A Night of Neglect
Encyclopedia
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season
of the American musical television series Glee
, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan
, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox
in the United States on April 19, 2011. It features the McKinley High glee club
, New Directions, fundraising for a fellow extracurricular activity
group by holding a benefit concert, while cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) attempts to thwart them.
Thirteen guest stars appeared in the episode, including Gwyneth Paltrow
in her final season two appearance. Several cast members returned after extended absences: Jessalyn Gilsig
, Cheyenne Jackson
and Stephen Tobolowsky
as members of Sue's anti-New Directions "League of Doom", and Charice as student Sunshine Corazon. Four songs were covered
and released as singles, and a fifth featured as a dance performance.
Upon its initial airing, the episode was viewed by 9.80 million American viewers, and garnered a 3.8/11 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. Critical commentary was mixed to negative. Reviewers generally disliked the storyline centered on the under-appreciation of student Mercedes Jones
(Amber Riley
), though commended her performance of Aretha Franklin
's "Ain't No Way
". The episode's comedy moments attracted some praise, though the guest stars and League of Doom plot were ill-received, as was the cutting short of a solo by Jenna Ushkowitz, and a rendition of Adele
's "Turning Tables
" by Paltrow, which critics found inferior to the original.
(Matthew Morrison
) suggests that the club members sell saltwater taffy to raise money. New Directions members Mike Chang
(Harry Shum, Jr.
), Artie Abrams
(Kevin McHale) and Tina Cohen-Chang
(Jenna Ushkowitz) reveal they are on the academic decathlon team, which is also having funding problems. Brittany Pierce
(Heather Morris) is the fourth, stand-in member, and proves surprisingly knowledgeable about cat diseases. Will's girlfriend, substitute teacher Holly Holliday
(Gwyneth Paltrow
), suggests holding a benefit concert for the decathlon team instead of selling additional taffy. Former McKinley student Sunshine Corazon (Charice), who defected to rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, is awarded the closing number at the concert after promising to bring her six hundred Twitter
followers.
Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) creates a "League of Doom", with members that include Will's ex-wife Terri Schuester
(Jessalyn Gilsig
), Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
), and former McKinley High teacher Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
), to destroy the glee club. Tasked with breaking up Will and Holly, Dustin makes a failed attempt at seducing her. The targeted relationship begins to crumble anyway, when Will helps his former love Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
) with her stress-worsened OCD, after she reveals that her husband Carl Howell has asked for an annulment.
Former New Directions member Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) attends the concert, accompanied by his boyfriend Blaine Anderson
(Darren Criss
). They are confronted by closeted homophobic bully Dave Karofsky
(Max Adler), who is forced to back down by Santana Lopez
(Naya Rivera
), in retribution for previously throwing a slushie
in her face. Sunshine and her followers pull out of the concert on Dustin's orders, and Sandy and McKinley students Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman
), Azimio (James Earl) and Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter
)—the only other members of the audience—heckle the glee club. Tina is reduced to tears by their booing; Mike fares better as the hecklers are given taffy to keep their mouths full. During the intermission, Holly talks with the three students about the hidden cost of insults and suggests they cheer as opposed to jeering, but they opt to leave instead. Holly performs Adele's "Turning Tables
" to Will. Mercedes Jones
(Amber Riley
), who on the advice of Lauren Zizes
(Ashley Fink
) has spent the lead-up to the concert making outrageous demands on her fellow club members to gain greater respect from them, performs the final number. She wows a stoned Sandy, who donates some of his drug profits to fund the academic decathlon team.
Holly takes a job in Cleveland, leaving Will free to pursue Emma, while Sue decides to bring Terri further into the game. The episode ends on the academic decathlon final's tiebreaker question, which is in the category "hermaphrodite Nazi sympathizers", a topic earlier taught in an irreverent history lesson by Holly.
" and "Sexy
". Having previously appeared in the second season's first episode
, Jackson and Charice also returned, as Vocal Adrenaline's Dustin and Sunshine, respectively. Additional recurring guest characters who appeared were New Directions members Mike Chang, Sam Evans
(Chord Overstreet
) and Lauren Zizes, school bullies Dave Karofsky and Azimio, school reporter Jacob Ben Israel, cheerleader Becky Jackson, local news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), and Blaine Anderson, lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers.
