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== A-H ==
* [[Abandon Shipping]]:
** Many fans of Finn and Rachel jumped ship after the infamous wedding story-line in season 3.
** For Kurt and Blaine, it's usually either the Chandler incident, the incident in the parking lot of Scandals, or Blaine cheating on Kurt.
* [[Actor Shipping]]: To [[Rule 34]] levels. If you can think of an actor shipping pair, it exists.
** Interestingly, the two openly gay cast-members (Chris Colfer and Jonathan Groff) are ''never'' being shipped with each other, everyone being busy pairing up Chris with a straight guy and Jonathan with a woman. Fandom is a funny place.
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** Actual couples, like [[Cory Monteith]] and [[Lea Michele]], were supported.
** A lot of people started [[Crack Pairing]] Lea Michele with Matthew Morrison (Rachel and Will) after it was revealed that the two had previously dated back when they were both on Broadway.
* [[Alternate Aesop Interpretation]]: The message of Rachel's speech criticizing the celibacy club in the second episode of the first season was probably intended to be "trying to enforce abstinence in high schools is a bad idea", which is certainly a fairly reasonable point to make. However, with the way Rachel phrases things, it can easily seem as if she's actually not just arguing that ''enforcing'' abstinence on a collective level doesn't work, but that she's making the sweeping generalization that even ''personally choosing'' to remain abstinent is impossible to teenagers because [[Hormone-Addled Teenager|they're so completely under the control of their hormones]].
* [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]: The show has a lot of this due to having a huge fanbase that can either over-identify with characters or completely hate them, and there's enough [[Draco in Leather Pants|leather pants for everyone]]. To be fair, the creators seem to purposely encourage the fans to have competing interpretations of the characters. It's just part of the fun of the show.
** Is Brittany really just stupid, or is she also delusional? Among other signs, she believes her cat has been reading her diary. With the episode 'Night of Neglect', a common interpretation is that she's a [[Genius Ditz]] mixed with a [[Cloudcuckoolander]]. An episode actually showed her cat (on screen) using a computer mouse, so it's clearly smarter than the average cat even if we have no confirmation that it actually read her diary.
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* [[Arc Fatigue]]:
** Some people feel that the Dalton arc—when Kurt transferred to Dalton Academy to get away from bullying—was drawn out too long, and that Kurt was being [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad|overshadowed by Blaine and the Warblers in his own storyline]]. It was ''supposed'' to make a point about gay bullying, but for the most part amounted to little more than a few [[Non Sequitur Scene]]s and [[Yaoi]] scenes. According to [[Word of God]], the Warblers were only supposed to appear for two episodes of the second season, but their immense popularity led to them staying on the show much longer, possibly into the third season. Until "Born This Way", when Kurt finally returned to McKinley, it felt entirely possible that he would be staying there indefinitely.
** Rachel and Finn's relationship was frequently this, as they were a [[Foregone Conclusion]] from the start and yet the show kept finding new ways to break them up and get them back together, even after they promised to "keep them together to focus on other couples" in Season 2. Interestingly, when they did decide to keep them together in Season 3, they made it even worse with the wedding arc which was extremely unpopular with the fanbase (outside of hardcore Finchel shippers), most of whom saw it as out-of-character.
** The New Directions get disqualified at Sectionals in Season 4 due to Marley fainting. Of course, Hunter Clarington just ''had'' to involve Dalton Academy in doping, getting Dalton disqualified and the New Directions reinstated (and winning). There were three participating schools. One of which did not get disqualified. New Directions still ends up winning...somehow.
** Finn being [[Easily Forgiven]] for outing Santana. The conflict is solved in the duration of one whole episode and it takes a 180 twist on the fact that in the episode before it Finn clearly outed Santana as lashing out at her for insulting him, not because he suddenly "cares for her" and doesn't want to risk her health or life.
** Suddenly revealed in the same episode is the school's "zero tolerance policy for violence." After our suspension of disbelief's been dragged along with two and a half seasons full of bullying, tossing in the dumpster, violent shoving at lockers (some of those actions being taken by ''teachers'') and several brutal fights about which no adult apparently could do anything about, we are now supposed to buy that a ''slap'' is a big deal. The blatant set-up of this situation in order for Finn to look good by "rescuing" Santana doesn't help one bit.
** During "A Wedding", Brittany reveals that she wants Kurt and Blaine to also get married during her and Santana's wedding, because supposedly she found them to help her be comfortable with her sexuality. Maybe something like that could work for Santana, but Brittany had always been a unique character because she never expressed any angst or worry over her sexuality. She liked boys, she liked girls, and that was that. Season 2 showed that if Santana was willing, Brittany would be more than fine with dating her in public. In the end, it just seems like [[Character Shilling]] (or rather pairing shilling) and a cheap excuse to get Kurt and Blaine married.
* [[Author's Saving Throw]]:
** In 'Duets" and "The Quarterback", Burt brings up his controversial rant to Finn about his use of a homophobic slur, echoing fan sentiments that, while Finn was in the wrong for saying it, he was under a degree of stress at the time and that Kurt's behavior during that episode wasn't acceptable either. Burt also admits that, yes, he may have overreacted ''just' a little bit.
