Glee Series Finale Recap, Plot News: '2009' and 'Dreams Come True' – Bittersweet Ending to Series

If you were like me, a true Gleek, then it would be hard for you not to be affected by the finale of "Glee" on Friday night on Fox.

This show redefined the world for a generation of losers, provided much of the best loved musical performances on TV, and explored then-controversial themes and issues, making them mainstream for everyone to confront and digest.

I knew the finale was coming and though I have to admit, I have been less of a Gleek the past few seasons, I still know and love and keep track of the characters who have made a mark on me, as well as millions of other fans.

The two-hour finale began with a flashback to 2009, the year the Glee Club was founded and the year the show "Glee" entered our collective consciousness. It took its audience back to the place when Glee was the new and revolutionary show, when the characters were at their most loveable and awkward and innocent, and when the stories felt more engaging and real.

The audience were given a glimpse of the characters' lives before they all converged in the Glee Club, specifically the five first members—Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie and Tina--and of course, Will Schuster, Sue Silvester and Emma Pilsbury. Terry Schuster's appearance brought back memories.

Even though he was not there to film the flashback sequences, Cory Monteith's character Finn Hudson's presence was felt, as the other characters spoke about him and relived classic Finn moments. The first hour ended with the footage of the original six first Glee Club members (including Finn) singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." It had been the song that defined Glee and it was the point in the first season when all the Gleeks of the world were actually born.

The second hour of the finale was entitled, "Dreams Come True." After the New Directions won Nationals, the episode flashed forward 5 years to 2020 and explored the lives of the main characters. McKinley High had become a School of Performing Arts (this happened right after the Nationals won), with Will Schuster as its principal. He was still with Emma and they had more than one kid now, they both looked happy and contented. Sam Evans took over the reins as Glee Club coach. Kurt and Blaine were still together in New York, starring in their own stage play, and going around schools spreading the Gospel of tolerance and equality. Artie and Tina were together, and Artie had just had a movie of his accepted at a prestigious film festival. Tina starred in the movie. Mercedes had become a big superstar, after she opened for Beyonce's world tour a few years back. Rachel had just won a Tony Award for a stage play directed by her husband, Jessie St. James. And the kicker, Rachel was pregnant with Kurt and Blaine's child, as a surrogate mother.

Sue Silvester was the Vice President of America – yes, you read it right – under the presidency of Jeb Bush. The final scene had Sue giving a speech during the re-dedication of the McKinley High Auditorium, renamed after Finn Hudson.

The episode, the season and the series ended with Glee characters, present and past on the stage of the newly named auditorium singing One Republic's "I Lived." And indeed, Glee lived as it touched the hearts of millions of displaced, alienated "losers" and gave them a place to call home. It lives in the music that six seasons have spawned. And it will continue to live on.

As sad as I am about the end of the show, I believe the two-hour finale was a fitting end to a beloved show – a look back, and a sneak peak forward, and finally, irrevocably, coming full circle.