I was a GLEE fan from the start - before the hype, before it was fashionable to be a fan, before it was hip to be a Gleek. I went through everything it gave me, I stuck to it until sometime last season when it was just too much, when I felt it was so done. So in a sense, I already said goodbye to the show. But then this year, it apparently came back, for its last season, with a vengeance. I will binge-watch the earlier episodes one of these days but I just had to tune in to the two hour series finale. And I am still crying. This show broke so many barriers, it redefines musical comedy for television in so many ways that it was kind of tough to say goodbye to the show, and these characters who brought me so much joy in the past. All the goodbyes are here, maximized to squeeze tear ducts, and you know what, that's fine. Let's all grieve. The first half is a bittersweet look at how New Directions came to be, and gave us a glimpse at how the group was formed - it even showed us how Kurt and Rachel met, culminating with the two of them singing "Popular," from WICKED. (They have done every other hit song from the musical so it's a wink and a nod) The second half hour has all of them saying goodbye, and that's when the waterworks started. From Mr. Schuster with his ukulele to Sue Sylvester singing "The Winner Takes It All" all emotions are laid bare, and when we fast forward to where the characters are five years later, we see their triumphs. I couldn't stop myself from bawling when Rachel Berry finally wins a Tony, and when Sue introduces the whole cast on stage to sing "I Believe" I think a temporary flood alert was broadcast in my building. The show ends with a plaque that says "See the world not as it is, but as it should be," a mantra that capsulizes what the show is all about. Thanks for the laughter, tears, and music, Glee.
I wish I could say I bawled, but I didn't. I was giddy when I found out what they were doing to McKinley and misty-eyed when Rachel thanked Shue in her Tony speech, but that was it. I think if the series had stayed true to the first 3 or 4 seasons and not jumped the shark big time, I would have stayed more emotionally connected. Glad you liked the finale and felt a closeness to the series. I do wish there had been a New Directions when I was in high school. I felt like it was the place to be for those who didn't fit in and was like an instant family. I didn't start feeling that way until I went to Rocky Horror when I was about 18.
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