There was not a dry eye left after "Glee's" heartbreaking tribute to Finn Hudson, played by the late Cory Monteith.
In last week's episode, "The Quarterback," it was never revealed how Finn died, because as his half-brother, Kurt (Chris Colfer) said, "it doesn't matter." All that mattered was that the members of the "Glee" cast celebrated how Finn--and Cory--lived. Cory Monteith died of a drug and alcohol overdose this past July.
The episode opened three weeks after Finn's death, and the characters are still trying to come to grips with his untimely death. The episode opens with an appropriate rendition of "Rent's" "Seasons of Love," and follows with an incredibly heartbreaking scene in which Finn's mother mourns her deceased child while going through Finn's belongings. Kurt also breaks down, still in disbelief at his step-brother's passing.
The episode included a number of heart-wrenching songs, including Santana's tearful version of "If I Die Young," which she can't finish because she bursts into tears. Each character handles grief in different ways, and Santana takes hers out out physically on Principal Sylvester (Jane Lynch), although they patch things up in the end.
Puck (Mark Salling) also returns to sing an emotional tribute to his late friend with Bruce Springsteen's "No Surrender." Rachel, played by Cory's real-life girlfriend Lea Michele, did not appear until near the episode's end. She sang a beautiful version of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love" that had "Glee" fans weeping across the country. Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) was the rock throughout the episode, clearly trying to stay strong to support his students. But at the end of the episode, we find him alone in his house, sobbing while clutching Finn's letterman's jacket.
The mournful tribute was a fitting testament to Cory, who was well-loved by the show's cast and crew. Although the heartbreak of Finn's death will reverberate throughout the rest of the season, "Glee's" future episodes will get back to its flamboyant theatrics.
When Glee returns on November 7, the characters will go head-to-head in a Lady Gaga vs. Katy Perry musical battle.
The episode will be called 'A Katy or a Gaga," and "it's about the kids trying to figure out who they are as artists," executive producer Ryan Murphy told TVLine. “I love both those artists, we’ve used them for many years on the show and they were very gracious to give us [their songs].”
The cast will perform Gaga and Perry's newest hit singles, "Applause" and "Roar" in addition to their other hits. Murphy said that the episode will lighten the mood after the emotional tribute episode. “I wanted to do something that was maybe a little more inspirational, because that was so hard on the cast,” Murphy explains. “So we did something that [features] a lot of costumes, a lot of great set pieces.”
When "Glee" returns, Rachel will try to keep working toward her career as a Broadway star after the devastating death. "I always thought Rachel was going to be a big star - that was sort of planted, even in the pilot," Murphy said. "So the story's about that. Does [Funny Girl] get good reviews? Does it get bad reviews? We're trying to add some complications in there."
Murphy also announced that the rumors are true: "Glee" will end after its sixth season. Murphy broke the news at a Paley Center event honoring the FX Network on Wednesday. He said that the death of Monteith will force the writers to write a different ending than what was originally planned.
"The final year of the show, which will be next year, was designed around Rachel and Cory/Finn's story," Murphy said. "I always knew that, I always knew how it would end. I knew what the last shot was - he was in it. I knew what the last line was - she said it to him. So when a tragedy like that happened you sort of have to pause and figure out what you want to do, so we're figuring that out now." He said that the new finale of the show will honor Monteith's passing.
Watch the promo for "A Katy or A Gaga," which airs November 7 at 9 p.m. on Fox.
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