Jordin Althaus/FOXYou know what they say: It's better to have love and lost than never to have loved at all. But it still hurts really freaking bad when your fictional TV couples break up!
Splitsville rocked the Glee world tonight, from New York City to Lima, Ohio, and we're not sure if the couples (or our shipper hearts) will ever be the same. Since every duo on the show got their own time to sing and cry, let's recap "The Break Up" by going over each couple's storyline in the episode and their status by the end. And since every couple got a flashback to a special moment from their past, let's remind you all of that as well. We're really twisting the knife tonight!
Finn and Rachel: At first, Rachel (Lea Michele) is enjoying Finn's (Cory Monteith) visit to New York City. She takes him to her classes, shows him around New York, and even invites him to a NYADA tradition: a piano bar called "Callbacks." The more she does this, though, the more she's showing Finn how happy she is and how much she's shining in New York without him. And after dueting with Brody (Dean Geyer) to "Give Your Heart a Break," Finn gets her to admit later that night during a walk that she kissed Brody. She insists it was only because she couldn't get a hold of him for four months. This only proves to Finn that Rachel doesn't need him, and in the morning he sneaks off without waking her.
Rachel tracks him down by flying all the way to Ohio to confront him in the auditorium, the same place they met, had their first date and got engaged. Rachel tells him through her tears that he was her first love, and she really wanted him to be her last, but they're over. At least, she says, for now.
Status: Broken up (for now)
Flashback Scene: Finn laying her down on the stage and kissing on their first date.
Kurt and Blaine: The episode starts out bad between Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Blaine (Darren Criss), and it only gets worse. First, Kurt rushes through a phone date with Blaine, and doesn't even say "I love you" back when Blaine ends the call. During the "Barely Breathing" number, it's revealed that Blaine is flirting with and poking (poking!) someone on Facebook named Eli. C. Later, he surprises Kurt by arrive two weeks early to visit his boyfriend in New York. While the foursome is at Callbacks, Blaine sings a moving and emotional rendition of "Teenage Dream" to Kurt, whom he calls "the love of my life." He can barely get through it without choking on his tears, and we find out why later. It's guilt, because he cheated on Kurt, a fact he admits to during the same walk Finn and Rachel are on.
Blaine sort of blames Kurt for it, saying he was lonely and he needed Kurt when he wasn't there. Later, Blaine sends flowers to the Vogue office with an apology card, but Kurt just throws the card away. Back at McKinley, when Finn asks Blaine what was happening between them (a scene that we felt needed to be much longer!), Blaine says he isn't even sure if they are broken up, but Kurt was not talking to him.
Status: Not speaking, maybe broken up.
Flashback: Blaine taking Kurt's hand and leading him to glee club practice at Dalton.
Brittany and Santana: Santana (Naya Rivera) didn't realize how sad Brittany (Heather Morris) was without her until she and Brit take part in a "rapture gag," which resulted in one student thinking she was left behind on earth by herself. She starts hyperventilating, and Brittany watches her and tells Santana that she knows what it's like to be left behind, and it hurts.
Later, Santana sings Taylor Swift's "Mine" to Brit in the choir room, where Santana first fell in love with her. But then she admits to having an attraction to someone else at school, and even though she promised she'd never cheat on Brit, she thinks it would be best if they temporarily break up. The long-distance was just not working, and she wanted to do the mature thing. Brit knows that this sounds like a real breakup, and not a temporary one. Santana doesn't dispute this. They kiss, hug and cry, proclaiming their love for each other.
Status: Broken up.
Flashback: A tender Brittana moment in the choir room
Will and Emma: Will (Matthew Morrison) has been accepted onto the Blue Ribbon Panel to Advance Arts Education, which means he'll be going to Washington, DC. Maybe he'll hang out with Ben Wyatt! You're welcome for that Parks and Rec reference. He asks Emma (Jayma Mays) to go with him, and not just for a weekend, but for a couple of months. Emma say she doesn't want to take a sabbatical and leave her job because she loves it, and he shouldn't expect her to drop everything and follow him around. Will thinks asking her to be with him in Washington isn't a crazy request, but Emma believes it is, though she wants to be supportive. She'll be alone in a hotel room while Will goes off and lives his dream, and she doesn't want to do that. When Will gets upset, she storms out of the house.
Status: In a fight.
Flashback: Will kissing her in the hallway after the glee club wins Sectionals for the first time.
Jake and Marley: Marley (Melissa Benoist) and Jake (Jacob Artist), so clearly into each other, spend the episode being cute and getting into fights over Jake's girlfriend Kitty (Becca Tobin). Marley doesn't like her, and she can't believe Jake does. Later, he breaks up with Kitty right in front of Marley. But when Marley asks him to go over sheet music for Grease (the musical the glee club will be performing this year), he completely disses her and all but runs away.
Status: Just friends.
Flashback: None, they just met!
Heartbreaking Lines That Just Killed Us:
"I kind of feel like I'm gonna die."—Kurt
"You know I will always love you the most."—Santana
"I don't have my girl. I don't have a job. I don't have a place in this world."—Finn
"I was with someone…I needed you. I needed you around and you weren't there."—Blaine
"No matter how rich or famous or successful I become, when it comes to you, I'm always gonna be that moon-eyed girl who freaked you out at our first glee rehearsal. You were the first boy who made me feel loved."—Rachel
"I don't want to be alone and not be with you."–Will
"You don't get it. You left me behind and it hurt."—Brittany
And that, Glee fans, is how you rock the worlds of five couples in one single episode. How are we all doing? Let's hug it out in the comments.