Tuesday’s episode of “Glee” may have viewers wondering if they’re watching a rerun at first glance.
Many graduated cast members are returning tonight for Part 1 of the 100th episode celebration on Fox. Joining the current and former McKinley High School students on stage and screen will be guest stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Kristin Chenoweth.
The old and new choir members will perform 10 new arrangements of classic “Glee” songs — voted on by the fans — between this week and next. “I was really impressed,” Becca Tobin, who plays cheerleader Kitty Wilde, said of the selections. “I think they hit on every major song that’s been done.”
See video: Gwyneth Paltrow Sings Pharrell’s ‘Happy’ for ‘Glee’ 100th Episode
Wilde, a typical high school mean girl (the actress says she based Kitty on Regina George from “Mean Girls” and Reese Witherspoon‘s character from “Election,” with a dash of MTV reality show girls), has warmed up a bit this season. Tobin attributes Kitty’s change to the storyline, which sees her dating the wheelchair-bound, guitar-playing Artie (Kevin McHale, above with Tobin). She hopes to see the arc continue in the form of a long-distance relationship when the sophomore’s senior beau graduates.
Tobin, who is 28 but plays a 16-year-old, also spoke about the one “Glee” star who obviously won’t be there this evening — except in spirit. She called last week’s episode a “beautiful” tribute to Cory Monteith‘s (the actor who starred as Finn Hudson) memory.
Calling last week’s episode “the most literal tribute to him,” she told TheWrap that this week’s episode “is more of a celebration … an unspoken one.”
Also read: Ratings: NBC Rules Key Demo as ‘Glee’ Hits Low
Last week also happened to be the lowest-rated regular “Glee” episode in series history, getting just a 0.9 rating in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic. But the show still gets its share of buzz on social media, which skews younger, much like the series itself.
Tobin acknowledged ratings aren’t as high as they used to be in the show’s earlier days.
“We’re in tune with it, but I think we’re all really realistic in the sense that it is not new and shiny,” she said. “We still get this crazy amount of support from the fans when the show airs.”
That love is not just a one-way street, and it isn’t only Tobin who praises that dedication from the fans. Watch a featurette, exclusive to TheWrap, of other “Glee” stars reflecting on the connection as they look towards the show’s 100th episode: