"Previously Unaired Christmas" is the fourth and final Christmas episode of the FOX musical drama Glee, produced and aired as the eighth episode of its fifth season.
Synopsis[]
The episode opens with Jane Lynch explaining to the audience that the original 2012 Christmas episode of Glee was banned for being too offensive, but fan complaints have convinced FOX to air a severely edited version.
In 2012, glee club director Will Schuester selects Sam Evans and Tina Cohen-Chang to create New Directions' entry for McKinley High's annual tree decorating contest, and Tina becomes obsessed with winning the grand prize, an angel sculpture. Later, Coach Shannon Beiste announces that the school's Nativity scene has been defaced, and Principal Figgins has asked the Christmas Club, which all of New Directions is a part of, to participate of a living nativity. Tina, Marley Rose, and Unique compete for the role of Mary, and invite Kitty Wilde to audition with them, but she refuses.
In New York, Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel are visited by Santana Lopez, still recovering from her break-up with Brittany Pierce. Rachel gets a job as an elf at a shopping mall, and convinces Kurt and Santana to join her. However, the mall Santa turns up drunk and refuses to interact with the impatient crowd. After failing to stall them with a performance of "Here Comes Santa Claus", Rachel and Kurt convince Santana to dress up as Mrs. Claus and talk with the children, but her excessive comments only upset them and their parents.
In Lima, Sam and Tina run into Becky Jackson, who tries to use mistletoe to force them to kiss her. Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester hears Tina criticizing how much she lets Becky get away with, and agrees that she's right. After reprimanding Becky for her actions, Sue announces that she'll be judging the tree decorating contest and is planning on ranking the glee club last. Nevertheless, New Directions decorates their trees while singing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", and Sue is forced to admit that they did a good job. The glee club then gathers in the auditorium, where Marley, Tina, and Unique perform "Mary's Boy Child" for the role of Mary, and Marley notices Kitty's strange reaction to their performance.
Meanwhile, back in New York, Rachel, Kurt and Santana are approached by the drunk Santa's replacement, Cody Tolentino, an attractive man who catches Kurt's attention. Cody convinces the trio to welcome him into the loft so they can bond ahead of their period together, and Cody conducts Rachel, Kurt, and Santana in a more familiar drunken and helium-enhanced rendition of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)". When Rachel and Santana wake up the following day, they find Kurt bound and gagged and learn that Cody is a con artist who has robbed them.
Back in Lima, Will and Beiste announce the cast list for the living Nativity, with Marley as Mary. Kitty scoffs at the decision, and when Marley questions her, Kitty admits she feels she's not worthy of playing Mary. Marley shares with the rest of the glee club that she feels Kitty deserves the role, and they come up with an scheme to convince her to do it. The next day, Will and Beiste invite Kitty to watch the rehearsals of their living Nativity performance, in which Unique replaces Marley as Mary and performs a highly offensive rendition of "Love Child". Kitty is appalled and volunteers for the role, only to find out the performance was meant to push her into accepting it.
After Sue announces that the glee club has won the tree decorating contest, Sam and Tina notice that Becky is depressed about losing, especially after Sue criticizes her entry, and decide to give her the angel sculpture in order to cheer her up, in addition to offering her a role in the Nativity scene portraying Jesus.
In New York, Rachel apologizes for what happened with Cody and announces she got the trio another gig as "living mannequins" in a clothing store. In Lima, New Directions and Becky gather to perform the living Nativity before a group of children. Both sides sing "Away in a Manger", and the episode ends.
Songs[]
Uncredited.
- "Here Comes Santa Claus"
- "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
- "Mary's Boy Child"
- "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
- "Love Child"
- "Away in a Manger"
- "Time for Some Girl Talk"
- "Joy to the World"
- "Angels We Have Heard on High"
- "O Come All Ye Faithful"
- "O Christmas Tree"
- "Deck the Halls"
- "Snow, Snow, Snow"
Availability[]
The episode was made available on the Glee: The Complete Fifth Season DVD set, released on January 6, 2015.
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Jacob Artist | Jake Puckerman |
| Melissa Benoist | Marley Rose |
| Chris Colfer | Kurt Hummel |
| Darren Criss | Blaine Anderson |
| Blake Jenner | Ryder Lynn |
| Jane Lynch | Herself Sue Sylvester |
| Kevin McHale | Artie Abrams |
| Lea Michele | Rachel Berry |
| Matthew Morrison | Will Schuester |
| Alex Newell | Wade "Unique" Adams |
| Chord Overstreet | Sam Evans |
| Naya Rivera | Santana Lopez |
| Becca Tobin | Kitty Wilde |
| Jenna Ushkowitz | Tina Cohen-Chang |
| Dot-Marie Jones | Shannon Beiste |
| Lauren Potter | Becky Jackson |
| Bryce Johnson | Cody Tolentino |
| M.C. Gainey | Santa Claus |
| Ryan Heinke | Stoner Brett |
| Felix Miguel Avitia | Snotty Kid |
| Adam Chernick | Boy |
| Isabella Rice | Girl |
| Matt McCarthy | Dancing Elf #3 |
| Phoenix Cirillo (uncredited) | Little Boy Heckler |
Videos[]
See also[]
- "A Very Glee Christmas"
- "Extraordinary Merry Christmas"
- "Glee, Actually"
- Glee: The Music, the Christmas Album Volume 4
External links[]
- Glee Wiki: Previously Unaired Christmas
- "Previously Unaired Christmas" at the Internet Movie Database