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** When Sunshine says that she's performing "Listen" from the movie [[Dreamgirls]], Rachel chimes in that it was a Broadway show first, which is true... except for the fact that "Listen" was written for the movie and not in the play.
* [[Crosses the Line Twice]]: Almost anything Sue does or says, though she certainly outdid herself in season 5 when she managed to take Figgins's place as principal by planting false evidence in his office, including gambling bills, porn magazines, ''gay'' porn magazines, gay porn ''foot fetish'' magazines, and '''''an autographed copy of Mein Kampf'''''.
* [[Designated Evil]]: Finn called Kurt's decorating "faggy". While he really shouldn't have said that, Kurt was way over the line, and Burt overreacted when he heard Finn say it. Even if he ''had'' handled it more rationally, Kurt clearly never cared that his behavior was seriously inappropriate, and complaining to their parents probably wouldn't have helped because of how protective Burt is toward his son. Though Burt did backtrack on it in "Duets", saying that while Finn shouldn't have said that, Kurt's behavior wasn't acceptable either.
* [[Designated Hero]]: Kurt Hummel. The fact that [[Word of God|Ryan Murphy]] [[Author Avatar|created the character specifically to play up Chris Colfer's strengths after seeing something of himself in the young actor]] means that [[Jerkass]] things Kurt says often go unchecked, and there are many cases where logic takes a backseat so that he’s only half-wrong or whoever he’s wronged reacts so disproportionately to the slight that Kurt comes out smelling like daisies anyway. [[Incompatible Orientation|His own feelings for Finn]] lead him to [[Manipulative Bastard|purposefully sabotage Rachel by giving her a bad makeover in order to ruin her chances with him]], telling her [[Lack of Empathy|she should be thanking him]]? It doesn't stop Rachel from [[Easily Forgiven|giving him a sympathetic wave near the end]]. He [[Your Cheating Heart|confides in a boy he meets at the local music store through sharing flirty puns and lets Elliott peck him on the cheek in a friendly selfie that they took after some subtle flirting]]? The first case ends with Kurt telling him that they'll make long-distance work rather than say he's sorry about really screwing up here while ''Blaine'' is the one who apologizes, and the second case is set up as karma that hands Blaine his hindquarters for pointing out that sometimes things are just handed to him after being named valedictorian to Artie and Tina's displeasure <ref>He dismisses the obligatory claims that Kurt's stepping out on him, but [[Green-Eyed Monster|it does raise alarming enough suspicions for Blaine to go and angrily confront Elliott that Kurt is his fiancé, not his]] - however, all it takes is Elliott reassuring him that Kurt loves him for that issue to be dropped entirely.</ref>. Kurt watches Blaine fall into such a deep depression after their engagement is so horribly called off that it ''affects his NYADA work and leads to him being given the boot'' without giving two shits, but still expects Blaine not to move on as he talks about getting him back, despite the fact that ''he'' made the call to end things, before being horrified upon finding out that Blaine's found someone? It doesn't matter because [[Easily Forgiven|Blaine immediately forgives him]] next they meet back in Lima and then tells him that he ''wanted'' to see him, thereby absolving Kurt of all guilt over clearly thinking Blaine was waiting for his triumphant return.
* [[Die for Our Ship]]:
** Artie. At PaleyFest 2011, Kevin McHale revealed that he often gets "hate Tweets" from Brittana shippers, protesting "[[I Am Not Spock|I'm not Artie!]]"
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** Puck. The fangirls were all over him long before he showed any signs of depth.
** While Karofsky is a complex character and many of his fans accept his flaws as part of what makes him so interesting, some of his more rabid fans completely overlook the way he injures, threatens, and tries to force himself upon Kurt.
** With the help of Grant Gustin and the show's
** Santana, as many of her fans tend to downplay her role in bullying other characters to turn her into [[The Woobie]] due to her torment over her sexuality. While rewatching early season 3 episodes would suggest that her bullying was in response to people attacking her and making fun of or taking advantage of Brittany, which she then gets punished for — and punished for being punished
** Quinn Fabray gets a lot of this from fans who tend to [[Ron the Death Eater|take her side when other characters criticize her for her actions, even when she is supposed to be in the wrong]]. In "On My Way", when Quinn publicly declared {{Spoiler|Dave Karofsky attempting suicide by hanging}} to be an act of [[It's All About Me|selfishness]] because ''she'' had never been driven to the edge even with all the pain she's been subjected to, Kurt arrives and informs Quinn about how "the world never stopped loving [her]" even after getting pregnant and completely reinventing herself with pink hair, a nose ring, and a tattoo — Will even reminded her of how the glee club and its members have always supported her in the past [[Ungrateful Bastard|and how she has never once been thankful for it]] in "I Am Unicorn". However, while Kurt, for instance, [[Jerkass Has a Point|could have given this argument without making the ways in which Quinn had it rough seem unimportant through phrasing it as "[having] a baby when [she was] sixteen" and "[having] a bad dye job for two weeks"]], this seems to be enough for a lot of fans to hold Kurt solely responsible for the quarrel and act as if the writers were out to get her. It's not like Kurt said this in response to Quinn [[Misery Poker|expressing discontent over what she's been through and hoping her friends will lend an ear to sympathize]], he said this in response to Quinn failing to take notice that no one can be in exactly the same position as someone else and instead judging {{Spoiler|Dave}} in a harsh and reductive manner. Will later has all the glee club members, including Quinn, let him know what they're looking forward to in the future, to remind them that it's easy to forget what's ahead of them when they feel like their lives have sunk so low — [[Driven to Suicide|revealing that he tried to take his own life after cheating on a math midterm]], something that most people might not see as a big deal — [[Misaimed Fandom|so this little quarrel between Kurt and Quinn appeared to be setting her up for a lesson anyway]].
