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As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.


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    Season 1 
  • Rachel standing up to Quinn and the rest of the Celibacy Club by claiming that, not only does abstinence-only education not work, but that girls want sex as much as guys do.
  • Rachel Berry's been leading up to her CMOA for thirteen episodes of Glee and did she ever deliver, knocking "Don't Rain on My Parade" out of the park at sectionals. Especially because she has to "belt it on the fly". She gets so much pressure on her, and you can just see it going through her face when she's behind the curtain. Then she steps through, and, well...belts it on the fly. Specifically, "Here I am!" The girl who has been begging for a moment to shine, has finally given it up, shown exactly how nervous she is, and then goes out and then damn well does it anyway? Yes.
  • "Don't Stop Believin'" from the pilot. The holy matrimony of Moment of Awesome and Awesome Music.
    • And then the Regionals version ups the ante by giving nearly every singer in the group the lead at one point or another. Seriously, listen to the full version on the CD, the damn thing soars.
  • Will gets a moment after Sue bursts into the Glee club's room with a trophy in her hand, loudly talking about how she'll turn it into a trophy room. After she gives a little rant about how they have no chance at Regionals, Will walks up to her, grabs the trophy out of her hands, then throws it against the room's wall, smashing it to pieces. Shut Up, Hannibal! at its finest.
  • In "The Power of Madonna", Schue finally tells Sue to lay off his hair, and delivers two perfect ice burns within thirty seconds, seriously ticking Sue off for one of the few times in the series. Turns out it's her Berserk Button.
    • "4 Minutes" from the same episode was this for Kurt and Mercedes. You see the Cheerios start to do a routine and then Kurt and Mercedes bloody swagger in, and they completely own the song. It comes from out of nowhere, and it just drives it home that Finn and Rachel aren't the only talented people in Glee club. And Kurt looks damn fine in that Cheerios uniform.
  • Puck's response, in episode 4, to an opposing football player who's been taunting him with Your Mom jokes.
    Puck: I had sex with your mother! Seriously! I cleaned your pool, then I had sex with her on your bed. Nice Star Wars sheets.
  • Kurt Hummel's angry, breathtaking, showstopping take on "Rose's Turn".
    • Kurt's "GET OFF OF MY RUNWAY!" will get you every time.
    • It was as much of a Moment of Awesome for Chris Colfer than it was for Kurt. His acting was superb; walking down the hallways, he genuinely looked like he was about to either cry or punch someone in the face. The entire song is done so powerfully, and the emotion in it is just right...putting it simply, he didn't get that Golden Globe for nothing.
  • Kurt's kicker tryout. Let's put it this way: When he turns on "Single Ladies" and starts dancing to prepare for the kick, the whole team is laughing at him. Once the ball goes through the uprights, the laughing stops.
  • Artie's What the Hell, Hero? speech to Tina when she tells him she fakes her stutter to avoid interacting with people.
  • Emma FINALLY standing up for herself, and verbally bitch-slapping Schuester in front of the entire staff.
    Will: Emma, can I talk to you in private?
    Emma: No, you can't. Will, we're going to talk about this here and now, because I have absolutely nothing to hide. Actually, did you know I was seeing a therapist? Do you know that? Did you know I've been trying to work through my OCD so I could be with you? Will, do you think that's fun for me? It's not fun, it's absolutely humiliating. And come to find out you've been fooling around with some woman named Shelby, and you slept with April Rhodes.
    Will: How did you find out about that?
    Emma: You're not denying it. Wow, okay. See, I thought we were trying to work through this. I thought when you said you were trying to figure out things on your own, I really thought you meant that. I'm not going to stand for this anymore. I'm not. I'm putting my foot down, and I'm finally sticking up for myself. You're a slut, Will. You're a slut. You're a slut, you're a slut, you're a slut. Everybody should know that. And you should know that I'm through with you.
  • Tina yelling at Artie in "The Power of Madonna".
    • Tina's real CMOA comes when she confronts the principal in "Theatricality" - MY DAD IS KING OF THE VAMPIRES!
  • Finn's Lady Gaga outfit. That is all.
  • Burt Hummel gets his in Theatricality as well. Despite all the unfortunate implications between Kurt and Finn, Burt will tear you a new one, at the risk of his own happiness and girlfriend, if you say "faggy" in his house. Awesome, heartbreaking, and perfect.
