Asian F

Asian F is the third episode of Glee's third season and the forty-seventh episode overall. It premiered on October 4, 2011.

The title is a reference to Mike receiving an "Asian F" in this episode. When Mike receives an Asian F, his father tries to drag him out of the New Directions and make him break up with Tina, because of distractions. When Mike reveals that he will audition for the musical, his father is enraged. Auditions for the musical continue. Mercedes begins to get sick of Rachel stealing the spotlight, and how Will continually picks on Mercedes only, causing Mercedes to rethink her commitment with Glee. The directors of the musical conduct a diva-off for Mercedes and Rachel, the class presidency campaign heats up between Brittany and Kurt, Shelby starts an all-female glee club group at McKinley and Emma faces her OCD problems with Will.

The episode was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Ian Brennan.

Plot
In the opening, Mercedes arrives late to Booty Camp having woken up late and took her time eating. Santana has re-sworn her allegiance to New Directions (without telling Sue) and makes a comment towards her, and Mike proceeds to assist Mercedes. Mercedes starts to feel sick and Will begins yelling at her. Mercedes tells Will that she's doing her best but Will wants more than her best.

Will talks with Emma about finding a box filled with bridal magazines, and they discuss their future. One day he wants to marry her, but he wants to meet Emma's parents. Emma tries to get out of it but Will wins the argument.

Mike Chang and his father are in Figgins' office. Mike Chang Sr. says he wants Mike drug tested every day because Mike got an A-, or, as it is also known, an "Asian F". Mr. Chang also wants Tina to be removed from the picture and for Mike to quit Glee Club, saying that it was not good for his college application. Mike assures his father that he will try harder and get better grades, he asks his father to give him another chance.

In the football locker room, Coach Beiste tells the guys that they must join the school musical, West Side Story, as backup dancers. (In the previous episode, Coach Beiste mentioned that she would ask her football team to play the Jets.) They protest since they can't learn a dance routine in several days, but eventually everyone turns to face Mike, seemingly knowing that he was the best dancer out of the entire team. Mike was distracted during the team meeting although appeared relieved that he could still participate in the musical as it was now a requirement.

In the cafeteria, Shane sees Mercedes hugging Rachel. He sits down for lunch with Mercedes and asks why she would do that. For the role of Maria they are rivals, and thus they shouldn't be hugging. Mercedes says they aren't like that, while Shane looks on. Mercedes meanwhile feels that she is second-best to Rachel and proceeds to sing Spotlight while Rachel is given all the attention in Glee Club.

In the hallways, Mike discusses things with Tina about his A-, otherwise known as an Asian F. Tina also reveals that she has been helping Mike weekly with his singing. Tina asks him if he's ready for his audition for the school musical the next day and Mike says that he's not trying out. Tina asks why and Mike tells her that he's stressed out with everything going on in his life: football, Glee club, Booty Camp, and now his dad pressuring him about his grades. Tina tells Mike to tell his father about his love for dancing but Mike refuses and walks away down the hall.

On the other side of the hallway Brittany and Santana discuss the class president race with Kurt. Kurt is 11 points ahead of Brittany, however, Brittany has a plan and recruits the girls' votes with a pep rally organized by Santana with Run the World (Girls).

Emma and Beiste discuss the role of Maria. Mercedes has made progress lately. Will shows up and discusses Mercedes progress. Emma, Coach Beiste, and Artie then decide to give Rachel and Mercedes a diva-off for the role of Maria.

Mike is in the hallways talking to his father on his phone. He has to see a chemistry tutor but he walks into a room and begins dancing. However his father's words constantly ring in his head. Mike has a vision of his father telling him that he could not make a career from dancing. He continues to dance and when he ends up on the other side of the room he envisions Tina in the room. Tina then tells him that he might not talk or sing very much, but when he dances he expresses his emotions. She says that she had fallen in love with him watching him dance.

Back in the auditorium, Emma, Artie and Coach Beiste are calling Mike for his audition. Mike is uncharacteristically late so they try to move on. He then runs on to the stage, apologizing for being late, and states the song he is using for auditioning for the role of "Riff" with Cool. His football teammates join in with a group dance number. Coach Beiste applauds Mike, telling him that she hopes he isn't wasting his time. Mike then tells her that he loves dancing and it's his dream, so it will never be a waste of his time.

Shelby and Beiste discuss show choirs. No one has auditioned for Shelby's choir at all. Will walks in and Shelby leaves, they both begin to discuss Emma. Beiste tells Will that despite everything, Emma loves him, even if Carl had money, but they have love.

Outside McKinley, Kurt proceeds to give Blaine flowers and reveals that the cast list will be going up soon.

In booty camp, Brittany and Santana have joined. Their assignment is "The Widowmaker," the hardest dance move. Everyone does it successfully except Mercedes who claims her ankle hurts. Will points her out. Mercedes reveals that she's done with New Directions. Will then gives her one final choice: leave the room and she's out of Glee Club.

A fantasy sequence then begins as Mercedes sings It's All Over. After the sequence the screen zooms out, Mercedes is alone, "It's over."