The musical focus of the episode was, according to cast member Cory Monteith
, "artists that may have been neglected or under-appreciated over the years". He revealed that the series' attempt to clear music licensing
rights to a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk
was complicated by the fact that she apparently did not have a telephone number. She eventually declined the request, as later revealed by Glee creator Ryan Murphy, because she felt the song would not have been appropriate to use in its proposed accompanying scene, but remained open to future suggestions as she mentioned that she had enjoyed the show. The songs covered
in the episode were Aretha Franklin
's "Ain't No Way
" performed by Riley; Celine Dion
's cover of Eric Carmen
's "All by Myself
" performed by Charice; Lykke Li
's "I Follow Rivers
", performed by Ushkowitz; and Adele
's "Turning Tables
", performed by Paltrow. This marks the second time "All by Myself", a song Charice previously performed in concert, was covered on the series, the first being in the first season
episode "Showmance
". Jack Johnson
's "Bubble Toes" also featured in the episode, as a dance routine performed by Shum, Jr. All four vocal performances were released as digital
singles, though only ""All by Myself" and "Turning Tables" charted. The former peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100
, while the latter reached number 66 in both the US and Canada.
", which was watched by 11.15 million American viewers and acquired a 4.2/13 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon first airing. It was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast amongst adults aged 18–49, and ranked 16th amongst all viewers.
The episode's Canadian broadcast, also on April 19, 2011, attained 1.74 million viewers and ranked ninth for the week. It registered a slight decline on "Original Song", which was viewed by 1.81 million, but also ranked ninth. In the UK, the episode was broadcast on May 2, 2011, and was watched by 2.44 million viewers (1.92 million on E4, and 520,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on E4 and E4 +1 for the week, and the third most-watched show on cable for the week. Broadcast on May 4, 2011 in Australia, the episode attained 943,000 viewers and ranked tenth for the night.
deemed it a "very predictable episode", which neglected to take risks with its musical numbers and left her with a "stale feeling". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
was confused by the message presented. She approved of the Will–Emma plot and Holly's departure, but was dismayed by the lack of Kurt and Blaine, and criticized Mercedes' storyline for its repetitive nature. The Washington Post
Lisa de Moraes lambasted the League of Doom plot, which, she wrote, consisted of "[two characters] whom viewers will barely remember, one who is super creepy, and another who fans despised". She suggested that they were included for contractual, rather than storyline reasons, though lauded Jackson's talent for "steal[ing] every scene he's in." Futterman also praised Jackson's "long-overdue return".
CNN
's Lisa Respers France said the episode failed to meet her expectations. She was concerned that Mercedes' plot may lead towards the character becoming unlikeable, and criticized Holly's sudden departure. Though she enjoyed Sunshine's return, seeing Kurt and Blaine at McKinley and Mercedes' solo, she noted "all of those moments were fleeting and only contributed to the uneven feel of the show." Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
called it a "quirky mixed bag, packed with amusing bits and pieces but very little emotional (or musical) oomph.". Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club
graded the episode "C". He suggested that its purpose was to address two criticisms of the show: the under-use of its supporting cast members, and the "maniacal behavior" of Sue. McNutt wrote, "not only was the execution on these endeavors spotty at best and outright obnoxious at worst, but the growing futility of continuity in this series renders any and all developments wholly temporary. This episode was not a step in the right direction so much as it was an escalator to nowhere: A week from now, the chances of any of this resonating in the show itself is slim to none." He felt that Mercedes has become a prop, rather than a character, and criticized the episode for attributing her blame for the marginalization the writers have subjected her to.
