Heart

"Heart" (stylized as "♥" in Fox's video preview materials) is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the fifty-seventh overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by co-creator Brad Falchuk, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2012, and features Valentine's Day love songs performed by the McKinley High glee club. It also features the debuts of special guest stars Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Rachel's two fathers and The Glee Project winner Samuel Larsen as transfer student Joe Hart. Whitney Houston's version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" is performed by Mercedes (Amber Riley) in the episode, and the completed episode had been delivered to the network and was scheduled to run in three days when Houston died unexpectedly on February 11, 2012; a dedication to her was added in the episode's end credits. Reviewers gave Riley's rendition a very positive reception, the best of those given to the ten songs that were heard in the episode, though the performances in general were well received. It was one of two songs from the episode to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100, along with "Stereo Hearts", while the other six singles did not chart. Reviews of the episode varied widely, but there was more positive reaction than not. The greatest enthusiasm was for Rachel's fathers, though Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba) was complimented on his brief scenes, and the scene with Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Karofsky (Max Adler) was also praised. The episode was also significant because it featured an on-screen kiss by Santana (Naya Rivera) and Brittany (Heather Morris), which was the show's first lesbian kiss. Upon its initial airing, this episode was viewed by 6.99 million American viewers and received a 2.8/8 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, the lowest rating of the third season to date. The total viewership was down over 11% from the previous episode, "The Spanish Teacher".