The Truth About Quinn Fabray
The Truth About Quinn Fabray: Glee's Head Bitch in Charge Is a Repressed Lesbian Who Is Secretly in Love with Rachel Berry
A few nights ago, my mom and I were talking about Glee, and at one point I mentioned that I truly believed that Quinn was a repressed lesbian. Or even if she wasn't, she has a massive crush on Rachel. When my mom gave me a look of disbelief, I likened it to Helga's crush on Arnold in Hey Arnold. My mom was still skeptical, so I mentioned the fact that Quinn drew pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls, dreamt of herself surrounded by girls dressed in football uniforms, and drew a picture of Rachel surrounded by 30 hearts. That seemed to give her pause, but I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced.
So I decided to break it down using both pictures and words.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Episode 1x01 - Pilot (unaired version)
We are first introduced to Quinn Fabray through her cyber-bullying of Rachel.
A lot of people say that Quinn's animosity is because she sees Rachel as a threat to her relationship with Finn, but that's not exactly true. As we can see here, Quinn has been bullying Rachel well before Finn was ever on Rachel's radar screen. It's clear that Quinn goes out of her way to antagonize Rachel. She's acting like a little boy with a schoolyard crush.
Also notice how many views that video of Rachel's has gotten. That's right, just 1. Just Quinn, her #1 fan.
This scene didn't make it into the aired version of the pilot, but it's pretty telling.
Quinn: Getting ready for the tranny prom, Rachel?
Once again, Quinn takes a shot at Rachel, and this time issues a defeminizing insult. If she makes Rachel seem less feminine and more masculine, on an unconscious level, it's easier for her to reconcile her attraction to Rachel.
We next find out from Finn that he's actually dating Quinn and that she's the president of the celibacy club, which means she's taken a vow of abstinence. Anytime their make out sessions get too heated, Quinn quickly puts a stop to it and makes them pray.
This affords a really convenient excuse for fending off her boyfriend's advances, doesn't it?
And lastly, Quinn encounters Rachel and Finn in the hallway.
Quinn: Hi, Finn. RuPaul. What are you doing talking to her?
Again with the defeminizing insults.
At this point, I pegged Quinn as being built on two archetypes: "Repressed Christian Teen" and "Homophobic Gay Jock." Subsequent episodes only further proved this.
Episode 1x02 - Showmance
Quinn gives Finn a hard time about him being glee club.
Quinn: We are in line to become the most popular kids in this school for the next couple years. Prom king and queen. Homecoming court royalty. I am not giving up those shiny crowns just so you can express yourself.
Finn: I wanna do glee. I'm really happy when I'm performing.
Quinn: People think you're gay now, Finn. And you know what that makes me? Your big gay beard.
From this exchange, it's obvious why Quinn is in a relationship with Finn: to boost her popularity by being part of a power couple. It's clear that his position as star quarterback and her position as head cheerleader is the driving force behind their relationship. If the driving force behind their relationship was romantic feelings, I think that Quinn would be more willing to accept Finn joining glee because it's something that makes him happy.
Does this mean she's gay? Not necessarily, but it does illustrate something that we saw in the pilot-she seems to take no sexual interest in Finn and would simply rather control him and use him to further her own popularity.
Then we have this episode's Quinn/Rachel showdown, which became somewhat of a staple of the front 13.
Quinn: Eavesdrop much? Time for some girl talk, manhands. You can dance with him, you can sing with him, but you will never have him.
Quinn while Rachel offers her rebuttal:
First, let's take note of how she looks at Rachel in that top shot. That's a pretty heated gaze, and I'm not sure it's entirely fueled by anger considering how she then proceeds to look at Rachel.
And again Quinn's at it with the defeminizing insult, this time dishing out "manhands." I don't think I really need to point out just how inaccurate Quinn is about that, but hey, whatever helps her sleep better at night.
Quinn is clearly feeling jealous, and based on something that she says in "Throwdown," I see her actually being more jealous of Finn than of Rachel. The idea of Rachel being with Finn infuriates her, but she doesn't care if he hooks up with anyone else (this becomes clearer in "Throwdown," and that has colored the way I see this exchange).
The celibacy club meeting is one of my favorite scenes in this episode, and here's why:
Quinn: God bless the perv who invented these.
Amen, Quinn. She certainly seems to enjoy watching Santana twirl around in that skirt. It does make me wonder just why she's having Santana do this though. I mean, the Cheerios wear this every day, so they're well aware of the fact that their skirts are crunchy toast. But I guess Quinn will use any excuse she can to admire how the girls look in them, especially when it's her telling them to flaunt it.
Then there's Quinn, Santana, and Brittany's audition for glee club with "Say a Little Prayer."
There's a harem-like nature to the Cheerios, which I always enjoyed in these early episodes. The stroking of Quinn's arms that Brittany and Santana do at the end of this number is also a nice touch. Pun intended (yes, I know I'm a dork).
Episode 1x03 - Acafellas
I'd say the best part of this episode is the Quinn/Santana scheming that goes on. Their very first target is one Rachel Berry.
Quinn: Sweetie, we're a team now.
Sweetie. Finally, Quinn calls Rachel something endearing rather than insulting. Yes, I'm well aware that Quinn is doing Sue's bidding here, but it's something.
Much to my dismay, this scene was cut from the actual episode, but just look how much fun Quinn is having splashing a half naked Santana.
Quinn tries to subtly check out Santana's boobs while she thinks Santana isn't paying attention, but don't think this went unnoticed by some astute viewers.
Episode 1x04 - Preggers
This is the episode where we discover that Quinn has a bun in the oven. One could argue that this nullifies the case that I am presenting here, but studies have actually shown that lesbian teens are at a higher risk for pregnancy than their heterosexual counterparts.
Here are a few choice quotes from Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk that I feel are relevant:
"Gay and lesbian teens may have sex with members of the opposite sex for a variety of reasons. Some do it to hide-to deflect the abuse that they see inflicted on gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens."
"'For some, it may be that they've been told that this is abnormal and wrong, and they may think: "Well, if I just have sex with enough opposite-gender people, that will cure me,"' Elizabeth Saewyc said."
Given Quinn's upbringing (which we'll get a little more insight on in "Ballads"), it's not farfetched to think this could be the case.
Also, there's this:
Quinn: I had sex with you because you got me drunk on wine coolers and I felt fat that day, but it was a mistake.
Quinn wasn't in a clear state of mind due to the alcohol, and she most likely wasn't eating properly because of feeling fat (in "Home" we get a better idea of what the Cheerios diet consists of and the havoc said diet wreaks on one's mind). It wasn't love or lust that was driving her to sleep with Puck. It was alcohol and insecurity.
Episode 1x05 - The Rhodes Not Taken
Surprisingly, there was nothing in this episode that demonstrated Quinn's lesbianism. Then again, there was also nothing that disproved it either.
Episode 1x06 - Vitamin D
This episode contains one of my favorite Quinn/Rachel scenes. Rachel, having discovered that Quinn is pregnant, reaches out to the girl and offers her friendship in spite of their past. But the part of that conversation that is particularly intriguing to me is this:
Quinn: How can you relate to what I'm going through?
Rachel: You don't think people whisper about me in the lunchrooms? Or draw pornographic pictures of me on the bathroom walls?
Quinn: That was me, actually.
Let me reiterate: Quinn draws pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls.
Really? This doesn't exactly strike me as heterosexual behavior. In fact, to quote unlikely-course:
"Pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom stalls? Do you know what the only place I've ever heard of that happening in is? A boy's bathroom. About girls that they've had or want to have relations with."
After Rachel tells Quinn that she doesn't hate her, Quinn admits that she would have tortured Rachel if the roles had been reversed, and Rachel calmly informs her that she knows this before walking away with her head held high, Quinn casts this look after her:
Episode 1x06 - Throwdown
aka The One Where Faberry Happened
This episode is chock-full of evidence of Quinn's repressed lesbianism. There were even hints of Rachel's repressed lesbianism coming to light (giving Jacob Ben Israel her underwear in exchange for keeping Quinn's pregnancy a secret [because seriously, the pregnancy wouldn't really hurt Finn's reputation at all, only Quinn's], admitting to Quinn that she had "romantic ulterior motives" for giving him her underwear, and singing "Keep Holding On" for Quinn), but I'm not going to go into that right now since this writeup is really about Quinn.
Anyway, like I was saying. There's lots of PROOF of Quinn's gayness. We'll start here:
Quinn: I know some guys cheat on their wives or pregnant girlfriends. Just don't do it with [Rachel].
This is what I was referring to when discussing the Quinn/Rachel showdown in "Showmance." To me, it seems like Quinn's jealousy has less to do with Finn's attention to Rachel and more about Rachel's attention to Finn. She thinks that Rachel only gave Jacob Ben Israel her underwear to protect Finn, not her, and that clearly upsets her. And the way she says that line quoted above, it sounds like she really doesn't care if Finn cheats on her, so long as it isn't with Rachel. This leads me to believe that Quinn is harboring some feelings for Rachel, and whatever it is, it is stronger than what she feels for Finn.
