#santanalysis

[tuiyla]

“Why isn’t Santana nicer after coming out”

Okay so I bring this up in the meta post I’m working on and I don’t want to hijack a post about Quinntana with just my issues on how the fandom perceives Santana so here goes, side note rant post.

As a Santana stan first human being second Gleek third, there are many many aspects of the larger fandom’s interpretation of Santana’s character that bother me. Unsurprisingly to anyone who’s talked to me for more than a second most of my issues come down to a gross misunderstanding of her inner turmoil and particularly all the mess surrounding IKAG. Santana spell it out in Sexy when she confesses her love for Brittany that she’s a bitch because she’s angry and she’s angry because she’s scared. Some people, even though it’s an excellent moment of self-reflection that could serve as a basis for understanding much of Santana’s character, still choose to get so close to the point and then miss it by about a mile.

I’m referring to the take that “Santana should have just been nicer when she was out.” I’ve witnessed legitimate confusion surrounding her behaviour post-outing (emphasis on outing) because people are shocked she’s still a bitch even after that, I suppose. Her anger and therefore her bitchiness was supposed to come from fears regarding her sexuality, so being out should solve all her problems and make her a nice person, right? I hope that writing it out like that makes people see the problem here. First off, obviously and most importantly but somehow still in a “needs to be said” way: Santana was outed. She didn’t come out, she was outed. She was terrified of what people would say if they knew she was a lesbian and then suddenly everyone knew, before she was ready. Shocking, I know, but for some reason that didn’t solve all her problems. Not to mention, being out came at the cost of being rejected by a close family member that undoubtedly shook her sense of self. That Santana continued to be angry “even after” having been outed shouldn’t be some big revelation. No shit she didn’t suddenly find enlightenment and inner peace upon being dragged out of the closet through an act of cruelty.

Second, coming out, even when one is outed as a lesbian to her whole state on television, is a process. Santana’s main source of fear wasn’t the process of coming out but the state of being perceived as the Other. She was terrified of being an outsider and judged for her sexuality and her fears are only proven right once the secret is out. That’s something she’ll carry for the rest of her life, even when she’s happily married and her relationship with her grandmother begins to mend. And that’s not to sound all bleak about queer existence because it doesn’t mean she’s doomed for a sad, angry life or anything, it just means that dealing with her deepest insecurities and fears is... a process. When we leave Santana as a newlywed, she’s around 21 years old. Honestly, it’d be a miracle if she had it all figured out by that point, particularly given her acute allergic reaction to vulnerability. Does she strike you as the kind of girl who willingly walks into therapy to sort out her misplaced feelings of anger? Didn’t think so.

Third, and this is two-fold, Santana is both considerably softer in the later seasons than she used to be and she’s also just never going to be a nice person, period. We could make it three-fold and point out that progress isn’t linear but let’s take it one step at a time. Santana is a kind person but not a nice one. From season 3B onwards and particularly in seasons 4 and 5 we see her forming deeper bonds with people other than Brittany and she even has a realization about using her bitch powers for good by the end of season 5. She has been using them for good ever since she first opened herself up to the possibility of letting people in and being her true self around them. So to me, complaining that Santana isn’t suddenly a ~much better person~ after being out is faulty on account of her does becoming a better friend and person as the show goes on. I think people’s problem is that she doesn’t become nice, but like I said that’s because she’s not. She just isn’t. In my ideal Glee future where Santana does get the help she needs and sorts out her emotional baggage, she becomes a much healthier adult capable of not sabotaging her friendships. But that still doesn’t make her nice. She will always have her signature snark and and she’ll always be ready to dish some insults out. Is that a good thing, that’s not the point here. The point is that she does become less cruel and more open to letting her kind heart actually show as the series goes on and still being rude to people doesn’t negate that.

I could go on, such as about the fact that Santana’s still a fictional character whose snappy one-liners and page-long takedowns are a part of her appeal. Glee wasn’t gonna stop utilizing Naya’s comedic delivery and turn Santana into a less recognizable version of herself, nor should they have. And like I say, nor should Santana’s continued prickly behaviour take away from the fact that she does soften as the show goes on. Then we have the issue of progress not being linear and faling back into old habits being perfectly realistic, and then we can also talk about how Santana’s issues go far beyond accepting her sexuality so it’d be unrealistic for her to drop her all defense mechanisms even if she becomes perfectly content sexuality-wise. She rightly identifies fears about being perceived and judged for her sexuality in Sexy and concludes that that’s why she’s angry and lashing out all the time, but it’s only a source of that. Although it’s a big part of her character and journey, it’d be wrong to reduce Santana just to her sexuality. That’s how you reach false conclusions like “oh she should have just been way nicer post-season 3,” because you ignore her general feelings of insecurity and how deep-seated this instinct to close off and lash out is.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this impromptu Santanalysis post, it’s been a while since I’ve written one not as a reply to an ask. Quinntana post coming soon, until then please remember to read way too much into a decade old silly Fox show and when someone misinterprets your faves, go get that shovel and start digging.

#glee #santana lopez #santanalysis #santana's anger #listen two- THREE things that piss me off re: bad readings of santana's ch #1) the outing 2) pretending she isn't a damn good friend 3) taking her word for things and refusing to look deeper #and felt it was about damn time i wrote this so thanks other essay i'm working on for giving an excuse

[icegoddessrukia]

The argument that Santana manipulated Brittany the whole time is still circulating in fandom even after all these years and it always makes me roll my eyes because it’s so wrong but I can’t help but also feel that the fans who say this don’t understand who Santana is as a character. 

It’s true that Santana was a villain for a major part of the series and the way she operates is by manipulating people. This is by no means bashing her, just acknowledging her flaws - it doesn’t make her some evil person. She is just very human. She tries to do it to everyone, not just her enemies but even the people she cares about the most like Brittany, the Glee Club, and later on, Rachel who was like family to her. She’s underhand and while she is brutally honest about expressing her negative feelings or talking about things she doesn’t care about, she’s very dishonest at times about how she really feels because she doesn’t want to be vulnerable. It’s the only way she knows how to survive. It’s the only way she knows how to interact with people in every situation. Her scheming/dishonest side doesn’t always come from a malicious place but rather her own fears. 

She doesn’t trust other people and she sees the world as a terrible place where everyone is out to get her. She certainly doesn’t trust them enough to be honest about her true intentions. The last thing Santana, as a very sensitive and emotional person wants to do is be vulnerable and give others the opportunity to hurt her by baring her true feelings. She’s probably the most fearful character in the series and the only way she knows how to get what she wants is through underhand tactics. So up until midway through season 5, she lies and she schemes to get what she wants in most cases. 

For instance, with the Artie situation in Season 2, yes she does lie to Brittany by telling her what they’re doing is not cheating because the plumbing is different (I firmly believe Brittany saw through that lie but that’s another story). Yes, it is wrong what she did, and selfish, there’s no disputing that. It’s not one of her finest moments. However, it also doesn’t come from a place of her being some big bad evil demon who deliberately wants to hurt Brittany or Artie. Santana can’t be honest with Brittany or herself by admitting “I want you only to myself because I’m in love with you,” (at least not until the confession scene in Sexy), so she tries to downplay it and act like what they’re doing is no big deal. She manipulates the situation to get what she wants while protecting herself. 

Again, with confronting Sam in season 4, Santana has previously told Brittany that she would be okay with it if Brittany moved on and dated someone else. Obviously that was a huge lie as anyone who knows how jealous of a person Santana is could tell as soon as those words left her mouth. When Tina tells her Bram is on, Santana immediately runs back to Lima, she makes a huge ridiculous scene of fake dating Elaine to prove to Britt that she has moved on too so she isn’t hurt, she confronts Sam and acts like she’s only doing all this to protect Brittany from Sam’s “mediocrity.” The whole thing is a complete farce but it’s typical Santana, running from her feelings and hiding. She’s falling back on her old habits, her way of using manipulation and smokescreens to get what she wants instead of outright admitting “Sam isn’t good enough for you but the truth is I would be jealous of whoever you were dating regardless of how good they were for you because I still love you and I want you back.”

Santana can’t accept her real feelings, far less reveal them to others for most of the series because that puts her in this vulnerable position. This isn’t the healthiest coping mechanism and I’m glad that by Season 6 she seemed to matured so much, finally coming to terms with her true self. The great thing about Brittana is that Brittany is the only one in the series who always sees through Santana’s lies. She frequently confronts her about them and tries to gently encourage her to just be herself. Despite being the girl who the other characters see as “stupid,” it’s Brittany who sees the real Santana underneath all of those pretenses and still loves her. 

#Santana Lopez #Brittana #Santanalysis #I love her this is not a criticism #the whole 'Santana manipulated Brittany' argument is so dumb #Glee fandom salt #I could also say more about how Brittany always stands her ground and doesn't let San manipulate her

[amazonworrier]

Following the earlier anon, how do you think Santana’s love languages differ from each partner she’s with?

I think generally once Santana develops feelings she’s big on words of affirmation and physical touch - especially with Brittana. You see it in canon. If you look at Brittana’s trajectory on the show, you see how Santana struggles to articulate her feelings at first, but is totally cool with always touching/cuddling up to Brittany, even in public. Then once they’re more established and Santana realises how deep her feelings are, she’s alllllllll about the words. I actually think that’s where a lot of Brittana’s issues lie early on, since Brittany is more about action and baby Santana needed more reassurance than that, which Brittany obviously picks up on quite quickly and starts to do more and more, but I digress…

For Pezberry, initially it’s more about quality time and acts of service, because there’s a barrier to break in terms of, ya know, saying nice things to each other. Rachel reads too much into everything, so Santana uses that to her advantage, and communicates her feelings by choosing to spend time with Rachel above anyone else, knowing Rachel will understand without Santana having to admit that rather embarrassing truth out loud. It’s the same with acts of service - we even see this on the show a fair bit when it comes to platonic Pezberry. So it’s not a stretch to assume it’d be there for romantic Pezberry as well. Santana admitting she cares about Rachel is a rare event and we don’t get it properly until 5x18, but she’s totally cool with stepping in for her on Funny Girl, coming back to give her a pep talk on opening night, getting her a job at the diner, going after Brody even after Kurtana kick her out because she knows something’s up… I could go on, but I won’t because this post is getting too long already.