▲** Santana, as many of her fans tend to downplay her role in bullying other characters to turn her into [[The Woobie]] due to her torment over her sexuality. While rewatching early season 3 episodes would suggest that her bullying was in response to people attacking her and making fun of or taking advantage of Brittany, which she then gets punished for — and punished for being punished - it's still not an excuse. On top of that, she still struggled with her sexuality, thus providing an [[Alternative Character Interpretation]] that put her in a better light, especially among the young gay kids who can ignore the rest of her character to get some comfort in a shared experience.
* [[Ear Worm]]: Going by the shows covers, there are too many to list, but the original songs they have done can be rather catchy. Special mention goes to "Loser Like Me", "My Cup" and "Big Ass Heart".
* [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]:
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* [[Evil Is Cool]]: Why Sue is commonly held as one of the most popular characters on the show.
* [[Fandom Heresy]]: Let's just say that there aren't many places in the ''[[Glee]]'' fandom where it's safe to admit that you don't much like Lea Michele's singing voice, and leave it at that. [[Chris Colfer]] and [[Darren Criss]] (if not [[Base Breaker|their characters]]) also tend to be sacred cows.
* [[Fan Dumb]]: While it may seem like a theater/band geek/misfit paradise, the forum shows us that a vast majority of fans take the show more seriously than most school work, or in some cases, actual work. Flame wars get started over comments about a character's clothing, a throwaway comment that was played for laughs, song choice, and even seating positions. Numerous thread topics revolve around arguing about [[Darren Criss]] being a good actor or not, more topics have become pissing contests on who knows more about Broadway, and there is even a thread claiming The Beatles "aren't that good" and that ''Glee'' made their songs better. It's not a wonder that the fans are often more hated than the show itself.
** Kurt's fan base may or may not be the biggest, but it's certainly the most... let's just say "dedicated" and leave it at that.
** There's also the Kurt fandom's [[Distaff Counterpart]], the [[Yuri Fan|Brittana fangirls]]. During the second season, they became known on fan sites as [[Windmill Crusader]]s for constantly complaining about being oppressed by some hidden mass of Bartie fans - when, in fact, Brittana has always been the [[Fan-Preferred Couple]] and it was fan pressure that encouraged the creators to bring ''them'' together
** Some of the [[Darren Criss|Blaine fangirls]] seem to be of the opinion that Blaine can do absolutely no wrong and that Kurt is unworthy of [[Marty Stu|Blaine]]. Conversely, [[Fan Nickname|Kurtsies]] think that ''Blaine'' doesn't deserve ''Kurt'' because the former is a contradictory jackass who's ruining [[The Woobie|Kurt's]] life.
** Dalton fangirls
▲** Dalton fangirls are a very scary bunch. Some of them want Kurt to stay at Dalton forever, claiming that the Warblers are "way more interesting" than New Directions and want to get rid of ND altogether. This in spite of the fact that most of the Warblers have been given no personalities whatsoever and the few who've spoken have gotten one or two token lines.
** If their complaints after Rachel-light episodes are anything to go by, some of the Rachel-fans seem to be of the opinion that ''Glee'' should be ''the Rachel Berry show''.
** The insistence that Sam cannot be straight in any way, shape, or form; [[Ambiguously Bi|while certain moments from various episodes do indeed contain some subtext between him and the male characters]] - the tenderness of the scene in "Naked" where Blaine tells him that his body is not his only worth, Sam trying to cheer Blaine up in "Makeover" by saying that being the first [[Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs|gay male president]] is McKinley history being made when he feels like winning wasn't a real accomplishment because it hasn't got Kurt's attention back on him, his ''immediate'' crushing on the new school nurse Penny in the wake of Tina dumping him in "Tina in the Sky With Diamonds"
*** Many people online also decried his relationship with Mercedes as "unrealistic" because [[Unfortunate Implications|"Sam would never be interested in a girl like Mercedes."]] There are plenty of valid reasons to agree or disagree with the pairing, but when people fall on that, either they're saying that Sam is shallow and racist, or ''they're'' somewhat shallow and racist. It's worth noting that none of these people seem to think that the relationship is unrealistic due to ''Mercedes'' not being interested in a boy like ''Sam''.
