Latifah's version never streamed.

[2:27:06] Audrey: I think that was great. I think, okay, we're, we're getting into delirious hours. I think that we've been there for a while. But um, but y'all are a full hour ahead of me.

[2:27:16] Brantly: Queen Latifah version. I, there's so many different versions of the song. I'm just not going to Queen Latifah's. Jennifer Hudson is the, is the version as well as Alex Newell. They're like, they're on the same tier for me.

[2:27:29] Audrey: Yeah, I was introduced to Hairspray via the film. So that, that is like my standard.

[2:27:35] Brantly: Same, same, same.

[2:27:35] Audrey: There are other, yeah.

[2:27:38] Brantly: But that is like, if I'm going to stream Hairspray, like, that's where I'm going.

[2:27:41] Audrey: Sure.

[2:27:42] Brantly: Yeah.

[2:27:43] Audrey: Um, I just like have, it's just so unfortunate because I'm like, it is nearing 11pm. And I'm like, if this was song number one, I would be so game to talk about this beast storyline. Um, but right here in this moment, I am like running on fumes. And what I want to say about I Know Where I've Been is that I feel like Recovering Gleek, Ian and Lena put it so well when they were like recapping this, this plot that it's like, because a lot of the conversation around this plot is that it's like, it comes out of nowhere. That it's like, okay, Beast is trans. Our argument is that it's like, in, like, I feel like wrong, even like saying it, but it's like, they're, they're trying to be like, topical.

This was at the time that Caitlyn Jenner was, you know, you know, she came out and, and, and so they were like, okay, let's throw another, like, heavy hitter emotional storyline at Dot Marie Jones, because we know that she can deliver. And in it, you know, it does. I understand the people that are like, it does a disservice to, you know, this character that it's like, okay, this is just a, a woman that just doesn't fit societal norms that it like, she has said in season two, that she still sees herself as a beautiful girl. And like, she likes, you know, she, she fits under that tier. But, you know, isn't, you know, queer at all. But then, you know, four seasons later, does take this, this turn, which people are critical about, but in the same sense, I could also see, you know, that it's like, what does that say about people's coming out?

That it's like, okay, if someone's going to make a, what you perceive as a left turn into an identity, then it's like, then, then does that, does that take away their identity? That doesn't feel great at all. So, yeah.

[2:30:04] Brantly: I wonder, without the context of what was going on at the time, if it would feel as out of left field. But like, knowing that they were just, I mean, we, that is what they were doing. They were trying to stay topical.

[2:30:11] Audrey: Yeah.

[2:30:11] Brantly: But I wonder if people watching it now that maybe weren't.

[2:30:14] Andrew: Oh, that's a great point.

[2:30:15] Brantly: I don't know what people watching it now think.

[2:30:16] Audrey: Younger at that point, or watching it for the first time now, do they even know? Or are they just like, oh, yeah, like.

[2:30:22] Brantly: Yeah.

[2:30:23] Audrey: I don't know. I would even, more specifically, I would be curious to know what, like, my trans and gender non-conforming friends think of the storyline.

[2:30:34] Brantly: Yeah.

[2:30:34] Audrey: Like, that's, that's really what, and the trans community at large, like, that's, that's really what I, that's the opinion I want to know about.

[2:30:40] Andrew: Ask anybody in this performance.

[2:30:43] Brantly: Yeah. I did, I have my eye out in the choir, the, almost the entire performance. I believe Sasha Colby.

[2:30:51] Audrey: Sasha Colby's there.

[2:30:52] Brantly: T.S. Madison's also there.

[2:30:54] Audrey: Yes. I did not know T.S. Madison's there, but I was looking for Sasha Colby the whole time. And I didn't see her, but I know she's there.

[2:31:03] Brantly: Yeah, it's a stunning vocal performance. The choir reveal did give me a little bit of, like, chills.

[2:31:10] Audrey: Yeah.

[2:31:11] Brantly: And it's so interesting, not to, like, fully go into, like, the voting part of this, but, like, chills, chills on both performances. Like, for, like, completely different types of chills.

