Mash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" | |
---|---|
Glee episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 8 |
Directed by | Elodie Keene |
Written by | Ian Brennan |
Featured music | "Bust a Move" "Thong Song" "I Could Have Danced All Night" "What a Girl Wants" "Sweet Caroline" "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" |
Production code | 1ARC07 |
Original air date | October 21, 2009 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the
The episode features covers of five songs. Studio recordings of three of the songs were released as singles, available for digital download, and three are included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Neil Diamond was hesitant about licensing his song "Sweet Caroline" to the show, but was convinced by series music producer P.J. Bloom and ultimately enjoyed the performance given by Salling. The episode was watched by 7.24 million US viewers. Musical performances received mixed reviews from critics. The Wall Street Journal's Raymund Flandez described "Mash-Up" as a "turning point" for Glee, praising the episode for its character development.[1]
Plot
Football coach
Cheerleading coach
Although Finn has chosen to stay on the football team, all the other dual members instead quit to remain in the glee club. Ken reverses his ultimatum after a conversation with a dismayed Finn and cancels the extra practice, allowing the football players to again do both activities. Meanwhile, Will and Emma spend more time together while Will prepares the mash-up, and soon realize they have strong feelings for one another. Will decides to remove himself from the equation and later tells Emma and Ken that he will not be able to create their mash-up.
Production
"Mash-Up" was written by series creator
The episode features covers of "
Studio recordings of "Bust a Move", "Thong Song" and "Sweet Caroline" were released as singles, available for digital download.[8] "Bust a Move" charted at number 93 in the US and 78 in Canada,[9] while "Sweet Caroline" charted at number 34 in the US, 22 in Canada and 37 in Australia.[10] "Bust a Move" and "Sweet Caroline" are included on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 1, with a studio recording of "I Could Have Danced All Night" included as a bonus track on discs purchased from Target.[11]
Reception
"Mash-Up" was watched by 7.24 million US viewers, and attained a 3.2/8
Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal described the episode as "a turning point for Glee", commenting that although there had previously been criticism of many of the characters for being "one note", this episode demonstrated that was not the case, showing that Will has a playful side, Sue has feelings, and Puck is able to "emerge from his bonehead-punk exterior".[1] Andrea Reiher of Zap2it was glad that Will's wife Terri did not appear in the episode, commenting: "I like Jessalyn Gilsig but that character drives me outhouse-rat crazy."[15] Eric Goldman for IGN rated the episode 8.2/10, writing that he wished Sue's relationship with Rod could have lasted more than one episode, as: "it would have been amusing to see happy, in love Sue a bit longer, before her inevitable return to evil."[16]
Musical performances in "Mash-Up" received mixed reviews. Joal Ryan for
I will go to the animal shelter and get you a kitty cat. I will let you fall in love with that kitty cat; and then on some dark cold night, I will steal away into your home, and punch you in the face.
Sue Sylvester, Glee, Season 1 Episode 8: "Mash-Up"
Glee's writers have also been praised for the episode's comedic content; one particular joke (performed by Lynch as Sue) was called an "instant classic" by television writer/producer Jane Espenson.[20] According to Espenson:
"The beauty of the joke is that ... [it] WANTS you to get ahead of it, and then subverts your expectation. This is extremely hard to pull off because you have to make certain that the audience is going to get ahead of the joke, but you can't be so obvious about it that you know they're going to anticipate the switch-up. This particular version is a thing of joy. I think a lot of what makes it work is the violence of the final image—you lose nothing of the force of the threat by not getting to any violence against the kitten."
References
- ^ a b Flandez, Raymund (October 22, 2009). ""Glee" Season 1, Episode 8: TV Recap". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "Finn and Quinn sink to the bottom of the food chain". Fox Broadcasting Company. December 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ "Music - ep8". E4. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Snierson, Dan (October 22, 2009). "'Glee' recap: Perfect Together". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Hefa, Kiran (November 11, 2009). "Which Glee Couple Should Be Together?". People. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Morris, Christopher (December 4, 2009). "Keeping 'Glee' in tune". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Dos Santos, Kristin; Godwin, Jennifer (October 22, 2009). "This Just In: Fox Pulls Dollhouse; Neil Diamond Hearts Glee". E!. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "Cast versions of "Bust a Move", "Sweet Caroline" and "Thong Song" among songs featured in "Glee" Wednesday, October 21, on Fox" (Press release). Fox Broadcasting Company. October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ "Glee Cast - Bust A Move". aCharts.us. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ "Glee Cast - Sweet Caroline". aCharts.us. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- ^ Linder, Brian (November 4, 2009). "Glee: The Music - Vol. 1 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (October 22, 2009). "TV Ratings: Modern Family down, SVU hits highs, Eastwick beats The Jay Leno Show". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
- BBM Canada. October 30, 2009. Archived from the original(PDF) on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
- BARB. Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Reiher, Andrea (October 23, 2009). "'Glee': Bust a move, Sweet Caroline". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b Goldman, Eric (October 22, 2009). "Glee: "Mash-Up" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Ryan, Joal (October 23, 2009). "Glee's Great, but the Music Ain't". E!. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Slezak, Michael (October 22, 2009). "'Glee': Rating the iTunes downloads from episode 8, 'Mash Up'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Semigran, Aly (October 22, 2009). "'Glee' Recap: Episode 8, A 'Mash-Up' And A Slushie Facial". MTV. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Espenson, Jane (May 16, 2010). "The Dangling Kitten". Jane in Progress (blog). Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
External links