For Quinntana I’d say it’s very similar to Pezberry early on, only they rely a lot more on physical touch like Brittana do. I won’t expand on that too much since I already did in that other Quinntana post I made about their non-verbals a while back. I should link it here but can’t be bothered. Maybe later. Quinntana would also be the one I see falling back on gift giving more so than the others (not to say the others don’t, just that Quinntana do it more). If they fight, I could see Santana just rocking up at home with some flashy gift for Quinn because she’s still too mad to admit she’s wrong or whatever, but wants to smooth things over.

#anon #quinntana #pezberry #brittana #santana lopez #santanalysis

[snixxlixx]

anyone else think it was slightly OOC for Santana to set those pianos on fire in season 3? Like I get she's supposed to be mean but season 1 & 2 proved she cared about glee club a lot more than the cheerios? "I like being in glee club" and in the Super Bowl episode she quit cheerios so she could stay in glee club (even tho it took some convincing) and it just doesn't seem very in character by season 3 for her to set the pianos on fire? Idk I'm probably wrong and It's probably just me but idk

I believe only one piano was set on fire, and technically Quinn was the one who set the fire with her cigarette (granted, the Cheerios poured lighter fluid on it beforehand).

That aside, Santana did play a part in the scheme, and seemed to take Sue’s side in 3x01. Because it’s the first episode of the season, we don’t know what happened in Santana’s life between the end of season two and the start of season three, other than the fact that she and Brittany went from being friends with mutual pining to being in a secret sort-of-relationship.

Santana is now a senior in 3x01, and we know from later episodes that she’s very unsure of her future. I would imagine that she feels she needs to choose which activity, Glee or Cheerios, is going to help her the most as she moves into the next stage of her life. Considering what a disaster Nationals was only a few months prior, it makes sense that Santana would be drawn to the Cheerios, where she is made a co-captain with Becky. Being a captain gives her a sense of security going into her senior year when everything else seems ambiguous and scary.

And as a captain, Santana has to follow Sue’s ridiculous orders, even if they are intended to hurt the glee club. It’s easy for Sue to convince Santana to play along with her scheme, because she’s in a vulnerable place– her relationship with Brittany is confusing, her next steps after high school are confusing, and baby girl just needs something she can rely on (and Sue Sylvester sabotaging the glee club is probably the most reliable part of the whole show).

I agree that it seems out of character for Santana to go behind the glee club’s backs in season 3, but we know it’s very in character for her to be scared to ask for help, and that she tends to unleash Snixx when she feels vulnerable.

#santanalysis

[teamklaine-blog]

I genuinely felt bad for Santana in this scene. At first she's her normal self when she's talked to by a teacher; challenging and ready to bounce anything back. But as reality kicks in, she realizes she is loosing the only family she has really ever had. A family that has accepted her and her attitude and loves her. This is a place where she feels safe and can openly express her emotions, even if the reason behind them is still hidden. We see the walls breaking down and how hurt Santana is by this decision. But as quickly as they fall the are back up, and she resorts to the only she can cope, which is putting on a brave face and pulling back out the bitchiness and the sass. It's the only way she knows how to protect herself and the only way she can at this point in time.

#santana lopez #santanalysis #santalysis #teamklaine #season 3 #3x01

[tuiyla]

Ranking Santana’s solos based on importance to her character, part II

Part one with the bottom seven and the introduction to this whole ranking can be found here, go give that a read before continuing with this one. Done? Okay, so this part two of this different type of ranking and we’ve reached the top 7 Santana solos in terms of how important they are to her character.

7. Cold Hearted

We’re continuing almost right where we left off, since the last song on part one’s list also had to do with Santana’s New York storyline and her complicated relationship with her roommates, particularly Rachel. Enter Cold Hearted, a Santana solo that serves many a purpose, among them showing off and intimidating a guy she doesn’t trust in the slightest. But if we dig a little deeper than her elaborate use of what I can only describe as scaffolding, and even a little deeper than being dramatic for drama’s sake, Cold Hearted is about how Santana is as a friend.

I’ve long argued that Santana’s New York storyline rests entirely on two pillars: her career and questioning of, which is in part represented by her version of DROMP, as discussed previously. And the other one, her friendships and her journey of expanding this inner circle that previously only included Brittany and maaaybe Quinn. The unlikely Kurtcheltana trio is very new when Santana performs this song in 4x16 Feud but that makes Cold Hearted all the more important. You see, despite Santana singing this to Brody in a literal sense, symbolically it’s only about him and addressed to Rachel instead. The lyrics are meant for Rachel even if she only finds out retroactively that Santana even sang this song and doesn’t exactly appreciate it. And I think that’s crucial to Cold Hearted making it to the top 7 because it becomes a representation of who Santana is as a friend at this point in season 4 and how she’ll approach her relationship with Hummelberry.

Even the fact that Santana goes behind her roommates’ back here to confront Brody at their school is on brand for her and further establishes the whole Cold Hearted performance as a quintessentially Santana thing to do. She’s a little misguided in her attempt to intimidate Brody into leaving, yes. She’s misguided in a lot of her early attempts at proving herself to her roommates. And yes, she didn’t need to be this extra, but that’s who Santana is and that’s another aspect which elevates Cold Hearted to this spot. The most crucial point? That it represents how Santana, at the end of the day, is a hardcore friend with questionable methods but wholehearted belief in protecting her friends and confronting sus people like Brody. It’s extra, it conveys her distaste for Brody, it betrays how she thinks Rachel deserves better, it’s a very Santana-esque move. What else can we wish for.

6. If I Die Young

The difficult one, isn’t it? A song that has been impossible to view in a vacuum separate from irl stuff from the moment it was performed on the show and has only become even more tragic since. If I Die Young is a favourite of mine, both the song itself and this cover, so I admittedly have bias going into this and not to mention the baggage it has due to incredibly real-life events. But if we at least attempt to put all that aside for a moment, I’ll argue that If I Die Young represents a similar aspect of Santana’s character as Cold Hearted does, only in a much more sincere and heartbreaking way.

If I Die Young is Santana’s tribute to Finn. As tumultuous as their relationship was and as much as Santana puts up her bitchy front up to this moment in the episode, it’s a touching tribute to a life cut short. But more than that, I’m choosing to place If I Die Young here because, by starting out with Santana weirdly offensive speech and ending in an emotional breakdown, it showcases who she is. Leave it to Santana to introduce her tribute with insults that baffle the audience but show her true colours in song. It’s not just the song choice, in itself touching and, in retrospect, haunting, but the way she sings it with so much heart and the way we see her mental journey take place throughout, it’s so telling. Santana has a strange relationship with the difference of words vs. actions and this time it’s no different, though very much in the tragic category.

And I do have to acknowledge once again that If I Die Young and in fact The Quarterback as a whole carry a lot of real-life baggage and it feels strange to judge this performance’s emotion as that of Santana’s when there was a very real pain there for Naya and others. But, despite what some annoying pieces of misinformation would have you believe, Naya was acting and at the end of the day we have Santana the character. And Santana the character had a very, very complicated relationship with Finn full of hurt, but that doesn’t mean her love can’t shine through in song. Especially in song, since we see time and again and particularly with later episodes how much easier it is further to be sincere in music than in plain words. So If I Die Young is as sincere as we get, and as raw by the end of it.

If Cold Hearted showcases Santana’s misguided but well-intentioned attempts at looking out for her friends, If I Die Young is proof of her heart even when she herself would rather not acknowledge it. What elevates it above the season 4 solo is this deeper sense of vulnerability, even before the breakdown. That it’s Santana baring her heart and she herself being taken aback by it. It’s fundamentally an expression of love, through song choice, context, emotion through vocals. And maybe the placement is mostly due to bias, sure, and maybe everything to do with The Quarterback is impossible the rank within the same framework as the rest of the show. Despite all that this feels right and so I rest my case.

5. If I Can’t Have You

Moving on to lighter subjects, we’re going from bluegrass to disco and talking about the solo that I’ve seen so many misinterpretations of. If I Can’t Have You doubles as both the kickstart to Santana’s career struggle storyline and as a serenade to Brittany, a public one this time around, and that combo gets it to the top 5.

First, let’s start with the career aspect and how Santana herself claims this is a song about her love for fame. Though I do think a lot of her post-performance speech is due to Will so incredibly weird and presumptuous about her song and Santana not vibing with that at all, as she shouldn’t, I also think it holds some truth. Truth in that If I Can’t Have You is about Santana hyperfocusing on the one thing she for sure knows she wants post-high school: fame. Her plans are so vague because she doesn’t quite have the introspection to examine what it is that appeals to her about fame and yeah, some of it is being defensive when Will goes ahead and takes a huuuge leap in logic. I don’t blame her for being weirded out by that and I don’t blame her for being an 18 year-old wanting fame but not having a clue as to what that means. So I do consider this to be the truth, her truth when it comes to this song.

But, and this is where the misinterpretations come in, I also think it was a love song directed towards Brittany. Only, Santana doesn’t do so well with an audience when it comes to how incredibly vulnerable her love for Brittany makes her and she doesn’t do well with people assigning her labels and paths and things she doesn’t want. So she refutes If I Can’t Have You being about her love for Brittany- no, actually. Crucially, she refutes all the bullshit Will starts talking about and doubles down on the fame aspect. But that can’t take away from the fact that it is a song, a love song she sings to Brittany and does so with the whole club there. Similarly to Love You Like a Love Song’s significance, this aspect of IICHY is about Santana having grown so much and being able to sing a song like this. Which is why it’s even more infuriating that Will had to go and ruin it and Santana got defensive, but it shows that Santana’s come a long way but she’s not there yet. She’ll sing to Brittany with the whole club being there but when she’s called out on it and when people try to put her into boxes, she doubles down. Good on her for that last part, Will can get fucked, but Santana could also have just admitted that it was a love song to Brittany instead of insisting it was all about fame.

