Gleekuary: Top Five Heart-Wrenching Glee Moments

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PopWrapped Admin

Published

February 11, 2014

Photo Courtesy of jordynberg

Kay Ziegler

Staff Writer

There have been a lot of wonderful moments on Glee. In many episodes there is a celebration of life; there have been weddings, graduations, first kisses, proms – the list goes on. However, as with reality, Glee includes the heartbreak and the sorrow.

Jean Sylvester’s funeral

Jean was an integral part in Sue Sylvester’s life. Sue’s sister was her best friend, confidant, and rock. Because Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester were out hunting Nazi’s, Sue stepped up and became her caregiver when they were children. Jean brought out a tender side to Sue – something that coach Sylvester rarely shows. As a way to pay their respects, the New Directions sang “Pure Imagination” from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Jean’s favorite movie). By including that, it demonstrates the unrelenting hope Jean had for the world and how magical she made things, thus making her loss heartbreaking.

Photo Courtesy of glee.wikia.com

David Karofsky’s suicide attempt

Karofsky started out as a bully, but really, he was only a brute because he was afraid. He knew he was gay and he didn’t want to admit it for a very long time due to the fear of rejection and abandonment. However, once he came out to himself and to Kurt (by kissing him, nonetheless), things started to look up for him. Then came Valentine’s Day when Karofsky admitted he loved Kurt; feelings that the other teen did not return. It’s hard to face rejection, but it escalated quickly when this private moment was overheard by one of Karofsky’s peers. Ultimately, it led to homophobic slurs scrawled all over the locker room. Unable to handle it, he went home and hung himself while dressed in his best suit. Thankfully, David’s dad found him before it was too late, but this raw moment in Glee history is all too real in today’s society.

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Finn’s death

The death of a character is always brutal, but when the actor dies it makes the passing even more painful. This is all too true for Cory Monteith and his character Finn Hudson. July 13, 2013, the actor passed away from an accidental drug overdose. It would have been impossible and disrespectful to recast Finn, thus the character was also killed. In The Quarterback, the show paid tribute to both the actor and the character as they showed how one death can touch a whole community.

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Burt Hummel’s cancer diagnosis

This news was both heartbreaking and shocking. Burt has been labeled as one of TV’s best dad’s (he’s funny, supporting, and just a great guy), so the thought of losing such a wonderful character was unthinkable. If Burt died, Kurt would have been left an orphan – as he had already lost his mom at a young age. This plot not only brought Blaine and Kurt closer together, but it also was close to home for creator, Ryan Murphy. His own father was diagnosed with the same cancer and ultimately died. Thankfully, Murphy did not want Kurt to lose his father the same way he did; Burt lives, but this was definitely heart wrenching news.

Photo Courtesy of zackforblogs.com

Bathroom scene for Shooting Star

When did school shootings become so frequent? Why? What has happened to today’s youth that they feel that committing a heinous crime is the only thing left for them to do? Glee deals with this horrific fact as carefully and gently as they possibly can. Each actor brings their A-game, but it was Heather Morrison’s Brittany has the most moving and heart wrenching scene. Stuck alone in a school bathroom stall, she has no idea what’s going on or if the shooter is still out there. Terrified, she quietly sobs, but doesn’t make a noise. It’s only when Mr. Shue calls out to her that Brittany does come out to hug her teacher.