Fuinn was always frustrating to me because I actually do think Cory and Dianna had chemistry, but the characters were just never given even a single episode to breathe. Even the scenes where I think there was genuine emotion, like "can we be in love again?" or when Finn shows her the Lucy pic, the rest of the episode is banging us over the head telling us not to believe anything they're saying. Like their break-up scene in S2, which I think is maybe one of Cory's best scenes in the entire series? He's honestly so good that I actually believe him in the moment when he says "Quinn, I still love you". But then the scene ends and it's like...wait, no he doesn't. Not a single thing he did leading up to that scene and nothing he'll do for the rest of the season, hell the rest of the SERIES, will show that he even LIKES her.
But as much as Quinn was the biggest, most longstanding victim of Finchel, it's not like she was alone. Puck, Brody, Jesse...all kind of prove how little faith the writers seemed to have in Finchel's appeal. Love interests were turned into outright villains or dropped like a bag of dirt as soon as fans started to care about them.
Oh I totally get that because whenever I see Cory and Dianna I'm like, such great chemistry! They're meant to share a screen. But Finn and Quinn? Nothing. I do not buy for a second those two are genuinely interested in each other in whatever way. So strange what weak writing can do. But I also think Cory is baby and Finn is trash, so.
Fuinn's writing never allowed them to come across as an actual couple. The first scene we see of them is played for laughs and is about Finn being desperate to get into her pants. When he talks about her in Shwomance, same. We never ever get the impression that he even likes her as a person much less loves. He just finds her hot. And Quinn doesn't even have that lmao like I just don't buy that she's into him in any kind of way. If I'm being generous I could maybe give them the last scene of The Sue Sylvester Shuffle and the Silly Love Songs auditorium scene. Maybe. But for the rest of s2 they're either arguing or just there for Rachel to stare at. And this often happens with your run of the mill love triangles where one couple is so clearly meant to be the "real" one but it's fascinating just how badly they messed up Cory and Dianna's chemistry up. Astonishing how they wasted all that potential. Not that I want Finn and Quinn to be within 50 miles of each other but still.
And yeah lol the breakup scene. It just... falls flat. In the sense that we're supposed to believe Finn really does have feelings and like it's hard for him to leave Quinn. And of course she comes in with her "villainy" and wanting to stay miserable together. Fuinn are just such a fail in every way. Who could ever truly ship them? They truly didn't even half-ass it. I'd argue that even Rachel's other romantic interests were treated better though I of course agree that they suffered for being roadblocks to our "main couple" as well. Puckleberry was a brief adventure and Finn largely stayed out of it but if not for the obsession with Finchel and just Finchel, that could have been something. I think Jesse was treated as a fairly serious threat but there was always the feeling that he was only allowed to an option in the absence of Finn. And Brody, man. Idk what they even expected the fans to react to in terms of Brochel. And getting me started on Brody's treatment is a whole other rant but let's just say he, apart from Quinn, might just be the biggest victim of the Finchel train. Buckwild how that went down.