** Then there are the Theocrats among the Fan Dumb, who cling to EVERYTHING Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk say or imply in interviews, rather than just watching the show.
** Following the incident where a fan actually pulled [[Darren Criss]] from the stage a Kurtsie said: "I used to think Chris/Kurt fans are the craziest in the fandom, then came the Brittana shippers, and then the Faberry shippers, and now Darren stans."
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** Given the allegations against Woody Allen, one might think Rachel isn't so eager to make a movie with him anymore...
** Sue lamenting running for public office on a "pro-deportation platform." Fast forward to the 2016 election and later news reports.
* [[Genius Bonus]]: Though it's more like Movie Trivia Awareness Bonus, Will dreams he is performing the "Make 'Em Laugh" number from ''[[Singin'
* [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff]]: Sunshine for Filipinos.
* [[Harsher in Hindsight]]:
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* [[Ho Yay]]: So much it has its own page [[Glee/Ho Yay|here]].
* [[Hype Backlash]]: It's been experiencing this, since the show's win at the Golden Globes / Emmy nomination.
== I-Z ==
* [[Idiosyncratic Ship Naming]]: Fans of the pairing Quinn and Artie often refer to them as "Wheels + Preggers" due to episodes based around their conditions being named that, though to be fair they are also referred to as Quartie and Quarter.
* [[Idiot Plot]]:
*
** In "The Break Up", Blaine cheated on Kurt with a Facebook random who we never even see on-screen. In "Guilty Pleasures", it was established that he has feelings for Sam, though that ship got sunk later in the same episode. Then, all of a sudden, he wants to marry Kurt in "Wonder-ful" despite the fact that they are no longer a couple at that point, and Blaine himself even recognizes that it's admittedly a bold move from his part in order to win back Kurt. Fortunately, Burt calls him out on this, pointing out that Blaine should know it's a wrong idea seeing how things turned out for Rachel and Finn, and that he is using the idea of gay-marriage for his own goal.
* [[Informed Wrongness]]:
** Mike Chang Sr. is treated as unreasonable for not wanting his son to enter a field where very few people succeed.
** Brittany dumps Artie after he calls her stupid. Keep in mind that he calls her stupid because he was naturally hurt and upset that she was cheating on him with another girl, Santana, who convinced Brittany that it's not cheating "if the plumbing is different." The breakup wouldn't be so bad but the episode in question goes out of its way to paint Artie as the wrong party, [[Karma Houdini|and neither Brittany nor Santana are ever called out on it]].
* [[Jerkass Woobie]]: Every single character depending on your viewpoint is either this or just a [[Jerkass]].
* [[Jumping the Shark]]: Most fans seem to think that this has occurred, with the most common view being that it happened in either the back nine of Season 1, or with the beginning of Season 2, and the show jumped an addition shark with the beginning of Season 3. However, there are plenty of fans who still genuinely enjoy it and see its critics as [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]], while another group attests that the show was always bad and it was only when the novelty of its format wore off that people could see it for what it was.
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** "Do briefs stink??" (taken from a deleted scene circulated on [[YouTube]]).
** There's a new meme around, which consists of making Santana a proper English gentleman. [http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdyaqQFDl1qa0wc7o1_500.png It's] [http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdynmGp7g1qa0wc7o1_500.png hilarious.] [http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/6614/santanoquinno.jpg Gadzooks!]
** Two words: [https://web.archive.org/web/20110416074200/http://fuckyeahdapperblaine.tumblr.com/ Dapper Blaine.]
** [[Memetic Molester|Pedo]] [http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/pedowill Wi][http://marlak.tumblr.com/post/9121510023#notes ll]
** That piano the camera cuts to when {{spoiler|Kurt and Blaine}} finally kiss has been dubbed "That cock-blocking piano."
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20130928161450/http://fuckyeahinsanityrachel.tumblr.com/ Insanity Rachel].
** Suddenly... Karofsky!
** [[I'm a Humanitarian|CanniBlaine]].
** Glee Secrets. The hilarious levels of narm and [[Fan Dumb]] spawned a [
** "Brittana is on, Brittana was always on."
** Since it was announced via Twitter that Blaine is a junior, not a senior as previously thought, it became an ''overnight'' meme to [http://hummelxplease.tumblr.com/post/10598832481/omg twist old scenes]{{Dead link}} [http://nicolemaroon.tumblr.com/post/10566746274/when-blaine-sang-about-raising-his-glass-he-was to reflect him as a child.]{{Dead link}}
** Blaine is a magnet for these. Another one involving him is his abusive relationship with furniture.
** [[Cargo Ship|Cargoshipping]]. Everyone on this show seems to be an objectphile.
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** Fancy and Hamhock in the Kurtofsky fandom.
** Sugar is Brittana's [[Kid From the Future]]. The cast themselves think this one is awesome.
*** It's expanded into Rory being Klaine's adopted son, and Harmony as the daughter as either Finchel or Faberry. There's a [http://happyinyourarms.tumblr.com/post/14071449455/back-to-the-future-part-iv-sues-plans picture]{{Dead link}} to back that up along with the addition of Cameron.
