Glee? Rocky Horror? Halloween? Could there be a better combination? I think not. If ever two musicals were destined to meet, it’s Glee and Rocky Horror. I hate to admit it…but I have been counting down to this episode for the last two weeks. I know I should probably be reading my 546 pages of Labor History homework, but I had to rent the original Rocky Horror Picture Show last night in preparation for the episode…and, after watching tonight, Glee’s rendition did not disappoint.
The episode begins with Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Cory Monteith) singing “There’s a Light (Over at the Frankenstein Place)’, which is almost identical to the original number. Glee’s weekly theme is ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ after a jealous Will (Matthew Morrison) learns about Emma (Jayma Mays) and her new boyfriend Carl’s (John Stamos) love for the cult-classic.
Eager and excited for their production of the musical, New Directions begins to prepare. Kurt (Chris Colfer) decides to be Riff Raff. Rachel and Finn, taking on the roles of Brad and Janet, tackle ‘Damn it, Janet’, and even though I am a diehard “Gleek”, I have to say, it was better than Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick’s version.
Emma begins to work on the costumes, and of course, Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) angrily protests the production. On her television talk segment, Sue’s Corner,
Meat Loaf and Barry Bostwick make an appearance as her cable producers. Meanwhile, Carl, begging to have a role in the musical, sings ‘Whatever Happened to Saturday Night’/’Hot Patootie’. We also learn that Becky (Lauren Potter) is dressing up as Sue for Halloween.
Mike’s (Harry Shum Jr.) parents force him to drop out due to the sexual nature of the performance, so Mercedes (Amber Riley) takes on the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter. She knocks ‘Sweet Transvestite’ out of the park, and in my opinion, it was by far her best solo performance yet to date. Sam (Chord Overstreet) struggles with body image issues prior to playing Rocky, and Will, in Rocky’s gold shorts, rehearses ‘Touch a Touch a Touch a Touch Me’ in an attempt to seduce Emma. Finn also struts around school in his Brad costume, which lands him in Principal Figgins office. Sue and Becky also try and convince Will that he is exposing New Directions to inappropriate material. Carl calls Will out on his attempt to seduce Emma. With all this madness at McKinley High, Will decides that the production of ‘The Rocky Horror Glee Show’ will be without a public audience, and New Directions ends the episode with a performance of ‘Time Warp’.
Glee’s homage to the 1973 classic was an awe-inspiring episode that had me out of my seat singing and dancing to the music. Although it was not as good as the Brittney or Madonna episodes, it far exceeded my expectations. And, Gleeks, as Sue Sylvester puts it, that, is how Miranda “C”’s it.
Original Author: Miranda Tecklin