Finn/Quinn realtionship analysis
An interesting post I found while browsing through the fuinn tracked tag. Really good analysis of Finn and Quinn's relationship and the whole cheating dynamic involved. Worth the read! :)
Originally written by drshebloggo (links to original post).
***Of course free thinkin' and debate are welcome 'round these parts, just be polite and respect each others' opinions, capiche? I don't want to have to put on my mod hat~***
Reuniting Finn and Quinn: A User’s Guide to Minimizing the Revolt
Here’s the thing. I don’t hate the idea of Finn and Quinn revisiting their romance. But, as always with Glee, there’s the good with the bad. In general, I think the concept of a Fuinn reunion is good - but the execution unfortunately leaves something to be desired.
I’m well aware of the fact that Finn and Quinn were set up to be a status relationship. She was the Head Cheerleader; he was the Popular Quarterback. She walked all over him and lied to him and he had eyes for another girl and it was all just very obvious from the beginning that these two were doomed. And it’d be easy to stick by this, if the writers wanted to.
But there’s an element to Finn and Quinn’s relationship that fascinates me. I think the Front 13 provides enough evidence to substantiate the fact that they loved each other, to the best of their naive and teenage ability. Scenes like in “Wheels” and “Hairography” seem to suggest that there’s something real and genuine stirring underneath the fact that they both wear lettermans. They even furthered this notion by Finn being residually (if briefly) hung-up on Quinn in “Hell-O.” In general, I think it’s respectable that the show would pull the curtain back and reveal something deeper than we had previously expected. It’s a nice way to honor the relationship, and makes its inevitable demise just a little bit tragic.
Furthermore, Finn and Quinn still have a lot to say to one another. They were going to have a child together, and then in one fell swoop Finn learned how babies are (well, aren’t) made and they hardly ever spoke onscreen again. We never saw any actual closure with them, and that is a damn shame. There is so much conflict and tension and pain associated with their shared storyline, and yet none of those words are being spoken.
So yes, I want these two interacting again. The pregnancy plotline and their failed partnership is such a distant memory in the context of the show now that revisiting it under the new circumstances has me fascinated.
But the problem is that Glee is doing it wrong.
Finn and Quinn should not be revisited just because there are fireworks when they kiss. They should not be revisited because Finn reminds Quinn not to turn her back on Glee. They should not be revisited just to throw a wrench in all the love dynamics.
But unfortunately, those seem to be the underlying reasons that the writers, and therefore, the characters, are re-exploring this.
Part of the issue as well is the whole cheating thing. I can’t fault anyone for hating that Quinn has now cheated twice, and that Finn seems to be naive and hypocritical about cheating. That’s certainly misstep Number One. The writers didn’t have to play it like that - and it’s fair to say they shouldn’t have. But they trivialized Finn and Quinn’s connection, linked it up with a very two-dimensional intent (pick any of the three I listed in the previous paragraph) and here we all are, disliking the characters for being so fickle with their affections.
What should have happened is this: there should be an unspoken pull between Finn and Quinn. That needs to be clear: that they have a history, a connection, and unfinished business. It shouldn’t have started with kissing. It should have started with a conversation - about Beth, or The Lie, or hell, even Finn’s relationship with Rachel or Quinn’s relationship with Sam. A seed should have been planted, in a non-smoochy way, that their romance imploded violently, and that they need to see to the ashes it left behind. It needed to develop slowly.
Revisiting Finn and Quinn is not necessarily about Finn and Quinn wanting to be together. It’s about closure, in any way. I think it’s possible for them to get back together, or just break up again - I frankly don’t care, as long as they reconnect and address their past - either to forgive it or regret it or resent it. Again, take your pick. It’s writer’s choice.
But it just needs to be treated with solemnity. And that scene in “Silly Love Songs” where Finn and Quinn are onstage in an empty auditorium discussing the definition of cheating and what it means to love someone? That’s more like it. It was a conversation, not a kissing booth. I love the amount of gravitas that interaction carried, because it was framed in the context of the characters’ shared history. They were almost orbiting one another, discussing abstract mature concepts and challenging each other’s points of view. Captivating? Why yes! But this gets lost amidst all of the negative attenuating circumstances, and it’s like the writers are only halfway there in presenting this couple reasonably and objectively.
If only Quinn hadn’t cheated. If only Finn weren’t encouraging her to cheat on the heels of condemning Rachel for the same transgression. If only Finn and Rachel weren’t maddeningly contradictory and unresolved in their interactions right now. If only Quinn weren’t wearing a promise ring.