All in all, an interesting example and the last solo on our list not to be what I consider an actual big character moment but a good case study of where Santana was at, mentally and emotionally, nonetheless. What’s the point in all this analysis if she’s not a layered and flawed character, after all.

4. Mine

If anything should tell you that this isn’t a personal preference ranking it’s that Mine is here and not on top, where it famously belongs according to my GCV tastes. And while Mine continues to be that bitch as far as I’m concerned, it’s doesn’t quite make it to the top 3. Still, fourth place is an achievement and it’s deserved for how serves not just the Brittana relationship but Santana’s character. If this was a Brittana songs and their significance ranking, Mine would go straight into the top 3 and possibly battle it out with Landslide but it still holds meaning for Santana as an individual.

The breakup is one of Santana’s most mature decisions in the whole series and I’m honestly struggling to think of anything else that could snatch first place from it. It’s not just that it marks a milestone in the Brittana relationship, it’s that, fresh off from graduation and her first few weeks in college, Santana already has enough distance from Lima to be able to make a more mature decision she ever could have in high school. People sometimes ask me why, as a Brittana fan, do I love their breakup so much but it’s simple. Because it is about love. About not wanting to lose each other but also not wanting to hurt one another. About Santana taking a step back and making a decision she knows will break both their hearts but deciding it’s better than the alternative. The potential of losing each other much more permanently.

That in itself is a breathtaking view into Santana’s character. And it’s so beautiful because we know her journey doesn’t end here, we know she’ll later use Nutbush as an opportunity to make Britt jealous even though she initiated the breakup and told Brittany to go out there and date. It’s not that Mine is the be all end all of mature decisions it’s that it shows a journey, a progress that isn’t linear and shows just how much Santana will be able to grow now that she’s out of Lima. And yes, it also shows how their relationship with Brittany has evolved.

I also love the words Santana says before the music starts. Where I could say things with music when words just weren’t enough. It shows further self-awareness and proof of introspection. And is it any wonder? She fell in love with Brittany in that back row. She counted smiles, she was her angsty teenage lesbian self. But not that the choir room isn’t the place she goes to for comfort, she realizes and, I think, appreciates just how much music means to her. Santana, who’s always been big on words and insults and threats but rarely was as intimidating when it came to actions. Who talked a big game but couldn’t articulate when it came to feelings. Music gave her an outlet and so she utilized its power excellently here.

I mean, do I even need to say it? Vocally, emotionally, Mine is the perfect solo. Compared to the original’s upbeat vibe it’s almost haunting and, in Britt’s word, sad. And yet there’s that spark of hope because Santana Lopez might have turned Mine into a breakup song but she did so with so much heart and love and even maturity. For all these reasons and more, I wholeheartedly believe it’s as much a milestone for her own character development as it is for the Brittana relationship.

3. Songbird

And just when you thought we were done getting emotional over choir room serenades, here comes the biggie. Similar to Mine in many ways but also the inverse and representing an entirely different moment in time for Santana. If Mine was introspective and a confidently vulnerable moment then Songbird is the baby step that lead to it. And though you could argue, and you’d be right, that Mine!Santana is much more self-assured and an overall better rounded version of herself than Songbird!Santana, I still place this higher than Mine.

The reason is simple. What we’re looking for here is not “when was Santana the best version of herself,” it’s more about how well a given solo represented that moment in time for her and what it tells us about her character. And sure, it’s also about when she was the most at her “character development fulfilled”-ness. But in the case of Songbird getting into the top 3, it’s not about the objective importance of a given moment but rather, how big a deal that step was for Santana relative to where she was in her story. And in that sense, there’s no beating Songbird as far as Brittana-related songs go. And McKinley songs, too, since this is the last solo on the list that Santana performs while still a high schooler.

Think about what this step meant for Santana. She might only be singing in private (Brad doesn’t count), she might be oh so fragile and she might even change her mind about coming out right after telling Brittany ‘yes’ re::Fondue for Two. But for these few minutes in the choir room she poured her heart out. She went through the Rumours album, listened to Songbird and went, ah yes. That is the song that best expresses what Brittany means to her. Even a step beyond Landslide! And it’s so raw and so personal and something she couldn’t possibly bear to be open about in public. But when it’s just Brittany sitting in that back row, Santana allows herself to fully feel her own feelings through Christine McVie’s song. In the grand scheme of things and how much she grows later on, it might not seem like much. But in that moment? Man, it means everything.

Landslide or not, Hurt Locker or not, I believe this is a major milestone in Santana’s journey and one of the first moments during her coming out storyline where she really allows her feelings to sink in. She allows vulnerability, if only for those few minutes, only in the choir room, only with Brittany. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this, of what it meant for Santana to take this step forward even if it was then two steps back. Heck, maybe especially because it was then two steps back. Progress isn’t linear, Santana’s certainly isn’t, but these moments are no less magical and in fact all the more integral to who she is as a person.

2. Girl On Fire

God, I’ve waited so long to go on and on about Girl On Fire’s significance and now.... I have way too little to truly get into it  And to be honest Girl On Fire, as well as the one last remaining song deserve their own posts so who knows, maybe parts three and four. But I won’t leave you with nothing, I will justify these choices.

When I first heard Santana performed Girl On Fire in the show, I immediately thought it was the perfect choice. Granted, that assessment was mostly vibes-based  Santana is fire and if nothing else, the fact that this is the only time in the series this symbolism is implied would already put Girl On Fire on the top of my list. So much so that this was originally the number one solo I chose, until some aficionados of what was originally second place convinced me. Beyond the fire symbolism, it’s also just everything else not only about the fact that Santana got to cover this song but when she had the chance to.

I ranked Nutbush, her other Diva solo low and I stand by that but there would have been no better placement for GOF then just as Santana finally makes her way to New York. We’ve seen her struggle and hesitate about the future since I Can’t Have You and we’ll see her stumble some more, as DROMP shows, but this moment is truly hers. She makes one last attempt to make Lima home and Brittany stops her from making that mistake, instead encouraging her to do what she’s been wanting to for a while now. The word that circles my mind whenever I rewatch this whole scene with the Lima to NYC transition is triumphant, because it truly is such a milestone for Santana and such a leap of faith. A life-changing decision, really, and it ends up being a net positive even with struggles and roommate problems.

And for Santana to sing this song, of all things, it feels apt beyond comprehension. I’ve been saying for a long while that Girl On Fire is Santana’s character defining solo and, despite it only coming in second today I stand by that. The lyrics feel so appropriate, a somewhat rare occurrence on Glee and the whole sequence is worthy of the character. And trust me, the standard is very high for anything to be worthy of Santana in my eyes. Some highlights that a separate post would need to get into deeper include “You can try, but you'll never forget her name” and the entire bridge:

Everybody stares as she goes by 'Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes Watch her when she's lighting up the night Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl and it's a lonely world But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby

That’s so quintessentially Santana and it feels so satisfying to be able to say that, and that Glee chose an appropriate moment to let her sing this solo. When else if not when she truly leaves Lima behind, when she takes a leap of faith, when, after having regressed, she faces adult life for real. All of it is so good that I can barely believe it exists on a show like Glee.

1. Alfie

Between the Alfie love of some fellow Santana fans @randomcanbian​, @amazonworrier​ and @danisdreaming​​, and posts they’ve made such as here and here, I felt like I had no choice. That last one especially tipped the scales but make no mistake, it wasn’t peer pressure that led me to making this final decision and putting Alfie on top. As with Girl On Fire, it’s hard to articulate everything that Alfie means in the context of Santana’s character within the constraints of a post like this. I could keep it brief by asking, what’s it all about? And just saying ‘love’, but it does warrant a little more exploration than that.

So... Alfie is Santana’s last solo. We started with Science Fiction Double Feature and now we’re here, both in terms of the show and this ranking. Season 6 scaled back on the number of solos, with even Rachel not having as many and characters like Kurt and Blaine having none. When I had my first full watch of the series, I was secretly, or, well, not so secretly hoping Santana would have one more hurray. And what a solo it is, one with a context unrivaled in its significance and a song that embodies Santana in a very different way than Girl On Fire did but is arguably even more poignant.

I don’t need to explain to anyone already reading this the role Alma plays in Santana’s life and what this performance dedicated to her means. What it means that Santana’s already been rejected before and she is once again when Alfie finishes. But also, what it means that Santana stands her ground anyway and stands by her own identity, by her growth that happened in spite of Alma’s rejection and cruelty. If only fools are kind, Alfie, then I guess it is wise to be cruel. That was Santana for so long and so much of it was because of Alma’s upbringing of tough love. But Santana isn’t a little girl anymore and she’s certainly not Alma’s little girl.

Santana’s also not the terrified girl who walked the halls of McKinley, so cruel and so afraid to show genuine emotion. She carries that person with her, sure, but she’s also singing about love in an auditorium full of friend and miscellaneous new kids now.The Santana who rejected vulnerability and never thought she could embrace love to the fullest is now singing an ode to the very thing. She has people literally backing her because she opened her heart up. She has the strength to basically reject Alma’s rejection because she’s come too far to believe that kindness is foolish and love isn’t something she could have. Instead, she is love and, though she still has a long way to go, she gives love and accepts it freely.

All of that is embodied in her performance of Alfie where she puts herself, her heart in the limelight and is brave enough to face Alma and a possible rejection. And when the rejection comes, she can cope much better thanks to the support she has because she opened herself up to kindness. This is Santana at her most vulnerable, arguably at her bravest, and since those are things she struggles with throughout the series, I’d even dare to say her best. And Alfie becomes the best solo in terms of importance because she pours all that into every syllable and every note. Don’t you see? She believes in love. The girl who sued to tear everyone down and would only dare whisper her true feelings, who would rather live up to worst expectations then open herself up to the potential of hurt now believes in love, above all.

#glee #santana lopez #santanalysis #brittana #mine gcv #alfie #girl on fire gcv #if i die young gcv #if i can't have you #cold hearted gcv #songbird gcv #didn't have time to proofread oops #song analysis

[tuiyla]

I must admit that I never fully understood the Sebastian/Santana rivallry, and then singing Smooth Criminal. Was it because he insulted and belittled her, and made racist jokes? Because he’s done that to quite a few of them.

