Ok, maybe I had a very different high school experience than most people, but it always throws me that people say Finn’s S3-S5 storyline about not knowing what to do in life was super realistic and true to how teens act. I watched this show as a child/teenager, and everyone I knew had it together more than Finn. He just continuously fumbled around.
For example, he had access to a guidance counselor, whose whole job was to assist him in finding what he might like to do, but he never booked an appointment by himself. I remember being a bit clueless on applications myself, so I went to my GC, who listened to my interests and gave me options back. That’s how I picked a college. Finn tossing all Emma’s pamphlets out because college won’t give him the same thrill as fans cheering for him isn’t normal teen stuff… it’s soon-to-be-washed-up jock stuff. Most teens aren’t used to standing ovations or roaring crowds in the first place.
Finn had a lot of opportunities, but he discarded them all cause they wouldn’t make him feel young and popular forever. Pool-cleaning with Puck in LA might’ve given him the chance to travel, make money, and have some fun while he figured things out. Fixing cars with Burt would’ve given him more father-son bonding time, money, and some experience under his belt in case he wanted to make a career out of it. The army is a ridiculous choice for Finn, but he went with it over a more practical option, cause he wanted to become a hero.
Yeah, you could say this is normal. I get why a teen boy would want to be a war hero over a small town mechanic. The thing is, Finn continues not taking care of business for two more seasons. After failing at the army, he could have gone back to Burt and asked for the job, but instead he just complained more about not having anything to do. I’ve watched the show in elementary, middle, and high school, and every rewatch, I think it’s incredibly dumb to sit around moping, when your step-dad wants you to take over his business. Maybe he didn’t want Burt’s business, but constantly saying he had nothing going for him, when he very much did, was so whiny and lazy.
He just seemed to have no tenacity, when it came to his future. He spent most of S4 teaching but never considered that could be a new direction in his life, until Marley (who wasn’t even really close with him or anything) told him to man up and get an actual degree. Marley was also a teenager, so theoretically, she should’ve been just as clueless about picking life paths as Finn, but she wasn’t. It made him look dumb to need someone else to go hey, you like teaching? Teach.
When Finn went to get his degree, I thought great, he’s finally found something. Genuinely, good for him. But then we see him in college, and he’s slacking off. Puck, of all people, has to tell him to care about school. Seriously? Why does he need a new pep talk every season? Why can he never just be proactive himself? Why is Puck, the delinquent who almost flunked out, showing more work ethic than him?
I’m not saying he needed to discover his dream at 18 or anything, and I can admit the other characters succeeding as quickly/as well as they did was unrealistic. But I don’t get the idea that Finn’s storyline was all normal, teen stuff. To me, he was behind in a lot of ways and always needed a little coddling/extra encouragement. Again, the washed-up jock stereotype comes to mind. He spent 4 years focused on nothing but popularity, girls, Glee, and football, and was thrown off guard when reality hit