It's almost adorable when TV networks arbitrarily introduce new terms into the viewing vocabulary. Really, they're just euphemisms. In the 80's “A Very Special” was a modifying term attached to episodes of any given show that was going to feature some soft, moralistic message about drugs, gun safety or teen pregnancy, while “Must See” quickly became 90's vernacular for “Doesn't Suck”. In these last days of 2009, the networks are trying to pretend that “Fall Finale” has always been part of the scheduling system and not just a bizarre artifact of staggered programming resulting from a writers' strike and an unusual string of successful shows the networks seemed desperate to kill. Because of that unique set of circumstances and the meaningless but customary programming blackout of the holiday season, shows like Glee will be vanishing for a little while as if buried by snow. Glee in particular won't be airing again until Spring, unlike a lot of “Fall Finale” shows that will be rising from hibernation in fits and starts throughout January and February. So, for all intents and purposes tonight's episode of Glee was a chapter-ending hour. Naturally, it didn't really feel like a finale so much as the end of a set of plots and the setup of those that will carry the rest of the season.

Apparently because the tangled love triangle... er, square involving Finn, Quinn, Puck and Rachel had nowhere else to go, Rachel decides it's time to break the news to Finn about the real father of Quinn's baby. OK, fine. I'm willing to see that particular knot get untangled with such little fanfare, if only because it was beyond tired. Finn predictably blows up, predictably quits the Glee club, then predictably comes to the rescue at the last possible moment. Again, that's fine. I don't tune into this show for a soap.

It would seem fitting for the club's big number at Sectionals to be that oft-used Rolling Stones hit “You Can't Always Get What You Want”, but I suppose I just wanted the episode to reflect that sentiment a bit more than it did. Instead, “Sectionals” pretty much gave the characters, and us viewers, exactly what we wanted. Will leaves Terri and after some big-eyed faking sweeps Emma off her feet in typically not-so-good Brad Falchuk fashion. The Glee kids win Sectionals thanks to combination of Rachel's big Broadway heart and a give-em-a-show attitude. Even the disastrous baby drama, while not entirely settled, looks like it's destined to work out with everybody paired off exactly how it seems they would be.

But remember, this isn't a real finale, just a “Fall Finale”, so I don't buy it. Glee has proven time and again that it can play dark and isn't the shiny, lite-drama it seems to be at first glance. We still have a considerable amount of story to sit through before Season 1 comes to a close and TV doesn't come from a bunch of characters sitting pretty for whole blocks of episodes. I have enough faith in this show to believe that everything ended in “Sectionals” the way it did because most of was thoroughly played out (which much of it was) and now the field is clear for a whole new Spring garden of conflict.

Best Moment: The judges at Sectionals. I always adore the borderline cruel humor on this show, so a room full of disingenuous judges making fun of the deaf kids and complaining about being there in the first place tickled me like nothing else.

Favorite Song: Yeah, the Stones number was good, especially because it was first number since “Don't Stop Believing” in the pilot to combine the loose choir room atmosphere with the powerful stage performances. Still, Rachel's “Don't Rain On My Parade” connected the show with its Broadway roots, so I'll nod to that as well.

Episode Rating: 3.8/5- Not mediocre enough for a 3.5 but not gutsy enough for a 4, this “Fall Finale” got Glee over a lot of inevitable hurtles and more than likely upped the ante for the second half of the season coming up this Spring. I'll definitely miss having an all-singing, all-dancing, occasionally irreverent comedy waiting for me every Wednesday. See you all back here in the Spring.