Top Ten for gleeverse
First attempt at sex
3x05: The First Time
Ladies and gentleman, this scene was, when you get right down to it, made of complete and total fail. Written, undoubtedly, for comedic effect, it begins with the not so surprising revelation that Finn Hudson has forgotten his on-again-off-again girlfriend of two years he claims to love is a vegan, a subject that has undoubtedly come up in private. Can you spend two years with a person and not share meals with them? Doubtful. Which means he should be aware by then that Rachel doesn’t eat meat. Especially given that being a vegan is a very important life choice and obviously means a great deal to her. But, of course, as he is Finn he forgot and he fed her real meat ladies and gentleman.
Now, mistakes happen. Granted, this is a big one but mistakes do happen. A good person would step up and admit the horrible mistake he made. But, alas, Finn does not. Furthermore the desert he planned to serve her, pound cake, is full of eggs and butter, also not vegan friendly. And here’s the kicker ladies and gentleman- if you’ve been a vegan for two years your system has a hard time digesting meat. And as such feeding her meat would undoubtedly cause her a great deal of digestion pain and make her ill.
Then we come to the bare bones of it- Rachel wanted to sleep with Finn to do better in the school play. This was a fail on her part and I cannot even try to find a way to blame this one on Finn. She was doing it for stupid, pathetic, selfish reasons. Giving up your virginity to do better in a play is just about the stupidest thing I had ever heard. And not only that but it’s hurtful. It proves without a doubt she’s not ready for sex nor does she care enough about Finn’s feelings to consider how he would feel about this information.
Second 'sex' scene'
3x05: The First Time
Make of this scene whatever you will but the fact of the matter is that the way it was written makes it nothing more than pity sex. “You’re special. I know because I’m going to give you the one thing no one else will ever have.” Yes, ladies and gentleman, Rachel Berry is dropping her panties and letting Mr. Early Arrival clumsily thrust into her because she feels sorry for him that he is upset. Not only is Finn being a complete dunce by saying he has no future- remember when Burt offered you a full time job in the place you love to work, Finn? And he said was going to turn it over to you one day? No. Okay then. But that’s a pretty good opportunity right there, Hudson.- but Rachel feels so much pity for him that she’s going to let him pop her proverbial cherry.
Is it possible that she loves him? Yes. But the writing and the way the scene played out made it pity sex. Furthermore, the attempted romantic scene was pathetic. No girl wants to lose their virginity in an uncomfortable situation. Now, while having sex in front of a fireplace is a romantic thought it fails. Not only is the heat of the fireplace going to cause issues as the body heats up during sexual intercourse to begin with but talk about rug burns? Her butt will undoubtedly be sore from that. Furthermore losing your virginity isn’t a comfortable experience for a girl to begin with so chalk that up as a very unpleasant and short experience as we know through canon Finn can barely make out without having a spontaneous orgasm.
The gifts
3x09: Extraordinary Merry Christmas
I’m going to forget my annoyance for a moment that the fact that Rachel is Jewish hasn’t been addressed at all in the episode, nor is the fact that a year prior she admitted she doesn’t put much stock in Christmas gifts. But we start out their fail times in the episode by her handing him a list of things she wants for Christmas. He can pick five of them, ladies and gentleman. Not one but five. And they are all quite pricey. So considerate of her.
Fast-forward to them talking in front of the lockers. Rachel doesn’t even hide the fact that she wants those earrings because it would be a shame for her to appear on television for the first time without ‘bling’. (Hey, guys, remember when you were all in that mattress commercial during sophomore year and thus on television already? No? Are we pretending that didn’t happen? Oh, okay then. That’s cool.) So, Finn presents her with a Christmas gift- a gift of a pig to be fattened up and killed for a family to eat. Now, I’ll give Finn this- the very idea of the gift embodied the idea of what Christmas is about- selfless giving. Bravo to Finn on that one. This gift would help people in need. Now, the problem is this- Rachel is Jewish and a vegan. So, giving her a pig to be slaughtered is a bad idea as she not only is against meat but she’s Jewish and pork isn’t kosher. And Rachel wasn’t even thankful that he wanted to do something nice. She wants her earrings, buddy! And you best give them to her even though you said you can’t afford them.
Oh, wait, fast-forward again and suddenly Finn can afford two not so cheap gifts. First, the star. A lovely idea all and all but naming the star after himself, despite his sweet little speech about her already being a star, is quite narcissistic. And then, surprise of all surprises, he got her the earrings. Hey, Finn, where’d you get the money for all of that? Rob a bank? Steal from the garage? Whatever, dude. Whatever.
The tree lot
2x10: A Very Glee Christmas
It’s time for those lovely winter holidays, ladies and gentleman and Finchel is broken up. Rachel, earlier in the episode, arranged to give Finn a Christmas gift though she claims she holds no stock in them (yeah, writers, you forgot that the following season, didn’t you?) and what is her gift? A song coupon. Because Finn never gets to hear her sing. Okay then. Real thoughtful. Oh, no, wait, it wasn’t.
