On July 31, 2013, Cory Monteith died in his Vancouver hotel room at age 31 as a result of mixing alcohol and heroin. Monteith’s character on hit TV show “Glee,” McKinley High School quarterback and glee club member Finn Hudson was not included in last season’s final episodes due to Monteith’s time in rehab, and the first two episodes of this season comprised a predetermined Beatles tribute, also without mention of Hudson. Thursday’s episode “The Quarterback” was a tribute to Monteith in which various characters mourn the death of Finn Hudson. The cause of Hudson’s death is not specified, in order not to take away from the essential goal of the episode: remembrance of Monteith both on and off the show and closure for those who were closest to him, with several former “Glee” cast members, including Jayma Mays, Mike O’Malley, Harry Shum Jr., Amber Riley, Heather Morris and Mark Salling returning to pay respect.

Far different from actors mourning the loss of a fictional character from a television series, the emotions portrayed in the episode have a certain authenticity, as the actors have actually experienced the grief that they must express, in not just losing Finn Hudson, but, of course Cory Monteith, himself. William Schuster, director of the Glee club unites the club members to sing in honor of Finn, which produces heart-wrenching performances of “I’ll Stand by You” by Mercedes, “Fire and Rain” by Sam and Artie and “Make You Feel My Love” by Rachel, among others. With tears rolling down her face as she sings for Finn, it is no doubt that Lea Michele is channeling her feelings for Monteith, her on- and off-show boyfriend. In a later scene, Rachel speaks with Mr. Schuster, again fighting back tears as she explains the plan she created for her and Finn to live happily ever after, a plan that applies far too easily to the life that might have been led by Michele and Monteith.

The episode explores the different grieving and coping mechanisms of the characters. Puck, after pushing his feelings aside through alcohol and violence, breaks down to Coach Beiste about his complete loss of direction without Finn in his life. The coach responds with the slightly corny but meaningful line, “You have to be your own quarterback.” After Santana runs out of the room without being able to finish her tribute song to Finn, Kurt finds her in the auditorium. Ashamed by her lack of kindness toward Finn, she had written out a list of memories about him to share, but was too embarrassed to reveal them. Kurt encourages her to read them with another somewhat corny but also significant line, “Shame is a wasted emotion.”

The various portrayals of anger: Santana’s encounter with Coach Sylvester and Puck’s argument with Coach Beiste, as well as many of the character’s tears and heartfelt remembrances of Finn come across as genuine effects of the grieving process. Although the episode begins with the cliché and overused “Seasons of Love,” the rest proves a tear jerking homage as well as a demonstration of the admiration felt by “Glee” cast members toward Monteith as an actor and a person.