Season 5, Episode 4:  A Katy or a Gaga

Ownership of Glee:  FOX, Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuck

/ / /

Another week had passed since Finn's memorial week in glee club. The New Directions – including Will – were walking on eggshells with Angie. They didn't know how to talk to her without asking about her well-being; they didn't want to upset her by talking about her deceased husband. Though she had assured everyone that she was doing better, they still had doubts lingering in the backs of their minds.

Angie and Will walked into the choir room together, and Will claps his hands. "All right, big week, guys. Come on. Gather round. I have here in my hand... drumroll, please... a secret list of show choirs that we will be in competition with at Nationals in six weeks."

"Ooh.." is the reply of some.

"Nice enthusiasm," Angie replied teasingly.

"Yes. Okay, let's see what we've got. We got the Rust-Belters from Pittsburgh, the Thunder Showcats from Gainesville, and finally, from Fort Wayne, Throat Explosion." Will announces.

After Will said Throat Explosion, Tina began panicking. "No! Why, God?!"

"Uh, what? Throat Explosion? Are you kidding me?" Angie gapes.

"That's a joke, right?" Will asks his students and co-director.

"Anything but. They're the new supergroup the Show Choir Underground's been buzzing about," Blaine replies.

"Their budgets for costume, makeup, hair alone are astronomical. You guys have read that Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers, right? So, Gladwell says you can't possibly master anything unless you've spent 10,000 hours practicing it. So students can't even join Throat Explosion without proving they've logged in 10,000 hours of show choir rehearsal." Tina inputs.

Angie nods. "Will, they don't even go to class. They just perform, every minute of every day. They live their art. They know no boundaries. They're constantly pushing the envelope, living and performing on the edge. They're like mini Lady Gagas."

"We're so screwed... they're not like Vocal Adrenaline, who were unfeeling Borg robots. They're total outsiders and misfits, which used to be our niche," Artie comments.

"We can't compete with Throat Explosion at that level because we lost our biggest Gaga when Kurt graduated last year." Blaine remarks.

Tina groans. "Look around, we're a room full of, like, Katy Perrys now."

"Oh, you best check your spectrum, Queen T, because orange is the new black, and Unique is the new Gaga," Unique states proudly.

"Well, not Marley... she's a Katy Perry," Jake informs.

"So is Sam, so is Blaine. I'm a Katy Perry and I'm proud of it." Artie states.

Will decides that now is the time to intervene. "Uh, the truth is, Tina, we're a potent mix of Katy Perrys and Lady Gagas in here. But it's not a liability... it's the way we're gonna beat Throat Explosion. Some of us in here are, you know, ambi-edge."

"Ambi-edge? You just made that up." Angie whispers.

Will ignores Angie's statement. "Uh, some of us are more, you know, wholesome, innocent, romantic, all-American girl-and-boy-next-door types. Uh, who in here would describe themselves as a Gaga?"

Jake, Kitty, Tina, Unique, and Angie's hands go up.

Angie nods. "Okay, great. And the rest of you are Katys?"

"Is there a third option?" Sam questions.

"We're gonna mix it up a little bit. We're turning our weaknesses into our strengths. This week, the Katys will get their Gaga on, and the Gagas will bring the Katy. Throat Explosion does their one thing very, very well, but we need to be able to do both impeccably, or else we're not gonna have a chance in hell of winning Nationals this year." Will claims.

Angie looks at her fellow Gagas. "You heard the man; go get your Katy on!"

/ / /

All the Katys in glee club perform Lady Gaga's 'Applause.'

[Applause by Blaine, Sam, Artie, Marley, and Ryder]

The males of the Katys are dressed in outlandish attire, and Marley is wearing a Katy Perry-centric costume. Angie glances to Will, looking at him with confusion. She still claps for the performance.

"What happened to the seashell bikini?" Sam asks Marley.

Marley shrugs. "I wasn't comfortable."

"Well, get over yourself... you think I'm just comfortable up here with no shirt on?" Sam quips.

"Yeah, you probably are," Marley answers.

"Well, I'm not exactly loving this giant white thing that keeps getting caught in my wheels." Artie comments.

Ryder nods. "Yeah, and I look like Siegfried and Roy, and I still did it."

"Okay, I'm sorry, you guys, but I am who I am, and I'm not gonna change that for any number or any guy," Marley proclaims.

Angie was about to praise Marley for sticking to her beliefs, but instead, Will stands up. "Marley, we're all trying to win a championship here, as a team, but you put your personal agenda above that. I'm sorry, but... you're suspended for the rest of the week."

A wave of shock passes through the auditorium.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Angie remarks softly, giving Will a pissed off look.

Even Angie knew that Will couldn't just suspend Marley for sticking to her personal boundaries. The blonde had an idea of what was running through the director's mind, and she didn't do much to hide her disappointment.

/ / /

Angie walks into Will's office. "You wanted to see me, Will?"

Will nods. "Please take a seat." Angie sits across from his desk.

Will sighs. "I wanted to see how you were doing. I know that it's a lot for you to be back here so soon, and I just hope you know that I'm here if you need anything."

"Thank you. I would've taken the week off, but I could hear him telling me that missing a week of glee club was unacceptable. While I do appreciate your concern for my well-being about my dead husband... we both know that that's not the real reason why you wanted to talk to me," Angie claims.

Will's lips pursed into a thin line. "I saw the look you were giving me when I suspended Marley. I know that look. You don't agree with my decision."

