New Directions (Episode)

New Directions is the thirteenth episode of Glee's fifth season and the hundred and first episode overall. It is the second part of the show's hundredth episode. The first part of the episode aired on March 18, 2014, while this part aired on March 25, 2014.

The alumni and current students say their last goodbyes to the Glee Club. Holly and April remain determined to save the New Directions, but meet fierce resistance from Sue. Meanwhile, the seniors prepare for graduation, although Tina is still unsure of her direction in the world. With Kurt and Mercedes' help, Rachel and Santana mend old differences, while both Puck and Quinn and Brittany and Santana prepare for new lives with each other. Will struggles to bid farewell to the club he loves.

The episode was written and directed by Brad Falchuk.

Plot
The episode opens with Holly and April in the teacher’s lounge playing "Marry, Kill, or Bone" with Figgins, Will, and Brad as their choices. Sue enters and interrupts their gossip to insult April for being a “dwarf whore." She says that she would usually have April escorted off campus, but allows her to stay, since she seems to be friends with Holly. When April asks how they know each other, Sue and Holly tell April that they are auditioning together for The Amazing Race as “Team Gorgeous”, and flashback scenes are shown of the audition tape. Holly, attempting to use her friendship with Sue to help save the Glee Club, asks if they can incorporate music into other clubs at McKinley. Sue reluctantly agrees, but tells Holly that they only have one week to try it out. Tina is walking down the hallways, reflecting on her options for college as other seniors around her excitedly show their acceptance letters to their friends. Via voiceover, Tina reveals she was rejected by her back-up school, Ohio State, and is still waiting to hear back from Brown University. Tina also reveals that she was adopted and applied to Mitzvah University in hopes of following her friends to NYC. Tina then enters the choir room as Rachel, Sam, and Artie pack up the Glee Club’s trophies, which saddens Tina. Rachel and Tina share a hug as Blaine and Kurt enter the room with the exciting news of Blaine’s acceptance into NYADA. As everyone congratulates Blaine, Sam accidentally knocks Tina out with one of the trophies, prompting another of Tina’s strange fantasies, in which she and all her friends appear in a loose parody of F.R.I.E.N.D.S called C.H.U.M.S.

In the auditorium, Kurt and Mercedes have gathered all their friends and the current Glee Club to reminisce about old times and to try to help mend the feud between Rachel and Santana. Kurt and Mercedes perform I Am Changing. Rachel appears to be moved during the song and glances over at Santana several times, while Santana seems impassive. Afterwards, Rachel meets Santana in the bathroom and tries to make peace between them, admitting Kurt and Mercedes’ song made her feel nostalgic and offers Santana 10 shows in Funny Girl as a peace offering. Santana declines and says she wants to perform in every show, leaving Rachel dismayed.

Meanwhile, Holly fills Will in on her plan to incorporate music into McKinley's other clubs. Will is hesitant, but Holly encourages Will to trust her. Dressed as Temple Grandin, Holly leads a class in a performance of Eddie Murphy’s Party All the Time, which transitions into a club scene with everyone dressed in vintage clothing. Principal Sue, however, is not amused, having received many angry letters from the members of the Animal Husbandry Club, state and local politicians, as well as the National Autism Association, thus marking the end of Holly’s extracurricular musical experiment. Will tells Sue he understands and he and Holly leave Sue’s office. Will tells Holly he has accepted that Glee Club is over. Holly approaches Artie in the hallway and asks him to meet her with his camera equipment in the Spanish room.

In the choir room, Brittany has filled the room with lilies and offers Santana two one way tickets to Lesbos Island so that they can spend some time together. Santana, however, is still hesitant and feels that Brittany’s offer may have more to do with her wanting to escape MIT rather than her desire for them to actually be together. Santana also tells Brittany she doesn't want to give up her understudy role in Funny Girl because it is a great first step toward being rich and famous, and she doesn't want to allow Rachel to win their feud. Brittany reminds Santana that Broadway has never been her dream - so walking away from a role she doesn't really care about would be a win for her. Santana, realizing Brittany is right, thanks her for straightening her out. She leans her head against Brittany’s shoulder and the two cuddle.

Tina informs Blaine, Sam and Artie that she was rejected from Mitzvah University and therefore won’t be going to NY. Sam tells Tina that just because she hasn't gotten into college yet doesn't mean she can’t go to NY. Blaine reminds Tina that Kurt went to NY with no plan at all and it turned out really well for him, “Think of it as an adventure,” he tells her. Tina, still hesitant, says she feels like “A giant loser” with no plan. Blaine, Sam, and Artie sing an acoustic version of Loser Like Me to cheer her up and Tina joins in. Afterward, Blaine begs Tina to go to NY and Sam and Artie reassure her that they will all help her figure out to do when she gets to NY. Tina happily agrees.

Santana meets Rachel in the auditorium. Rachel is running lines from Funny Girl. Santana comments on Rachel’s dedication and admits that she has been sucking all the celebration from something that Rachel had been working very hard to achieve. Santana also admits that she’s “Too lazy to do 8 shows a week” and that she is withdrawing from the show. However, Santana tells Rachel that she isn't resigning as understudy to make Rachel happy, she is only doing it for herself. Pleased they can put the past unpleasantness behind them, Rachel suggests they sing one final song together in the choir room. Santana and Rachel perform Be Okay by Oh Honey.

