A review of reviews

Like many others, I watched Glee’s tribute episode to actor Cory Monteith and the character Finn Hudson last week. 

Admittedly, I did so with a pile of tissues that were so wadded and over-used that they left clumps of tissue all over my face and eyelashes by the end of the hour.

The episode posted some of its highest ratings. Viewers who had dropped the show in the last couple of seasons returned for this night.  Even those like my own mom who didn’t watch Glee wanted to see them honour this young man who died too soon.

What surprised me was the number of reviews that were posted the next day.  Yes, it’s a drama and is fair game to the critics.  But it was a memorial, as much for the actors and the viewers, as it was for the story’s characters.

We didn’t get to go to Cory’s funeral.  We’ve had to hear friends and family reminisce via the Internet. And with whom do we share our own memories of Finn Hudson?

No, this night was more for the viewers and those involved in the show than it was a dramatic vehicle for the characters. 

We got to remember moments in the show – like the Single Ladies football game and Finn angrily calling Kurt’s style “faggy” – the way we would if we were reminiscing with friends – the good and the bad.  No Finn flashbacks. No musical montage.

And still, the reviews kept coming. Some called it “flawed.” Others deemed it “beautiful.”  One went so far as to call it “not pleasing to all,” claiming it should have been written as a cautionary tale.

The biggest complaint was the elephant in the room. How did Finn Hudson die? According to his stepbrother, Kurt, “it doesn’t matter.” And that’s all that was said.

When someone dies, our first question is usually, “how?” How could this happen? How did it happen? So it’s natural that viewers want to know. We need to know how the story ended.

But if this episode was meant as a memorial, then it really doesn’t matter.  When we pay tribute to someone, we don’t focus on how they died. How many funerals or memorials have you attended where they discussed in detail how the deceased arrived in the box?

No, we talk about who they were and what they meant to us. This episode did exactly that. 

And it reminded viewers why they were so affected by this character.  This young, somewhat dim boy taught us so many lessons while we laughed at him: to protect your friends (blocking Santana’s chocolate butt), to accept everyone (Kurt’s ugly lamp), to take responsibility (singing to the sonogram of his unborn child), and to do your job (his quote “the show must go … all over the place … or something”).

Amid their own tears, Glee’s tribute episode was obviously personal for the cast and crew. And that said, our only response should be “Thank you for sharing.”