"Laryngitis" is the eighteenth episode of the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
television series ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
''. The episode premiered on the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
network on May 11, 2010. It was directed by
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (sometimes Alfonso Gómez-Rejón; born November 6, 1972, in Laredo, Texas) is an American film and television director. His television program credits include ''Hunters'', ''Glee'' and ''American Horror Story''. He was nomin ...
and written by series creator
Ryan Murphy. In "Laryngitis",
glee club
A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
member
Puck (
Mark Salling
Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series ''Glee''.
Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before work ...
) dates
Mercedes (
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...
) in an attempt to raise his social status.
Kurt (
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...
) is jealous of the time his father is spending with
Finn (
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series ''Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series before ...
), and
Rachel
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
(
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...
) worries about her future when she is diagnosed with
tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and en ...
.
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles later ...
guest-stars as Kurt's father
Burt
Burt is a given name and also a shortened form of other names, such as Burton and Herbert, or a place name.
Burt may refer to:
People
*Burt Alvord (1866–after 1910), American Old West lawman and outlaw
*Burt Bacharach (born 1928), American com ...
, and Zack Weinstein appears as disabled former football player Sean Fretthold.
The episode features
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of seven songs, five of which were released as
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
, available for
digital download, and three of which are included on the
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
''
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers''. "Laryngitis" was watched by 11.57 million American viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Emily VanDerWerff of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', Bobby Hankinson of the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'', ''
Vanity Fair'' Brett Berk and James Poniewozik of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' all enjoyed the episode, noting that it came after several lesser-quality episodes since the show's return from its mid-season break. In contrast, Lisa Respers France of
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
felt that "Laryngitis" was lecturing in tone, and more sad than it was comedic. Henrik Batallones of
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
and ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' Darren Franich both expressed concern with the disability plot, the former finding it forced and the latter questioning whether ''Glee'' honors its disabled actors, or uses them shamelessly.
Plot
When glee club member
Puck (
Mark Salling
Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series ''Glee''.
Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before work ...
) has his
mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
*Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
*Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...
shaved off at the insistence of his dermatologist for medical purposes, he discovers he is no longer considered a credible bully. He realizes that
Mercedes (
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...
) has become popular since joining the cheerleading squad, and resolves to date her. Mercedes initially attempts to dissuade him, but after the two sing a duet of "
The Lady Is a Tramp", she warms to him. Puck's former girlfriend
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
Boats
* Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
(
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...
) is jealous, and she and Mercedes sing "
The Boy Is Mine". When Mercedes realizes that Puck has returned to being a bully, she breaks up with him and resigns from the cheerleading squad.
Meanwhile,
Rachel
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...
(
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...
) realizes that some glee club members are faking their singing. She tells glee club director
Will Schuester
William Michael Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional teacher character and one of the two main protagonists from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'', alongside his student Rachel Berry. He has appeared in ''Glee'' ...
(
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television show ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2009–2015). He has s ...
), complaining that she is doing most of the work, exhausting herself and getting ill in the process. She reveals the non-participants as
Finn (
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series ''Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series before ...
),
Quinn (
Dianna Agron
Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. After primarily dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring charac ...
), Puck,
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
(
Heather Morris
Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, singer, and model. She played the role of Brittany Pierce, Brittany S. Pierce in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee (TV series), G ...
), and Santana. Will gathers the students and gives them a new task for the week: each club member will have to do solos, and each must choose a song that best represents their feelings.
Rachel then confronts the non-participating glee members and insults them, but when she starts to sing Miley Cyrus's "
The Climb", she sounds terrible: she has started to lose her voice. Later, after an examination by Rachel's doctor reveals that she suffers from
tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils in the upper part of the throat. It can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis typically has a rapid onset. Symptoms may include sore throat, fever, enlargement of the tonsils, trouble swallowing, and en ...
and may need to have her tonsils removed, she is afraid to have the surgery lest it affect her voice, as she believes her singing ability is her only asset. Finn, who accompanied her to the doctor's, tries to convince her that he loves everything about her and that there is more to her than her voice. He warns her that if she loses her ability to sing then
Jesse
Jesse may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible.
* Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Jesse (surname), a list of people
Music
* ''Jesse'' ( ...
(
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer . He began his career on Broadway, rising to prominence for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in the original production of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006-2008), for which h ...
) would no longer find her attractive. Rachel tells Finn that she still cares about Jesse and that he needs to move on, prompting Finn to sing "
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album '' Working Class Dog'', which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centers on a young man in love ...