** Shrubtana: the [[Crack Ship]] between Santana and a [[Cargo Ship|shrub shaped like a person]], based off of a throwaway line in "Sexy".
* [[Misaimed Fandom]]:
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** Or the movies ''[[Paul]]'' or ''[[The 40-Year-Old Virgin]]''.
** In the first two Warbler performances, fans of Power Rangers: Samurai might spot the gold ranger singing next to Blaine.
* [[Romantic Plot Tumor]]: Rachel and Finn's wedding storyline in Season 3 is very hated. Most fans
** Blaine's growing [[Base Breaker]] status in Season 3 turned ''Klaine'' into this as well.
** The worst would have to be Blaine Anderson, since some of the more intense fans that dislike the Kurt/Blaine ship will often use him cheating on Kurt because he wasn't there to make him not cheat or urging Kurt to have sex with him in the back seat of a car as a justification for their portrayal of him as an irredeemable [[The Sociopath|sociopath]], ignoring the scenes that show him feeling like he is such a bad person for hurting Kurt that he almost goes back to Dalton Academy or making it clear that Kurt was right in that their first time shouldn't be fumbling in a back seat. In regard to his infidelity, telling Kurt that what really matters is that he needed him around and he wasn't there after Kurt kept asking about who it was with is ''not'' the same as pretending it wasn't his fault, since it's not like Kurt absolutely needed that information in order to hold Blaine accountable. The fact that Blaine just confessed to cheating on him is enough, and there's also the fact that Blaine's choice of words were more referencing things like Kurt rejecting his calls or their phone date being met with a dial tone after Kurt got a call from a good gossip source and then told Blaine he would call him later... but these fans [[Double Standard|don't seem to care when Kurt gives one of those fake apologies that ''does'' put the blame on the other person ("I'm really sorry if this made you upset!")]] after Blaine finds out about him sharing flirty texts with a boy he met at the music store in "Dance With Somebody". As for their first time, Kurt being pulled on top of him means that Blaine was in no position to force him to have sex, and Blaine's hands were mostly touching his arm and his face lightly whilst attempting to get Kurt to listen to him rather than actually going "south of the equator". If this was the [[Attempted Rape]] that fans often spin it into being, Kurt's anger about the situation would have been more focused on the how and not the when.
▲** To put it as delicately as possible, some sections of fandom seem to be under the impression that certain characters are nothing BUT vices.
** Special mention goes to [[The Ghost|Blaine's parents]]. We've never seen them, and no relatively little about them, other than Blaine doesn't have a very strong relationship with them. The "logical" interpretation of this is that they are vicious homophobes who abuse Blaine worse than the Dursley beat Harry.
**
* [[Scapegoat Creator]]: Ryan Murphy is often the first person to get any flack for anything disliked on the show. Never mind that he not only doesn't write every episode but there are two other creators who are involved. Although, to be fair, he tends to be the one most likely to play [[Lying Creator]].
* [[The Scrappy]]: Even in ''Glee'''s incredibly divided fanbase, where just about everybody is a [[Base Breaker]], you'd still be hard-pressed to find viewers who like Jacob Ben-Israel or Terri's sister Kendra.
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** Season 3 involuntarily sinks Finchel and Klaine every time it tries to show how great they are.
* [[Ships That Pass in the Night]]: Rory has never interacted with Harmony or Sebastian, and the only time he was close to either would have been a brief moment during competitions. However both the Rormony and Rorbastian ships are strong. At least Rormany is justified, since it's basically a carry-over of [[Real Person Shipping|Damsay]] from ''[[The Glee Project]]''.
▲* [[Ship Tease]]:
* [[Ship-to-Ship Combat]]: [[Up to Eleven]] due in part to the [[Love Dodecahedron]] nature of the show and a "[[Fan Dumb|passionate]]" and "[[Die for Our Ship|devoted]]" fan base. In the ''Glee'' fandom, choosing an OTP is akin to enlisting in a nation’s armed forces and marching into battle. Forums can become warzones at the drop of a dime and [[Serial Escalation|the ensuing conflicts make some of history’s bloodiest battles seem tame.]] There are actually ship alliances, spies, and even strategic initiatives for things like winning polls for a specific ships (either through spamming or [[Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|the use of bots]]) and character bashing.
* [[So Bad It's Good]]: Trouty Mouth.
** And while we're on the subject some consider the show this
* [[Strangled by the Red String]]:
** Tina and Mike Chang, who never interacted in
** Mercedes and Sam. Enforced as [[Real Life Writes the Plot|Sam's actor temporarily left the series due to contract disputes]] right after Mercedes and Sam got together. When he returned, the writers treated their relationship like some tragic love story. Because it had next to no development, it was hard for most viewers to buy into that and get invested in the relationship.
** Brittany and Artie started off this way, and earned the show lots of [[Internet Backdraft]] from angry Brittany/Santana fans. It became clearer over time that Artie was intended as a [[Romantic False Lead]], and the whole relationship was designed to [[Green-Eyed Epiphany|force Santana to realize her feelings for Brittany]].