If only.
And that’s what bugs me. The dynamic between Finn and Quinn has so much potential for current and future interaction, but the writers can’t quite get their ducks in a row in order for the characters to be even remotely empathetic in the situation. So what should be a compelling and somewhat sad exploration of two young people resolving the issues of their destroyed relationship just becomes the fleeting fancy of two teenagers who can’t seem to make up their minds.
I will say, in terms of execution, that Quinn’s not coming off as badly as I expected. The lynchpin here is that the writers have at least made her completely self-aware about the situation. She doesn’t seem to be suffering the same delusions as Finn towards the real definition of cheating, and maturely acknowledges her mistakes. She rejects Finn’s initial pursuing, and is appropriately irked at Sam’s completely founded but somewhat confusing accusations of infidelity. She understands Finn and Rachel’s dynamic, and knows that she needs to work things out with Sam. Basically, she has a pretty firm grasp on the entire situation, and even though I can’t let her off entirely scot-free for cheating twice, I at least understand her and what she’s feeling.
But Finn? Oh, Finn. It takes so much effort for me even to begin to understand that boy’s actions. The writers have blindfolded him, spun him around twice, and sent him off into the Love Pentagon. Not good. And they’ve given him this weird cockiness about winning the football championship, and about being a big draw for a kissing booth, and that is just not a good color on that boy. And, of course, neither is hypocrisy. Why was he pressuring Quinn to cheat on Sam? And what, pray, are his true feelings towards Rachel? Even though Finn’s words to Rachel when he gave her the necklace were extremely touching, I was having a hard time understanding what exactly the writers were trying to accomplish there. Finn has some awfully narrow-minded views about love when he’s had three different makeout partners in the past year. I don’t understand what he wants in this situation, and that is an issue with characterization. What is that boy’s objective?!
Part of a successful execution of a Finn/Quinn reunion hinges directly on Finn - and Quinn - not being wildly unlikeable. The reconnection needs to be treated seriously, and with respect to the notion that these two were going to have a child together before having their relationship cut short by unfortunate circumstance. The fact that Finn and Quinn are happening again under the pretense of the good old days and a kissing booth is just not cutting it here. And ultimately, cheating needs to be off the table, fireworks be damned.
Originally written by drshebloggo (links to original post).
***Of course free thinkin' and debate are welcome 'round these parts, just be polite and respect each others' opinions, capiche? I don't want to have to put on my mod hat~***
Reuniting Finn and Quinn: A User’s Guide to Minimizing the Revolt
Here’s the thing. I don’t hate the idea of Finn and Quinn revisiting their romance. But, as always with Glee, there’s the good with the bad. In general, I think the concept of a Fuinn reunion is good - but the execution unfortunately leaves something to be desired.
I’m well aware of the fact that Finn and Quinn were set up to be a status relationship. She was the Head Cheerleader; he was the Popular Quarterback. She walked all over him and lied to him and he had eyes for another girl and it was all just very obvious from the beginning that these two were doomed. And it’d be easy to stick by this, if the writers wanted to.
But there’s an element to Finn and Quinn’s relationship that fascinates me. I think the Front 13 provides enough evidence to substantiate the fact that they loved each other, to the best of their naive and teenage ability. Scenes like in “Wheels” and “Hairography” seem to suggest that there’s something real and genuine stirring underneath the fact that they both wear lettermans. They even furthered this notion by Finn being residually (if briefly) hung-up on Quinn in “Hell-O.” In general, I think it’s respectable that the show would pull the curtain back and reveal something deeper than we had previously expected. It’s a nice way to honor the relationship, and makes its inevitable demise just a little bit tragic.
Furthermore, Finn and Quinn still have a lot to say to one another. They were going to have a child together, and then in one fell swoop Finn learned how babies are (well, aren’t) made and they hardly ever spoke onscreen again. We never saw any actual closure with them, and that is a damn shame. There is so much conflict and tension and pain associated with their shared storyline, and yet none of those words are being spoken.
So yes, I want these two interacting again. The pregnancy plotline and their failed partnership is such a distant memory in the context of the show now that revisiting it under the new circumstances has me fascinated.
But the problem is that Glee is doing it wrong.
Finn and Quinn should not be revisited just because there are fireworks when they kiss. They should not be revisited because Finn reminds Quinn not to turn her back on Glee. They should not be revisited just to throw a wrench in all the love dynamics.