" as his solo assignment. To put her fear into perspective, Finn introduces her to his friend Sean (Zack Weinstein), who was paralyzed from the upper chest down during a football game. At first, Rachel is nervous and overwhelmed by the meeting, but Finn forces her to stay as Sean tells her about his grueling experiences with his disability and how he realized that a person is not just one single thing. She then begins to understand why Finn brought her and thanks Sean as she leaves.
In the meantime,
Kurt (
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...
) is jealous of the time his father
Burt
Burt is a given name and also a shortened form of other names, such as Burton and Herbert, or a place name.
Burt may refer to:
People
*Burt Alvord (1866–after 1910), American Old West lawman and outlaw
*Burt Bacharach (born 1928), American com ...
(
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles later ...
) is spending with Finn, now that their parents are dating, and attempts to emulate Burt's personality. He dresses in outdoorsman gear, sings
John Mellencamp
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
's "
Pink Houses
"Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 album '' Uh-Huh'' on Riva Records. It reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. "Pink Houses" wa ...
" during a glee club rehearsal, and attempts to have a fling with Brittany, making out with her in his bedroom and ensuring that his father is aware of his new behavior. Frustrated that Burt is still spending time alone with Finn, Kurt reverts to his former personality and sings "
Rose's Turn "Rose's Turn" is a song from the musical ''Gypsy''. It has been performed by such actresses as Bette Midler, Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, and Imelda Staunton. The song is often regarded as the pinnacle o ...
". Burt overhears his performance, praises Kurt's singing and apologizes for not spending enough time with him. He reassures Kurt that he still loves him, and always will, no matter who his son chooses to be with.
Rachel eventually recovers her voice after taking the antibiotics her doctor prescribed. She goes back to Sean's house to thank him again, and offers to give him singing lessons. They start singing
U2's "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
", and the scene switches back and forth between her duet with Sean and the full glee club's performance of the song on stage at school.
Production
![Amber Riley and Mark Salling](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Amber_Riley_and_Mark_Salling.jpg)
Recurring characters who appear in "Laryngitis" are Kurt's father Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley), glee club members Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Brittany (Heather Morris),
Mike Chang
Michael Robert Chang Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum Jr., and has appeared on ''Glee'' since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preg ...
(
Harry Shum Jr.
Harry Shum Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and singer. He is best known for his roles as Mike Chang on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–15), Benson Kwan on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anato ...
) and
Matt Rutherford
'' Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its me ...
(
Dijon Talton
Dijon Hendra Talton is an American producer, actor, singer and director. He won several awards as part of the cast of ''Glee'', and has since continued to play small roles on television and film, as well as producing through his company The Talt ...
), school reporter
Jacob Ben Israel
''Glee (TV series), Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the sho ...
(
Josh Sussman
Joshua Mark Sussman is an American actor, best known for his role as Hugh Normous in ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' and his role as Jacob Ben Israel in ''Glee''. He also had a minor role on the Nickelodeon TV series '' Drake & Josh'' as Clayton.
...
) and AV club president
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and first appeared in the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. ...
(
Ashley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink (born November 20, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Lauren Zizes in the television series ''Glee'' and as Carter McMahon in ''Huge''.
Personal life
Ashley Rae Fink was born in Houston, Texas ...
).
Rizwan Manji
Rizwan Manji (born October 17, 1974) is a Canadian actor. He is known best for his portrayals of Ray Butani on ''Schitt's Creek'', Tick Pickwick on '' The Magicians'', Rajiv Gidwani in the NBC Universal TV series '' Outsourced'', and Jamil in th ...
plays Dr. Gidwani.
Zack Weinstein guest stars as Sean Fretthold, a football player who was paralyzed below the upper chest after injuring his spinal cord at
C4 in an accident, similar to the actor's injury in real life.
Sean is the second wheelchair-using character to appear on ''Glee''. In November 2009, the episode "
Wheels
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...
" attracted criticism from disability advocates, who called attention to the fact that disabled character
Artie Abrams
Arthur "Artie" Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' portrayed as the "glue" of the glee club. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and appeared in ''Glee'' since its pilot episode, first ...
is played by able-bodied actor
Kevin McHale. Weinstein defended McHale's casting, opining that if he was the best auditioning actor for the role, then his ability to walk should be irrelevant.
However, Weinstein also stated he "would like to see wheelchair users given the chance to audition and be seriously considered for roles that aren't specifically written for someone with a disability."