** One that carries some [[Unfortunate Implications]]: Sam was originally created to be a love interest for Kurt, but was changed to be straight when Ryan Murphy apparently noticed chemistry between him and Quinn so strong that it just couldn't be denied (and which many fans have been quick to point out doesn't seem to come across onscreen). To his credit, he did also create another character as a love interest for Kurt afterwards.
** While others saw it as something the show had been building to for quite a while, this is how more cynical viewers saw it when Kurt and Blaine got together in "Original Song". They felt that the scene was sappy and inconsistent with Blaine's previous characterization, since the show seemed to be trying to convince the viewers that the two were [[Better as Friends]] by having Blaine fall for other people and turn down Kurt's advances while excelling in a mentor-like role. There is also a subgroup who feels that while their pairing up was to be expected from a [[Watsonian Versus Doylist|Doylist]] perspective, it happened in a way that was premature for their characterization from a [[Watsonian Versus Doylist|Watsonian]] perspective, resulting in an early [[Shipping Bed Death]]. [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement|And that's all that needs to be said about that]].
*** Kurt and Blaine's storyline in the last season also counts. After
** More broadly, the show has been criticized for turning to these repeatedly to create tension between Finn/Rachel, Kurt/Blaine, and Brittany/Santana. They'd split up, often by cheating on or to hook up with a [[Romantic False Lead]] out of the blue, and spend half a season needing to re-realize their true feelings for each other.
* [[Straw Man Has a Point]]:
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** The majority of the girls in the Jane Addams halfway house are black.
** Kurt has been accused of being an unflattering stereotype of gay people. While Kurt is commended for his courage in not hiding his sexuality and standing up to adversity, he is also [[Offending the Creator's Own|rather disliked by many gay viewers]] for being hard to identify with due to his extreme [[Camp Gay]] tendencies or [http://www.remotepatrolled.com/2010/05/glees-gay-problem/ criticized] for [http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/mar/15/kurt-hummel-glee-gay doing more harm than good] for representation of gay people in the media. On top of that is the way he's seen as a mouthpiece for controversial views expressed by some portions of the gay community that are not necessarily shared by the rest of its members.
** Kurt's behavior in "Grilled Cheesus" was treated as unreasonable, but was it, really? It would be one thing to tell friends they're not allowed to pray, but they went beyond praying - they made a big show of being religious in his dad's waiting room, despite the fact that no one except Carol, Finn and maybe Mercedes actually knew Burt, and Rachel, the person in the room who was the least close to Burt (tied with Quinn) was the one who go the solo over his bedside. Also, Mercedes wouldn't accept Kurt's atheism until he went to church with her, but Kurt is supposed to be the intolerant one? No wonder some atheists [https://web.archive.org/web/20120616185201/http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/goodbye_to_glee/ got really pissed off].
** When what happened with Puck and Quinn is revealed in "Journey", it's very clear that Quinn does not want to have sex with him and he keeps trying to talk her into it, altering her state of mind with alcohol. Despite that, the issue of rape is never brought up.
** The main plot of "Asian F" is pretty racist, especially since an A- doesn't even affect GPA, which just makes it clear that this plot is feeding into Asian stereotypes regarding overly strict parents who push their kids to become doctors. The Asian jokes about Mike and Tina's relationship are also moving toward [[Unfortunate Implications]], if not there already. At first the "dim sum with your mom" jokes were a cute gag, but since then it's become the defining feature of Tina and Mike's relationship and their character development this season, and no scene featuring them can get by without an Asian joke. When Tina asked Mike why "everything has to be Asian", she may as well have been speaking for the fans who wonder why they can't be more than a [[Token Ship]].
** The "Sexy" episode seemed to give the message that abstinence is completely unrealistic for ''everyone''. Rachel even gets called "frigid" when she says that she doesn't want to have sex in high school. It does appear that it's just Holly Holiday pushing that angle, but no one ever calls her out on it. Emma technically does, but her opposing argument is just as extremist as Holly's, so it really isn't effective. The anti-abstinence messages continue in "The First Time", where Artie encourages three people, including one TEACHER, to lose their virginity just because he thinks it'll make their performances in ''[[West Side Story]]'' more realistic. When Rachel later objects to this, he tells her that she must have a "strange aversion to fun." Even worse, at the end of the episode everyone ''thanks him for being such a good director'', with no mention of how inappropriate his behavior was.
** Kurt's speech to Blaine who is questioning his sexuality in "Blame It On The Alcohol", where he states that [[No Bisexuals|bisexuality doesn't exist and that men claiming to be bisexual are really just closeted gay people]]. While it could just be dismissed as Kurt holding the [[Jerkass Ball]], and Blaine does call him out on his insensitivity, the fact that Kurt is validated at the end of the episode combined with his usual history of being seen as an [[Author Avatar]] regarding LGBT issues [https://web.archive.org/web/20150609013222/http://bitchmagazine.org/post/visibility-glee%E2%80%99s-problem-with-bisexual-men-television-feminism was seen by many viewers as a case of the show being biphobic]. Not helping were comments from [[Word of God|Ryan Murphy]] made soon after regarding the fact that Blaine is 100% gay that "it’s very important to young kids that they know this character [Blaine] is one of them", as if bisexual kids don't matter. Especially considering male bisexuality has even less representation in the media than male homosexuality does.
