Studio recordings of four of the songs performed in the episode were released as singles, available for digital download, and two appear on the album Glee: The Music, Volume 1.

Having failed to achieve her Broadway dreams, April is now an alcoholic, and goes about winning the favor of the existing club members by unconventional means, including getting Kurt (Chris Colfer) drunk and teaching Mercedes (Amber Riley) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) to shoplift.

Club member Finn (Cory Monteith) is concerned for his future, having been told by his girlfriend Quinn (Dianna Agron) that she is pregnant with his child.

Rachel, realizing she is unhappy performing in the school musical and excited over Finn's interest in her, returns to the glee club.

Finn insists the kiss they shared was honest, but Rachel is unconvinced and defects from glee club once again, returning to the school musical, where she is given full artistic control.

At Invitationals, a drunk April, accompanied by the glee club, performs Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" for a packed auditorium and receives the standing ovation she always dreamed of.

This leaves New Directions without a lead singer for their next number, but Rachel offers to go on in April's place—she has quit the musical, and wants to rejoin the club—and they all perform Queen's "Somebody to Love".

Robert Bianco for USA Today wrote of Chenoweth's guest appearance: "Her presence may not make much sense, but that's probably all right.

"[21] Raymund Flandez for The Wall Street Journal was equally positive regarding Chenoweth's role, praising her "powerful voice", "kittenish mien" and "commanding presence".

[22] Flandez deemed the performance of "Somebody to Love" the show's best number since "Don't Stop Believin'" debuted in the pilot episode.

[22] Mike Hale of the New York Times similarly stated that "The Rhodes Not Taken" was "the best episode musically since the pilot", calling the performance of "Somebody to Love" "truly rousing".

"[26] Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly also called "The Rhodes Not Taken" the best episode of Glee so far, deeming all the musical numbers "fantastic".