Weinstein revealed that he wished he had auditioned for the role of Artie, and that ''Glee'' was his favorite show. Around February 2010, Weinstein's agent got him an audition to play Sean, and within a week and a half, he learned he had got the part.
''Glee'' was Weinstein's first professional acting job. He called the twelve hours he spent filming his scenes "twelve of the most important hours of
islife".
The episode features
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of seven songs. Rachel performs "
The Climb" by
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, and Finn sings "
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album '' Working Class Dog'', which was released in February 1981. The song is about unrequited love and centers on a young man in love ...
" by
Rick Springfield
Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...
. Puck and Mercedes duet on
Sammy Davis Jr.
Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director.
At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...
's "The Lady Is a Tramp", and Mercedes and Santana sing "The Boy Is Mine" by
Brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured with ...
and
Monica
Monica may refer to:
People
*Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress
*Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name)
*Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...
. Kurt sings John Mellencamp's "
Pink Houses
"Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 album '' Uh-Huh'' on Riva Records. It reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. "Pink Houses" wa ...
", and "Rose's Turn" from ''
Gypsy: A Musical Fable''. The glee club closes the episode with "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
" by
U2, featuring guest vocals from Weinstein as Sean. "Jessie's Girl", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "The Boy Is Mine", "Rose's Turn" and "One" were released as
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
, available for
digital download. "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Rose's Turn" and "One" are also included on the
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
''
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers''.
Reception
Ratings
In its original broadcast, "Laryngitis" was watched by 11.57 million American viewers and attained a 4.8/12
rating/share in the
18-49 demographic. In the United Kingdom, the episode was watched by 1.81 million viewers and was the most-watched show of the week on the
non-terrestrial channels. In Canada, "Bad Reputation" was watched by 1.97 million viewers, making ''Glee'' the 13th most watched program of the week. In Australia, the episode was watched by 1.44 million viewers, making "Laryngitis" the 15th most-watched program of the week.
Critical response
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Lisa Respers France of
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
felt that "Laryngitis" highlighted a trend of ''Glee'' storylines becoming progressively sadder, rather than comedic. She wrote that the plotlines came across as lecturing, and concluded: "I still heart ''Glee'', which is clearly one of the best shows on television right now. I just think they may want to lighten the life lessons a bit or spread them out more over several episodes rather than clobbering us all at once." Henrik Batallones of
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...
wrote that he was uncertain what to make of the episode, noting: "Sure, there were some high points, and it was a pretty enjoyable watch, but unlike the last few episodes this one left me a little high and dry." Batallones observed that the Sean storyline felt "totally forced into the episode, making Rachel's epiphany
..very forced and unnatural." ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' Darren Franich was also troubled by the storyline, noting: "It seems like the height of vanity to basically use this storyline to teach Rachel an important lesson about being herself.
..''Glee'' has used disabled actors before, and I think it's worth debating whether the show honors that or uses it shamelessly."
Emily VanDerWerff of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' graded the episode "B+". While she had been disappointed with several episodes since the show's mid-season break, VanDerWerff noted: "''Glee'' still has its inconsistencies, but it's getting back to the show I so enjoyed last fall." She wrote of the Sean storyline that it: "should feel offensive but mostly skates away from actually being so because it treats the paralyzed character with a great deal of respect". Bobby Hankinson of the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...
'' also noted that he had been underwhelmed with the show since its return, but loved "Laryngitis", writing: "The story focused exclusively on the kids—not Mr. Shue or Sue Sylvester—and the performances were realistically small-scale.
..All that classic ''Glee'' charm came washing over me once more and it was glorious." Gerrick D. Kennedy of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' similarly stated: "When ''Glee'' is at its best, you get episodes like this week's. There were no gimmicks, no over-the-top productions, no unnecessary stars
..It was just great storytelling and superb finger-snapping music." ''
Vanity Fair'' Brett Berk deemed "Laryngitis" a "truly successful episode", but also highlighted the show's inconsistency in quality since its return. James Poniewozik of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' called "Laryngitis" the first episode of ''Glee'' since its mid-season break that he enjoyed "(mostly) without reservation." Eric Goldman of
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
rated the episode 8.8/10, deeming it one of his favorite episodes of ''Glee'', "with some of the funniest material the show has delivered thus far."
References
External links
"Laryngitis"at
Fox.com
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...
*
{{Good article
2010 American television episodes
Glee (season 1) episodes
Television episodes written by Ryan Murphy (writer)