Glee Boss Ryan Murphy Reveals Game Plan for ‘Satisfying’ Final Season (Who’ll Be Back?!); Plus — Inside the ‘Painful’ Rachel Romance Debate
Ryan Murphy not only has a firm grasp of exactly how Glee will end, he also knows which two characters will be in the “powerful and moving” final scene.
That was but one of the revealing takeaways from an intimate, Glee-centric Q&A the show’s exec producer conducted with a few select outlets (TVLine included) on Monday. In addition to previewing this season’s five remaining Big Apple-set episodes (including this week’s highly enjoyable outing, “Tested”), Murphy opened up about the big idea he and co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are cooking up for Season 6’s 24-episode farewell, which cast members will be invited to participate, and whether we have seen the last of McKinley High.
Murphy also spoke candidly about the “painful” internal conversations surrounding Rachel’s romantic future — a topic that’s touched on in tonight’s episode.
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TVLINE | Can you talk about the decision to end the high school part of the show?
I’ve spoken about it before, but the big plan of what the series was going to be and how it was going to end was radically changed when Cory [Monteith] passed away. Finn was going to sort of take over the glee club and Rachel was going to be off having her New York adventures. When Cory passed away, part of the story as we had imagined it didn’t make sense anymore, really. It felt sad, to be quite honest. We collectively — Brad, Ian and myself — made a decision that the freshest thing to do was a complete, clean start. We accelerated all those New York stories, and I think that was the right choice. I think that gave the show a burst of new energy. It feels like a new show to me in that it’s much more young-adult than it’s ever been.
TVLINE | What happens to the new kids we met at McKinley [like Marley, Kitty, Unique, etc.]?
At some point before the show is concluded, we will definitely catch up with those characters again. We really loved all of those actors, and they did a great service to the show. So I think at some point, before we’re done, we’ll see many of them again and find out where they are and check in with them and see how being a part of that glee club legacy affected their lives, as we do with our original characters.
TVLINE | How do these remaining Season 5 episodes lead into the final season? And do you know who will be a part of Season 6?
Brad and Ian have done such a good job of working on these stories, particularly the New York stories in the past six episodes, from 14 through 20. What we’re sort of zooming in on is what’s going to happen with Rachel’s Funny Girl debut. Is it going to be a huge success? Is it going to be a flop? And if it is any of those things, where will it turn her? Will it make her want to stay and do more New York shows? Will she want to do something else? That’s the main thrust of this New York run. … Because we have fewer characters now, we have more time to tell [other couples’] stories. For example, you’ve seen a lot more of the Kurt and Blaine relationship, and we’re heading towards what’s going to happen to them. They pretty much have had trouble every episode. We’re also going to be dealing with the Sam and Mercedes relationship. All of these things are building to a head in [the finale]. I would say “explosion” is too harsh of a word, but something big happens, and the final season is the aftermath of that.
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TVLINE | Are these New York episodes a preview of what the final season will look like?
They’re really not. The final season is its own story in its own location. The final season is not New York-centric at all. It really is a lovely, fitting season that dwells on the original people on the show and what happens to them and how they give back. That really is the last season. We’ll revisit some of the new kids that came and went, there’s a return of the [Sue] and [Will] in a big way. It’s a really interesting, very sweet, satisfying ending to the story.
TVLINE | Is the plan still for the final season to have 22 or 24 episodes?
This year we did 20 episodes, and the reason we did 20 was because we had a three-week delay because of Cory’s passing. There was no way to physically produce those episodes and get them on the air in the month of May. That’s why the order was sort of truncated. So now, what we’re left with is basically 24 episodes. And I can’t speak for other people, but for me, doing a straight run-through of 24 episodes just doesn’t seem to be viable. It doesn’t feel right, so we’re looking at how do we take those 24 ± do we divide them? The main thrust of them will be a final farewell to all of our characters that we’ve known since Season 1.
TVLINE | Do you have an idea for a new final scene of the series?
Yes, we do have a final idea that we’re working on that I think is very powerful and moving. It’s about Rachel and Mr. Schue, and it returns them to their origins, their roots, how they felt about each other when they were much younger and everything was idyllic. I think the ending has to be a reflection and a celebration of how far all those characters have come.
TVLINE | Will there be a time jump between seasons? And which cast members will be back for the final season?
We are going to do a time jump. And my feeling about the last season of Glee is very clear, and that is that we have, or we will be, reaching out to all the regulars on the show — the original group of glee club members and teachers, and anyone who wants to come back. Anyone who wants to be a part of the show, we welcome them. I know people are saying, “Well, why isn’t Heather [Morris] on the show now?” and things like that. The answer for some of these things is, Heather is a new mother. She has a young baby. She came and did four episodes and really loved it. I think she would be 
willing to come back and do a couple more, but right now, Heather wants to focus on being a mom. The fun thing about the ending of the show is that there’s room for everybody to come back and be a part of it, and I hope they all want to. I think they do. When we just had our big 100th episode celebration, I spoke to many of them, and everybody in the cast seems to look back on the show with such fondness and nostalgia. I think everybody wants to come back and end that story correctly, so that’s our answer. Anybody who wants to be a part of that ending, we’d love to have you.
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TVLINE | Are we going to see McKinley again?
You might see it again in some very nostalgic way, yes, but I don’t want to talk about the location [of Season 6] just yet.
TVLINE | In this week’s episode, there’s a nice scene where Rachel tells Mercedes that she isn’t quite ready for a new romance. When is it OK for Rachel to start dating again?