The glee club gets split in half, and Quinn is grouped together with Finn, Rachel, Brittany, and Puck. Mr. Schuester gives Finn and Rachel the leads on "No Air," and Quinn is clearly upset by this. And look at the way she looks at Rachel during this:
Then we have the Quinn/Rachel throwdown, which is quite possibly the most UST scene in the history of television. Quinn is back in full force with the defeminizing insults of "treasure trail" and "stubbles." And while Rachel offers her initial rebuttal, Quinn looks at her like this:
This look in particular does not scream "I hate you," but it looks more like she wants to do unspeakable things to Rachel in the janitor's closet.
In fact, take a gander at the way she looks at Rachel when Rachel isn't looking at her:
Like I said, major UST. I've never seen her show this amount of passion when interacting with Finn, Puck, or Sam (who doesn't show up until season 2).
At the end of their confrontation, Quinn falls into a fantasy dream sequence where she sings "You Keep Me Hangin' On," which just so happens to be the gayest thing I've ever seen.
As unlikely-course so succinctly put it, she is the incarnation of gay on earth in this number.
Again, I need to quote unlikely-course:
"THIS IS THE INSIDE OF QUINN FABRAY'S HEAD. I appreciate that the number was about her feeling trapped by social expectations and I felt it extremely well done, but even the inside of my head isn't this gay!"
After Sue finds out that Quinn is pregnant and leaks the news to the entire school, the glee club rallies around her, and Rachel and Finn sing "Keep Holding On" to her. The two share some significant looks during the number:
Episode 1x08 - Mash Up
By now, everyone in McKinley knows that Quinn is pregnant, and as a result, her popularity begins to plummet. So most of this episode, she is focused on trying to hold onto what she is quickly losing. This doesn't give her much time to perv on Rachel or the Cheerios, but Quinn is incapable of not not letting her gay show, and this happened:
Looks like Quinn has taken a page out of Finn Hudson's book ("I could be looking at your boobs and you have no idea."), but I'm not sure if she's checking out Rachel or Brittany's boobs. Maybe both. I mean, why should she limit herself?
Episode 1x09 - Wheels
The thing that became apparent to me in this episode is that Quinn Fabray does not know the meaning of the word subtle. To her credit, she manages to last almost the entire episode before her true feelings for Rachel shine through. It happens when the glee club performs their wheelchair number, "Proud Mary." Take note of the end of the performance:
Look at how adoringly Quinn looks at Rachel. That is not a look of hatred. Rather, she appears to be totally smitten with her.
Episode 1x10 - Ballad
In this episode, we get a glimpse into Quinn's home life and meet her mother and father. She had previously stated in "Throwdown" that her parents would "burn her like a witch" if they found out she was pregnant. Given that she was the president of the celibacy club and was leading meetings of Christ Crusaders in her home in prior episodes, it's easy to infer what kind of upbringing she had: a strict fundamentalist Catholic one.
This is a fact: Quinn is repressed, both emotionally and sexually (regardless of what her sexual orientation is, she is sexually repressed).
Even in her home, she can't be herself. There's an air of fakeness around her interactions with her parents, especially with her father. The connection between them doesn't seem to be built on unconditional love. Rather, it is important to maintain appearances at all times. She isn't free to speak her mind in her home, and all the bad feelings get swept under the rug. It's clear that her father is the ruler of the household, and what he says is law.
So, if Quinn thinks her parents would "burn her like a witch" for getting pregnant out of wedlock, can you imagine what she would think they'd do if they knew she was questioning her sexuality? Of course she would do everything she could to push those feelings down if she were experiencing them.
They don't burn her like a witch for the pregnancy, but they do kick her out of the house. Well, specifically, her father does. Her fear of stepping outside the predetermined path set for her by her father is completely valid. All it took was one mistake to be proven right.
Once again, the glee club rallies around Quinn (and, by extension, Finn), and they perform "Lean on Me."
Quinn smiles for the first time since she was kicked out of her house, and look who is the one putting it there:
I'm beginning to notice a pattern here in the post-"Throwdown" world of Glee. When Rachel sings, Quinn has a hard time hiding behind the HBIC she so often projects and let's something a little more joyful show. This will be proven time and again in subsequent episodes.
Episode 1x11 - Hairography
Look at the way Quinn looks at Rachel when no one else is paying attention:
I don't care what her inner monologue is during that time, that look says a lot.
She then arranges for Kurt to give Rachel a makeover.
Despite her derogatory insults to the contrary, Quinn knows Rachel is hot stuff, capable of distracting just about anyone attracted to women.
Puck: You haven't given it to me since the night I knocked you up. Baby, I'm a dude. I have needs.
Quinn: So you expect to raise a baby with me and text dirty messages to every other girl at this school if I don't "give it up" to you every day?
Puck: No! Just the hot girls. Look, I'm gonna be a good dad. But I'm not gonna stop being me to do it.
Despite having slept with Puck once before, Quinn obviously has no desire to do so again. This is yet another instance of her having no sexual interest in a boy. She would prefer to simply control him for her own gain. Or in this case, for her baby's gain. She knows first hand what it's like to have a crappy father, and despite giving Puck a shot-seeing that he's the actual father-he's not exactly "good father" material.
This is not to say that she doesn't feel some sort of affection towards Puck or Finn, but sexual interest? To this day (as of episode 2x10), I haven't any evidence of this.
Episode 1x12 - Mattress
It's time for the students and teachers to get their pictures taken for the yearbook, but everyone in glee is wary about there being a club photo included. Everyone except Rachel, that is. In fact, she is the only one who really wants it to be included and is really excited about it.
Other than the rest of the glee kids not wanting to be photographed, there's another issue. The glee club isn't getting a page in the yearbook because it always gets defaced. Of course, Sue had something to do with this.
This is important information to keep in mind.
Quinn is determined to get back on the Cheerios and be in the yearbook photo picture. And then she finds out that Sue had the glee club's amateur status revoked, thus banning them from competition, because Will used one of the mattresses the kids were given for doing a Mattress Land commercial.
The HBIC returns in full force, and Quinn proceeds to blackmail Sue Sylvester.
Quinn: You're a hypocrite.
Sue: Excuse me?
Quinn: I just heard that you got glee club's amateur status revoked over a mattress, while you are constantly showering the Cheerios with swag. I've gotten free shoes, complimentary tanning, haircuts. The season's tickets to Cedar Point? We sold those on eBay-for a profit. Seems to me that if Figgins found out, you would get banned from competition.
Sue: Fine. You're back on the Cheerios. I'll put you on fulltime dry cleaning duty and shove you to the back of the photo to hide your shame.
Quinn: I'm not finished. Glee club gets a full page photo.
Sue: That's not up to me.
Quinn: You are giving up one of the Cheerios six pages, and you are giving it to the glee club free of charge.
Sue: You know, Q. I'd forgotten just how ruthless you really are. You're like a young Sue Sylvester.
Remember how no one in glee club wanted to be in the yearbook? Well, everyone except Rachel-the only person to who it mattered. If Quinn had really blackmailed Sue for the good of the club, she wouldn't have insisted on getting the yearbook picture, because no one else on the team wanted it. But Rachel did, and Quinn made sure Rachel got it.
Episode 1x13 - Sectionals
The truth of Quinn's baby's paternity comes to light due to Rachel figuring it out and telling Finn. When Rachel realizes just how much the reveal of this secret damages not only Finn but Quinn as well, she immediately goes to Quinn to apologize. This remains one of my favorite scenes ever:
Rachel: I'm so sorry. I fully understand if you want to beat me up. If you can, just try to avoid my nose.
Quinn: I'm not mad at you. All you did was what I wasn't brave enough to do-tell the truth.
Everything is so raw here. For once, Quinn is allowing herself to be vulnerable and somewhat honest. She admits to Rachel that she isn't mad at her, even though she was trying to steal Finn. To me, this is more evidence that her issues with Rachel weren't really about Finn.
Sectionals is here, and once again, Quinn is unable to keep her adoration for Rachel in check when the brunette performs:
Episode 1x14 - Hell-O
Sadly, it's around this time that Team Glee decided they were tired of the pregnancy storyline. However, instead of giving Quinn a new storyline, they instead shove her into the background. As a result, her screen time in "Hell-O" (and most of the back 9 of season 1) is very limited, but the screen time she does have is very telling.
Rachel is now with Finn. Quinn looks at the new couple forlornly and seems to be focused on one of them in particularly:
This is the exact progression that was shown in the episode, which indicates that she's actually focused on Rachel, not Finn.