Anyway, Sue Sylvester has ruined their Christmas decorations and thus Rachel and Finn are at the tree lot to get a new tree for them. There’s a big song and an almost kiss where Finn proceeds to reject her. Cool, whatever. He’s upset still she kissed Puck. But the fact is that she’s obviously emotionally devastated while he remains stoic while looking at her being so upset. Even if he wasn’t ready to forgive her the idea of him not caring at all that she was that upset sort of goes against the idea of him loving her. Furthermore, he proceeds to leave her there in the tree lot.
Now, I’m sorry, ladies and germs, but I don’t care if this is your ex-girlfriend that you aren’t happy with. You don’t leave them in the middle of a tree lot in the snow when you are their ride. It’s rude and selfish. It’s inconsiderate. And that leaves me with the big question- how did she get home? Obviously not with a ride from Finn. His concern for her was nowhere to be found in this scene. Yet another moment in season two that made it laughable to call Finn the golden boy, the ideal boyfriend. Keep telling yourself you’re showing us an amazing guy, RIB. And I’ll keep laughing at the very idea.
"You cheated on me. That means something."
2x12: Silly Love Songs
Now, I’m not going to sit here and say that Finn doesn’t have the right to be hurt that Rachel kissed Puck while dating him. Rachel was wrong to do that. Yes, she was upset but, really? He slept with Santana but they weren’t together at the time so he didn’t cheat on her. Should he have been honest with her when he knew that the truth was important to her? Of course he should have. Did Rachel have the right to be upset about being lied to? Most definitely. But that doesn’t mean what she did was right. Especially since his ex-girlfriend also cheated with Puck- though reasonably what Quinn did was worse.
Now, if it was anyone but Finn in that situation I’d be agreeing with him. But the fact of the matter is that Finn is a hypocrite. He did to Quinn what Rachel did to him- numerous times. In 1x02: Showmance, while Rachel and Finn were practicing in the auditorium, Finn kissed Rachel. Hey, buddy, remember how you’re dating Quinn and claim to still love her? No? Oh, well, okay. In 1x05: The Rhodes Not Taken Finn not only manipulates Rachel to get her to come back to glee club for selfish reasons (scholarship, remember?) but once again he kisses her. Hey, Finn? Remember how you’re still with Quinn who you claim to love? And how you know she’s pregnant and think it’s your baby? Yeah, guess you don’t. Now, no matter what your feelings are about Quinn and Finn’s relationship at this point as the audience all know the baby is Puck’s the point is Finn didn’t know that and still cheated on his pregnant girlfriend. Nice guy right there.
And then, lovelies, Finn encourages Quinn to cheat on Sam with him, thus making him Puck in season one and him in the wrong- taking a friend’s girl. So, apparently cheating is not okay in Finn’s mind- unless he’s the one cheating or you’re cheating with him. Yup, I want him to be my boyfriend. Best boyfriend ever.
The prom fight
2x20: Prom Queen
Hey, Finn, buddy? Remember how you didn’t seem interested in getting back together with Rachel until you found out she was going with Jesse? No? Are we once again pretending things didn’t happen? I’d like to have the selective memory/life wormhole you have. It’d make my life easier. But here’s a reminder- until you found out Rachel was going with Jesse you didn’t even seem to think about her and her prom plans. Not only did Finn have no right to object to her going to prom with Jesse as they weren’t together but he sort of rubbed his relationship with Quinn in her face by talking to her about details. Yeah, the girl isn’t happy about you dating the blonde girl to begin with, doll. Might want to keep your trap shut.
Regardless, Rachel goes to prom with Jesse, Finn with Quinn and for a while all is right in the world of glee club, so to speak. And then, heaven forbid, Rachel is actually having fun. With Jesse. But, you know, that’s not allowed. She has to be miserable without Finn, don’t you know? So, what does he do? Get into a fight with Jesse in the middle of prom. Real mature and smooth, Hudson. And if you look at Rachel’s face she’s mortified. He tried to hit her date. But, you know, it’s Finn so who cares if he effectively almost ruined her prom? And who cares if he only seems to want her back when she’s with someone else? Also, Finn, you have the arm span of a pterodactyl. How did you miss Jesse? Coordination fail. No wonder you weren’t scouted to play football.
Fireworks
2x12: Silly Love Songs
There is no arguing what happens here. You can try to color it however you want to fit your preferred pairings but the fact of the matter is this- Finn sees fireworks when he kisses Quinn and he doesn’t see them when he kisses Rachel. Now, anyone who knows anything about ‘romantic scenes’ knows what that symbolizes- fireworks symbolize love, true affection. Now, does this mean I am waving a Fuinn flag in the air and doing a happy dance? Not really. It’s just a simple fact that he sees nothing when he kisses Rachel. He sees fireworks with Quinn. I’m sorry, ladies and gents, but the truth is that if he doesn’t see anything when kissing Rachel it’s hard to argue that his love for Rachel is stronger than whatever love he has ever felt for Quinn- and I’m sorry, Finchel lovers, but the truth is that he did love Quinn at one point. And the truth is that he will always love her in some way. You never completely stop loving your first love. You can love others after them and move on from it but the love never completely goes away. And Quinn was his first love. So, you can’t honestly say he doesn’t still feel something for Quinn. He always will and that’s just a fact you all need to accept.
