If you’re not watching Glee these days, you’re probably doing something better with your life. However, if you’re a pop-culture junkie, and you enjoy creator Ryan Murphy’s style, or you just like hearing music in general, then you’re having the time of your life. Admittedly, the show bumps and sways every now and then – especially in the writing department – but, for the most part, it’s one of the more entertaining shows on cable these days. Is it Modern Family or Mad Men? God no. Not even close. But, sometimes it’s nice to turn your head off and just plug into something that’s, quite frankly, enjoyably addicting. So, as a self-deprecating fan of the show, I’ll be writing up follow-ups to each episode, focusing primarily on the music. After all, what kind of a website is this? If you watch, and you haven’t told anyone yet, feel free to post anonymously. This is your refuge.

Last night, the second episode of the show’s second season focused primarily on Britney Spears. Now, we’ve seen themed episodes before. This started when the creator’s insisted on writing an episode revolving entirely around Lady Gaga, which technically was a brilliant PR move on Gaga’s part, as it bled her music to millions upon millions of fans. You have to remember, despite all the tawdry sexual themes presented, this show is a hit with America’s pre-teen youth. (I actually experienced this first hand, when my girlfriend and I attended the Glee Live performance last May, and thousands of 11-year-old’s were singing Salt-n-Pepa’s “Push It”. Yeah, terrifying.) Ever since the Gaga episode became an overnight hit, hundreds of artists have been championing to be next. Naturally, Britney won.

However, unlike the Gaga expo, last night’s episode just worked. Sure, the songs themselves were pointless. They didn’t offer much of a spin, as say “Don’t Stop Believing” or “Don’t Stand So Close To Me/Young Girl”, but they fit the story. Also, using John Stamos’ dental practice as a gateway to hazy dream scenarios worked wonders. For reference, Stamos joins the show as Dr. Carl Howell, the new love interest to fish-eyes, aka the school’s guidance counselor, Emma Pilsbury. In this episode, he worked on the Glee group’s teeth – particularly Brittany Susan Pierce (S. Pierce, get it?), who brushes her teeth with pop. Gross, right? Yeah. Come to think of it, though, the addition of Stamos throws some much-needed juice and drive into this show. He’s still just as charming as he was 20 something years ago and he just knows how to carry a television show. Mind you, he’s a guest star here, but even the 10 minutes with him make up for some of the horribly bland scripting.

But we’re getting sidetracked. Back to the music. Sheesh.

The Spears tunes worked, namely for story and style. Where it lacked in originality, it made up for it in direction. Watching Rachel Berry recreate “…Baby One More Time” and seeing Brittany show off her dance moves (She’s a professional dancer, having worked with the likes of Beyonce. Pretty big deal.) during the two Britney medleys were fun. Just that. While Artie’s “Stronger” football clip sucked hard, they made up for it with the “Toxic” homecoming performance -  despite wanting to strangle that nerdy student reporter.  However, where the show punched in the music to precision came at the end with Rachel’s dedication to once-again quarterback Finn Hudson. (He was sacked from the team for asking…you know what, forget it.) Singing Paramore’s ballad “The Only Exception”, all of the show’s “romantic conflicts” were tied together, making for one hell of a finish that promises a lot for this season. If the quality remains, and some of that more-original creativity resurfaces again (more mash ups, please), then there may be life to this show beyond over-marketing, after all.

We’ll see how next week fares…

Glee Cast – “I’m a Slave 4 U” (Britney Spears)

Glee Cast – “Me Against the Music” (Britney Spears)

Glee Cast – “…Baby One More Time” (Britney Spears)

Glee Cast – “Stronger” (Britney Spears)

Glee Cast – “Toxic” (Britney Spears)

Glee Cast – “The Only Exception” (Paramore)

Click here to watch the episode.