*** The controversy got reignited after "Tina In the Sky With Diamonds", where Santana spends half of her courtship with Dani panicking over having no "real" experience since she dated a bisexual woman, and the other half sighing in
** The storyline about Quinn trying to get Beth back [http://popcrush.com/glee-petition-adoption/ was criticized by adoption advocates] for giving a bad image of open adoptions, as well as just factual inaccuracy (i.e. once the birth parents sign away their parental rights they're gone for good, so if the adoptive parent is declared to be "unfit", the child is taken into foster care, not given to the birth parents). They petitioned the show to do a PSA dispelling myths about adoption; so far, nothing has come of it, but the controversial storyline also seems to have been wrapped up.
** There was a warning before "The First Time" and none before "On My Way". The former had two couples, one heterosexual, one homosexual, have consensual sex. The latter had a teenager attempt suicide.
* [[Unintentionally Sympathetic]]:
** Finn in "Theatricality", who essentially [[Disproportionate Retribution|got thrown out of his own home]] for using a bad word to refer to Kurt's interior design choices. We're supposed to hate him because he uses an anti-gay slur, but Kurt had been pursuing him over a long period of time knowing he was straight, even to the point of encouraging their parents to get together because he would have more opportunity to seduce Finn if they were stepbrothers. Kurt gets called out for his part in this situation later on, and it is also established to be a bad habit of Finn's: using offensive words when he's frustrated (i.e., calling [[Cloudcuckoolander|Brittany]] [[Berserk Button|stupid]], using a slur to describe Sue's baby [who has Down Syndrome], etc.).
** Also, Quinn. Yes, she starts out a bully who cheated on her boyfriend with his best friend and then lied to said boyfriend that he was the father of the resulting baby and then made him help pay her medical bills. However, she is only sixteen when all this happens, with two deeply religious and conservative parents who kick her out of her home when they find out. The best friend, a trouble-making bad boy, fed her alcohol until she agreed to sleep with him, and the timeline suggests that the cheating occurred early on in her relationship with the boyfriend, who cheats on her twice before he knows about her own indiscretion. As a result, she is one of the biggest reasons for the [[Broken Base|many splits in the fandom]].
* [[Unintentionally Unsympathetic]]:
** Will
** Finn. Considering that [[Karma Houdini|he suffers no real consequences]] for cheating on Quinn by kissing Rachel, being complicit in Quinn cheating on Sam [[Hypocrite|''after'' telling Rachel he would never forgive her for cheating on him with Puck and making her feel horrible about it]], or yelling at Quinn to stand up and show everyone how much of a bitch she is before attacking Joe when Joe tries to get him to stop pulling Quinn out of her wheelchair, it becomes difficult to see him as the hero the show makes him out to be.
** Kurt. The fact that [[Word of God|Ryan Murphy]] [[Author Avatar|created the character specifically to play up Chris Colfer's strengths after seeing something of himself in the young actor]] means that [[Jerkass]] things Kurt says often go unchecked, and there are many cases where logic takes a backseat so he is never wrong. He feels like crap when people go around telling him his sexual orientation is something he chooses because he knows it's a part of him he cannot change, [[Manipulative Bastard|but that didn't stop him from using his knowledge of what Finn likes in girls to give Rachel a makeover that went against those things]]... [[Hypocrite|in an attempt to sell him on the idea of relations with the masculine sex]]. The fact that he goes as far as to tell Rachel that [[Lack of Empathy|she should be ''thanking'' him just shows that Kurt didn't feel the slightest discomfort about setting Rachel up like that]], and being reminded that she will always have a better chance "because [she's] a girl" does little to convince him that he's even failed since Kurt automatically attributes it to [[Never My Fault|them ''both'' being distractions for Finn]]. Finn does eventually lose his temper and calls Kurt out on his refusal to just accept [[Incompatible Orientation|that he's not like him]], but he is then made to react so disproportionately to the slight, after insulting several items in Kurt's bedroom as being "faggy", that Kurt comes out smelling like daisies anyway. It took until ''the next season'' for him to acknowledge personal responsibility for his sexual harassment, [[Author's Saving Throw|probably after viewers criticized his supposed innocence in the matter]], because hearing it from Burt that Finn might have a point and that he may be taking advantage of Sam just as he had a crush on Finn the year before ''finally'' makes Kurt feel shame for his actions - he gives enough consideration to Burt's words that he tells Sam he can duet with someone else and that [[It's Not You, It's Me|the reasons for releasing Sam from their partnership lie with himself rather than with him]]
*** The fact that it was decided to get [[Chris Colfer|his actor]] into the writer's room for "Old Dog, New Tricks" means that the audience is clearly meant to sympathize with Kurt more in it, as he finds himself feeling a little directionless, that he isn't going as fast as the rest of his friends and so is a support bracket for them. However, the fact that he blows his top [[Informed Wrongness|after his friends say no to him performing at Rachel's charity event despite the fact that getting someone even less known than Rachel to contribute an act is not good for a publicity campaign]], or when he states that he's sick of Rachel only being his friend when it's convenient for her after he asks her to come see the production of ''[[Peter Pan]]'' and she reminds him that her charity thing is happening then, just makes him look like he's [[It's All About Me|telling his friends off for a combination of doing stuff with him and also getting on with their lives that he's interpreting maliciously and being jealous of]]. It doesn't help that Santana at least does something about ''her'' loss of direction and handles it in a mature manner after quitting the ''[[Funny Girl]]'' understudy job by agreeing to do a duet with Mercedes for her album in "The Back-up Plan". As soon as her producer states that having her single be a duet with Santana isn't a good idea though, Santana agrees, telling Mercedes that her debut album should be all about her.
