Blame It on the Alcohol
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"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the television series Glee, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz and first aired in the United States on Fox on February 22, 2011. This episode mainly centers around the issues of underage drinking, as the students of the McKinley High School begin to take part in the consumption of alcohol. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) warns the students about the dangers on underage drinking. In response to this, the glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) assigns the McKinley High School glee club to write and perform songs that send positive messages about abstinence. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) throws a party exclusively for the glee club, where Puck (Mark Salling) brings alcohol to the party. The glee club wake up to hangovers, and they must perform various songs about drinking.
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was met with mostly positive reception upon its original airing from critics. Katie Morgan of Billboard praised much of the musical numbers, while Robert Canning of IGN called the episode "comical" and "human". This episode featured cover versions of four songs, including a cover of "Tik Tok" by Kesha and "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain. Most of the musical performances and covers would be met with mixed to generally positive reception from critics. All songs were released as singles and made available for digital download.
Upon its premiere, the episode was watched by over 10.50 million American viewers, and it garnered a 4.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic.[1] The episode's total viewership and ratings were slightly up from the previous episode, "Comeback", which was watched by 10.46 million American viewers, and acquired a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic upon first airing on television.[2]
Plot
Concerned about recent underage drinking incidents, Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) decides to have a cautionary assembly and commissions the glee club to perform a song. In an attempt to get inspiration to write a good song for Regionals, Rachel (Lea Michele) throws a party for the glee club members at her house, a party crashed by Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss). Puck (Mark Salling) convinces her to serve alcohol, and everyone gets drunk except for Finn (Cory Monteith) and Kurt. They all play a game of Spin the Bottle resulting in Rachel and Blaine kissing, making him question his sexuality. After their kiss, Rachel and Blaine drunkenly perform the song "Don't You Want Me" on karaoke. Because Blaine is so drunk, after the party Kurt drives him to the Hummel residence, where they sleep, fully clothed, in Kurt's bed. Burt (Mike O'Malley) is not pleased about this level of intimacy and speaks to Kurt about it. Kurt grudgingly agrees to get permission first next time, but asks Burt to educate himself on gay relationships so Kurt can come to him for advice in the future. Meanwhile, the glee club members come to school with very bad hangovers and perform the song "Blame It", impressing Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) with their "realistic acting", but he thinks the song is inapproriate for the assembly as it glorifies drinking. He tells the kids to try and find a song that shows the dangers of drinking, but they tell him that it's hopeless. Meanwhile, Mr. Schuester and Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) indulge in a little fun of their own to reduce their stress and perform the song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" at a cowboy bar.
Once home, Will drinks more beer as he drunkenly grades all his students A+, and later drunk dials who he thinks is Emma (Jayma Mays). Rachel goes on a date with Blaine, making Kurt jealous and angry as he's still convinced Blaine is gay, going so far as to claim that bisexuality does not exist. At the assembly, New Directions perform a rousing version of Kesha's hit single "Tik Tok", but the song comes to an abrupt end when Brittany (Heather Morris) and Satana (Naya Rivera) throw up from intoxication. After the performance, Sue (Jane Lynch) publicly humiliated Will by playing the message Will left her over the school PA system, in the middle of class. On the message Will expresses to Emma how he "loves the way she eats with plastic gloves", and even asks her to come over to his house. Embarrassed, Will realizes that it's hypocritical to tell the kids not to drink when he drinks often himself. Later, Principal Figgins awards the club with coupons for half-off frozen yogurt for their performance, saying that he didn't know the kids in the glee club were also such good actors, clearly believing that Brittany and Santana throwing up were special effects and that no one was really drunk: their performance had scared kids into not coming to school drunk for the first time in weeks. Will convinces the whole club to sign a pledge to not drink until after Nationals, but if they do he says to call him so he can drive them home from wherever they are. Rachel kisses a sober Blaine, making him realize he is indeed gay. Instead of being heartbroken and depressed by this, she is elated, and tells Kurt that she is inspired by having had a relationship with a man who turned out to be gay — she calls it "songwriting gold."
Music
The episode featured cover versions of "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League, "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" by Rudy Toombs, as recorded by George Thorogood, "Tik Tok" by Kesha and "Blame It" by Jamie Foxx and T-Pain.[3] "One Bourbon" marked Dot-Marie Jones' singing debut on Glee.
