The New Directions spent their days complaining about how nobody liked them, how the school didn't even support them, and how all the money went to Sue and her Cheerios. Yet it's hard to root for them when the money they do have goes to fund their elaborate, borderline ridiculous rehearsal numbers that they literally perform for an empty auditorium.
That's right, the Glee Club spends absurd amounts of money on sets, props, and lighting so that they can sing songs that no one else but their coach gets to hear. From filling the entire stage with water to merry go rounds, to actually building an entire jungle in the auditorium, there were definitely moments where Will should have considered the club's finances.
Stayin' Alive
The unironically titled episode "Saturday Night Glee-ver" features a dance-off on top of the plexiglass, shatterproof floor used in Saturday Night Fever, with the winner receiving a replica of John Travolta's iconic white suit. The finalists, Finn, Santana, and Mercedes, are actually chosen because Mr. Schuester feels they're the ones with no plans for the future.
At the end of the episode, the entire New Directions, plus Schuester and Sue, join the finalists in a performance of Stayin' Alive. However, it seems that Will has forgotten all about the competition as all characters are now wearing the iconic white suits. The number is completely surreal, featuring a wall filled with multicolored lights, a giant disco ball, and a smoke machine. The viewers never see these again.
Don't Dream It's Over
In the season 4 episode "Swan Song," the Glee Club is officially disbanded. Having lost Sectionals, McKinley can no longer afford a club that enjoys wasting money on props they never use more than once.
In the courtyard, Finn and Marley sit under the heavy snow, lamenting their loss. Conveniently, the band is also there, which prompts Finn to start singing Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over." Little by little, the rest of the club arrives and joins in, until it's one big musical number.
For some strange reason, their voices are completely audible despite the snowstorm around them, the acoustics are awesome even though they are in the open, and everyone knows the lyrics to classic '80s ballads. The odds that everyone knows the lyrics are pretty slim too.
Give Up The Funk
How on Earth didn't Quinn go into labor during this number? She jumps, she twirls, she sways - all the while nine months into her pregnancy. The number also features the members of New Direction dressed in reds and metallics, a psychedelic background, and an eight-person band.
In a surprising twist, this number, which first appears in the aptly titled season 1 episode "Funk," is performed in front of an actual audience at least: the members of Vocal Adrenaline, who are left stunned by the whole thing. Honestly, so was the audience, though probably not in the way the show intended.
Blurred Lines
By now, it's common knowledge that "Blurred Lines" was a highly inappropriate song for the Glee club to be singing. Back in 2013, "The End of Twerk," raised questions with the fans about the sort of school these teens were going to - especially as they went down the school hallways, twerking to Robin Thicke's song.
To make matters worse, Mr. Schuester not only joins the number, he actually leads it, twerking with the students he's meant to be teaching. And despite the whole school supposedly hating the Glee Club, everyone joins in. It just felt like they only hated the club when it's convenient for the show.
On Our Way
Another reason why "The End of Twerk" is one of the weakest episodes of the series, it's because it features not one, but two numbers that make no sense. In this one, a group song takes place in the auditorium. Usually, this is the average end-of-the-episode number the fans were used to seeing. However, the writers surprised them by inserting a merry-go-round into the auditorium's stage.
They then proceed to twirl and spin while singing about being on their way, somehow. The number features some truly egregious cuts and edits that take all the realism away from it, as if the presence of that darn merry-go-round wasn't surreal enough.
Empire State Of Mind
This one is a number that actually seems to suspend reality. The entire club, in an effort to recruit new members, goes out into the busy courtyard and begin singing Jay-Z and Alicia Key's 2009 hit. And absolutely nobody cares. Literally, no one in the full courtyard, except for Sunshine and Sam, barely even notices the entire musical number taking place right in front of them.
This is one of those episodes where the show remembers that the school is supposed to hate Glee, but the fact that everybody successfully pretends like nothing is going on is a stretch - even for this show. Also, the number features some really cringeworthy hand movements and poses that do everything but help.
The Fox
Joining "The End of Twerk" as one of Glee's all-time worst episodes is another from season 5, "Puppet Master." The whole episode is ridiculous, featuring everything from Blaine accidentally getting high on gas, to a whole bunch of creepy multicolored puppets.
The epitome of silly arrives with the closing number, Yivis' "The Fox." All the New Direction members have animal masks and puppets that resemble them. On top of that, they actually built a forest in the auditorium's stage, including actual plants, trees and rocks, and a smoking machine. Even the cast hated this number.
We Found Love
Over the years, there have been a number of inconsistencies that fans have ignored. However, one that they couldn't ignore was the season 3 cover of "We Found Love." As many fans remember, it was during this performance that Will ended up proposing to Emma.
Rachel and Santana ended up leading, while the rest of the Glee members helped with the backing vocals and synchronized swimming. However, this is where the confusion settled in. If they had just been in the water, then how were all the teens' clothes and hair dry? Did they just pause halfway through the song and wait? It was great for cinematography but it is a bit of a plot hole.
Singing In The Rain/Umbrella
The first truly ridiculous number that the show ever did, this one features actual rain falling inside the auditorium. In "The Substitute," Will (or Holly) seem to have rented an artificial rain machine for one-day after the teens asked if they could try to modernize their assignments.
However, this number is never mentioned again, not even when they are planning their setlist for any of the numerous competitions they seemingly spend all year preparing for. They never stop to think that such an elaborate production, with admittedly incredible choreography, might help them win. Perhaps that's why it took them 3 years to actually triumph at Nationals.
Roar
The apex of Glee's silliness, Roar is a number that asks the audience to really turn-off their minds and just don't ask questions. Like, how did the club built an entire JUNGLE in one school auditorium stage? Why are the students half-naked? Who cleaned the entire thing after the number ended, three minutes later?
It has plants, it has flowers, there are even vines hanging about that the students swing off - which would probably be deemed a health hazard in real life. Season 5 was truly bad in terms of performances but this is beyond cringe or illogical. This is lazy, as the show stopped caring and basically gave into its worst impulses. At its best, Glee was empowering as well as entertaining and elaborate. However, this was not it.