Glee Season 5: The Quarterback Episode Review

The Quarterback
Season 5, Episode 3

How can you grieve so much for someone you've never met?

I know. I know. I stopped watching (and covering) Glee in Season 3 just because I didn't enjoy the show anymore, but I'd make a special episode review as this somehow brought closure to Finn's character and Cory Monteith as a person. Of course, there will always be a void in there, especially for fans of the show since Season 1, but it's time to say farewell to our beloved Quarterback, Finn Hudson.

This episode transcended the Glee storyline. It was cathartic, which felt like something jammed its fist into my heart and ripped the lid off a well of old pain. If a tribute was supposed to make you "let it all out", then Congratulations Glee. You officially became the only comedy show that has this innate ability to send a grown man to tears.

THE GOOD:

- Let me say it right off the bat, this tribute episode was perfectly well written and tastefully executed. I could not have been happier at how the show and writers handled this terribly hard situation - managing to capture both grief and positivity in one episode.

- I was also in awe that the whole cast was able to harness their own grief to give the audience this chance to say goodbye. Thank you.

- Kurt's voice over at the top of the episode was spot on. "Everyone wants to talk about how he did, but who cares? That's one moment in his whole life. I care more about how he lived." I appreciated how they simply wanted to show the legacy of the character and not dwell on how he actually died.

- Carole's speech with Burt and Kurt felt so raw and powerful, I completely lost it. "How parents go on when they lose a child? How do they wake up everyday? How do they breathe? You don't get to stop waking up. You have to keep being a parent even though you don't get to have a child anymore". This scene alone was beautifully written and acted from everyone involved. It felt very real.

- I liked how this episode highlighted how different people grieve and I got Santana's storyline. She and Finn had a troubled relationship, but Santana genuinely thought that he was a nice person despite the "outing" debacle in Season 3 and she's grieving over the fact that he died not knowing that. It's moving, especially how she and Sue Sylvester had the same sentiments.

- That locker room scene with Puck and Beiste was pretty intense and emotional. I felt like Puck was more afraid than angry as he no longer has his Quarterback in life to guide him. But what Beiste told him made sense, "It's time for you to be your own Quarterback".

- Sue Sylvester's moment was poignant! She was still pretty feisty and straightforward, but what she said got me thinking, "There's no lesson here. There's no happy ending. There's just nothing. He's just gone. It's just pointless. All that potential.."

- Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) was outstanding and I have a new level of respect for her. I went to the ugly cry during her scenes.

- Memorial plaque was brilliant and the quote "The show must go.. all over the place.. or something" was what he said right before competing against Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions had no songs to perform. It was classic and I felt sad remembering that.

- The final scene with Mr. Schue holding Finn's Letterman jacket crying was absolutely heartbreaking. I'm no fan of Will Schuester, but I felt his pain and sadness. Those kids have always been his heart and I thought it was hard to see him be in such pain. Sad.

THE BAD:

- I understand that Tina's coping mechanism was her grieving onto something trivial, but what did she do to deserve such writing? Ryan Murphy must really hate her.

- Or maybe Ryan Murphy hated Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray) more that he didn't even invite her to appear on the episode. Next to Rachel, Quinn had such a long history with Finn and her absence was just SO obvious.

THE MUSIC:

SEASONS OF LOVE. Perfect song to open the show as this sounded more like a prayer than anything else. I liked that the performance opened with the sophomores and then the seniors and the graduates. The solos were great, but when Mercedes started hollering, the whole thing brought this to something more fantastic, especially when they turned around with Finn's picture at the wall.

I'LL STAND BY YOU. Oh My God. Even before Mercedes started singing, I was already bawling. I remember Finn singing this song and I liked how Mercedes took the song and just went all out as if singing her frustrations and pain because of Finn's death. Powerful.

FIRE & RAIN. This was quite lovely. Loved how Sam sounded, which complemented Artie's voice. Very nice.

IF I DIE YOUNG. The a capella intro was sublime, and how she interpreted this song was a thing of beauty. Also, was it just me or was her scream at the end felt real?

NO SURRENDER. We made a promise / We swore we'd always remember/ No retreat / Baby, no surrender. The song got to me even more because of the lyrics.

MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE. This song seriously changed the entire tone for me. I was able to separate the characters from the actors up until this moment. I somehow felt like the casts' reaction during this performance was how they felt exactly during that moment. It's them crying for Cory and not anymore to Finn the character. Rachel's voice was beautifully raw and I admired her for having the courage to even do this. Thank you!