"Glee" Discussion

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UmbrellaFish
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by UmbrellaFish »

The series finale is tonight and I'm excited! I skipped season five, save for The Quarterback, but I've been watching the 6th season (and enjoying it for the most part) with the knowledge it would be the show's last. I'm very sentimental today; Glee got me through the roughest parts of high school, to be honest. It will always remain a special show to me. :)
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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UmbrellaFish wrote:It will always remain a special show to me. :)
Ditto. :)

As I fondly recalled watching the first episode when it premiered (my reaction to it is the third post in this thread!), I spent much of this week debating on whether or not I would watch the series finale tonight, before finally deciding against it.

The show was among my absolute favorites when it started, I cheerily anticipated every episode, every story, every song. I thoroughly enjoyed spending an hour a week at McKinley High, getting to know these underdogs and seeing them rise above the adversity of high school and beyond. I grew to love my favorites, Finn, Blaine, Quinn, the ever-underused Tina. I watched them grow up, move on, find new paths.

And then Finn died.

A bit of me died with him.

For me, the show simply wasn't the same without him. Save for "The Quarterback," I've avoided all of Seasons Five and Six. If someone else were in the room catching up and watching, I'd get up to leave. For me, "Glee" just wasn't "Glee" without Finn. It may seem odd to easily dismiss a show after one of its characters (and its portrayers) have passed on. But I saw so much of myself in Finn (an earnest, hard worker that ultimately realized he wanted to teach more than anything) that I didn't want to imagine a (fictional) world without him in it. Unlike real life, where we have to move on and life continues, with a television show, I could make that conscious decision that it simply "end" where I wanted it to.

Thus, for me, "Glee" was, and always will be, a four-season show. Three years in high school, one year after, and a post-script television special that served as tribute to a character (and performer) that was gone too soon.

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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by Disney's Divinity »

I decided to watch the series finale tonight even though I haven't watched the show regularly since season 4, I believe? (Although I tuned into "The Quarterback" following the news of the actor's passing.) I enjoyed Mercedes and Lea Michele's performances in the second hour. For some reason, many series finales don't draw the emotions out of me, so I was strangely detached while watching this. But it was nice to see all the actors/characters together again one last time.

I suppose my memories aren't quite as strong as others' will be. Although I enjoyed this show, for me it was mostly something entertaining that was never very close to my heart. My strongest connection to the show was through its portrayal of Kurt in high school (at a time when I was in college), which reminded me vaguely of my own experiences--in a very different way, of course. The feeling of being alone as one of the only gay people in a small, rural town. Besides that, what attracted me to this show were the musical numbers, the zaniness, and Lea Michele/Chris Colfer (Blaine and Beiste were two of the few good things that came later on, imo). I'm in a different place now than when I began watching, and the show itself is very different at the end than it was the beginning, which made watching it again feel almost nostalgic. I'll always have fond memories of the show to go back to, if nothing else.

It's interesting to look at the ratings for the series; I believe many fans of the show only watched season 1-"The Quarterback." That's fair, considering the show wouldn't have been the same for me without Rachel or Kurt, and the show wasn't the same without Finn either.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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Disney's Divinity wrote:It's interesting to look at the ratings for the series; I believe many fans of the show only watched season 1-"The Quarterback." That's fair, considering the show wouldn't have been the same for me without Rachel or Kurt, and the show wasn't the same without Finn either.
Yeah, when we compare the season average between S4 and S5, they show a definite and sharp drop between them. Season 4 had an average of 8.26 million viewers, but Season 5 only averaged 4.57 million. Also, throughout the entirety of Season 5, viewership consistently declined save for "The Quarterback" (7.39 million viewers), as it started the season with 5.06 million viewers but ended with 1.87 million.

And given how Fridays at 9 is usually a death slot for broadcast networks, it's no surprise that the final season was only bringing in half the numbers that the already-low Season 5 did.

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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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Watched the final 2 episodes this morning, loved the retrospective 2009 episode. Also thought the last episode was well done. Klaine's performance of Daydream Believer was brilliant. Definitely going to miss Glee but still received a good ending. End of an era :cry:
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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"You know a great big fat person once stood on this stage and told a group of a dozen or so nerds in hideous disco outfits that glee by its very definition is about opening yourself up to joy. Now, it's no secret that for a long time, I thought that was a load of hooey. As far as I could see, the Glee Club was nothing more than a place where a bunch of cowardly losers go to sing their troubles away and delude themselves that they live in a world that cares one iota about their hopes and dreams; totally divorced from the harsh reality that out in the real world there's not much more to hope for than disappointment, heartbreak, and failure.

"And you know what? I was exactly right. That's exactly what Glee Club is. But I was wrong about the cowardly part. What I finally realize, now that I'm well into my late thirties, it takes a lot of bravery to look around you and see the world not as it is, but as it should be. A world where the quarterback becomes best friends with the gay kid and the girl with the big nose ends up on Broadway. Glee is about imagining a world like that and finding the courage to open up your heart and sing about it. That's what Glee Club is. And for the longest time, I thought that was silly, and now I think it just about the bravest thing anyone could do."