At this point in season 3 she wasn’t close to Kurt or Blaine, so it’s an odd choice that she’s leading the group to bring down Sebastian, which then Kurt refuses to do.

Okay SO I’ve been meaning to answer this for so long. Y’all know I love going on about Santana.

I think the episode Michael is such a great demonstration of Santana’s firece protectiveness and the lengths she’ll go to to defend the good name of the whole of ND and even people she doesn’t loudly and proudly call friends. Because it was for Kurt and Blaine and the whole club. As shown by the Kurtana classroom scene, Santana does care for Kurt. I wouldn’t say they weren’t close. Everything’s relative so maybe not as close as Santana was to her girls or as close as they would eventually be as roommates, sure. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t on good terms at this point. And sure, Sebastian did make it personal with her when he insulted her. Santana does like a good revenge plot and wouldn’t just let him have the last word. But again the classroom scene shows us that it’s not about taking Sebastian down for herself, it’s for others. She makes a point of calling Sebastian out for what he did to Blaine, makes a point of letting the whole club know the lengths she went to because she wants them to be proud, and comes up with a pretty clever plan to expose Sebastian. Even dies it without violence because Kurt asked her to. And then Kurt and ND pull a real stupid move by not using the tape rip to common sense. She taped it to her underboob! The unsung heroes of our times smh.

So anyway. I don’t think it’s an odd choice at all. Santana has the drive and brains and flare for the dramatic to pull it off. She cares about this club and cares about their good name. Cares about beating Sebastian but more importantly cares about doing right by her friends, which includes Klaine. Idk I just think chalking Santana’s actions up to her annoyance of Sebastian rather than her standing up for ND is the wrong way to look at it. She’s fighting for something here, not against. Michael is a great first real look at Santana using her bitch powers for good. From her wit through her sneakiness and even her vocals. She protects the people she cares about and I guess this means she cares about Kurt and Blaine and the whole of the club.

I always feel like disclaiming that Santana is a huge bitch whenever I write about her big heart because I feel people often choose one extreme and ignore the nuance. So yeah obligatory disclaimer, despite all this Santana isn’t a nice person blah blah. But she’s a damn good friend! And she is the kind of person who’ll take a slushie in the face and come up with convoluted plans and use her bitch powers to defend someone’s good name or bring them justice. She cares enough to do so. Much more than she cares about some lame ass racist jokes. See that’s actually part of why I don’t get the Sebastian/Santana obsession a part of the fandom seems to have; it’s not a particularly epic personal rivalry because she wasn’t fighting for herself. And she clearly beat Sebastian in terms of both wits and vocals, so.

#they look SO ridiculous with those hoodies on #i just mean they look adorable #when they're trying to be badass #tiny beans #anon #glee asks #santana asks #3x11 michael #santana's hardcore friend skills are often underestimated i feel #which is fair. she is also a bitch #but credit where credit's due none of this was for herself #santanalysis

[tuiyla]

Ranking Santana’s solos based on importance to her character, part I

I can never make up my mind when it comes to ranking GCVs based on taste. On most days, I can’t even do a solid top 3 because it changes all the time. And in the case of Santana solos, where it’s banger after banger that task becomes even harder. So like I’ve done before for Pezberry duets, I’ve decided to do a different type of ranking. One where we’re not judging the song itself or the vocal but rather the role it plays in Santana’s journey as a character. Does it represent a huge character moment? Is it more subtle in showcasing one of her traits but symbolizes an aspect of her nonetheless? These are the important questions.

Of course, just as ranking based on how much I like listening to the songs, this one will be subjective as well. It’s according to how I see Santana and what beats in her story I deem more important than others. And it’s also all in good fun and more so a semi-serious overview of all her solos rather than an exhaustive character study through song. The girl is in 99 episodes and sings in 108 songs - can you imagine how long that analysis would be?

Alas, out of 108 we’ll only be considering the 14 solos Santana had in the series. This excludes Santa Baby as it was a cut scene and frankly, is a can of worms on its own. Also not included is Silent Night, the album-only solo that would have made Glee, Actually much more bearable. Before we get started with the 14, I wanted to shout out the two songs that, had they been Santana solos, would surely be high on this list. The first is Constant Craving, which by all accounts should have been a solo and, in-universe, even was one. But because this is IKAG and we can’t have nice things, Santana shares the spotlight in her own coming out story with student-fucker Shelby Corcoran. The other song, one that does an even better job of capturing the tension of Santana’s story is the Troubletones classic Rumour Has It/Someone Like You. This one’s perfect as is and wouldn’t work unless a group number, but I wanted to shout out what a tremendous character piece it is anyway. But you don’t need me to wax poetic about that particular mashup because I already have.

So, without further ado, the bottom 7 of said list. Only half of it because part two is coming to you very soon with even more reaching and more to say on each and every solo.

14. Science Fiction Double Feature

Starting us off is the obvious choice for last place. SFDF might be Santana’s very first solo but it’s also one that barely even exists in-universe, only acknowledged as something that truly happened in a throwaway 3x04 line. The song has so little to do with Santana that the confusion about who was even singing was (Entertainment) news-worthy back in 2010 and that should tell you about how inconsequential Science Fiction Double Feature is on a character-level. Don’t get me wrong, the vocals are on point but this is not about that. And it’s not like it’s unique in that on this list full of Santana solos, as vocal excellence is just the universal truth of every one of her songs. As far as character beats are concerned, though? The Lips will have to contend with 14th place.

13. Back to Black

I consider this to be a severely underrated Santana solo so it pains me to rank it so low on here but audition songs are what they are. Now, we’re far from the zero importance of the previous entry but there’s no denying that Back to Black as a solo has little to do with Santana’s character. The song choice itself anyway; it’s little more than an opportunity to capitalize on the immense success and popularity of Valerie. And don’t get me wrong, giving Santana another Amy Winehouse song to sing was the right choice and I’m grateful for it. But does Back to Black have much to do with Santana Lopez as a person and her character development? That’d be a no.

With this song I can at least make an argument for the context, which is to say that the song itself might not be important but its existence is. In the context of 2x21 Funeral and the race for a Nationals solo, Back to Black has a rather big importance and it’s something Science Fiction Double Fiction couldn’t deliver. Santana is in-universe acknowledged as a great soloist on par with the previous big three of the Glee Club, Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes. And if we consider her growth from Sue’s spy to someone who grew to care about the club, or the out of universe importance of Naya’s increasing role in the show, that’s huge. Not only is Santana an actual voice within the club they consider and count on, but she’s among the now big four who are even considered for a task as big as a Nationals solo. True, Santana’s had a Sectionals solo before, much like Rachel before her, but you’ll see in my section on Valerie why that’s somewhat diminished in my eyes. Here, however, through her performance of Back to Black Santana’s acknowledged as the powerhouse she is and officially enters the ranks of the Glee Club’s best. The ones with the voice and, importantly, the ambition to want more.

12. Nutbush City Limits

Everyone’s but Tina’s favourite diva delivers on this one, no doubt no doubt, but much like Back to Black, Nutbush CIty Limits is little more than a song chosen because Naya Rivera had proven she sounded amazing covering the artists’ tracks. Like Back to Black, most of what we can take form this solo in terms of Santana’s character comes from context rather than content.

Nutbush being a Glee Club performance rather than an audition wouldn’t automatically put it one place higher but the emotional stakes of 4x13 Diva do. Nutbush gains its narrative relevance not from being Santana’s big return to Lima - after all, girl returned every two weeks for a while there in season 4. Though this particular return carries a similar status symbol to being part of the big four as it is Santana the Glee Club invites back for diva week and Santana who blows their minds. But that aside, the real selling point of Nutbush is the reason behind Santana’s return.

Granted, even with the Bram drama and Santana’s jealous scheming this solo isn’t all that juicy. Yes, it’s essentially her way of making Brittany jealous and an entrance worthy of Santana’s dramatics but Nutbush as a song is divorced from the episode’s storyline. As a song, it has nothing to do with Brittana or Santana’s journey in season 4. If we tried really really hard we could maybe reinterpret the lyrics to fit Santana’s Louisville life, which she says permanent goodbye to here, but even I think that’s be a stretch. So as is, here we have Nutbush City Limits coming in at 12th. Some contextual relevance thanks to the drama of Diva and an opportunity for Santana to further showcase her talents but not much else going for it.

11. Valerie

I debate each and every ranking with myself and the placement of Valerie is no different. See, if only it wasn’t so iconic and so obvious when we talk about Santana’s solos I’d have half a mind to place it lower. The same thing I said about the previous two entries can be said here and in fact, even what I said about Science Fiction Double Feature not being acknowledged in-universe save for a throwaway line in 3x04 kinda applies. Granted, Valerie absolutely is performed diegetically and also referenced in 5x12 100 when Brittana reprise the song. But still, I can’t help but feel like Valerie isn’t as appreciated within the world of the show as it should be and that fact keeps it out of the top 10.

Look, Valerie is obviously a big deal for Santana. I’d be willing to bet that if you asked fans, causal and hardcore Gleeks alike, what Santana solo comes to mind Valerie would be it. In the top 3, at the very least. And with good reason, as not only is Valerie the first proper Santana solo (sorry, SFDF) but also among if not the most iconic one. Everyone knows and with good odds loves Valerie. And it is significant that Santana becomes the second ND member to sing a competition solo with it, preceded only by Rachel and followed only by Tina. That’s a short and significant list to be on. And, since Sancedes were snubbed during 2x04 Duets, it’s the first time Santana’s singing talents are truly appreciated in the club. If her auditioning for a solo with Back to Black was a big deal then actually getting one certainly is.

But… we never talk about it. Not in the show we don’t, save for those very small references. A big deal is made out of Fabrevans getting the duet and even Bike’s dance showcase, but Valerie comes and Santana knocks it out of the park without so much as a “wow, Santana!” Or, “thanks, Santana,” or, “you’re getting the solo, Santana!” And really, Santana’s or rather Naya’s strange utilization throughout season 2 is a separate topic I could go on about, but you get what I mean. The song itself doesn’t even have to have significance because a competition solo is a big enough deal on its own and doesn’t need to have further meaning - Rachel’s DROMP being the outlier. But the thing with Valerie is, it gets so much more recognition beyond the constraints of the show than within it. For that reason, I cannot in good conscience place it any higher.