Quinn's reaction to Brittany and Santana's linked pinkies is enjoyable:
Rachel performs "Gives You Hell" in response to Finn ditching her for Brittana. Take a gander at what Quinn's reaction is:
Despite Quinn showing guilt in "Sectionals" over hurting Finn with babygate, she can't help but fangirl Rachel hard throughout the entire number.
Episode 1x15 - The Power of Madonna
In one of the very first scenes, Quinn is seen drawing this:
Looks like Quinn has reverted back to her ways of acting like a little boy with a schoolyard crush. And despite the rather grotesque and inaccurate nature of the drawing, it's obvious that Quinn has spent quite a bit of time on it. She certainly spends a lot of time thinking about Rachel.
"True love always springs from true hate," Sue said while drawing a similarly grotesque picture of Will in "Funk."
And remember back in "Mattress," Sue said that Quinn reminded her of a young Sue Sylvester. I hardly think any of this is coincidental.
Also, there are the hearts. Of which there are around 30. Quinn, you are doing a horrible job of convincing me that you aren't totally gay for Rachel.
Rachel then tries to ask the glee girls for advice about the new boy in her life, Jesse.
Quinn: Please stop talking. You're grossing out my baby.
As unlikely-course so succinctly put it:
"Come on, Quinn, are Rachel's boyfriend woes really grossing your baby out, or is that burn in the pit of your stomach actually jealousy?"
Episode 1x16 - Home
Just like the last time Kristin Chenoweth guest starred as April Rhodes in "The Rhodes Not Taken," there wasn't really anything in this episode that stood out to me as evidence of Quinn's gayness. Likewise, nothing seemed to dissuade me from that belief either. Rather, her maternal instinct was in full swing.
Episode 1x17 - Bad Reputation
This episode was like a goldmine because of one thing: The Glist.
The Glist is a list Quinn made, which ranks the members of the glee club based on some sort of hotness quotient. She places herself atop the list at +45 and gives Rachel a -5. This is meant to rehabilitate Quinn's reputation, so, naturally, she places it on Rachel's locker rather than where everyone in the school can see it.
Once again, Quinn goes out of her way to antagonize Rachel like a little boy with a schoolyard crush. Not only does she let Rachel know that she's the hottest girl in glee, but she also takes a jab at the brunette in the process.
Will questions Quinn on who could be behind the Glist:
Quinn: Rachel did it. Think about it. I stole the guy she's in love with, then I stole the guy she dated to get over the guy she's in love with, and I'm kind of a bitch to her.
Quinn certainly thinks about Rachel a lot, doesn't she?
Also, other than being a bitch to Rachel, what she says isn't at all accurate. At least, not from what the audience was shown. Quinn was already with Finn when Rachel decided to pursue him. Puck and Rachel dated for like a week while Finn and Quinn were still together.
But apparently in Quinn's head, she stole Finn from Rachel. And then Puck from Rachel. This only validates my previous assessment of Quinn actually being jealous of Finn and not Rachel in "Showmance" and "Throwdown."
Also, according to the Glist, Quinn thinks that Santana is hotter than Puck.
Episode 1x18 - Laryngitis
When Finn sings "Jessie's Girl" to Rachel, Quinn doesn't show the same enthusiastic response as the rest of the glee clubbers do:
I'll come back to what I think this means in a minute.
First I need to address the Puck/Mercedes business and Quinn's reaction to it:
Mercedes: Look, Quinn. I could never see myself being into a guy like Puck, especially since he's your baby's daddy, but something just happened between us.
Quinn: I say, go for it.
Mercedes: What?
Quinn: Look, I screwed up by letting Puck get me pregnant. He's an idiot and his mother won't let me eat bacon. I'm stuck living with him right now, but at least if you guys are dating, I won't have to spend so much time listening to his insane theories on how Super Mario Bros changed civilization.
So what I got from this exchange is that Quinn finds bacon to be more appealing than Puck.
Quinn: I just don't want you getting hurt.
Mercedes: I know what this is. My heart's safe.
Quinn: Oh, I'm not worried about your heart. I might be okay with this, but not even Puck is going to be able to call off Santana.
Quinn really doesn't seem to care who Puck is with. In fact, she's encouraging Mercedes to date him in order to keep him away from her. And it's obvious she really doesn't care that Santana is continuing to sleep with Puck either.
By now, I also assume that Quinn knows that Santana slept with Finn. We find out in "Special Education" that she found out from either Puck or Brittany, she can't remember who told her exactly. Obviously, it's not an important enough event for her to remember the details, so it's safe to say Quinn really doesn't care that Santana slept with her ex-boyfriend.
So Quinn's less than enthusiastic response to "Jessie's Girl" doesn't strike me as her as wanting Finn's attentions. Again, she's jealous of Finn, not Rachel.
Episode 1x19 - Dream On
I think Quinn had a grand total of one line in this episode. In fact, she had even less screen time here than she did in "Hell-O."
Even so, she managed to let her crush on Rachel shine through:
Notice how close Quinn is sitting to Rachel. Notice that Quinn isn't sitting on a chair. She sat on the floor just so she could be closer to Rachel.
Episode 1x20 - Theatricality
Quinn, Rachel, and Mercedes go spy on Vocal Adrenaline together:
This scene while delightful was also confusing. I can only assume that Rachel asked Quinn and Mercedes to accompany her on her mission. I realized while watching "Britney/Brittany" and "Duets," that Quinn is incapable of saying no to Rachel, so that must be what happened here as well.
After Rachel gets her Paparazzi Gaga dress, Quinn can't seem to take her eyes off of Rachel. She checks her out almost every chance she gets:
Episode 1x21 - Funk
Quinn's solo performance of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" reminds me of her other two solos. Can you guess why?
Quinn certainly seems to enjoy surrounding herself with girls while singing solos. The lyrics of this particular song are pretty telling too.
Episode 1x22 - Journey
This is a fairly emotional episode that includes Quinn giving birth to her daughter. But before that happens, she is able to perform at Regionals with New Directions.
During "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'/Anyway You Want It," Quinn once again forgets the meaning of the word subtle:
Quinn, your gay is showing. Look at her licking her upper lip while staring at Rachel's butt.
On a more serious note, after the baby is born, Puck tells Quinn that he loves her, but she doesn't say anything back. This confirms what I thought all along-her sleeping with him had nothing to do with romantic or sexual attraction and had more to do with her own insecurities and being taken advantage of.
Miscellaneous:
In between seasons 1 and 2, People magazine released a special Glee issue, and it contained a photo of Quinn's bedroom on set:
On the table at the foot of her bed, there are several picture frames. All but one seem to contain the photos that likely came with the frame. The one that doesn't-the one sitting front and center-is a picture of Finn, Rachel, Quinn, and Santana standing in the hallway:
As you can see, the only person you can really see clearly here is Rachel. Why in the hell would Quinn have a picture like this in her room? By now, I'm sure you all know why I think it's there.
Episode 2x01 - Audition
Before season 2 began, both Ryan Murphy (one of Glee's creators and main writers) and Dianna Agron (the actress who portrays Quinn) said that Quinn's season 2 storyline would focus on her being an independent woman, coming into her own, and getting back to being on top. Sounds promising, right? Especially that independent woman part. Agron also mentioned that Quinn would be "mean again" and go back to "tormenting Rachel." Also promising, since part of my basis for seeing Quinn as a repressed lesbian is her unreasonable aggression towards Rachel.
This episode shows a lot of promise in regard to some of those things. It's confirmed that Quinn doesn't return Puck's affections, so it looks like Quinndependence is a go. Right on.
It's a new year, and Quinn's primary goal is getting back on the Cheerios. It takes a little bit of attempted bribery, and, when that doesn't work, selling out Santana to Sue. She's back to being on top.
Now all that's left, other than working to stay on top, is this "coming into her own" and "tormenting Rachel." We don't see anything of the sort. In fact, Quinn looks happy to see Rachel's arrival in the choir room:
D'aww.
Episode 2x02 - Britney/Brittany
After having a Britney Spears hallucination while under anesthesia at the dentist, Rachel shows up to school dressed like Ms. Spears ala "Baby One More Time":
Quinn is trying so hard not to look at Rachel, because if she does, she won't be able to control herself.
For the first time since "Sectionals," there is a one-on-one Quinn/Rachel scene, which occurs immediately after Quinn tells Finn that she thinks they should be together. Not surprisingly, Finn shoots her down.
It turns out that Rachel had put Quinn up to this as a means to test Finn, and Quinn obviously agreed to it. It's telling that she would be willing to put herself in an emotionally vulnerable position in order to give Rachel peace of mind her relationship with Finn.
Of course that doesn't stop her from perving on Rachel:
When Rachel sings "The Only Exception" to Finn, the way she looks at Rachel is absolutely heartbreaking:
When this episode first aired, I was watching it with a friend who commented, "Wow, she's looking pretty rough there." My immediate response was, "That's because she's secretly in love with Rachel, and this is breaking her heart."
