Goodbye

Tonight's season finale of Glee was the most solid episode they've delivered in some time. Almost every moment in the episode landed well. In fact, maybe the biggest flaw with the episode might be that it felt more like a series finale than a season closer, particularly with so many sequences calling back moments from early in the first season on the show.

There are characters and relationships I wish that we got a bit more closure on. Sam doesn't seem too torn up about losing Mercedes. Quinn and Artie's friendship, which seemed full of potential after her accident, was basically resolved with a hug. She also doesn't seem to care much about Joe, whose help and encouragement in her rehab may be the reason she can walk now.

But there were plenty of great moments too. Burt's "graduation gift" to his son was both hilarious and touching, everything we've come to expect of their relationship over the seasons. Santana's mom, played ably by Gloria Estefan, may have been a little too relaxed and generous to be true, but nonetheless was good for the episode. Sue's goodbye to Finn was probably Jane Lynch's best work all year.

The various goodbye songs characters sang to one another were all pretty strong, with Kurt's "I'll Remember" a particular standout in my book (even if his dedication of it specifically to the glee club guys felt a bit odd). The underclassmens' take on The Beatles' "In My Life" was also poignant.

Of course, the jubilation of the graduation was followed by the dramatic punch of both Finn (no surprise) and Kurt (shocking) failing to make their New York dreams come true. And while I would have liked to have seen what this did for the entire trio, the focus (again, no surprise) shifted to Rachel and Finn. At least it led to what may have been the best acting either of them has ever done on the series. His stoic goodbye to her, and her crestfallen response, was really the first time I've ever believed their relationship as genuine and not a mere puppy-love high school fling. Needless to say, Lea Michele then killed the final song, which took us to New York to leave things in a very uncertain place for the start of next season.

I think for now, I'll call this episode an A-. I think it will take time for my opinion of it to settle into place. Indeed, a lot of it may depend on where the show goes next year. Are characters being written out of the show for good at this point? If so, which ones? And was this a good ending for them?

We'll see next fall.