10. Love You Like a Love Song

I haven’t yet attempted to read much more into songs that were mostly there for performance value rather than character significance but I think it’s time we change that. And what other song to do that with if not, Love You Like a Love Song, the Santana solo everyone… just kinda forgets about, if I’m honest. In fact, you might be thinking: there’s no way this song is more integral to Santana’s character than freaking Valerie. Hear me out, my friend.

Context is key and for the first time on this list I can argue that the particular song choice is, too. Okay, maybe not as much as later entries will be but Love You Like a Love Song fills the purpose of, well, a love song. Crucially, and I’m kinda building my entire argument on this, it features one of Glee’s handful of pronoun changes. In Santana’s version, we can hear “constantly, girl you play on mind like a symphony” and that single change is elevated to a new level in the context of the performance itself. That being, Santana singing this solo at prom, that she went to with her out and proud girlfriend and where they’re up for prom king and queen.

I did tell you I would read into it but we have nine more songs to go, of course there will be a little reading into things. I’m aware that the significance of Love You Like a Love Song beyond being a generic prom performance exists solely in my head but, hey, maybe it exists in yours now too. Because isn’t that beautiful to think about, in terms of Santana’s journey? That she went to junior prom with her beard, miserable and deathly afraid, that she couldn’t dance with the girl she loved. And now here she is, a senior who might have been forcibly outed but survived and kept her head high, and now she’s proud and full of love. She wholeheartedly enjoys her senior prom with Brittany by her side and doesn’t even really care about prom queen anymore because she has love. A love she can sing about, with her girlfriend doing backup and with her changing the pronouns during a school performance because that’s who she is and who she loves. Girl, now that plays on my mind constantly.

9. Trouty Mouth

Yes, the joke song comes in at ninth. You think it should be lower? I think it should be higher but I didn’t dare. Even ninth place feels pretty audacious for an original song that was purely meant to be a joke, a joke about a cast member’s physical appearance at that. But Glee’s shittiness aside, I’m here to defend Trouty Mouth as a Santana solo. Put some respect on its name? Maybe not, but grabbing the shovel and giving a little depth to it at least.

So Trouty Mouth, in Santana’s own words, is an awesome heterosexual song she writes for Sam. How genuine she thought it was is another matter but we all know that at this point in the story, 2x16 Original Song, she’s fresh off from a semi-rejection from Brittany after she poured her heart out. So Santana, defensive as always and lashing out, doubles down on her own heterosexuality by writing her assigned original song to/about her boyfriend. And yes, sure, it is a joke. The joke here is that Santana is making fun of Sam’s mouth like she makes fun of so many people’s attributes, physical or not.

But here’s the thing, if we were to consider Trouty Mouth in earnest and examine why is it, exactly, that this was the best Santana could come up with, I think we reach an interesting answer. That being, that beyond insults being Santana’s MO she also has a history of making fun of guys’ physical appearance, particularly after being involved with them. Less so with Puck but her way of asking Finn out is already by insulting him and then she spends the rest of their interactions in the series really hammering the point home. And like with Sam, it’s the writers being asses about a cast member’s actual body and appearance, but putting that aside it’s Santana other MO of doubling down and going way too far. She makes a point of not only exaggerating Finn’s features but of highlighting just how unattractive she finds him. And though what happens with Sam is slightly different, it’s Santana hyperfixating on a physical aspect of a guy she’s involved with and making fun of it.

The way I see it, there are two main ways of looking at it and both circle back to the idea of comphet. One, Santana’s being genuine in her hyperfixation, at least with Sam because she’s desperately trying to make herself be interested in any part of this man. Even in this genuine attempt, if it turns into comedy then so be it, Santana does love insults. And if she’s being deliberately mean about it from the get go, like she is with Finn, then we can see it as an attempt to put these boys down in order to justify her own lack of attraction. See, no one could possibly be attracted to Finn, it’s not her fault. See, Sam’s mouth is ridiculous and therefore her own lack of feelings towards him despite dating is justified. So raw and confused immediately after the event of Sexy, Santana is reaching and coping in her own harmful ways. And if she makes fun of Sam in the process of trying to make herself feel better, so be it.

I told you we were gonna reach and I fully acknowledge this is way, wayyy more thought than the writers ever put into Trouty Mouth or indeed any of Santana’s body-shaming comments. And I’m not trying to exonerate her with this interpretation because she clearly made Sam uncomfortable and her relentless shaming of Finn was never okay. But doesn’t this make for a more compelling narrative, where it’s not just a joke? It’s Santana’s inability not to turn her attraction to men, or lack thereof, into a joke, because maybe then she’d have to contend with the fact that she is in fact gay. But no, she must still be straight because it’s these boys that are the problem, see. And so we have Trouty Mouth placed so high, relatively. But since I know this is a wild wild reach, I’ll contend with relatively high.

8. Don’t Rain on My Parade

Remember a few entries back when I said Rachel’s DROMP was the exception to the competition solo significance rule? Well, that comes back to bite us, bite me at least, as I struggle to place Santana’s version. This was originally not at the halfway point but placed fourth on my list that I jotted down back in April. Why for, I could not tell you now.

Well, I mean. There’s an argument there that DROMP is significant to Santana’s character, even if not as significant as it is to Rachel’s. But maybe that comparison and Santana’s complicated relationship with Rachel are the key to understanding Santana’s version. Season 5′s Don’t Rain on My Parade is an imitation of season 1′s version, where Santana basically retraces Rachel’s steps and, I’d argue, recaptures the Sectionals solo’s magic but does so by reinventing it. This more pop-sounding arrangement makes it clear that this is Santana’s version now and she’s going to leave her on mark on Rachel’s signature song.

Based on this, DROMP signifies several things for Santana. One, it’s an extension of Back to Black in that it firmly grounds Santana as one of the big players, now not just at McKinley but out in the real world, on Broadway. She makes an entrance and she does it well, matching Rachel’s talent to the point of scoring the understudy position. Two, because it establishes a potential career path for Santana, in a somewhat contradictory manner it also highlights how lost she truly is in the New York era and how desperate for a firmer sense of identity. Auditioning comes off as a rash decision and one she makes knowing full well it can jeopardize her relationship with Rachel. But Santana feels so stuck, so unwilling to be known as the Yeast Girl for the rest of her life that she barges in and barges in with DROMP, of all songs. Which leads us to three, Don’t Rain on My Parade (Santana’s Version) representing her intense and precarious friendship with Rachel.

Rather, the song choice represents it. The conscious decision Santana had to make to not just audition to be her roommate’s understudy, but to do so with a song that Rachel has such heavy baggage with. And look, I’ve seen several different interpretations of Santana’s performance. Some say it was meant to be insulting, intimidating towards Rachel. A call for war, even, since we’re talking about these two dramatic bitches. Some say imitation is the highest form of flattery, and it’s not like Santana’s attempts at bonding haven’t been misguided before. Some say she didn’t give the choice and indeed the audition itself much thought at all. I disagree with the last one and won’t decide between the other two today. The point is, it’s a layered choice and a layered situation between Pezberry. Throwing in the big question of what Santana should do career-wise, an arc throughout the New York era, we have a song that contributes… something to our understanding of Santana Lopez as a character. What, exactly, I’ll leave it to you to decide, but there is something there that’s worthy of closing our list of the bottom seven.

End of, for now

Aaaand that’s the list, for now. I promise this won’t be another situation where there are months and months in-between parts, I’m planning on doing part two this weekend. I just felt this post could use a break between the first and last seven entries as it’d be a looong long post all in one. If you agree/disagree with the bottom 7, feel free let me know, and I’m taking bets on the order of the top 7.

#glee #santana lopez #santanalysis #brittana #science fiction double feature #back to black #nutbush city limits #valerie #valerie s2 #dromp s5 #love you like a love song #trouty mouth

[tuiyla]

I present to you:

The Santanalysis timeline

Aka something to help me and all of us consider what Santana’s Glee journey actually is and how it happens chronologically. I’m not saying this is a definitive way of looking at her through the seasons and I’m not gonna do a “proper” analysis of all these eras here and now, but I thought it’d be fun to visualize how Santana’s journey evolves. And maybe something I can refer to when I progress with more elaborate Santanalysis stuff. These are central themes and semi-arcs she has through the seasons that help out - my - understanding of where she’s at.

For now, a brief overview.

Comphet:

Early seasons Santana is largely defined by the role she plays in others’ stories but as she grows into a major character this is recontextualized within her identity as a lesbian. The season 1 comphet stuff is very different from the season 2 one but this theme is the closest we get to a Santana arc until she comes out, first and foremost to herself. Even then, I’d argue her comphet struggle lasts until almost the very end of season 2. Season 1′s comphet breakdown is ready for you to read here; part two is coming at some point this century.

Coming out:

This is again not a single-season arc but rather one that is hinted at earlier on and kicks off in season 2B and “concludes” in season 3A. I say “concludes” because it’s not like being a lesbian stops being an inalianeble part of Santana’s identity, and it’s not like IKAG did a good job. For that reason, this would more accurately be titled “coming out/outing” but let’s keep it brief.

Career path:

An awkward titles for an arc that encompasses so much more and is never given the conclusion it deserved. Official kick-off would be 3x16 and then Santana spends a substantial amount of time questioning her path and even her identity within the context of performing and generally work-wise. We could again divide into subcategories: pre-graduation, Louisville, moving to New York, the many jobs she has until the feud, and even the very few s5B episodes she’s in give this more dimensions. A real coming of age journey for Santana and one of two central questions in her seasons 4 and 5 journey.

Inner circle expansion:

Again with the awkward phrasing, also known as “friendships.” I’d argue that, along with her search for an identity and career, a pillar of Santana’s s4 & 5 arc is her relationships. Her heart shines through in season 4 and she proves her worth as a friend throughout while also struggling and learning to expand her list of people she’s comfortable with. Comfortable being vulnerable around importantly, as that was mainly just Brittany in the past but here she builds a family of sorts with Kurt and Rachel and has more lowkey but important friendships with others. Much to say about this bit in her arc.