"Of course I don't agree with your decision. While I love the lesson we're teaching this week, you're acting like a hypocrite, Will. We tell these kids to openly express themselves in glee club. But when someone is uncomfortable with a costume choice or doesn't agree with song selections for a set list... you ice them out. It's not cool," Angie explains. "Besides, you don't really have any power to suspend Marley; that resides with Sue now."

Will looks at her. "I don't understand where this attitude is coming from. I'm just trying to be a teacher here."

"No, you're afraid of the threat that is Throat Explosion, so you're recreating our Hairography assignment." Angie interjects.

"Angie, your tone is uncalled for." Will warns.

Angie pushes further. "Yeah? Well suspending Marley was uncalled for, too. Don't lie to me, Will – I know why you're so freakin' uptight."

"Okay. Why do you believe I'm uptight?" Will questions.

Angie swallows down the lump that's formed in her throat. "Because five weeks ago, we lost Finn. Will, I know you haven't truly had your chance to grieve, but he's gone. You're projecting your anger and frustration about Finn dying onto the kids."

Will tenses. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Angie had a fiery anger in her eyes. "So you're not the one that stole Finn's sweatshirt last week?! I know you took it! Kurt gave that to Santana, and you just... you took it. You stood there, and you let Puck take the fall for something he didn't even do!"

"What if you're right, huh? I don't want to accept the fact that he's gone. He was the son I never had. I can't just accept that he's gone, Angie!" Will says loudly.

Angie looks at Will with teary and heartbroken eyes. "I don't want to accept it either, Will! I wish this weren't reality, but it is! It's reality, and it sucks. I lost my husband. My 19-year-old husband. The love of my life; the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I was there at the funeral too, you know. I cried over his casket-concealed body, I watched Carole's heart shatter over having to say goodbye to the child she raised. I saw how much Finn's death hurt my family and our friends. I... I had to watch as they lowered his casket into the ground. I lost my soulmate, Will; I lost my person. I don't want to accept that he's gone, but I have to accept it. He's dead – he's never coming back – and there's nothing any of us can do about it!"

Will looked at the widowed blonde in shock, but Angie continued to speak.

"The best thing we can do is lean on each other. I know how much Finn meant to you, Will; I know how much he meant to this glee club, and I know how much we all meant to Finn. You should-should take a moment sometime to properly grieve, Will. You should take a moment to sit down with Emma and talk to her about your feelings on this. What you're doing... it's not healthy."

Will looks at her with tearful eyes. "You're right; I've been projecting my personal feelings onto our students, and I shouldn't do that. I'm so sorry, Angie. I just... I don't know what to do."

"Neither do I," Angie admits. "But you can't go through this alone, Will. Sometimes, the support system needs a support system."

Will hugs his former student, who returns the hug gratefully. When they break away from the hug, Will is smiling at Angie. "When did you get so smart?"

Angie smiles as well, though it is a small smile. "I've been around you for 4 years, Will. I've picked up on a few of your nuances."

/ / /

The Gagas perform Katy Perry's 'Wide Awake.'

[Wide Awake by Jake, Unique, Kitty, and Tina]

The Gagas receive well-deserved applause from their director and peers. They also receive a standing ovation from Angie.

/ / /

"You guys! Throat Explosion just tweeted out that they're doing 'Applause' as one of their Nationals numbers!" Tina claims.

"So? Big deal. We'll just do another Lady Gaga song." Jake says.

"They're mocking us. They're saying they're so confident they're gonna win, they're even gonna give us a little head start by telling us what their set list is," Tina replies.

"Seriously! We should just forfeit now." Sam states.

Angie stands up from her seat. "Guys, guys! Just calm down. So our competition is good. So was Vocal Adrenaline, and the Warblers. If there's anything we can learn form this week's lesson, it's that other people's greatness makes our greatness even greater. Gaga and Katy, they push each other to try harder, to get better, to be bolder. At the end of the day, all of the friendly competition between those two just means more really amazing music for all of us. I mean, I hope Throat Explosion is unstoppable, because then we know we have to be unstoppable, too. But if I hear any one of you talking about giving up or forfeiting, then you're letting everyone down – yourselves, Will, myself, your teammates, Finn... no one gets to give up. We don't quit; we're the freaking New Directions. We push harder, we work better, and we keep on going. Let's get our heads in the game so that we can kick ass at Nationals."

No one says anything, but in that moment, Will and the New Directions swear they can hear Finn talking through Angie.

/ / /

The New Directions – minus the suspended Marley – sing Katy Perry's 'Roar.' They're joined by Kurtcheltana, Elliott and Dani, who are in New York.

[Roar by New Directions, Kurtcheltana, Elliott, and Dani]

The New Directions smile and cheer as they finish their performance. Angie and Will clap for them.

Everyone's ready to prepare for Nationals!

/ / /

2019 words

Songs Mentioned/Performed
1. Applause – Blaine, Sam, Artie, Marley, and Ryder
2. Wide Awake – Jake, Unique, Kitty, and Tina
3. Roar – New Directions, Kurtcheltana, Elliott, and Dani

Happy Valentine's Day, my fellow Gleeks! I'm so sorry for the extremely long hiatus, but I came back to this story with a big chapter to write! Any thoughts on this episode?

Next Update:  The End of Twerk

2 episodes to Movin' Out
3 episodes to Puppet Master
4 episodes to Previously Unaired Christmas
5 episodes to Frenemies
6 episodes to Trio

Published:  2/14/2021