| "Ballad" | |
|---|---|
| Glee episode | |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 10 |
| Directed by | Brad Falchuk |
| Written by | Brad Falchuk |
| Featured music | "Endless Love" "I'll Stand by You" "Don't Stand So Close to Me / Young Girl" "Crush" "(You're) Having My Baby" "Lean on Me" |
| Production code | 1ARC09 |
| Original air date | November 18, 2009 |
| Guest appearances | |
"Ballad" is the tenth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 18, 2009, and was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk. "Ballad" sees the glee club split into pairs to sing ballads to one another. Rachel (Lea Michele) is paired with club director Will (Matthew Morrison) and develops a crush on him. Quinn's (Dianna Agron) parents learn that Quinn is pregnant, and she moves in with Finn (Cory Monteith) and his mother when her own parents evict her. Gregg Henry and Charlotte Ross guest-star as Quinn's parents Russell and Judy Fabray, and Sarah Drew appears as Suzy Pepper, a student with a former crush on Will. Romy Rosemont returns as Finn's mother, Carole Hudson.
The episode features covers of seven songs, including a mash-up of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" by The Police and "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett and The Union Gap. Studio recordings of all songs performed in the episode were released as singles, available for digital download. "Ballad" was watched by 7.29 million US viewers and received mixed reviews from critics. Elizabeth Holmes of The Wall Street Journal and Liz Pardue of Zap2it were disappointed that Jane Lynch did not appear as Sue Sylvester, though Mike Hale of The New York Times did not miss her presence. Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle deemed "Ballad" one of the best episodes of Glee to date. Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly did not enjoy it as much as the preceding episode "Wheels" but reviewed the episode positively overall, while Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune deemed it "deliriously, deliciously bad".[1]
"Ballad" was the episode submission of Dianna Agron for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, but her nomination failed to make the final cut.