‘Glee’ Finale: 6 Tearjerker Moments

“Glee” wrapped up its six season run on Friday night.

As Fox’s musical drama took its final bow, it did so with two hours of emotional television that paid tribute to its past and its legacy.

While there were dozens of big moments, here are six that had us reaching for the tissues:

PHOTOS: ‘Glee’: Scenes From The Series Finale

2009 Kurt Finding The Path That Would Change His Life

Back in 2009, young Kurt Hummel had no friends and was very depressed. After Emma Pillsbury caught Kurt looking at some leaflets that suggested Kurt was thinking of going down a dark path, she spoke to his dad, Burt Hummel. Get involved with a team, his dad told him, or he’d take away the sewing machine. That ultimatum was the moment that changed everything. It prompted Kurt to set his lunch down at a table with the one and only Rachel Berry. Their friendship quickly began to blossom. Later, he met Mercedes and auditioned for Mr. Schue. But the exact second that had us reaching for the tissues was when Kurt thanked his dad for forcing him to get involved. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this genuinely excited to go to school. Thanks for pushing me to do this,” Kurt told his dad. “Thanks for showing up for yourself,” the senior Mr. Hummel replied.

The Finn Hudson Tribute

When Finn Hudson first joined the New Directions, there were some mixed feelings behind the scenes, and in a flashback scene, we saw the gang discuss their second thoughts about having the McKinley High quarterback involved in the school’s glee club. Until… they all realized that Finn was actually a stand-up guy. And, he helped convince Mr. Schue to stay in his job as a teacher too. In a scene replayed from Season 1, just as Mr. Schue was preparing to leave the halls, carrying Sue’s receipts on his path to becoming an accountant, he heard Finn’s voice. “Just a small town girl…” and followed it to the gym. There, Finn and Rachel sang “Don’t Stop Believin'” to each other, with Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina on backup (Artie was on guitar). Watching Mr. Schue again in that Season 1 moment, with tears in his eyes, and seeing the wonderful way the show included the late Cory Monteith in the finale, had us bawling.

Mercedes Saying Goodbye To Lima Friends

Present day is where “Glee” skipped to after the 2009 Finn flashback in the series finale and Mercedes’ dreams were coming true. She told her friends she had been picked to be the opening act on the Beyonce world tour. But, before she said goodbye, there was a speech, and a song. “Having friends like you really did change me. You made me know that good things are possible,” she told them. “I wanted to say goodbye my way, with a song, and then, I want to walk out of here like I’m gonna be seeing everybody in glee club tomorrow and like it’s not really goodbye,” she said, as we got choked up all over again. She left after performing “Someday We’ll Be Together.” “Mercedes Jones has left the building,” Artie said after she walked out.

Future Kurt & Blaine (Klaine)

It was a happy cry moment when “Glee” caught up with Kurt and Blaine five years in the future. In New York City, Klaine made a visit to the Harvey Milk School for “career day and celebrity Tuesday sing along.” After Kurt gave a nod to the teacher who helped them grow (Mr. Schue), Blaine told the kids, “We want to encourage all of you guys to be proud of who you are and to find friends that accept you, and to not only dream, but to dream big and surround yourself with people who can help those dreams come true.” Then, they delighted the little ones by performing “Daydream Believer.” It was a sweet moment that warmed our hearts and had us misty-eyed.

Rachel’s Happily Ever After

Pregnant! Five years in the future we caught up with Rachel, heavily pregnant, carrying Kurt and Blaine’s baby (as a surrogate). And Rachel was married too, to Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff). All of these reveals were made as she was backstage preparing for the Tony Awards (she was up for one). And, despite tough competition from Maggie Smith, Anne Hathaway and Willow Smith (mentioned by name only), Broadway’s Andrew Rannells (he played himself) presented Rachel with her first Tony win. Her speech slayed everyone. “I want to dedicate this award to the person who’s responsible for getting me on this stage tonight and that is Mr. Will Schuester. Mr. Schue always taught to my strengths and not my weakness and he cheered the loudest when I soared and he picked me up when I was in a million pieces. He taught me the one great thing that all teachers do — and there are so many of them out there — and that is being a part of something special does not make you special. Something is special because you are a part of it. Mr. Schue, I love you so much and to all of the boys and girls out there, I just want to say quickly before I walk off the stage that dreams really do come true, so thank you.”

Vice President Sue’s Dedication

Sue becoming the Vice President of the United States wasn’t a tearjerker, but her coming back to McKinley, where she gave a speech to help dedicate the auditorium to Finn Hudson brought out the waterworks. Speaking about how Mr. Schue and glee club changed her, Sue gave a moving speech.

WATCH: Farewell To ‘Glee’ – A Look Back

This is what she said:

“You know, a great big fat person once stood on this stage and told a group of a dozen or so nerds in hideous disco outfits that glee, by its very definition, is about opening up yourself to joy. Now it’s no secret that for a long time, I thought that was a load of a hooey, as far as I could see the glee club was nothing more than a place where a bunch of cowardly losers go to sing their troubles away and allude themselves that they live in a world that cares one iota about their hopes and dreams, totally divorced of the harsh reality that out in the real world, there’s not much more to hope for than disappointment, heartbreak and failure and you know what? I was exactly right. That’s exactly what glee club is. But I was wrong about the cowardly part. What I finally realize, now that I’m well into my late thirties — it takes a lot of bravery to look around you and see the world, not as it is, but as is should be. A world where the quarterback becomes best friends with the gay kid and the girl with the big nose ends up on Broadway. Glee is about imagining a world like that, and finding the courage to open up your heart and sing about it. That’s what glee club is, and for the longest time, I thought that was silly, and now, I think it’s just about the bravest thing that anyone could do. I am honored to be here, to re-dedicate this theater the Finn Hudson Auditorium. William [Schuester] — it is with your hard work and his memory that you managed to accomplish something unimaginable. McKinley High School for the Performing Arts has become an overwhelming success, a model for public schools that showcase the arts now being replicated all across the country. Congratulations, Will Schuester. You and your little glee club have accomplished something quite remarkable.”

— Jolie Lash