Grilled Cheesus

Grilled Cheesus is the third episode of Glee's second season and the twenty-fifth episode overall. It premiered on October 5, 2010.

Finn has an existential crisis when he believes he sees the face of Jesus in his grilled cheese sandwich. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids rally around Kurt after his father, Burt, has a heart attack, which leads to a larger discussion among the group about their own theology.

Series co-creator Ryan Murphy predicted the episode would be Glee’s most controversial to date, as it focuses on religion and what God means to the members of the Glee Club.

The episode was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Brad Falchuk.

Plot
Finn, hungry, makes himself a grilled cheese sandwich. When he takes it from the toaster, he believes he can see the face of Jesus toasted onto it. Idolizing it, he asks for three prayers to be granted: for the school football team win a game, for his girlfriend Rachel Berry to let him get to second base with her and for him to be reinstated as the quarterback. Later, in glee club, Puck sings Only the Good Die Young.

When his first prayer comes true, he takes it as a confirmation of the grilled cheese's holiness, and asks the glee club to join him in honoring Jesus through song. Rachel, shocked by Finn's newfound religious beliefs, has a heart to heart with him. She explains that, once "she has won a bunch of Tony's and is 25 and ready to have intercourse and babies", she needs to know that they will be raised in the Jewish faith. Finn, shocked that he will have to wait 9 years to have sex with Rachel, distractedly agrees. Rachel, satisfied, suggests that they lie down on the bed, to which Finn happily agrees. Saying that she wants to give Finn something in return for what he's given her, Rachel places Finn's hands on her breasts, thus granting his second prayer.



Club member Kurt Hummel is devastated when his father Burt suffers a heart attack. Kurt's best friend, Mercedes, sings Whitney Houston's I Look to You to him, hoping he will find strength in faith; however, Kurt reveals he is an atheist, due to the prosecution of his homosexuality. Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, also an atheist, takes umbrage at the glee club singing religious songs and has Kurt make a formal complaint. When confronted by guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, Sue admits that as a child, she prayed that God would cure her sister Jean, who has Down syndrome. Her prayers went unanswered, leading her to conclude that God does not exist.



Mercedes, Rachel and Quinn pray for Burt, with Rachel singing Papa, Can You Hear Me? from Yentl at his bedside. Kurt is resistant, and at glee club rehearsal sings The Beatles' I Want to Hold Your Hand, stating that his faith takes the form of love for his father. He is convinced by Mercedes to attend her church, where the choir sings Bridge Over Troubled Water and Mercedes asks the congregation to pray for Burt. Finn's remaining prayers also come true, however his reinstatement as quarterback occurs when his replacement Sam Evans is injured during a game, dislocating his shoulder.

Finn feels responsible and confesses his guilt to Emma, who tells him it is unlikely God is communicating with him through a grilled cheese sandwich. A despondent Finn doubts his newfound faith and sings R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion. At Burt's bedside, Kurt tells his still unconscious father that while he is an atheist, he feels he should have accepted his friends' prayers, since it was about his father and not him. As Kurt cries, Burt begins to regain consciousness and is able to squeeze his son's hand.



Meanwhile, Sue visits Jean in her residential home and discusses God with her sister. Jean expresses her belief that "God doesn't make mistakes" and asks Sue if she may pray for her, and Sue accepts. Later, the glee club comes together to sing Joan Osborne's One of Us, all wearing white and black. Sue watches the performance, but tells Will she will not report him for allowing a religious song. At home, Finn eats the remainder of the grilled cheese sandwich.

Guest Stars

 * Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins
 * Dot Jones as Shannon Beiste
 * Romy Rosemont as Carole Hudson
 * Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
 * Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans

Co-Stars

 * Adam Kolkin as Little Kurt
 * Robin Trocki as Jean Sylvester

Trivia

 * Finn's grilled cheese sandwich was actually two to three weeks old, yet he still ate it at the end of the episode.
 * This is the first time Kurt and Quinn sing in Season Two.
 * To make the imprint of Jesus on the cheese sandwich, production designers used an imprint marker.
 * Food stylist Lisa Barnett made over a hundred grilled sandwiches with the imprint of Jesus on it.
 * Cory said that if he could ask "Grilled Cheesus" one wish, he would wish for a time machine.
 * The episode was watched by 11.20 million viewers.
 * Chris Colfer's performance in this episode was submitted for the 2011 Emmy's, which made him earn the award.
 * This episode was originally rumoured to be called 'Faith' but was later renamed to 'Grilled Cheesus'.
 * Kurt's line "I hope our genuflection to the great Spaghetti Monster in the sky doesn't take too long" is a reference to a parodic religion called Pastafarianism that "believes" in a god shaped like a flying spaghetti.

Errors

 * Despite the religious songs almost becoming banned in this episode, in an earlier episode, Figgins said that the Glee Club was only allowed to sing religious songs. This is one of many contradictions that is exhibited during the show.
 * In the scene where Rachel reveals to Finn she does not plan to have sex until the age of 25, both characters seem to have forgotten she lied to Finn and told him that she had slept with Jesse St. James in The Power of Madonna. However, we see in the eighth episode of the second season, a flashback of Rachel telling Finn the truth, with the time Dom this event unknown. This flashback could have taken place between this episode and The Power Of Madonna.
 * Emma mentions that former football coach Ken Tanaka would chew his toenails instead of watching the game but it is revealed in “Mash-up” that Ken doesn’t have any toenails. However, the term “chew his toenails off“ is a figure of speech implying a person would rather carry out that act than undertake a task they hate doing. Therefore, Emma could have just been implying that Ken hates watching the games.
 * Emma tells Finn that a 300 pound left tackle broke Sam's shoulder, yet left tackle is an offensive position. It was actually the cornerback who had been cheating right all night.

Quotes
"Finn: It has special powers, I'm telling you. Emma: ...okay"

"Dad, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

"On the day of my mom's funeral, as they were lowering her body into the ground, I was crying. I mean, that was it. That was the last time I was ever gonna see her. I remember I looked up at my dad, and I just wanted him to say something to me, something to make me feel like my whole world wasn't coming to an end. And he just took my hand and squeezed it. And just knowing that those hands were there to take care of me, that was enough."

"Do you remember our first Friday night dinner after Mom died? You tried to make a chicken. I guess you wanted me to feel like there was something still normal. You put it on the table, and you cut into it, and it was raw. And we both looked at each other for a second, and cracked up before we remembered that we weren't supposed to yet. I'm sorry about the other day, Dad. I should have let those guys pray for you. It wasn't about me. It was about you, and it was nice. I don't believe in God, Dad. But I believe in you. And I believe in us. You and me, that's what's sacred to me. And I'm...I'm so sorry that I never got to tell you that. (Burt's finger begins to move) Dad? Nurse Nancy! Dad, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."