Glee – Recap & Review – Journey

photo: fox

Glee
Journey

Original Air Date: Jun 8, 2010

Farrah Kaye – Sr. Editor
farrah@thetwocentscorp.com

Well we made it. It’s the season finale of Glee. It feels like it’s taken us forever to get here, but we made it. I had a few thoughts and expectations coming in to this episode: New Directions would win Regionals, Shelby would adopt Quinn’s baby after she went into labor mid-Regionals, Will would finally get Emma back, someone would punch Jesse St. James (or I would run through my TV and do it myself…) and of course, per the previews, Rachel and Finn would get back together.

More than anything else, I was expecting amazing music (and since I pre-ordered my “Journey to Regionals” soundtrack on iTunes on Monday night, I knew I would get that!). A Journey medley would satisfy that need for sure. Was I right in any of my predictions?

Will is in the halls posting signs for the school to come support the club at Regionals when Sue walks by and tells him she is a judge. He goes to Figgins to complain and Sue tells him this year’s Regionals will be judged by “celebrities” and it’s been decided she is one. Since they have a deal that if they lose the club will be disbanded, Sue being a judge will not fare well. In a flashback, we find out how Quinn and Puck made their baby. It involved a wine cooler and Puck spouting off lines, including “you’re not fat.” At Will’s house, the whole club is together to pick out their set list for Regionals. Everyone is sad because Sue has promised to crush them. Convinced they’re going to lose and the club will be no more, everyone believes the gleeks will go back to how they used to be … the cheerleaders, the jocks, the nerds. Everyone is crying. (“Being part of something special, it made me special.” – Tina) Will goes to Emma for guidance on what to do about the kids. She reminds him about the time he wanted to become an accountant and the feeling of Nationals and how he’s been teaching the kids all years about going after their dreams. He tells her he misses her and she tells him she’s dating her dentist. Emma tells him they already had their shot and he thanks her for her help and leaves. Driving home in his beat up car, Will comes upon a song – “Don’t Stop Believin’” (of course) – and cries like a baby. At school, Finn tells Rachel they need to talk. He tells her she’s the leader and the two of them need to fix everything. And…she kisses him. The two of them go to the practice room and want to tell Will something but first he wants to tell the club something. He gives them a speech about years from now, the club will just be a memory but he wants them to make the most of their life. “One day all of you are going to be gone and all of this, all of us, will be nothing be a hazy memory. It will take you a second to remember everyone’s names, someone will have to remind you of the songs you sung or the solos you got. Life only really has one beginning and one end and the rest is just a whole lot of middle. And I love you guys too much to let you not make the most of it.” He wants them to sing Don’t Stop (actually a Journey medley) at Regionals. So what did Rachel want to tell him? Meh who cares. Now she just tells him they’re all glad he didn’t become an accountant.

photo: fox

It’s the day of Regionals! First up, the judges: Josh Groban (!!), Olivia Newton-John (HAHA), Rod Remington (the news anchor) and Sue. Four judges? Well that’s just not right … that could end in a tie! Aural Intensity is the first group up, singing a mash up of Olivia Newton-John and Josh Groban songs. The gleeks start freaking out. Will lightens up the mood with a joke about Finn’s dancing. Finn and Rachel are behind the curtain preparing for their entrance (a throwback so Rachel’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade” entrance). She tells him to break a leg and his response is “I love you.” Ok Finn…1) nice timing and 2) really??? You went from being creeped out by the cat calendar to not understanding being a supercouple to losing her to loving her? Okay then. Anyhoo, they open up the doors to the back of the theatre to start the first part of the Journey medley, singing “Faithfully.” I love this song. Just wish Cory could actually sing and Lea would stop making that face. They run up on stage and the curtains dramatically open to show the rest of the club, but that doesn’t matter because it’s all about Rachel and her shouting (sorry, I’m over her!). Then they do a mash-up of “Any Way You Want It” and “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’” which I quite enjoy. Were other gleeks actually singing during this? No way. Oh it was only Puck, never mind! And it appears Quinn’s baby bump was missing, thanks to odd dresses. (Yah I’m snarky right now, so what?) Holy moly! Quinn’s mother shows up. And now it’s time for our come-full-circle version of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It starts off the same but then it goes a different route when the likes of Puck, Santana and Mercedes get to join in with solo lines. Everyone runs backstage happy about their great performance and Quinn’s mom is waiting for her. Quinn is confused as to why her mom is there – she left her father, who was cheating on her. She asks Quinn to come home with her and offers to turn the guest room in to a nursery. Quinn is silent … until she says “my water just broke.” Okay, so I said she’d go into labor DURING the number. I was just a few second late!

photo: fox

Vocal Adrenaline takes the stage, singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” which is overlapped with Quinn’s labor. Quinn asks Mercedes to join her, Puck and her mom in the delivery room. The entire club is at the hospital with her. Oh, and this performance reminds us all just how icky Jesse St. James is. And how calculated and robotic the club is. Puck is frightened to death of what’s going on in front of him. I have to say though, this is probably one of the more genius scenes of the entire season. Props to the writers/directors for coming up with this. Winds up Rachel stayed behind and is watching VA perform, although I’m not sure why. Quinn finally delivers her baby girl.

