Diva (Glee)

Plot

Finn Hudson, convinced by guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, creates a "diva-off" assignment for New Directions. Blaine Anderson, Kitty Wilde, Tina Cohen-Chang, Brittany Pierce, Wade "Unique" Adams, and Marley Rose perform "Diva" in preparation. In New York, Kurt Hummel, irritated by Rachel Berry's arrogance after winning the Winter Showcase, challenges her to a diva-off; both perform "Bring Him Home", and Kurt wins, but later reassures Rachel and encourages her to audition for Funny Girl.

In Lima, after Blaine's performance of "Don't Stop Me Now", Finn reveals Santana Lopez will perform with her fellow cheerleaders from the University of Louisville; Santana leads "Nutbush City Limits" and, learning from Tina about Brittany's relationship with Sam Evans, duels with Sam on "Make No Mistake (She's Mine)" while Brittany watches. Tina, struggling with feelings for Blaine, performs "Hung Up" and is declared winner of the diva-off; Blaine apologizes and asks her to be his date to Will and Emma's wedding.

Finn, reeling from Rachel moving in with Brody Weston, helps Emma prepare for the wedding; when she breaks down, he kisses her but immediately leaves. Sue Sylvester reveals Santana dropped out of college and offers her a Cheerios coaching job; after Brittany encourages her, Santana sings "Girl on Fire" and moves to NYC, surprising Rachel and Kurt.

Reception

With DVR figures factored in, 8.71 million Americans watched this episode. Entertainment Weekly's Erin Strecker gave a mixed assessment, singling out the Finn-Emma kiss as jarring and unlikely to generate the same buzz as a comparable moment on New Girl. She did praise "Bring Him Home" as a sequel to "Defying Gravity" for the New York characters and called "Diva" very enjoyable, though she criticized Blaine's feathered top. L'Oreal Thompson of The Baltimore Sun felt for Tina's unrequited love struggles and found Santana's final song misplaced, comparing it to a Gabby Douglas Lifetime movie. Director Paris Barclay earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for this installment.