| “ |
Some things are worth fighting for. |
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—Emma Pillsbury-Schuester, Journey | ||
Emma Pillsbury-Schuester (previously Pillsbury-Howell) is a major character on Glee. Emma was a series regular until Season Four, when she became a recurring character due to her portrayer Jayma Mays' other commitments. She is a guidance counselor at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio.
Emma suffers from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and has romantic feelings for Glee Club director Will Schuester, but becomes engaged to football coach Ken Tanaka in Season One, as Will is married. Ken ultimately breaks up with her on their wedding day because of her feelings for Will and when Will leaves his wife Terri, he and Emma share a kiss. Their relationship is short-lived and in Season Two, Emma and her new dentist boyfriend Carl Howell marry in Las Vegas. The wedding is later annulled as it was unconsummated. At the beginning of Season Three, she and Will live together, and become engaged shortly after New Years. Emma also helps to direct McKinley High's production of West Side Story, along with Shannon Beiste and Artie Abrams. At the end of the fourth season finale (All or Nothing), she marries Will. In Trio, it is revealed that she is pregnant. In Opening Night, she gave birth to her first son Daniel Finn Schuester, naming her son after Finn Hudson.
She is portrayed by actress Jayma Mays.
Contents
Biography
Pilot Emma has feelings for Spanish teacher Will Schuester, which become apparent after he sits with her at lunch and helps her get gum off of her shoe. She gives him advice on how to get some of the popular kids to join glee club so that other students will join as well. She signs up to chaperone with Will to go see the glee club's competition, Vocal Adrenaline. Once she learns that Will is resigning because his wife is pregnant, she sets up a meeting with him to give him some advice. He thinks that he needs beatter financial benefits for his family, but Emma shows him a video of himself in the 1993 Nationals performance and tells him that the only life worth living is one he is really passionate about. Her advice is shown to have success, as Will remains at W.M.H.S. Showmance
Emma in her car crying while singing along to All By Myself
Emma catches Rachel trying to throw up in the bathroom. Rachel wants to be thinner and prettier like Quinn Fabray. Rachel asks her if she's ever liked a guy so much that it makes her cry and, although she doesn't tell Rachel exactly, she knows this feeling all too well - she glances towards Will who is standing outside of her office and a clip is shown of her sobbing loudly in her car along to the song All By Myself.
Later, Emma runs into Will during his janitorial shift. While she helps him clean, Emma confides that a childhood incident has left her hating messes. He helps her work through it by intimately putting chalk on her nose, and the two nearly kiss. Football coach Ken Tanaka sees the whole thing through the window. Ken confronts her about this and tells her that she is stupid for chasing a married guy. He tells her that he is a good man for her and that she won't do much better than him in their town. Emma is convinced by this and tries to put a stop to her and Will's flirtations by starting to date Ken.
Emma's face right before Kurt throws up on her
Emma is now dating Ken, and goes to support the Acafellas show. However, according to Terri, she looks an awful lot at Will during the shows. Once members of the Acafellas begin to quit, Will is dismayed and is convinced that it's over. Emma advises him not to give up so easily, and once again helps Will solve some of his problems.
Emma discusses with Will and Ken the fact Sue Sylvester now has her own segment (Sue's Corner) on one of the local TV news broadcasts. Emma and Will sit next to each other during the football game and when the team scores a touchdown they embrace in a celebratory hug, then pull away from each other self-consciously.
Emma in her office
Will tells Emma about Quinn's pregnancy. Without revealing her knowledge of Quinn's situation, Emma takes a "special interest" in Finn's future and suggests he apply for a music scholarship. She suggests trying to bring Rachel back to Glee Club so they can win and boost his chances of acceptance. She later reluctantly helps Will find April Rhodes by looking up her transcripts. Emma, who never agreed with Will's idea in the first place, is vomited on by a drunken Kurt (who got the alcohol from April). After four decontamination showers in the E.R., she warns Will that April is a bad influence on the kids. She is upset with him because he lets April go on stage at the Invitationals even though she is drunk, and later Will, realizing how stupid it was for him to do that, takes April out of the club, again sparking Emma's crush on him.
Will decides to have the boys face the girls in a mash-up competition, with Emma (the most impartial and honest person he knows) being the "celebrity judge." Sue warns Terri of Emma and Will's apparent sex pheromones and Terri becomes the school nurse to keep an eye on him. Terri is reminded of the mutual attraction once again, this time from Ken, so she tells him to propose to her. She sees Emma and Will discussing the proposal in the hallway and she confronts Emma telling her that she has no chance with Will. Emma tells Terri that Will deserves better than her. Terri then says that her thinking that she is competing for Will's affection is pointless and that she should marry Ken Tanaka. Emma tells Will that she has accepted Ken's proposal and although he tries to be happy for her, he is ultimately upset.