Happy ending:

I don’t quite know what else to title this last bit in season 6, if not just “Brittana.” Which, as you all know, I have no issue with but there is something to be said about how Santana’s two pillars of career search and other friendships are all but dropped in season 6. We could talk production reasons and how much her friendships were really dropped, and speculate what it is Santana decides to do in the future after all, but all in all even with this abrupt change of pace she still has a happy ending. The conclusion of Brittana’s arc is also her own and she gets resolution from not only Alma but Sue. Again, much to say about how that goes down, whether it’s satisfying, etc., but ultimately it just feels right to consider the tail end of Santana’s Glee journey her happy ending. Started with comphet now she has a wife.

#santanalysis #santanalysis structure? i suppose #let's say if i were to write a book on her this would be something to keep in mind #as i i haven't written enough to actually fill a book lol #glee #santana lopez #loml actually #this is v random i know i know #again so much to say about each 'era' #wait is this a gifset idea #no no that's a huge undertaking #unless 👀 #oh yeah i colour code the glee seasons #what of it

[tuiyla]

When Santana cries in the hallway and says "I used to love coming here, but now it just reminds me of everything that I've lost"

I know that the writers meant it as she lost Finn but because I'm a lit student I always analyse the shit out of everything so I always look at that like she's talking about a lot more than just Finn.

I always think its because she comes back to McKinley and shes reminded of all of her aspirations and what she wanted to achieve. Also specifically about Brittany. Because I would think that going back to McKinley would make her think about her and Brittany.

No idea why this disappeared from the inbox but I found it in the notifications. Thank you for sending it in again and for the patience.

I’m not a lit student but I can relate to wanting to analyse the shit out of everything haha. I think there can be more than Finn to it even if we don’t go digging that deep. The episode is about mourning Finn and Cory and I do believe Santana is struggling with the weight of that, but grief often brings out other strong emotions. Up to this point in the episode, that had been anger for Santana. But here she just looks exhausted and like she really is done with McKinley.

All of what you say and more is a part of it. That’s the best way to look at it, in my opinion. Although this feeling of being just done with Lima is brought on by Finn’s passing, it embodies all these different things that Santana had been holding onto and how wants to get rid of. Part of that is Brittany, as even here in The Quarterback Santana’s back where they fell in love but Brittany’s away at MIT and without her being there, walking down the hallways doesn’t feel right. Regarding her aspirations, I think Santana mostly just wants to be done with her high school persona and get the hell back to New York where she can at least hope to explore new things. McKinley also reminds her of how lost she was, and make no mistake, Santana in season 5A is still very much lost. But I also think she’s desperate to leave these heavy feelings behind and get back to her now cozy New York life.

When Santana says she used to love coming back, I’m assuming she’s referring to her season 4 returns when she hadn’t truly left McKinley yet. Finn and his leadership of the club was a big part of that and the weight of that, as well as her complicated relationship with Finn is hitting her. I’d like to think they ended in an okay place in season 4 and I’m delusional enough to pretend season 4 had a proper Finntana friendship. But still, with so much hurt in their history this is just way too heavy for Santana. And then you factor in Brittany, and then you add how miserable Santana was for most of high school, how she’s trying to escape that feeling of being lost, and it makes sense. It makes sense that she now associates McKinley with loss and she just wants to be done with it. I see her eagerness to go back to NYC as a bit of good old running away from problems, which do eventually catch up with her. But yeah bottom line is I agree that it’s a complex mess of many different things, including but not limited to Brittany.

Ever since I read the take that season 5 as a whole is best viewed through the lens of grief I haven’t been the same. I think grief is one of those things that bleeds into your everyday life, inevitably, and maybe other kinds of hurt bleed into grief, too. So it’s no wonder Santana feels so overwhelmed here, especially because she spends half the episode being incredibly closed off to even the idea of vulnerability. No wonder If I Die Young ends the way it does, no wonder she blows up at Sue the way she does. I don’t normally go into too much of an analysis with The Quarterback because, well, it’s a special case, but I do think there’s so much there. Particularly for Santana. I really like how they handle her in this episode.

#i kinda went off on a tangent there but that's because this is a great ep for her #and that feels strange to say - considering - but it's true #i'm obsessed with her anger i'm sorry it's just SO rich #nothing like a mad woman eh #anon #glee asks #santana asks #the quarterback #santanalysis

[tuiyla]

Okay, okay, There Are Worse Things I Could Do.

I’d argue this is the best song of the episode not just on terms of vocals but in terms of what it does for the story. Like A Boy Like That in season 3′s West Side Story this has an interesting meta layer of both the musical and the Glee’s story. And unlike the other “in-universe it’s a Santana solo but we’ll have it as a trio”, Constant Craving, this one actually does work really well as a trio.

TvTropes’ Glee page is kinda garbage, like, utter garbage in some parts but I really like what they say about this song, which is:

The best part is that it manages to be an "I Am" Song for Santana, a Villain Song for Cassandra and an "I Want" Song for Unique.

Even the way the distribute the lines is excellent to fit these three separate characters and their stories. And Naya Rivera, once again, doing her damn best to act out emotion through song at the very end there. Excellent piece.

Sure, bringing in Cassie is a weird choice but I’ll take this over Shelby singing Constant Craving because she’s fucking Puck any day, and at least this serves as a villain song unlike it did for Shelby.

#glee liveblog #there are worse things i could do #the glee tvtropes page is Bad but this thought stuck with me #maybe i should do a proper analysis of this gcv #4x06 liveblog #santana lopez #unique adams #cassandra july #santanalysis

[tuiyla]

Why do you think Santana acted as she did in the loft in GaBOF . I mean in the scenes with Kurt and Adam only. Did she not like Adam, or because she wanted Kurt back with Blaine, because she did like Blaine? Or just a little surprised that Klaine hooked up again? (How did she even find out and when, as she was busy herself!)

Oh some Santanalysis, my home.

I'll start with that last bit because I think it's the most realistic thing ever that Santana clocked Klaine at the wedding. Sure, she was busy with Quinn but she could have easily noticed the tension between them - or even potentially gossiped with Mercedes. Or noticed them leaving their room together once she waited a respectable six minutes after Quinn walked out the door and left the room, too. Santana "psychic Mexican third eye" Lopez is incredibly observant and knew about all the hookups happening. She didn't care on the night itself because, well, Quinn, but she clocked it. And she wasn’t surprised, similarly because she’s already observant. Santana could probably smell the intent of wanting to hook up with Blaine on Kurt as they left for Lima.

Second, I wanna address an opinion I've seen on Girls (and Boys) on Film re: Santana's scenes. I'm saying this is your opinion btw, as far as I can tell it isn't, but it's one I've seen. It’s that Santana was being purely chaotic here and messing with Kurt and Adam for fun, mostly because she was bored and wanted to stir the p(l)ot. Now, I even agree with the first half of that because I do think the core of it is Santana being deeply bored and trying to get things going, be a little chaotic because she’s nothing if not a chaotic bitch. But I don’t think it was malicious at all and I don’t think she wanted to actually mess with Kurt. If she did, she would have. And I don’t think she had any major problems with Adam; if she did, she would have been on him like she was on Brody. Based on nothing but vibes, I actually think Santana thought Adam was fine. Not exceptional, but a fine lad she didn’t have a problem with.

So her comments don’t come from a place of ill-intention or wanting to get rid of Adam. But I do think she knew what Kurt was still denying at the time, which was that Adam wasn’t going to last and his heart was still and would continue to be with Blaine. Plus, you know, her asking if Kadam were dating seemed genuine enough. Sure, there is the fact that she was oh so bored. She was more so messing with Rachel, if anything, given all the not so subtle pregnancy comments. And then Santana diverts her energies into dragging Brody, anyway.

So yeah. Boredom is what I make of it, I guess? And don’t get me wrong, Santana can be and absolutely is malicious on several occasions, but here she was just trying to find stuff to do. Her questioning of Kadam seemed genuine enough, and I think the Come What May comment was her way of reminding Kurt that she knows what’s up. That being, she knew he was still into Blaine and Santana’s no-nonsense side sometimes comes out when things are glaringly obvious to her but others keep skirting around the issue. And I think it’s kinda sweet she remembered what Kurt had told her about the song. Was she crossing some lines saying that in front of Adam, why yes of course. Santana lives on these sort of lines. Crossing them is her daily commute.

TL;DR Santana had no issues with Adam but could see right through Kurt and his true feelings, was bored, and ultimately found something better to entertain herself with anyway. I don’t know if I can confidently say her rooting for Blaine in all this was part of it, I just think she saw the Kadam/Klaine situation and where Kurt’s heart was realistically. But all in all she didn’t poke it all that much.

#anon #santana asks #kurtana #kinda i think these scenes are proof of their dynamic #kadam #klaine #kurt hummel #adam crawford #glee asks #her daily commute omg i'm stealing that from myself saving for later #santanalysis

[tuiyla]

What's the best Santana episode and why is it Girls (And Boys) on Film?

See Girls (An Boys) on Film is certainly a strong contender. I don't know if I'd say best purely because she has stronger moments in other episodes but the more I think about it the more I come to the conclusion that GABOF manages to represent most of Santana's defining traits.

So with the note that I'm not definitively saying GABOF is the very best, here are some of the reasons why I'm saying it very well could be:

Chaotic Santana at her best. She brings so much LIFE to the loft and sure, is a little bitch about it. But her digs at Kadam and obnoxious hints at Rachel's potential pregnancy feel more like attempts at amusing herself while also genuinely nudging her roommates into a direction she thinks is good for them. Contrasted with Santana's chaos from, say, Silly Love Songs, it's less severe and more well-intentioned. Even if the main reasoning is that she's bored lol.

Her going off about Brody. God, she was desperately needed in the New York storyline. She makes meta jokes and they don't sound cringe coming from her mouth. Santana's suspicions are presented in such a hilarious way but she's also not wrong, not entirely, and man I'm nothing if not a sucker for Santana's intuition. I genuinely think her observation skills, that "psychic Mexican third eye" is one of the most fascinating aspects of her character. And that says something because I'm fascinated by everything Santana does.

