Summary
We continue the Grand Finale back in 2015, as we see Will getting dressed while remembering his first Nationals. As such, it's back to 1993 where we see the beloved Lillian Adler, giving the glee club of that day the words that glee's not about competition...As Will, Klaine and Rachel walk through Paramount Studios, we then reveal that this is in fact Nationals 2015, and we're ready for the results, which are in no way in doubt. There's no point in mentioning any other team or anything else except that as Glee draws to a close New Directions record stands at Sectionals: 5-5, Regionals: 4-5, Nationals: 2-4. They hold the 1st Place trophy high as for the very last time, we hit the Title Card.
We're in Will's office with Superintendent Robert Harris, who is humbled. See, schools across the country over the past decade were facing massive budget shortfalls, and that eliminating arts programs was a quick fix, with the thinking being that more emphasis on other subjects would increase test scores. It did the opposite, so combined with the Nationals win, he's decided to eliminate some programs... namely everything but the arts. Yes folks, in the ultimate victory, William McKinley High School is now an arts school. And since a school needs a principal, we need not guess who gets the job. Cut to three months later and Emma making lunch for the both of them, Will amazed that all the main issues he had with funding ND are gone for good. He talks about using the gym space for a daycare, and that Emma will help get kids into arts colleges. He also talks about his doubts in taking the job, but Emma talks him down, saying he's finally won, and can now relax. Wemma kiss as we cut to the packed choir room, where ND and assorted vets mingle. The man of the hour gets his deserved applause, as we see more people than ever, seems a Nationals win plus McKinley's new status brought in the hopefuls. And there'll be room for all, as Will reveals that in addition to New Directions, he's bringing back the Troubletones, and a male version called the Duly Noted, plus a JV group for newbies. And he's not teaching any of them, being strictly a principal from here on in, though he did hire a replacement. He takes a ukulele as Sam takes a guitar, Will bidding a sort of farewell with some CSNY.
After the break, we're in the now-redundant locker room, where Sam is inflating footballs for sale when Blaine walks in, asking Sam to return to New York. He declines, saying he has a new job. We cut back to the choir room, where we find the S6 newbies plus random extras set up as the next New Directions. Principal Will arrives to introduce their coach... yep, it's Trouty Mouth, and Blaine is flummoxed. However, Sam begins a lesson on country music and it's clear Sam's found his niche. Cut to the auditorium where Mercedes has summoned her fellow ND vets. She reveals that she's been picked up to be Beyoncé's opening act, a Brick Joke to a line she made in the pilot. She says that being friends with ND helped her confidence, and gave her the strength to be herself. Between touring and rehearsals and an album thereafter, she won't have a lot of free time, and not a lot of time to see her friends. So, she wants to exit as only she can as we cue some Supremes and thus, as per Artie...
After the break, well we knew she'd be here. Yes, Sue's snooping around her old office as Klaine arrive. Turns out, they wanted to thank her for getting them back together. No Kurt, it was Harry Hamlin and a lot of contrived nonsense. Anyway, Sue tells Kurt that though she didn't understand him at the time, but watching him overcome everything he went through gave her new respect for him. She learned things about herself she would never have discovered on her own. And as she leaves, we are treated to another Foregone Conclusion, as she finds one Becky Jackson and hits the Meadow Run. And from there, it's to the stage for ABBA and atonement, as in her own way, Sue concedes the long battle to Will. Hell, she silences him afterwards, clearly in tears as she trips Brad on the way out. Brad Ellis, the poor bastard. And from there, it's a Time Skip to 2020, as we find Sue next to Geraldo Rivera again. But this time, it's as Vice President. Yes, Sue got into politics in the interim, starting her second term as VP of the USA. And you know what, this makes absolute sense, and we're not being snarky about it. With Becky running the Secret Service, VP Sylvester announces her candidacy for 2024. Hell, if Jane Lynch ran, we'd vote for her.
