The Gleek Critique: "Britney/Brittany" Episode

In an interview I read online, Heather Morris who plays ditsy cheerleader Brittany said, "When we were on tour this summer, Ryan [the show's creator, duh] pulled me aside and told me they were doing this episode and that the title would be 'Britney/Brittany' ... but Ryan didn't really get into it; he just said get ready, make sure your voice is ready, take some voice lessons.  So I was like, 'Okay, I'm ready!'"

She wasn't lying!  How exciting to see Brittany become a fully-developed character, and not just non-sequitur filler.  And we've always known she could dance, but who knew she could sing too?

The plot this episode basically involved Will meeting Emma's new dentist boyfriend Dr. Carl and feeling totally threatened by him.  Meanwhile, the kids all want to sing Britney Spears music and not the lame music Mr. Schuester wants them to sing.  Oh yeah, and the kids all need some major dental work, and while under the anesthesia they have some pretty vivid hallucinations... giving the show an excuse to bring in the real Britney Spears and fill the episode with non-stop chart-toppers.

The Pros:

• Britney Spears was a guest star!  How fun is that?  And she didn't look crazy!
• Now that I can't swoon over John Stamos on Full House, I can swoon over him on Glee...
• Tons of fun Britney Spears covers, all wonderful in their own way, but my favorite one was "Toxic."   It was a very unique variation of the original (kind of like last season's "Poker Face" in the Lady Gaga episode)
• Rachel and Finn's relationship seems to be maturing... well, for high schoolers.  I enjoyed Rachel's version of "The Only Exception" dedicated to Finn.

The Cons:

•  Naked Jacob = yuck!
• Close-up on the butt-stain he left on Sue's chair = yuckier!
• In order for Brittany to shine this episode, some of our old regulars have taken a back seat.  Like Kurt, Mercedes, and Quinn...
• Why didn't John Stamos or Britney Spears sing?
• While completely fun, I feel like the story progression took a back seat this episode in favor of a celebrity cameo.  Oh well, next week's focus on faith and religion might ground things a little better.