  • The mattress commercial from "Mattress".
  • The club's performance at Regionals, which is a medley of Journey songs such as "Faithfully", "Any Way You Want It", and "Don't Stop Believing". Sure, they came in third place, but it was probably one of the most awesome moments of the series.
  • Will finally bitching out his wife upon learning she was faking her pregnancy. His anger is completely justified and it was about time someone gave Terri what was coming to her.
  • Finn beating the crap out of Puck for knocking up Quinn, and then bitching out Quinn for lying to him. It scared the club, but they both deserved it.
  • "Mash-Up" is one CMOA right after the other: Will taking off his dress shirt to rap, Puck singing "Sweet Caroline", Emma finally getting a number, Will and Sue's dance... Oh, and:
    Rachel: Choosing us over the team is gonna get a slushie on your face every day.
    Puck: Bring it.
    • And:
    Kurt: It's called "Taking one for the team" (slushies himself). Now get out of here. And take some time to think whether or not any of your friends from the football team would have done that for you.
  • From "The Rhodes Not Taken", Kristin Chenoweth showing up and... well... singing like Kristin Chenoweth.

    Season 2 
  • Sunshine's audition for the glee club with "Listen", from Dreamgirls. Not only does she knock the song out of the freakin' park, but she does so after Rachel lures her to a crack house for her first audition, showing Rachel she's better than her.
  • Kurt gets yet another one in "Duets". After being told that singing a duet with a new member of the Glee club will get the said member bullied for singing with "the gay dude" he decides - no matter how much it breaks his heart - to let Sam go and sing a duet by himself and sings (or, should I say, owns) "Le Jazz Hot" from "Victor/Victoria"
    • For that matter, Sam's commitment to singing with Kurt because he agreed to do so, and despite his attraction to Quinn and the crap he might take for it, is also pretty awesome.
  • Kurt shouting at Will during "Britney/Brittany", for - once again - ignoring what the gleeks wanted. Would be more awesome if, instead of sending Kurt to principal's office Will actually listened for once.
  • The opening of "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" with Naya Rivera's lips singing "Science Fiction Double Feature."
  • The "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" dance. Holy crap. That was amazing.
  • Sue's confetti cannons. Putting the Magnificent in Magnificent Bastard.
  • Kurt standing up to Karofsky in "Never Been Kissed"
    Kurt: You going to hit me? Do it.
    Karofsky: Do not push me.
    Kurt: Hit me, because it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me any more than I can punch the ignoramus out of you!
    Karofsky: Get out of my face!
    Kurt: You are nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!
  • One for Darren Criss/Blaine his version of "Teenage Dream" becomes the show most downloaded song in a week.
  • Beiste rebuffing Sue when she threatened to disband the football team. Especially because it happened right after "Never Been Kissed"
  • Will and Mike's performance of "Make 'Em Laugh", nicely adapting nearly all of the original choreography into a duet, including running up the walls.
    • The choreographers for the "Singing In The Rain/Umbrella" mashup number. Dancing through actual water on stage. (The kids get one for that as well)
      • Word of God mentioned that they went through hundreds of umbrellas as they needed new ones every take (they broke pretty easily) and that that sequence was at least 6 hours long too shoot.
  • "Furt" has Artie and Mike standing up to Karofsky, Sam jumping in when they're taken down, and then Beiste stepping between the two and holding them apart.
    • Again and again for Sue as she handles Karofsky's bullying Kurt really well, culminating in her resigning so she could watch out for him in the halls and report anything that happened. And because the principal's office smells funny.
      • And then telling off her mother for abandoning her and her sister, and saying they've made their own family without her.
    • And Burt for going after Karofsky and holding him against the wall with a choke. It's pretty obvious that if Kurt hadn't told him to stop Burt would have beat the crap out of him.
    • Sue's tracksuit wedding dress.
  • The fact that Artie (Kevin McHale) still manages to be a damn good performer while in a wheelchair is a CMOA in itself.
  • An Understated one but in retrospective still quite impressive, in "Never Been Kissed" Puck and Artie together manage to something than the whole Glee club was unable to do in 2x01, actually excite and impress their fellow students with their musical talent to the point the whole cafeteria actually join to hear them sing and actually joins in.
  • Will finally being a teacher and telling Rachel that just because she's talented it doesn't make her the star of the club and that she needs to stop her diva act in "Special Education."