We talk about this in the writers’ room all the time. That’s a really hard, very painful, very difficult thing for the show. I’ve said it before, and it was even in Cory’s eulogy, but that was the ending of the show for me, these two star-crossed lovers having a happy ending and both getting their dreams. So the fact that that can’t be is a big pain in all of our hearts. We have to pause and think, “What are we going to do with Rachel?” This year what we decided to do was to remove the equation of anybody coming in and taking Finn’s place, because I don’t really think that’s possible. And I think that worked out quite well. I really liked dwelling on Rachel’s career again. She’s going to be a star. But as for the future, it’s a lot of discussion, and it’s something that we’ll consult with Lea about. To be quite honest, we just haven’t been able to crack it, because I feel like it’s such a sensitive topic and the fans have such an idea about it. I think half of them feel like, yes, Rachel should go on, and I think half of them probably feel like no, she shouldn’t. We’ll follow Lea’s lead, as we have so many times this year. She’s always been so great and so sensitive and been so wise about how to handle that stuff. So we have to make that decision in the next couple of weeks or months: Is Rachel going to have another romance or does the second half [of Rachel’s life], romantically, happen when Glee is over? That’s something we’re debating. It’s hard.
Please bring back Terri for the final season.
Maybe Teri and Figgins can get together. That could be funny.
I don’t think Ryan Murphy even knows what he’s doing next season. He makes stuff up on the fly and it ends up crappy. AHS could be great, but he does a shoddy job and ends up with so many plot holes. He makes junk up last minute and people think he’s genius. I think he’s a hack. I hope he doesn’t screw up the end for this show. A time jump seems so forced. We had like 3 years chronological, and then a half a year one season, then the next season was the other half of the academic year at mckinley, and by the end of the season, its a new academic year for the New Yorkers. WTF is he doing? I love this show, but RM is destroying it, and that makes me sad.
I agree with your comments about RM!
Does Ryan look at the ratings? I don’t think he has a clue in how to save this show. And, RM don’t insinuate that Lea had a role in the script, it’s not her fault. She stated, and he confirmed, that she did not want a romance this season but they hinted at one almost right away with Sam. We’ll have to see if RM goes down with the ship and admits the writing has been awful the past two seasons.
Agree with every word above the three com mentors. Last 2 seasons have sucked. RM has let Glee go down the tubes. Some episodes have had some memorable moments but most were pretty bad. I still love most of Glee’s characters and that is why it is hard to let go of the mess that Glee became. Glee has had some pretty good episodes as of late in NY. I really like that. But, I don’t believe a word that RM says, so. I liked Nip/Tuck once. I am reserved about season 6. I don’t like Lima at all. I have seen my second favorite character reach her goal-Broadway. Finn was my most favorite character, so, there goes the every man’s dream of a future and how their life will turn out. My third favorite will be in NY and as (spoiler) in the next couple of episodes. That is Santana. Couples I don’t care about. Individual developmental is what is important.
I was pretty much addicted to the show the first three seasons. I often forgot to watch much of Season 4. Then Cory died and I tried to watch in support of Lea and the cast, but I gave up completely with the look between Sam and Rachel. I have no interest in Season Six. I don’t know if RM got bored or what happened, but it was a major fail and the ratings proved it.
Maybe Teri and Figgins can get together. That could be funny.
Oh, lord. That…would be interesting. To say the very least.
Hello? Ryan Murphy created glee. If it weren’t for his mastermind glee wouldn’t even exist.
Uh, actually Ian Brennan created Glee. Ryan’s the one the got it on the air. Just saying.
no ian made a movie… Ryan murphy actually created the show…..
I really think that everything that happened with Cory just made everything so different and messed with the order of things. It’s hard to thoroughly rewrite an entire season.
Finn was such a key character in this show that when they started to rewrite who he was in season three (Lima Loser) the show started to slip away. He was like the only normal person on the show – he was strong, humble, everyone’s best friend, etc. You can’t replace someone like that on a show. I don’t think Rachel needs another man in her life right now. She’s 20 years old and just starting what could be a brilliant career. She needs to learn that she can be happy and feel good about herself without needing a boyfriend to tell her she’s pretty. It’s all part of the maturing process. They seem to be so relationship-focused on this show.
You are exactly right. With Cory dying, it just needed up everything because they are trying to rewrite the whole thing and pretend like Finn wasn’t even there. You need the sorrow and the reminder that she is still wounded, all of them are wounded, and they still have that time to heal and grow. They shouldn’t forget him!
YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been saying this for years! I get so annoyed with the squandered potential of both Glee and AMHS. Ryan Murphy wastes talent on crappy stale story lines full of holes!~~!!!!!!!!!!
Man Season 1 of Glee was absolutely amazing. Season 2 was kind of enjoyable but they stopped focusing on being who you are and being fine with it. Then at the end of season 3 it became the uptight spoiled girl gets everything that she wants while all of her friends crash and burn show. This show had the potential to help people be who they are instead it made every cast member incredibly attractive and made everyone obsessed with fame and popularity. Which they got. And then the love of Ryan Murphys life dies and he gives up. If he can’t take it then he should’ve either handed the show over to someone else or just blow up the dang school with all the cast in it. The end. Not keep making the show even more terrible while whining his butt off about it. I’ve seen shows get ruined before but not a show that started out making a statement then crashed and conformed into everything else. I could go on for hours about how tragic Glee has become but I will stop for now.
Totally agree. I hated when the glee kids became just like the people they were rebelling against. It made me wonder why they were still being “bullied” I would have LOVED them to focus more on Dave’s character. That could have been so relateable – a jock being gay and Kurt (or the glee kids in general) helping him accept himself as he is.. just like they all did. It became like so many other shows – about the beautiful cool kids.
