(Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)On Friday night, “Glee” came to a close, and we all sobbed our eyes out as we said goodbye. For the past six years, we’ve kept tabs on these character's relationships, their weekly ballads and their emotional woes, and we cheered them on every step of the way.
The two-hour special opened with a flashback to 2009, when all of the original glee club members auditioned beneath the bright lights of the stage that housed so many performances.
This first hour was a more in-depth view of what went on during the beginning of season one. There was a sense of nostalgia in the air as we watched Kurt sing “Mr. Cellophane,” running home to tell his father he finally joined a club at school, struggling with the idea of coming out.
As we know, Kurt married the love of his life, Blaine, just a few episodes prior, and it was a pleasant reminder to see the evolution and struggle of each character.
The flashback is brought to a close as a clip of the original New Directions is shown, our original six singing “Don’t Stop Believin’,” complete with Finn Hudson. We’ve all missed him on the show immeasurably since Cory Monteith passed in 2013, making this flashback a tear-filled necessity.
Immediately after, the show jumps to present day, with this season’s New Directions winning Nationals. Mr. Schue inevitably got teary-eyed, as his kids reached the top once more, this time under the advisory of Rachel and Kurt.
Then came a send-off worth waiting for. The show begins to jump forward in time, leaving no questions unanswered. Nothing is worse then a show leaving a cliff hanger of sorts (yes, I’m talking to you, "Gilmore Girls"). I cheered from my couch when I realized “Glee” wasn’t going to pull that.
Jump forward three months. Will is dubbed as principal of (get this) the William McKinley School of the Performing Arts! There are now four different glee clubs.
It seems like yesterday they were scrounging to have enough members to qualify to compete. Sam takes over the New Directions, and, quite frankly, looks like he’s going to rock it. Mercedes becomes the opening act of Beyonce’s World Tour.
Jump forward five years. Kurt and Blaine are still crazy in love (thankfully!) and have produced the first LGBT version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” The iconic couple gives an inspirational speech to an elementary school music class, and they perform a "Klaine" duet. It wouldn’t be a proper series finale without it.
Jump forward another five years. Artie and Tina are back together, which was an interesting blast from the past, as that relationship was from way back in season one.
Rachel is pregnant! However, she is a surrogate for Kurt and Blaine. Rachel is married to Tony winner Jesse St. James. (Remember him? Rachel’s long ago boyfriend about whom Finn belted out “Jesse’s Girl”? Yep, he’s still as dreamy as ever.)
Jesse and Rachel go to the Tony Awards, with all their friends gussied up in a New York apartment watching intently. Will, his wife, Sam, his many children, and Sue watch at home in Ohio. Of course, Rachel wins, giving a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Schue, crediting all her success to him.
The entire show and series comes to a close as Sue gives a heartfelt speech, dedicating the auditorium to Finn, making it the Finn Hudson Auditorium. The tears start to fall, and every member of glee from over the years enters the auditorium to join in the singing of One Republic’s “I Did It All” before the credits roll for one last time.
Truthfully, there could not have been a better send-off, as it was perfectly balanced between past and future, showing the evolution of the main characters. Every wondering is dismissed, and I was left satisfied with each of the characters fates, which made it much easier to say goodbye to “Glee.”
For the past six years, “Glee” taught us one main, important lesson. As Sue so eloquently put in her closing speech, “See the world not as it is, but as it should be.”
Through the diversity showcased in “Glee” as well as the undying ambition of so many characters, we learned this lesson with each passing season, the finale only solidifying what we already knew in a much-appreciated, commendable way.
What did you think of the send-off? Tell the reporter at dpharias@asu.edu or follow @dpharias on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
