Saturday Night Glee-ver

Saturday Night Glee-ver is the sixteenth episode of Glee's third season and the sixtieth episode overall. It premiered on April 17, 2012.

This episode paid tribute to the movie Saturday Night Fever. When Blaine, Brittany, and Mike perform a disco song from Saturday Night Fever, Will asks what brought on the performance to which they respond that the Nationals theme is "vintage." But the New Directions are certain that disco sucks, which motivates Will to convince them otherwise. Sue installs a plexi-glass, shatterproof dance floor, the real one used in Saturday Night Fever and the Glee Club has a dance-off. Will picks Finn, Mercedes, and Santana as the winners, as they are his main concern as to what their dreams after graduation are. Kurt and Mercedes pretend to assist Unique, the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline, who Sue wants to manipulate, convincing him to present femininely at their Regionals. Finn, Mercedes, and Santana perform disco songs and reveal their dreams after the school year is complete, Rachel supporting Finn's dream that involves New York.

The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Matthew Hodgson.

Plot
Blaine, Mike, and Brittany start off the episode performing You Should Be Dancing. When Will asks what brought on the performance, Blaine tells him that Nationals being based around "vintage" songs, there's nothing better than disco. Will applauds them and reveals to them: "I don't know if I ever told you guys this, but back when I was in Glee Club, we took it all the way to Nationals with the pure power of unadulterated disco!" Will has a vision of performing That's the Way (I Like It)/(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty. He's met with the group reminding him of the common response to disco: "Disco sucks!"

Will is planning a number, as he does he thinks about the seniors that he is worried that have no plan for the future, Mercedes, Santana, and Finn. He talks with Sue that he has no idea how to inspire the kids. Sue suggests that he assign them an album to play tribute to, seeing as the Rumours album seemed to help. She goes on to say not just any album, the one that defined a generation, Saturday Night Fever. He tells her that they hate Disco, but she cuts in saying that they love "swag," and that they should offer them something to aspire to win at the end of the week.

In the hallway, Kurt and Mercedes talk about how Mercedes got in to Defiance College, but is suggesting that she try for NYU. Unique interrupts them. She tells them that she is their biggest fan and has seen every one of their performances, besides West Side Story as they weren't the leads, with Kurt and Mercedes immensely flattered. She tells them that she is in Vocal Adrenaline, which is now being coached by Jesse with Dustin having been fired. She tells them that she doesn't want to spy, but ask for some advice.

She tells them that Unique is the person she dreams of being. If he gets nervous, he thinks things through the eyes of Unique, an example being how he thought how would Unique speak to them. Kurt tells him that he hopes one day he can be like Unique, but is then shocked when he hears that Unique is a woman. Unique goes on to ask what they thought of him going on stage, in their Regionals dressed in traditionally feminine clothes. The two look at each other, stumped.

In the choir room, everyone is staring at the new floor that Sue had installed, the plexi-glass, shatterproof one used in Saturday Night Fever. Will tells them that the assignment for the week was to sing songs from the album. Using the fact that the main character from the movie is like the group, only ever sure of himself when he is performing. Sue tells them that they are gonna start the week with a "dance-off" and whoever wins will get a replica of the white suit that John Travolta wore in the movie. Will tells them that everyone is required to participate, as he and Sue begin to dance, Night Fever. At the end, Will announces that the three finalists are Santana, Mercedes, and Finn.

In his class room, Will confronts the three saying that this is a way for him to get the three to tell everyone what they plan on doing with their life.

Mercedes is annoyed that Mr. Schuester thinks that just because she isn't ready to rush to New York, means that she doesn't have a dream. She performs Disco Inferno to show that she has desire that is so hot it is an "inferno." During the performance, Sam records it.

Mercedes tells the group at the end that her dream is to be like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, to sing songs that inspire people, but she doesn't know how she can do it. Will tries to reassure her that "cream rises to the top," she shoots it down saying that she may be cream in the choir room, but what if out there she is "skim milk."

Puck confronts Finn at his locker asking if he is with him moving to LA. When Finn tells him he isn't, Puck says he can't go without him as he is his best friend and that if he is there, LA won't seem so scary. Puck asks that what is he going to do then, which he replies that he still doesn't know. Puck asks him to promise that when he does find his dream, make it big.

Kurt and Mercedes are called to Sue's office, where she confronts them about Wade. They tell her they weren't giving tips on how to be better, but helping with how he wants to perform as Unique. Kurt tells her that they said it won't be a good idea. Sue disagrees saying it will be a great idea as people won't be comfortable and that he will tank the performance.