  • Mike and Brittany's dance routine at Sectionals. Finally two of the best dancers in the cast get to perform together, and it's glorious. Special mention to Heather Morris landing a backflip in high heels.
    • And a deserving mention of Quinn, Sam and Santana for being the lead vocals. About time someone else beside Rachel shows some talent and get the Glee kids a place at Regionals.
  • The Sue plot in "A Very Glee Christmas". First we have a green and stealthy Sue complete with Brittany Loo Who, and then there's the "Welcome Christmas" scene, still paralleling the original work. Awesome.
    • Beiste continues to prove how absolutely awesome she is by somehow getting Artie an incredibly obscure device that can allow him to walk. Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment.
    • And then there's Kurt and Blaine having a whale of a time as they blatantly flirt their way through a wonderful male-male version of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' in the Dalton common room.
  • In "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" when, for the first half of the big important game, the Glee Club (including the girls except the Unholy Trinity) was the entire football team. Tina taking the ball and running was epic, and you'd think they'd have made Lauren a full member after the way she bulldozed some of the opposing players.
    • Finn: It's funny Karofsky, you're always calling guys gay and yet... you never seem to have a girlfriend."
    • Puck: Are you ready for this? Rachel: Let's kick some ass!!
    • From the same episode, the fully reunited team playing in their zombie makeup to distract the other players. One guy thinks he was bitten in a tackle, and then by the end everybody distracts the other team by chanting "BRAINS! BRAINS! BRAINS!"
    • "Sucks to be you." Oh, Brittany.
      • Come on, the mere fact she stood up to Sue is a Crowning Moment in itself (granted, Finn and Quinn helped).
  • The other members of New Directions finally giving Santana a taste of her own bitchy medicine in "Silly Love Songs."
    • Lauren gives Santana a double dose when she thrashes Santana in a catfight.
      • It's pretty impressive that despite having been used to wipe the floor, Santana is still spoiling for another round.
      • Then it just gets hilarious as her beating of Santana just turns Puck on. Never change Noah. Never change.
      • Come on, mad props to Rachel for finally, FINALLY putting the bitch In. Her. Place.
    The truth is, Santana, you can dish it out, but you can't take it. Okay, maybe you're right, maybe I am destined to play the title role in the Broadway musical version of Willow, but the only job you're going to have is working on a pole!
  • In "Blame It on the Alcohol", Blaine kisses Rachel at an alcohol-fueled house party she throws for the glee club, and after accepting when Rachel asks him out the next day, he starts wondering whether he might actually be bisexual. This doesn't sit well with Kurt, who argues that "bisexual's a term that gay guys in high school use when they want to hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change." What Blaine says to him afterwards unfortunately falls on deaf ears and doesn't really amount to much in the episode, but the fact that, at the very least, he does get to deliver a What the Hell, Hero? speech where he rightfully calls Kurt out on his biphobia is still pretty satisfying.
    Blaine: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait. Why are you so angry?
    Kurt: Because I look up to you. I admire how proud you are of who you are. I know what it's like to be in the closet, and here you are, about to tiptoe back in.
    Blaine: I'm really sorry if this hurts your feelings, or your pride, or whatever, but however confusing it might be for you, it's actually a lot more confusing for me. You're 100% sure who you are. Fantastic. Well, maybe we all can't be so lucky.
    Kurt: Yeah, I have... I've had a lot of luck, Blaine. I was really lucky to be chased out of high school by a bully who threatened to kill me.
    Blaine: And why did he do that?
    Kurt: Because he didn't like who I was.
    Blaine: Sort of exactly what you're saying to me right now, isn't it? I am... I'm searching, okay? I am honestly just trying to figure out who I am, and for you, of all people, to get down on me for that? I didn't think that's who you were. I'll see ya. I... I'd say "bye", but I wouldn't want to make you angry.
  • New Directions finally winning Regionals and ending their original song "Loser Like Me" with the famous slushie attack shown in the Glee promos. The Take That at Sue was also totally sweet.
    • It's not just a Take That!, it's basically the club SCREAMING "Fuck you, we're awesome!" right in her face.
    • Blaine finally getting a clue and kissing Kurt. It's about damn time.
    • Also when Sue slapped the judge.
    • Mercedes' original song "Hell to the No" was purely made of this!!