[2:31:22] Audrey: Yeah.

[2:31:23] Brantly: I feel like I had another note about I Know Where I've Been. I remember, like, I really loved Alex singing this version live with the gay men's choir. This was, like, fully, probably, like, 10 years ago. And I remember, like, that was, that was like the rendition that Alex did that I would always be streaming. I loved what they did with it. But, yeah, I have a very complicated, like, I don't know, depending on the day. I can exist in, you know, in either camp as it relates to this B storyline.

[2:32:00] Audrey: Yeah. I think, Brantley, what you said earlier about just the recontextualization of the song, that, like, really resonated with me. I think you almost have to, like, zoom out of the Glee storyline that they are using and just look at it for what it is with Alex Newell and this beautiful choir.

[2:32:21] Brantly: Yeah. I mean, honestly, that's kind of how I was watching it because I was, like, I kind of know the context, but, like, really? So I was kind of watching it like that, and it was just a beautiful performance.

[2:32:31] Audrey: Yes. And then I got the backstory, and I'm like, oh, they're doing this for vocal adrenaline because they were, you know, the whole thing. Because they were being transphobic.

[2:32:39] Brantley: Yeah. So yeah, that's kind of how if I zoom out a little bit, it's a beautiful performance. Beautiful performance and also like not to be like granular about it, probably the most impressive Alex Newell vocal in the entire series, if not one of the most impressive vocals on Glee, period. Yeah. Just how do they do it? Like Alex Newell, their voice is such an incredible anomaly, like it is so unreal. It's unreal. And it's so like, I'm delirious. And I can't think of the word that I'm looking for. Diverse, that's not the right word. But like, they can do so many different things with their voice. And that's really impressive. I'm gonna think of that word at like 2am. I think one of the things, oh, the thought that escaped me is back, is that I feel that unique as a character, one of the criticisms that 18 year old me had while watching Glee season six for the first time was that, and I think that I kind of stand by this to a regard, that it's like, to introduce Beast as trans, when you already had a character that you like, already like gave the boot to a season earlier, that was trans felt like, okay, why can't we just like do more with this character that I don't know, I, as I'm saying, I'm like, do I actually align myself with that opinion still?

But it's like, do more with this character that already identifies this way. I thought they did a really good job with the unique storyline. So I think that's the stark contrast is they that one felt really organic to me. And this one, like we said, it felt very of the time, we're just trying to throw it in there. They are different stories. Yeah, I felt was done very organically and very, yeah. And now that I'm like, thinking about it back, I'm like, it's a who am I to be like, you already have one trans character stop there enough. Yeah. Where it's like, okay, we can have a different because like, we saw unique and unique was like, already kind of like out in their debut episode. And so like to have like a more like nuanced coming out story that Beast gets is, is different. And so yeah, interesting change of opinion that I've just had in the past few minutes. Thank you for bearing witness. Do we want to vote?

[2:35:21] Brantley: I thought of the word that I was trying to think of. It's versatile.

[2:35:25] Audrey: Oh, okay.

[2:35:27] Brantley: Their voice is so versatile.

[2:35:29] Audrey: I would agree.

[2:35:30] Brantley: Good word. That's correct. Um, do we want to vote? Do we have any final notes? I'm ready.

[2:35:35] Brantley: Okay. Go ahead.

[2:35:38] Brantley: Because I don't know where I'm going with this. I'm voting for, I know where I've been. And just like headline reasons. Alex Newell vocal, stunning choir, recontextualization of the song to make it more nuanced and give it multiple meanings for multiple.

[2:35:57] Audrey: I love that point. Again. Yeah. I've already said it, but I agree. Yeah.

[2:36:02] Brantley: And, uh, as, as wonderful as, um, the Mercedes performance is it's just so devastating and just, it's, it's the whole outside of glee context of these are real humans who are suffering and having to go to work and then bring their real suffering into their work that, that really like takes it down for me as wonderful as, as her performances. Um, so I'm, I am voting for, I know where I've been unique version, unique version, not Queen Latifah. Um, Audrey, do you feel confident?