Santana performs If I Can't Have You. Will is pleased with the performance and thinks he is able to see where she is going, more than a love song to Brittany. He continues saying how she is wanting to support marriage equality and wants to go to law school. She turns that down, though she supports marriage equality and while she will always love Brittany, the song was about how "Fame" is her mistress: she can't live without it.

In the auditorium, Finn meets Rachel after receiving a tweet. They make up and she tries to get him to talk about his future. She performs How Deep Is Your Love to show how if he doesn't want to go to New York, she'll accept that and will go where he wants to go. She takes him to see Emma, and they discuss different colleges he could apply for. She gives him pamphlets to a wide range. When he leaves, he dumps them in the trash.

Santana is confronted by Brittany, after she notices that everyone is starring at her, after she posted a sex tape of the two of them. She tells Santana that it was her way of trying to help her become famous.

Will pulls Finn into a classroom and hands him the pamphlets that he threw out. Finn tells Will that he doesn't want to go to the colleges, he thinks that he isn't qualified to do anything. He wants to feel the rush that he feels if he is on the field, or performing. Will puts on Saturday Night Fever and tells him that he knows what he wants to do, but is worried about what people will think. He leaves Finn to watch it.

In the library, Brittany talks with Santana about how she is now trying to get her on to a reality show. Suggesting different TV shows, with different ways to do it. Brittany kisses her before leaving.

At Vocal Adrenaline's Regionals, Kurt and Mercedes meet up with Unique before she goes on. They try to talk her out of doing the performance. Jesse interrupts them and pulls the two away. He tells them that he is going to fire Unique after the show.

Vocal Adrenaline starts to perform Boogie Shoes at their Regionals. When Jesse notices what Unique is presenting femininely, he runs backstage and unsuccessfully tries to take her off the stage. As she continues to perform, cheering increases and Kurt and Mercedes watch, very amazed.

In the choir room, Rachel meets up with Finn. He gets her to dance with him, More Than a Woman, afterwards he tells her he wants to go to New York and wants to go to the Actor's Studio, because it is his dream to be an actor, scared to admit it because he thought he will fail.

Sam confronts Mercedes and takes her to a class room, he shows her the recording he did of her during Disco Inferno. He reads her the comments and tells her that he believes about what she can become, along with the 485 people who commented on the video. He kisses her.



Santana and Brittany sit in Sue's office. Sue tells Santana how disappointed she is in her, not for the sex tape, revealing she, herself, made one with Oliver North, but because she doesn't care what it will take to be famous. She tells her that she agrees, and wants to go to college. Sue hands her an acceptance letter from the University of Louisville, and has a full scholarship in Cheerleading. She thanks the two of them, Sue revealing it was Brittany's idea. They say that they love each other and they hug.

In the choir room, Tina asks who won the suit and Sue brings out Mercedes, Santana, and Finn all in it. They perform Stayin' Alive (New Directions with Will and Sue, also in suits) in the auditorium as the episode ends after the performance.

Unreleased Songs

 * That's the Way (I Like It)/(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty by KC and the Sunshine Band. Sung by The Singsations.

Background Songs

 * Calypso Breakdown by Ralph MacDonald. Background music during the "swag montage."
 * A Fifth of Beethoven by Walter Murphy and His Big Apple Jazz Band. Background music during Wade's Unique fantasy.
 * Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees. Background music right at the end of Will and Finn's scene while Finn is watching Saturday Night Fever.

Special Guest Star

 * Jonathan Groff as Jesse St. James

Guest Stars

 * Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
 * Alex Newell as Unique Adams
 * Samuel Larsen as Joe Hart
 * Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson
 * Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan (Stock Footage)
 * Dijon Talton as Matt Rutherford (Stock Footage)

