Glee says goodbye to its Quarterback: Finn Hudson

It’s been 3 months since Cory Monteith lost his battle with addiction. And Sunday I finally had the courage to watch “The Quarterback”, GLEE’s tribute to the beloved character Monteith played, Finn. I had been waiting until a moment where I could be alone with my tissues because I would not fool myself in to thinking I’d be strong enough to come out of it w/out being puffy eyed and a tad melancholy. When I find myself bawling during movies and tv shows my bf is quick to remind me “Ally, you realize this person is alive and well in real life right?” (ahhhh unfortunately logic doesn’t seem to help my emotional gene ) However, what made this episode so emotionally draining was that this time…that statement could not be further from the truth.

To say this episode was a beautiful tribute would be an understatement. To say that the writers and cast did a great job of honoring Cory’s memory would be inaccurate…they did an extraordinary job. To say that any emotion or thought surrounding one’s death was missed would be an untruth.

I’ve often spoken about different interpretations of lyrics. In fact, it’s one of the things I love most about music. Have you ever heard a song over and over and over again only to have it have a completely different meaning to you once a significant life event happens? One of the most heartfelt songs I’ve ever heard is ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ by Bob Dylan. I’ve never imagined this song in the context of being dedicated to someone who has passed however, Lea Michele aka Rachel Berry’s performance left me speeches or should I say left me sobbing.

One can only imagine how hard these scenes were to film. Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) recently stated “Brad [Falchuk] and Ian [Brennan] and I wrote that episode and Brad directed it, and those performances that you’ll see, almost everything in that episode is from the first take of every performance because the actors and the crew had a really hard time shooting it.”. These emotions you see portrayed are undoubtedly real, which most likely touches the emotions of GLEE fans everywhere even deeper. Just some of the facial expressions are enough to bring you to tears.

It was also hard to ignore Naya’s Rivera’s (@NayaRivera) portrayal of a grief, stricken friend who couldn’t quite show the true emotions she had deep inside. You’d be hard pressed to find a scene, anywhere, that better depicts the emotions that claw their way out of an individual who chooses to keep their emotions buried within then when Naya sings “If I Die Young”.

Now some critics believe that GLEE fans deserved an explanation as to how Finn’s character died which was addressed by Kurt’s (Finn’s step brother on the show played by Chris Colfer @chriscolfer) inner monologue ”Everyone wants to talk about how he died, but who cares?”.  I suppose I can understand their point of view however, I feel there would be scrutiny surrounding any cause of death that the writers would have chosen. As a “family”, they chose to celebrate Finn’s character. The world knows how Cory passed and I don’t believe that thought was erased from viewer’s memories as the episode played. Death is tragic and can be excruciating regardless of the circumstances surrounding the “how”. Overall, this episode shared with viewers how death affects the human soul as well as providing the beginning of closure for the characters on GLEE. Click here for a recap of how each character dealt with their grief.

Whatever your thoughts on the episode I think there is a greater message to be heard which came at the end of the show as a PSA from several cast members. Click here to view.

May prayers and blessing be sent out to anyone who is grieving.

What song was your favorite from the GLEE episode “The Quarterback”?

(image via ibtimes.com)

Related articles

• Glee’s tribute to Cory Monteith ! (myalteregoinprocess.wordpress.com)
• ‘Glee’s’ tribute to Cory Monteith: What did you think? (peopleschoice.com)
• The Quarterback : Good Bye Finn Hudson (ginaomilon.wordpress.com)