We all have little things that make us feel better: a comfort food, a pick me up song, a favorite book that brightens our day. For me, that thing has been Glee. For the past three years, Glee has been my favorite show, despite its poor reviews and declining quality. Now, as the series comes to a close, I’m forced to reflect and say farewell to the show that’s been by my side like an old friend.
I’m always a little behind when it comes to pop culture trends. I know this is true based on the fact that I didn’t watch the popular Fox musical comedy series until my senior year of high school, while everyone else had started watching it when it came out in 2009. It was the first day of 2012 and I had a paper to write and a book to finish for English class. Instead, I found myself crippled by senioritis and rereading some old issues of Seventeen. I came across an article about Heather Morris, who plays daffy dancer Britney S. Pierce on the show. With little else that I cared to do, I decided to give Glee a shot after reading the article. After all, several people had recommended the show to me due to my love of musical theatre and one friend even compared me to the show’s plucky heroine, Rachel Berry.
The first episode I was watched was “Grilled Cheesus” which centered around another main character, Finn, and his struggle with his faith after he makes a grilled cheese that has the face of Jesus. The other characters also struggle with their spirituality, especially Kurt, as he deals with his father having a near deadly heart attack. But they do it through song and with a quippy sense of humor, with serious emotional moments mixed in between portraying a common experience, like struggling with one’s faith.
I was hooked. I banged out that paper and never finished the book, all so I could keep watching more episodes. This show had me snickering at its clever humor and crying at its heavier moments at the same time. Not to mention there was singing, something I severely lacked in my own everyday life (no one in my high school ever broke into song!)
What really did it for me though was Rachel Berry. While some describe her as annoying and selfish (admittedly grounded accusations), I found her to be a lot like me, not in her crazy ways, but in her ambition. Much of the show revolves around Rachel and her intent to make it to Broadway. She’ll do anything to get there, some of it questionable, but some of it not so much. What I loved about Rachel is she wasn’t afraid to be viewed as weird by her peers while doing something to get what she wants. Join the unpopular Glee club? Become its captain? Join the one-woman school musical? Nothing stopped Rachel from going after what she wants. In high school, I felt the same way. In a school of students aspiring to become nurses and engineers, I was literally one of the only people in my graduating class who wanted to be a writer. I was also the only person in the school who wrote for the local paper and took extra writing classes. With Glee came the wonderful feeling of seeing someone like myself portrayed on TV.
Between the atmosphere and the mirroring of my own life, Glee became my favorite show. But somewhere down the line, it became more than that. Glee was there for me when I needed it. I found that the relationship problems being dealt with and the struggles in college were like my own, offering me comfort when I needed it. The musical scenarios created a soundtrack to my life. When stressed, sad or even bored, Glee took me away. During my saddest and loneliest moments, it offered me comfort.
I cannot deny that Glee has become horrifically bad over the years. I don’t find myself turning to newer episodes the way I turn to the earlier seasons. But that does not change the fact that it is my show. Like a person, Glee has been there for me over the past several years. I’ve never had a relationship with a show quite like I’ve had with this one.
And now it’s ending. Not that this is some huge drastic trauma, but I do find myself skimming through Netflix, wondering which show, if any, will be the kind of show that I’ll watch for fun again or look to for inspiration. I feel like I’ve found something special in this show. It was the first (and so far only) that showed me the power of television, how some fictional characters on a screen can change your outlook on life. But aside from having reruns on Netflix and the soundtrack on iTunes, I can take comfort in knowing that I’ll always carry some gems of wisdom and humor from Glee with me. No matter how many times I feel out of place in life, I can always think back to Rachel Berry, with her gold stars and killer voice, and be inspired by her unabashed drive to follow her dreams and not be afraid to be special.