  • Santana's Badass Boast towards Karofsky.
    Santana: First of all, anything you do became my business when you decided to toss that slushie up in my grill.
    Karofsky: I think I can take a couple of queers and a girl.
    Santana: Ha. See, here's what's gonna go down. Two choices: you stay here and I crack one of your nuts - right or left, that's your choice - or you walk away and live to be a douchebag another day. Oh, and also? I have razor blades hidden in my hair. Mm-hm. Tons, just all up in there.
    [Karofsky flees]
    Blaine: We could have handled that.
    Santana: It was more fun doing it together. [cracks the sweetest smile we have ever seen on her.]
    • Especially potent as Santana has just barely started to confront her own homosexuality.
    • Blaine shoving Karofsky counts as well. Blaine was willing to take on a guy about twice his size. It was very brave of him, particularly given what we know now after "Prom Queen" about his history of being beaten up for his orientation. Simply put, he was mad as hell and he wasn't gonna take it any more, as well as being the Knight in Shining Armor for his boyfriend. Then comes season 6...
  • Episode 2.18 where Santana decides how she'll get Brittany back once and for all - by blackmailing Karofsky, one of the school bullies and closet homosexual, into being her beard so that they may both become prom king and queen, because if he doesn't, she'll tell everyone that he's gay. She makes use of her bitchiness by starting an anti-bullying club with him, starting by stopping Karofsky's friend, Azimio. What's more, Santana makes Karofsky apologize to the Glee Club, as well as to Kurt, in order for them to get Kurt back into McKinley so that they have a shot at Nationals. And it damn well succeeded.
    • Kurt's shirt in the "Born This Way" number simply says "Likes Boys." Betting is now open as to when replicas start flooding in.
    • Brittany calling Santana out on her insecurity over wearing the shirt in "Born This Way" after Brit just got called out by Santana in "Sexy". Brit has apparently grown a brain and a pair of balls during this season.
  • Kurt bluntly calling Rachel out on the damage her Finn-motivated spying and concern trolling over his supposed 'infidelity' with Sam is doing to the club in the run-up to Nationals, and then flatly refusing to get involved in the gossip mill, in "Rumours".
  • Rolling. In. The. Fucking. Deep. My god Jonathan Groff managed to top his cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody". No background music, just him and Lea.
    • His entrance. Love him or hate him, the boy knows to how make an entrance.
  • Kurt's reentrance into the "Prom Queen" - the boy stood up to an entire crowd of haters and said, basically, I am who I am, and you can't change me. "Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton," indeed!
  • Mad props to Puck, Artie and Sam for making "Friday" into something silly and fun to listen to.
  • Brittany's speech when she learned that Mercedes didn't have a date to the prom.
    So? I don't have a date. I am just going to dance. Then all your dates are going to ignore you, and come dance with me. So, your dates are really my dates. (fistbumps the air.)
  • Even better later when she is seen slow-dancing with a random girl. That is a girl that just don't give a shit.
  • In "Funeral", Finn proposes to participate in Jean's funeral in order to emotionally back up Sue. After managing to convince the other members, Jesse makes a snide remark about how "The show must go on" Finn answers with a firmly that they WILL help Sue, never wavering from his conviction. Talk about Took a Level in Badass.

    Season 3 
  • From Season 3 "The Purple Piano Project":
    • "Sue Sylvester, you just got glitter bombed." As Emma perfectly explained it, Will went from a man of words to a man of actions in that sparkly attack on his anti-artistic opposition and it was glorious!
    • Will finally kicking someone out of the club when Santana participates in burning one of the club's new pianos.
    • Blaine, adorkable dancing, polo shirts, and all, finally taking his place as a member of New Directions during "You Can't Stop The Beat."
    • When Rachel and Kurt go into the mixer for potential students of the school of the arts they want to go to, the other students put on an amazing performance of a mash up of the songs Anything Goes and Anything You Can Do that is not only fantastic, but also leaves Rachel and Kurt's puffed up egos drained leaving potential for less pride coming from their directions.
  • Will's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Quinn, saying it's completely her own fault how bad her life sucks, and she should grow up and deal with it.
  • In "I Am Unicorn", after Kurt explains the whole "unicorn" thing to his dad:
    "You know what a unicorn without a horn is? A friggin' horse."