Finally, though I could go on much more about s4 Santana and specifically GABOF: the very end. When it comes down to it she is there for Rachel in such a raw emotional moment. Did she cross boundaries to get the info that Rachel could potentially be pregnant? Holy shit yes. Big no no. But despite her questionable methods, Santana gets things done and the thing needed to be done was giving Rachel support. I get why Rachel's mad at her but I also get that she can't stop the breakdown. And holy shit do I have chills when Santana immediately embraces her and the weight of it dawns on her. Because that's who she really is after all the jokes are said and the sketchy things are put aside. She's the best shoulder to cry on because here Santana is, reassuring Rachel that everything will be fine. Fuck if I don't believe her. I love this scene an unreasonable amount. Would be a Pezberry thought of the fortnight if those were still a thing.

So.... yeah, maybe GABOF it is lmao. As for other potential candidates, I made this list a while back that I still more or less stand by.

#sorry about the delay for this #i'm sure you're used to my speed by now 😂😂😭 #glee asks #santana asks #santanalysis #shovlaweeaboi #girls (and boys) on film

[tuiyla]

I was thinking some more about Glee and found family after yesterday’s post, and how well - or not - executed it was. My mind kept circling back to this scene and song in 6x06 What the World Needs Now, an episode I largely like, because this is one of those cases where the emotion of the scene doesn’t quite hit. With the proper buildup, this scene would have been so poignant and such an important piece of the found family puzzle, but as is I can’t help but feel it’s empty. So let’s use it as a case study in what Glee could have done better to make its found family theme stronger.

In the context of the episode and indeed Santana’s/Brittana’s entire storyline, this is a very specific case of the trope. Although we need to feel the family vibe of the New Directions as a whole to a degree, it’s Santana’s and, to a lesser extent, Brittany’s attachment to them that’s emphasized here. And that’s why it fails, because found family on Glee works better as a more generic, “we all love each other” thing, but when we focus on individual character’s place in this family it becomes more tangible. More tangible means we need more to buy the sentiment, to get the feeling that only does this group dynamic work but this individual/couple has a place within that dynamic.

What the World Needs Now’s declaration of love and family towards Santana and Brittany falls short because of three major failings on previous episodes’ part:

a section I’ll title “it’s all IKAG’s fault”

Brittana’s lack of established place in the group dynamic

season 6 dropping Santana’s friendships

Let’s briefly explore what I mean by these three points.

1. IKAG. as my tag for all things to do with the episode shows, is the bane of my existence and I take any and all chances to drag it. That said, I do have a reason I bring it up even now. What the World Needs Now was supposed to be a parallel moment of the New Directions reaffirming their love for and support of Santana. After having been disowned because of her sexuality three years prior, Santana’s rejected by Alma yet again in this episode. And what else to soothe that pain if not her found family reassuring her that she still has loved ones who accept her for who she is. Except, because IKAG was what it was and the whole mess handled the way it was, What the World Needs Now just doesn’t hit the way it was intended. The club blackmailed and patronized her then and their was no fallout following Alma’s rejection, little to no reaction from the New Directions. We’re not going to get into all the ways in which that episode and, by extension, the characters failed Santana because that’s for the very last Glee post I’ll ever write, but suffice to say this scene feels like it’s too little too late with season 3 in mind. Had IKAG not been the trainwreck it was and the New Directions genuinely supported Santana then, this reassurance would feel a little more, well, reassuring.

2. The Brittana of it all. I think the main issue here lies with Santana’s place, or in a way lack thereof within the group and reasons 1 and 3 are more important issues, but number 2 also applies. The performance is to reassure Santana but her entire season 6 storyline is the wedding and this scene in particular is about the New Directions fully supporting her marriage to Brittany. Where the issue is here is that Brittana were rarely any sort of acknowledged part of the group dynamic. I don’t think they needed to be on a Finchel level where at times it felt like the whole of ND revolved around them, no. Frankly, Finchel didn’t need that either. But I just mean that there could have been some indication that other characters dig them as a couple before this episode to make the support of the wedding feel more genuine. I don’t mean that chs should all be Brittana shippers, absolutely not. I mean that, at the very least, characters like Mercedes and Quinn could have had one-off lines about their friends’ relationship. Quinn isn’t even here as Dianna Agron peaced out after she got to sing Carole King (good for her) but Mercedes is, and so are others who had good relationships with both Brittany and Santana. Characters like Artie, with his history with Brittana, being supportive and contributing is nice but it doesn’t quite feel earned to have the whole club stand up for their love now, years and years later. Like I said though, this is the least important issue and the scene could have still worked if the other two points didn’t stand.

3. Finally, most damningly, the thing that makes me think this scene is just okay instead of breathtaking is the way in which season 6 approaches Santana’s friendships. It’s one thing that the club never seemed to care about Brittana and we’ll even say the atrocities of IKAG are between Flopson and god, but it just leaves a bitter taste that this scene is supposedly about how much these people love Santana when she doesn’t have a single meaningful scene with them all season. As I’ve stated before, post-outing Santana’s storyline rested on two pillars: questions about her career and future, and developing friendships with others. How well that was done is a question for another day, but seasons 4 and 5 undoubtedly had moments, at least, with characters like Quinn, Mercedes, Kurt, and Rachel. The latter two especially as Kurtcheltana shenanigans ensued in New York. Santana herself barged in when moving to New York, proudly proclaiming that Rachel and Kurt were her family. And look, I love this girly but I think that use of the word ‘family’ was a little premature and extra. It was, however, earned even by the end of season 4. They end of such a wholesome note in 5x19 but 5x20 was what it was and come season 6, questions of both Santana’s career and her friend circle/found family have been dropped. It’s like Glee didn’t know how to do both Brittana and a conclusion to what’s been building for Santana for two seasons. And in that context, it simply doesn’t feel rewarding to have these characters say rather generic lines in support of Santana, not when it feels like their friendships have been quietly forgotten about.

The real shame of this is that all of this isn’t on What the World Needs Now the episode. The 45-miuntes could happen as is but if the buildup was better we’d have a much more poignant scene. And sure, the scene itself could be better too but it’s mostly that journey there that leaves things to be desired. I still like it just fine, but do I think the speech and the performance are earned in the sense that they make me feel like Santana is truly getting a second family, one that accepts her? Well, not really. And this is just one example of Glee’s found family message missing the mark by continuing to make the same mistakes.

#santanalysis #sorta we'll allow it #glee #santana lopez #brittana #glee meta #what the world needs now #it just doesn't hit as hard as it should have ya know #i also think the chs say too generic lines in their speech to brittana #but that's not the main issue

[tuiyla]

You say that Santana’s season two arc was outstanding but are you completely happy with the lack of development she/Brittana got between Never Been Kissed and Sexy? For me as a Santana fan I never understood why they didn’t do more or anything to explore her sexuality in those episodes right before a big episode like Sexy even though there’s so much they could have done.

I'm sure you didn't mean it like that but lowkey love how accusatory this sounds lmao. I say it's outstanding (read in a Jane Lynch voice) but obviously, this is Glee 😂 So never gonna be perfect. But I get what you mean I'm just playing when I say this sounds accusatory.

I wouldn't say Santana and specifically, her sexual journey had no development between 2x06 and 2x15; I'd just say it was subtle. And not even in a "Glee is retroactively pretending it did something" kind of subtle, but actual clever writing subtle. I'm always reluctant to give them too much credit so I'll be cautious about calling these episodes and the subtle arc in them outstanding. Without making it sound pretentious and like I'm the only one who Gets It, actually, I'll say that most of my fascination with s2 Santana is down to my own interpretation. And these middle episodes are a very crucial part of that.

Now would be an excellent time to refer to part II of my Santana's comphet essay,

So anyway. In lieu of that, I did write about 2x08 Furt earlier today - I’ve heard that’s a good read uwu. It’s a subtle thing but I think subsequent episodes leading up to Sexy do build on it. Thinking about Silly Love Songs, an excellent Santana episode overall, it does feel like she’s getting desperate and struggling with relationships even if we don’t immediately clock it as relating to her sexuality. But what was her pursuing Sam about, because it sure as hell wasn’t about Sam. Consistently throughout season 2, even more so than in season 1, Santana is with men but demonstrates that she does not care for them. In parallel to this, we do know that she’s continuing to sleep with Brittany, who she does care about and doesn’t wanna talk about feelings with. It does come to head in Sexy, and though I don’t think we can call this lead-up particularly momentous, it also feels unfair to say it’s not there. Sexy is the big one, like you said, but it’s not like the signs aren’t there. I suppose we could have done with one more Brittana bedroom scene that confirms they are hooking up before Sexy does, but it’s implied and later stated anyway.

I'll also say that lack of progress for Brittana in those eps doesn't equal lack of development for Santana's own inner arc. I know you didn't say that, your phrasing just reminded me of an interesting element of the Brittana fandom and in fact pretty much every ship's fandom. To me, season 2 is about Santana trying to deal and she clearly can’t, which is why it makes sense that they don’t actually, “officially” get together this season. And why it makes more sense to have Santana’s arc in s2B from 2x11 until Sexy to be about men, or ostensibly about men but revealing more about herself than anything. Santana is only confronted with her feelings for Brittany and what they mean for her own identity in Sexy, that is the point, so to me it makes sense that she’d be in denial and actively cultivating a straight image up to that point. Cultivating it beyond, in fact, what with staying with Sam and then finding another beard in Karofsky.

I’m aware I might not be explaining this in the best way, again this is something I wanna go into excruciating detail about when I eventually write that season 2 comphet post. When I say Santana’s season 2 arc is outstanding, I do acknowledge that most of it is subtle (to the point of maybe only being my own delusion) but I think these small things add up because she did have stuff to do, shit to stir. Brittana have practically no development to speak of in these middle episodes, until Brittany puts her foot down in Sexy, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t going on internally for Santana. She’s freaking out. Particularly after Puck ceases to be an option for good, I think even she stops fooling herself about Sam and just goes after him specifically to spite Quinn, but not out of any illusion of being attracted to him. I think that’s exploring her sexuality, her total lack of actual heterosexual motivation. I guess that’s the power of Sexy to me. That we’ve been seeing Santana have all this power in all her sexual relationships but she never actually cared about the guys, so it dawns on us as it does on her what that means. In my interpretation, anyway.

