Glee Season 4 Re-watch - 4x02 - Britney 2.0
I don’t tend to like single-artist episodes of Glee. With a very few exceptions (*cough* Rumours *cough*), the themed shows are incredibly thin on plot and heavy on songs that are only barely, barely tied in to any kind of story. The thing about Britney 2.0 is that it does actually try to have a point, and it’s not even a bad one. It’s trying to tell the story of Brittany S. Pierce hitting rock bottom (or at least pretending to) as she starts her second senior year, only to make a comeback and reinvent herself, a la singer of the week’s tunes. Brittany’s story in this episode is a good one to tell. And yet... it’s still a SECOND full episode of Britney Spears songs. I didn’t know Britney had that many songs, and I feel like she has been neither popular nor particularly relevant for quite a while. My theory at the time that it aired, and probably still today, is that either Ryan Murphy has a strange attachment to Britney and/or her music, or Britney herself has some serious dirt on somebody at FOX.
That’s my (half-baked, thoroughly un-substantiated) story, and I’m sticking to it.
More under the break.
OK, Brittany’s voiceover-out-loud and Blaine asking her WTF is going on was hilarious, I’ll give you that. But then we go straight into a frantically-edited “Hold it Against Me,” and I think it may have given me a minor seizure.
Here’s the thing - I understand why people love Brittany so much. Her absurd throwaway lines are amazing, but she can get a look on her face (as she does when Sue kicks her off the Cheerios, and when Santana is too busy to Skype) that absolutely breaks your heart. Because for as kooky as she is, her heart is completely real. She believes and means every word that she says.
At NYADA, horrible Cassie tells Rachel that she doesn’t have enough Sexy for the tango. Harsh, perhaps, but she does give an actual critique: “You’re awkward and tentative in your body, and you move like you’re ashamed of it.” As brutal for Rachel as it is to be so utterly dismissed, at least it’s something constructive instead of just “you’re dumb and I don’t like you.”
In Miss Pillsbury’s office, another spectacular pamphlet: “So You Look Like Crap!” Can you imagine the wardrobe crew going in search of an enormous t-shirt, reverse-fit mom jeans, and orange crocs?
Oh Schuester, you gross human being. You decide the way to cheer up a thoroughly depressed Brittany is to make the week all about fixing her through Britney Spears songs. I hate you.
“Boys/Boyfriend” - look, I love Blaine and Artie getting their boy band on, I really do. But how is this supposed to help Brittany? “Look, you have a girlfriend who’s far away, but I’ll just ignore that and sing about wanting to be your boyfriend.” Just... no. But, you know, spaced-out Britt is just jamming along and munching on her Oreos.
Intro to the Bushwick loft! Oh, seeing Rachel and Kurt and their bikes and their takeout on the floor gave me such hope for the New York side of this season... I’m glad to see Kurt learned his lesson from being rejected by the ONE college he applied for, and is now applying for ONE job. Hrmph. I do love his knowledge of Broadway gossip when he tells the story of how horrible Cassie fell from grace.
Back to McKinley again, and while I do enjoy Unique starting up some girl-talk with Marley, the “let me be clear, he’s [beat] a womanizer” was just too clunky a song introduction even by Glee standards. As Britney songs go, I do like this one. But for as much as they play up Jake’s over-the-top girl-hounding, they don’t even keep that characterization of him for the entire 44 minutes. By the end of the episode, he’s (exclusively, apparently) dating Kitty. Though really, I do dig Unique. She’s pretty fierce.
New York! Whiplash! Brody working his abs! But only for a few seconds, because...
Poof! We’re back in the choir room! Tina, Joe and Sam (weird combo?) are doing “3,” a song I had literally never once heard before this episode. But does it seriously include the line “everybody loves counting?” Apparently so. Everyone’s into it except Brittany, who is sick of people claiming this week is about helping her get back on her feet while not even paying attention to her and how much she’s hurting. So she just gets up and plugs in a set of clippers and makes to chop all of her hair off, just so someone will NOTICE her.
