Let the sunshine in

I don’t usually do things like this. If I get a huge influx of anon messages, I delete them because I hate spamming my dash with answer post after answer post. As someone who really gets twitchy when everyone around her gets emo or freaks out, though, I know that a lot of people are feeling really uncertain right now and if I can help explain why *I* hold some excitement for what’s to come, maybe that’ll help and make my dash and the Finchel tag a more pleasant place to be for the next four months.

So I went through the 100+ messages in my ask and this is my uncensored opinion on what a lot of the messages were getting at asking:

Do I think Finchel are broken up, separated or on a break?

• I have this habit of going on Fox.com and reading the official recap of the previous night’s Glee the day after every episode. Why? Because the only way to know what the show really wants you to get at is to read the recap they deem as official. So this afternoon, I went on, and I thought it was interesting that they didn’t say Finn and Rachel broke up because they tend to write more simplistic recaps. Instead, what they said was “He asks her to join him in surrendering to fate, and let the universe show them if they will ultimately end up together.” So, to me, they aren’t together and they aren’t not together. They’re resigned to the fact that right now, she belongs in New York and that he needs to find his place, and that if they’re truly meant to be, some force beyond themselves will bring them together again. So many times this season, Rachel has said that she needs Finn in New York with her. But Finn can’t make New York for Rachel. Rachel needs to establish herself in New York and find out who she is in this new chapter in her life before she and Finn can figure out who they are in this chapter. Roots before branches. Beyond that, if you contrast this with their previous breakups, it’s left heavily ambiguous whereas it was always laid out. “I don’t think I want to be your boyfriend.” “You can’t go to couples counseling if you aren’t a couple.” “I’mofficially breaking up with you.” There was always a sense of finality with those. With this, it’s ambiguous. Partially for the cliffhanger element, I’m sure. But also because I don’t think either of them are supposed to know, either. They aren’t letting go of or trying to forget their love for each other. They aren’t trying to move on with other people. They’re establishing themselves in this new, post-high school chapter of their lives and having faith in that tether that binds them bringing them together once again if they really are as fated as they believed they were.

Do I think there’s any significance to Rachel not removing her ring and wearing it to New York?

• Absolutely. I think a much more heartbreaking and a more firm and final scene would have had Rachel taking her ring off and returning it to Finn, or getting to New York and taking it off as she walks off towards her future. Instead, it’s still firmly placed on her finger. We’ll know sooner rather than later — they’ll be shooting promo shots for S4 in the beginning of July and shooting episodes by the end of July, so it’s a matter of a month and a half or so until we start seeing those set pictures surface. And it wouldn’t surprise me either way, if she is wearing the ring or isn’t. But I think there’s an absolute significance to her going to New York still wearing that ring. We aren’t meant to feel closure from that last scene. That scene is kicking off a brand new arc — we just have to wait four months to watch it really begin.

When do I think they’ll reunite?

• Well, I can see it a few ways. Part of me can see them holding it out until the finale, especially if next season is their last (a larger part of me thinks we’ll get to five seasons and 100 episodes, especially if ratings stay relatively stable because while down, they’re still good ratings). The larger part of me sees a formula and thinks that’s more likely. Season one and two were inverses: season one saw Finchel struggle to be together for half a season, get together and break up within one episode and then struggle to be together for another half a season. Season two saw them together and break up at half a season before coming together once again at the end of the season. Whereas Glee traditionally resets the stories at midseason finale and resolves them by bringing it all full circle in the finale, this season, they brought it all full-circle at midseason and reset the canvas in the finale. Whereas the finales in season one and two resolved existing arcs, the season three finale kicked off an arc we won’t see for four months. So by that, then, Finn and Rachel’s story would be resolved by midseason. And I think that’s about right. I think the problem with season two was that the drama between them was drawn out too long and they were finding contrived ways to keep them apart, and I think they’ll strive to avoid that this time by keeping the story fresh by pacing it better (perhaps why they started an arc at the finale). I anticipate that both Kurt and Finn will be in New York by midseason to join Rachel and Santana, and I anticipate if there is a season five, it’ll be placed all in New York with Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Blaine and Santana (as well as any season four holdovers).

