Where it all began. Ten years ago, musical teen drama Glee hit TVs everywhere. In its pilot season, the show captured the hearts of viewers across the world. Compelling storylines, relatable characters, and covers that give originals a run for their money are all reasons it ran for six seasons.
With roughly twenty episodes a season, there are bound to be some episodes that audiences weren’t too fond of. Let’s see which were the best and worst from the first season in the eyes of IMDb users.
Best: Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1) - Rating 8.7
It should be no surprise that the episode that started it all is one of the best episodes of the season. Being introduced to the New Directions, the hierarchy at McKinley and the iconic cover of "Don't Stop Believin" let audiences know that this is the beginning of something special.
It also brings perspective for the remainder of the season and the series. Starting out with only five members, and the world against them, the only thing they can do is rise to the challenge and exceed expectations. It also established Finn as the male lead, along with the roles of the remaining characters in the club.
Worst: Laryngitis (Season 1, Episode 18) - Rating 8.3
After butchering a solo in front of everyone, Rachel goes to the doctor and finds out that she has laryngitis. Being the overdramatic person that she is, Rachel starts to panic, thinking that her singing career is over. Trying to bring her back into reality, Finn introduces her to his friend who has been paralyzed to help her gain perspective.
Meanwhile, Kurt completely changes his personality and style to try and impress his dad, because he thinks that his dad is replacing him with Finn.
Best: Dream On (Season 1, Episode 19) - Rating 8.8
Mr. Shue’s former glee club nemesis Bryan Ryan, played by Neil Patrick Harris, comes to McKinley to do an audit. In the process, he tries to crush members' dreams by letting them know that they never come true.
While Will is dealing with that, club members start to think of their dreams and how they can accomplish them. Rachel opens up to Jesse about her dream of meeting her birth mom, while Artie is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that his dream of becoming a dancer is medically impossible.
Worst: Funk (Season 1, Episode 21) - Rating 8.3
After having their choir room trashed and finding out that Jesse decided to leave, the New Directions are left in a funk. One week before regionals Mr. Shue knew that he needed to find the kids' confidence so they can perform their best. He assigns them the genre of Funk because he knows they can outperform vocal adrenaline with their emotions.
After countless numbers that slightly miss the mark, they come together, in the end, performing “Give Up the Funk” for their competition, setting the tone for regionals.
Best: The Power of Madonna (Season 1, Episode 15) - Rating 8.9
It shouldn't be a surprise that the episode highlighting the music of an icon as well known as Madonna is one of the best episodes of the season.
Outside of the episodes discography, the plotlines cover a lot of sensitive subjects like misogyny, female empowerment, virginity, etc. The males of the glee club take responsibility for how they've been treating the female members and so does Mr. Shue for his treatment of Ms. Pillsbury.
Audiences also see a progression in Will and Emma's relationship and the members' decision-making processes and the level of maturity rise for the series as a whole.
Worst: Home (Season 1, Episode 16) - Rating 8.2
The main focus of this episode is on Mercedes and her being forced to lose weight or she'll be kicked off the Cheerios. This all comes with Sue prepares for an interview with Splits magazine.
Throughout the episode we see Mercedes's weight fluctuate as she starves herself, and feels pressure from her peers. Finally hitting rock bottom when passing out from starvation, Mercedes gets surprising support from Quinn, letting her know that how you take care of your body should be something you do for yourself.
Ending the episode covering “Beautiful” in front of the whole school, she makes a statement without compromising herself. In the process, she also saves Sue from an expose on her exclusivity and treatment of her squad.
Best: Sectionals (Season 1, Episode 13) - Rating 9.2
For more than half of the season, sectionals were at the forefront of everyone's minds. A reminder of where they came from and a goal that they want (and need) to accomplish. With the unfortunate reality that Mr. Shue could not be there, the New Directions had to compete for the first time without their leader.
The amount of stress they felt was already abundant, but finding out that their setlist had been stolen took them overboard. Despite the unfair circumstances and drama between members, they worked together and won.
Worst: The Rhodes Not Taken (Season 1, Episode 5) - Rating 8.1
Trying to get a leg up on the competition, Mr. Shue enlists former glee club member April Rhodes as their ringer. Even though she's older than their teacher, seeing that she hasn't completed the requirements to graduate she is still eligible to perform.
Throughout the episode we see April teaching the members how to steal, encouraging them to drink, and generally being a bad influence. Outside of her inappropriate behavior, she ends up stealing the spotlight from the other members, forcing Will to reevaluate why he brought April in the first place.
Best: Journey to Regionals (Season 1, Episode 22) - Rating 9.3
As the trial season comes to a close, the New Directions prepare for regionals. As the suspense for the competition grows, so does the time waiting for Quinn to give birth.
After performing a medley of Journey hits, Quinn goes into labor while speaking to her estranged mother. Audiences also get to see a decked-out performance of Bohemian Rhapsody by Vocal Adrenaline, with coinciding visuals of Quinn heading to give birth.
Unfortunately, the kids from McKinley lost. Thinking all hope is lost, they prepare a ballad for Mr. Shue. Much to the audience’s surprise Sue ended up being their hero convincing Principal Figgins to give them another year.
Worst: Acafellas (Season 1, Episode 3) - Rating 7.9
Three episodes in we see Mr. Shue take some time away from the Glee club to work on his confidence. He does this by forming an all-male acapella group. later in the episode, he recruits Finn and Puck to round out the empty spots. Eventually performing a rendition of “I Wanna Sex You Up,” which seems inappropriate seeing that two sophomores are in the mix.
Meanwhile, the Glee Club deals with the wrath of Dakota Stanley, The best choreographer money can buy. After getting torn down by his ruthless words, the team decides they don't need him and band together because of it.