Recap - Glee

Graduation!

I have been a "Gleek" from the very beginning, cheering on this melting pot of misfit underdogs as they triumphed over slushies, bullying and their own insecurities, rejoiced in song and dance and at long last emerged as National Show Choir champions just in time for many of the glee club members' graduation, the focus of tonight's season three finale.

The seniors:  Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Puck (Mark Salling), Mike (Harry Shum, Jr.), Kurt (Chris Colfer), Santana (Naya Rivera) and Mercedes (Amber Riley).  Brittany (Heather Morris) was to graduate but with a 0.0 GPA ... um, no.  Of course how ANYONE in the glee club managed to graduate from McKinley High is a wonder seeing as how NONE of them ever went to ANY OTHER CLASS!!!  But hey, suspension of disbelief and all that.  Not like we saw the 90210-ers (old and new) in class either ...

Indeed, many a show based in high school has had the inevitable graduation episode, but few have actually led to students actually leaving, but Glee seems to be indeed saying goodbye to at least have the regular cast members we've come to love (and sometimes hate a little ... right, Santana?).

Mercedes is off to L.A. to be a back-up singer for an indie music label.
Puck - who pulled off an 11th-hour C- to graduate with his class - is off to L.A. to start a pool-cleaning business.
Mike will be attending the Joffrey School of Ballet in Chicago.
Quinn has a bright future as a member of the Class of 2016 at Yale.
Kurt - we don't really know ... he didn't get into the NY Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA) ... a surprise given his amazing audition.

Then there's love birds Finn and Rachel.  Finn believed he had nailed his audition - for James Lipton himself! - for the Actor's Studio, but failed to gain admission.  Rachel, who overcame her first NYADA audition - she choked, bad - by soaring at Nationals and impressing the stolid auditioner Carmen Tibideaux (played by Whoopi Goldberg), got in.  But feeling for her friend Kurt and fiancee Finn, she decided to defer for a year and stay to help them prepare for the next year's auditions.

But Finn would have none of that and instead put her on a train to the Big Apple, telling her that she's going to be a star without him.  He loves her that much.  So what lies in the future for Finn?  The army, to redeem his father's good name (dad was wrongfully dishonorably discharged).

Glee has always been an ensemble show, but you can't deny the focus has often been on Rachel Barry, a self-absorbed, take-no-prisoners, destined-for-Broadway diva who still managed to find a place in the glee club and make friends she never thought possible (Quinn, Santana).  So it was no surprise that the season finale ended with us bidding goodbye to Rachel at the train station with the whole club and Mr. Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) waving her off, following her as she exits the train station in Manhattan and watching her sing her way through the streets of NYC to start her new life.

There were rumors that the show was going to find a way to keep around some of these key players next year, so I wonder if they'll follow through on that.  Or perhaps we'll have our favorite glee underclassmen welcoming new members who will undoubtedly win our hearts with their own journeys.  We'll of course see at least two of them from this summer's Glee Project 2 (winners receive a seven-episode arc on the show), which of course was promoted during the hour.

Some favorite moments:

Kurt's dad Burt's (Mike O'Malley) graduation present to his son - a recreation of the dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" (from season 1) - considered a turning point in the troubled relationship between father and son.

Gloria Estefan as Santana's mom, who accepted her daughter's choice to go to NY instead of college, hence supporting her following her dream.

Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) showing the heart we know she has - glimpses break through - as she heralded protege Quinn on her bright future and hugging her with genuine affection ... and tears.

The graduation ceremony itself.  Sure, there were OTHER seniors in the graduating class, but we don't care about them.  We only watched our glee-sters be introduced like football players at the Super Bowl to a terrific rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days."  Every graduation should rock out like that!

Great lines:

"I am proud of what you and I did ... together."  - Burt to son Kurt

"You never saw me for the things that made us different.  You only saw me for the ways that we're the same."  - Kurt to the other guys in the glee club

"If we hadn't changed, we would never have been friends."  - Quinn to Rachel

"I am that sure you're something special.  You're gonna be a star without me.  I love you that much." - Finn to Rachel

Songs:

"Forever Young" (Rod Stewart)
"I'll Remember" (Madonna)
"Glory Days" (Bruce Springsteen)
"In My Life" (The Beatles)

(there were others but couldn't identify the titles ... have to find on iTunes later ...)