I think Ryan is absolutely genius. He may have a bunch of relationship gaps in the beginning but he fills it in as he goes. And this show has been so inspiring that the relationships shouldn’t be your main focus but the problems that the couples go through because they are real, those problems exsist in real life and I think that’s his main goal. To be inspirational and let people know that it is possible. I applaud Ryan Murphy.
THANK YOU!!!! UR SO RIGHT!
Wow Teri and figgins together that’s the worse they never had any love connection on the show so why now and if u don’t like the show then why bother wasting ur time on thinking wat RM doing for season 6 if u liked glee before well guess who wrote it and also I’m pretty sure he busy think wat going to happen next he doesn’t have people telling him wat to do he does it all by himself and now that Cory passed away he doesn’t even now and now he has to figure it out on his own THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR NOTHING and if u don’t want to see season 6 that’s ur problem keep in ur ass nobody wants to know and if u don’t want to see season 6 well then who begging u to
TVLINE wish you would have asked Ryan if there was any chance of a Glee spinoff, after next season?
LOL look at the ratings; that isn’t going to happen.
Dude, they slammed that idea a long time ago…it was either focus the remainder the season on New York or think about a spin off……obviously they went with New York.
I hope he means more Tina time if he’s saying all the characters I mean that’s a lot of characters to focus on! He shouldn’t have introduced the newer characters and stuck with the originals now he has more to work on than he needed
There are new characters because th Glee Club needs 12 students to partcipate to Communals, Regionals and Nationals.
I bet Rachel will be a huge success, and will be offered a chance to make a movie. So next season Glee will be focused in Hollywood as all the cast are involved in Rachel’s movie! The end scene will be at the Oscars as Mr. Shue gives Rachel her an Oscar.
As she accepts the award, she’ll thank all the people, who got her there. ( Montage of all Glee cast ). Then she’ll raise up the award, and the last line of the show will be: “This isn’t the end, this just the beggining!”.
How would Mr. Shue give her the Oscar; those are presented by movie stars. Does he become one, too?
I KNOW RIGHT? THAT’S MESSED UP
I really didn’t like the New York story lines…I prefer Mckinley, not just because Jake is my favourite character, but because that’s where it all started and to have sue ‘win’ and shut the New Directions down, I don’t know, something just wasn’t right for me…
Please don’t bring back Terri – (Wll’s 1st wife?)
I hope they bring back Jonathan Groff. To me is the only acceptable “”replacement”” of Finn and since they already have history, it’d be nice. I’m fine with Rachel being single at the end too.
Agree with all of this!
Really, he is the only alternative to Finn I would accept and that would not feel forced.
I agree with this but i feel like itisnt going to happen because of his HBO show
Well honestly it’s not like it takes very long to produce 8 episodes. I’m sure he could make an appearance here/there. Other actors have done two shows in a year. :P
Agree! Besides I think that Lea’s and Jon’s friendship would make things easier for Lea. I really loved Jesse and Rachel, so i hope they bring him back.
I defiantly agree… Now that rachel is in the broadway/tv show circuit, it could be really easy for RM to write Jesse back in the script. Plus one of the main reasons rachel hasn’t gotten a new love interest is because lea may not be ready yet. But her and Jon are like bffs and he would be some she could be comfortable with…. I don’t think they should date yet but he should come back and then on the season finale or something, they can have a kiss or slow dance or SOMETHING that would hint at a future relationship….
I think something should happen between Rachel and Jesse, he’s directing her TV show or something. I think they were really good together, when he wasn’t lying to her. I think he actually loved her in the end and whenever he reappears you see the same look on his face.
I would love some giant romantic storyline with them I think it would be a great way to also incorporate Finn and the decision might be hard for Rachel because of her history with the two. I love Finn and think he and Rachel were great together but I think Rachel and Jesse would make a great couple too. When he’s actually being himself, you see HIM, who he really is, is in the looks he gives Rachel. He loves her. And there will always something there which I think would be great to explore properly in the finale. I know everyone cant live happily ever after, but this is on fairy-tale I would love to see.
Finn’s dead, Rachel isn’t. She should move on, especially if there’s passage of time between this season and the next. But I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t continue as “the Widder Hudson” for the rest of the series.
In real life “moving on” takes time. For Lea/Rachel it has been mere months, so I don’t think Rachel or Lea are ready to have Rachel in a new relationship. The show could end with a chance encounter with someone that hints at something developing, or renewing a previous relationship that could develop. That would leave us knowing Rachel was going to be OK. As for the comments about Ryan Murphy, I love this show and the characters and most of the story lines. Anyone who thinks writing scripts is easy, go ahead and try it before you criticize.
So many people who think they know so much…..lol
Okay that is extremely rude. That’s all I am going to say.
Everyone’s love life end in high school. If you never had a boy/girlfriend back then you’re screwed, Forever Alone. It’s, like, in the Constitution!
I’ve thought this too. He’s the only guy that makes sense. Other than Finn I think he’s the only guy Rachel ever truly loved. The only reason they didn’t end up together was because of Finn. They did have great chemistry. Maybe she does something else on Broadway and hes in it…
I like Jesse and Jon, but he is unacceptable as an endgame for Rachel. Finn dies and his rival gets the girl? No thanks.
I want to see Rachel in a relationship again, but I think even if she gets another one, she will end the series single, or open to interpretation.
Even with a time jump, Rachel will still be in her early 20’s and beginning a big career. I think showing she can be happy alone would be a good thing for her. I agree that it would be too easy to bring Jon back. She wasn’t really in love with either Jesse or Brody, so they would need to build those re-do’s. I would prefer she gets an interesting friend that might have possibilities. A new character. A fresh start. I want to learn more about the beginnings of a career in the industry rather than another relationship focus.