Episode 2x03 - Grilled Cheesus
Kurt's dad has a heart attack, so Quinn, Rachel, and Mercedes go see him in the hospital and pray together for him. The reasoning is, between the three of them-three different denominations of faith-one of them is bound to be right. While I can't be certain, this strikes me as being Rachel's idea, not only because she's the one who explains this reasoning to Kurt, but also because it just seems like something she would believe. Mercedes probably would as well, but she doesn't like Rachel enough to proactively include her. Quinn strikes me as being rather resolute that her beliefs would be the right one, so I don't see her as being the ringleader here.
However, regardless if it was Quinn or Rachel's idea, it would point to one of two things:
1. If it was Quinn's idea, she thought to include Rachel. She wants to be around her.
2. If it was Rachel's idea, it further proves what we saw in "Britney/Brittany"-she can't say no to Rachel.
Episode 2x04 - Duets
For the first time since the front 13 of season 1, Quinn actually gets some serious screen time.
But first, let's check out her reaction to Santana and Mercedes shaking their money makers:
Quinn has never enjoyed a performance more than this one right here.
After being discouraged by Finn from performing a duet with Kurt, Sam, the new quarterback, tries to get Quinn, the head cheerleader, to sing with him. After showing her how to play some chords on his guitar, he then tries to kiss her, but she quickly pulls away and has a bit of a meltdown and says that she doesn't want to sing with Sam.
Quinn: What I need is to find a way to keep Santana off my heels. What I need is to find a way to torture Rachel. And I need to start learning to ignore people.
Again, it's clear that Quinn spends a lot of time thinking about Rachel. But she wishes she didn't, hence that bit about needing to learn to ignore people. But since that's impossible, since she has a thing for Rachel, it seems she's set on going back to "torturing" her. That way she can be close to her without actually letting her true feelings be known. If you look at this line from the POV of a person who doesn't see Quinn as being trapped in the closet, it comes out of nowhere. There was nothing going on in this episode or previous episodes that would give her reason to say this (my friends who tend to just like whatever the show gives them were also confused by this-thinking that Rachel and Quinn were "cool with each other now"). I do try to be realistic about these things, you know? Her reasons for saying that she needs to torture Rachel as a means to be closer to her, ala the little boy with the schoolyard crush, is honestly the only logical conclusion I can come up with.
Rachel later finds Quinn in the bathroom and tells Quinn that she should do the duet with Sam.
Quinn wonders about what her angle is, but in the end, she agrees to do what Rachel asks of her. Quinn, what happened to "torturing" Rachel?
Before finding Sam to tell him she'll sing a duet with him, this happens:
Seems Quinn has a thing for short brunettes.
Sam and Quinn win the duets competition and the prize is a dinner at Breadsticks. Of course, Quinn is sure to tell Sam beforehand that it isn't a date. During dinner, he tells her that he knows what it's like to have a secret that you don't want anyone else to know about.
There were hints all through the episode that Sam was gay, and it really seemed like this is where it was leading. In fact, that's exactly what Quinn thought, and she seems kind of excited when she asks him, "So you are gay?"
In a way, she just kind of outed herself here. "He knows what it's like." She gets what it's like to not be able to show people who you really are.
And when he denies it, she looks a little disappointed.
Still, for the most part Sam has acted like a gentleman, and since Quinn is determined to stay on top, it can't hurt to have the new quarterback on her arm. Going all the way back to "Showmance" when she was still with Finn, being part of a power couple only helped her reputation. Plus, it's the perfect cover. Operation: Big Gay Beard is a go.
At the end of the episode, Rachel and Kurt perform a song for the club, and this is Quinn's reaction. Just something about it always gets to me. She looks a little sad. Maybe she's bummed that she still hasn't figured out a way to "torture" Rachel. Or maybe she wishes she had the guts to be more like Kurt.
Episode 2x05 - The Rocky Horror Glee Show
There isn't a whole lot of Quinn in general in this episode, so there isn't a whole lot to work with. As you can tell from the episode title, it was a tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which was a pretty gay movie. So I guess that means everyone was a little gay in this episode, right?
Episode 2x06 - Never Been Kissed
Well, this scene looks familiar, doesn't it? Just like when Quinn was with Finn, as soon as his hands start to wander, she puts a stop to it.
Quinn: No.
Sam: Gimme a little something something.
Quinn: "A little something something" always leads to something more. I've been there, remember? When we're prom king and queen, it'll feel just as good as "a little something something."
That reminds me of what she said to Finn in "Showmance" about being prom king and queen. In fact, Quinn and Sam are an awful lot like Quinn and Finn. Head cheerleader and star quarterback. It's obvious what brought them together-the desire to be popular.
Later, Sam accidentally says Coach Bieste's name while kissing Quinn in order to cool himself down (since she still isn't letting him touch her), and Quinn gets annoyed. To me, it seems like Quinn's displeasure is the result of her pride being wounded, and she's worried about what it might do to her reputation.
Quinn: Coach, I need help. I've done everything I can to rehabilitate my image.
She specifically says that everything she's done is for her image, including being with Sam. Quinn is still obsessed with what other people think of her. And considering how rough a time Kurt is having being out at McKinley, Quinn would want to do everything she can to maintain the image of popular straight cheerleader that she's cultivated. She knows first hand what it's like to be on the bottom of the social ladder, and she hated it.
As an aside, when Karofsky (the homophobic gay bully) kissed Kurt, you can imagine my frustration at having that not been Quinn kissing Rachel. The dynamic is the same-in fact, even more so-and has been since the pilot. That is an admitted drawback to this show-only gay male characters are given real visibility.
Episode 2x07 - The Substitute
Not a lot of Quinn in this episode, but what we get it is well worth it, as she lets her gay show a couple times.
First, she checks out substitute teacher Holly Holliday's butt:
Later, when Rachel and Holly perform "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag," she can hardly contain her excitement:
Episode 2x08 - Furt
Immediately after Finn tells Sam that he'll never be super popular because he can't even get Quinn to be his girlfriend (hint: Sam's just as guilty as using Quinn for her popularity as she is of using him), Sam tries to give Quinn a promise ring. A promise for marriage. They haven't even known each other for six weeks, nor have they been dating in that time.
This is where Glee officially lost me, by the way. If the theme (a horrible habit Team Glee got into in the back 9) of this episode wasn't "marriage," I'm sure this storyline never would have happened. He simply would have asked her to be his girlfriend like a normal person. But these days the writers tend to make the characters fit the story instead of the other way around, and here we are.
Anyway, she seems rather unimpressed with his proposal and says maybe, although I should point out that he basically put her in the position of power in their relationship by saying that he would never pressure her for sex. She knows she's got him wrapped around her finger. Once again, it's not about sexual interest. It's about control. And Sam? She can control Sam.
Rachel calls a glee girls meeting to address Kurt's bullying situation. Wait, check that, only glee girls who are dating football players.
Quinn: I'm not dating Sam.
Of course, the first thing Quinn does is make sure Rachel knows that she isn't dating Sam. No, he's just her beard.
At the end of the episode, Quinn breaks into Sam's locker and takes the promise ring. She doesn't allow him to give it to her. Rather, she steals that promise from him, further cementing her role as being the one in control of what happens between them. He really is the perfect beard.
Episode 2x09 - Special Education
Quinn: You used to be just sort of unlikable, but now I pretty much feel like punching you every time you open your mouth.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Holy unreasonable aggression, Batman! I haven't seen Quinn get this fired up at Rachel since "Throwdown." Are you sure you want to punch her, Quinn? Maybe you'd rather kiss her hold her hand.
Which is exactly what she's doing by the end of the episode:
D'aww.
Episode 2x10 - A Very Glee Christmas
Quinn: Don't you know it's time to come out?
You really should take your own advice there, Quinn.
This line in "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year" was sung by Kurt on the album, but in the episode Quinn sings it. Coincidence? I think not.
She also tries to discreetly check out Santana:
And then later Rachel:
And that, folks, is the state of Quinn Fabray. To recap: pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls, fantasies of herself surrounded by girls in football uniforms, her inability not to fangirl Rachel (and Holly and sometimes Santana) when she's performing, and relationships with boys that are only meant to increase her popularity. Oh, and the hearts surrounding a drawing of Rachel. Can't forget about that.
Yep, I'd say she's pretty gay, but sadly still very much in the closet. Maybe one day, Team Glee will make good on that storyline of Quinn "coming into her own."
Credits for screencaps go to glee-fan.com, d-agron.com, dianna-agron.com, rawr-caps.net, gleeimages.com, inthehat.tumblr.com, and imagine-me.tumblr.com. Gifs came from various people on tumblr. Sorry, I don't remember who exactly made them, but I will give credit if one of them is yours.
