I’m going to start by saying that this show is one of my absolute favorites. The earnest covers, the tongue-in-cheek charm, the lovable cast of misfits – they hold such a special place in my heart. That being said, it is important to be critical of all art, even the art we cherish with affection and nostalgia. And while I am willing to suspend my disbelief for many Glee plot lines (Sue marrying herself, Finn seeing Jesus in a grilled cheese, and a dinosaur-themed prom, to name a few), some of them really, really missed the mark.

So this is a letter to you, dearest Glee…a far from an exhaustive list of moments where you utterly, positively failed – from the simply nonsensical to the cringy to the blatantly problematic.

Please note spoilers abound.

**TW: these plot lines include descriptions of the following: eating disorders, sexual assault, transphobia, and abuse.

10) Rachel Berry’s Broadway Audition

Non-Equity actors (and almost all Equity actors who trudged the road to the union) understand the long, grueling process of showing up at 4 am for an Open Call in the dead of winter, lip trilling while anxiously drinking tea because you haven’t gotten to squeeze in a proper warm-up, and finally entering the room to sing 16 (or 8) bars – if you get seen at all.

But Rachel Berry -- a kid from Ohio whose only credits were the brazenly miscast Maria in West Side Story and Janet in a wildly age-inappropriate and understandably canceled high school production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, somehow shows up to the EPA for the role of Fanny Brice in the Broadway production of Funny Girl – and books it by singing the entirety of a Journey song (“Sweet Dreams,” Season 4, Episode 4).

Glee…oof. I just…can’t.

9) Rachel Berry Skipping a Broadway Performance

Very few performer hopefuls ever make it to a Broadway stage. Against all odds, and with nothing but a really awkward Journey cover and a dream, Rachel somehow does. However, after landing the lead role in a Broadway production while still in college, she decides to skip a performance! That’s right. She simply doesn’t show up for a Broadway performance, in which she is playing the title role.

In the real world, this would lead to a performer being fired and blacklisted within minutes. Luckily, for Rachel, the producers believe her to be too talented to let go. So they just forgive her and let bygones be bygones (“The Back-Up Plan,” Season 5, Episode 18).

8) Rachel Getting into NYADA over Kurt

Rachel Berry not only completely flunks her initial audition for NYADA by forgetting the words – she also sings one of the top songs on the audition “Do Not Sing” list, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl (“Choke,” Season 3, Episode 18). Further, she is totally off the mark in advising Kurt on his audition material, as she recommends that he sings “Music of the Night” from Phantom of the Opera – an overdone choice that is completely inappropriate for his voice and acting type. Then, when Kurt uses his proper judgment to select “Not the Boy Next Door” from The Boy from Oz, a unique and suitable piece that he performs creatively and committedly, not missing a single beat…. he doesn’t get into NYADA. Rachel does! (“Goodbye,” Season 3, Episode 22).

Oh yeah, and did I mention that the head of NYADA shows up at McKinley to offer her and Kurt a private audition? Where was Kurt and Rachel’s trip to Unified Auditions? And didn’t they apply to 10+ BFA programs, like most aspiring musical theatre majors do? And why didn’t they get their NYADA results until after graduation? Glee, I have so many questions.

7) Just…the hiring process for every single job on the show

Can we all just take a moment to acknowledge the fact that Terri Schuster, a woman whose work experience is a part-time job at Sheets ‘N Things, somehow got a job as a nurse in a public school? (“Vitamin D,” Season 1, Episode 6). Also, why was Kurt able to get an internship at Vogue without even being enrolled at a college or having any experience in fashion writing? (“Makeover,” Season 4, Episode 3). And how did Sue Sylvester have the qualifications, as a high school cheerleading coach, to get a gig as Principal? (“Love Love Love,” Season 5, Episode 1). What is the job market that exists in the Glee universe? Are cover letters a thing?

6) Mercedes’ Tater Tot Plot (and Rachel beating her out for solos)

Mercedes Jones is a smart, funny, and incredibly talented character with an absolute knock-out voice. That’s why it is so disappointing that out of all of the potential plotlines she could have had, the writers decided to give her an episode about…tater tots (“The Substitute,” Season Two, Episode Seven). Instead of giving Mercedes authentic, powerful storylines that would give us a deeper look into her character, she was given a scene where she thought broccoli was a toilet brush. Glee played into the trope that plus-size characters have nothing on their mind but food, which is an absolute insult to Mercedes as a character and to Amber Riley as an actress.

