GLEE: Season 2, Episode 2 - 'BRITTANY/BRITNEY'

What's going down?

"Who can tell me who Christopher Cross is?" asks Schue. The kids are pretty much clueless, aside
from Brittany's suggestion that he discovered America. The lesson that Will wants them to learn
this week is all about easy listening. The kids are less than impressed, though, as Kurt tries to explain that they just can't relate to this type of music. However, he does point Will's attention to a recent Facebook campaign to get the club to perform a number by none other than Miss Britney Spears. How can Will ignore this, when it has a grand total of five whole members? Quite easily, it seems, as he tells her that she isn't a good role model. Brittany, however, has her own reservations. Why? Because, as she tells them, her name is also Britney Spears. Turns out the mysterious last name the producers have hid from us is in fact Pearce, with her middle name Susan making her "Brittany S.Pearce."

In Emma's office, the topic of Britney is still hot. Emma thinks it's admirable the way she has gotten
her life back on track but Will still scoffs at the idea of a Britney number. Calling him uptight, he gets offended and turns it around to her little quirks. The mood is dampened further when she
tells him how Carl, the dentist she's been dating since the end of Season One, has been helping her
with those issues. Just then, who should walk in but Carl himself, played by the very gorgeous John
Stamos. As a dentist he's been trying to get the school to allow him to talk to the kids about dental hygiene. In an attempt to appear not bothered by their new relationship Will suggests that he talks to his Glee club.

In the corridor the neanderthal football players, yank Finn's jacket away from him and tear it in half. Now that he's not on the football team, they say he can no longer wear one. Before Finn can lunge at them Artie intervenes. "There's something not right about hitting a kid in a wheelchair," one says and so Finn is spared a black eye. While this has been happening, Coach Bieste watches on.

In Glee club, Carl is giving his talk, the tension between him and Will only growing. "Can I just say
that you are the hottest dentist I've ever seen?" Santana tells him. He gives them a capsule to chew, which will highlight any plaque they have. Most escape the embarrassment of blue teeth, apart from Rachel, Brittany and Artie. Kurt continues to push for a Britney number but Will remains immovable.

"This room looks like the one on the spaceship where I got probed," says Brittany as she sits in Carl's dentist chair. According to him she has the worst teeth he's ever seen - in fact it must be a new record. As he puts her under anaesthetic he turns the radio on, who should we hear than none other than Britney Spears. Whilst under she performs Britney's "I'm A Slave 4 U", whilst dressed in various costumes from her most famous videos. Let's just say Brittany has some serious moves.

Finn is upset and not even the banana bread Rachel baked him can cheer him up. Whilst he may
now be insecure about his dwindling social status, Rachel is happy about it. She now has no need to fantasise about what song she would sing at his bedside if he was in a coma. Rachel wants to be the only thing that makes him happy and while she thinks her honesty is a good thing, Finn is less than happy at that comment.

Carl is curious as to why Santana wants dental work when she has perfect teeth. After hearing of Brittany's Britney fantasy she has decided she wants one of her own. Telling him she has a
killer health plan that will pay for everything is all Carl needs to hear. Under anaesthetic the two
perform "Me Against The Music" by Britney and Madonna. Seriously why do the producers not let
Brittany dance more? At the end of the fantasy who should appear but Miss Britney Spears herself,
who Brittany tells "you're hot and your breath smells really good."

At Glee the next day, Will is still banging on about Christopher Cross. Suddenly Brittany
declares "from now on I demand to have every solo in Glee club...When I was under anaesthetic,
I had an amazing Britney Spears fantasy, I sung and danced better than her," she tells them. Kurt
continues to nag Will, telling him he is letting his own personal feelings get in the way. When he shouts that he needs to stop being so uptight, just as Emma told him, Will sends him to the principal's office.

Whilst checking Will's teeth Carl wants to talk about the awkwardness "bro to bro". Will tells him
that he still has feelings for Emma, just as Carl thought. He asks Will to back off until he and Emma
have figured out their relationship and reluctantly Will agrees. Carl offers him a candy, saying that he needs to loosen up. He thinks that the reason he and Emma didn't work out is "because there isn't an impulsive bone between you". Will needs to do things that feel good for no reason.