Mike is practicing his dancing in an empty room while his mother walks in. Mike never went to his tutor, he went to audition and his mother was forced to cover for him. Mike finally admits to her that dancing is the only thing that he does that makes him feel special. His mother supports him, saying that when they get the results for the casting of the musical they'll both go and tell Mike's father about it together, and reveals a secret. She too loves dancing, but gave up her dream. Mike then offers her lessons and the two proceed to waltz in the room together.

Mercedes and Rachel are preparing for their audition. Finn is supporting Rachel while Shane is supporting Mercedes. Emma flips a coin to decide who goes first and Rachel wins. Rachel lets Mercedes sing first, and they proceed to sing Out Here on My Own.

After the audition, Rachel proceeds to storm down the hallway eventually entering the locker room. She finds Coach Beiste (who is putting on lipstick) and tells her that she has something to discuss.

Emma returns home and Will surprises her by inviting her parents, Rusty and Rose, over for dinner. Emma pulls Will to the side and says she is ashamed of her parents because they are ginger supremacists. They prefer the company of other gingers. Emma's OCD problems start appearing and her parents cruelly comment on it, causing Will to yell at Emma's parents, calling them "racist" and telling them that they should support Emma.

Kurt confronts Rachel at the lockers. Rachel told Coach Beiste that she's running for class president against Kurt. Kurt isn't happy, since he is what will change the school. He is the face of change. And 10 years down the track, Rachel will realize what she's done and the friends she left behind.

In Emma's office, the judges reveal that they are double-casting the role of Maria and adding an extra week to give both girls equal star time of 4 shows and 2 matinees. But Mercedes has had enough of it, no one wants to hurt Rachel and so Mercedes storms out.



Rachel proceeds to talk to Finn, telling him what happened. She then talks about Brittany and Kurt and how they've made her realize things. Kurt asked Finn who he would vote for, Finn doesn't know and walks off. Leaving Rachel alone.

In Emma's room, she begins to pray in front of Will. Down on her knees she begins to cry. Will wants to help Emma but he doesn't know how to help. He wants to learn to pray, so that God will help Emma. Will then proceeds to sing Fix You as his prayer for Emma.

As Will sings, Artie proceeds to put up the cast list:
 * Maria - Rachel
 * Tony - Blaine
 * Riff - Mike
 * Anita - Santana
 * Officer Krupke - Kurt

New Directions then joins Will in the auditorium, backing him up on Fix You.

In Shelby's office, Mercedes offers to join Shelby's glee club saying she's the star power Shelby's club needs as the episode comes to an end.

Special Guest Star

 * Idina Menzel as Shelby Corcoran

Guest Stars

 * Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins
 * Dot-Marie Jones as Shannon Beiste
 * Ashley Fink as Lauren Zizes
 * James Earl III as Azimio Adams
 * LaMarcus Tinker as Shane Tinsley
 * Valerie Mahaffey as Rose Pillsbury
 * Don Most as Rusty Pillsbury
 * Tamlyn Tomita as Julia Chang
 * Keong Sim as Mike Chang Sr.

Co-Stars

 * Courtney Ann Galiano as The Mack
 * Raven Goodwin as Sheila
 * Jolene Purdy as Ronnie
 * Hannah Spiros as Young Emma

Trivia

 * Every issue Mercedes has in the episode could be associated with pregnancy, causing some fans to believe she was pregnant. Amber took to Twitter after the episode to say that Mercedes was not pregnant. Source
 * One of the boys who danced with Mike is a member of Vocal Adrenaline.
 * This is the first and only episode to revolve around Mike.
 * This is the first time Mike, Puck, and Will all sing a solo in Season Three.
 * The photos of Emma and Will sitting on Emma's bedside table are from the Season One back nine promotional photoshoot.
 * This is the last appearance of Lauren Zizes in this season, and was presumed to be her last appearance overall. However, she made a guest-star appearance in Sadie Hawkins, and comes back for the series finale, Dreams Come True.
 * Those who auditioned for their chosen role with a West Side Story piece (Rachel with Somewhere and Blaine with Something's Coming) got their desired role. However the auditionees that did not (Kurt with I'm the Greatest Star and Mercedes with Spotlight) did not get their desired role.

Errors

 * In Showmance, Emma reveals that she developed her OCD when she was five, when her brother pushed her into the waste dump of a dairy factory. However, in this episode, a flashback shows that she developed her OCD as a toddler when her mother forced her to clean her glass.
 * In this episode, Tina demands that Principal Figgins (who believes she is a vampire) excuse her from gym all year or she will "drain his spicy curry blood." However, according to Sue in Dream On gym (P.E.) has been cut at the school due to budgetary concerns.

Quotes
"This is one of the hardest decisions of my life. And that includes when I had to sell one of my prize donkeys to pay my gas bill."

"I will pretend like an ovarian cyst burst. Works every time."

"Enjoy your enormous bowl of disgusting creamy pasta."

"He's never late. He runs like an expensive Swiss watch reproduced cheaply in China."

"Will: If you're serious about you and me, why haven't I met your parents? Emma: B-b- the parents m- I- they're dead. Will: You spoke to them on the phone last night. Emma: I spoke to their ghosts last night. I have ghost parents. (Will sighs) Emma: Okay, I can't lie to you."

"When I see you dance, it's why I fell in love with you."