Ken and Emma ask Will to help them with the first dance song at their wedding. Emma wants I Could Have Danced All Night and Ken wants the Thong Song. They ask Will to make a mash-up up of the songs and teach Emma how to dance. She also gives advice on how to be popular to Finn and Quinn. During Emma's first dance lesson with Will he performs Ken's choice, Thong Song, while dancing around her. He ends up slipping on the train of her overwhelming wedding dress that she wore to the lesson and
Emma singing I Could Have Danced All Night.
Emma gives Will advice after he realizes Rachel had a crush on him, he tells her the story of Suzy Pepper. Emma suggests that Will should let Rachel down easy with a song. With Emma in the room, Will sings a mash-up of Don't Stand So Close to Me and Young Girl. Instead of listening to the lyrics, Rachel stares star-struck at Will, as does Emma, completely ruining the plan.
Will asks Emma for advice, because he thinks Sue was leaking his competitive set lists to other schools. Emma suggests going directly to the competing schools to find out.
Emma tells Will her wedding will be the following Saturday, on the same day as sectionals. Later, Will asks Emma how to find another kid to be in the picture. She apologizes for having to miss sectionals, and Will thinks Ken scheduled the wedding conflict on purpose. Emma defends Ken and Will ends up apologizing.
Emma calls Will for help during 'Sectionals'
Will goes to the wedding and finds Emma sitting alone. Ken has dumped her, saying moving the wedding for sectionals was the last straw. She admits that she moved the wedding for Will and not the kids. She tells him that she has emailed her resignation to Figgins because she doesn't want to be at the school anymore as she is ashamed of her actions towards Ken and heartbroken over Will. He grabs her arm and tells her that he has just left his wife, but Emma feels it's too soon for him to move on. He tells her that she makes a beautiful bride in which she responds with a teary "thank you”. On the day of her resignation Will realizes that he can't let Emma go and he runs to her office, which is empty. He spots her across the hallway with a box of her belongings just as she is about to leave. He stops her and kisses her for the first time.
Emma has not resigned. She is first seen in her office with Will and he points out that it's weird how they've been in the exact situation before except now he can kiss her if he wants to. He leans in to kiss her, but she stops him and says she needs to clean up. He tells her that he doesn't care because they've kissed before. Emma apologizes for the unattractive quality of her mysophobia. Will tells her that she is adorable and that she is right; they need to clean up before they can begin a relationship. He suggests a date at his place and she accepts. Later they are slow dancing in Will's living room to Neil Diamond's Hello Again. Will tells her that it's the perfect song for them and Emma says she loves it. They kiss sweetly before falling onto the couch kissing in an almost passionate manner. Emma breaks away saying that it's too much too fast for her. She confesses that she is a virgin because she hasn't found anyone who won't reject her when things get hard with her problems. Will's reaction to this news is bordering on upset, but he tells her it's okay. She doesn't believe him and starts to cry. He grabs her shoulders and
Emma and Will kiss in "Hell-O."
Emma and Will in "Like a Virgin."
Emma and Will discuss the issues regarding virginity that the Glee girls have been facing recently. They decide to work together to help the girls with Will noting that maybe along the way they can help her also. Later, Emma calls Sue to her office to ask why Madonna is playing everywhere in the school, except her office. Sue tells her that she isn't worthy of listening to Madonna as she has no control of her body. Emma confronts Will at the school and tells him that, in order to take control of her body, she was planning on "doing the nasty" with him at his place that night. He agrees. Like a Virgin begins and it's a three way cut of her and Will, Santana and Finn, and Rachel and Jesse as all three couples make intimate contact and sing the song. It ends up being a dream sequence and Emma is shown still staring into the mirror. The following Monday, Emma apologizes for avoiding him due to embarrassment and he tells her that she doesn't need to sleep with him to prove anything, that she took control of her body that night when she told herself she wasn't ready and ran out of his apartment - albeit with no shoes. He says that they are falling into a pattern, and need to instate an official no dating policy until his divorce is final. When she sadly asks how long it'll be, he smiles and tells her that he has filed that day. Will gives her a card for a counsellor, along with her shoes that he brought back to her and she leaves, quietly thanking him.
Sue tells Emma she must learn to stand up for herself (and grow a pair), Sue informs Emma about Will's make-out sections with Vocal Adrenaline Coach Shelby: and sleepovers with April Rhodes.
Emma confronting Will of being a slut.
