Can you believe it was over a year ago that we got our first taste of Glee? May 19 2009 was when the pilot episode first aired as a sneak peek right after American Idol. Two long hiatus', 21 episodes, 5 albums, a slew of guest stars and a whole lot of musical numbers later it all came down to tonight. And I think you'll be hard pressed to find a single Gleek that was disappointed with how the show wrapped up it's ground-breaking first season. Check out my recap but be warned, lots of spoilers ahead.
"Journey" saw the long-awaited showdown between our intrepid heroes New Directions and bitter rivals Vocal Adrenaline. And after Jesse St. James defected back to VA last week and showed what kind of lying despicable snake he is, I was eager to see their asses handed to them on a platter tonight. But *gasp* Sue Sylvester is one of the judges, along with fellow celebrities Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John (both guest starring as themselves) and local news anchor Rod Remington. All hope seems lost. To add insult to injury, Emma tells Will that she's seeing someone else. Moment I Almost Cried #1: Will, after hearing Emma's news, is driving in his car and Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" comes on; Will pulls over and bursts into tears.
But the team rallies back, deciding that even if they don't win they're going to plow ahead because they love to do it. And of course they do a medley of Journey songs at regionals, with Will watching from the wings, including "Faithfully", a mash-up of "Anyway You Want It" and "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"...and of course, and this brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #2: a new version of "Don't Stop Believing'". Ahhhh! It was a fantastic performance, one of the best I've seen on the whole show, and that's saying something.
Quinn's mother Judy, who you'll probably remember kicked Quinn out of the house upon discovering her pregnancy, made a surprise appearance at regionals and caught Quinn coming off stage to ask her to come back...'cause, you know, kicking your daughter out when she needs you the most can all be fixed by just coming to one of her shows. Before Quinn can unleash the anger that's plain on her face, her water breaks (kind of convenient for the plot, but alright). While Vocal Adrenaline is overdoing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on stage Quinn brings little Beth into the world at a local hospital with her mother, Puck and Mercedes in the delivery room with her; otherwise known as Moment I Almost Cried #3.
The judges confer amongst themselves, and Olivia Newton-John reveals herself to be a bigger bitch than Sue. The glee clubs gather on stage to hear the news...and New Directions looses! WHAT? Not only did they loose the championship to Vocal Adrenaline they didn't even place runner-up, not fulfilling their end of the deal with the school's principal to keep the club running. Oh no! Honestly I had a suspicion that might be the outcome. You don't want the show to conquer all of it's obstacles too quickly in the series.
Thinking the club is over with, the kids gather on stage at the school's auditorium to tell Will how much he and the club has meant to them and to sing "To Sir, With Love" especially for him. That was Moment I Almost Cried #4.
But this is Glee after all, and just when thing's look their bleakest a happy ending is often not too far away. This time it came in the most unlikely of places. Sue ended up buying the club one more year, having not only been moved to defend them against Newton-John at the competition but to realize that with the club gone her sparring matches with Will would come to an end. And who wants that, let alone a woman who lives for a good fight? Sue continues to be a complex and oddly lovable character, and with Jane Lynch's handling of her and the writers keeping her one step away from being a caricature it really works.
So good news all around. Shelby adopts Quinn's and Puck's baby, Will professes his love for Emma and leaves that hanging for next season, Rachel and Finn seem to be back together and the kids can keep being social outcasts and loving every minute of it. The final scene brings us to Moment I Almost Cried #5; with everyone reunited in the choir room, Will returns the favor to his kids with a rendition of "Over the Rainbow". A touching end to a true phenomenon.
So we only have to wait until September for new episodes. We've waited before, we can do it again. Glee's already been picked up for a third season, so hopefully this Journey isn't over yet. Now I want to be in a show choir. Anyone want to start one with me?
Who else saw the finale? Any other takes on it? You know where to turn...
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