MTV
's Aly Semigran enjoyed the comedy and conclusion of Holly's plot, in what she deemed a "pretty decent" episode, though found Charice's appearance extraneous. IGN
's Robert Canning gave "A Night of Neglect" 8.5/10, and called it "a bright and funny installment". He too praised the comedy storylines, particularly the League of Doom plot and the academic decathlon scenes, as: "it's this type of off-topic shenanigans (read: not about fitting in or Rachel Berry becoming a star) that breathes refreshing life into Glee and keeps reminding us how funny and entertaining this series can be." He was less impressed with the benefit concert, which he felt harmed the episode's pacing, and as with Gonzalez, found the nature of Mercedes' storyline repetitive.
Raymund Flandez commended her vocal "control and efficiency belying her young age", Semigran called it a "stirring rendition", and Gonzalez gave it an "A", her joint highest grade of the episode. Her second "A" was awarded to "Bubble Toes", which she called "one of the best [performances] of the season." Semigran concurred, "[Mike's] dancing is awesome."
Critics disapproved of the continuing trend for cutting short Tina's solos. Gonzalez gave her rendition of "I Follow Rivers" a "B" and commented: "Will Tina ever get to finish a song? Well, judging by the 20 seconds we saw, she certainly deserves to." Futterman called her performance "mostly spot-on", and TVLine
Michael Slezak pointed out: "Why is it that every time Tina sings—remember her sobbing "My Funny Valentine
"—things end weirdly? I wish we'd gotten a little more vocal and a little less booing in an episode about the club's underappreciated talents." Exton suggested, "Maybe she'll get a chance to do a non-comedic relief song in its entirety by season 5?" Flandez disliked her performance; he commented that she sounded "like a flailing white swan, a poor man's Bjork."
Holly's performance of "Turning Tables" was considered inferior to the original. Futterman named it her least-favorite of Paltrow's covers to date and said that her vocals "lacked the texture that made Adele's version so heartbreaking." Gonzalez gave it her lowest grade of the episode, a "B–", and Semigran opined that while Paltrow is "a nice enough singer," she "in no way has the chops" the song requires. While Flandez called it a "scene-stealing turn" and commended it visually and vocally, he noted that Paltrow lacks Adele's veracity.
Mercedes' "Ain't No Way" was named the best performance of the episode by both Futterman, who enjoyed her "powerhouse vocals", and the New York Post
Jarett Wieselman, who called it "unbelievable", and praised the focus placed on Mercedes following a season which failed to showcase her. Flandez described the number as being "glamorously sung like [the] star she is", and hoped that she would be better used in future. In contrast, Reiter called it "a restrained rendition", but "prettily sung nonetheless", and Gonzalez struggled to connect with the "uncharacteristically average" song, though noted that for Mercedes that is "still 10 times better than a normal person" and awarded it a "B+".
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
of the American musical television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on April 19, 2011. It features the McKinley High glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, New Directions, fundraising for a fellow extracurricular activity
Extracurricular activity
Extracurricular activities are activities performed by students that fall outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school or university education...
group by holding a benefit concert, while cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) attempts to thwart them.
Thirteen guest stars appeared in the episode, including Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
in her final season two appearance. Several cast members returned after extended absences: Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
, Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
and Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
as members of Sue's anti-New Directions "League of Doom", and Charice as student Sunshine Corazon. Four songs were covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and released as singles, and a fifth featured as a dance performance.
Upon its initial airing, the episode was viewed by 9.80 million American viewers, and garnered a 3.8/11 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. Critical commentary was mixed to negative. Reviewers generally disliked the storyline centered on the under-appreciation of student Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
), though commended her performance of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's "Ain't No Way
Ain't No Way
"Ain't No Way" is a song written by singer-songwriter Carolyn Franklin and sung by her elder sister Aretha Franklin as the b-side to her 1968 hit, " Since You've Been Gone."-History:...
". The episode's comedy moments attracted some praise, though the guest stars and League of Doom plot were ill-received, as was the cutting short of a solo by Jenna Ushkowitz, and a rendition of Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
's "Turning Tables
Turning Tables
"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 . The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor...
" by Paltrow, which critics found inferior to the original.
Plot
Low on funds for an upcoming competition trip, glee club director Will SchuesterWill Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) suggests that the club members sell saltwater taffy to raise money. New Directions members Mike Chang
Mike Chang
Michael "Mike" Chang, Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum, Jr., and has appeared on Glee since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preggers", first broadcast on September 23, 2009...
(Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
), Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Kevin McHale) and Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jenna Ushkowitz) reveal they are on the academic decathlon team, which is also having funding problems. Brittany Pierce
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Heather Morris) is the fourth, stand-in member, and proves surprisingly knowledgeable about cat diseases. Will's girlfriend, substitute teacher Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday
Holly Holliday is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and appeared three times during the show's the second season. Holly is Paltrow's first-ever role in a scripted television show...
(Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
), suggests holding a benefit concert for the decathlon team instead of selling additional taffy. Former McKinley student Sunshine Corazon (Charice), who defected to rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, is awarded the closing number at the concert after promising to bring her six hundred Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
followers.
Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) creates a "League of Doom", with members that include Will's ex-wife Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
), Vocal Adrenaline coach Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
), and former McKinley High teacher Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
), to destroy the glee club. Tasked with breaking up Will and Holly, Dustin makes a failed attempt at seducing her. The targeted relationship begins to crumble anyway, when Will helps his former love Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
) with her stress-worsened OCD, after she reveals that her husband Carl Howell has asked for an annulment.
Former New Directions member Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) attends the concert, accompanied by his boyfriend Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
(Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
). They are confronted by closeted homophobic bully Dave Karofsky
Dave Karofsky
David "Dave" Karofsky, often referred to as Karofsky, is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Max Adler, and has appeared in Glee since its first season episode "Mash-Up", first broadcast on October 21, 2009...
(Max Adler), who is forced to back down by Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
), in retribution for previously throwing a slushie
Slush (beverage)
A slush is a flavored frozen drink.There are a number of different kinds of slush drinks:* Frozen carbonated beverages, typified by the Slurpee or ICEE, are made by freezing a carbonated drink. These machines are complicated and expensive, and notably require a carbon dioxide supply...
in her face. Sunshine and her followers pull out of the concert on Dustin's orders, and Sandy and McKinley students Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman
Josh Sussman
Josh Sussman is an American actor, best known for his role as Hugh Normous in Wizards of Waverly Place and his role as Jacob Ben Israel in Glee.-Biography:Sussman grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey...
), Azimio (James Earl) and Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter
Lauren Potter
Lauren Potter is an American actress best known for her role as Becky Jackson on the hit show Glee.-Biography:Lauren was born May 10, 1990 in Inland Empire, California, U.S.A. She is currently 21 years of age...
)—the only other members of the audience—heckle the glee club. Tina is reduced to tears by their booing; Mike fares better as the hecklers are given taffy to keep their mouths full. During the intermission, Holly talks with the three students about the hidden cost of insults and suggests they cheer as opposed to jeering, but they opt to leave instead. Holly performs Adele's "Turning Tables
Turning Tables
"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 . The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor...
" to Will. Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
), who on the advice of Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Ashley Fink
Ashley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink is an American actress, known for her role as Lauren Zizes in the television series Glee, and also as Carter McMahon in Huge.-Personal life:...
) has spent the lead-up to the concert making outrageous demands on her fellow club members to gain greater respect from them, performs the final number. She wows a stoned Sandy, who donates some of his drug profits to fund the academic decathlon team.
Holly takes a job in Cleveland, leaving Will free to pursue Emma, while Sue decides to bring Terri further into the game. The episode ends on the academic decathlon final's tiebreaker question, which is in the category "hermaphrodite Nazi sympathizers", a topic earlier taught in an irreverent history lesson by Holly.
Production
Thirteen guest stars were featured in "A Night of Neglect", including Paltrow, who made her third and final second season appearance as substitute teacher Holly Holliday, following "The SubstituteThe Substitute (Glee)
"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010...
" and "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
". Having previously appeared in the second season's first episode
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
, Jackson and Charice also returned, as Vocal Adrenaline's Dustin and Sunshine, respectively. Additional recurring guest characters who appeared were New Directions members Mike Chang, Sam Evans
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
(Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
) and Lauren Zizes, school bullies Dave Karofsky and Azimio, school reporter Jacob Ben Israel, cheerleader Becky Jackson, local news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), and Blaine Anderson, lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers.