Yes yes yes. Thats my biggest wish or this show: bring back Jon Groff
I’d rather she be single and if there is to be a new friend, let it be someone new – no history, a new beginning. Fresh start.
I think that is what Ryan’s going for as he said above, it’s it’s own story, a Freshest start
I totally agree that they should bring Jonathan Groff back!
I thought the same, esp b/c he is also friends with Lea Michele in real life so they have a comfort level too
O-M-G! i want jessy back so muchhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would be so sad if he doesn’t even appear in one single episode!
Yes!!!! I loved him so much. They cd hound rekindle but then I think she should tell him they they have to end it because she realizes that she loves him, but is not in love with home and that he is not the one for her. And also that they should stay close friends!
I still say he made a mistake by ditching McKinley High. This show was always about a high school glee club for me. Not *Rachel Berry and her friends and her NY Adventure.* Corey’s death shouldn’t have changed all that.
I agree! I didn’t like these last few NY-based episodes at all. The storylines and most of the song choices in those episodes fizzled for me. I much rather would have seen Sue and the “new kids” back at McKinley!
I agree. The whole concept of Glee is the high school’s glee club. Without it, Glee isn’t Glee. I miss the youthful energy and one-liner insults and high school rivalries…not to mention sectionals, regionals, and nationals. The audience can identify with high school as a comical place to go.
They couldn’t let the show continue to tank in the ratings. They were losing lots of money – advertising dollars go to the hit shows, not the show’s that are failing.
Those of us who started watching the show when we were in high school grew up. I think it’s only right that the show grew with us and vice versa.
I actually like both NYC and McKinley. I think the mistake was in not making the NYC story a spinoff.
I felt the exact opposite. It seemed to me like most people have wanted to get away from McKinley for awhile now. You can’t do any more crazy things with Sue. What are they gonna do, try to get to Nationals every year with kids who feel like lesser versions of Rachel, Finn, etc.? It wasn’t about a high school glee club for me so much as these kids. Didn’t care about the Ryder/Jake/Marley drama. It’s always a problem with a show set in high school. Eventually people graduate. Seeing misfits try to be adults in the real world appeals to me.
I pretty much agree with you. Sue being an abusive authority figure was tiresome. The new cast just didn’t gel for me. Jacob Artiste was great. Some don’t like Unique, but Alex did a decent job. I think they could’ve done better with Becca Tobin. However, Marley and Ryder were kinda bland. They dumbed Sam down too much….and I prefer Darren Criss’s Blaine as a less central character. I do think that Cory’s death greatly effected this season. I’m sure they had Finn on the path to becoming a teacher and an eventual reconciliation with Rachel…. His passing probably blew away any planned plots they had as related to Lea’s storyline; so, they were left scrambling for a direction this season. At least with an end date, they can figure out how to honor the long term fans.
This is what I think as well. They focused so much on BLaine and Sam that there was little time to develop a good storyline for the new kids. I always saw Finn as the hub, he controlled the center which allowed everyone else to spin around while he kept it all safe and going in the right direction. I don’t think the show will ever get back to the popularity of the first and second season and I think the focus will be to just give it a proper and respectful ending.
I agree with you on that. While I am happy that some of the original characters are still part of the show, I think it should still be about a high school glee club, which is why the show is called Glee. Now a better title for it would be Rachel’s NYC Adventures
Do you realize how little storyline Rachel has had this season? She had one solo after the Quarterback. In fact, I think she’s only had two solo’s all season. It’s been mostly about the boys. I think Rachel had about 1 minute of face time on this past episode. Part of that could be about Lea.
I’m surprised to hear you say you prefer the High School. When the show switched between MKH and NY, almost all commenters on this site said the HS bored them now and wanted it just in NY; myself included.
I am so glad they are focusing on NY. The Lima characters were sad shadows of the real Glee cast. “Save by the Bell” it, if that’s not to old a reference, by keeping the cast people care about together. All the good high school story lines have been done. New York is where it’s at.
See I don’t think people realize that the only reason the Lima side sucked is because the writing made it that way. The characters were bland and crappy remakes because RIB didn’t bother to make them into their own characters, they were even referred to in the show as their 1.0 counterparts by Figgins, Sue and others. Another thing I don’t get, Lima could have still been exciting if they had chosen to make it so. Not every seen had to be set within the walls of mickenley and some of the new York plot points could have very well taken place in Lima. I don’t get how suddenly lima is seen as barely problematic and the glee kids aren’t underdogs in this town portrayed to be small, closed-minded and cruel to anyone even remotely different but new York is the place where we finally see someone bashed? The only part of Lima we saw was scandal and Finn and Rachel’s homes. People also complain about the song choices, once again RIB decided that the high school cast should sing top 40 hits even though it makes no since that the original glee clubbers, who are only two years older than them, know all these old classics but the newbies only know songs that came out after 2000 besides the beetles. In the end, people can’t really say Lima was boring and the characters sucked because they are only that way because RIB decided to make them that way. Everything from it becoming BLEE to Tina becoming a bitch to Sam being a moron was all in an attempt to make the show better whereas this show definitely had the potential to become the next degrassi, bringing in new and fresher characters every year, instead they couldn’t create more than a total of seven individual characters with the rest acting as tweaked duplicates.
