In the first season of Glee, one thing was crystal clear: if Finn Hudson had it, then Noah Puckerman wanted it. Despite their longstanding friendship, Puck couldn’t seem to keep from sabotaging a good thing. He had sex with Quinn, then pursued her behind Finn’s back. Later, he made a move on Rachel, Finn’s not so-secret crush.

Cheating, lying, and competing for the affections of women are all ancient human behaviors, of course, and if he were called upon to explain himself, it seems more than likely that Puck would say he was letting his groin make his choices for him. But on Glee, nothing
is ever so simple. Fans of Puck’s bad-boy mystique have to ask whether poor impulse control is the whole story.

If not, what’s the alternative?

“You think either of us is gonna give a damn
about Finn in three years?”

—Puck, “Journey” (1-22)

During their fateful sexual encounter, Quinn raised the question of Finn. Puck’s response—that neither of them was going to care about Finn after high school—was immediate, callous, and made him sound like an immoral jerk, someone with nothing to lose. After
all, messing with someone’s girlfriend is no big deal if you’re just hanging out with the guy to kill time until graduation.

It is only natural to ask if the boys’ friendship is a sham, a façade
without any depth. Puck’s behavior aside, the  …