Not to mention the fact that Mercedes is just as, if not more talented than Rachel, and yet, she always gets pushed to the side. It is inexcusable that Mercedes doesn’t ever lead the solo for Sectionals or Regionals. I mean…have you guys heard her performance of “Ain’t No Way”? C’mon!

5) Rachel Sending a Student to a Crack House

Feeling threatened by Sunshine Corazon’s powerful voice and star power, Rachel Berry…sends her a crack house, falsely claiming there is an audition taking place there. I honestly feel like I don’t even really need to explain why this made on it on the list (“Audition, Season 2, Episode 1).

4) The Karofsky/Blaine Relationship

When Kurt Hummel finally has the courage to come out as gay, he is ruthlessly bullied by Dave Karofsky, to the point where his life is threatened. He decides to temporarily transfer schools, where he ends up meeting and falling in love with his future husband, Blaine. In college, Kurt and Blaine go through a rough patch, as many high school sweethearts do, and decide to break up and date other people. Harmless, right? Except…Blaine’s new choice of boyfriend is Dave Karofsky (“Loser Like Me,” Season 6, Episode 1).

That’s right. Blaine dates the man that made Kurt fear for his life to the point where he transferred schools. And they’re all still friends! And they’re all okay with it! And then later, Kurt and Blaine get back together and get married anyway! Of all the messages this show had the opportunity to send, one of them was, “Hey…probably don’t enter into a relationship with someone who threatened the life of your loved one!” But Glee just said… “Nope. 😊”

3) Tina Sexually Assaulting Blaine

I love Blaine Anderson. I love Tina-Cohen Chang. And for that matter, I love Darren Criss and Jenna Ushkowitz as actors. That is why this scene is especially upsetting for me. Tina, knowing Blaine is not interested in her romantically (or any woman, for that matter), admits her feelings for him in a heart-wrenching scene. This, I can understand. However, when he falls asleep, she proceeds to partially undress him and touch him without his consent. She faces no repercussions for this (“Diva,” Season 4, Episode 13). Although portrayed as a tender moment, it is never okay to touch someone without their consent, especially when they are not awake – regardless of gender. Romanticizing this moment was a huge failure on behalf of Glee.

2) Marley’s Eating Disorder – and the fact that everyone was mad at her about it

Marley Rose suffers from a struggle with body image. Kitty Wilde, who is jealous of Marley’s popularity and solos, begins to progressively sew her dresses tighter and tighter to create the illusion that Marley is gaining weight. Not only that, but she encourages Marley to purge (“Glease,” Season 4, Episode 6). Consequently, Marley develops an eating disorder, which results in her fainting during a critical glee club performance. Instead of um…asking her if she’s okay and…BEING ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS…the glee club turns against her and blames her for causing them to lose the competition (“Thanksgiving,” Season 4, Episode 8).

The judges have absolutely no mercy and disqualify the club because a student fainted as a result of an eating disorder – which was exacerbated by a fellow student, who faces absolutely no consequences. I don’t know what the worst part about this plotline is – the fact that Marley’s eating disorder is handled completely inappropriately, the fact that Kitty receives no repercussions for a completely heinous act or the fact that the great majority of Marley’s friends feel no empathy for her. Eating disorders are one of the deadliest mental illnesses, claiming the lives of 10,200 people each year. The lack of sensitivity surrounding this issue was a huge failure on Glee’s part.

1) Unique’s catfish plot

Unique was a really wonderful character on Glee. The “If I Were a Boy” segment brings tears to my eyes. That being said, the Unique/Ryder catfish plot was handled so, so, so offensively and irresponsibly. In “All or Nothing” (Season 4, Episode 22), it is revealed that Unique pretended to be a cisgender woman named Katie, in order to win the affections of Ryder. In this scenario, Unique is viewed as the villain, and the audience is meant to sympathize with Ryder’s angry response. While it may have been wrong for Unique to deceive Ryder about her name and exchange fake photos, Ryder’s feelings over this are much less relevant and important than the fact that “more than one in four trans people has faced a bias-driven assault, and rates are higher for trans women and trans people of color.” This violence can often escalate as a result of a potential sexual/romantic partner feeling “deceived.”

Although Ryder reacted negatively in this situation, the person who was far more likely to be in any real danger was Unique herself, as a trans woman of color. Glee had the opportunity to acknowledge this, but instead focused entirely on Ryder’s pain and feelings of betrayal. For me, this was the worst and most unforgivable Glee plot.

Top 10 Worst Glee Plots