Bottom line after all this is that they could have done something more flashy, I suppose. I’ll take more Santana any day, after all. But I do think Silly Love Songs in particular and everything that sets into motion is good development. Idk, I often struggle with gauging how good s2 actually is vs. how good I consider it to be because I dissect every moment. And I don't think audiences should put in as much as I do to get to the real meat of storytelling. But is what I put in even necessary? I'm well-aware that I go overboard with analysis, after all, lol. Much to ponder all around and these are the convos I'm fascinated to be having.

#glee asks #anon #like i know i don't actually go in depth with what that development is #i promise i do have a juicy section dedicated to this in that essay #that will eventually get written #and you know maybe i am being too generous with my interpretation and glee could have done more #i just think she's so neat i'm blinded to faults in the story #santana asks #santanalysis #santana's comphet

[tuiyla]

Rewatched 'If I Can't Have You' and started questioning who is dumber, me or the writers.

Santana goes off about wanting fame above all else, and how the song contextualize that. But it's very clearly a lie. I assumed she got embarassed by Schue's weird lawyer assumption after singing her first public love song to Brittany. But this episode frames it as a legit desire. And she books an international commercial withing her first months in NYC.

See, Santana was characterized as someone who values her eduaction, and both in Michael and at the end of Gleever, she seemed willing and even wanting to get an higher eduaction. But then she dropped out in Diva due to alienation and disinterest. And in Little Tapestry she mentions wanting to ho back.

To sum it up, like, is this decent writing? Like, I guess Santana was starstruck after meeting Blaine's brother, but to such a degree? Was the fame thing properly set up or implied before Gleever happened? Does this add nuance to Santana's charactet or is this a classic case of Glee being Glee? Yeah, real people are allowed to have multipule interests, motives, and conflicting ambitions, but fiction doesn't typically operate this way.

What I'm asking is how would you approach the topic of fame and education when analyizing Santana.

Would love to hear your thoughts. And I apologize for this jumbled mess.

Okay Anon, I know it's been a while, apologies, but I hope you're reading this and if so thanks for bearing with me. (Maybe give me a shout if you are reading lol.) This wasn't a mess at all, I loved reading this message and I'm always, always down for Santanalysis, when I have the time that is. And now I do, so let's get into it because I was also thinking about this exact topic when I rewatched Glee-ver so I was so grateful to get this ask. Also ftr the writers are definitely dumber because they are incompetent and you’re a smart egg. We’re gonna read into things and do the writers’ job for them, as with all Glee meta but that’s just to make sense of things and ponder more about Santana’s ch than the writers ever did.

To make a long story short, I think her genuine desire for fame but also If I Can’t Have You being about Brittany can coexist. I remember reading such a bad take on this song on reddit and I’ve been defensive of it ever since lol. I think you’re right, it’s both a song dedicated to Brittany and Santana getting defensive when Schue makes his weird assumptions, but it was also about fame. Because at this point in the story Santana has realised she wants fame and she wants to shine but she’s highly insecure and unsure about the how, so the questioning and assumptions from Will don’t help. And though she’s out and proud, we all remember how that went down and so it’s little wonder she also lashes out because of the romantic implications. It’s not that she doesn’t love Brittany and the song wasn’t, in part, for her, but Santana really does not like to be defined by others. Is it any wonder. So she sets Schue right on both accounts.

That’s the If I Can’t Have You of it all, now on the topic of Santana, education, and more crucially fame.

I say more crucially fame because I think to explore education would be a side tangent that includes a lot, i.e. even more speculation since Glee never bothered clearing things up about her upbringing. For example, we can headcanon that her claims of Lima Heights do have validity and that she didn’t grow up well-off because her dad was actively studying to be a doctor and only began working when she was slightly older. Thus installing in her an sense of importance when it comes to education, but who knows how Alma and Maribel played a role in that. This is just a headcanon that tries to make the pieces fit, and I think it’s worth exploring in its own post, but this is gonna be long enough even if we mainly focus on fame.

So for now I’m just gonna agree with you and say that those examples do point to Santana valuing education. I think there’s power in her doing so, as an Afro-Latina woman, as characters like Sebastian and Sue throw racist insults relating to education at her. Heck, even Glee itself as a TV show implies things like sex work in relation to her over and over again, which we know the show has fucked up views of, and the whole Glee-ver plot is, if we’re honest, about Santana being shallow and learning to value education as the “proper” route. Oh, Flopson. I mean, tell me this isn’t how it’s framed.

I wouldn’t go as far to call it decent writing, especially because Flopson himself is involved, but it’s writing we can make work and I think season 4 is a decent enough attempt at giving her an actual arc about this. Santana’s later seasons storyline, from season 3B up until 5x19 is mainly about two key things: friendships and her career/future. Post-coming out (khmm, outing), I think the writers struggled as to how best involve Santana in the main story but she was popular and Naya could more than carry it so they tried and found these two pillars. Were they aware that these two were the main things, not sure; season 6 tells me no. But to me everything to do with Santana in this period leads back to these two concepts, and the career/future one obviously leads us to fame.

To answer,  Was the fame thing properly set up or implied before Gleever happened?, I’ll say kinda but again, let’s not give Glee too much credit. Season 2 began building Santana up as a powerhouse performer who can’t be counted out and, finally, 2x21 Funeral made it clear that she had ambitions about performing. She auditions for the solo and then clearly cares so much when they lose at Nationals. Santana grew to care for Glee and as her role expanded, the writing made more of an effort to not only feature Naya’s voice but give an in-universe reason as to why Santana’s singing so often. So we have that sort of buildup in season 2 (and trust me I have thoughts on s2 and how much Santana sings and its narrative relevance, but another day). Then, with the Troubletones plot it’s Mercedes, best girl Mercedes who recognizes Santana’s talent and ignites this need to be heard and seen.

I think we can, if we’re being generous to Glee’s writing, view all of this as preamble to her post-graduation plans and desire for fame. Santana loves to perform and knows she’s damn good at it. And while yes, she does say she doesn’t care how she gets there, I think it’s pretty clear she’s primarily going for a performing arts type of thing even in Glee-ver. I think she had blind ambition even before Schue started making weird assumptions and she got defensive but then everything is just to cover up the insecurity of not knowing what she’s doing and what she wants. She doesn’t have the passion for Broadway that “Gayberry” do and isn’t so sure about being a recording artist like Mercedes is. Glee later tries to frame this uncertainty as her being lazy but we’re gonna ignore that racist implication and say fuck you to Glee for it. Santana’s not lazy, she’s just... lost. And I do believe this adds nuance to her character, we just have to dig rather deep. Luckily I have a shovel reserved just for Santanalysis.

I would say there’s enough in season 2 and 3 to make us buy that she wouldn’t be comfortable in Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Santana values education but she feels out of place there and, after trying to move towards the past and being convinced by Brittany to follow her dreams instead, she goes to NYC where she continues to be unsure about what she wants exactly. I like this general arc for her, even though it doesn’t get a proper resolution, because I think it shows that she has ambition and has a passion for performing but just doesn’t know how to channel that. To go back to If I Can’t Have You, her speech was the embodiment of this young teenage fire and ambition that doesn’t actually have a plan in mind. Just the goal of fame.

Now, why she wants fame so bad is something that made me a think a lot. Why do people want to be famous? Rachel, for example has a layered but pretty easy to understand relationship with fame and her arc has always centered it. The writers, when bothering to make Santana more than a vapid cheerleader didn’t fully think her relationship with fame through. I think the most convincing argument is that she wants to be seen and understood, loved even, and wants it through something that she loves, performing. She says in 2x20 Prom Queen that she just wants one night where she’s accepted and not an outsider, and what is being famous if not getting the public’s approval. And I think one of my favourite Santana quotes also ties into this:

You taught me to be a strong Latina woman. To be bigger than the world was ever gonna give me permission to be. And I have.

Santana tells Alma in 6x06 What the World Needs Now. Santana has a funny relationship with people’s expectations of her and shaping perceptions, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that part of her wanting fame is wanting to be bigger than the world wanted her to be. As an Afro-Latina lesbian who suffered so much to fit in, now wanting to shape her own image and shining like the star she is. I think initial blind ambition, tempered with education that she then leaves behind to pursue all kinds of things - dance, acting, Broadway, music, PR - makes for an interesting story. I sure wish it was better developed and, you know, leading somewhere, but I think it fits with her character. And her desire, often aimless desire for fame coexists with the voice in her head that does think education is important.

UofL wasn’t for her, either way, and it wasn’t something she chose in the first place (and, actually, someone remind me to write about her relationship with cheerleading and her ultimately rejecting it) but like you mentioned she decides to go back to college in season 6. I really like that for her, even if we never find out more. I like that she tries a bunch of different things with some success and some failure, until she finds a firmer sense of self with her friends and her wife and then decides to take a step back and get a degree after all. I wish we knew more about her major or even where she ended up going (NYU?) but I’ll take the breadcrumbs I can get from season 6.

Like I said there’s more to explore about her relationship with education, but so much of that depends on how we headcanon her homelife. We do know that education matters to her, but UofL just wasn’t the way and Santana’s story was one where she needed time to figure things out. I’d say her obsession with fame, to the degree it manifests in Glee-ver and how it’s handled, is not exactly well set up but it overall works for her character. She wants things but doesn’t know exactly what they are and how to achieve them. She has a tendency to go overboard and think too much of others’ expectations, which in turn make her want to rebel against them. Fame, for whatever reason, is a good enough motivation for her to have in the latter half of the series and it gets somewhat of a decent setup in the first half. Personally, my main beef with Santana when it comes to education and fame isn’t even that, it’s just the lack of a proper resolution. If we had that there’d be much more to discuss.

#santanalysis #feels good to tag that again #anon #love ya anon hope to hear from you #glee asks #santana asks