Rumours

**Rumours** is the nineteenth episode of *Glee**'***s second season and the forty-first episode overall. It aired on May 3, 2011.

The episode is a tribute to Fleetwood Mac, similar to the Britney Spears, Madonna and Rocky Horror episodes. The title is taken from the Fleetwood Mac album *Rumours*.

Sue progresses her devious plan and sparks anger in the Glee Club by resuscitating the school newspaper and posting rumours. April suggests Will joins her on Broadway and also suggests he asks the Glee Club to perform songs from Fleetwooc Mac's album, *Rumours*. Things stir up when Finn and Rachel suspect something shifty related to Sam, and Santana still finds it hard to come out.

The episode was directed by Tim Hunter and written by Ryan Murphy.

## Plot

The episode opens with Brittany's brand new internet talk show, "Fondue For Two." After gossiping with Mercedes and Tina for a few minutes, she outs Santana by saying she is "playing for the other team." Mercedes and Tina look at each other, pleased with the new gossip, and it is presumed they spread the news around quickly. The show is then posted on YouTube for everyone to see. Then the episode cuts into a scene in the school hallway where Rachel gives Sam chapstick and asks him out to prom. He awkwardly says that he's not sure he's going, and then says that she isn't his type. Rachel appears a little upset, but quickl gets over it.

Terri runs into Sue at The Lima Bean, where Sue is ordering a cup of mocha powder and paying with a euro while given strange looks by the customers nearby. She's "deep undercover" and is dressed like David Bowie. She tells Terri she's resuscitated the school newspaper and that the publication will now be ignoring facts. They discuss and come up with a plan to destroy Will and the New Directions. Terri's goal is to get Will out of the Glee Club and says she has an idea.

The now revived school newspaper, *The Muckraker*, is printed with inflammatory blind items, mostly about the kids in the Glee Club. Brittany, Jacob, and Azimio are all journalists for the school papers. The first copy of the *Muckraker* is out, and it contains the rumour that Sam and Quinn are seeing each other at a motel, as well as Brittany's comments about Santana "playing for the other team." Brittany wasn't referring to Santana being gay, but instead was referring to Santana as playing for the Glee Club. Santana is still angry at this, and so is Finn about the rumours between Sam and his girlfriend - he knows Quinn could cheat on him as it has happened before.

Rachel then accompanies Finn while he spies on the motel from his car. They have a conversation, and Finn questions himself why he's with somebody he can't even trust. He asks Rachel to explain karma to him, and when she does, he looks very worried. They see Kurt leaving Sam at the motel. Jacob takes photos but leaves shortly before Rachel and Finn see Ash leaving the motel, too.

The gang talk about the possibility of Kurt cheating on Blaine with Sam. Quinn comes to Sam's defence and insists that "Sam's not gay," but refuses to explain further. Finn looks a little suspicious of Quinn, wondering why she was being so defensive. Rachel then brings up seeing Ash leave which leaves Puck looking brokenhearted.

The next day, Rachel sees Sam wearing Kurt's "Earth Day" jacket. Rachel decides to confront Kurt about his rumoured, romantic relationship with Sam, and he only responds that talking about gossip is a waste of time and they should focus on Nationals instead, before storming off. Rachel then confronts Ash who asks her to drop it and not tell Puck about what she saw when Puck turns up and tells Ash that it's too late and he already knows. Ash follows Puck into the empty choir room where he questions her about what she was doing with Sam but doesn't believe her when she tells him that she isn't cheating on him and he needs to trust her. When Puck declares that he can't she tells him "if you can't trust me anymore, then why are we even still together?" Before he can respond the rest of the Glee Club join them in the choir room.

Meanwhile, April returns to McKinley after a failed atempt to make it on Broadway. She asks Will for help getting back there by helping work on her new musical, *Crossrhodes: The April Rhodes Story*, offering him to go on the road with her. Will tells April about the drama in the Glee Club. She talks about how Fleetwood Mac used their issues to help make great music. Will grabs a copy of *Rumours* and says he's wanted to do a lesson based on one album for a long time. They also perform *Dreams* for the kids.