    • Only Burt Hummel could say something that makes no sense yet at the same time, makes perfect sense.
  • Mike's performance of "Cool", showing how far his singing has come, while still having great dance moves.
  • Brittany's "Run the World" flash mob.
  • Will telling off Emma's parents for their demeaning treatment of her.
  • Burt Hummel in "Pot O' Gold." Everything - just everything. Goes from one second changing a tire to the next second finding out his son, over whom he's always been a Papa Wolf, has to raise money to fund the school musical. Does he buy ad space in the program? Well, yes, but he also goes one better; he gets together with several other local business people to donate the funds so that the musical can go on. We see him say he wants to see Sue lose - he then decides that he's going to enter the congressional race as a write-in candidate against her, and telling her point blank that bullies don't have a good track record against the Hummels. Burt Hummel is a badass mechanic/political candidate. (Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment - especially when he mentions that the Glee club saved Kurt's life.)
  • "The First Time" is another episode-wide CMOA. The tastefully-handled subject of having sex for the first time, the awesome songs from West Side Story, the brilliant editing job of overlaying the performances with important scenes, the Aesop of stepping out of your comfort zone to find yourself, Santana in a red dress, etc. The episode just had so much going for it, it's possibly a CMOA for the entire series.
  • Kurt's speech in "Mash-Off", calling dodgeball modern-day stoning.
  • Shelby banning Quinn from seeing Beth because of the latter's selfish motives.
  • The girls singing "I Kissed A Girl" in the episode by the same name to stand up for Santana against the guy trying to "straighten [her] out."
    • The whole interaction leading up to this.
    Josh: Saw the commercial. Smoking.
    Santana: Who the hell are you?
    Josh: Josh Coleman. Sophomore football captain. Girls like you are a challenge, you need the right guy to straighten you out and I reckon I'm just the man to do it.
    Mercedes: Move your busted creeper ass.
    Tina: Now.
    Josh: Easy, girls, I'm just trying to make her normal.
    Brittany: She is normal.
    Quinn: It's not her choice, idiot, but even if it were, you'd be her last choice.
    Josh: Oh, I get it. You're all a bunch of lesbos.
    Rachel: Oh, so what if we are. You don't stand a chance either way.
    • Puck's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Quinn.
    • Kurt, who had earlier talked about wanting to stuff ballot boxes to ensure his future and having an "ends justify the means" mentality not only not doing that but standing up in the choir room to publicly concede the election and congratulate Brittany - considering his earlier "NYADA or managing a Sonic Burger" monologue that had to hurt, but he did it. Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment, particularly with the "Rule wisely; rule fabulously," and Brittany's hugging him.
  • Blaine finally calling Finn out on his treatment of him for the entire season. Particularly awesome because, though the boy had been practicing his boxing when Finn walked in, he doesn't hit him or anything, he just asks him what the deal is and why he's been so alienated the entire school year.
  • The Jackson Medley in "Hold on to Sixteen" put the 'team' in 'team effort'.
  • The Christmas special is both this and a Funny Moment due to just how accurate it is to an old 60s Christmas special.
  • Not only choreographing "Summer Nights" spot on like the movie, but filming it at the high school where the movie was made. Complete with Sam doing the final notes of the song looking out over the back of the bleachers with the somewhat hazy split screen of him and Mercedes. They set out to do an homage to Grease and damn if they didn't do it right! (Only thing missing was a Pink Ladies jackets, but you can't have everything.)
  • In "Michael" when Artie lays the smack down on how he really feels to Mr. Schue. However you might feel about the whole "getting revenge versus getting even" debate, you have to admit that was an AWESOME speech. Go Artie. Also the subsequent dream sequence, AKA their take on "Scream". Harry Shum Jr. and Kevin McHale knocked that shit out of the park.
  • In "The Spanish Teacher" when Santana tells Will off for basing his entire curriculum on The Theme Park Version of Latin culture, and forcing him to admit that he has no real interest in teaching Spanish and took it because it was the only teaching job he could get at the time.
  • Mike Chang in "Asian F". Russ Tamblyn couldn't have played a better Riff. His version of Cool is possibly the best song of the episode.
  • Unique ignoring Jesse and performing as herself. Not only does she get to perform the way she always wanted to, but she defies both Sue's and Jesse's expectations by bringing down the house!
