Tonight Glee felt like a yearbook. For our enjoyment, the characters leaving McKinley High were given there own segmented vignettes where we found out what they most cared about, were reminded of where they were going and had new tensions unearthed for us to excite us for the coming season.
It worked - in some ways.
I think “Goodbye” was an appropriate title. While “Graduation” may seem more to the point, the episode was very much about characters saying goodbye to one another – and alternatively, choosing to hang onto one another.
Though Glee likes to play at all the broken romance clichés – i.e. the final scene when Finn is running after Rachel’s train to say goodbye to her – “Goodbye” made for an episode that was not all the kitsch that this show is usually cracked up to be.
With just the right touches of sentimentality, we were able to connect with the characters once again before they split up for good. That isn’t to say they’ll all be going their separate ways entirely. Harboring some curiosity, I decided to read a few trusty Hollywood gossip sites, on which I’ve discovered that Ryan Murphy, one of the creators of Glee, has suggested that most of the characters we saw leave the show tonight will still appear in the fourth season (for more detailed information, search Google News).
It was the fact that I knew this going into the show that made even the moments that could have been very emotionally gratifying slightly less than exciting. Objectively, I truly enjoyed the moments between Finn and Will as well as Quinn and Sue. The sort of student-mentor shtick that went on between these pairings was really beautiful. But it was hard, knowing that these characters would be back, to purport to “miss” them like the teachers they will be leaving might.
On the other hand, what I was not expecting out of the show was to see Rachel and Finn part ways. Maybe others saw it coming, but in the past few episodes their wedding has become such a firm reality that I’ve assumed it would factor into the story naturally.
But I actually think the way the episode ended was the most honest and natural thing that has ever happened on Glee. It wasn’t expected. It wasn’t drama for the sake of drama. It was a little hint of reality in what is, for all intents and purposes, an unrealistic relationship. But watching Finn and Rachel go through their traumatic break-up was one of the defining moments of the episode in that it was not only a dramatic turning point, but also a realistic concept that came as a surprise.
The way this episode was structured came as a surprise as well. Everything seemed to be wrapped up tightly and comfortably into a clean package to end the season. After a few months of getting bored with Glee, a few months away from it and a journey back into the story, this show ended on a high note. No matter the sadness on screen, in front of the television there was enthusiasm.
The Songs of “Goodbye”:
“Forever Young” – This was the first in a long string of not-so-interesting performances. Will was fine playing guitar, but it was hard to take away much from this performance.
“I’ll Remember” – While I applaud Glee for not using the default graduation song by Vitamin C, this Madonna song seemed to be within the same vein. The emotion was forced and hokey, making it hard to feel the emotions of the scene.
“You Get What You Give” – Unlike Kurt’s performance in “I’ll Remember,” the moments between characters in this scene were more emotionally charged an interesting. It helped that the music was also slightly more pleasant.
“In My Life” – I wish they had saved this for the end. Though it doesn’t necessarily fit in with Rachel’s storyline, this was one of my favorite performances that has ever been featured on Glee. They should cover The Beatles more often.
“Glory Days” – The setup of this graduation scene seemed a little odd to me. Why were they in the auditorium? Could they really fit all the graduating seniors in there? For the first few seconds of the song I believed they were just doing a performance in caps and gowns. Regardless, this Springsteen song was a fun cover.
“Roots Before Branches” – This song didn’t carry that much emotional weight, but the moment it accompanied was certainly more tear-driven, making the song feel more powerful than it might have otherwise. And obviously if Rachel is singing, everything in the world is good.
Goodbye, Season three of Glee. With this final pun, I thank you for the hours of entertainment and eagerly await the next season.