Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) turned to the glee club in an apparent attempt to alleviate her depression on the February 15, 2011 episode of Glee. Meanwhile, Sam (Chord Overstreet) restyled himself in imitation of Justin Bieber in an attempt on his part to keep Quinn (Dianna Aragon) from leaving him for Finn (Cory Monteith), and an attempt by series creator Ryan Murphy to boost ratings by tapping into the Bieber phenomenon.
Sue's Depression
The episode opened with Emma (Jayma Mays) interrupting Will (Matthew Morrison) in the middle of Spanish class because she’d found what appeared to be a suicide note from Sue. When the two of them located her, she appeared to be unconscious but turned out to be very much alive, just depressed by the Cheerios’ failure at the regional championships.
Sam Forms the Justin Bieber Experience
As Will and Emma dealt with Sue’s emotional issues, Sam fretted that he was in danger of losing Quinn. Even though he believed her absurd story that she saved Finn from choking on a gumball rather than kissing him, he wasn’t naïve enough to be blind to the attraction she clearly felt towards Finn.
His solution was to form a one-man band called “The Justin Bieber Experience” and style his hair in Bieber fashion. A test performance before an all-female audience produced exactly the results he wanted.
A minor subplot involved Rachel (Lea Michele) attempting to get Brittany (Heather Morris) to start a new fashion trend by paying her to copy her style. This effort backfired when Brittany wore the leg warmers Rachel gave her on her arms.
Sue Joins the Glee Club
Sue continued to rampage through the school, hurling Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) against a locker in one especially violent fit. Fearful she might do even more damage, Will went to Emma for advice, but Sue almost immediately barged in on their meeting. Emma suggested that music might be the key to bringing Sue out of her doldrums.
Will decided to have Sue spend the week with the glee club, a decision that brought about complaints from most of its members. But they didn’t have much time to discuss the matter. Will told them they had to sing anthems, because that was the theme for this year's regionals. Then Sam brought his Bieber act to the club with a performance of “Baby.”
Later, in the football team’s locker room, Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.), Puck (Mark Salling), and Artie (Kevin McHale) approached Sam and asked to join his group. They said they’d form their own group called “Bieber Fever” if he didn’t let them in. But Finn wasn’t impressed, and the tension between him and Sam was palpable.
Sue Tries to Destroy The Club
As Sue wrote in her diary, her master plan is revealed: she faked her depression to get into a position to destroy the glee club from within. She set the next part in motion by asking Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Rachel for advice on being a diva, while making them each think the other had said nasty things to Sue. They confronted each other and agree to a “Diva-Off” to settle the matter.
Sam Expands The Bieber Experience
As Finn continued to put the moves on Quinn, Sam unveiled his expanded Justin Bieber Experience with Puck, Mike, and Artie. They performed an enthusiastic rendition of “Somebody to Love,” and Quinn decided to go out with Sam that Friday after all instead of Finn. But all was not well, as Santana (Naya Rivera) approached Sam and said they needed to talk soon.
Meanwhile, Puck continued his efforts to win Lauren (Ashley Fink) over. He met with her after wrestling – where she demolished the competition – and she asked him for advice, telling him she didn’t feel confident singing in front of crowds. He told her to envision the audience in their underwear so she would feel less vulnerable.
Sue's Plans Fail Again
The “Diva-Off” didn’t end up as Sue had hoped. While tensions were still high between Mercedes and Rachel, as they traded off lines in “Take Me or Leave Me,” the bad feelings melted away and they concluded the number as friends.
It was clear to Will that Sue was still taking a bad attitude towards the glee club. He attempted to thaw her ice-cold heart by taking her to the pediatric cancer ward at the hospital to sing with the children. They sang “This Little Light of Mine,” and Sue pretended not to be moved.
Tina, Quinn, and Santana all started copying Brittany’s style, and refused to believe Rachel when she told them she had paid Brittany to wear the same clothes that she wears. Rachel confronted Brittany, who told her she wasn’t a trendsetter.
Santana Tried to Come Between Sam and Quinn
Lauren tried to conquer her fears by singing “I Know What Boys Like” for the glee club. She started out timid, but when she followed Puck’s advice she immediately gained confidence and gave a strong performance.
Santana met with Sam in the library and said that she wanted to be his girlfriend. When he protested that he was dating Quinn, Santana reminded him that Quinn cheated on him, and told him he was being naive for believing the gumball choking story.
Sue Gave the Club Their Song for Regionals
Sue told Will that she wanted to sing a song with the glee club, and insisted that there be "no more Bieber." Her choice was My Chemical Romance's "Sing." After their performance, Sam told Quinn he was breaking up with her because she couldn't look him in the eye and tell him she hadn't been with Finn. He revealed he was dating Santana now.
Rachel told the club she didn't think "Sing" was a good enough song for regionals, since they'd be going up against Kurt and Blaine in the Warblers. She said they should write their own material for the competition, but when Will put it to a vote, Rachel found herself in the minority.
The final plot twist came as Sue came into the room after the students left and told Will she was now the coach for Aural Intensity, the other team in competition at regionals. Finn told Rachel that he agreed with her idea of writing a song for regionals and he felt she should do it. The episode ended with the implication that Rachel and Finn could get together again after all.
Paul Brown - Paul Ferrell Brown graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1994 with a B.A. in English literature, and completed his M.A. in ...
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