We’ve seen him go through being coerced into joining a singing group, falling in and out of love, dealing with the uncertainty of the future and now his untimely death. Last night, I practically created my own atlantic ocean while watching the Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson Glee tribute, it was beautiful.
The episode, titled “The Quarterback,” opened with the cast harmonizing on “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. Afterwards, Kurt is recalling Finn’s funeral that occurred three weeks ago (in show time) while getting ready to head back home for Mr. Shuester’s Glee-members-only memorial. Kurt goes on to say that everyone is too preoccupied about how Finn died and that it doesn’t even matter, similar to Cory’s death being hovered over by a dark cloud of drug abuse.
When the Glee crooners assemble in the choir room, Mr. Shue tells them that this is their week to memorialize Finn in the only way they now how, through song. Mercedes goes first and belts out “Stand By You,” which she says Finn used to sing to the baby that wasn’t actually his (season 1).
Kurt goes to new principal/dictator Sue’s office to discuss Finn’s memorial tree being taken by Puck, who wanted something to remember Finn by. Back at home, Kurt and his family go through Finn’s things, and by about this time I was already pulling my hair out by the roots. Finn’s Stepdad and Kurt’s real dad, Burt, starts saying how he should’ve hugged Finn more and their last moment should’ve been a hug instead of Burt just telling him to try harder in school. Finn’s mom starts to put Finn’s letterman in the donation box before Kurt stops her, relating the jacket to being Finn’s cape and that whenever Finn came wearing it, it seemed like Superman was arriving.
Puck and Kurt are then seen standing in front of a dumpster that McKinley students are painting on, the same dumpster that Kurt was put in by bullies in the shows pilot episode. Puck asks Kurt for Finns jacket, saying that he doesn’t have anything to remember Finn by, and that Kurt doesn’t even deserve it because he will probably end up bedazzling it. Kurt refuses and walks away.
Next up to sing are Artie and Sam, both performing “Fire and Rain.” Santana then flees from the angsty choir room and heads to Finn’s hallway memorial where she catches the “new Santana,” Brianna, taking it down following Sue’s orders. In usual Santana manner, she storms into Sue’s lair and confronts her about her lack of empathy and horrible treatment of Finn and then pushes Sue.
In other events, Mr. Shue hasn’t cried following the announcement of Finn’s death while Pucks afraid of crying and never stopping. Coach Beiste forces him to calm down and sit and Puck’s bravado melts as he starts letting out his built up grief. Puck breaks down about needing Finn; needing him there to keep him from messing up, needing him there to remind him of who he really is, and just needing him to be the shine of light he was.
Santana sings “If I Die Young” next, since Cory died at only 31 while his character died at barely 19. She doesn’t get to finish the song and runs out before the others can comfort her. Kurt finds her at the auditorium and puts Finn’s jacket on her.
Puck sings next, staring at Finn’s now empty chair while belting out “No Surrender.” After the song, Santana accuses him of taking Finn’s jacket while she was sleeping, he denies, and Santana storms off. Santana ends up storming into Sue’s office ready to apologize but instead gets a taste of the rare opening of Sue’s emotional briefcase. Sue admits she was horrible to Finn and feels terrible that he died thinking she didn’t like him. Then, in even rarer, form Sue calls Finn a great guy and that he would’ve been a great teacher.
Finn’s on screen love and Cory’s off screen love, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) finally appears clutching Kurt’s arm while staring at Finn’s makeshift hallway memorial. She sings a gorgeous rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” explaining that she and Finn used to sing the song together.
Puck is shown putting the tree back and reveals that he wants to make a man out of himself now by joining the army, since he doesn’t have Finn around anymore to point him in the right direction.
Rachel goes to the choir room later on to speak to Mr. Shue, telling him that she can still hear his voice and see his face, and she’s afraid that one day she’ll forget him entirely. Shue tells her that’ll never happen, and she reveals the plan she had of doing broadway and Woody Allen movie, but planned to come back home to Mckinley, where Finn would have been teaching and the two would’ve continued their lives together.
At the end of the episode, Shue is back at home and takes Finns jacket out from his bag, and for the first time since finding out about the death, he begins to let out tears, mirroring my own.
Filming this episode wasn’t easy for the cast, reports even came out of tears and hugs being common throughout the breaks.
“I feel like, for me personally, I’ve lost two people: Cory and Finn, “ Lea Michele had told Australia’s TV Week. “We had a beautiful memorial for Cory in the auditorium and some cast members sang and people spoke about him. It only felt right that we do the same thing for Finn, so i felt it was very therapeutic.”
The broadcast featured commercials chronicling addiction and numbers to call for help. Proceeds from the purchases of the songs featured in the episode go towards Project Limelight, one of Cory’s favorite charities offering a free performing arts program for young people in inner-city Vancouver.