Rachel goes to talk to Shelby about coming to teach at McKinley, and to teach her. Oh and that Jesse’s best days are behind him. Shelby says she’s done coaching glee club and she wants a house and a garden and a family. (OOOHH, might I actually be right?!) She says she missed out on her chance with Rachel and she won’t let it happen again. Shelby asks where the rest of the team is and Rachel tells her the club is with Quinn at the hospital, who had a baby girl. It’s time for the judges to deliberate. It’s ridiculous, beyond ridiculous. (Sue: Kiss my ass, Josh Groban! I’m an internationally-ranked cheerleading coach! Olivia Newton-John: Brunettes have no place in show business. Josh Groban: One, are you single [to Sue]? Two, how about those New Directions? Olivia Newton-John: They’re a poor person’s school.) But Olivia goes on a rant to Sue about how she’s not a celebrity and that it doesn’t matter if the glee club members are all just kids, they should be more talented, like how she had a band by the time she was 14 and Josh Groban was “in the Mickey Mouse Club or something.” Sue is visibly upset at how the “celebrities” are acting because as an educator she seriously does value the kids. Time for the results! Sue announces them (which is weird since she’s not the “celebrity”). Runner up: “From Fort Wayne, Indiana, the not-at-all stupidly named, Aural Intensity!” Now, the winner. Who will it be?? Sue opens the envelope and, with an odd look on her face, announces Vocal Adrenaline. The gleeks didn’t even place and are horrified as Jesse is hoisted up by his club.

photo: fox

Puck and Quinn look at their baby and Puck seems to want to keep the baby. Quinn asks him if he loves her, and he says yes, especially now. And he seems to mean it. Out of nowhere, Shelby shows up. She asks the baby’s name and Quinn says she doesn’t have one, but Puck reminds us the baby’s name is Beth. At school, Will sees Emma fighting with Figgins. She was fighting with him for the choir room. She is ANGRY. And doesn’t understand how and why Will is giving up so easy. This is where the “some things are worth fighting for” preview came from. Will also announce he loves her and kisses her – again. Rachel comes to get him to come to the auditorium because the kids have something to say to him. All the gleeks are on the stage and each of them say something:
Matt: In the beginning of this year, I was just another football player.
Tina: I had a stutter.
Mercedes: I was a closeted Diva.
Quinn: I used to be Captain of the Cheerios.
Mike: I was afraid to dance outside of my room.
Santana: I hated everyone in this club.
Britany: So did I.
Kurt: I wasn’t honest about who I was.
Puck: I was tossing kids into dumpsters.
Artie: I had never kissed a girl before.
Rachel: I was getting slushied.
Finn: I didn’t have a father. Someone I could look up to, model myself after. Someone who could show me what it really meant to be a man.’
Rachel: We don’t care what the judges say. We won. Because we had you as a teacher.
Mercedes: Glee club will never end Mr. Shue, because you are Glee club. You’re in all of us now.
They serenade him with “To Sir With Love.” As he cries, Sue looks on.

photo: fox

Will is cleaning out the choir room when Sue comes in. He wants to know the voting and Sue reveals to us she voted for New Directions (but not to Will), who she felt in her heart should win. She randomly starts talking about how everyone thinks she’s heartless and how they don’t get along but it wouldn’t be a fun world if he wasn’t around for her to pick on. So she talked to Figgins to keep the club around. She also compliments him on being a good teacher and the work he does with the kids. Will tells her “Inside, you’re a really good person. I appreciate what you’re doing for these kids. I won’t forget it.” Aw Sue, you have a heart! Will gathers the kids and tells them the good news. As a special treat (especially for ME!), Will sings to the club as a thank you for singing for him. He sings Israel Kamakawiwo Ole’s version of “Over the Rainbow” with Puck while things get nicely wrapped up. Quinn and Puck longingly look at each other, Santana and Britany lock pinkies, Rachel lays her head on Finn as Kurt and Finn smile to each other (acknowledging they are family from the club and will probably be family outside of the club thanks to their families combining), Shelby adopts Beth (I WIN!!!!), and Artie and Tina hold hands. The show ends with a huge smile from Will.

What a GREAT finale. There’s so much to talk about! I have to just make a list.
– Shelby adopting Beth. I called it weeks ago when Shelby left Rachel’s life because she was a teenager. It’s a great way to send off both Shelby and Quinn’s baby.
– Having Rachel stay behind while everyone else went to Quinn’s birth bothered me at first but after reading a few other reviews and watching the episode four times, it made more sense. Since Jesse and Shelby aren’t coming back, it was her way of having closure. Also, since she’s SUPER competitive, she needed to see their performance. And, she’s the leader of the team, she needed to be there to be the representative that New Directions was in that competition no matter what. Although I was not happy with her begging Shelby to stay around with those sad puppy eyes.
– Puck’s growth as a person makes 100% to me and I hope he stays that way next season. I loved his admission of love after Quinn gave birth to Beth and his wanting to keep his daughter. This, however, may be the one thing that turns him back to the old Puck because he will be upset over not being a father like he wanted to be.
– Will proclaiming his love for Emma is no surprise, but her dating someone else kind of was. As was her “we had our shot.” What shot?? One dinner and a few kisses? That’s not a shot. But I’m excited to see John Stamos and Emma together next season. I can feel the duet coming on for Matthew and John. Wonder what the song will be.
– SUE. SUE SUE SUE. Sue has a heart. I don’t think I need to say anything more about that.

So, what did you think about everything from the finale? From the season? Did you buy your “Journey to Regionals” CD yet? Leave your two cents below!

Also, you can watch the entire first season all summer by catching encore episodes every Thursday (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) beginning tomorrow, June 10, on FOX.

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