I actually liked the season finale.
Yes, portions of it were unrealistic, as we now expect Glee to be, but it was a fitting end to the season and frankly, it was an episode that would never be able to please fans who already expect so much. In only an hour, it is simply not logistically possible to fit in every single couple discussing their future in any detail and also have time to perform songs. Like it or lump it, Glee has such a huge cast that every character can’t be focused on in detail.
The show did try to give us an insight into each character’s future with the internal monologues, and I think that this was done well. Yes, it would have been nice if Kurt had been given a few scenes dealing with his rejection from NYADA, but opening that can of worms would have resulted in a fully-fledged plotline that would have felt unresolved by the end of the episode. Again, it can’t be forgotten the episode was only an hour long; it is next to impossible to be able to wrap up every loose end in that duration.
And now to the main issue most seemed to have with the episode. The ‘Finchel overload’ and Rachel’s future. My response to this is that Rachel is the main character. Each season has revolved around her in some way, right from the very beginning when she was uploading videos to Myspace and getting cyber-bullied by the Cheerios. A lot of fans are very emotionally invested in her character, and to me the closing scenes were definitely warranted and did not take away from other characters.
Rachel, with the best voice and the biggest dreams, needed that finale; I personally was sobbing when the train pulled away. It shows the show has come full circle; from Season One Rachel’s Broadway dreams to those dreams starting to become tangible at the end of Season Three. ‘Finchel’, however much fans (especially on this site) appear to hate it, is also the core relationship of the series, having started in Season One. Their love for one another has run through each season, and it is only right for the season to end with their relationship’s climax.
Any significant omissions from the finale will surely be included at the beginning of Season Four, as we now know for a fact a large percentage of the seniors will be returning to the show in some capacity. I can’t see how this will work very well, as the cast is already too large for everyone to have meaningful plotlines (angering the fans!). However, I am sure I will still love the show and I think everyone should try and love the show as it is; warts and all.