The musical focus of the episode was, according to cast member Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
, "artists that may have been neglected or under-appreciated over the years". He revealed that the series' attempt to clear music licensing
Music licensing
Music licensing is the licensed use of copyrighted music. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the creators of musical works get paid for their work. A purchaser of recorded music owns the media on which the music is stored, not the music itself...
rights to a song by Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
was complicated by the fact that she apparently did not have a telephone number. She eventually declined the request, as later revealed by Glee creator Ryan Murphy, because she felt the song would not have been appropriate to use in its proposed accompanying scene, but remained open to future suggestions as she mentioned that she had enjoyed the show. The songs covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
in the episode were Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's "Ain't No Way
Ain't No Way
"Ain't No Way" is a song written by singer-songwriter Carolyn Franklin and sung by her elder sister Aretha Franklin as the b-side to her 1968 hit, " Since You've Been Gone."-History:...
" performed by Riley; Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
's cover of Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen
Eric Howard Carmen is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He scored numerous hit songs across the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Raspberries , and then with his solo career, including hits such as "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It",...
's "All by Myself
All by Myself
"All by Myself" is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975.The verse is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18...
" performed by Charice; Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson , better known by her stage name Lykke Li , is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos...
's "I Follow Rivers
I Follow Rivers
"I Follow Rivers" is a song by Swedish recording artist Lykke Li from her second studio album, Wounded Rhymes . Produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, it was released in Sweden on 21 January 2011 as the album's second single. The track premiered exclusively on SPIN.com on 10 January 2011...
", performed by Ushkowitz; and Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
's "Turning Tables
Turning Tables
"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 . The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor...
", performed by Paltrow. This marks the second time "All by Myself", a song Charice previously performed in concert, was covered on the series, the first being in the first season
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
episode "Showmance
Showmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
". Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
's "Bubble Toes" also featured in the episode, as a dance routine performed by Shum, Jr. All four vocal performances were released as digital
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
singles, though only ""All by Myself" and "Turning Tables" charted. The former peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, while the latter reached number 66 in both the US and Canada.
Ratings
"A Night of Neglect" was first broadcast on April 19, 2011 in the United States. It garnered a 3.8/11 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, and received nearly 9.80 million American viewers during its initial airing. Viewership and ratings were down significantly from those of the previous episode, "Original SongOriginal Song
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
", which was watched by 11.15 million American viewers and acquired a 4.2/13 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon first airing. It was the most-watched scripted show for the week of broadcast amongst adults aged 18–49, and ranked 16th amongst all viewers.
The episode's Canadian broadcast, also on April 19, 2011, attained 1.74 million viewers and ranked ninth for the week. It registered a slight decline on "Original Song", which was viewed by 1.81 million, but also ranked ninth. In the UK, the episode was broadcast on May 2, 2011, and was watched by 2.44 million viewers (1.92 million on E4, and 520,000 on E4+1), becoming the most-watched show on E4 and E4 +1 for the week, and the third most-watched show on cable for the week. Broadcast on May 4, 2011 in Australia, the episode attained 943,000 viewers and ranked tenth for the night.
Critical response
"A Night of Neglect" received mixed to negative reviews. Erica Futterman of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
deemed it a "very predictable episode", which neglected to take risks with its musical numbers and left her with a "stale feeling". Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
was confused by the message presented. She approved of the Will–Emma plot and Holly's departure, but was dismayed by the lack of Kurt and Blaine, and criticized Mercedes' storyline for its repetitive nature. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Lisa de Moraes lambasted the League of Doom plot, which, she wrote, consisted of "[two characters] whom viewers will barely remember, one who is super creepy, and another who fans despised". She suggested that they were included for contractual, rather than storyline reasons, though lauded Jackson's talent for "steal[ing] every scene he's in." Futterman also praised Jackson's "long-overdue return".
