Lives hung in the balance on the ‘Glee’ winter finale, as the New Directions prepared to perform at Regionals.

The catalyst for most of what happened on the Feb. 21 episode of Glee was David Karofsky’s (Max Adler) suicide attempt. After being spotted with Kurt (Chris Colfer) at Breadstix, Karofsky was tormented by his classmates. Unable to deal with the humiliation of being outed, he tried to hang himself in his closet. Regardless of what he put Kurt through last season, it was hard watching a teary-eyed Karofsky lay out his suit in preparation for the act. Thankfully, his father caught him in the nick of time.

The near loss of the former McKinley High bully had a profound effect on the New Directions, especially Kurt, Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Cory Monteith). Even slimy Sebastian (Grant Gustin), who was ready to blackmail Rachel into skipping Regionals with an obviously Photoshopped nude photograph of Finn, was moved enough by what had happened to raise a white flag. As it turns out, Sebastian hadn’t been very nice to Karofsky, once telling him to go back in the closet. In the end, Sebastian decided to dedicate the Warblers’ performance at Regionals to Karofsky. Was this the last we’ll ever see of the Warbler’s wicked side? Only time will tell.

Kurt took the news of Karofsky’s suicide attempt worse than the others. Feeling somewhat responsible for what had happened because he hadn’t returned any of Karofsky’s calls after Karofsky told Kurt he loved him, Kurt looked for a way to deal with his feelings. After turning to the God Squad, he ended up visiting his former tormentor at the hospital after Regionals. Their reunion was really sweet, with Kurt helping Karofsky realize he has a bright future to look forward to.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Finn decided to move up their wedding date to the Saturday following Regionals. With so much tragedy in the world, they simply didn’t want to wait any longer to be husband and wife. Shortly before the competition, however, they decided to get married by a Justice of the Peace at the Lima Municipal Center immediately following Regionals. As if these teenagers weren’t already being impulsive enough!

What with all that was going on, Regionals came and went. The Warblers took the stage first, giving two solid performances. The New Directions followed, singing three songs. They opened with a better-than-average mash-up of Nicki Minaj‘s “Fly” and R. Kelly‘s “I Believe I Can Fly,” but they really brought down the house with Kelly Clarkson‘s “Stronger.” They closed with Halestorm‘s “Here’s to Us,” which featured a stunning solo by Rachel. Not that you hadn’t already guessed, but the New Directions took home gold at Regionals.

Later on, at the Lima Municipal Center, family and friends congregated for Finn and Rachel’s wedding, including a pregnant Sue (Jane Lynch), who offered to help Will (Matthew Morrison) with Nationals. Everyone was there except Quinn (Dianna Agron), who was at home changing into her bridesmaid dress. While they waited, Rachel’s gay dads (played to perfection by Jeff Goldblum and Brian Stokes-Mitchell) and Burt (Mike O’Malley) tried to stop the wedding. When Goldblum’s Hiram suggested faking an epileptic seizure, I nearly lost it. Can someone please tell me why we only met these guys last episode?

It looked as though Finn and Rachel were all ready to go through with the wedding. Then, in the final moments of the episode, Quinn, who had just been reinstated into the Cheerios, got into a terrible car accident on her way to the wedding while texting Rachel. And that’s what you call a cliffhanger, folks!

What did YOU think of tonight’s episode, HollywoodLifers? What was your favorite performance at Regionals? Did the New Directions deserve to win? Will Quinn survive her accident? Will Finn and Rachel get married? Sound off in the comments!

– Josh Rosenblatt