‘Glee’ season 5, episode 18 preview: Lea Michele, Darren Criss, and ‘The Back-Up Plan’

Tuesday night’s “Glee” episode was an injection of all things positive. You had Rachel Berry delivering a successful “Opening Night,” Will welcoming a son, and plenty of reminders of how important Finn Hudson was to the show.

We felt for the entirety of this episode that the other shoe was going to drop soon from a drama standpoint, and that may come next week with “The Back-Up Plan.” Rachel is going to struggle with the revelation that TV may not be as receptive to her as she would have expected. Meanwhile, there may be new tension for Kurt and Blaine, and Santana will continue to struggle to find her place in New York career-wise.

In case you haven’t seen the full synopsis yet, you can do so below:

“Rachel jeopardizes her “Funny Girl” lead when she auditions for a television pilot. Meanwhile, Mercedes (guest star Amber Riley) tries to help get Santana in on her recording deal, and Blaine befriends an older, rich socialite (guest star Shirley MacLaine).”

The attached promo does a very good job of hyping up the appearance of MacLaine, who is coming over from a few episodes of “Downton Abbey.” We do understand the hype: She’s a big star! It also make some sense given that this is not going to be just another one-episode gig. She will be back for more in the future, and that includes the season finale in a few weeks.

This episode should be the bridge to what some of the other “Glee” characters are doing in the long-term, given that “Opening Night” was largely about Rachel.

What do you want to see on “Glee” next week? Share your thoughts below, and head over to the link here to read our full take on Tuesday’s “Opening Night.” Also, sign up for further updates from our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: Fox