Comeback

**Comeback** is the thirteenth episode of *Glee's* second season and the thirty-fifth episode overall. It premiered on February 15, 2011.

Will allows Sue to join the Glee Club in an attempt to ease her depression. Sam creates a tribute band, The Justin Bieber Experience, in order to win Quinn's heart, and is later joined by the group's other male members, except co-captain Finn. They recreate Bieber's *Somebody to Love* in order to woo their significant others.

The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Ryan Murphy.

## Plot

Sue has fallen into a deep depression since her loss at the Cheerleading Regionals, which had cost the Cheerios a spot at Nationals. She attempts suicide (Sue-icide) by eating gummy bear vitamins, but is suitably unimpressed when they don't work. Emma suggests to Will that he invites Sue to join the Glee Club for a week to help her get out of her funk. Initially sceptical, Will eventually warms up to Sue and notices the Glee Club has a positive effect on her. However, Sue secretly reveals in her diary that she wants to destroy the club from the inside. She does this by attempting to turn Mercedes and Rachel against each other. Angry, the girls have a vocal "Diva-Off" at glee club rehearsals and sing *Take Me or Leave Me*. However, they admire each other's singing during the song and become friends again, to the dismay of Sue. Will then takes Sue to the Pediatrics Cancer unit at the local hospital where he sings once a month. Sue's demeanor softens and she enjoys her visit. Sue becomes annoyed with the students' efforts at singing anthems, which will be the theme at Regionals. Sue and the rest of the club sing a song of her own choosing. Finn and Rachel lead the club members and Sue in a rendition of *Sing* by *My Chemical Romance*. Ultimately, Sue becomes a fan of the "music within me" and takes a part-time position as the coach of Aural Intensity, much to Will's horror.

Meanwhile, Rachel dresses Brittany in her own signature style of conservative dress to make a social comeback at McKinley. This starts off with one article of clothing, which was leg warmers, but Brittany chose to wear them on her arms because she was cold. Rachel demands for Brittany to dress exactly like her and informs her to go to Kids "R" Us. The next day Brittany comes into school dressed head to toe like Rachel who informs her to tell everybody she is just copying Rachel Berry. This plan backfires when the rest of the female student body dresses like Rachel but claims that it was Brittany that made the style trendy.

Sam forms a Justin Bieber tribute band to impress Quinn, and sings *Baby* to woo her from Finn. Earlier, Quinn lied to Sam that she did not kiss Finn but had saved his life by extracting a gumball from a choking Finn's mouth. Artie and Mike are concerned that their girlfriends are coming down from a "Valentine's Day high" and Puck wants to impress Ash, so they join The Justin Bieber Experience. Together they perform *Somebody to Love*, and the boys suitably impress their girlfriends who show their affection. Ash then tells Puck that she loved the song and wants to perform a duet with him, and later they both sing *Life Is a Highway* before Ash then kisses him and agrees to be his girlfriend.

Santana confronts Sam about his relationship with Quinn. She explains to Sam that he knows Quinn kissed Finn but that he was willing to believe her story to stay with her, and that he has an opportunity to show everyone that he is not a pushover. Santana then proceeds to proposition Sam. Quinn was impressed by Sam's Bieber-inspired performance but Sam confronts her about her encounter with Finn and states that he is now dating Santana. Finally, Rachel asserts that *Sing* will not be competitive enough at Regionals and suggests that the club write their own original anthem. The other members disagree, but later Finn tells Rachel that he agrees with her and suggests that she is on a "comeback."