A few nights ago, my mom and I were talking about Glee, and at one point I mentioned that I truly believed that Quinn was a repressed lesbian. Or even if she wasn't, she has a massive crush on Rachel. When my mom gave me a look of disbelief, I likened it to Helga's crush on Arnold in Hey Arnold. My mom was still skeptical, so I mentioned the fact that Quinn drew pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls, dreamt of herself surrounded by girls dressed in football uniforms, and drew a picture of Rachel surrounded by 30 hearts. That seemed to give her pause, but I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced.
So I decided to break it down using both pictures and words.
Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Episode 1x01 - Pilot (unaired version)
We are first introduced to Quinn Fabray through her cyber-bullying of Rachel.
A lot of people say that Quinn's animosity is because she sees Rachel as a threat to her relationship with Finn, but that's not exactly true. As we can see here, Quinn has been bullying Rachel well before Finn was ever on Rachel's radar screen. It's clear that Quinn goes out of her way to antagonize Rachel. She's acting like a little boy with a schoolyard crush.
Also notice how many views that video of Rachel's has gotten. That's right, just 1. Just Quinn, her #1 fan.
This scene didn't make it into the aired version of the pilot, but it's pretty telling.
Quinn: Getting ready for the tranny prom, Rachel?
Once again, Quinn takes a shot at Rachel, and this time issues a defeminizing insult. If she makes Rachel seem less feminine and more masculine, on an unconscious level, it's easier for her to reconcile her attraction to Rachel.
We next find out from Finn that he's actually dating Quinn and that she's the president of the celibacy club, which means she's taken a vow of abstinence. Anytime their make out sessions get too heated, Quinn quickly puts a stop to it and makes them pray.
This affords a really convenient excuse for fending off her boyfriend's advances, doesn't it?
And lastly, Quinn encounters Rachel and Finn in the hallway.
Quinn: Hi, Finn. RuPaul. What are you doing talking to her?
Again with the defeminizing insults.
At this point, I pegged Quinn as being built on two archetypes: "Repressed Christian Teen" and "Homophobic Gay Jock." Subsequent episodes only further proved this.
Episode 1x02 - Showmance
Quinn gives Finn a hard time about him being glee club.
Quinn: We are in line to become the most popular kids in this school for the next couple years. Prom king and queen. Homecoming court royalty. I am not giving up those shiny crowns just so you can express yourself.
Finn: I wanna do glee. I'm really happy when I'm performing.
Quinn: People think you're gay now, Finn. And you know what that makes me? Your big gay beard.
From this exchange, it's obvious why Quinn is in a relationship with Finn: to boost her popularity by being part of a power couple. It's clear that his position as star quarterback and her position as head cheerleader is the driving force behind their relationship. If the driving force behind their relationship was romantic feelings, I think that Quinn would be more willing to accept Finn joining glee because it's something that makes him happy.
Does this mean she's gay? Not necessarily, but it does illustrate something that we saw in the pilot-she seems to take no sexual interest in Finn and would simply rather control him and use him to further her own popularity.
Then we have this episode's Quinn/Rachel showdown, which became somewhat of a staple of the front 13.
Quinn: Eavesdrop much? Time for some girl talk, manhands. You can dance with him, you can sing with him, but you will never have him.
Quinn while Rachel offers her rebuttal:
First, let's take note of how she looks at Rachel in that top shot. That's a pretty heated gaze, and I'm not sure it's entirely fueled by anger considering how she then proceeds to look at Rachel.
And again Quinn's at it with the defeminizing insult, this time dishing out "manhands." I don't think I really need to point out just how inaccurate Quinn is about that, but hey, whatever helps her sleep better at night.
Quinn is clearly feeling jealous, and based on something that she says in "Throwdown," I see her actually being more jealous of Finn than of Rachel. The idea of Rachel being with Finn infuriates her, but she doesn't care if he hooks up with anyone else (this becomes clearer in "Throwdown," and that has colored the way I see this exchange).
The celibacy club meeting is one of my favorite scenes in this episode, and here's why:
Quinn: God bless the perv who invented these.
Amen, Quinn. She certainly seems to enjoy watching Santana twirl around in that skirt. It does make me wonder just why she's having Santana do this though. I mean, the Cheerios wear this every day, so they're well aware of the fact that their skirts are crunchy toast. But I guess Quinn will use any excuse she can to admire how the girls look in them, especially when it's her telling them to flaunt it.
Then there's Quinn, Santana, and Brittany's audition for glee club with "Say a Little Prayer."
There's a harem-like nature to the Cheerios, which I always enjoyed in these early episodes. The stroking of Quinn's arms that Brittany and Santana do at the end of this number is also a nice touch. Pun intended (yes, I know I'm a dork).
Episode 1x03 - Acafellas
I'd say the best part of this episode is the Quinn/Santana scheming that goes on. Their very first target is one Rachel Berry.
Quinn: Sweetie, we're a team now.
Sweetie. Finally, Quinn calls Rachel something endearing rather than insulting. Yes, I'm well aware that Quinn is doing Sue's bidding here, but it's something.
Much to my dismay, this scene was cut from the actual episode, but just look how much fun Quinn is having splashing a half naked Santana.
Quinn tries to subtly check out Santana's boobs while she thinks Santana isn't paying attention, but don't think this went unnoticed by some astute viewers.
Episode 1x04 - Preggers
This is the episode where we discover that Quinn has a bun in the oven. One could argue that this nullifies the case that I am presenting here, but studies have actually shown that lesbian teens are at a higher risk for pregnancy than their heterosexual counterparts.
Here are a few choice quotes from Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk that I feel are relevant:
"Gay and lesbian teens may have sex with members of the opposite sex for a variety of reasons. Some do it to hide-to deflect the abuse that they see inflicted on gay, lesbian, and bisexual teens."
"'For some, it may be that they've been told that this is abnormal and wrong, and they may think: "Well, if I just have sex with enough opposite-gender people, that will cure me,"' Elizabeth Saewyc said."
Given Quinn's upbringing (which we'll get a little more insight on in "Ballads"), it's not farfetched to think this could be the case.
Also, there's this:
Quinn: I had sex with you because you got me drunk on wine coolers and I felt fat that day, but it was a mistake.
Quinn wasn't in a clear state of mind due to the alcohol, and she most likely wasn't eating properly because of feeling fat (in "Home" we get a better idea of what the Cheerios diet consists of and the havoc said diet wreaks on one's mind). It wasn't love or lust that was driving her to sleep with Puck. It was alcohol and insecurity.
Episode 1x05 - The Rhodes Not Taken
Surprisingly, there was nothing in this episode that demonstrated Quinn's lesbianism. Then again, there was also nothing that disproved it either.
Episode 1x06 - Vitamin D
This episode contains one of my favorite Quinn/Rachel scenes. Rachel, having discovered that Quinn is pregnant, reaches out to the girl and offers her friendship in spite of their past. But the part of that conversation that is particularly intriguing to me is this:
Quinn: How can you relate to what I'm going through?
Rachel: You don't think people whisper about me in the lunchrooms? Or draw pornographic pictures of me on the bathroom walls?
Quinn: That was me, actually.
Let me reiterate: Quinn draws pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls.
Really? This doesn't exactly strike me as heterosexual behavior. In fact, to quote unlikely-course:
"Pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom stalls? Do you know what the only place I've ever heard of that happening in is? A boy's bathroom. About girls that they've had or want to have relations with."
After Rachel tells Quinn that she doesn't hate her, Quinn admits that she would have tortured Rachel if the roles had been reversed, and Rachel calmly informs her that she knows this before walking away with her head held high, Quinn casts this look after her:
Episode 1x06 - Throwdown
aka The One Where Faberry Happened
This episode is chock-full of evidence of Quinn's repressed lesbianism. There were even hints of Rachel's repressed lesbianism coming to light (giving Jacob Ben Israel her underwear in exchange for keeping Quinn's pregnancy a secret [because seriously, the pregnancy wouldn't really hurt Finn's reputation at all, only Quinn's], admitting to Quinn that she had "romantic ulterior motives" for giving him her underwear, and singing "Keep Holding On" for Quinn), but I'm not going to go into that right now since this writeup is really about Quinn.
Anyway, like I was saying. There's lots of PROOF of Quinn's gayness. We'll start here:
Quinn: I know some guys cheat on their wives or pregnant girlfriends. Just don't do it with [Rachel].
This is what I was referring to when discussing the Quinn/Rachel showdown in "Showmance." To me, it seems like Quinn's jealousy has less to do with Finn's attention to Rachel and more about Rachel's attention to Finn. She thinks that Rachel only gave Jacob Ben Israel her underwear to protect Finn, not her, and that clearly upsets her. And the way she says that line quoted above, it sounds like she really doesn't care if Finn cheats on her, so long as it isn't with Rachel. This leads me to believe that Quinn is harboring some feelings for Rachel, and whatever it is, it is stronger than what she feels for Finn.