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Lisa Respers France said the episode failed to meet her expectations. She was concerned that Mercedes' plot may lead towards the character becoming unlikeable, and criticized Holly's sudden departure. Though she enjoyed Sunshine's return, seeing Kurt and Blaine at McKinley and Mercedes' solo, she noted "all of those moments were fleeting and only contributed to the uneven feel of the show." Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called it a "quirky mixed bag, packed with amusing bits and pieces but very little emotional (or musical) oomph.". Myles McNutt of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
graded the episode "C". He suggested that its purpose was to address two criticisms of the show: the under-use of its supporting cast members, and the "maniacal behavior" of Sue. McNutt wrote, "not only was the execution on these endeavors spotty at best and outright obnoxious at worst, but the growing futility of continuity in this series renders any and all developments wholly temporary. This episode was not a step in the right direction so much as it was an escalator to nowhere: A week from now, the chances of any of this resonating in the show itself is slim to none." He felt that Mercedes has become a prop, rather than a character, and criticized the episode for attributing her blame for the marginalization the writers have subjected her to.
MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Aly Semigran enjoyed the comedy and conclusion of Holly's plot, in what she deemed a "pretty decent" episode, though found Charice's appearance extraneous. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Robert Canning gave "A Night of Neglect" 8.5/10, and called it "a bright and funny installment". He too praised the comedy storylines, particularly the League of Doom plot and the academic decathlon scenes, as: "it's this type of off-topic shenanigans (read: not about fitting in or Rachel Berry becoming a star) that breathes refreshing life into Glee and keeps reminding us how funny and entertaining this series can be." He was less impressed with the benefit concert, which he felt harmed the episode's pacing, and as with Gonzalez, found the nature of Mercedes' storyline repetitive.
Musical performances
Musical performance in the episode, which Entertainment Weekly Emily Exton observed failed to fit the "neglected" criteria, also attracted mixed reviews. Futterman wrote that Charice "pull[ed] out all the stops", with her cover of "All By Myself", which reached "power notes [that provided] a viable threat to Rachel and Mercedes' diva singing". The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
Raymund Flandez commended her vocal "control and efficiency belying her young age", Semigran called it a "stirring rendition", and Gonzalez gave it an "A", her joint highest grade of the episode. Her second "A" was awarded to "Bubble Toes", which she called "one of the best [performances] of the season." Semigran concurred, "[Mike's] dancing is awesome."
Critics disapproved of the continuing trend for cutting short Tina's solos. Gonzalez gave her rendition of "I Follow Rivers" a "B" and commented: "Will Tina ever get to finish a song? Well, judging by the 20 seconds we saw, she certainly deserves to." Futterman called her performance "mostly spot-on", and TVLine
TVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
Michael Slezak pointed out: "Why is it that every time Tina sings—remember her sobbing "My Funny Valentine
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
"—things end weirdly? I wish we'd gotten a little more vocal and a little less booing in an episode about the club's underappreciated talents." Exton suggested, "Maybe she'll get a chance to do a non-comedic relief song in its entirety by season 5?" Flandez disliked her performance; he commented that she sounded "like a flailing white swan, a poor man's Bjork."
Holly's performance of "Turning Tables" was considered inferior to the original. Futterman named it her least-favorite of Paltrow's covers to date and said that her vocals "lacked the texture that made Adele's version so heartbreaking." Gonzalez gave it her lowest grade of the episode, a "B–", and Semigran opined that while Paltrow is "a nice enough singer," she "in no way has the chops" the song requires. While Flandez called it a "scene-stealing turn" and commended it visually and vocally, he noted that Paltrow lacks Adele's veracity.
Mercedes' "Ain't No Way" was named the best performance of the episode by both Futterman, who enjoyed her "powerhouse vocals", and the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
Jarett Wieselman, who called it "unbelievable", and praised the focus placed on Mercedes following a season which failed to showcase her. Flandez described the number as being "glamorously sung like [the] star she is", and hoped that she would be better used in future. In contrast, Reiter called it "a restrained rendition", but "prettily sung nonetheless", and Gonzalez struggled to connect with the "uncharacteristically average" song, though noted that for Mercedes that is "still 10 times better than a normal person" and awarded it a "B+".
External links
- "A Night of Neglect" at Fox.com