Artie goes to Emma about his papers of the surgery he wants so hopefully he can walk again. Emma tells him his legs are seriously injured and she does believe that one day a doctor will be able to make Artie walk again, but not for a very long time. Emma tries to be nice about it, but basically puts Artie's hopes down, she tells him that it might be good if he comes by to talk to her once a week like he said. He thanks her and leaves his papers with her as he wheels off sadly, Emma feels bad.
Emma does not appear, but is mentioned by Will who says to Sue part of the reason why he got revenge on her is the fact that she wouldn't quit sabotaging his relationship with Emma.
Will comes to Emma for guidance as he is feeling nervous about the Glee club not placing in Regionals. Emma reminds him of when she showed him the video of himself at Nationals and him saying that that was the best moment of his life because he loved what he was doing. She asks him isn't that what he's been trying to teach them all along
Will tells Emma he still has feelings for her
Britney/Brittany Emma returns with an attractive dentist named Carl, who apparently has allowed her to loosen up. Around the start of the episode, Will discusses the Glee Club performing Britney Spears with Emma. She continues on another subject: her new boyfriend Carl, saying that he's helping her with her "mess" problem. Will is jealous of her new love interest and sarcastically agrees with her, and Emma feels a little insulted and says he's too "uptight." At that minute Carl comes and kisses Emma. Will is uncomfortable at this sight and a conversation ends with Carl talking to the New Directions about dental hygiene. Carl hands out blue capsules, Emma staring at him in adoration, Will watching her with envious eyes. Later in
Emma sings Touch A Touch A Touch A Touch Me with Will in The Rocky Horror Glee Show.
Emma shows Will her ring.
Will got Emma seats to go to sectionals, saying that she is their good luck charm. Right before they go, she says that she can't go because of the Rocky Horror incident and Carl got upset. She then kissed Will good luck. After they won sectionals, Will goes to her office. He shows her the trophy, and in return, Emma tells Will about her weekend. She said that Carl took her to Vegas, and Will didn't want to hear it, but then Emma pulled out a wedding ring. Will leaves. When New Directions is singing Dog Days Are Over, Emma's name is changed to "Emma Pillsbury-Howell" and she is seen with Carl, as Will watches.
Emma asks Will if they're OK, and he tells her that they should separate for a while. She tells him that she agrees. Then, she's seen with a gift (to Sue) for a secret Santa and, they learn that Sue "was everybody's Secret Santa." Then, she's seen in the teacher's hall watching New Directions sing Welcome Christmas and she donates money.
Emma comes back telling Will that Sue tried to commit "Sue-icide." Will and Emma find her alive. Emma doesn't correct her when she says that she has nothing to live for (after she lost the Cheerios' Regionals). Then, Sue, Will and Emma have a talk in Emma's office and Emma suggests that Sue should join the Glee club.
Will drunk dials Emma after a night at a bar with Coach Beiste, however he ended up dialing Sue instead. Sue then plays the message over the P.A. for the entire school to hear. Emma is seen being shocked by the message.
Emma performing "Afternoon Delight"
It is revealed that Emma heads The Celibacy Club. She tries to advertise the club via ) celibacy accessories, but this ends up backfiring when she finds out that students used them as nipple-piercings. She becomes frazzled by the appearance of Holly Holliday and becomes furious when she finds out that Holly and Will tried to teach New Directions about sex by singing Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah). In compensation, Will decides to let her and the Celibacy club try to teach about abstinence, and Emma agrees. However, the song she misguidedly chooses, Afternoon Delight, exemplifies the opposite, much to her confusion. Later, her and Carl seek counseling with Holly about the problems in their (non-existent) sex life, which eventually leads Emma to reveal her lingering feelings for Will. Distraught, Carl temporarily moves out of their condo.
Emma reveals to Will that Carl has left her for good and wants an annulment, confirming once and for all that the relationship was never consummated. Because of the stress, Emma's OCD affects her far more than usual and causes her to scrub a counter with an electric toothbrush. Out of love and compassion, Will tells Emma that he will be there for her no matter what. Emma says she has a lot of regrets in her life, and that she thought she would have overcome her OCD by this point in her life. Her sadness prompts Will to lovingly clean a grape and feed her by hand, which consoles her for the time being.
Emma looks at Will and April singing Nice To Meet You, Have I Slept With You?. Later, Will is surprised to see her eating this fruit without the cleaning every time. Emma takes to tell Will to follow his dreams of going to Broadway.
Will and Emma
Emma helps Will to pack up to go to New York. She again insists that Will should follow their dreams, saying that he has abandoned his dreams to help others, and now it's your turn to fulfill their dreams. At the end of the episode, Emma surprises Will wearing the vest he used when they met and she says goodbye very sad.
