Rachel gets one more scene with her mother, Shelby (Idina Menzel), congratulating her on her group's performance, but asserting, apparently wrongly, that the New Directions are better. Perhaps she just means that the New Directions are on an upswing, while Vocal Adrenaline is coming down. But either way, Rachel asks Shelby to switch to McKinley and co-coach the glee club. She declines, dashing Rachel's last hope that they will form a mother-daughter relationship.
This is a little odd, because Shelby cites that she will be leaving glee club coaching to raise a family. She knows she's missing something important from her life, and seeks to correct that imbalance. That's all well and good, and it's great that Shelby takes baby Beth. But shouldn't she also include the family she already has? It's a slap in Rachel's face for Shelby to say that she wants a family, but not offer her biological daughter a place in the structure. Hopefully that will be corrected with Shelby's upcoming season three arc.
And so, there you have it. Lots of emotion, lots of wonderful singing, and a nice wrap up to a number of large arcs. There are still things to look forward to in season two, such as seeing Rachel and Finn together, and how Quinn will reinvent herself. But it's a neat ending, properly finishing off the first chapter of a bold television experiment.
Make sure you tune in this Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET for the season three premiere of Glee on FOX.
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