  • Kurt's performance of "Not The Boy Next Door" for his NYADA audition. Chris Colfer usually gets one bombastic showstopping number a year - think "Rose's Turn" from S1 and "As If We Never Said Goodbye" from S2 - but "Not the Boy Next Door" might be the mother of them all. As soon as he tears away that top outfit, he transforms from a nervous, awkward high-school kid to a supremely confident, insanely talented superstar capable of commanding the attention of a sold-out theater.
  • Shannon Beiste finally being able to leave her abusive husband, giving him a cold stare through his self-hating monologue, slamming a knife down on the table and informing him that she has been sleeping with one under her pillow, and when he demands to know who is going to ever love her more than he did, she comes right back with a fierce: "ME!"
    • Her duet with Puck is awesome, singing Taylor Swift's "Mean" about their respective lives.
  • The fallout from the Nationals Competition: New Directions wins, and are welcomed back to McKinley by cheering crowds and confetti. Sue manages to beat Roz and gets sole control of the Cheerios back. Rick the Stick loses his bet with Finn, who now has $1000 for his and Rachel's honeymoon. Emma sleeps with Will. And the unspoken guarantee that the club is going to be around for years afterwards because of this victory. Well... minus a brief hiccup knows as the last seven episodes of Season 5.
  • The part where Carmen Tibideaux tells Rachel, who was convinced by Tina to go and change her mind, how much time she takes away from other students. It was quite refreshing to see such an authority figure tell Rachel the reality of the situation - that she's no more special than the next kid waiting in line to audition, who have hopes and dreams of becoming famous. Rachel has had that coming all series. Sadly, the writers didn't follow this through and never brought it up again.
  • Congressman Burt Hummel, general awesome dad that he is doing the Single Ladies dance for his son's graduation present. This is a man who could barely sway at his own wedding, and just... wow. He's not Mike, but that was still impressive! The whole scene hits the Crowning trifecta of Awesome, Heartwarming, and hilarious all at once. Chris Colfer's genuine laughter is testament to this, as well.
  • "Props" for Tina. Not only does she /finally/ get to belt out a gorgeous solo, but she stands up for once!

    Season 4 
  • In "Brittany 2.0", Cassandra July tells Rachel just how hard it is in the real world. This is after Rachel got fed up with her teacher's ways of teaching and snapped at her with "You're just jealous of us" and how Cassie was a washed up Youtube sensation. Rachel came back to apologize for her out-of-line behavior, and July points out just how fragile Rachel is when it comes to pressure and harsh criticism. It's particularly satisfying to have Rachel knocked down a peg, especially when she still thinks she's hot shit. Cassie spoke the truth when she told Rachel that if her little outburst had ended up on the Web, no one would ever want to cast her. In some ways, that part is a Heartwarming Moment: she's trying to stop Rachel from making the same mistakes she did.
  • "The New Rachel": Marley admitting, in front of the entire lunchroom, that she is the lunch lady's daughter. This is a move that is almost certainly going to drop her to the bottom of the Popularity Food Chain, yet she does it without hesitation. The girl has guts.
  • "The Role You Were Born To Play":
    • Finn taking control of the musical so that Unique gets the chance to play Rizzo, despite Sue's transphobic objections. And later, Unique's response to Finn telling her she'll face a lot of heat if she accepts the role.
  • In "The Break Up", Kurt refusing to let Blaine try to excuse cheating on him and pointing out that he was in the exact same situation and did the right thing.
  • Rachel winning the Winter Showcase and that performance of O Holy Night was amazing.
    • Compounded with Kurt's performance of Being Alive, which brings the house down and finally gets him into NYADA - and he performs it with no notice.
    • Also he sings a song that Carmen specifically hates and gets in.
  • "Diva":
    • Kurt calling Rachel out on her increasingly bad attitude since the winter showcase, twisting the knife by revealing that the only time she ever beat him was when he threw the competition. Also, when he beat her at Midnight Madness and later told off those two little ass-kissers who were giving him a hard time earlier and suddenly wanted to be his friend.
    • Early on in the episode, Marley calls Tina out on her "ridiculous trash-talking" and says it's going to stop. The Marley we were introduced to at the beginning of the season probably wouldn't have had the confidence to say something like that. Way to take a level in badass, girl!
  • "I Do":
    • Kurt summing up the audience's feelings perfectly regarding the Tina/Blaine ship.