She is pictured standing in the corridor with Will's arm around her whilst reading the cartel that congratulates the New Directions for coming in twelfth place at Nationals. This indicates that she and Will are now back together.
Emma and Will waking up together in "The Purple Piano Project"
The first we see of Emma is when an alarm sounds and a hand proceeds to shut it off. Will is then shown rolling over in bed saying "Rise and shine sleepy head" to an awake Emma laying next to him. Will seems to make an advance on Emma, but she stops this with "I haven't even brushed yet" as she climbs out of bed, reinforcing that her mysophobia is still intact, as is her virginity. This is also confirmed later on in the episode when Sue asks Will how his relationship with Emma is, whilst sarcastically adding that she bets things are "perfectly normal in the bedroom," Will replies by saying how everything is still far from normal.
Will decides that Emma and Shannon are the co-directors of the musical West Side Story with Artie. Emma judge presentations of Rachel, Kurt and Blaine. She believes that Rachel would be perfect to represent Maria.
Emma, along with Artie and Shannon, watch the rehearsals for West Side Story.
Emma comforts Will after Sue speaks against Burt Hummel on TV.
Emma is present in voting for senior class president.
After the The Unitards perform Emma is visibly stunned by their performance. After the New Directions win the first place trophy Will blows a kiss to Emma in the crowd and Emma is seen clapping and smiling.
Emma is seen with Will playing the piano during Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed The World).
Will invites Emma's parents over for dinner in order to ask if he may marry Emma. Those try to talk him out of it though, because in their opinion getting married and having a family with Will be too much for her and her OCD. Will comes home to find Emma barely accomplishing anything at all due to having to obsessively clean and organize each ornament. Will tells her about his doubts for marriage, worried that a baby would make things too difficult for her with her OCD due to the fact that she can't control a baby. Emma tells him that she's taking her medicine every day and some days she has good days and some days she has bad days. Emma explains she'll attempt to get better, but with all the difficulties he gets with her, he also gets all her love for him and that he needs to be honest with her and himself. On one of the following days, the Glee-club, including Will, perform We Found Love extra for her. At the end of it, Will makes a proposal to Emma, which she happily accepts. She's also present when Carole tells Finn how the latter's father really died.
Emma tells Sue how inappropriate it is for her to request for Will to father her child. Emma asks why she asked Will. Sue admits it is because of her own mean streak compared with Will's ability to always be good and optimistic in the face of her insults. Sue assumes Will isn't going to do it, but Emma says she'd rather let him tell her. Emma says she's sorry, but that, for what it's worth, she thinks Sue should have a child because it would be good for her. Emma is excited about her new pamphlets and wants to show them off to Will, who is distracted by his attempt to translate a song into Spanish. She presents him with a pamphlet called "Performance Anxiety -- It's Not Just For Teenage Boys." He is annoyed and attempts to explain how important his tenure is to their starting a family and providing health insurance. Emma presents a pamphlet titled "No Insurance, No Problem: How To Give Yourself Stitches." Will explains to Emma that he needs insurance so that he can take care of her. Emma tells him that she can take care of herself and just wanted to show him the pamphlets because she's proud of them. Will tells her they're silly. He says he loves her, but the kids don't take them seriously. She says the provocative titles are the point: It gets the kids talking, and storms out of the room. At school, Coach Beiste showers Emma with compliments about her new pamphlet, "Taint Misbehavin'," regarding the importance of washing your jock strap. Cooter Menkins has ordered 10,000 copies for Ohio State University and convinced every team in the Big Ten conference to order them as well. As Coach Beiste calls her a genius and asks if Will is proud of her, Will says that he is. At the end of the episode, Will makes dinner for Emma to apologize. He presents pamphlets he made titled "So You Were a Jerk To Your Fiance" and "Congratulations -- I Love You." It is revealed that Emma is the one who was actually granted insurance. Will apologizes for not believing in her.
Emma is present at the faculty meeting to discuss how to handle the news of Karofsky's suicide attempt. She points out that people these days can sling their hatred and mud anonymously. When Principal Figgins says that it wasn't their job to know what was happening with Karofsky, she asks the rhetorical question, "Then whose job was it?"
Emma is ecstatic that Sue is learning the sex of her baby,
Emma gives Finn various promotional materials for schools and careers to review.
Will decides to move the wedding up to May, a decision which Emma refuses because she's afraid they won't have time to prepare for it. Will says he's hired Mr. Lavender, a successful wedding coordinator well known in Lima so she has nothing to worry about it. In the end of the episode, Emma talks Will into moving the wedding to November saying the kids will come back for it. She also admits in the episode that she was heartbroken when Princess Diana passed away during Emma's last year of high school, thus understanding Mercedes, Rachel, Santana and Kurt for being too sentimental on Whitney's passing.