## Cast

### Guest Stars

* Iqbal Theba as Principal Figgins
* Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
* Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
* Charlene Amoia as Nurse Bailer

## Trivia

* This is the second non-tribute episode to feature more than one song originally done by a specific artist, following Furt (Bruno Mars), and followed by New New York (Petula Clark), arguably, Bash (in which three of the songs are from musicals with songs written by Stephen Sondheim), Opening Night (which features two songs from Funny Girl). Other episodes that could be considered a tribute by this logic are The Substitute (which features two songs from Singin' in the Rain) and A Very Glee Christmas (which features three songs from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!)
	+ However, this episode, The Substitute, Bash and Opening Night could both be considered tribute episodes, as they all contain plot lines about the artist featured the most in the episode. In Bash, the NYADA assignment is to do a Sondheim song, in The Substitute, Will explains that he loves Singin' in the Rain, and that it's his comfort movie, and he wants to get the kids to enjoy it just as much. Also, in Opening Night, Rachel is performing the musical Funny Girl.
* Additionally, numerous fans call this episode an unofficial "Justin Bieber" tribute, not just for featuring more than one of his songs but also because Bieber himself influences the episode's plot.
* When Rachel and Mercedes sing the song *Take Me or Leave Me* from the Broadway musical *Rent*, Rachel sings the part of Maureen Johnson, who was originally played by Idina Menzel, who also happens to play the role of Rachel's mother.
* Kurt is absent for the first time in the series.
* Sue's nickname for Will "SpongeHair SquareChin" is a parody of SpongeBob SquarePants.
* There were several sticky notes inside of Quinn's locker. One mentioned "A Fuchsia Elephant," which is an unreleased short film that Dianna Agron wrote, designed the set and costumes, directed, and starred in. Another says "Call Charlie" who, according to Dianna, was the name of many characters in stories she wrote, a male counterpart of herself, and her in a past life.
* Puck's "Bieber Hair" is attached to the hood of his jacket.
* Real patients from the cancer and blood diseases ward of Children's Hospital in Los Angeles portray the children in the paediatric cancer ward at Lima Hospital.
* During the performance of *Take Me or Leave Me*, Santana and Quinn are wearing leg warmers on their arms, copying Brittany's accessory.
* Rachel's to do list includes Celine Dion's birthday, friend request Barbra Streisand again, and Avatar on ice audition.
* When Sam does an impression of actor James Earl Jones (known for his role as Darth Vader in Star Wars) Santana says he shot civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King, when it was actually James Earl Ray who shot him.

## Navigation

**Season Two**Audition • Britney/Brittany • Grilled Cheesus • Duets • The Rocky Horror Glee Show • Never Been Kissed • The Substitute • Furt • Special Education • A Very Glee Christmas • The Sue Sylvester Shuffle • Silly Love Songs • **Comeback** • Blame It on the Alcohol • Sexy • Original Song • A Night of Neglect • Born This Way • Rumours • Prom Queen • Funeral • New York
**Season Three**The Purple Piano Project • I Am Unicorn • Asian F • Pot o' Gold • The First Time • Mash Off • I Kissed a Girl • Hold on to Sixteen • Extraordinary Merry Christmas • Yes/No • Michael • The Spanish Teacher • Heart • On My Way • Big Brother • Saturday Night Glee-ver • Dance with Somebody • Choke • Prom-asaurus • Props • Nationals • Goodbye
**Season Four**The New Rachel • Britney 2.0 • Makeover • The Break-Up • The Role You Were Born to Play • Glease • Dynamic Duets • Thanksgiving • Swan Song • Glee, Actually • Sadie Hawkins • Naked • Diva • I Do • Girls (and Boys) on Film • Feud • Guilty Pleasures • Shooting Star • Sweet Dreams • Lights Out • Wonder-ful • All or Nothing
**Season Five**Love, Love, Love • Tina in the Sky with Diamonds • The Quarterback • A Katy or A Gaga • The End of Twerk • Movin' Out • Puppet Master • Previously Unaired Christmas • Frenemies • Trio • City of Angels • 100 • New Directions • New New York • Bash • Tested • Opening Night • The Back-Up Plan • Old Dog, New Tricks • The Untitled Rachel Berry Project
**Season Six**Loser Like Me • Homecoming • Jagged Little Tapestry • The Hurt Locker, Part One • The Hurt Locker, Part Two • What the World Needs Now • Transitioning • A Wedding • Child Star • The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester • We Built This Glee Club • 2009 • Dreams Come True