I soooo agree with you! I don’t watch Degrassi and probably never will but it sounds genius. I took a really big interest in all of the new kids when they first appeared and didn’t see them as duplicates (except for Jake at first). If the show had slowly let go of the old characters, we could’ve had the opportunity to really fall in love with the new characters. Blaine shouldn’t have had so much centered around him, Sam should’ve remained a sweetheart and not a dumb blonde who was kind of a jerk, Tina could’ve had plenty of romance opportunities with the newbies and struggled with defining herself and her future instead of with getting solos. Marley’s bulimia story and Unique’s whole transgender thing could’ve been golden opportunities for RIB to write more award-winning storylines like with Kurt. Instead, anytime they began to give them something good, it was dropped to make room for more Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Blaine Anderson, etc. Heck, even Kurt got less screentime and less compelling storylines for the sake of the other old characters and he was one of the main characters in the first few seasons. I know people blame the newbies, but I personally blame the old characters. They should’ve been let go.
” The final season is not New York-centric at all.”
Oh, boy. They all go back to Lima. I can’t imagine where they would all go together if it wasn’t back home. Wonder if something happens at McKinley to make them all realize where home is.
OR … the time jump to them 15-20 years, and then we look back at their careers, etc.
To me it sounds like there will be a flash forward season 6 showing what the originals are doing now well originals plus Sam/Blaine though I highly doubt we will see Quinn much again.
I don’t know, Dianna’s movie career never took off.
If she’s not crazy, or secretly more successful than we know, she will be back in some capacity. But as long as her being with Puck now is cute, they shouldn’t end up together forever. Looking into each other eyes and seeing a constant reminder of the kid they gave up it’s not a good recipe for long standing happiness. Let’s have them play it out then create families with other people (Puck & Kitty maybe? I don’t know), and successful careers too, please (Puck in the army and Yale graduate Quinn….. lawyer for example).
Puck is in the Air Force….. I’d like them to get together again. There have been real life couples who have gotten back together after giving up their child at a young age. Also, they know Beth is being taken care of by Shelby and is happy. At this point, it’s more of an open adoption. Shelby had said that she wanted Quinn and Puck to be part of Beth’s life. As Quinn said, Puck is the only guy who didn’t want her to change.
Oh and you have a wealth of experience in teen pregnancy and long lasting relationships?
Her success is debatable but she has, I think, 3 movies coming out this year and keeps getting cast on more
That is a rather amusing statement as she has just finished 2 movies…One of which is with Jason Sedakis
I read that as every episode will not be about a group in a location. I get the feeling that each episode will center on a character and some sort of ‘adventure’ that involves others from the show in some way and that highlights that particular character’s life and quirks. Then, let it flow as each one of these stories introduces the next until you get to the end of the line.
Not being New York-centric doesn’t mean NY isn’t going to be a setting at all. It could just be one of a number of setting, of which all get equal time.
I don’t think that Rachel NEEDS a new love interest! I’m enjoying watching her fill the void of Finn by focusing on her career and her friends and her new life! Not everyone NEEDS to have a love interest while in college or at such a young age. I think not giving her one sends a message that women can be successful in life after a tragedy and without a man by her side! It doesn’t mean she can’t eventually move on later but I don’t think it’s a necessity for the ending of this show.
I could not agree with you more. Rachel has her whole life to deal with romances. That’s what I tell my kids. No rush. People stay single for a variety of reasons. I think the horrific death of her “person” should at the very least result in Rachel focusing on other things in life, not exclusive to becoming a star, either. We all evolve as we age.
Rachel has been too dependent on having a guy in her life and she doesn’t need to do that anymore. I agree, she is young, talented, and needs to just get a good start on her career and just let things happen naturally. Women today usually wait until they are in their late 20’s or early 30’s to have a serious relationship. I think it would be good for her to be little more independent.
It would be a wasted opportunity not having her deal with the widow-dating again situation. Here’s my plan: 2 different love interests with arcs positioned at different times into season 6, all done very tastefully. Guy n°1 is a theater kind of person, who has the same passions and interests of Rachel and is part of the Arts/Jet Set world but is staring out just like her and is not a pretentious A-hole. Guy n°2 is not in show business but resonates with Rachel in other ways (NOT a Finn copycat, but may have something in common with him, like wanting to become a teacher for example). She brakes up/it doesn’t work with one of them because she feels she’s not ready, but in the end she has the possibility to choose between the 2 and chooses…..No one! She fine on her own for now with her dream, career and friends, but at least she knows that there are opportunities out there to love again whenever she’ll feel like it.
P.S: If one or both guys are people of color (or Latinos, or any other ethnicity), I will not complain.
Great idea !!
Thanks.
My thoughts exactly. If she does find another guy to be happy with someday, wonderful. But I don’t want the show to feel like they HAVE to put her in a new relationship again, either. Let her be single, let her deal with her grief, let her focus on her career and her dreams and her own life, and then, if she is interested in dating again, she can turn her focus to that once everything else in her life is settled to where she’s happy and comfortable and all that good stuff.
I understand Rachel has to move on, but the crap they pulled with Sam 3 eps after Finn’s memorial was inexcusable and at this point if she does move on I pray it’s NOT with Sam! ANYBODY BUT SAM!
It wasn’t inexcusable. It was barely even a moment and was never addressed again. It won’t be Sam.
In was in tonight’s episode and Rachel’s response was weird. There was a moment between Sam and her because she was homesick and he was close to Finn. I think the writers were waiting for fan reaction and they got it – a big NO.
rachael & sam slept 2gether in 2night’s episode
I think we need to see someone that starts off as a friend (a cute friend, natch) and it almost creeps up on Rachel that this is someone she wants to spend time with but they don’t go to that relationship place on the show really. The other Glee characters realize this person’s good for her, give each other knowing glances, make sure to include him, don’t tease her about it, and just stand back and wait. Toward the end we’re all kind of rooting for him to ask her out officially and it could be implied that it’ll go in a positive direction in the future off screen. Maybe she ends up with him, maybe she doesn’t. It’ll just be for our imaginations, and it’ll feel right for Finn’s memory.