Emma comforts Will in Chicago. When the New Directions are announced the winners of the 2012 National Show Choir Championship, Emma stands right away and excitedly cheers on the club that finally won after so much hard work. After the New Directions come in first place Emma leaves a pamphlet on her desk for Will titled, "When it's finally time to have intercourse." Later that day they are seen at home with Emma totally prepared. The next day Will thanks Emma, not only for their night together, but for always being there by his side this whole year. They are interrupted by Sue wearing a top hat. Emma happily cheers on Will as he accepts the award for 2012 Teacher of the Year.
Emma is the diploma presenter at graduation. While handing out each diploma to the New Directions graduates, each one takes a moment to thank her for all her help over the years. Emma is later present with Will and the rest of the glee kids as the say goodbye to Rachel.Starting from Season Four, Jayma Mays made guest appearances, demoting Emma to a recurring character. Britney 2.0
The Scientist
Will comes home to tell Emma that he got the job with the Blue Ribbon, and both of them are happy for his success. When Will starts getting ahead of himself and starts planning their future in Washington DC, Emma doesn't like the idea. She's happy for him, but she doesn't want to drop all of stuff and leave her job behind to just follow him, and leaves upset.
She sings along with Will in The Scientist with Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, and Brittany, and shows a flashback kiss they shared in Sectionals.
The Role You Were Born to Play
Emma is first seen with Will having counseling. She feels that her desires are not being cared about by Will. When Shannon gives some words of advice, Will then apologizes, and asks her again to come to Washington D.C. with him. Emma gives a hesitant "Yes," which worries Shannon. Emma is next seen in her office looking online for hotel rooms in Washington without carpets as she is worried about the many kinds of diseases they hold. Shannon enters and tells her that the worst thing in a relationship (apart from hitting) is lying. She tells Emma that she has to tell Will that she doesn't want to go with him. Finally when Will comes home from work, he finds Emma in the kitchen making a lot of food, and she tells him that she is just trying out new recipes, which Will does not agree to, and asks her what is wrong. She then tells him she does not want to go with him to Washington D.C., and says her reasons. She then also realizes the bigger missions of being a wife, and they agree to make their relationship work along the way.
Emma is first seen sitting in the Sectionals audience with Sue and Robin. She gives Sue a discerning look when Sue
In a deleted scene in which Will is talking to Finn about how much he blames himself, he mentions he went talk to Emma, and a scene between the two is shown, with Emma sitting on Will's lap.
Emma doesn't appear in this episode. However, in Artie's dream, he asks about her to Terri, and she tells him that Emma is married to Ken Tanaka and now she's living in Hawaii.
In Naked, Emma appears again in her office, with Blaine. Sam enters and ask what Blaine is doing there, to which
Emma in Diva
Emma is first seen in the Teacher's Lounge where she is busy planning for her wedding which is ten days away. Finn tells her his concerns for the New Directions, feeling they don't have the killer instinct that is needed to win Regionals. Emma suggests a "Diva Week" which Finn happily accepts. Emma then accepts his offer of her being a celebrity judge to find the best diva. Emma is next seen defining what a diva is to the Glee club. During her description, Unique, Tina, Brittany, Blaine, Kitty and Marley perform Diva. The scene ends with Emma explaining that her diva-ness caused the manager of the Cheesecake Factory to cry. She is next seen sat with Finn enjoying Blaine's performance of Don't Stop Me Now. Finn and Emma then introduce Santana to the glee club and seem to be enjoying her performance of Nutbush City Limits.
Finn comes to Emma's office for some counselling after seeing Rachel had changed her Facebook status to 'Shacked Up' whilst his is still 'Heartbroken'. Emma tells him not to worry and even hands him one of her infamous pamphlets ('So She Moved in With Someone Else...OUCH'). She says there is still time to find someone and even suggests the new maths assistant. As Finn is leaving her office, Emma asks him to chose a centrepiece for the wedding. He chooses the white one because he believes white represents purity. She appears happy with his decision. Emma is next seen standing with the New Directions in the courtyard whilst Tina performs Hung Up. She seems surprised by Tina's new diva attitude. Emma and Finn present the award for the glee club's Diva and cheers when Tina is announced as the winner.
