Glee episodes have mastered the mashup - combining two or more famous songs in a new way, reinterpreting them in a new context along the way.
Today's editorial is a mashup of new comments, in light of the shocking death of Glee star Cory Monteith on Saturday in Vancouver, with an editorial written last spring about how the show is the bravest comedy-drama on network television since Rosanne, fearlessly tackling the toughest social and moral issues of the day while breaking into musical numbers in hallways of McKinley High in the process.
Monteith played the lovable doofus Finn and one of his greatest moments from the third season, and perhaps his entire run on the show, was his touching down tempo version of the Cyndi Lauper classic Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
Having a guy sing it gave it an extra twist but the context in which it appeared in the show demonstrates just how groundbreaking Glee has been.
Finn sang the song to Santana Lopez, the viper-tongued member of the glee club who also did duty as one of the school's cheerleaders.
Finn lost his virginity to Santana so he still felt a special connection to her, despite the fact she's slept around and has called him everything from Double-Stuffed Fatty Gassy McGravy Pants to Pillsbury Dough Turd.
The chorus took on extra meaning because Finn, backed up by the other guys in the glee club, sang the song to show his encouragement and support for Santana, who was terrified of coming out of the closet as a lesbian.
By the end of that season, Glee featured both an openly gay high school couple (Kurt and Blaine) and an openly lesbian couple, featuring Santana and the bisexual blonde bimbo Brittany. Since then, they have added to the regular cast a young transwoman named Unique.
A frank discussion and display of teen sexuality, both homosexual and heterosexual, has been front and centre in this show from the beginning but never in a gratuitous way. Glee's best moments have focused on the painful, awkward transition from childhood to adulthood.
Monteith's funniest moment on the entire show was when his tried-and-true cool down method when making out with a girl (thinking about the time he hit the mailman with his car) failed him spectacularly during a tender moment with Rachel, played by Lea Michele, his real-life girlfriend at the time of his death.
Glee has been fearless in its discussion not just of sex but of drugs, gay bashing, body-size acceptance, interracial romance, bullying, suicide, physical and mental disabilities, race and gender.
The show's courage was a natural fit for Monteith, whose personal story was also one of courage over adversity. He talked openly in interviews about his troubled teens, quitting high school in Victoria at 16, his struggles with addiction and the intervention of friends and family to save his life.
He had a talent for music, the drums in particular, and his good looks and charm earned him some minor TV roles in Vancouver before his big break on Glee.
His audition tape for Glee is the stuff of legend - playing drums on Tupperware and singing the REO Speedwagon ballad Can't Fight This Feeling, which he would later do in the show's debut episode. The show's producers saw something special in the B.C. kid and so did viewers when the show hit the air.
Monteith's character touched millions but the man also had an impact on everyone he met. Vancouver Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa proudly posted a picture on Twitter on Monday of himself with Monteith, with the message He was a great guy and an avid Canucks fan. Rest in peace Cory.
Like many others Saturday night as the news broke of Monteith's death, Prince George's Foxy De-Rossi shared in the collective grief of fans and mourned the loss of a friend and a role model.
At just 31, Monteith's life and career ended far too early but he left behind some memorable moments on one of TV's most memorable shows.
