For Glee and its viewers, meeting the characters' parents signifies, at best, that the character will undergo growth and development or, at worst, that the character will most likely get a good amount of screen time.
To illustrate here's the list of Glee parents and how their appearance in the show triggered a major character development for their children--or some screen time.
1. Leroy and Hiram Berry. We got a glimpse of Rachel's parents minutes into the Pilot episode. They were initially pictured as an interracial couple but were changed later on as Leroy and Hiram Berry. When we do finally meet them in season 3, it's when Rachel starts playing with the idea of getting married as a high school student. We also see the Mr. Berrys during glee club's regionals performance and Rachel's graduation.
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| Jeff Goldblum (left) as one of the Mr. Berrys is perfect! |
2. Shelby Corcoran. Being Rachel's biological mother and Quinn's child's adoptive mother, it is inevitable to expect something important will happen--either to Rachel or to Quinn (even Puck, to an extent)--whenever Shelby showed up. We first met her in season 1 when Rachel was yearning for a mother figure. Her reappearance in McKinley in season 3 triggered Quinn's Crazy Mother Phase. In season 4, we saw her again when Rachel was preparing for her Funny Girl audition. It seems that aside from Burt Hummel, Shelby's the only parent Glee showrunners do not forget to include in his/her child's important life moments.
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| Of course, it doesn't hurt that Shelby (Idina Menzel) sings really well. |
3. Burt Hummel. He is, hands down, TV's World's Best Dad. Whenever we see him in Glee, we know something's up with Kurt. He accepted and supported Kurt, whether as a closeted male teen or an out and proud gay man in New York. He stole our hearts for the nth time when he danced Single Ladies as a graduation present to Kurt. Burt Hummel is so awesome he has become more than just Kurt's dad.
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| The Many (All Equally Adorable) Faces of Burt Hummel |
4. Carole
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| Hey Carole. Nice to see you. |
5. Russell and Judy Fabray. In Quinn's case, meeting her parents made us understand why she is how she is. We first met the Fabrays while Quinn was dealing with teenage pregnancy. She was instantly kicked out of their house as soon as her parents understood what Finn's song meant. We saw Judy again when she showed up at Regionals to support Quinn, to tell her she left Russell (good riddance!) and to help with Quinn's delivery. Finally, we saw her at Quinn's graduation. Good thing Glee showrunners didn't forgot to include her.
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| Fabrays can go from really sweet to really scary in a matter of minutes. |
6. Mr. Schue's dad. The first and only time he showed up was when Mr. Schue was going through some really important stuff with his marriage. His appearance was so short--it was fleeting, really--I almost forgot we even met him! He was notably absent in his son's second and third wedding. I think even Glee's showrunners forgot that Will had a dad.
7. Coach Sue's mom. The solitary appearance of Sue's mother taught us that marriage, even to one's self, is really an important moment in one's life.
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| Sue's mother has crazy eyes. |
8. Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury. We first met them when Mr. Schue and Emma were starting to think of the possibility of marriage in season 2. They even dissuaded him from marrying their daughter. Like Mr. Schue's dad, they were also notably absent in their wedding. But we saw them again when Finn and Artie tricked them into giving the details of Emma's whereabouts after she left Will at the altar.
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| Gingers smell likes pennies. |
9. Mr. and Mrs. Chang. We are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Chang in "Asian F," the only Mike-centric episode of Glee. Two other milestones in Mike's life were marked by his father's presence: (1) During the only sectionals where Mike danced and sang; and (2) During graduation, where Mr. Chang exchanged a high five with Burt Hummel. For a second there I wondered if glee club members' parents bonded off screen to discuss their children.
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| Of all Glee stories involving parents, I loved Mike's the most. |
10. Mr. and Mrs. Evans. The appearance of Sam's parents in season 3 marked his return to the New Directions and McKinley High. His parents allowed Sam to live with Finn at the Hummel-Hudson residence. But with Kurt and Finn off to college, I wonder where Sam was staying all this time.
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| If we're giving out awards for TV's World's Hottest Set of Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Evans have very good shot at winning. |
11. Maribel Lopez. We met her when Santana (and Brittany, by extension) was struggling with what to do after graduation. Lucky for Santana, her parents saved up enough money to fund her first few months in New York. I wonder if we'll ever meet Santana's dad, who is either a dentist or a mob boss.
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| Business in the front; party in the back. |
12. Millie Rose. Sweet Marley Rose's mom is so important we met her in the same episode we met Marley. Marley's struggle--with fitting in, in general, and with an eating disorder, in particular--is also her mom's.
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| You have magic in your throat Marley. It's time to share it to the world. |
13. Rob and Berry Adams. We met Unique's parents when Sue tried to prevent Finn and Artie from casting Unique as Rizzo--the only time Glee delved deeper into Unique's character. (Yes, I don't consider the catfish thing with Ryder important, at all.)
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| Hey Big Mike! |
14. Artie's mom. The first and only time (so far) we saw Artie's mom was when he was starting to seriously consider, for the first time, his options after graduation. I hope they will not forget to include her in her son's graduation.
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| If you ever imply again that I'm an old hag, I'm gonna tip you over. |
15. Puck's mom and Jake's mom. The fact that we met them at the same time mirrored the importance of this moment for Puck and Jake as brothers.
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| Puck's on the left; Jake's on the right. |
16. Paul Karofsky. We saw Karofksy's dad twice--first in season 2 and second in season 3. Both appearances showed Karofsky being at opposite points in his life. First, he bullied Kurt so much for being gay Kurt had to transfer to Dalton Academy. Second, he was being bullied so much at his new school he committed suicide. Fortunately for Paul Karofsky, his son survived.
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| The second appearance was more heartbreaking than the first. |
With Amber Riley relegated to guest cast status in Season 5, the chances that we will meet Mercedes' parents, which by now you know means that something important will happen to Mercedes, has become nearly impossible. I hope this will not be the case with Brittany's parents, who I expect to be really awesome, and Mr. Al Motta, Sugar's dad who's allegedly a mob boss, who I expect to be really cool--like Barney Stinson cool. Also, I can't wait to meet the Cohen-Changs (to know more about Tina's life outside of glee club) and the Andersons (only to find out if they're hotter than Sam's parents).
Did I miss any Glee parent? Whose parents/s do you want to meet/see when Season 5 premieres on September 26?
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I wrote of a bunch of other stuff on Glee which you may want to check out.
Quintet 3: Glee-king out
McKinley High School in a Decade
Things I Missed From Glee's Season 1 (Part 1)
Things I Missed From Glee's Season 1 (Part 2)
Things I Missed From Glee's Season 1 (Part 3)
15 Glee Club Truths
Common Themes and Things in Glee's Season 1 and Season 3
Glee Mysteries: Mike, Quinn and Mercedes
Final(e) Thoughts: Glee Season 3
Kurt's 27 (Head) Dresses
Who Wore It Better: Kurt or Santana?
How Sue Sees It
Quintet 6: Top 10 Glee Performances from Glee's Season 4 (1st Half)
On Brittana and Brampocalypse
On VapoRape, Babygate 2.0, Wheelchair Love 2.0 and Quintana
Final(e) Thoughts: Glee Season 4
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