Towards the end of the episode Finn visits Emma in her office to find her in wedding-overdrive. She is worrying because Will said the centrepiece was 'fine' which she worries that she doesn't like it. Emma then starts to have a panic attack saying how her marriage to Carl was a disaster and she doesn't want the same to happen with Will, throwing all her wedding plans and materials into the bins. Finn tries to tell her to stop, but she gets more and more upset. Finn then kisses Emma which leaves them both visibly shocked. Finn hurries out of the office and the scene ends with Emma physically shaking over what has happened.
Emma first appears in her office, still in a flurry over her wedding. Finn enters and confesses how guilty he'll feel about looking Will in the eye, knowing he kissed Emma. Emma bluntly tells Finn to get over it and continues sorting out the table arrangements just as Will enters. He sees Emma is flustered over the wedding and promises to help, right after seeing the New Directions. He kisses his fiancee and leaves with Finn leaving Emma working on her wedding alone.
Emma appears on her wedding day in a waiting room in her dress. She appears visibly sick about walking down the aisle. Sue appears behind her in the mirror wearing the same dress as Emma, claiming it to be revenge at Will for hiring Finn as his glee club replacement. As Sue helps herself to champagne, Emma exclaims how she can't get married before starting to sing Getting Married Today with Will and Mercedes. During the song, she dashes through the church and through the snow outside. She is last seen climbing into a taxi and weeping in the backseat. During the performance of Anything Could Happen, Will looks at photos of him and Emma taken around the school and their apartment.
Emma is next seen lying on her bed in her sister's house as Will pulls up outside. As the music for In Your Eyes starts, she gets up to the window to see Will and all the New Directions serenading her. As the song ends, she tells Will he's crazy, but agrees to come outside and speak to him. Outside the house, Will asks Emma why she left him at the altar and Emma says it's because he left for Washington and she felt he came back as a different person. She regretted leaving him at the altar, but didn't know what else to do at the time. She then asks Will where they go as a couple now and he says they should start again from scratch; he asks her to the movies on Friday night which she accepts. The scene ends with Emma grabbing his hand and Will kissing Emma's head.
At the end of the episode, Finn confesses to Will that he kissed Emma in Diva.
Will mentions he and Emma are engaged again.
The Hurt Locker, Part One Emma's office is briefly shown being terrorised by Sue during Bitch, thus showing she still works as the school's guidance Counselor. What the World Needs Now Emma makes a brief appearance towards the end of the episode, during What the World Needs Now at her home. It should be noted that she was portrayed by a body double, and not Emma's regular actress, Jayma Mays. Transitioning Emma walks with Will and their baby in the park where they see Rachel and Blaine who were just egged. Later, she counsels Will, advising him to quit his job at Carmel, and do what makes him happy. A Wedding Emma is mentioned by Santana when Sue wore an identical dress in her wedding. 2009 Emma encounters Kurt outside her office and asks if he needs help, to which Kurt lies that he just made a wrong turn. When Kurt headed out, Emma notices that a pamphlet about suicide was apparently read by Kurt. This concerns her and calls Kurt's dad, Burt, to talk about it. Emma is uncomfortable seeing the grime on Burt's hand, hinting her OCD. Burt denies that a conversation is needed, as it is too early, but Emma gives Burt the pamphlet Kurt has read. Later on, Emma approaches Figgins to prevent Will from leaving and support the glee club financially. Figgins says his hands are tied and cannot offer more money, but instead suggests Emma to show Will the performance of The Singsations during the 1993 Nationals. Dreams Come True When Will was promoted to principal, he says he is scared that he can't do it, which Emma says he shouldn't be. She says that she is proud of him because he did it all without losing his integrity. He says that he is the most talented man in Ohio and it is time to relax, have fun and fall in love. She says that if something is not right, they'll just fix it. They embrace and share a kiss. In the flashforward, it is revealed they had 3 more kids, they along with an older Daniel, being ginger. In their home, she, Will, Sam, and Sue watch the Tony's and celebrate when Rachel wins the Best Actress award. She is present during the rededication of the auditorium, and later joins the performance of I Lived. While walking on the stage during the song, she sees Will Schuester hugging Terri Schuester. She seems to be flabbergasted as they hug. After the song, they laugh, cheer and celebrate, as the episode and ultimately, the series, ends.
Personality
Emma could easily be seen as the ideal counselor. Sweet, insightful, selfless and empathetic, Emma is constantly doing what she can to offer good and helpful advice to not only the students, but also to those that she cares about (primarily Will). Unfortunately, despite the fact that Emma tries her best to be logical in her advice, she often lets her emotions take advantage of her actions. Her relationships with Will and Ken are obvious example, as Emma not only began dating, but also agreed to get engaged to Ken, although she did not even like him, all so as to try and spare herself the pain of pining for Will.