[2:36:42] Audrey: I think so. Can I ask, I don't have my wisdom in front of me, my computer shut off. Um, do how many unique, unique clothes do we have at this point?

[2:36:53] Brantley: Oh, gosh. Um, I know that we have boogie shoes in round three, pinball wizard and starships, um, died this round. Um, and then I, you know, like love child, uh, died in round one. If I were a boy is in round three. And so it's up to, I think that's six. I think that they have six. So there's no lack of representation there.

[2:37:20] Audrey: There's no lack of representation, but this is definitely a good one. Andrew, I don't know. What are you thinking?

[2:37:28] Andrew: Um, I, I was like, I think what you said, Brantley really, really, really put it well in both regards, in both songs regards that it's like, you know, you're talking about not voting for, I'll stand by you for a very beautiful reason and voting for, I know where I've been for an equally beautiful reason. And I have to agree. I want, I knew that I was going to vote that way, but I wanted to, to throw it to you, Audrey, in case I was kind of, it was kind of where I was leaning. Um, and I think also knowing that the I'll stand by you Finn version is going through, like feels right. And yeah, I just, I think everything you guys have already said really puts it on. So I'm glad that we, I'm glad that we did this practice of sending three songs through among six. I'm, I'm glad that we did this practice. I think that was really important, um, to recap.

[2:38:31] Andrew: Um, okay. Oh, this is the part of the episode I've been looking forward to. We've waited until 11 PM. We're nearing three hours on this recording like, I think that the, the record is three 30. So you won't, you won't have that, you know, trophy to your name and I don't think that you want it. Um, okay. Uh, I already forget who won that first competition between natural woman and cell block Tango natural woman, one, one. Yeah.

[2:38:58] Andrew: Okay. Um, this one is easy. Um, you make me feel like a winner, uh, because, um, you're going to run three. Um, Ooh, this is stupid. Um, no, this is really dumb. Pop six, squish loser. Cicero lip ship. This is what you get at 11 PM. Oh man. I thought it was going to be Tango Tango to hell. That would have been great too. I just really send it to jail or like kill it. I mean like that's one of the, I don't know that there's something there. We took the, the shotgun off the wall and fired two warning shots right into cell block Tango. It said it to hell.

[2:39:49] Brantley: Um, um, okay. Bitch that one. Yes. Yes. Um, um, I would know what I would say if it lost, but if it won, how about this? We're recontextualizing bitch, bitch. You made it to round three.

[2:40:24] Andrew: And I'm outcast. You have been outcast to hell. Yes. Um, I can't do I'll stand by you. I know what I would say if we had any other contacts. I think that, you know, do you want to, it feels inappropriate to say, don't say we're not going to say, but I will stand by you. We're standing by our fellow humans and what they had to go through by not sending it. You know who I'm standing by the follow-up version. Um, okay. And then, um, I know where I've been round two and I know where I'm going round three.

[2:41:04] Andrew: Yeah. Perfect. Um, okay. Audrey Brantley. Thank you so much. I don't know what I had in mind for how long this episode would be, but it surely wasn't three hours. Um, but I don't regret a single minute of it. Um, thank you so much for joining me today. Um, Audrey, if the Gleeks want to find you, where can they do so?

[2:41:21] Audrey: Um, the Gleeks are welcome to find me on Instagram. I am at Audrey with two, two Y's Audrey Rose. Um, I don't post very often and it's just a lot of horse girl things. So DM her, DM her and be like, you are welcome to DM me. I do see my DMS as long as my social media timer has not gone off.

[2:41:42] Andrew: Wait, how long do you have it set for queen?

[2:41:49] Audrey: Two hours. But like I go in and check it and then just hit like the, like do it for 15 minutes. And that way I have like, it's a good, no, it's smart though. Cause then I'm like, Oh, I just wasted 15 minutes of my life. And now I need to go back to something else. That's a great point. I need to get back into that. I do it for tech talk. That's the big time suck.