This idea works for me. If they do go the romance route with Rachel, I’m totally fine with it playing out like this :).
PERFECT. Just a hint of something is more than enough. I do want him to be a little Finn-like though.
I feel like the majority of next season should be about Rachel getting to a place where she can love again. They’ve touched on Rachel grieving Finn a lot but not much of how she sees herself moving on so I think that needs to be explored before she can jump into a relationship again. Ideally for me, season six would be about Rachel moving forward with her life and at the end of it, she’d get to a place where she can finally date again and we’d maybe only get a glimpse of what that future looks like. I don’t think fully exploring another relationship would be the way to go next year.
Maybe the show could ahve Rachel meet someone new but she feels like she’s betraying Finn’s memory in some way.We don’t have to see her fall in love with someone but let us see her open the door for it to happen one day.Plus if there is a new love interest it should be someone completely different than Finn.
Actually, they haven’t touched on Rachel grieving Finn a lot. They had the tribute, the tattoo in 5×05, and some sad looks that could mean just about anything. Finn has been consigned to a wall backstage at McKinley next to a woman we never met, as an example along with ND of something that doesn’t last. His loss has not been allowed to resonate, nor has his life; there have been no callbacks whatsoever to all the support he gave Rachel, for years, before anybody else did (when everyone else, even Kurt, was picking on her and Mr. Schue did nothing). Or everything he did for everyone else. To skip this along to a “should she move on” or having other characters talk to her about moving on is disgraceful, especially given that it simplifies a complex situation that the actress is dealing with and should be left to deal with herself.
I find the notion that they have somehow followed Lea’s lead to be a joke. She has said herself it isn’t up to her, and she should not have to shoulder any part of the blame for their crappy story decisions or whatever-that-was they put into 5×06.
I agree 1000% with this post. It seems half the fans who want a new Rachel´s LI never got Finchel or Glee´s methapore even if Ryan and Brad said it so many times before. The story is so incomplete and the writers don´t have a clue how to do a closer. What´s the point to move on Rachel if she doesn´t even speaks about him?. How she can “move on”?. The executions of past LI for Rachel were BIG failed. Don´t get me started in that crap they did with Sam and Rachel in “Move On” episode… Don´t get me wrong, Rachel is 18 years old shw will move on eventualy but why do we need to “wacth” a new LI if this show is close to end?
I agree totally! I can only imagine the hurt,pain and grief Lea is experiencing through all of this. That being said Rachel should be sorting this all out also. Rachel lost Finn …..and yet even in tonight’s episode “tested” she barely says his name? But then I think, it’s hard for Lea…you can just see the awkwardness when she finally did say his name…like she wasn’t comfortable. Then I realize that’s what I want to see, Rachel actually dealing with it and not masking it by throwing herself into school or work. Yes it’s a distraction and part of moving on but I don’t think Rachel can move on without dealing with Finn first. I lost my mom 4 1/2 years ago and I still cry everyday because I miss her. Her name is spoken every day! Life has moved forward and I’m in a good place …I guess people grieve differently and I do respect Lea’s decision …just being a little selfish wanting to see Rachel go through it cause we all feel the loss of Finn and are living it through Rachel.
@netta-we’ll said about Finn. I know the whole situation is awkward since they were dating in real life, but I do agree that Finn’s passing seems to be lost in the shuffle now.
Random thought -what if in the jump in time that Rachel is already with someone when S6 starts?!
Good point that they put some of the blame on Lea. That was rude. She probably wasn’t strong enough to do a lot of the heavy grieving scenes early on, but that is much different than having Sam half naked and the “ah ha” moment. Lazy writing.
I always felt the ONLY guy id want to see Rachel with outside of Finn was Puck. But they ruined that lol
I agree 100% with this. Aside from Rachel and Carol (and, fine, Kurt too), Puck was one of the ones hit hardest by Finn’s passing. Considering their history and how much Finn meant to them both, I thought RIB missed a big opportunity by not having those two reach out to each other.
Glee is moving to another location???? Lima Heights?
Adjacent.
So no Quinn then ?
He left it open ended, basically saying “the ball is in your court, if you want to be part of the ending then call me”
That was a great interview with Ryan Murphy.Regarding the time jump my theory is that next season will start with Kurt graduating from NYADA and having all the main characters out of school.As for Blaine i think he’ll drop out of NYADA as a result of Shirley McLaine’s character helping him with his new career.So the characters will be facing the real world and figuring out what they are going to do next.Regarding Rachel i do see a romance for her next season but it happens slowly.I also think Kurt and Blaine will get married next season.Plus i’m glad the show will let us see what happened to the kids left behind and that way their stories aren’t left unresolved.I can’t wait for the final season.
I agree, it was a great interview. Not that I agree with the sentiments but it would have been interesting to hear Ryan’s comments around the so-called experts who hate Blaine and Sam. Also I think people just don’t get that some of the earlier regulars have other things going on and can’t be on as much
Sam Hater – “Sam is such an idoit
New Glee Promo re Sam “The Handsome Idiot”
When you take into consideration all the meta and the lack of Sam singing, it kind of looks like they are listening to the “so called experts” and agreeing lol!
speaking of Sam, I’m calling it: at the end of this season MERCEDES IS PREGNANT!
or they get married.
Is there a klaine wedding
Oh I know they are using the AHS Coven location and they can start a circus-ish Glee club and perform for the Orginals(Klaus will love a bite from Bit lip Sam Evans)
Wow, this interview was very disappointing. I was so excited for Season 6, until I read this interview.