Because of Emma's natural kindness, this has also caused her to become extremely meek towards dominant people such as Sue and Terri, who often attempt to bully her. However, when push comes to shove, Emma will still try to stand up for herself, and will without a question stand-up for others (i.e. standing up for the glee kids at Sectionals). Emma rarely stands up for herself, but did when she finds out Will cheated on her, announcing in the teacher's lounge that Will was a "Slut." She has also stood up to Terri telling her that Will deserves much better than her and when Terri found Emma surprising Will at the apartment she asked her if there was a reason why she was there and Emma said that she wanted Terri gone when Will got home. She has also shown her bolder side to Figgins by yelling at him about canceling Glee even though they have worked hard all year. She too has shown a snarkier side by asking if Sue had been finally punched in the face when she had her tear ducts removed. In Season Two, she seems to have become slightly more independent, though she is still shy.
Although Emma seems pretty normal at first glance, like everyone else at the school she has her own sorts of oddities. Most obvious is her mysophobia, OCD and her large, round eyes. She tries her best to make sure everything around her is neat, hygienic and in order. She always brings her lunch to work, and often will clean her food as she eats it, as well as doing things like not mixing different colored grapes, wiping each grape carefully with a sanitizing wipe, and eating with plastic gloves on.
Emma also had, what some might consider, an unhealthy romantic interest in Will. Despite the fact he was married, she often was seen watching him intently, to the point where she would become easily distracted. As previously mentioned, she attempted to cancel out her feelings for Will, by dating a man who was completely wrong for her. This also caused her to become very inconsiderate towards Ken, who she informed that despite dating/engaged, they would not live together, kiss or have anything even remotely close to a normal relationship. She reacted maturely to Will telling her that he left his wife although her decision to resign showed her emotional weakness as she didn't want to work at the school any longer because of her feelings for Will and her guilt over Ken.
Emma can also be known to panic attacks when put under great amounts of stress. Finn witnesses this first hand when he sees Emma planning her wedding in Season Four.
Relationships
- Main article: Emma-Will Relationship (Wemma)
Will and Emma's first kiss in "Sectionals"
- Main article: Emma-Ken Relationship (Kemma)
Emma and Ken eat lunch together.
- Main article: Carl-Emma Relationship (Carma)
- Main article: Finn-Emma Relationship (Femma)
Songs
Total = 12
- Solos
- Solos (In a Group Number)
| Season One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Solos with |
| Like a Virgin | The Power of Madonna | Finn, Jesse, Rachel, Santana and Will |
- Unreleased Songs
- All By Myself by Eric Carmen.(Showmance)
- Solos
- Solos (In a Group Number)
| Season Two | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Solos with |
| Afternoon Delight | Sexy | Carl, Puck, Quinn and Rachel |
- Back-up singing
| Season Two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Sung by | Backup with |
| Planet, Schmanet, Janet | Cut from The Rocky Horror Glee Show | Carl | N/A |
- Solos
- Duets
- Duets
- Solos (In a Group Number)
| Season Four | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song | Episode | Solos with |
| The Scientist | The Break-Up | Blaine, Brittany, Finn, Kurt, Rachel, Santana and Will |
| Getting Married Today | I Do | Mercedes and Will |
Appearances
| Glee: Season 1 | |||||||||||
| "Pilot" Appears |
"Showmance" Appears |
"Acafellas" Appears |
"Preggers" Appears |
"The Rhodes Not Taken" Appears |
"Vitamin D" Appears |
"Throwdown" Credit Only |
"Mash-Up" Appears |
"Wheels" Credit Only |
"Ballad" Appears |
"Hairography" Appears | |
| "Mattress" Appears |
"Sectionals" Appears |
"Hell-O" Appears |
"The Power of Madonna" Appears |
"Home" Credit Only |
"Bad Reputation" Appears |
"Laryngitis" Credit Only |
"Dream On" Appears |
"Theatricality" Credit Only |
"Funk" Credit Only |
"Journey" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 2 | |||||||||||
| "Audition" Credit Only |
"Britney/Brittany" Appears |
"Grilled Cheesus" Appears |
"Duets" Credit Only |