The glee club gets split in half, and Quinn is grouped together with Finn, Rachel, Brittany, and Puck. Mr. Schuester gives Finn and Rachel the leads on "No Air," and Quinn is clearly upset by this. And look at the way she looks at Rachel during this:
Then we have the Quinn/Rachel throwdown, which is quite possibly the most UST scene in the history of television. Quinn is back in full force with the defeminizing insults of "treasure trail" and "stubbles." And while Rachel offers her initial rebuttal, Quinn looks at her like this:
This look in particular does not scream "I hate you," but it looks more like she wants to do unspeakable things to Rachel in the janitor's closet.
In fact, take a gander at the way she looks at Rachel when Rachel isn't looking at her:
Like I said, major UST. I've never seen her show this amount of passion when interacting with Finn, Puck, or Sam (who doesn't show up until season 2).
At the end of their confrontation, Quinn falls into a fantasy dream sequence where she sings "You Keep Me Hangin' On," which just so happens to be the gayest thing I've ever seen.
As unlikely-course so succinctly put it, she is the incarnation of gay on earth in this number.
Again, I need to quote unlikely-course:
"THIS IS THE INSIDE OF QUINN FABRAY'S HEAD. I appreciate that the number was about her feeling trapped by social expectations and I felt it extremely well done, but even the inside of my head isn't this gay!"
After Sue finds out that Quinn is pregnant and leaks the news to the entire school, the glee club rallies around her, and Rachel and Finn sing "Keep Holding On" to her. The two share some significant looks during the number:
Episode 1x08 - Mash Up
By now, everyone in McKinley knows that Quinn is pregnant, and as a result, her popularity begins to plummet. So most of this episode, she is focused on trying to hold onto what she is quickly losing. This doesn't give her much time to perv on Rachel or the Cheerios, but Quinn is incapable of not not letting her gay show, and this happened:
Looks like Quinn has taken a page out of Finn Hudson's book ("I could be looking at your boobs and you have no idea."), but I'm not sure if she's checking out Rachel or Brittany's boobs. Maybe both. I mean, why should she limit herself?
Episode 1x09 - Wheels
The thing that became apparent to me in this episode is that Quinn Fabray does not know the meaning of the word subtle. To her credit, she manages to last almost the entire episode before her true feelings for Rachel shine through. It happens when the glee club performs their wheelchair number, "Proud Mary." Take note of the end of the performance:
Look at how adoringly Quinn looks at Rachel. That is not a look of hatred. Rather, she appears to be totally smitten with her.
Episode 1x10 - Ballad
In this episode, we get a glimpse into Quinn's home life and meet her mother and father. She had previously stated in "Throwdown" that her parents would "burn her like a witch" if they found out she was pregnant. Given that she was the president of the celibacy club and was leading meetings of Christ Crusaders in her home in prior episodes, it's easy to infer what kind of upbringing she had: a strict fundamentalist Catholic one.
This is a fact: Quinn is repressed, both emotionally and sexually (regardless of what her sexual orientation is, she is sexually repressed).
Even in her home, she can't be herself. There's an air of fakeness around her interactions with her parents, especially with her father. The connection between them doesn't seem to be built on unconditional love. Rather, it is important to maintain appearances at all times. She isn't free to speak her mind in her home, and all the bad feelings get swept under the rug. It's clear that her father is the ruler of the household, and what he says is law.
So, if Quinn thinks her parents would "burn her like a witch" for getting pregnant out of wedlock, can you imagine what she would think they'd do if they knew she was questioning her sexuality? Of course she would do everything she could to push those feelings down if she were experiencing them.
They don't burn her like a witch for the pregnancy, but they do kick her out of the house. Well, specifically, her father does. Her fear of stepping outside the predetermined path set for her by her father is completely valid. All it took was one mistake to be proven right.
Once again, the glee club rallies around Quinn (and, by extension, Finn), and they perform "Lean on Me."
Quinn smiles for the first time since she was kicked out of her house, and look who is the one putting it there:
I'm beginning to notice a pattern here in the post-"Throwdown" world of Glee. When Rachel sings, Quinn has a hard time hiding behind the HBIC she so often projects and let's something a little more joyful show. This will be proven time and again in subsequent episodes.
Episode 1x11 - Hairography
Look at the way Quinn looks at Rachel when no one else is paying attention:
I don't care what her inner monologue is during that time, that look says a lot.
She then arranges for Kurt to give Rachel a makeover.
Despite her derogatory insults to the contrary, Quinn knows Rachel is hot stuff, capable of distracting just about anyone attracted to women.
Puck: You haven't given it to me since the night I knocked you up. Baby, I'm a dude. I have needs.
Quinn: So you expect to raise a baby with me and text dirty messages to every other girl at this school if I don't "give it up" to you every day?
Puck: No! Just the hot girls. Look, I'm gonna be a good dad. But I'm not gonna stop being me to do it.
Despite having slept with Puck once before, Quinn obviously has no desire to do so again. This is yet another instance of her having no sexual interest in a boy. She would prefer to simply control him for her own gain. Or in this case, for her baby's gain. She knows first hand what it's like to have a crappy father, and despite giving Puck a shot-seeing that he's the actual father-he's not exactly "good father" material.
This is not to say that she doesn't feel some sort of affection towards Puck or Finn, but sexual interest? To this day (as of episode 2x10), I haven't any evidence of this.
Episode 1x12 - Mattress
It's time for the students and teachers to get their pictures taken for the yearbook, but everyone in glee is wary about there being a club photo included. Everyone except Rachel, that is. In fact, she is the only one who really wants it to be included and is really excited about it.
Other than the rest of the glee kids not wanting to be photographed, there's another issue. The glee club isn't getting a page in the yearbook because it always gets defaced. Of course, Sue had something to do with this.
This is important information to keep in mind.
Quinn is determined to get back on the Cheerios and be in the yearbook photo picture. And then she finds out that Sue had the glee club's amateur status revoked, thus banning them from competition, because Will used one of the mattresses the kids were given for doing a Mattress Land commercial.
The HBIC returns in full force, and Quinn proceeds to blackmail Sue Sylvester.
Quinn: You're a hypocrite.
Sue: Excuse me?
Quinn: I just heard that you got glee club's amateur status revoked over a mattress, while you are constantly showering the Cheerios with swag. I've gotten free shoes, complimentary tanning, haircuts. The season's tickets to Cedar Point? We sold those on eBay-for a profit. Seems to me that if Figgins found out, you would get banned from competition.
Sue: Fine. You're back on the Cheerios. I'll put you on fulltime dry cleaning duty and shove you to the back of the photo to hide your shame.
Quinn: I'm not finished. Glee club gets a full page photo.
Sue: That's not up to me.
Quinn: You are giving up one of the Cheerios six pages, and you are giving it to the glee club free of charge.
Sue: You know, Q. I'd forgotten just how ruthless you really are. You're like a young Sue Sylvester.
Remember how no one in glee club wanted to be in the yearbook? Well, everyone except Rachel-the only person to who it mattered. If Quinn had really blackmailed Sue for the good of the club, she wouldn't have insisted on getting the yearbook picture, because no one else on the team wanted it. But Rachel did, and Quinn made sure Rachel got it.
Episode 1x13 - Sectionals
The truth of Quinn's baby's paternity comes to light due to Rachel figuring it out and telling Finn. When Rachel realizes just how much the reveal of this secret damages not only Finn but Quinn as well, she immediately goes to Quinn to apologize. This remains one of my favorite scenes ever:
Rachel: I'm so sorry. I fully understand if you want to beat me up. If you can, just try to avoid my nose.
Quinn: I'm not mad at you. All you did was what I wasn't brave enough to do-tell the truth.
Everything is so raw here. For once, Quinn is allowing herself to be vulnerable and somewhat honest. She admits to Rachel that she isn't mad at her, even though she was trying to steal Finn. To me, this is more evidence that her issues with Rachel weren't really about Finn.
Sectionals is here, and once again, Quinn is unable to keep her adoration for Rachel in check when the brunette performs:
Episode 1x14 - Hell-O
Sadly, it's around this time that Team Glee decided they were tired of the pregnancy storyline. However, instead of giving Quinn a new storyline, they instead shove her into the background. As a result, her screen time in "Hell-O" (and most of the back 9 of season 1) is very limited, but the screen time she does have is very telling.
Rachel is now with Finn. Quinn looks at the new couple forlornly and seems to be focused on one of them in particularly:
This is the exact progression that was shown in the episode, which indicates that she's actually focused on Rachel, not Finn.