Next in the waiting room is Rachel, who is reading Britney's biography in preparation. Her fantasy?
"Baby One More Time" with Britney complete as Tina. The next day she arrives with a new look, the
one from her fantasy, but Finn isn't so keen. He thinks it's "too much" and doesn't like the attention
she's getting, with one male shouting, "baby you can hit me as many times as you want". "They're
personifying you," he tells her. I think you mean objectifying, Finn. He doesn't see why it's ok for her to enjoy him not being on the football team and to think that he should be ok with her new look. She tells him that if he can he has her blessing to join the team.

Taking Carl's advice to heart, Will has traded in his old car for a snazzy new one, the exact same
model as Carl's. Emma thinks he's taking it too far but Will says that he's just doing what she said to do and loosening up. Whilst taking her for a spin he nearly runs over Terri who yells at him to get out of the car. She isn't happy at his new purchase, as she thinks it's going to affect her spousal support cheques. She tells him that she knows he's going come back "to the only woman who knows how to love" him.

The appreciation for Rachel's new look continues, as even Santana "digs" it. Kurt, running the risk
of expulsion, adds that it seems as if Britney Spears has helped her blossom. Sue interrupts, saying
she wants a word with Will. In the library late last night, she had the horror of witnessing Jacob
pleasuring himself to images of Rachel. Will blames it on the hormones but Sue blames Britney
Spears and makes it very clear that she won't be happy if they do a Britney number.

It's now Artie's turn to have his fantasy, where Britney tells Tina that she was a fool to dump him.
Tina tries to win back Artie but he tells her he's "stronger" as he belts out the hit of the same name. Afterwards he finds Finn in the locker room trying to get back into shape so he can try out for the team again. Artie asks for his help to get on the team to stop Tina and Mike's "Asian fusion" but Finn tells him he just needs to look out for himself right now. However, Bieste walks in and has a change of heart, allowing them to show her their battering ram idea. And with that they're both on the team, suddenly becoming a lot hotter to the girl population. Of course Rachel isn't happy and asks him to choose between her and football.

After relenting on the issue of a Britney number Will lets them perform one at Homecoming
Assembly and decides to get in on the action too. The song is a hit, with a dance routine far too
sexual for a high school and slightly uncomfortable with a teacher involved in it. With a few too
many hormones racing the audience goes wild, with Sue declaring it "a Britney Spears sex riot" and
setting off the fire alarms.

"Not sure if you heard but my spinal column was ruptured in a sex riot," Sue tells Will the next day,
sporting a neck brace. She's suing him, planning to take everything from him "including his extensive collection of vests". Will admits to Emma that he knows what he did was wrong but that he just wanted to do what she has told him to do. Emma thinks that he's missed the point as she didn't want him to stop being himself.

Now that Finn is back of the football team and Quinn is once again head cheerleader she suggests
that the two of them become an item again, as they'd be a shoe-in for homecoming king and queen. Finn admits he still has feelings for her but tells her he's with Rachel now. Afterwards we see that Rachel had asked her to say this to him to test his trust and is more than happy with the outcome.

At Glee rehearsal, Rachel has a song she wants to offer. Will tells her that he thinks that they've had enough of Britney. However she's picked a number from their original easy listening assignment but has chosen something more current. In dedication to Finn she belts out the hit "Only Exception" by Paramore.

11 o'clock number

We were spoilt for choice tonight with musical offerings from pop culture icon Britney Spears. I was
personally happy to Santana and Brittany getting a chance to take the limelight. Both are fantastic
singers and Brittany really is an amazing dancer. Rachel's performance of "Baby One More Time"
was as good as all Rachel performances are, as well as the footage being incredibly close to the
original vide. I enjoyed Artie's take on "Stronger" and while "Only Exception" didn't fit with this
episode's theme, it was a great close to the episode.

Quote of the week

Brittany on her dental hygiene: "I don't brush my teeth. I rinse my mouth out with soda after I eat. I was pretty sure Dr Pepper was a dentist."

Overall

Once again Glee offers us another themed episode, this week with Britney Spears songs. The team
pulled off a cameo coup, getting Britney to appear in a few scenes and despite the fact that I don't think it really added anything, I have no doubt that the fans will have loved it. Elsewhere I really dislike the downward spiral that Will seems to be going on and as much as Carl is gorgeous, I really hope that Emma and Will can eventually work it out. With the reintroduction of Terri, I wonder what mayhem she is going to cause. Rachel and Finn's relationship may be back on track after a few trust issues but how much longer can it survive?

 

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