Six Quintessential Moments From The Glee Finale

The New Direction’s loss in Regionals in the first season finale of Glee was one of my very first blog post topics, so I felt it was only fitting to write something about the show’s series finale too.

To be honest, I mostly stopped watching Glee sometime during season four. I popped back in to see “The Quarterback” (5×3), occasionally watched some of the musical numbers on YouTube, and even read a recap every now and then. For as much as the show jumped the shark and turned over its cast, a part of me still had a soft spot for the series. Glee’s themes of acceptance and believing in yourself coupled with its catchy as hell song and dance numbers typically made for a pleasant viewing experience.

So of course I tuned into the finale [“2009” (6×12) and “Dreams Come True” (6×13)]. For the most part they pushed the new kids to the side and we got to spend the last two hours of the Glee with the characters who started it all: Will, Sue, Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, and Tina. The first hour even flashed back to 2009 and showed what we didn’t see during the Pilot episode, which made for a really nice full circle farewell. That’s not to say the ending was perfect, in many ways it was a prototypical episode of Glee, with moments that pulled at the heart-strings followed by scenes that were more groan worthy.

But given Glee’s title and overall penchant for positivity I figured I’d stick to the highlights, so with further ado, here’s the top six moments that’ll make you remember why you fell in love with this series in the first place. (Fair Warning: Spoilers Ahead.)

 

Kurt and his Dad

Sometimes Glee could broach after-school special territory or be emotionally manipulative, but any scene with Kurt and his dad were always on point. As we learn in the penultimate episode, Burt was the one that pushed Kurt to join a team. He of course meant something with sports, but okayed the Glee Club after learning that competition was involved.

 

Rachel Gets Slushied

Slushie-ing people seems like a strange way to bully someone, but it was Glee’s thing and we got to see it one more time.

 

“Don’t Stop Believing” One Last Time

Obviously the original performance from the pilot was used, but its effective all the same.

Sue Kicking Piano Brad’s Bench

I always wanted to know more about Brad the piano player, maybe more insight was given in one of the many episodes I missed, but either way I enjoyed the small moment between him and Sue, where she kicked the piano bench out from under him. It just felt like a very ‘Sue’ thing to do, to ruin the perfectly nice moment her and Will just had. And brad’s presence was at least acknowledged.

 

Rachel’s Acceptance Speech

Over the years Glee has always shifted perspectives from person to person and while it’s hard to really pin point one central character, the show has always rotated around Rachel and Will Schuester. So it feels right that when Rachel Berry wins a Tony Award in the future, Will would be one of the people she’d thank and ultimately dedicate the award to. And that moment would be equally sweet for him.

 

The Final Number

What would Glee be without one last song and dance? I have mixed feelings about their use of One Republic’s “I Lived”, partially because Red Band Society featured it, but seeing everyone on stage and in the newly dedicated Finn Hudson Auditorium, well that was a perfectly fitting image to close on.