Mattress Season One, Episode Twelve First Aired December 2, 2009 Episode Guide previous next "Hairography" "Sectionals"

Mattress, also known as Once Upon a Mattress, is the twelfth episode of Glee's first season and the twelfth episode overall. It premiered on December 2, 2009.

When the Glee Club is left out of the yearbook because of budget cuts, everyone seems to be relieved that they won't have to suffer the ridicule of years past. Everyone except Rachel, who wants her legacy cemented in print. Meanwhile, Quinn makes it her mission to be in the Cheerios yearbook photo despite her pregnancy, and Terri and Will's relationship is shaken to its core.

The episode was directed by Elodie Keene and written by Ryan Murphy.

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Plot

Will sits with Emma and Ken in the teacher's lounge. They tell him that their wedding will be the following Saturday, on the same day as Sectionals. Sue walks in with a pair of black eyes, the result of having some work done prior to yearbook pictures. Sue tells Will she convinced Figgins not to allow Glee Club to have a yearbook picture this year.

In the choir room, Kurt explains to everyone that not having a yearbook picture may save from them countless hours of ridicule. Everyone seems to agree, at which point Will comes in and promises them he will fight to get their picture in the yearbook.

When Will complains to Figgins, the principal tells him his only option is to buy a quarter-page ad for Glee for $325. That will be enough room for two members. Figgins suggest he pick Finn and Santana, since they are least likely to have their faces vandalized. Rachel barges into the room demanding Glee have a picture before Will tells her the news.

Rachel explains in a voiceover that she has joined every club possible in order to get her picture in the yearbook dozens of times. Unlike her other clubs however, Rachel is particularly proud of Glee.

Quinn is watching Santana and Brittany as they look trough the yearbook and is saddened she's not on the Cheerios anymore. She decides, she wants to be on the squad again once the yearbook photos are being taken.

Terri tells Will that he cannot use family funds to buy the ad for Glee. Will writes Figgins a check anyway, but asks him to wait a few days before cashing it.

Will tells New Directions they must pick two team captains for the photo. Every single vote is for Rachel, and

nobody else wants to be in the picture as they are all afraid of being defaced and ridiculed.

Will asks Emma how to find another kid to be in the picture. She apologizes for having to miss sectionals, and Will thinks Ken scheduled the wedding conflict on purpose. Emma defends Ken and Will ends up apologizing.

Will asks Rachel to pick a co-captain. Everyone she contacts comes up with bogus excuses. Eventually she's able to convince Finn to do the picture with her. Rachel says she is going to teach Finn how to smile correctly via them singing a duo of Lily Allen's Smile.

Several of Finn's football teammates tell him they are already planning to deface his Glee picture. Finn ends up not showing up for the photo shoot and Rachel was about to give up but decided to take the picture without him. (When You're Smiling). When the photographer tells Rachel he is directing a commercial, she convinces him to cast her and the glee club. Rachel tells Glee clubbers she's landed them their first "big break." The commercial is for mattresses and all the guys are excited.

During the read-through, Rachel is able to convince the storeowner to let them sing a mattress-hopping version ofas thecommercial instead of a cheesy scenario.

While looking for his pocket square, Will finds one of Terri's old fake pregnancy bellies. Furious, he goes to the kitchen and demands she show him her belly. The discovery leads to a huge fight, with Terri explaining the origins of the lie and telling him about adopting Quinn's baby. "I loved you Terri," he says. "I really loved you." and he storms out of the apartment.

At school Will finds a stack of new mattresses given to Glee from the storeowner. He opens one and puts it in his office, in order to spend the night there.

Sue spots the Glee kids' mattress commercial on TV. Quinn asks Sue to be in the cheerleader photo, however Sue dismisses this idea and tells her about how they won't be able to sing at Sectionals since they lost their amateur status trough the commercial.

Sue goes to Figgins and tells him that as New Directions has performed in a commercial and