But unfortunately, those seem to be the underlying reasons that the writers, and therefore, the characters, are re-exploring this.
Part of the issue as well is the whole cheating thing. I can’t fault anyone for hating that Quinn has now cheated twice, and that Finn seems to be naive and hypocritical about cheating. That’s certainly misstep Number One. The writers didn’t have to play it like that - and it’s fair to say they shouldn’t have. But they trivialized Finn and Quinn’s connection, linked it up with a very two-dimensional intent (pick any of the three I listed in the previous paragraph) and here we all are, disliking the characters for being so fickle with their affections.
What should have happened is this: there should be an unspoken pull between Finn and Quinn. That needs to be clear: that they have a history, a connection, and unfinished business. It shouldn’t have started with kissing. It should have started with a conversation - about Beth, or The Lie, or hell, even Finn’s relationship with Rachel or Quinn’s relationship with Sam. A seed should have been planted, in a non-smoochy way, that their romance imploded violently, and that they need to see to the ashes it left behind. It needed to develop slowly.
Revisiting Finn and Quinn is not necessarily about Finn and Quinn wanting to be together. It’s about closure, in any way. I think it’s possible for them to get back together, or just break up again - I frankly don’t care, as long as they reconnect and address their past - either to forgive it or regret it or resent it. Again, take your pick. It’s writer’s choice.
But it just needs to be treated with solemnity. And that scene in “Silly Love Songs” where Finn and Quinn are onstage in an empty auditorium discussing the definition of cheating and what it means to love someone? That’s more like it. It was a conversation, not a kissing booth. I love the amount of gravitas that interaction carried, because it was framed in the context of the characters’ shared history. They were almost orbiting one another, discussing abstract mature concepts and challenging each other’s points of view. Captivating? Why yes! But this gets lost amidst all of the negative attenuating circumstances, and it’s like the writers are only halfway there in presenting this couple reasonably and objectively.
If only Quinn hadn’t cheated. If only Finn weren’t encouraging her to cheat on the heels of condemning Rachel for the same transgression. If only Finn and Rachel weren’t maddeningly contradictory and unresolved in their interactions right now. If only Quinn weren’t wearing a promise ring.
If only.
And that’s what bugs me. The dynamic between Finn and Quinn has so much potential for current and future interaction, but the writers can’t quite get their ducks in a row in order for the characters to be even remotely empathetic in the situation. So what should be a compelling and somewhat sad exploration of two young people resolving the issues of their destroyed relationship just becomes the fleeting fancy of two teenagers who can’t seem to make up their minds.
I will say, in terms of execution, that Quinn’s not coming off as badly as I expected. The lynchpin here is that the writers have at least made her completely self-aware about the situation. She doesn’t seem to be suffering the same delusions as Finn towards the real definition of cheating, and maturely acknowledges her mistakes. She rejects Finn’s initial pursuing, and is appropriately irked at Sam’s completely founded but somewhat confusing accusations of infidelity. She understands Finn and Rachel’s dynamic, and knows that she needs to work things out with Sam. Basically, she has a pretty firm grasp on the entire situation, and even though I can’t let her off entirely scot-free for cheating twice, I at least understand her and what she’s feeling.
But Finn? Oh, Finn. It takes so much effort for me even to begin to understand that boy’s actions. The writers have blindfolded him, spun him around twice, and sent him off into the Love Pentagon. Not good. And they’ve given him this weird cockiness about winning the football championship, and about being a big draw for a kissing booth, and that is just not a good color on that boy. And, of course, neither is hypocrisy. Why was he pressuring Quinn to cheat on Sam? And what, pray, are his true feelings towards Rachel? Even though Finn’s words to Rachel when he gave her the necklace were extremely touching, I was having a hard time understanding what exactly the writers were trying to accomplish there. Finn has some awfully narrow-minded views about love when he’s had three different makeout partners in the past year. I don’t understand what he wants in this situation, and that is an issue with characterization. What is that boy’s objective?!
Part of a successful execution of a Finn/Quinn reunion hinges directly on Finn - and Quinn - not being wildly unlikeable. The reconnection needs to be treated seriously, and with respect to the notion that these two were going to have a child together before having their relationship cut short by unfortunate circumstance. The fact that Finn and Quinn are happening again under the pretense of the good old days and a kissing booth is just not cutting it here. And ultimately, cheating needs to be off the table, fireworks be damned.