Tonight we revisit the highpoints and recount the overall impact of GLEE, from pilot to series finale.
The Winner Takes It All "I'm not afraid of moving on and letting go / It's just so hard to say goodbye to what I know," Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) touchingly voiced in "This Time", an original song penned by GLEE's own Darren Criss for the series finale of the long-running FOX musical dramedy series that came to a close tonight with a two-hour finale spectacular. Indeed, it's been quite a journey from 2009 until now, especially for the most diehard and committed gleeks among us, but GLEE went out with all the expected fireworks - emotional, musical and otherwise. "This time no one's gonna say goodbye / I keep you in this heart of mine / This time I know it's never over," Rachel reminded us in the chorus of the powerful final song she sang on the series, and, now the same goes for us gleeks - we'll fondly remember the good memories, try to forget the lesser moments and cherish the many gifts that GLEE gave us over the years. In the end, it is almost to impossible to believe that a TV series could raise awareness for music departments in schools, whether woefully struggling (like many) or wildly successful (like few) - let alone theatre music - in the manner that GLEE has done over the last six years, and, if only for that, we have much to celebrate and be grateful for, now and always. Although the later run of the series admittedly largely failed to match the heavenly entertainment highs and pop culture lightning in a bottle of the first few seasons, GLEE has always had the best intentions at heart - that is: bringing the music of Broadway, the Great American Songbook and pop classics both new and old to the masses and reinforcing the importance of arts education in schools. We salute that and the final hours of the series tonight with a moment of silence and a very special toast.
Photo Credits: FOX
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