Artie warns Brittany about Santana manipulating her. He thinks she's trying to break them up and accidentally calls her stupid. His comment hurts Brittany's feelings because Artie was the only one in the school who had never called her that, and she breaks up with him, crying as she runs off. Shortly after the break-up, Artie performs *Never Going Back Again*. Santana brings a devastated Brittany to the choir room, and says she's found a song that captures her feelings. Santana sings *Songbird* with only the two of them in the room (and Brad, who according to Santana, is "just furniture"). Brittany wants her to come on Fondue For Two, so she can tell Santana how she feels, and then ask her to prom. Santana agrees. However, Santana doesn't show up for the Fondue For Two episode. Afterwards, Jacob grills Santana about her relationship with Karofsky, while Brittany sadly watches. Santana assures him their relationship is going strong.

Finn and Rachel spy on Sam again. Finn talks about Quinn's comment regarding Sam just before they see Quinn leave Sam at the motel, giving him a big hug on her way out. Finn looks devastated on learning that Quinn was with Sam in the motel.

The newest *Muckraker* leads with a story about Finn and Rachel being seen together. Quinn confronts her boyfriend about the news, and Finn says he was just talking to Rachel about a duet while they were staking them out. She assures him she wasn't cheating on him, but neither seems to trust the other one. At Glee rehearsals, Finn and Quinn perform *I Don't Wanna Know*. Rachel makes a comment that it makes more sense for her to be paired with Finn for Nationals. Quinn responds that she doesn't trust Rachel, and the only way she'll stay with Finn is if he doesn't sing with Rachel.

Brittany interviews Will, asking primarily gossipy inappropriate questions. She asks questions given to her by Sue, including one about Will leaving Glee. Cut to Sue teaching the *Muckraker* staff about the importance of "making stuff up." Will comes to see her and Sue asks him about why, exactly, he's helping April. Will and April are working on a song for her upcoming show while Emma watches. She wants Will to go to Broadway, but he says he needs to be with the kids at Nationals. She tells him that Nationals is the kids' dream, not his.

Emma is making progress with her OCD. She says Will was the one who inspired her. She thinks Will has a gift and thinks April's offer is one he shouldn't turn down. She thinks Will should at least give it a shot, but he says "I can't do that to the kids." He begins to cry as he talks about the fact that Emma and the kids saved his life, but he wants to go "so badly."

At Glee rehearsals, Rachel sings *Go Your Own Way* with Finn on drums. Afterwards, Quinn rips Rachel for singing a love song to her boyfriend, and everybody begins to blame Sam for this whole situation (except for Santana, who blames Rachel). Sam says he isn't doing anything inappropriate with Ash, Kurt or Quinn. The truth is that his father lost his job, then they lost their house, so his family now has to live in a motel. He then angrily storms out.

Rachel and Finn go to see Sam in the motel, where Ash is helping him look after his brother and sister. Sam reveals that his father has been laid off and they were evicted from their new home. Finn brings Sam some clothes. Sam says that Quinn found out because they go to the same church, Kurt knows because Sam got a job delivering pizzas at night and delivered one to Dalton, and that Ash found out because she knew something was going on with Sam and asked what was going on. Sam thinks he might have to leave Glee Club. Finn brings in Sam's old guitar, which he had to pawn. Sam begins to cry and his little sister comforts him.

The kids ask Will if the *Muckraker* story about him leaving is true. He tells them he is going to Nationals with them. Sam brings his brother and sister into the choir room and together with the New Directions they sing *Don't Stop*. Will watches from the audience with April and has a worried look on his face as the episode ends.

## Cast

### Guest Stars

* Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang
* Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans
* Josh Sussman as Jacob Ben Israel
* James Earl III as Azimio Adams

### Co-Stars

* Cathy Doe as Barista
* Ryan Heinke as Stoner Brett
* Cody Hamilton as Stevie Evans
* Ava Chelsea Ingram as Stacey Evans
* Lauren Potter as Becky Jackson
* Connie Ventress as Patron

## Trivia

* Brittany's new found love of journalism stems from Heather Morris's life. Heather took journalism in college before dropping out
* This is the fourth episode (after Throwdown, Home and Duets) in which two duets are sung by the same people in the same episode. However, both duets weren't released, similar to the situation in Duets
* After Artie calls Brittany stupid, she seems to get smarter in every episode after this one. Santana even asks her how she got so smart in New York
* During Quinn and Finn's performance of *I Don't Wanna Know*, Quinn is seen wearing the same hairpin that Rachel wore in The Rocky Horror Glee Show
* This episode marks the first time that Quinn sings a duet in two episodes in a row