#santanalysis

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.

Because I just love when people analyze small things about characters.

Hmm, I can't say I've spent much time overanalysing this particular facet of Santana's personality tbh. I also can't speak to any kind of cultural/linguistic stuff that might be influencing this kind of dialogue beyond assuming the writers probably weren't educated enough to keep those considerations in mind either. I don't think she was trying to be funny though, because of all Santana's lines, these don't tend to be the ones that get the laughs?

I guess I always just assumed Santana spoke like that when she was trying to add a dash (more) bravado to whatever it was that she was saying. Kind of a protective layer, of sorts. Because she's usually quite well-spoken, and words tend to be her weapon of choice, so it makes sense that it's intentional (consciously or not) for her to be not speaking as 'properly' as she normally would.

A few examples spring to mind, which seem to be when Santana is putting herself on the line. I'm not saying they're hugely consequential moments, per say, but all have an element of risk and involve people she isn't as familiar with so the outcome might not be as predictable as usual (eg. we rarely see her speaking like this when she's being open/vulnerable with those closest to her). So, she adds a dash of a**hole to her speech, and that way if she's rejected, it's easier to brush it off as her just joking around.

Confidence is key:

1. 'I wants on them froggy lips, and I wants on them now' - this is when she propositions Sam, even though he's still with Quinn. Aside from being perceived as a b*tch for trying to steal someone's boyfriend, we should keep in mind Santana is heading into her early s2 gay panic here, so getting a smokin' hot BF is kind of essential to maintaining her image. She's scheming her way to safety again, but Sam's the new kid and a bit more of an unknown at this point. It could go either way. She can't come off as too desperate.

2. 'Get out of my way, afores I ends you.' - like... she's literally threatening Lauren, a champion wrestler, who she thinks is stealing Puck from her. Girl has to know she's in danger of getting beaten up here. Surely?

3. 'Britts and I wants to get our anaesthesia on.' - idk man. If I were asking a dentist, who also happened to be married to my school guidance counsellor, to give me drugs for no good reason whatsoever, I'd be a little nervous about the outcome too.

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).

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.

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.

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

Got really excited for this ask but as you know I’ve been putting it off for a hot sec just because, well, my interpretation is a big part of the fabled, the unknowable. the who-knows-when-happening part II of the Santana comphet essay. At least the Finn section. And I guess call that my 2023 goal to write the damn thing in full but to do this justice I will get into some of what I’ll one day include in that post.

So. I actually don’t think it has much to do with Brittany - even as a Brittana fan, I find the most fascinating parts of Santana’s season 2 story not necessarily in their journey but in Santana’s inner turmoil. I mean, yeah, maybe part of that look is her briefly considering Brittany, not saying that interpretation isn’t valid. But just thinking about where Santana’s at when Furt happens, I don’t think she’s even considering things like being with Brittany publicly the way Finchel are. She’s very far into the closet and is “fine” with their setup of keeping it behind closed door, except for when it’s convenient for clout and not taken seriously. “Fine,” as in the burning house dog is fine in the meme. But baby gay Santana in s2A isn’t ready to consciously have those thoughts yet.

No, instead I think it’s about Santana’s insecurities about appearances. Not specifically about Brittany, but not about Finn or even Rachel, either. Just about attending this wedding without a date, thought presumably getting paired with Puck as a default (based on Marry You, for example). Now, to really understand what I’m getting that we’re gonna have to rewind to earlier in the episode when Rachel rallies the Glee girls to talk about protecting Kurt. Santana’s indignant not to have been included, Rachel’s reasoning being that she doesn’t have a bf on the football team. And as Santana’s on-off fuck buddy relationship with Puck gets invalidated, we see her start to scheme. Despite Quinn having been the one to do the invalidation, she warns Rachel about the offense. And sure enough, we get a scene of Santana making another move on Finn, despite the two not having had interactions since their one-night thing of season 1 (thankfully).

The key to this quick, longing, sad glance is in these two scenes. The girls excluding Santana and her trying to do her manipulative, man-eater thing on Finn and it not working. As I detail in the comphet part I post I linked to, that’s what Santana’s relationship to men is about: optics. The optics for her in season 2A are not good as the novelty of Pucktana’s volatile thing wears off and she sense social danger by not being perceived as a girl with a jock boyfriend. Of course, Santana shouldn’t be taking a random Glee girls meeting so seriously or personally - in fact, she should be focusing more on the objective of trying to help and protect Kurt. But the flawed, insecure teenage girl she is, Santana cares about what people think of her and for her. And men have always been an important part of her social standing and perception.

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.