Co-Star

 * Ryan Heinke as Stoner Brett

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first appearance of Alex Newell as Wade "Unique" Adams, who would later become a member of the Main Cast.
 * This is the first tribute episode not to be written by Ryan Murphy.
 * This is the second episode to be a tribute to a film, the first being The Rocky Horror Glee Show.
 * This is the second episode to be a tribute to an album, the first being Rumours.
 * This is the third episode that contains a wordplay with the word "Glee" in its title, the others being The Rocky Horror Glee Show, A Very Glee Christmas, Glease, and Glee, Actually.
 * This is the second episode this season to feature disco. In Hold on to Sixteen, the Troubletones performed part of the disco anthem I Will Survive during their Sectionals performance.
 * In the original promo that aired after Big Brother, Brittany said "sex tape." But in the promo "GleeOnFox" uploaded on YouTube, instead of "sex tape," Brittany just said "tape." Additionally, the fact that Brittany and Santana do not get into trouble due to the tape would suggest that by this point, Brittany is 18 years old. Her age was previously unconfirmed.
 * The disco floor used in the choir room is the actual one from the iconic film Saturday Night Fever. Source
 * The episode shows flashbacks to previous episodes: Bryan Ryan in Dream On with jean jackets, Rachel announcing the mattress commercial in Mattress, Will announcing the Duet competition in Duets and Will in glee club performing at Nationals.
 * This is the second time that Quinn doesn't speak at all in an episode, the first time being in The Spanish Teacher.
 * Sugar was absent in this episode because Vanessa Lengies' contract didn't allow her to participate in tribute episodes.
 * The third time music from the Saturday Night Fever album is featured in an episode. In Pilot, as Will is talking to both Emma and Sue, A Fifth of Beethoven is playing in the background. However, this is an a cappella cover from the Swingle Singers. In the opening sequence for Audition, the song Salsation by David Shire is played in the background.
 * Dianna Agron was absent when filming bits and pieces of the episode, which explains why she was not in the Stayin' Alive performance at the end of the episode.
 * This episode drew a 2.4 rating 18 - 49 with 6.230 million total viewers. Source
 * As of this episode, Kurt is the only one to interact with all The Glee Project Season One characters.
 * In this episode, revealed by Blaine after You Should Be Dancing, was the theme of Nationals as "vintage." This is the second time after another episode that information was revealed about a competition. In the previous episode, Big Brother, it is revealed that Nationals will be held in Chicago.
 * When Will is talking to Finn about his future in his classroom, you can see he has already begun teaching history as the Line of Succession is written on the board behind Will and various history posters cover the walls.
 * First time another Show Choir competition is seen that New Directions does not participate in.
 * More Than a Woman is the first song (this season) that features only the "active" couples of the club at the time of filming: Brittana, Finchel, Tike, and Klaine (the song is only sung by: Finn, Santana, and Kurt)
 * The two consecutive tributes, the other being Dance With Somebody have a few similarities:
 * They both start with a number that leads into the auditorium.
 * The closing number is performed in the auditorium.
 * Mercedes sings in at least two songs.
 * Rachel and Kurt participate in a song.
 * Santana sings in a number with, or to Brittany.
 * Both episode mentions the late Whitney Houston.
 * Will tries to help the kids through the assignment, in here, Will is helping them with their future. In the other, Will is helping them say goodbye.
 * Sugar and Rory are absent from both.
 * This is the third time Sue is seen in an outfit not related to a track suit.
 * The name of the sex tape "2 Girls, 1 Cat" is a parody from the viral video "2 Girls, 1 Cup."
 * Jesse calling Mercedes "the laziest person alive" is a reference to Funeral, when Mercedes auditions for a solo in Nationals and Jesse tells her she was lazy for not having prepared a choreography.
 * Ironically, none the three winners of the suits had any of their future plans worked out: Finn was not accepted in the acting school (Goodbye), Santana dropped out in University of Louisville (Diva), and Mercedes' album was cancelled due to a disagreement with her manager. (Wonder-ful)
 * This is the only episode in which Jesse St. James appears without having any interaction with Rachel.

Errors

 * During the flashback scene in Sue's office, Will flashes back when Sue mentions the word "swag." Will, however, was never present for when she said it, so he couldn't have known she did.
 * When Kurt talks to Rachel in the hallway about Finn, his satchel switches shoulders several times.
 * When Sam shows Mercedes the clip he posted on YouTube she says that the video has 485 comments, but it has 485 views.
 * Before How Deep Is Your Love, Rachel's bangs in her hair change as they switch from front to back view.

Quotes
"Disco sucks!"

"It's not the broken dreams that break us. It's the ones we don't dare to dream."

"I was afraid to admit it because I was afraid of failing. But I'm not scared anymore."

"Brittany thought of it. She gets an idea once every couple years and, lucky for us, this was a good one."

"Did someone steal our floor?"

"Take notes, 'cause there's gonna be a quiz. I'm gonna be famous, if it's the last thing I do."

"Sue: Her chagrin is limited only by the fact that she has a brain the size of a toddler's fist.

Brittany: I can show you the MRI."