Yeah, I have the suspicion we’re either heading back to Lima or the show’s location is gonna be all over the place. Neither sounds like a great decision. Can Ryan Murphy stick with anything? NYC can work if he’ll commit and actually develop things, but if he’s just gonna sabotage all the NYC stories as it sounds like he’s already planning, then what’s the point of the rest of this season?
And it sounds like this show will still stay the big mess it has become. Seriously, why did they move it to NY, only to make it sound like they are going to ditch that as well? I really hope because of the bad ratings, Fox is smart to not give them a full season. ABC only gave Private Practice a 13 episode final season and that made a heck of a lot more sense than Glee does or has in awhile.
Ok. Well, thanks for sharing. Now be gone.
Don’t be a dick. People have shared much worse opinions and they have the right to.
I think they should have recast Finn by saying he had an accident that required extensive plastic surgery and take it from there. That would have allowed them to preserve their vision of the show.
That’s legitimately the worst idea I have ever heard about anything ever.
Really? You should Google Hitler’s final solution. A much worse idea, right there.
Let’s troll: Finn now has Sam’s appearance, and Chord Overstreet wins Best Male lead in both Drama and Comedy at the Emmys. And Kurt becomes a Baptist minister, than Republican Senator, than President. His first lady is Artie with a wig, but actually he’s an alien. Blaine goes back to Lima and works as a bag boy, then as a plumber. His marriage to Mercedes is built on broken dreams of stardom and bitterness (and no sex), but oddly it works.
No Tina.
I almost forgot: one entire episode is a long sequence of Rachel trying on funny hats.
That’s despicable.
Great idea but I think everyone was in such shock they couldn’t think of alternative story lines. I hope she meets someone similar to Finn like in her apartment or something and he is non assuming or career driven and can be the friend she needs. Or they can do the dream season like Dallas did 20 some years ago and have Kurt or someone wake up from a horrible season-long nightmare and start over again and get it right.
I doubt that last one will happen. The idea of one actor replacing another is a classic trope. It really wouldn’t have been out of place for them to go in that direction in order to salvage the story of the show.
Recasts only happen on soap operas and even then it is when an actor leaves and not after a real life death. On the rare occasion it has happened, it has been a minor character and not one that was involved in a major storyline. Not to mention how disrespectful it would be to Cory’s memory, Lea and the cast and crew that loved him.
I think Ryan Murphy’s definition of “Satisfying” is very very different then everyone else’s. He also said season 4 was going to be “revolutionary”….
You mean that it wasn’t “REVOLUTIONARY !!1!11!” enough for you? :P
Lol, joke aside I totally agree.
I found most of the interview quite patronizing. And no, I don’t trust his idea of what is “satisfying” either. Nor “idyllic”. Is Rachel going to be looking back on those wonderful high school years when even many of her club-mates bullied her and the teacher let them, and give the teacher the credit for her growth while ignoring her late love who was often the only one who supported her? I realize I’m repeating myself on some of my criticisms, but it sounds like Murphy’s talking about a different show than the one he actually made.
Well, this is the same Show where Rachel called Mr Shue (season 4) to thank him for putting together Don´t Stop Believing when he quited Glee Club and was on his way out McKinley while Finn reunited the original 6, got the music and THE KIDS put up the performance who made Mr. Shue decided to stay (Pilot). What else can we expect from the writers? Ryan´s vision of Finn staying in Lima and his sudenn dream to be a teacher (when Glee´s stories about teachers are horrible, sad or jokes ) when his biggest fear was to stay Lima loser since the Pilot, is a great diservice to all his fans who root for the everyman. Don´t make me start with Rachel leaving her dreams of being on Brodway to suddenly get back to Lima at the end of the series…..It´s not “satisfying” for me and I´m not sorry to say it aloud
Schue was a joke as a teacher and I hope anyone thinking they want to be a teacher won’t model what he did. Teacher’s are not social workers or friends with students. His goal of everyone is a star was more about him wanting everyone to love him. Plus, the little popularity contests on the diva-off’s only made Rachel feel more insecure and so many of his decisions were made to influence Emma (performing with the students even though they didn’t want him to). Sue was absolutely right so often about him, especially at the end and how he blew the budget. I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years and did a lot of eye-rolling when it came to him. But, RM loves Matt.
So basically there may be story arcs dedicated to certain characters and probably NY, LA, Lima.
So after bringing in new people (Marley, Jake, etc), and then trying to focus on Blaine and Sam (who are season 2 characters), and now on the final season, they want to focus on the original members. Wow. They should have given the original cast the light of day in the beginning because clearly they are the reason why most fans of the show still watch it.
RM wanted to franchise Glee and I think he wanted a spin off so when FOX wouldn’t give him a spin off he tried the split narrative and it just didn’t work. Yes I think he alienated fans of the original cast off cast members but I think the writing hurt to, its just not as snappy as the first couple of seasons.
Well I might watch that final season. Doesn’t sound extraordinary, but I’m curious. I’ve watched 100&101 and I enjoyed it, it felt like Glee again. If S6 is like that, with the originals and not the Blam show, with some familiar faces appearing, I’m interested.
Also I know that Heather loves to be a mom but she can have her cutie pie with her like many others actresses do. Especially if they manage to organize a well thought-out schedule for her. I hope Dianna will go for it, as well as every original. It would be nice to also hear about some others again (Lauren comes to mind) even if just for a scene.
I personally think the last few New York episodes have been some of the strongest episodes in recent memory.
am i the only one who just read ryan murphy trying to set up up for a rachel/schue romance in the end?
I don’t think so. Will is married with a baby on the way. And I’ve said it many times before-I bet they name the kid Finn.
