The Beatles once sang, "You say goodbye / I say hello," and so it goes with the gang on FOX's hit musical dramedy Glee - new beginnings; new endings; and, well, New Directions, too. GLEE's "100" episode reunited the original crew - minus, of course, the tragically deceased Cory Monteith, who played headlining football hero Finn and who was paid elegant tribute with grace and class both last week and this week in his absence - with the addition of the new gleeks added in the ensuing seasons. While many of the new stars never managed to capture the lighting in a bottle that the originals commanded, it is undeniable that they each provided their own special spice in the Glee stew and a handful broke out to considerable prominence in other mediums; Broadway and beyond, particularly in the case of Darren Criss aka Blaine. Nonetheless, what made us all fall in love with Glee in the first place, lo, more than five seasons ago, was that original recipe - and it's still as savory, spicy, sweet and mouth-watering as ever, as last night's spectacular celebratory entry showcased in spades; and hearts, too. But, yet, we are forced to ask: is this the end or the beginning?
10 x 10 = 100 While some may say that it is impossible to go back in time or to conjure actual magic out of nothing (if the ability to do such things actually even exists in the world at all), Glee has proven time and time again that anything is possible - absolutely anything - with a little flair, focus and fire. Case in point: last night's notably epic entry. Undoubtedly infused with a high octane content, "100" reunited not only the core cast of the series, but the co-creators themselves, as well, who collaboratively penned the sharply-written show - Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan; directed by stalwart and savvy helmer Paris Barclay, by the way. Although it would be easy to list 100 reasons why the episode was an emotional, energized and all around excellent entertainment experience for gleeks and otherwise, if not much more, perhaps it would be wisest and most instructive to bring the elaborate equation of its success down to its bare essentials and list the ten topmost reasons why it was so - with it all multiplied by the original ten New Directions teammates represented; that is: Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Chris Colfer, Heather Morris, Naya Rivera, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Dianna Agron and Harry Shum Jr.; as well as the unfortunately absent but remembered and recognized Cory Monteith. Plus, what would Glee be without Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison), too?!
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