After the break, we're back in 2015 at Kurt's old locker; seems he made a time capsule of his time there, as we see old pictures, one of which being Finn as Brad from Rocky Horror. Blaine chuckles and weeps, the two kissing as we cut from Lima 2015 to New York 2020, where in the interim the two became highly successful Broadway stars who go to schools and teach the kids about tolerance. In this case, this also comes with some Monkees. After another break, we get to see Rachel's destiny, which starts on stage with a Darren-penned "love letter" to Glee. After that interlude, we return to see her in 2020, where we also find ourselves with the other ND vets; Mercedes is a successful artist, while Artie and Tina got back together and she became an actress in a Artie-directed festival winning short film. After a mention of Sam still having a torch for Mercedes, poor man, we cut to an apartment where Rachel, obviously having graduated from NYADA, is prepping for the Tony Awards, where she's nominated. And it seems there's another little surprise; given her own backstory, it should surprise no one that when Klaine wanted a baby, guess who's the surrogate? Yep. And then, we see Rachel's husband and no surprise here folks, Rachel married Jesse and we knew she'd marry Jesse. Cut to the theater where Jesse is telling Rachel that she's got this in the bag. Cut to Lima and Will's house, now with more mini-Schues. We find Wemma, their kids, Sam, and VP Sylvester as we also cut to New York where we find ND vets, Roderick and assorted extras. Tony presenter Andrew Rannells announces the nominees.note And the Tony goes to... do we REALLY have to say whom? No we don't. Rachel thanks her director (and husband), her dads, Madame Tibideaux, her fellow ND vets, and finally, Will. Then, truly showing that Rachel Berry has evolved as a person, we get a flip from the line she said in the pilot:
After the break, we begin the home stretch of the series in the auditorium, where we find Will, Burt, Carole, Figgins, Emma, and Beiste. After Becky pats Sam down before he sits down, and as Terri of all people joins them, we see Sue take the stage for some of the final spoken words of Glee:
Sue, in a heartwarming moment in-universe and in reality, then rededicates the auditorium as the "Finn Hudson Memorial Auditorium". As Carole breaks down, Sue commends Will for taking the template he set and expanding it to other schools, making the arts the dominating elective across the country. And from there, we get Glee's final words:
"And now, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce the New Directions".
And then, we bear witness to the 728th and final Glee number, and it's set to a song that is amazing in its meaning. "Don't Stop Believing" was about self-belief. "Loser Like Me" and "Outcast" were about embracing yourself. But this song by OneRepublic is about the journey itself, the highs and lows, the hell and the heaven. We see the original New Directions at first, and then, we're joined by those who also went on the journey with us. Namely, every single person who ever had a major role on Glee. From Abrams to Zizes, they're all here (except Cory Monteith, Melissa Benoist, and Damian McGinty). As they all file on stagenote , we let the song end, the music fade, as the lights dim and all the cast members bow their heads in remembrance of who we've lost on the way. We've had the spoken, we've had the sung, and we'll end Glee on the seen, as amidst the sounds of joyous laughter, we then cut backstage to the new plaque for the auditorium, located between Finn and Lillian's plaques, with the the quote summing up six seasons and 121 episodes thusly:
"See the world not as it is, but as it should be".
Songs in the episode
- "Teach Your Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, performed by Will Schuester
- "Someday We'll Be Together" by The Supremes, performed by Mercedes Jones
- "The Winner Takes it All" by ABBA, performed by Sue Sylvester, with Will Schuester
- "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, performed by Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel
- "This Time" composed by Darren Criss, performed by Rachel Berry
- "I Lived" by OneRepublic, performed by damn near every single cast member Glee ever had.
Tropes appearing in the episode include:
- All There in the Script: Beiste becomes a coach for the Cleveland Browns, after sport is eliminated at McKinley.
- Back for the Finale: Literally everyone but Rory and Marley returned for the final number. Even Matt Rutherford.
- Call-Back: Beyoncé is a recurring theme in the show, what with the oft-abused dance and Mercedes referring to herself as such in different contexts. It's only appropriate that not only does Mercedes end up going on tour with her, but also that (it's implied) she takes Brittany as a dancer (Heather Morris having been Beyoncé's dancer on tour until Glee).
- Celebrity Paradox: Song-singer references also make it from the Pilot to the final episode, with Spencer suggesting that they do "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" for the Country lesson. This is by Paul Overstreet, Chord's dad.
- Flash Back / Flash Forward: The episode is not told in a linear way.
- In Medias Res: The beginning, then a flashback.
- Lost Aesop: The Author Tract about how cutting funding for the Arts has done nothing to improve student performance, and therefore they should now go the opposite direction and have an Arts-focused curriculum. The writers seemed to have forgotten that at the beginning of the season it was stated that Sue's harsh, Academics-focused approach had raised McKinley's rankings to the point where it rivaled elite private schools like Dalton Academy (of course, Sue's hardly a reliable narrator). This is why Jane's father was willing to allow her to transfer to McKinley. Combined with the almost vindictive elimination of Athletics (we never see Spencer's reaction to that), and what is supposed to be heartwarming looks almost petty. Apparently it is okay to disenfranchise students who lack vocal talent.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While the flashforward reveals what happens to the bulk of the sixth season's title cast, the fates of Mike, Brittana, Puck and Quinn, and every other major character are not revealed, though it was implied in "A Wedding" that Brittana moved to New York after their honeymoon, with Brittany's fate mentioned above.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The episode can be called this for the entire series.