** Santana.
▲** Santana Lopez is supposed to be seen as a hilarious, snarky [[Alpha Bitch]] that the audience is supposed to sympathize with after [[Freudian Excuse|tearfully confessing to Brittany that she is love with her and wants to be with her, but is also afraid of being bullied and ostracized for coming out as a lesbian]]. However, considering that she had been the biggest raging bitch humanly possible to Finn in "Mash Off" and pretty much everyone throughout the series, some consider Finn eventually [[Jerkass Has a Point|calling her a coward for constantly tearing others down while not accepting herself and her relationship with Brittany]] a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. It doesn't help that she and the rest of her dodgeball team went over and pummeled Rory while he was completely helpless, laughing while the kid was bleeding on the floor, responded to Kurt calling her out on using this sport to bully and telling her that [[Not So Different|this makes her no different than the people who make fun of and harass their glee clubs]] with a derisive "Calm down, grandma", and turned out to be placating the Troubletones after agreeing that she should play fair against the New Directions from then on due to her so-called apology to Finn consisting of a series of insults - in other words, things which make it that much harder to feel bad for her being outed.
* [[Unnecessary Makeover]]: Rachel had one in Season One, which gets lampshaded by Finn. It happens again in Season Four with a lot of fans finding it that way. It's hard to argue against it, considering it does change her appearance from Rachel Berry to pretty much [[Lea Michele]].
** Even her own self agrees it's an unnecessary makeover when sings a duet with herself.
* [[Unpopular Popular Character]]: Rachel.
* [[Values Dissonance]]: Many international viewers have expressed surprise that this show portrays teachers hugging their students, something forbidden in the UK but mostly <ref>prohibited in some schools, yes</ref> common in US schools.
* [[Viewer Gender Confusion]]: Some viewers thought Coach Beiste was played by a male
* [[What an Idiot!]]: Hiring Terri as the school nurse.
** It's a wonder Dave didn't just blurt out, 'I didn't kiss Kurt in the locker room!' There's actually a very plausible denial he could have given for checking out Sam's bottom. Namely, Sam was getting a drink out of a water fountain. Dave was thirsty and looked to see who was at the fountain. He saw, and then, continued walking until he found another one. If Santana thought that his eyes were specifically on the bottom, that's probably because that's where hers were. Of course, it probably doesn't help that scene was played so subtly that, even knowing Dave's gay, this troper didn't even realise that's what he was doing until Santana spelled it out.
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** It made a pretty interesting storyline/scene when he was daydreaming about being able to get up and dance, in the episode "Dream On". If the casting director had cast an actor who was actually handicapped, one can only imagine how that dance dream sequence would have gone.
* [[The Woobie]]:
** Kurt. So, ''so'' much. He lives in a homophobic town and attends a school where he's physically bullied everyday for his sexuality - most of the time in plain view of the teachers, who don't do anything about it - and has his first kiss stolen from him by a closeted homophobic bully. His mother is dead, and when his dad had a heart attack, he seemed to be always on the verge of a breakdown. Instead of offering the support he obviously needed however, his friends were judging him for his lack of belief in religion. He's constantly told that he isn't good enough for things, and he's recently found out that the love of his life cheated on him ''and'' that his father has cancer.
** Sue, when her sister Jean dies.
** Sam in "Rumours".
▲*** By "Heart", he {{spoiler|has a crush on Kurt, whom he tries to woo with an endearing series of gorilla-grams, but Kurt thought the gorilla-grams were from Blaine and turns Karofsky down when he finds out. [[It Got Worse|Karofsky inadvertently outs himself to a guy from his new high school]] while [[Anguished Declaration of Love|spilling his heart out to Kurt]]}}.
▲** Sam in "Rumours". {{spoiler|Currently lives in a motel due to the fact that his father lost his job after the economy tanked, is the sole source of income for his entire family, and was forced to sell his guitar (though the Glee club [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|bought it back for him]]), and his family shares one room, including his little brother and sister}}. If you didn't even try to shed a tear during "Rumours", you probably don't have a soul.
** Rory. Irish Exchange student far from home who gets beat up and bullied on a near-daily basis.
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