Rant and Rave: Glee

“They say you have to lose everything before you find yourself,” Leroy Berry tells his daughter Rachel Berry as she comes home with her proverbial tail between her legs. Rachel, the super-talented diva who claims that gold stars are her metaphors, the girl who didn’t stop believing, is coming home from a semi-successful run on Broadway and a failed television show attempt. At the heart of Glee’s final season, or the whole show itself, is Rachel’s drive and ambition to prove to the world that she’s got what it takes to bounce back from both the literal and figurative slushies being thrown at her.

Always the underdog, the musical comedy Glee has long been underestimated. From the start, Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, has gotten looks of shock from TV executives, asking him “What is this show?” Premiering during the heyday of American Idol, Glee struggled with ratings during its early run. However, what eventually saved the show was its music, along with the dynamic voices that sung the covers. Word of mouth spread throughout the world, and the people who called themselves “Gleeks” would soon build one of television’s most powerful fandoms this side of social media.

New Directions

All the music started when Spanish teacher William Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison, decided to revamp William McKinley High School’s glee club – the same club he loved and participated in back in high school. A witty ensemble made up of characters like Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), Tina Cohen – Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), and Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) soon join the club. However, the show’s heart and soul boiled down to Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and quarterback Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), whose chemistry was undeniable.

As the club, newly christened New Directions, battled through different competitions, the kids dealt with the different issues they were facing in school, in love, and in life. The show was always funny, but there was also something bittersweet at the way the show presented itself to the audiences. It’s possible to achieve your dreams, but it’s necessary to get through a tough-as-nails world first.

“Glee, by its very definition, is opening yourself up to joy,” the show always professed. Ironically, it was the show’s dark humor that helped propel the series as one of television’s most talked-about shows. Though the series was set in a high school, the issues tackled varied from disability, to homosexuality, to teenage pregnancy. It was refreshing to see something uniquely humorous with a little twist of darkness and a gut punch of reality.

Perhaps one of Glee’s most valuable assets was the way it handled its meta sensibilities and inside jokes. Coach Sue Sylvester, the school’s resident cheerleading coach, was always against the glee club, but her one-liners and jokes made her a fan favorite. Jane Lynch, the Emmy winning actress who played Coach Sue, chews the scenery whenever she wreaks havoc upon the New Directions.

Success and downfall

Glee became a critically adored show and a fan favorite, and its success was something to appreciate considering the show’s underdog beginnings. Unfortunately, after the popularity of Glee came its downfall. It’s hard to pinpoint the reasons why exactly the show went from 9 million viewers per episode, peaking at 23 million, to 1 million viewers per episode. A lot of complaints were directed towards the writing, as fans noticed how the storylines seemed to only cater towards the rabid fans clamoring for more romance for their favorite characters.

Another possible reason for the show’s drop in popularity was the way some audiences perceived the show to have ended when the original members graduated from high school. The new cast, though talented, weren’t received as highly as fan favorites Artie or Mercedes. It’s also evident that Glee eventually eased in on a format where they would always tackle the same social issues before finishing off each episode with a rousing song.

The show eventually hit a pivotal turning point when last July 13, 2013, Cory Monteith passed away due to a substance overdose. It devastated the cast, crew, and fans alike as Monteith’s presence as Finn Hudson helped make Glee what it is today. This was all the more evident in the show’s original planned ending, which saw Rachel returning to Finn, both successful with their lives, and saying, “I’m home.”

Don’t stop believin’

Returning to its roots for the final season, Glee stuck to its strengths and made the characters return home for one final hurrah. While some episodes of the final season, such as both installments of “The Hurt Locker” or “A Wedding” proved gratuitous and filled with fanservice, the show let its characters have the good ending they deserved. Even newly introduced characters, such as the talented Jane Hawyard and witty Roderick Meeks, proved compelling.

The two-part finale made sure characters and fans alike got a satisfactory ending. “2009,” a look into the characters’ lives before they joined the club, delivered a fitting tribute to Finn Hudson before seguing to the final episode, entitled “Dreams Come True.” The final episode saw the characters getting closure, from Will Schuester taking over the former McKinley high school, now an arts school, as principal, to Rachel getting a Tony for her work on Broadway. Even Sue Sylvester ends up as vice president of the United States.

Rachel Berry returned to her hometown, ashamed and feeling bad for herself, but her friends and family remind her that she is worth more than her past. Berry evolved from a semi-maniacal, scheming overachiever to an empathetic and mature woman who continued to follow her dreams despite the growing odds.

It’s sad to think that, as evident by the finale, Glee had the potential to consistently top itself with both good character drama mixed with intelligently dark comedy. However, one should let the past go, and return to the time when Glee brought back “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Staying true to the title of the show’s most famous cover, Glee never did stop, even in its finale; Rachel sings, in her final solo, “I never stopped believing in the words we sung.”

Rating: 3.5