The first episode of Glee,” Leap Year” features the question, “What episode of Glee does Finn die?” Before I get too far into the review, I want to make sure that you’re following the show. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a real treat. It’s a hilarious show about a group of high school friends who are going to the prom. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
It’s the last hurrahs of the senior year: and Blaine (Leigh De Waal) has finally accepted that he’s moving on from the cheerleading life. He hasn’t found the girl of his dreams yet, so he’s planning to propose to Rachel (Vanessa Hudgens) before he moves on to bigger and better things. Things go bad, however, when Rachel calls the other girls to tell them that she’s been seeing somebody else. Facing an uphill battle, the still-sweet Blaine decides to ask out Rachel’s dad. Unfortunately for him, Rachel is expecting him, and he gets turned down.
So he decides to ask the new boy in town: Finn (Kevin Dunn), a boy who is destined to give Rachel everything she’s ever wanted in a relationship. Their first date is great, and Finn invites Rachel over to his house the next night. Everything goes well until the newlyweds find out that their house is on fire. In order to save their home, they decide to sing in the front window, which gets thrown over the fence and catches on fire, ultimately causing the death of Finn.
Rachel’s mom finds out: about the fire and tells her daughter that it was stupid of Finn to take her to the fire, but Rachel screams and runs away. She’s able to grab Finn by the collar and lock him in the trunk of her car until the fire trucks arrive. Fortunately, Rachel is able to pull herself out of the vehicle before it burns. Once everyone recovers, Rachel realizes that she loves Finn, but she still hates her mom’s reaction.
The next episode: “What Episode of Glee does Finn Die,” is a lot less funny than the previous episodes where Rachel went through such heartache. While dealing with the realization that Finn is a jerk, Rachel is also starting to realize that she’s in love with Finn, even though he’s a complete ass. Things heat up between the two, and Rachel tries to convince her mother and father that she likes Finn. Her mom is ready to send her away, but she decides to stay and see what happens:
Finally, in “Thanksgiving,” Finn comes back from the dead: With a brand new identity, he’s set to impress Rachel again, but first he must reunite with his own family. He apologizes for stealing her football party, and she tells him she forgives him. They share a dance, and Rachel gets angry when Finn kisses another girl without her knowing. In the end, Rachel lets Finn have one last kiss, and the episode ends with a beautifully peaceful Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s an episode that nails down the central point of what makes Glee so great- sharing and nurturing with people we care about.