Get your gleek back on this fall when Glee returns Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX.

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Bitter Sweet TV

Man, do I love television.  It's weeks like these that remind me of that.  True, it's dreaded season finale time which means we are just episodes away from a painfully long summer waiting for our favorite shows to return and take us back to these exciting moments we're being left with.  But in the meantime, there's so much good stuff happening, I'm just plain giddy.

Highlights:

Supernatural lives to see Season Eight!  And its creator, Erik Kripke, just got his new pilot picked up by NBC ... the one he's doing with J.J. Abrams.  Can you say dynamic duo?  Of course, we are talking about NBC here, soooo...

Fringe - don't worry, I won't say who but we were treated to THE MOST AMAZING SURPRISE RETURN by someone.  I am DYING to say who but I have friends that read this blog that I don't want to spoil it for but I actually stood up and cheered!  Oh, and we are getting a final season, the chance for the show to end right, on their terms.  Thank you, FOX, for that.  Chuck got that and I was so happy.  If a great show must end, as they all must eventually, this is the way.

Hawaii Five-0 saw the return tonight of Alex O'Loughlin, who has been sorely missed.  I am glad he has gotten help for his painkiller addiction and that we only had to go two episodes without him.  Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park carried on well but this show works best when the whole Ohana (Hawaiian for family) is together.  We were gifted with several classic Steve-Danny arguments (normally in the car, this time by phone) and they were as funny as ever.  And it was clearly conveyed throught the writing how much Alex was missed and how great is is to have him back.  The preview for next week's finale looks heartbreaking ...

 2 Broke Girls finished their freshman season on a high, with Caroline and Max scoring a rave for their cupcakes by none other than Martha Stewart.  It was quite a fight to get to her - last minute transport by horse, smuggled dresses, confrontation with an old boyfriend, overcoming family shame - but it was a hilarious journey with a satisfying end.  Our own modern day Laverne and Shirley.

 Grey's Anatomy had most of our docs passing their boards (sorry, April) and now we must wait to see who stays and who goes.  Gotta give them credit:  they're keeping the secret very well ... and it's killing me!  This show has come through cast changes before but this is a solid group and I hate to lose anyone.  From what I've read of the finale, it's going to be another hard one to get through.  Two season ago, when the distraught widower shot up the hospital, I had very few episodes of television that was that jaw-dropping and it's two hours I want to watch again but admittedly can't.  I have a feeling this season ender may do that again.  This show has been on a while and a few years ago it was showing its age but I think it's stronger and better than ever.

Just finished watching Castle's season finale right now and I knew what was coming:  the big Castle-Beckett confrontation about how they feel about each other.  We knew he loves her.  We knew she knew he loves her and, after last week, we were pretty sure he knew she knew he loves her.  Tonight he actually told her to her face.  And they got it on.  At last?  Where it goes from there I'm waiting and watching to see.  I'm on the fence about them getting together.  It hasn't always bode well (Moonlighting, anyone?) but sometimes it has (go Chuck and Sarah on Chuck!).  I like "Caskett" and think they make a great team.  But I don't want their relationship to change.  But I'll keep watching and hey, Nathan Fillion FINALLY has a hit, long-running series, so yay!

And all these shows will be back in the fall so SUPER YAY!!

Still lots of great TV to come this week and next.  Then my TiVo gets a slight break before all the great summer shows come back.  Always helps summer go by faster.  Looking forward to some new shows as well.  Please keep checking back in here for my reviews, recaps, opinions, recommendations, etc!

Oh, one thing I ain't happy about AT ALL:  ABC Family cancelled Make It or Break It.  Loved that show!  And now we won't get to see who gets to the Olympics.  *sniff*  Bad move, net...

Happy viewing!

Season Finales & Summer Premieres

Alas, tis' that sorrowful time of year when our favorite shows end their season runs, leaving us with a vast summer hiatus to mull over the shocking, how-dare-you!?! character deaths and aching how-do-I-wait-til-fall? cliffhangers while mourning of programs that will not return (will miss you, dear Wisteria Laners).

But have no fear, fellow CPs, for television will supplement us with its rather satisfying summer fare to tide us over.

So turn your eyes to the column on the left to see your shows' season finales and summer premieres are and check back here often for lots of boob-tube goodness!

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