'Glee' Season 4 Premiere: 9 O-M-Glee Things to Know About 'The New Rachel'

Posted September 7, 2012, 12:08 pm   •   by Crystal Bell   •   36 comments

We're less than a week away from the Season 4 premiere of Glee, and Celebuzz has the scoop on the episode, titled "The New Rachel."

For those of you worried about the FOX series' new split format, we can happily report that co-creator Ryan Murphy and the show's writers have managed to seamlessly balance the two locations. In fact, "The New Rachel" returns to Glee's roots, and with a hoard of new characters, it feels eerily like Season 1.

Unfortunately for Finchel shippers, there's no sign of Finn (Cory Monteith) in the first episode except for a few photos, but that doesn't mean that Rachel's (Lea Michele) giving up on her man. She still has hope -- and all of you should too. Although Brody (Dean Geyer) -- and his abs -- are a nice distraction.

Meanwhile, back at McKinley, some of the show's more dormant characters finally get their time to shine now that the glee club's power players have moved on. Look out for some key scenes between New Directions' new Fierce Five -- Artie (Kevin McHale), Blaine (Darren Criss), Brittany (Heather Morris), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and Unique (Alex Newell).

What else can you expect from the premiere? We've got the scoop!

1. Someone got inked over the summer.

In the second season premiere, Quinn Fabray revealed that she got an "ironic tattoo of Ryan Seacrest" over the summer. When Season 3 kicks off, another member of New Directions has gotten inked: Tina! Her tat reads, "Make Change Forever" -- and it shouldn't take gleeks very long to figure out the tattoo's significance.

2. Meet Kitty, McKinley's latest glee-otch.

Kitty, played by newcomer Becca Tobin, is a sophomore Cheerio -- and Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) new "Head Bitch." Think of her as a mix of Season 1 Quinn and Season 2 Santana. Let's just say that Sam (Chord Overstreet) has a new nickname. Say bye-bye to "White Chocolate" and hello to "Richie Poor."

3. And then there's Marley, the "new Rachel." 

Sure, she may not be Broadway-bound, but Marley (Melissa Benoist) is arguably the best new voice in the glee club. She's pretty much the equivalent of Rachel Berry in Season 1: An amazing voice with a horrible fashion sense. But don't let her love of ugly hats distract you from her adorkable personality. Marley is so sweet, she'll give you a toothache -- kind of like Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember. But in the season premiere, she's also hiding one huge secret.

4. Don't forget Puck's half-brother Jake!

Sorry, Brody, but when it comes to Glee's new hunks, we're on Team Jake (Jacob Artist). As McKinley's newest badboy, Jake is reminiscent of his older brother Puck. However, it looks like the younger Puckerman is more of a lone wolf. Did we mention that his solo will make you swoon? No wonder all of the ladies love him. Yes, we're talking about Sugar -- and perhaps someone else.

5. Klaine might just make you cry.

Get your tissues ready, Klaine fans. Blaine and Kurt (Chris Colfer) share a moving scene in the McKinley courtyard -- you know, the same place where Blaine Warbler serenaded Kurt with Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" -- and of course, it ends in song.

6. But Burt Hummel will most definitely make you cry.

Can we just give Burt (Mike O’Malley) the Best TV Dad Ever Award now? Despite only having a minute of screen time, Burt shares a few words of wisdom with his son.

7. Britanna problems?

Brittany really misses Santana (Naya Rivera), who is pretty busy with cheerleading practice at the University of Louisville. And it's kind of putting a strain on their relationship. As Brittany says, it's really hard to "scissor through a webcam." Yes, that was Brittany's best line.

8. Winter is coming!

We knew that the cast of Glee were big fans of Game of Thrones -- especially Kevin McHale and Lea Michele -- and the Season 4 premiere gives a nod to the HBO drama.

9. Kate Hudson should be a series regular.

Cassandra July might just be our favorite new character of the season. Glee kicks off Season 4 with a glimpse at Rachel's life at NYADA -- starting with dance class. Everyone knows that Cassandra July is hard as nails -- but a recommendation from Cassie could get you on Broadway (as a Flying Monkey, but hey, that's still Broadway!). Of course, Mr. Schue's little superstar wasn't quite used to Cassandra's teaching methods -- leading to a brutal introduction. Oh, Rachel. NYADA Rule #1: Never throw shade at your teachers! Save your shade for your awful roommate.

Glee kicks off its fourth season on Sept. 13 at 9 PM on FOX.