I think this speech by Sue was my favorite part of the finale. Such a fitting way to end a show so beloved by so many people at one time or another.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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Naya Rivera missing and feared dead after 4-year-old son found alone on boat in California lake

https://news.avclub.com/naya-rivera-mis ... 1844318383

:shock: :(

Edit: The latest according to TMZ
7/9 8:32 AM PT -- Authorities have just made it clear -- Naya is presumed dead and the search has now shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tmz.co ... und-josey/

:( :( :(

What a tragedy. Thank goodness her 4-year-old son was recovered safely from the boat. That is a small mercy at least.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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OMG, so sad. I really liked her on Glee. This is such a tragedy. Yes, thank God her son is alive and safe.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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She was always my favorite on the show along with Michele, Criss, and Colfer. I know she had a solo album that I’ve been meaning to pick up over the years, but didn’t. What a horrible thing to have happened. :( My prayers to her family and son.

I know the media wants to make a thing about how many people have passed from this show so soon. But… It is very sad.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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I rewatched a few episodes of Glee today. I watched the episode where Brittany and Santana get married. That’s such a lovely episode, I remember how much joy it gave me watching it 5 years ago (in no small part because Kurt and Blaine get married in this episode, too). But the wedding looked so beautiful, in a barn and both Brittany and Santana had beautiful dresses. I was shocked when Brittany mentions gay marriage being illegal in Ohio. I’d forgotten that the Supreme Court decision didn’t come until the summer of 2015, after this episode had aired. I can’t believe the entire run of Glee predated the SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality.

Then I watched The Quarterback. This episode, memorializing Cory Monteith and his character of Finn Hudson, was hard to watch when it aired and is still hard to watch today. When Naya sings “If I Die Young,” it hits very hard.

I just finished the series finale which prompted me to write this post. The series does a time skip, all the way to 2020. Let’s just say... Glee was the anti-Simpsons. They predicted Jeb Bush would win 2016 and 2020 (with VP Sue Sylvester of course). Kurt and Blaine play in a school room of full of children, which looks increasingly impossible come Fall. Broadway is operating and there is a Tony Awards ceremony. There is obviously no social distancing in place, no virus to worry about. No masks, old friends reuniting and hugging each other tight— I love the final number because they really brought almost everybody back, even my fave Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink) and Terri Schuster (Jessalyn Gilsig).

The episode ends with a quote that says “See the world not as it is, but how it should be.”

I think maybe I’ll end my mini Glee marathon with Naya’s performance of “Valerie.”
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by JeanGreyForever »

I'm so in shock over this. I'm still praying and holding out hope that Naya is safely recovered but I know that's unlikely to happen, especially the longer it takes to find her. The fact they haven't found her body yet makes me unsure whether that's something to be thankful for right now or not.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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From the Ventura County Sheriff:
Happening now: A body has been found at Lake Piru this morning. The recovery is in progress. A news conference will take place at 2 pm at the lake.
https://twitter.com/venturasheriff/stat ... 97736?s=21

Today marks 7 years since the passing of Cory Monteith, as well. :(
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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I read elsewhere that people who live in the area have complained about the fact that there aren't signs warning tourists about the lake. Apparently its underwater terrain is really varied, lots of tree roots and whirlpools; one second the water goes deep and the next there are rocks near the surface. Some said she could've easily hit her head on something jumping into the water depending on wherever they were.

I was listening to some of her songs from Glee the other day. She definitely had the best voice on the show (for me) along with Lea Michele and Darren Criss. I know her life was so much more than a TV show though, and I'm sorry that she and her son didn't have more time together. :(
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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Naya Rivera, Santana Lopez on 'Glee,' Declared Dead at 33

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... 33-1302578

In the press conference, the authorities said Naya died to save her son.

"[Naya] was able to boost [Josey] back on the boat... but when he turned around she disappeared below the surface."

"She mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself."

May she rest in peace. My condolences to her family and friends. What a tragedy and a terrible loss.

:(
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by JeanGreyForever »

That's so tragic that her life was cut short, especially in the act of saving her son's life. I still haven't 100% accepted it yet and I don't really want to either. Her family and some of the Glee stars were together honoring Naya's memory.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by blackcauldron85 »

It's really sad. How I wish she had worn her life jacket- would that have saved her, though? RIP Naya. I feel for her family and friends so much. (I agree she had the best voice on the show.)
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

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Scott Derrickson wrote:I loved the first Hunger Games novel and vividly remember its description of 16-yr-old Katniss Everdeen as “slender with black hair and olive skin." When meeting the producer about possibly directing it, I said that while reading the book I always imagined Naya Rivera as Katniss.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by JeanGreyForever »

Had we gotten Naya in the role, she would have been launched as a superstar much like JLaw was. And tbh, I find JLaw very overhyped and overrated now so that would have been another incentive to cast Naya.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by blackcauldron85 »

^ If she had been in the running and got the part, she'd have had enough time away from Glee to train and film it? I can imagine that she'd be a good Katniss, too.
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Re: "Glee" Discussion

Post by JeanGreyForever »

blackcauldron85 wrote:^ If she had been in the running and got the part, she'd have had enough time away from Glee to train and film it? I can imagine that she'd be a good Katniss, too.
I'm guessing she would have just been written out of Glee (like many of the other original cast members were) and would just occasionally cameo and make guest-appearances.
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