‘Glee’s Cory Monteith Memorial: Where Does Season 5 Go Now?

After months of heartbreaking curiosity, 'Glee' finally aired its tribute episode to fallen actor Cory Monteith with last night's tearjerking "The Quarterback." Responses to the Finn farewell episode have proven largely positive across the board, even as the characters glossed over the actual reasoning behind the character's death, but where does the series pick up without one of its star leads? Series creator Ryan Murphy recently spoke out about 'Glee''s future, assuring fans "The Quarterback" will not be forgotten.

"We're picked up through season six and we had to get back on the horse after episode three," Murphy told journalists of the series' future. "I just made a decision; we keep mentioning Finn, we don't just say this is done and we're never going to go back to it. [Finn's death] resonates throughout the year."

The series itself will embark on a brief hiatus until November 7, both as a means to retool creatively and avoid preemption by FOX's baseball coverage, while the first preview of cheery "A Katy or a Gaga" aired following "The Quarterback." Going forward, Murphy expressed an interest in returning to lighthearted storytelling, picking up the show's original tone without necessarily forgetting the tragedy that struck midway through:

We're trying to be sensitive and also have some fun with it; to go back to some optimistic stories. I think [Cory] would have wanted that, he always loved that about the show.

It remains to be seen if 'Glee' will ever craft any kind of in-show explanation for the character's death, though the promo for future episodes clearly shows the story to have few signs of stopping, previewing 'American Idol' alum Adam Lambert's anticipated turn guesting on the series.

You can check out the preview of future 'Glee' in the promo below, but what say you? Did "The Quarterback" pay fitting tribute to both Monteith and his character? What would you like to see from the FOX musical dramedy going forward?