Yes, gleeks, this is the season finale. The thirteen months since Glee premiered has been a whirlwind, and yes, it’s over, at least for now, but not without a pretty big whirlwind. It’s regionals. All that New Directions has worked for is on the line. All the blood, sweat, and (extra emphasis!) tears, all on the line. And what did it bring us? A really heavy episode, which wasn’t really what I expected…
So what happened? Vocal Adrenaline won regionals. New Directions didn’t even place. And just when you think it’s because Sue was a judge, think again: she voted for the very kids she went up against! In fact, she blackmailed Figgins one last time, forcing him to extend glee club for one more year. Oh, and Quinn gave birth, with her mom present. But we won’t hear much from Beth Fabray for a while, as she still gave her up for adoption… to Shelby. Maybe we should all call her Beth Corcoran now.
This week’s best: the “Bohemian Rhapsody”/Quinn giving birth montage
The film geek in me is a sucker for those grand, stylized scenes that say so many things and look so amazing — that explains my love for April and Will’s duet a few episodes back. The series finale did just that, juxtaposing Vocal Adrenaline’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Quinn being rushed to the hospital and giving birth to Beth. Sure, in some places it got a little ridiculous (Quinn screaming “let me go” with the song felt too plugged in) but for the most part it was genius: the frenzy of the song and the frenzy of childbirth get a mash-up, resulting in the last of Glee‘s baby storylines getting resolved in a frantic, breathtaking, and oddly heartfelt way.
This week’s worst: all the series finale-style crying
I always felt that the episode was supposed to be a celebration of everything that’s great about Glee. All the singing, all the things we saw over the 21 episodes that came before tonight… but what’s up with all the crying? I get it: they feel like they all got screwed with Sue being a judge, and glee club might cease to exist if they lose. But all the anxiety felt over-the-top — and while Glee does things over-the-top all the time, I didn’t find this funny. (All the realizations during “To Sir, With Love” was something I’ve gotten used to.) It felt like a series finale, despite the show being renewed for two more seasons.
This week’s best song: Rachel and Finn’s “Faithfully”
The revised “Don’t Stop Believin'” felt weird to me. Their Journey mash-up was cool. But I go with the very first song in their set, and all because of the conversation that went before it:
Rachel: “Break a leg!”
Finn: “I love you.”
This week’s quotables:
“Your hair is like a briar patch. I am waiting for racist animated Disney characters to jump out and sing songs about living on the bayou.”
— Sue pulls off another one before Will’s hair could head to the battlefield
“Life is just a bunch of experiences. You don’t get a medal at the finish line for being good. You get dead.”
— Puck’s flashback was apparently foreshadowing. Genius!
“Heart? Oh, please. Talk about blatant tokenism! That whole ‘we’re inspiring, we’re a rag tag bunch of misfits’ thing is so 2009.”
— Olivia Newton-John, at least, still has her finger on the pulse
“Kiss my ass, Josh Groban! I’m an internationally-ranked cheerleading coach!”
— Sue reminds Josh that she isn’t a constantly-inebriated woman like Will’s mom
“It’s as barren as me in here, Will!”
— Sue makes me wonder if she’d make a good mother to Beth
My post-season thought bubbles:
What’s next for New Directions? We only know they’ll get three new members, but the way this season conclusively ended, it seems I don’t really have much to ask.
What’s next for Will and Emma? Nothing right now, I’m afraid, since Emma’s going with that dentist guy (John Stamos!), which is no surprise because for her, the most intimate thing that could happen is have someone inspect your teeth. And while the pairing was good, I oddly wish Will would just let her go for once.
What’s next for Rachel and Finn? Well, they ended together, but is this finally the moment when she realizes that he’s really the one? The past season she’s been, you know, quite jumpy and insecure. Please, tell her this is it.
What’s next for everybody else? Judging from the solos on “Don’t Stop Believin’,” we can expect a focus on a handful of couples: Artie and Tina, Puck and Santana… and with Mercedes and Kurt getting partners next year, I can’t help but wonder about Quinn. What about her now that she’s given up the baby?
Will anyone please release Sue’s memoirs, I’m A Winner and You’re Fat? Although I doubt I’ll like whatever’s written on it… anyway. See you all next season! Applause, fellow gleeks.
(Images courtesy of FOX)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