    Kurt: Okay, Tina, I say this with total love, but the moment we all saw coming is finally here. You're a hag, you're all hagged out and you're in love with Blaine. It's creepy. Stop it.
    • The various couples giving in to love/passion to "We've Got Tonight".
      • Combines with Tear Jerker as that was the last time Cory Monteith and Lea Michele sang together.
  • "Guilty Pleasures": Sam knows that Blaine has a crush on him and he gives no fucks. In fact, he's known all year, but he doesn't care because he and Blaine will always be best friends. Also, Blaine is into dudes, and if he weren't into Sam, Sam would be a bit insulted.
  • "Shooting Star".
    • Say what you like about Sue Sylvester, but sacrificing her job to protect Becky was spectacular.
    • Say what you like about Will, but the fact that he left the choir room knowing there could be a gun-wielding lunatic to find Brittany was amazing.
  • Rachel gets her first audition for the revival of "Funny Girl" And the song she picks? "Don't Stop Believing." She envisions the original five members of the Glee Club singing together, using the same choreography from the very first episode. And she picked it because she was reminded of what made her what she is today.
  • "Wonder-ful": Kitty mouths off to Mercedes about how she must have failed to become a recording artist in L.A. Kurt promptly tells her off:
    Kurt: Kitty, your theory about Mercedes' shattered dreams, like most of the garbage that comes out of your mouth, is completely wrong.
  • "Lights Out": A campus-wide blackout forces the club to go acoustic. You have A Cappella, guitar, piano, and a Trash-Can Band. Behold!

    Season 5 
  • "Love, Love Love":
    • Blaine convincing New Directions' biggest rivals (Warblers and Vocal Adrenaline), as well as the Haverbrook Deaf Choir, to help him propose to Kurt.
    • The fact that despite the fact that Burt has already told Blaine that he thinks they are way too young to be getting married, he respects the fact that his son is a grown man now and that this has to be his call whether or not to accept, and is there smiling during the actual proposal to support him. Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment.
  • "The Quarterback": Santana cutting loose and telling Sue what a miserable, cold-hearted bitch she is, railing on her about how she's never had a nice word to say about Finn. Also becomes a serious Tear Jerker when you realize that she's talking just as much about herself as she is about Sue.
  • "The End of Twerk":
    • Will gives an impassioned defense of twerking to the school board, pointing out that every dance that was once considered scandalous and sinful is now considered harmless and innocent. It wins him his job back after Sue fires him.
    • Bree cracks a joke about Marley's attempt at twerking. Marley immediately breaks out some uncharacteristic, but extremely satisfying snark in response.
    • Then she shuts down Bree's claim that Jake cheated on her:
    Marley: Jake's not like that. And even if he was, he'd aim a lot higher than trash like you.
    • Unfortunately, it becomes a Tear Jerker when she learns that Jake did, in fact, cheat on her with Bree.
  • "Frenemies": Artie calls Tina out on her bad attitude:
    Tina: You're making a last ditch effort to be popular by dating McKinley's biggest bitch!
    Artie: Actually, Tina, you're McKinley's biggest bitch!
  • "Bash":
    • Kurt saying something that a lot of people and characters in-show have been thinking for a long time about a little lady who became incredibly haughty and full of herself:
    Kurt: Screw you Rachel.
    • Kurt coming to the defense of a guy being gay-bashed by a couple of thugs. Sure, he gets curb-stomped in the fight, but it took some serious guts to get involved like that.
  • "Tested": Hunky shirtless Kurt in fight class. Everything about him; his physique, his attitude, Chris Colfer's mad skills. It's astounding to see how far that effeminate, scared little boy from season one has come. Not to mention hunky, shirtless and only wearing boxers Kurt doing pushups at his apartment. He's well and truly a man now.
  • "Opening Night": Rachel stands up to Sue for the bad treatment she had given them for years. The crowning moment of her entire speech had to be this bit:
    Rachel:...and never, ever in your empty, sad life will you feel the kind of love that I felt tonight and I would feel so sad for you, but I don't, because I just want you to get the hell out of my apartment because I want to be with my friends!