Broadway and performing is her true love
2x22: New York
No screen caps of Finn in this one because the scene was lacking in him but that’s no matter. Rachel and Kurt go up on stage in New York and perform and Rachel realizes that performing is her true love. The cheer I let out when she said that was one that I can’t even begin to explain but I digress. Now, I don’t know how many of you know much about New York but the fact of the matter is that it’s a big city. And you have to have a certain amount of street smarts to survive in Manhattan. It’s beautiful, culturally diverse and quite an extraordinary place at times (I live about twenty minutes outside of it and have been there numerous times) but the fact of the matter is that Finn is a small town boy. He has no real prospects if he follows her to New York and if she doesn’t go to New York she’ll be giving up her dreams, her true love for him.
As romantic of an idea as it is for her to give up everything for Finn let me break it down this way- it’ll cause resentment. Yes, at first they may be a happy, cheerful couple. In love and whatnot but in time she’ll be upset she had to give up her dreams to be with him and, from the looks of things, stay in Lima which she hates. She’ll resent that she gave up everything for him and he had to give up…oh, wait, he’s not really going to give up anything by staying in Lima with her, is he? That’s not only not balanced but it’s also a breakdown of Rachel’s character. She was written as a driven, ambitious girl who would do anything to achieve her dreams. Where did that Rachel go? I’d like to have her back, please. I found that Rachel much more interesting. And that brings us to...
Garage scene
3x02: I Am Unicorn
Rachel doesn’t respect Finn’s dreams and wishes. When he says he doesn’t want to go to New York she’s upset, not because of potential she sees for him but because he doesn’t want to do what she wants him to do. She wants him to follow her to New York regardless of whether or not he wants to or there’s actually anything for him in New York. And what is there for him to do there? Let’s face it, Finn isn’t the worst performer in the world but he’s most definitely not talented enough to pursue a career in music so that’s out. Football scholarships are out. All he can do there is find a job that won’t be satisfying and cater to her every whim. Yeah, I don’t see that working out very well. And she wouldn’t have anything satisfying to do in Lima either. It’s just a fact.
Apologies
Throughout the seasons
And here is a simple fact, people- you may not ship Puckleberry or St. Berry and yes, they’ve done horrible things but they apologized. Puck spent the better part of the first year and a half of his high school years being a bully. He threw kids in dumpsters and he threw slushies in Rachel’s face every day. But in 1x08: Mash-Up, once he knew how it felt he apologized to her. He apologized to her and he quite obviously meant it. The look in his eyes is proof enough but he also didn’t go on to continue throwing people in dumpsters or throwing slushies at them. He learned from his mistakes, he grew. Jesse and Vocal Adrenaline egged her 1x21: Funk. As Rachel is a vegan this was even more emotionally devastating to her than it would be to anyone else. (Only plus side? Eggs are good for the hair. True facts right there.) And yes, that was horrible. But 2x20: Prom Queen Jesse acknowledges what he did was wrong and that he shouldn’t have done it. He apologized. Does that mean I’m saying you should ship Puckleberry or St. Berry? No, of course not. But the argument that they treated her badly being a basis for them not to be together is faulty. They realized the error of their ways and they apologized.
Now, I would have added a screen cap of when Finn apologized to Rachel but…image cannot be found. And for those of you who say he has nothing to apologize for, let’s list some of the things, shall we? In the pilot he admits he was with the group of people that threw eggs at her- the same thing Jesse is guilty of. Did he apologize? Nope. He kissed her while still with Quinn, called her crazy, objectified her body in a negative way (“She kind of freaks me out in a Swim Fan kind of way, but she can really sing, and her body is smoking, if you’re not a fan of boobs.”), chose football over her and the glee club, called her a sad clown hooker, ditched her for the club photo just so he wouldn’t hurt his popularity, he has to pretend to listen to her, dumped her to date two girls at once, told her that there was other great things about her besides her voice and couldn’t name one, called her controlling and annoying in the interview with Jacob Ben Israel, laughed when Santana insulted the way she dressed, tried to control what she wore to school, prayed to a grilled cheese sandwich to be able to touch her breasts while the man he said was the closest thing to a father he ever had was possibly dying, called her a prude, left her alone in a tree lot with no ride home, told her he felt nothing while kissing her, said the reason he never got to second base with her was because she had never had a drink, called her a needy drunk, got into a fight with her date at prom and generally disregarded her feelings multiple times. When did he apologize for any of that? Oh, right, that was never.
Now, ladies and gentleman, you are more than welcome to continue shipping Finchel. I respect everyone’s right to ship whatever they want to, even things I don’t quite understand as a pairing. However, I do not and will not ship Finchel. They may be endgame in the show but I don’t ship them and never will. You can and I support that because everyone has the right to ship what they will. But for the reasons listed above I do not ship Finchel.
Note: If anyone found anything here offensive I apologize. That wasn’t my intention. I am merely stating canon facts with some of my opinion mixed in, voicing my feelings. No offense meant.