‘Glee’ Season 5 First Look: Cory Monteith Tribute Episode Struggles to Say Goodbye

'Glee' will kick off its fifth season tonight with the first two Beatles-centric episodes, though the majority of fans have been eager to learn how the upcoming third episode "The Quarterback" will handle actor Cory Monteith and his character Finn Hudson's death. We've seen a brief summary of the tribute episode to date, and now series creator Ryan Murphy has revealed a first look at the emotional goodbye.

Tweeted by Murphy, the simple monochrome advertisement features Monteith's face, joined by the tagline "the hardest word to say is 'goodbye'." From what we've heard, the "Quarterback" episode won't actually focus on the cause of the character's death, but rather highlight the 'Glee' group's reaction through several lenses, and shoot several addiction PSAs to supplement awareness about the sources behind Monteith's death.

From FOX’s official synopsis of “The Quarterback”:

In the wake of Finn’s sudden death, former members of New Directions return to McKinley to remember their fallen friend. While a stoic Mr. Schue encourages all the gleeks to “memorialize him the way we do everything – by singing about it,” some of the kids find the exercise more cathartic than others. At the Hudson-Hummel home, Kurt, Burt and Carole sort through Finn’s belongings and what begins as a somber occasion blossoms into a poignant and much needed family moment.

Meanwhile, Emma grows concerned when she believes Will is so busy taking care of others that he’s not allowing himself time to grieve; Santana struggles with using her “bitch” mask to hide her fond feelings for Finn, and has a run in with Bree, McKinley’s “New Santana”; and following a heart-to-heart with Coach Beiste, Puck honors Finn’s memory by making a life-changing decision about his future.

In addition to its series regular exits, ‘Glee’ season 5 will feature prior recurring cast members Melissa Benoist (Marley), Jacob Artist (Jake), Becca Tobin (Kitty) and ‘The Glee Project‘ alumni Blake Jenner and Alex Newell ascending to series regular status. ‘American Idol‘ runner-up Adam Lambert will also take a role as Kurt’s new NYC rival, while Demi Lovato will take a major recurring role and ‘Spring Awakening’ star Phoebe Strole guests as a new love interest for Sam.

You can check out the elegant banner for "The Quarterback" below, and tell us in the comments if you agree with 'Glee' season 5's handling of Monteith's tragic death.