Do I think that the car scene is the best Finchel scene to date?

• I think it’s up there with the most heartbreaking, that’s for sure. It’s by and ahead the most well-acted scene and I’m so, sohappy to see Lea, Cory and Finchel get their due from critics who have panned both their acting, Cory’s place on the show and Finchel as a couple. I’m not one who surprises easily when confronted with Finchel’s popularity as a ship. I’ve been told they poll favorably well consistently in focus groups. I know how to read promotion and I’ve always known where to look when I want the pulse of the general audience. When I looked at reaction from critics and fans alike around the ‘net, I was shocked at just how much love and support there was for Finn and Rachel, individually and especially as a couple, after the episode. On Twitter, the Glee FB and Lea’s FB especially. At the end of the day, the writers know what they’re doing and what sells, and that’s reflected in the writing. You can spend days voting in online polls and you can create 7 Twitters to spam the writers Twitter feeds with your agenda, but at the end of the day, they already have a feel for what’s working and what isn’t and it’s on a much larger scale than any one fandom could ever fake.

What did I think of the episode as a whole outside of Finchel?

• I actually thought it was a bit choppy and unbalanced, but I think that’s because they wasted time in previous episodes to fan service or random music numbers that should have been devoted to propelling story. I did, however, get an incredible sense of nostalgia in the episode and I was really left wishing for more of that. The bottom line is that they needed a two hour episode to cover everything they should have with due weight.

Do I think Finn faked his rejection?

• I’ve seen this going around a few ask boxes of people I follow. No, I think Finn absolutely was rejected. The Actors Studio is a senior or graduate-level program at Pace, no? That’s why Finn would have been considered an extraordinary case to get in. I felt that when Finn said his audition went amazingly, it was kind of bringing back that Finn Hudson naivete, thinking his audition went well when in reality, he probably blew it. Let’s be real: he has no formal training in acting, his acting experience is contained to a show that never even actually happened (Rocky Horror) and while he aspires to act, he lacks the requisite background and training to have the skill set necessary to ace what technically was his first audition. Any James Lipton scenes that were taped and we didn’t see are likely sitting on the cutting room floor.

Do I think we’ll see Finn and Rachel with other love interests next season?

• I can’t rule it out for obvious reasons (woodlee_butitsglee.gif), but my inclination is to say no. Why? They aren’t separating because they don’t think they’re meant to be together. They’re separating to prove to themselves they can establish themselves as individuals and banking on the fact that they’re meant to be together to bring them together again. To date or get involved with others would be giving up on that in some sense. When we saw them get involved with others (Puck, Jesse, Santana, Quinn parte deux), it was at points when they had given up on each other. That’s not really the case this time. In fact, this time, they’ve putmorefaith in being together again — their entire future as a couple is banking on the idea that they’re meant to be. But you know… it’s Glee. If they need to stall them, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a third party pop up somewhere. I just can’t imagine it’ll be any more serious than season two Jesse was.

And a last thought that I’ve been thinking about and wasn’t in my ask box…

• We don’t really give the writers credit for thinking ahead and building a long-term arc. If we go back through season three, though, I think the writing was on the wall (especially with the Finn Hudson star). When Cory signed on for season four, he and Lea did a lot of press about it and both of them had said Ryan had given them an overview of how season four would be. And despite the things they’ve said before about how they really don’t know much more than we do, they find out when they get the scripts, etc…those are lies. With Lea, especially. She’s heavily privy to Rachel’s arcs pretty far in advance. When Cory and Lea were doing season four press, there were a few things they said that were lost. Amongst them, that Rachel and Finn’s relationship would be central to what happens in season four. That their relationship would set the pace and the scene for the beginning of season four. Things change, that’s life. But given that Lea and Cory are both still heavily excited for what’s to come and are speaking for each other unprompted when asked about next season? I’m not sure anything has changed at all. So as my mantra goes, let it play.

And that really encapsulates most of 100something messages. If you left me something unanon, I’ll probably be getting back to you…soon :P