Goodbye (Glee)

"Goodbye" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixty-sixth overall. Written and directed by Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States on May 22, 2012. It features the graduation of the McKinley High class of 2012, and with it, eight members of the New Directions glee club. The episode introduces special guest star Gloria Estefan as Maribel Lopez, Santana's (Naya Rivera) mother, and has appearances by six other parents of graduating seniors.

The episode was well received by many reviewers, though some were not as happy with it. The enthusiastic ones cited the combination of humor and tears, past events and present revelation, while those who were more critical felt there was not enough time to wrap up all the storylines or that it strayed into sappiness. Particular praise was given to the scene with Burt and Kurt Hummel that featured the former's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" number, which was the favorite performance of the reviewers, and the scene when Finn tells Rachel he's sending her to New York instead of marrying her, which was described as Monteith's and Michele's best acting on the show. Monteith was also praised for his solo in the song "You Get What You Give", and Michele's rendition of "Roots Before Branches" received even higher marks. Other songs were given a less enthusiastic reception.

"Goodbye" attracted 7.46 million American viewers during its initial broadcast and received a 2.9/8 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic, a significant increase over the prior episode's 2.5/7 rating/share and 6.03 million viewers on May 15, 2012.