From 2009 to 2015, Glee shook the nation with its humor, wit, and uniqueness as a television series. The show was clearly ahead of its time with its inclusion of all different types of people, as well as the creativity and outlandishness of many of the plots. Following high schoolers as they grow up and graduate, move to college, and learn about themselves, all through song, Glee is full of relationships and drama. Characters learn about their sexualities, get heartbroken, break hearts, find themselves pregnant, and so much more throughout the show.
In six and a half seasons, Glee has so many plots and subplots, and just trying to create a list of all the romantic relationships is hard to do from memory. Characters like Puck, Sam, and Brittany had probably five relationships each. Some relationships, like Emma and Ken Tanaka, are hard watches, while others, like Blaine and Rachel, exist for a quick laugh. However, some of these relationships might be my favorites across television, showing love through ups and downs, working hard for happy endings, and bringing out the best in characters that might’ve been hard to like at first.
Between Santana and Brittany, Rachel and Finn, and Kurt and Blaine, Glee taught us truths and hardships about love, showed us mistakes, happy endings, and horribly upsetting endings, and taught us lessons all through its quirky jukebox musical comedy-drama style.
Rachel & Finn
Rachel and Finn have arguably the most iconic relationship on Glee. Rachel is introduced as incredibly annoying, dramatic, and egotistical. For some reason, Finn falls for her after finding out that Quinn cheated on him, and their on-and-off relationship blossoms. Her ambition and his kindness work incredibly well together as she navigates making it on Broadway and becoming the star she always wanted to be, and he tries to understand himself and push himself to be better. He sees through her insecurities and drama, calms her down when she needs it, and most of all, supports her and her dreams in every way he knows how. She sees the best in him, works for him to do the same, and shows him love and care in times where he is totally lost.
Even though it may have lost the team nationals, Rachel and Finn’s kiss on stage will always be a top 10 scene for me. Looking at each other before walking on stage, the buildup during the performance, and the kiss itself created such a powerful bond on the screen, and their chemistry is just unmatched. I think that Finn leaving her to go to New York on her own is the smartest and most caring thing he could have done. The scene of Rachel watching him stand outside the train will always bring tears to my eyes. Even after she leaves for New York, Finn never leaves Rachel’s mind. They may not have the most stable or perfect relationship, but the two of them truly were meant for each other, and this is the iconic Glee relationship that just has to be number one. The conversation they have at Emma and Will’s wedding is so telling, and the two of them were 100% endgame.
Brittany & Santana
Brittany and Santana come in a close second. Brittany’s sunshine-and-rainbows personality perfectly contradicts Santana’s indifference and ruthlessness. The two of them become more important characters throughout the second season, and as we get to know their personalities, it really seems like there isn’t much below the surface. Santana relentlessly bullies Rachel and everyone around her, including her best friends. Brittany seems to fall into a “dumb blonde” category and provides a lot of comedic relief. As the show goes on, more and more hints drop of the two of them engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship. It is then, watching them battle with their feelings, that we truly get to understand the two of them as characters. Santana does care, Brittany does think, and they bring that out in each other. Brittany helps Santana come out to their classmates, revealing Santana’s vulnerability as well as Brittany’s care and loyalty. They also have their ups and downs throughout the show, and outside of Santana dating Dani (Demi Lovato) in New York, they are one of the most stable couples. Honestly, they have the best relationship, even if I’m not ranking them as my favorite.
Kurt & Blaine
Kurt and Blaine have quite the storyline. This relationship jumps up a few pegs for me solely because of Blaine’s voice and the songs he sang. “Teenage Dream,” which marked their introduction to each other, and the emotional reprise deserve a lot of praise, as does Blaine’s “All You Need Is Love” proposal. Kurt isn’t really my favorite as a character (or singer), so this isn’t my favorite relationship, regardless of how central it was in the show. The cheating plotline was totally unnecessary, and I felt a lot of secondhand embarrassment watching Kurt chase after him after they met. The whole plot of Kurt being jealous of Blaine’s success was also ridiculous (Kurt should’ve gotten into NYADA). That being said, they taught each other a lot, supported each other in difficult times, and made it out together after six seasons of various hardships. Let’s not forget to thank Sue for pushing the two of them together, regardless of how creepy the little Sue doll was.
Other Relationships
Rachel ending up with Jessie was definitely the second-best option, and I’ll rank that as one of my favorites of the ending couples. Jessie is an absolute favorite character; his charm and confidence make him such a fun character to watch, even with his limited screentime. He and Rachel had some fun chemistry at the beginning of the show, and them ending up together made sense. Rachel and Brody also had a good relationship for the most part. He pushed her in positive ways, but it was never going to be for the long run, and he just wasn’t good enough for where she was going to go.
As for other couples that ended up together, Quinn and Puck do not make my favorites list. It was sweet that they still cared about each other for so long, but Quinn went to Yale, was moving on to wonderful things, and Puck wasn’t good enough for her, even after his redemption and character growth. Quinn was such a dynamic and quintessential character for the first few seasons. The plot totally did her dirty, and ending up with Puck feels like a short and easy way to tie up loose ends. Mercedes and Sam were cute together, but also not my favorite. Tina and Artie had a good relationship, but not a couple I particularly cared about. Tina had her low points at the beginning of the show and brought her character up, but then, after everyone else had graduated, she got kind of annoying again. She and Mike were nice and made sense, but it also makes sense that they wouldn’t have ended up together.
Lastly, Mr. Schuester is one of the main characters of the show, but I really can’t bring myself to care about any of his relationships. His relationship with Terri went on for way too long, and as much as it was fun to laugh about, there’s no reason why he should’ve married her in the first place. He totally strung Emma along and wasn’t fair to her, or even good enough for the pedestal that she put him on. I think it’s a little weird that Emma liked him for as long as she did and refused to have relationships with other men who liked her when he couldn’t care less. Sue marrying herself was the most practical relationship of any in the show, and one of the funniest plots. Despite not being in any relationships herself (except for her Sue-Sue marriage), Sue guided almost all of these relationships to the point that they reached.
In conclusion, Glee taught us about love through crazy and unbelievable storylines, portraying love in many unique ways. The series brought LGBTQ+ relationships to media in a way never before seen, putting them on an even playing field through humor targeted at all. Somewhere within the drama-filled weirdness, love was shown in romantic ways, platonic ways, through hundreds of songs, and through mistakes and loss. I recommend Glee to anyone looking for laughs and tears.