by,

Suzanne Coleman, MD

Something unexpected happened tonight, while watching the last episode of “Glee” I realized how much the show meant to me.  I’m not sure if you’re allowed to write blog posts while you’re still crying… it does make it harder.

It’s hard to say good-bye.  This show snuck into my heart week after week, year after year with its joyful music and very serious stories about real people in real life.  Maybe that’s how we could handle watching all of the awful things that happened to these people, by injecting the very sad with the joy of the music and the relationships that they made together.

On top of entertainment, this show was a social experiment.  And I dare to say, it worked.  Is it because of “Glee” that people who are social minorities are now so much more accepted by larger cultural groups?  I think it is.  I think “Glee” started the snowball down the mountain and people just kept adding on more snow as the ideas traveled around from social media to real social circles.  It ended up changing lives, for example with new laws like allowing all people the equal opportunity to marry the person they love.

Do I give “Glee” too much credit?  I don’t think so.

There are so many things that “Glee” has done.  They taught us that people are all different.  They have shown us that having conversations with people you think that you don’t like can lead you to change your mind.  They show us that relationships can form even between the most unlikely of friends, and they can be the ones that are there for you when no one else is.  They give us hope for the future, so many of us who have been there, where they were, and the so many that still are.

The finale was a perfect way to close the show.  It brought us back to where many of the main characters were before Glee club, reminding us of all the struggles they went through, of how hard it was for many of them.  Then it showed us where they are today and where they might go in the future.  It showed us that they not only survived their difficulties, but that they succeeded in life and were happy.  In the future they stayed friends.  That was the best part.

I was doing fine watching tonight’s series finale episode until they started talking about Finn.  Finn…

Finn was the popular boy, the handsome one, the one with the kind heart inside of him who stood up for what was right, and not what was necessarily popular.  He was the hero who crossed the line to do the right thing, even when it meant getting into conflicts with his own peers.  He was a role model.  He was happy.  He was growing as a person.

And, then, in the real world, the actor who played him so well, Cory Monteith, died from a drug overdose.  When it happened I had no idea he was using drugs.  I was shocked to hear the news.  I flashed back to the not-so-long-ago loss of another great young, vibrant, and charming actor, Heath Ledger.  He also died from abusing drugs.

In my life I have seen so many celebrities die from drugs.  They stack up the bodies in rows.  So many talented, gifted, tortured, lonely, or misguided people.

Drugs are no joke people.  All it takes is one time, one dose, one try, and you or your friend can be dead. It’s not a game, it’s not fun.  It’s dangerous, it’s horrible.

If you are depressed or feel alone, please reach out to someone, a friend, a counselor, a hotline.  Do it before it goes too far.  There is hope.  Find a good doctor who cares.

And to those who say they use drugs “for fun,” I have this to say.  Drug addiction is probably the worst thing that can happen to you.  It is not fun.  Don’t do drugs, not even once.  All it takes is once to become an addict.  Don’t do it, it isn’t cool.  What it is, is disgusting and sad and terrible.  Never let someone convince you that it’s worth the risk, because it isn’t.

The loss of Cory was hard and when the show experienced that, it hit everyone.  All of us in the audience and all of those who knew him in real life.  The show changed.  It became like I am now, sad, very sad.  This stalled the show, a show about joy.

They came back and tried again.  Last season (or whatever you call it these days, when they were in NY and OH) was very good.   I thought they were heading in the direction of a newer, different “Friends” show.  I know they could have succeeded with what they were doing at the time, they really had something there, but they decided instead to take a step backwards and bring all of the characters back to Ohio to wrap up the show there.  I hope they consider a future spin-off in New York, in the direction they were heading.  If they re-watch those episodes, they can see what I mean.  They may have hinted at that possibility during the finale tonight, when they said that most of the main characters would be in NY.  We’ll see what happens, that would be really fun.

I need to give some shout outs, now that I’ve stopped crying, though my eyes are still hurting.  To Sue Sylvester, you were awesome.  You made me laugh more than any other character this season.  It makes sense, since you were played by real-world comedian Jane Lynch.  Love the track suit lol.

To Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele, you have the most amazing gift.  Your singing is very special.  I wish that the show had continued to highlight that, but they chose to diversify instead early on.

To the new girl with the long brown hair, omg, you are also an amazing singer!  I only heard you sing once by yourself but you have a real future, never doubt it.  I believe this was Laura Dreyfuss who impressed me on that recent episode.

To principal Figgins, you were awesome.  I loved your character, I don’t know why you had to go, but you had to go.  I will never forget that it was truly a “kid-i-knee stone.”  Thank you actor Iqbal Theba for the laughs.

To Blaine (Darren Criss), your duets with Kirk (Chris Colfer) were some of my favorite songs.  Thanks for your cuteness and style and for hanging in there through the hard times.  Two great actors and singers, you will be missed for your joy.

Mercedes (Amber Riley), your exit song tonight was the best I’ve ever heard you sing.  Wonderful, keep on singing.

Becky (Lauren Potter), you did a great job, great acting.

And to everyone else, all of the actors, directors, producers, crew, thank you for all of the work you put into creating such a special show for so many of us.  It was well worth the effort and will live on forever in each of us and in society.  Well done.