Which I’m all for lol
No way that would happen. The only thing that that statement hinted to is maybe a 10 yr reunion where she goes back, sees Schue and maybe takes the plaque with her, or leaves her Tony next to the plaque for Finn’s honor.
I almost gave up on Glee. Wasn’t in to the new cast even though they are talented. I am really enjoying the focus on the original group in New York and am really looking forward to the final season. I’m so glad I stuck with it.
Ryan Murphy is such a coward, he is going to shift the responsibility of Rachel’s love life onto to Lea AFTER Lea very clearly stated she has no control over the direction of Rachel’s love life and Ryan is the one to make story line decisions. In other words for Ryan it’s easier to let people blame Lea for what ever direction the show takes in that regard rather then admit he’s in control.
Meh, I didn’t read that far into it. I think the show is just taking into account that Lea and Cory were in fact a real life couple, so maybe they’re trying to respect that. Plus with fans knowing that they were a real life couple, its risky to have her character date…it might not be a popular idea.
They had Rachel rubbing oil all over Sam with implied flirtations 1 episode after Rachel gets her Finn tattoo. Plus they have made attempts to shoe horn Sam as the new Finn. That doesn’t sound like they are showing a lot of respect.
Yeah I think they only dropped that because of the huge angry backlash they got. Turned lots of fans against Sam.
It doesn’t sound like they showed Lea any respect at all, honestly. Or Cory. I agree that this is completely cowardly. If they were really taking their cues from Lea they might either emulate what she did in real life — how she spoke openly about how important Cory was to her and his talents — or follow what she’s done herself as callback to Finn, like the picture she posted of herself dressed as Rachel sitting next to the McKinley drum kit. Instead, nothing other than boxing Finn up in Lima and trying to use him to guilt-trip viewers. The most they seem to be doing with Lea is letting some of her acting choices during already-written scenes make it into the finished episodes.
It was reported that Lea clearly stated that she didn’t want to have a romance this season, so why were the writer’s continuing to talk about it? I think they are tossing some of the blame on Lea and that is so unprofessional. It would have been great to see a little more of how Lea gained her strength to move forward rather than just forget he even existed.
You forget that since Lea and Cory were dating that is was all intertwined for her and moving past the death of a loved one takes LOTS of time.. Also, when someone loses a partner or spouse, the recovery time is more than what is alloted in an average TV series. People can take several years to get back into the dating game, and for someone at a young age as Lea’s, it can take even longer. Ryan is just being sensitive to her emotional needs and doesn’t want to push her and that’s a good thing.
It would be a good thing, if he actually was sensitive to her emotional needs. Getting her character to flirt with Sam just a few eps after the tribute, having her re-enact choreography that she previously did with Cory, having her act out a vigil, almost completely ignoring the key contributions to the show made by the man she loved and highly praises herself…. IDK, doesn’t seem all that sensitive to me. And if the writers’ room is actively debating whether to give Rachel a new romance, as was said above in the interview, then that cuts against both claims of him following her lead and thoughts that he’s being sensitive to her on this.
I’m still mad they ruined Dean Geyer’s Brody for Rachel. He was great and they had great chemistry until they turned him into a prostitute.
They were good after that too. What ruined it was the overly-judgmental, preachy attitude they had towards prostitutes. It’s not a noble profession or anything but a lot of kids do it to put themselves through school. They made him seem like he was the devil for being a prostitute when his only real mistake was not telling Rachel what he was doing.
That’s what you get when the show is a big after-school special.
He exposed her to disease. Since she thought she could be pregnant, means he wasn’t wearing protection. Plus, he lied and cheated on her.
What? A lot of kid’s do it to put themselves through school? Jeez, I wonder why I didn’t think of that and had to pay back almost 50,000 in student loans? Oh, wait I know why? Because it’s not a job. A) it’s illegal except for one state I believe, and b) Ewwwww,
Yes, sex-working is a real job. Anything that puts money on the table is a job. Just because you’ve been in a place of privilege which allowed you to get through school because a) you had a stable job, b) your parents paid, or c) both, does not mean everybody has the same experience. Maybe I’m biased because I’m Canadian and it’s legal here, but you need to relinquish your automatic judgement of another person’a profession. Quite frankly, as long as you’re not consuming their services, sex-workers have nothing to do with you. The treatment of sex-workers as disgusting is what leads to the dangerous environments they end up in.
Well said.
And yeah, to Terri, even if it’s not legal in some areas, that doesn’t stop people from getting involved in it and using it as a means to pay their way through school. It DOES happen.
Dean was an awful actor. My guess is that they shortened his story because it was not working. In the beginning of S4, we were told he was going to be someone everyone was going to like. Slowly but surely everyone started hating the character, because he seemed ‘plastic’, because Dean gave no emotion in his acting. Didn’t you notice that his screentime was getting shorter and shorter. Did anyone think that a love interest for Rachel would be mainly handled offscreen. So Dean shortened Brody’s life on Glee.
agree… his acting was so bad, and he did not have chemistry with lea
Dean was a horrible actor with a horrible attitude. He shot himself in the foot. He was plastic and wooden and he had no chemistry with Lea.
I agree with you. I like brody for rachel Maybe they can bring him back.
For me the most interesting thing (with rumors of Naya departing after this season) is who the main cast will be next season. Surely, Lea Michele won’t be the only female billed? I guess I can see it. The “New York not being the main setting” leaves room for Jane, Matthew, and Jenna to stay.
Naya is back, next week and Amber looks to be staying as well. I think they stay as regulars.
I hope so…they’re both two of my favorites.
Maybe they shift to LA/Hollywood. Also, I bet the last scene is Rachel involved in a “meet cute” with some guy and we are left with knowing that she found someone.
The last scene is Rachel and Will so unless she starts dating Will…