"The Rocky Horror Glee Show" Appears |
"Never Been Kissed" Credit Only |
"The Substitute" Credit Only |
"Furt" Credit Only |
"Special Education" Appears |
"A Very Glee Christmas" Appears |
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" Credit Only | |
| "Silly Love Songs" Credit Only |
"Comeback" Appears |
"Blame It on the Alcohol" Appears |
"Sexy" Appears |
"Original Song" Credit Only |
"A Night of Neglect" Appears |
"Born This Way" Appears |
"Rumours" Appears |
"Prom Queen" Credit Only |
"Funeral" Appears |
"New York" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 3 | |||||||||||
| "The Purple Piano Project" Appears |
"I Am Unicorn" Appears |
"Asian F" Appears |
"Pot o' Gold" Credit Only |
"The First Time" Appears |
"Mash Off" Appears |
"I Kissed a Girl" Appears |
"Hold on to Sixteen" Appears |
"Extraordinary Merry Christmas" Appears |
"Yes/No" Appears |
"Michael" Credit Only | |
| "The Spanish Teacher" Appears |
"Heart" Credit Only |
"On My Way" Appears |
"Big Brother" Appears |
"Saturday Night Glee-ver" Appears |
"Dance With Somebody" Appears |
"Choke" Credit Only |
"Prom-asaurus" Appears |
"Props" Credit Only |
"Nationals" Appears |
"Goodbye" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 4 | |||||||||||
| "The New Rachel" Absent |
"Britney 2.0" Appears |
"Makeover" Appears |
"The Break-Up" Appears |
"The Role You Were Born to Play" Appears |
"Glease" Absent |
"Dynamic Duets" Absent |
"Thanksgiving" Appears |
"Swan Song" Appears |
"Glee, Actually" Absent |
"Sadie Hawkins" Absent | |
| "Naked" Appears |
"Diva" Appears |
"I Do" Appears |
"Girls (and Boys) on Film" Appears |
"Feud" Absent |
"Guilty Pleasures" Absent |
"Shooting Star" Absent |
"Sweet Dreams" Absent |
"Lights Out" Absent |
"Wonder-ful" Absent |
"All or Nothing" Appears | |
| Glee: Season 5 | |||||||||||
| "Love, Love, Love" Absent |
"Tina in the Sky with Diamonds" Absent |
"The Quarterback" Appears |
"A Katy or A Gaga" Absent |
"The End of Twerk" Absent |
"Movin' Out" Absent |
"Puppet Master" Absent |
"Previously Unaired Christmas" Absent |
"Frenemies" Absent |
"Trio" Appears | ||
| "City of Angels" Absent |
"100" Absent |
"New Directions" Absent |
"New New York" Absent |
"Bash" Absent |
"Tested" Absent |
"Opening Night" Absent |
"The Back-Up Plan" Absent |
"Old Dog, New Tricks" Absent |
"The Untitled Rachel Berry Project" Absent | ||
| Glee: Season 6 | |||||||||||
| "Loser Like Me" Absent |
"Homecoming" Absent |
"Jagged Little Tapestry" Absent |
"The Hurt Locker, Part One" Absent |
"The Hurt Locker, Part Two" Absent |
"What the World Needs Now" Appears | ||||||
| "Transitioning" Appears |
"A Wedding" Absent |
"Child Star" Absent |
"The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester" Absent |
"We Built This Glee Club" Absent |
"2009" Appears |
"Dreams Come True" Appears | |||||
Trivia
- There seems to be an inconsistency with the root of her obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In Showmance, she claims that her brother once pushed her into a run-off lagoon, which triggered her OCD. However, in Asian F, it's revealed that her OCD came from her parents constantly making her clean her glasses before drinking from them.
- She has been engaged more than any other character on the series.
- Emma mentions that she is 32 in A Night of Neglect but the episode takes place in the spring of 2011 and, given that she began her senior year in the fall of 1997 (as mentioned in Dance With Somebody), it is more likely that she was born in late 1979 and thus she would still only be 31.
Gallery
Quotes
- Main article: Emma's Quotations
References
| New Directions | ||
| Directors | Emma Pillsbury • Finn Hudson • Holly Holliday • Kurt Hummel • Rachel Berry • Sam Evans • Will Schuester | |
| Members | Alistair • Jane Hayward • Madison McCarthy • Mason McCarthy • Myron Muskovitz • Spencer Porter | |
| Alumni | Artie Abrams • Blaine Anderson • Brittany Pierce • Quinn Fabray • Finn Hudson • Kitty Wilde • Kurt Hummel • Mercedes Jones • Mike Chang • Noah Puckerman • Rachel Berry • Roderick Meeks • Sam Evans • Santana Lopez • Skylar • Tina Cohen-Chang • Unique Adams | |
| Former Members | April Rhodes • Joe Hart • Jesse St. James • Lauren Zizes • Matt Rutherford • Rory Flanagan • Sugar Motta • Sunshine Corazon • Marley Rose • Jake Puckerman • Ryder Lynn | |
| Related | New Directions Boys • New Directions Girls • Dalton Academy Warblers • Sue Sylvester • Dakota Stanley • Bassist • Drummer | |
