Entertainment

Cory Monteith Will Appear On 'Glee' in Flashback

by Kaitlin Reilly

If you've been a loyal Glee fan since the pilot episode aired in 2009, then this news is sure to be heartbreaking. The two-hour Glee finale, which will air on Friday, March 20, will feature a tribute to the deceased Cory Monteith, and now new details are emerging on how exactly that will work. According to a pre-screening of the finale episode at PaleyFest, the episode is particularly heartbreaking because it will feature flashbacks to some of the character's lives before they join the New Directions, and Monteith's character, Finn Hudson, will make an appearance in a flashback.

This is surprising news from the series. Monteith, who passed away in 2013 of a drug overdose, was written off the show by having Finn die under circumstances not revealed in his tribute episode "The Quarterback." Finn, one of the original members of the New Directions, joined the glee club in the pilot episode after deciding that he wasn't just another bully jock. It's an unusual but beautiful choice to include scenes of him in the flashback episode — Monteith and his character helped make the show what it was, and it's only fitting that he is included, despite the sad reminder it brings along.

So how will Glee include Monteith in the finale? According to Entertainment Weekly, the footage will be used "sparingly," which means that we may only get a few general clips of Monteith — perhaps some shots of him playing football or even deleted scenes of pre-glee jerky behavior. It's particularly heartbreaking because while stars like Lea Michele (Rachel) and Chris Colfer (Kurt) can go back to "2009" and film new sequences for the flashbacks, Monteith's scenes will forever be stuck in the real 2009. It's another tragic reminder that the star is no longer with us, but it's a choice I'm glad that Glee made for its finale.