[2:42:08] Brantley: Really? Well, take talk by the time that we know, but the time that you're listening now, I think it's still alive, but it's barely breathing. Um, okay. After round three, it's gone to hell. Um, Bradley, um, where can the Gleeks find you?

[2:42:23] Brantley: Um, the Gleeks can find me on Instagram as well. Brantley.no.e because there's no E in the name Brantley. It's spelled B-R-A-N-T-L-Y. I've never considered that all these days. Thank you. Thank you. That's crazy. Um, but yeah, you can see just my monthly photo dumps and, uh, the multiple playbill photos that I post when I go to New York and don't see Andrew McGuire and yeah, because we're feuding. Apparently I thought I've been thinking this whole episode. I can't believe I said that. I hope he didn't. He understands that. I don't actually think that it's just a joke. I feel really, really bad.

[2:43:04] Brantley: And if it makes you feel any better, Albert, who I mentioned earlier in this episode, that was in New York for their proposal. Um, I like had plans to see them as well. And I don't even know not to put Albert on blast like I think that Albert was sick. And so Albert had to cancel the plans. But like, this, it's happened. It's okay. I would love, I would love for all the Gleeks to, to be able to hold space together. We can hold space with the lyrics of whatever is the winner of the Glockett when we find out.

[2:43:34] Andrew: Yeah. Like what? Three years from now? No, stop. Like, I don't think people realize it's like less, it's going to be like a year from now. Oh, wow. Really? No, it's like, no, when you think about it, like how short the rounds are, it gets it goes down by about half every time.

[2:43:57] Brantley: Yeah, every time it's going. Yeah, I need to figure out what to do with my time after it's done. So I'm the worst.

[2:44:05] Andrew: I think when it's done, I'm like, I think I'm done talking about for a while. But okay, on that note, if you'd like what you heard today, and you would like to support the podcast, you can go to patreon.com slash Gleek the Week pod for these monthly live stream episodes. By the time that you listen to this, I'm sure that I have announced when the January live stream is taking place. And I would love to see you there. And if you already are a patron, thank you. And if you'd like to gift a patron, this is a new Patreon feature. If you'd like to gift a Patreon membership to someone, if you feel so generous to do so, then that is a feature that you can do. And I know that, you know, plenty of Gleek have done that already. And plenty of Gleek have been happy to be on the receiving end. So if you would like to make someone happy, that's, that's a way to do it.

[2:45:01] Andrew: If you'd like to make me happy without spending money, then you can go to Spotify or Apple podcast, and leave a nice review. Five stars, please. And otherwise, Andrew, can I may I say something real quick before you sign off?

[2:45:15] Brantley: Yes. Just a heartfelt thank you for everything you do and put into this podcast. I cannot imagine the time commitment it is. And it is it is a highlight of my week to listen to Gleek of the Week. And I know I'm not alone in that. So just I don't know if you get enough appreciation for all you do for the Gleeks.

[2:45:32] Andrew: So no, no, I, I can honestly say that there, there are so many Gleeks like yourself, that like, will take the time out of their day to say exactly that. And it's so, so, so kind to do. I'm glad you hear it more often than I anticipated.

[2:45:50] Brantley: Yeah, yeah. No, it's not not to belittle what you just said. Thank you. So not at all, not at all. But yeah, no, it's, it's, it's very, very kind. And it's also just like, just so generally giving because I'm able to connect with like folks like y'all, but I would otherwise not be able to connect with. So it's, it's such a, it's a very giving community that we have here. So I hope people aren't actually mean to you in your DMs.

[2:46:12] Andrew: Yeah, only a couple and y'all know who you are. Y'all are the minorities. Leave Andrew alone. Okay, next week, there will be another episode if you believe it. And we'll see you then. Okay, bye.

[2:46:25] Brantley: Bye. It's Gleek, Gleek of the Week.