Puck and Quinn then perform Just Give Me a Reason and announce to the Glee Club that they have decided to give a relationship a try, even though they will be long distance. Quinn acknowledges that it will be tough, but tells Puck she would rather do hard with him than easy with someone else. Everyone applauds as they share a kiss and Will announces that they have just performed the final song in the choir room.

Later, Will enters his office to discover a note asking him to come to the auditorium. Holly and the Glee Club have made a video for Will and his unborn child about how much he has meant to them as a teacher and a man. The video ends with Rachel coming out on stage to lead into a performance of Don't Stop Believin'. Will is visibly moved and soon the rest of the Glee Club and alumni members join in as well. After the song, the Glee Club members share in a group hug while April and Holly watch from the auditorium entrance and congratulate themselves for a job well done. Back in the choir room, the current members of New Directions are gathered before the graduation ceremony. Unique asks Kitty if she will acknowledge her in the hallways now that the Glee Club is over. Kitty says she will and jokes about how someone has to tell Unique when her shoes don't match her purse. Jake is still feeling disbelief that Sue has won her long run mission to disband the Glee Club. Marley disagrees and says although Sue has disbanded the club, she cannot take away their friendship. Ryder points out how Glee Club has helped all of them become better people. The last remaining members of the Glee Club have one final moment of reminiscing and a group hug before heading to the graduation ceremony.

Artie, Blaine, Becky, Brittany, Sam and Tina all graduate with their fellow senior class. Tina says she cannot go to NY after all because she got a phone call from Brown University and she has been accepted for the fall semester. Blaine, Sam and Artie hug and congratulate Tina. After the graduation ceremony, Santana meets Brittany in the bathroom and says she does want to go away with Brittany, but also wants them to return together to NY after their trip is over. Brittany agrees and the two share a hug and a kiss. Back in the choir room, Will meets Sue. Sue admits that Will's work in the Glee Club helped change many kids' lives - and his own - for the better, and says she will miss the fighting between them. Sue reveals she got Will an interview at Carmel High for the position of Glee Club director for Vocal Adrenaline. Will is hesitant, but Sue argues that Will needs to be doing what he is passionate about - teaching Glee Club - and he could do many good things with the healthy budget that Vocal Adrenaline has. Sue leaves Will alone in the choir room to decide on how to proceed. With memories of the Glee Club flooding through his mind, Will turns out the lights and leaves the choir room for the last time.

Songs

 * ‡ denotes a song that was cut from the episode entirely.
 * Glee: The Music, Celebrating 100 Episodes is an album accompanying the music from 100 and this episode, as a celebration of the show's special milestone. The album was released March 25, 2014.

Special Guest Stars

 * Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday
 * Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes

Guest Stars

 * Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray
 * Heather Morris as Brittany Pierce
 * Amber Riley as Mercedes Jones
 * Mark Salling as Noah Puckerman
 * Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
 * Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson
 * Bob Glouberman as the Mitzvah University president

Co-Star

 * Brad Ellis as Brad
 * Dabier as Animal Husbandry Clubber

Trivia

 * This episode was watched by 2.68 million viewers and received a 1.1 rating. Source
 * This episode features the sixth performance of Don't Stop Believin'. However, it was only the fourth version to be released.
 * In every released version, Rachel has a solo.
 * This episode marks Tina's hundredth appearance.
 * While Total Eclipse of the Heart was cut entirely from the episode, it was still featured on Glee: The Music, Celebrating 100 Episodes.
 * This makes this episode the only one where April Rhodes appears and doesn't sing a duet with Will Schuester.
 * April saying "I thought you'd never ask" to Holly is a reference to Holly's catch phrase, as stated in The Substitute.
 * In early scripts of Season Two, a storyline of Tina being adopted was going to be included, but was eventually discarded. In this episode, she mentions having been adopted.
 * All the remixed songs in this episode were the last songs of their respective episodes.
 * This marks the final appearances of April Rhodes, Holly Holliday and Marley Rose on the entire series.
 * This episode features the last appearances of Kitty, Jake, Mike, Puck, Quinn, Ryder and Unique in Season Five.
 * This is the last episode where Jake, Ryder, Unique and Kitty appear as main characters.
 * The voices of Puck, Artie, Santana, Kurt, Mercedes, Rachel and Finn are heard during a voice over when Will says goodbye to the Glee Club, with also the voice overs of everyone laughing.

Cultural references

 * C.H.U.M.S is a parody of Friends.
 * For McKinley's Animal Husbandry club, Holly Holliday dresses up as Temple Grandin, a professor at Colorado State University and a prominent activist in the field of autism and animal welfare. Source

Flashback Quotes
"Being great at something's going to change it. Being a part of something special makes you special, right?"

"I was tossing kids into dumpsters."

"I had never kissed a girl before."

"I wasn't honest about who I was."

"And Glee Club will never end, Mr. Shue, because you are Glee Club."

"'Cause in this room it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. What matters is that we're friends."

"The struggle continues, but... at least I know I'm not alone."

"If I'd let you down when you needed me the most, I'd never forgive myself."

"We went around the room and everybody said what they wanted to win this thing for, and we all said the same thing. We want to win this for you."