Quinn's reaction to Brittany and Santana's linked pinkies is enjoyable:
Rachel performs "Gives You Hell" in response to Finn ditching her for Brittana. Take a gander at what Quinn's reaction is:
Despite Quinn showing guilt in "Sectionals" over hurting Finn with babygate, she can't help but fangirl Rachel hard throughout the entire number.
Episode 1x15 - The Power of Madonna
In one of the very first scenes, Quinn is seen drawing this:
Looks like Quinn has reverted back to her ways of acting like a little boy with a schoolyard crush. And despite the rather grotesque and inaccurate nature of the drawing, it's obvious that Quinn has spent quite a bit of time on it. She certainly spends a lot of time thinking about Rachel.
"True love always springs from true hate," Sue said while drawing a similarly grotesque picture of Will in "Funk."
And remember back in "Mattress," Sue said that Quinn reminded her of a young Sue Sylvester. I hardly think any of this is coincidental.
Also, there are the hearts. Of which there are around 30. Quinn, you are doing a horrible job of convincing me that you aren't totally gay for Rachel.
Rachel then tries to ask the glee girls for advice about the new boy in her life, Jesse.
Quinn: Please stop talking. You're grossing out my baby.
As unlikely-course so succinctly put it:
"Come on, Quinn, are Rachel's boyfriend woes really grossing your baby out, or is that burn in the pit of your stomach actually jealousy?"
Episode 1x16 - Home
Just like the last time Kristin Chenoweth guest starred as April Rhodes in "The Rhodes Not Taken," there wasn't really anything in this episode that stood out to me as evidence of Quinn's gayness. Likewise, nothing seemed to dissuade me from that belief either. Rather, her maternal instinct was in full swing.
Episode 1x17 - Bad Reputation
This episode was like a goldmine because of one thing: The Glist.
The Glist is a list Quinn made, which ranks the members of the glee club based on some sort of hotness quotient. She places herself atop the list at +45 and gives Rachel a -5. This is meant to rehabilitate Quinn's reputation, so, naturally, she places it on Rachel's locker rather than where everyone in the school can see it.
Once again, Quinn goes out of her way to antagonize Rachel like a little boy with a schoolyard crush. Not only does she let Rachel know that she's the hottest girl in glee, but she also takes a jab at the brunette in the process.
Will questions Quinn on who could be behind the Glist:
Quinn: Rachel did it. Think about it. I stole the guy she's in love with, then I stole the guy she dated to get over the guy she's in love with, and I'm kind of a bitch to her.
Quinn certainly thinks about Rachel a lot, doesn't she?
Also, other than being a bitch to Rachel, what she says isn't at all accurate. At least, not from what the audience was shown. Quinn was already with Finn when Rachel decided to pursue him. Puck and Rachel dated for like a week while Finn and Quinn were still together.
But apparently in Quinn's head, she stole Finn from Rachel. And then Puck from Rachel. This only validates my previous assessment of Quinn actually being jealous of Finn and not Rachel in "Showmance" and "Throwdown."
Also, according to the Glist, Quinn thinks that Santana is hotter than Puck.
Episode 1x18 - Laryngitis
When Finn sings "Jessie's Girl" to Rachel, Quinn doesn't show the same enthusiastic response as the rest of the glee clubbers do:
I'll come back to what I think this means in a minute.
First I need to address the Puck/Mercedes business and Quinn's reaction to it:
Mercedes: Look, Quinn. I could never see myself being into a guy like Puck, especially since he's your baby's daddy, but something just happened between us.
Quinn: I say, go for it.
Mercedes: What?
Quinn: Look, I screwed up by letting Puck get me pregnant. He's an idiot and his mother won't let me eat bacon. I'm stuck living with him right now, but at least if you guys are dating, I won't have to spend so much time listening to his insane theories on how Super Mario Bros changed civilization.
So what I got from this exchange is that Quinn finds bacon to be more appealing than Puck.
Quinn: I just don't want you getting hurt.
Mercedes: I know what this is. My heart's safe.
Quinn: Oh, I'm not worried about your heart. I might be okay with this, but not even Puck is going to be able to call off Santana.
Quinn really doesn't seem to care who Puck is with. In fact, she's encouraging Mercedes to date him in order to keep him away from her. And it's obvious she really doesn't care that Santana is continuing to sleep with Puck either.
By now, I also assume that Quinn knows that Santana slept with Finn. We find out in "Special Education" that she found out from either Puck or Brittany, she can't remember who told her exactly. Obviously, it's not an important enough event for her to remember the details, so it's safe to say Quinn really doesn't care that Santana slept with her ex-boyfriend.
So Quinn's less than enthusiastic response to "Jessie's Girl" doesn't strike me as her as wanting Finn's attentions. Again, she's jealous of Finn, not Rachel.
Episode 1x19 - Dream On
I think Quinn had a grand total of one line in this episode. In fact, she had even less screen time here than she did in "Hell-O."
Even so, she managed to let her crush on Rachel shine through:
Notice how close Quinn is sitting to Rachel. Notice that Quinn isn't sitting on a chair. She sat on the floor just so she could be closer to Rachel.
Episode 1x20 - Theatricality
Quinn, Rachel, and Mercedes go spy on Vocal Adrenaline together:
This scene while delightful was also confusing. I can only assume that Rachel asked Quinn and Mercedes to accompany her on her mission. I realized while watching "Britney/Brittany" and "Duets," that Quinn is incapable of saying no to Rachel, so that must be what happened here as well.
After Rachel gets her Paparazzi Gaga dress, Quinn can't seem to take her eyes off of Rachel. She checks her out almost every chance she gets:
Episode 1x21 - Funk
Quinn's solo performance of "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" reminds me of her other two solos. Can you guess why?
Quinn certainly seems to enjoy surrounding herself with girls while singing solos. The lyrics of this particular song are pretty telling too.
Episode 1x22 - Journey
This is a fairly emotional episode that includes Quinn giving birth to her daughter. But before that happens, she is able to perform at Regionals with New Directions.
During "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'/Anyway You Want It," Quinn once again forgets the meaning of the word subtle:
Quinn, your gay is showing. Look at her licking her upper lip while staring at Rachel's butt.
On a more serious note, after the baby is born, Puck tells Quinn that he loves her, but she doesn't say anything back. This confirms what I thought all along-her sleeping with him had nothing to do with romantic or sexual attraction and had more to do with her own insecurities and being taken advantage of.
Miscellaneous:
In between seasons 1 and 2, People magazine released a special Glee issue, and it contained a photo of Quinn's bedroom on set:
On the table at the foot of her bed, there are several picture frames. All but one seem to contain the photos that likely came with the frame. The one that doesn't-the one sitting front and center-is a picture of Finn, Rachel, Quinn, and Santana standing in the hallway:
As you can see, the only person you can really see clearly here is Rachel. Why in the hell would Quinn have a picture like this in her room? By now, I'm sure you all know why I think it's there.
Episode 2x01 - Audition
Before season 2 began, both Ryan Murphy (one of Glee's creators and main writers) and Dianna Agron (the actress who portrays Quinn) said that Quinn's season 2 storyline would focus on her being an independent woman, coming into her own, and getting back to being on top. Sounds promising, right? Especially that independent woman part. Agron also mentioned that Quinn would be "mean again" and go back to "tormenting Rachel." Also promising, since part of my basis for seeing Quinn as a repressed lesbian is her unreasonable aggression towards Rachel.
This episode shows a lot of promise in regard to some of those things. It's confirmed that Quinn doesn't return Puck's affections, so it looks like Quinndependence is a go. Right on.
It's a new year, and Quinn's primary goal is getting back on the Cheerios. It takes a little bit of attempted bribery, and, when that doesn't work, selling out Santana to Sue. She's back to being on top.
Now all that's left, other than working to stay on top, is this "coming into her own" and "tormenting Rachel." We don't see anything of the sort. In fact, Quinn looks happy to see Rachel's arrival in the choir room:
D'aww.
Episode 2x02 - Britney/Brittany
After having a Britney Spears hallucination while under anesthesia at the dentist, Rachel shows up to school dressed like Ms. Spears ala "Baby One More Time":
Quinn is trying so hard not to look at Rachel, because if she does, she won't be able to control herself.
For the first time since "Sectionals," there is a one-on-one Quinn/Rachel scene, which occurs immediately after Quinn tells Finn that she thinks they should be together. Not surprisingly, Finn shoots her down.
It turns out that Rachel had put Quinn up to this as a means to test Finn, and Quinn obviously agreed to it. It's telling that she would be willing to put herself in an emotionally vulnerable position in order to give Rachel peace of mind her relationship with Finn.
Of course that doesn't stop her from perving on Rachel:
When Rachel sings "The Only Exception" to Finn, the way she looks at Rachel is absolutely heartbreaking:
When this episode first aired, I was watching it with a friend who commented, "Wow, she's looking pretty rough there." My immediate response was, "That's because she's secretly in love with Rachel, and this is breaking her heart."