  • "Back-up Plan": Rachel nearly sabotages her own Broadway career by doing an audition behind the back of her impresario and showrunner, and is stuck far away from New York, unable to perform in time for Funny Girl. And her understudy is unable to perform in her place, having hurt herself. The show is saved by Santana, of all people, who decided to help Rachel by playing Fanny in her place, and who did it not to upstage her, but to sincerely help a friend in need. Rachel told the truth to her impresario via e-mail, and went to see him to apologize in person. She wasn't fired... However, he was not pleased. At all. He called her out on her selfishness, lack of judgement and professionalism, revealed that he would've fired her if she wasn't the star of the show, and made it very clear on no uncertain terms that if Rachel ever does a single misstep again, he would end her by firing her, suing her back to the stone age and destroying her reputation meticulously, thus preventing her from being in Broadway ever again. Rachel is understandably shaken, but boy, was that scolding deserved. In a case of Life Imitates Art, Lea Michele was called out in 2020 by her former Glee co-actor Samantha Ware for her intolerable and racist behavior towards her, soon followed by Amber Riley, Heather Morris and other cast members, prompting HelloFresh to end their partnership with Michele.
    Now get the hell out of my office.
  • "100" has a good one. When Quinn shows up with her Yalie Connecticut old-money WASP boyfriend (she's got her hair curled under and is wearing pearls, channeling your mother much?), everyone, especially Puck, tries to call her out on it. But it's only when he calls her a "dirty little slutbag" that she turns on him. She grabs him right by the bridge of the nose and is holding her own until Puck steps in.

    Season 6 
  • "Homecoming" has several awesome moments:
    • After a failed attempt to recruit the members of a conservative group, one of said members makes the mistake of insulting Barack Obama in front of Mercedes. She gives him a withering "The Reason You Suck" Speech in return.
    • Blaine promising Jane that he'll threaten to end his career as Warblers coach if she isn't let on the team.
  • Sue is not generally known as the supportive or caring type. The fact that she does actually have a heart is, thus, on full display in "Jagged Little Tapestry." Not (just) referring to her Mama Bear tendencies with regard to grilling Becky's new boyfriend from college. Also the fact that she's supporting Coach Beiste after finding out that Shannon, or more accurately, Sheldon, identifies as male and is going through the transition. Not only does she verbally support him, she promises that when the coach returns he will have his coaching job waiting for him. She's come a long way from how she treated Unique.
  • Sue's insane "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Will in "The Hurt Locker (1)" (season 6), in which she points out everything wrong with his character. As usual with Sue, it was over the top, but it doesn't change the fact that nearly everything she said was true and left Will mostly speechless.
  • After Brittany fails to get Santana's abuela to accept her and Santana getting married, she gives her an awesome "The Reason You Suck" Speech which, in itself, is surprising because it's coming from sweet innocent Brittany.
    Brittany: The New York Times said half the increase in support of gay marriage is due to generational turnover. That’s what smart people call "crazy uptight bitches dying". You guys lost, okay? And honestly, the rest of us are just going about our business, being normal, and waiting for you not to be around. And not because you can stop us from getting married, but just because you’re kind of annoying.
  • When Vocal Adrenaline refuse to give up their prank war on New Directions, Will pretends to go along with it. Instead, he lets VA see a choir of transgender singers performing. When VA still makes it clear they're jerks, Will quits on the spot.
    • Even better is when Sue gets on the P.A.
    Sue: Attention, Vocal Adrenaline members. I will give you six minutes to leave campus before I unleash my hounds. Also, I've slashed all the tires on your bus so you'll have to walk home. Perhaps you can use this march of death opportunity to consider how awful you really are.
    • When they hear the sound of dogs barking, VA instantly take off running.
  • Will binding Sue to the chair, gagging her and shaving her head. The effect held for exactly one scene, but after six seasons of Mr. Schue taking the mature and/or high roads against Sue, or at best giving her some very vanilla retributions, seeing him for once paying her back in her style was awesome.
  • The combined New Directions/Warblers winning Sectionals and thus ensuring the future of the glee club.
    • And the finale reveals that they won Nationals as well.
  • While the writing for the show has traditionally been all over the place, the writing and directing for "2009" was so spot-on that, despite being a Perspective Flip on the pilot, the framing of it (focusing on Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Artie) was so well done that many people didn't even think about Finn/Cory Monteith missing from the episode until "Don't Stop Believin'" started at the end.
  • The ultimate victory: McKinley High is now a performing arts school with Will as principal.

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