Glee: Blame It on the Alcohol

"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the television series Glee, and the thirty-sixth overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz and first aired in the United States on Fox on February 22, 2011. This episode mainly centers on the issues of underage drinking, as the students of McKinley High School are coming drunk to school in increasing numbers. Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) plans an assembly to warn the students about the dangers on underage drinking, and asks glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) to have his students perform a song that send positive messages about avoiding alcohol. Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) throws a party for the glee club students where almost everyone gets drunk; the partygoers wake up to hangovers, and must perform various songs about alcohol while still under the influence. The assembly ends abruptly when a song that seems to glorify alcohol is interrupted by two of the singers vomiting over the others, which scares the entire high school into avoiding drunkenness. "Blame It on the Alcohol" was given a positive reception by many reviewers, though there was disagreement over the show's messages, including with regard to drinking alcohol. Rachel's party was lauded, as was the song performed during it, "Don't You Want Me"; the assembly song, Kesha's "Tik Tok", was also well received. This episode featured cover versions of four songs, which were all released as singles and made available for digital download. Three of the singles debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. The show's first original song appeared in this episode: "My Headband", sung by Michele as Rachel, which was not released. Upon its premiere, the episode was watched by over 10.58 million American viewers, and it earned a 4.4/12 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic. The episode's total viewership and ratings were slightly up from the previous episode, "Comeback", which was watched by 10.53 million American viewers, and acquired a 4.2/12 rating/share in the 18–49 demographic upon first airing on television.