Critical response
The musical covers and performances for the episode were met with mostly positive reception from critics and fans alike. Katie Morgan of Billboard praised the casts' performance of "Blame It", writing, "We honestly think this version might be better than the original."[4] However, Todd VanderWerff of The A.V. Club gave a negative review on the cover, saying that it was "one of the least enjoyable numbers of the season."[5] Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave praised the New Directions' cover of "Tik Tok", writing, "Ke$ha might be able to out-drink the Glee members, but their cover of her song was phenomenal."[6] She would go on to praise Brittany's choreography and voice, calling it "mad" and "awesome".[6] Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly praised all of the musical performances and cover of the episode.[7] In her review, she graded the covers of "Blame It" and "Don't You Want Me" the highest, giving each one an A.[7] For her review of the cover of "Blame It", she wrote, "I'm not a fan of the original song. And at the risk of sounding like a proponent of underage drinking [...] this was one of the better R&B performances we've seen from the Glee gang in a while."[7] In her review for the cover of "Don't You Want Me", Gonzalez wrote, "I'm happy [...] to report that I love '80s music as much as I love a Rachel Berry power ballad. So the mere idea of this song being covered had me more excited than words can properly express [...]. The result met — if not exceeded — my expectations. Blaine needs to join New Directions so we can get more duets between him and Rachel."[7] She wrote a positive review on the cover version of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", writing, "Will Schuester is about as country as Beiste is a dress-wearing kind of gal, and I was totally prepared to hate this song. In fact, I wasn't a fan of the first few minutes. But by the time the chorus hit, it was clear that Dot Marie Jones and Matthew Morrison had fun recording this song. And because country is 70 percent attitude, it grew on me."[7] She went on to give the cover a B. She went on to praise Brittany's choreography and overall performance in "Tik Tok", going on to write, "The huge star of this number was clearly Brittany, who more and more every week proves that she needs to be moved to the forefront of this show's big performances and storylines."[7] Gonzalez gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a B, and wrote a positive review on the performance. She wrote, "It was pure, fun entertainment up until we got to the part straight out of the mind of Gordie LaChance. So even though the purple vomit was a bit too much for this weak viewer, the performance made me add a Ke$ha song to my iTunes, which I never thought would happen."[7]
Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone gave the cover version of "Tik Tok" a mostly positive review, writing, "Love Brittany as we do, we wish Rachel or Mercedes stepped up to the mic. The performance is less risqué than their Pep Rally "Push It" but winds up causing more controversy when Brittany pukes on Rachel and Santana also vomits up grey slush. It's a fitting end to the song, and the episode."[8] She praised the duet performed by Rachel and Blaine, going on to write, " It's fun, it's flirty, it's great to hear them do something that's not a musical [...] or a recent Top 40 hit [...] and it pits Glee's most well-rounded pop vocalists against each other.[8]
Reception
Ratings
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was first broadcast on February 22, 2011 in the United States on Fox. It received over 10.50 million American viewers upon its initial airing, according to the Nielson ratings.[1] The episode garnered a 4.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic, tied for the highest of the night with NCIS. The episode's total viewership and ratings slightly increased from the previous episode, "Comeback", which was watched by 10.46 million American viewers and received a 4.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic during its original airing.[2] In Australia, the episode was watched by 1.02 million viewers, making Glee the sixth most-watched show of the night and twentieth of the week.[9] In the UK, the episode was broadcast on April 11, 2011. It attained 2.53 million viewers—2.05 million on E4, and 483,000 on E4+1—and was the most-watched show on cable for the week.[10] Viewership was marginally down on "Comeback", which attained 40,000 more viewers.[11]
Critical response
"Blame It on the Alcohol" was met with general acclaim from critics and fans alike upon its initial airing. Robert Canning of IGN gave the episode a positive review, calling the main storyline "comical" and "human".[12] He went on to give the episode an 8 out of 10.[12] New anchors on WTTG, the Fox-affiliated television station in Washington, D.C., gave the episode positive reception in a video.[13] Candace Bulter of ScreenCrave gave the episode an 8, and went on to give the episode a positive review. She wrote, "This week’s Glee puts on the beer goggles to put alcohol-related issues in perspective. The result is humorous and ironic, but leaves something to be wanted."[6] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave off mostly positive reception towards the episode. In a review, he wrote, "“Alcohol” has bad moments [...] but the underpinnings of the episode aren’t terrible, just overstuffed. On the list of Glee atrocities, having too much to say isn’t such a bad one, and when the lack of self-editing is mixed in with some funny scenes and performances and a return of the best possible interpretation of Will, well, it made for an episode that wasn’t great but was still mostly a good time."[5] He went on to write a mixed review about the storyline, writing, "It got out of the genuinely complicated Blaine/Kurt/Rachel triangle [...] by having Blaine realize he was gay and having Rachel not be mad because the experience was “songwriting gold!” [...] The storyline started out as something that seemed like it might be an interesting, complicated look at teenage sexuality and how it can seem formed but might be more fluid than most teens would give it credit for, then lost its nerve and took the easy way out."[5] However, he went on to praise Lea Michele's role as Rachel, calling her "an underrated comic actress."[5] Scott Pierce of The Salt Lake Tribune praised the script, writing, "It had some lines that were just laugh-out-loud funny. Funny enough so that I had to pause the DVR until I was finished laughing."[14] Luciana Mangas of TV Overmind wrote, "Glee did a brave thing in last night’s episode. It was controversial and polemic and a lot of people were offended by it from what I have read around the internet. However, I have to say it worked. They treated a delicate subject very well and with a very, very funny approach."[15]
Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times praised the episode, going on to write, "Leave it to Glee to tackle a potentially joyless, didactic topic like teenage drinking and somehow manage to entertain and surprise and get its important life lessons across. Tuesday night's episode was as funny, startling — and yes, at times cringe-inducing — as a certain curly-haired choir director's slurry drunk dial. Perhaps its message will be heard as widely and resonate as strongly."[16] Aly Semigran of MTV gave the episode a negative review. She went on to write, "The theme of last night's Glee was supposed to be about the dangers of underage teens getting wasted, but instead it turned into a wasted opportunity for Ryan Murphy and Co. to shed some light on a very serious issue."[17] In conclusion of her review, she wrote, "In case you couldn't tell Gleeks, this episode left something of a sour taste in my mouth. While Ryan Murphy always combines humor with serious life lessons, it seems there were none to be found here. Besides some embarrassing moments, nobody in the episode faced any real consequences. The episode simply took the approach of "We can't stop them from drinking, but we can make them aware, which is a very reasonable way to look at it. That is, if there's some awareness in the first place."[17] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone praised the episode for its solid storylines. She went on to write, "With this, Glee continues along its newfound trend of solid episodes that pair music loosely based around a theme with just enough plot to keep momentum going. There were great moments that didn't revolve around music, too: Kurt and his dad working to find a middle ground in their relationship and Becky and Sue's homage to Rydell High's Principal McGee and Blanche was on point."[8] Richard Corliss of Time wrote a very positive review for the episode, writing, "Last night's hour of Glee was of the level a superior series sticks in mid-season between its "important" episodes. If this is coasting, take me along for the ride.[18]
References
- ^ a b Siedman, Robert (February 22, 2011). "TV Ratings Tuesday: 'NCIS' Bests 'Glee'; 'The Good Wife' Sees Lows; 'V' Steady; Fox Sitcoms Rise". Tv by the Numbers. Nielson ratings. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "nr" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Gorman, Bill (February 16, 2011). "TV Ratings Tuesday: Fox & CBS Tie As 'NCIS,' 'Glee,' 'Raising Hope,' Most Others Slip; But 'V' Gains". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ Cheung, Nadine (February 18, 2011). "'Glee' 'Blame It On the Alcohol' Songs -- Season 2, Episode 14". AOL Radio. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ Morgan, Katie. "'Glee' Gets Sick Over Ke$ha, Blames It 'On the Alcohol'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Text "February 22, 2011" ignored (help) - ^ a b c d VanDerWerff, Todd (February 22, 2011). "Blame It On The Alcohol". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "avclub" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Bulter, Candace (February 22, 2011). "Glee: Season 2 Episode 14: Blame It On the Alcohol -TV Review". ScreenCrave. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "sc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d e f g Gonzalez, Sandra (February 22, 2011). "'Glee' recap: The Wasted Talent". Entertainment Weekly. Time, Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "et" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b c Futterman, Erica (February 22, 2011). "'Glee' Recap: Drink, Drank, Drunk". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "rolling" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Dale, David (March 7, 2011). "THE RATINGS RACE: Another shocker for Channel Nine". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: w/e 17 Apr 2011". BARB. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: w/e 10 Apr 2011". BARB. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
- ^ a b Canning, Robert (February 22, 2011). "Glee: "Blame It On the Alcohol" Review". IGN. News Corporation. Retrieved February 23, 2011. Cite error: The named reference "ign" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Fraser, Sarah (February 22, 2011). "Glee Review: Blame It On The Alcohol". WTTG. Fox Broadcasting Company. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ Pierce, Scott (February 23, 2011). ""Glee" is still hilarious — for Brittany alone". The Salt Lake Tribune. MediaNews Group. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ Mangas, Luciana (February 22, 2010). "Glee 2.14 "Blame It On The Alcohol" Review". TV Overview. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ Reiter, Amy (February 22, 2011). "'Glee' recap: Making alcohol awareness sing!". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Semigran, Aly. "'Glee' Recap: 'Blame It On The Alcohol'". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Text "February 22, 2011" ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "mtv" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Corliss, Richard (February 22, 2011). "Glee Watch: 12-Step Pogrom". Time. Time, Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