Episode 2x03 - Grilled Cheesus
Kurt's dad has a heart attack, so Quinn, Rachel, and Mercedes go see him in the hospital and pray together for him. The reasoning is, between the three of them-three different denominations of faith-one of them is bound to be right. While I can't be certain, this strikes me as being Rachel's idea, not only because she's the one who explains this reasoning to Kurt, but also because it just seems like something she would believe. Mercedes probably would as well, but she doesn't like Rachel enough to proactively include her. Quinn strikes me as being rather resolute that her beliefs would be the right one, so I don't see her as being the ringleader here.
However, regardless if it was Quinn or Rachel's idea, it would point to one of two things:
1. If it was Quinn's idea, she thought to include Rachel. She wants to be around her.
2. If it was Rachel's idea, it further proves what we saw in "Britney/Brittany"-she can't say no to Rachel.
Episode 2x04 - Duets
For the first time since the front 13 of season 1, Quinn actually gets some serious screen time.
But first, let's check out her reaction to Santana and Mercedes shaking their money makers:
Quinn has never enjoyed a performance more than this one right here.
After being discouraged by Finn from performing a duet with Kurt, Sam, the new quarterback, tries to get Quinn, the head cheerleader, to sing with him. After showing her how to play some chords on his guitar, he then tries to kiss her, but she quickly pulls away and has a bit of a meltdown and says that she doesn't want to sing with Sam.
Quinn: What I need is to find a way to keep Santana off my heels. What I need is to find a way to torture Rachel. And I need to start learning to ignore people.
Again, it's clear that Quinn spends a lot of time thinking about Rachel. But she wishes she didn't, hence that bit about needing to learn to ignore people. But since that's impossible, since she has a thing for Rachel, it seems she's set on going back to "torturing" her. That way she can be close to her without actually letting her true feelings be known. If you look at this line from the POV of a person who doesn't see Quinn as being trapped in the closet, it comes out of nowhere. There was nothing going on in this episode or previous episodes that would give her reason to say this (my friends who tend to just like whatever the show gives them were also confused by this-thinking that Rachel and Quinn were "cool with each other now"). I do try to be realistic about these things, you know? Her reasons for saying that she needs to torture Rachel as a means to be closer to her, ala the little boy with the schoolyard crush, is honestly the only logical conclusion I can come up with.
Rachel later finds Quinn in the bathroom and tells Quinn that she should do the duet with Sam.
Quinn wonders about what her angle is, but in the end, she agrees to do what Rachel asks of her. Quinn, what happened to "torturing" Rachel?
Before finding Sam to tell him she'll sing a duet with him, this happens:
Seems Quinn has a thing for short brunettes.
Sam and Quinn win the duets competition and the prize is a dinner at Breadsticks. Of course, Quinn is sure to tell Sam beforehand that it isn't a date. During dinner, he tells her that he knows what it's like to have a secret that you don't want anyone else to know about.
There were hints all through the episode that Sam was gay, and it really seemed like this is where it was leading. In fact, that's exactly what Quinn thought, and she seems kind of excited when she asks him, "So you are gay?"
In a way, she just kind of outed herself here. "He knows what it's like." She gets what it's like to not be able to show people who you really are.
And when he denies it, she looks a little disappointed.
Still, for the most part Sam has acted like a gentleman, and since Quinn is determined to stay on top, it can't hurt to have the new quarterback on her arm. Going all the way back to "Showmance" when she was still with Finn, being part of a power couple only helped her reputation. Plus, it's the perfect cover. Operation: Big Gay Beard is a go.
At the end of the episode, Rachel and Kurt perform a song for the club, and this is Quinn's reaction. Just something about it always gets to me. She looks a little sad. Maybe she's bummed that she still hasn't figured out a way to "torture" Rachel. Or maybe she wishes she had the guts to be more like Kurt.
Episode 2x05 - The Rocky Horror Glee Show
There isn't a whole lot of Quinn in general in this episode, so there isn't a whole lot to work with. As you can tell from the episode title, it was a tribute to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which was a pretty gay movie. So I guess that means everyone was a little gay in this episode, right?
Episode 2x06 - Never Been Kissed
Well, this scene looks familiar, doesn't it? Just like when Quinn was with Finn, as soon as his hands start to wander, she puts a stop to it.
Quinn: No.
Sam: Gimme a little something something.
Quinn: "A little something something" always leads to something more. I've been there, remember? When we're prom king and queen, it'll feel just as good as "a little something something."
That reminds me of what she said to Finn in "Showmance" about being prom king and queen. In fact, Quinn and Sam are an awful lot like Quinn and Finn. Head cheerleader and star quarterback. It's obvious what brought them together-the desire to be popular.
Later, Sam accidentally says Coach Bieste's name while kissing Quinn in order to cool himself down (since she still isn't letting him touch her), and Quinn gets annoyed. To me, it seems like Quinn's displeasure is the result of her pride being wounded, and she's worried about what it might do to her reputation.
Quinn: Coach, I need help. I've done everything I can to rehabilitate my image.
She specifically says that everything she's done is for her image, including being with Sam. Quinn is still obsessed with what other people think of her. And considering how rough a time Kurt is having being out at McKinley, Quinn would want to do everything she can to maintain the image of popular straight cheerleader that she's cultivated. She knows first hand what it's like to be on the bottom of the social ladder, and she hated it.
As an aside, when Karofsky (the homophobic gay bully) kissed Kurt, you can imagine my frustration at having that not been Quinn kissing Rachel. The dynamic is the same-in fact, even more so-and has been since the pilot. That is an admitted drawback to this show-only gay male characters are given real visibility.
Episode 2x07 - The Substitute
Not a lot of Quinn in this episode, but what we get it is well worth it, as she lets her gay show a couple times.
First, she checks out substitute teacher Holly Holliday's butt:
Later, when Rachel and Holly perform "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag," she can hardly contain her excitement:
Episode 2x08 - Furt
Immediately after Finn tells Sam that he'll never be super popular because he can't even get Quinn to be his girlfriend (hint: Sam's just as guilty as using Quinn for her popularity as she is of using him), Sam tries to give Quinn a promise ring. A promise for marriage. They haven't even known each other for six weeks, nor have they been dating in that time.
This is where Glee officially lost me, by the way. If the theme (a horrible habit Team Glee got into in the back 9) of this episode wasn't "marriage," I'm sure this storyline never would have happened. He simply would have asked her to be his girlfriend like a normal person. But these days the writers tend to make the characters fit the story instead of the other way around, and here we are.
Anyway, she seems rather unimpressed with his proposal and says maybe, although I should point out that he basically put her in the position of power in their relationship by saying that he would never pressure her for sex. She knows she's got him wrapped around her finger. Once again, it's not about sexual interest. It's about control. And Sam? She can control Sam.
Rachel calls a glee girls meeting to address Kurt's bullying situation. Wait, check that, only glee girls who are dating football players.
Quinn: I'm not dating Sam.
Of course, the first thing Quinn does is make sure Rachel knows that she isn't dating Sam. No, he's just her beard.
At the end of the episode, Quinn breaks into Sam's locker and takes the promise ring. She doesn't allow him to give it to her. Rather, she steals that promise from him, further cementing her role as being the one in control of what happens between them. He really is the perfect beard.
Episode 2x09 - Special Education
Quinn: You used to be just sort of unlikable, but now I pretty much feel like punching you every time you open your mouth.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Holy unreasonable aggression, Batman! I haven't seen Quinn get this fired up at Rachel since "Throwdown." Are you sure you want to punch her, Quinn? Maybe you'd rather kiss her hold her hand.
Which is exactly what she's doing by the end of the episode:
D'aww.
Episode 2x10 - A Very Glee Christmas
Quinn: Don't you know it's time to come out?
You really should take your own advice there, Quinn.
This line in "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year" was sung by Kurt on the album, but in the episode Quinn sings it. Coincidence? I think not.
She also tries to discreetly check out Santana:
And then later Rachel:
And that, folks, is the state of Quinn Fabray. To recap: pornographic pictures of Rachel on the bathroom walls, fantasies of herself surrounded by girls in football uniforms, her inability not to fangirl Rachel (and Holly and sometimes Santana) when she's performing, and relationships with boys that are only meant to increase her popularity. Oh, and the hearts surrounding a drawing of Rachel. Can't forget about that.
Yep, I'd say she's pretty gay, but sadly still very much in the closet. Maybe one day, Team Glee will make good on that storyline of Quinn "coming into her own."
Credits for screencaps go to glee-fan.com, d-agron.com, dianna-agron.com, rawr-caps.net, gleeimages.com, inthehat.tumblr.com, and imagine-me.tumblr.com. Gifs came from various people on tumblr. Sorry, I don't remember who exactly made them, but I will give credit if one of them is yours.