At least Blaine tries. “Should we do something... about Brittany’s downward spiral? The whole singing at her thing isn’t really helping.” Artie thinks it’s about being kicked off the Cheerios, and what she really misses is performing. No one has yet figured out that maybe it’s about being left behind at school and missing her girlfriend and feeling totally adrift.
Jake is so bad-ass, he rides a goddamn Razor scooter. Wow. He meets soppy Marley on the bleachers, who says his hair is one of the walls he puts up - really? A short haircut with no apparent coloring or product is a wall? Huh. But handy that he just walks around the football fields with a guitar (did he ever play the guitar again this season?), so they can spontaneously mash-up “Crazy/You Drive Me Crazy.” Once again, I cannot get over Jake’s voice in the back of his throat. And this is the beginning of Jarley, which Ryan Murphy seems to want me to care about, and I simply cannot.
I do so adore the Kiki from Brittany’s phone. And Brittany just lays it out for them. “Thank you, Kiki. You’re the only one I can trust now that Santana’s too busy for me.” But these dopes in front of her still think this is about being kicked off the Cheerios.
“Kiki, is it a good idea for me to lip-sync at the pep assembly?”
“It’s not a good idea... it’s a great idea.”
Back in Cassie’s class, Rachel is pretty sure an even-shorter-than-usual skirt and red lipstick makes her sexy as she does “Oops... I Did it Again.” Especially when she mostly lounges around while Brody fondles her and the So You Think You Can Dance alums writhe around her. Smoke machines and flashlights (in the middle of the afternoon) also help. Way to impress your dance teacher, Rachel. Cassie, unsurprisingly, ain’t buying it. So Rachel gets bitchy and lashes out and Cassie kicks her out of her class. I don’t blame her, frankly. Rachel is being a pouty, entitled brat.
Meanwhile, in the high school cafeteria, Jake defends Marley and her mom by picking a fight with the horrible football players, and omnipresent stalker Schuester breaks it up and brings him to see... Puck? Who paid for his flight from LA just for a 90-second conversation? Jesus. But they get the spinning camera treatment for their little chat, is that why I feel a little nauseous? Though, fine, I do love the secretly-sincere Puck.
“Gimme More” is an intentional train wreck, of course. But Schuester is almost fake-pregnant-wife mad when he starts lecturing them on the horrible, HORRIBLE evils of lip-syncing. And comes down on Brittany, who quits with all of her depressed flat affect.
Cassie July is working on her super-sultry moves in the mirror when Rachel comes to apologize. And for all that she can be mean, Cassie gives Rachel a much-needed reality check on handling criticism.
In the auditorium, with a hand-drawn map, it’s Sam the Man to the rescue. He’s the only one who understands that Brittany is (sort-of, in my opinion) intentionally hitting rock bottom just so her comeback can be awesome. Not to diss on Brittana, but I loved this pair from right this very second. They’re both dopey in their own ways, but they’re also both genuinely sweet and caring. They really do make a good pair, as friends now and more down the line.
We get a sweet Rachel/Kurt moment in the loft, as Rachel paints Finn’s name inside a heart (ugh). And Kurt, the worlds least efficient wall-painter in the least appropriate clothing, ever, offers to cheer her up with late-night cake. Can I just be a fly on the wall in that apartment? I kind of love them like this. And I want Kurt to bring me cheer-up cake. But Brody comes over to deliver Rachel some flowers and to try to kiss her, and I get my first Brody creep-vibe. Rachel puts the brakes on because of her completely MIA ex-fiance.
Then we’re back in high school again, and Ryan Murphy really wants me to have feelings about Jarley. My only feeling is annoyance at them taking up precious screen time. After all of the New Directions give Jake the weirdest possible welcome (which did make me chuckle), heartbroken Marley sings a song (“Everytime”) about wanting to be noticed. I begrudgingly have to admit that it kind of works, especially with sweet Britt missing Santana, even if I could not possibly give a shit about Marley being sad over Jake.
When this episode first aired, I thought it was awful. On this re-watch, as I go slowly and pick apart each scene, I find myself actually really wanting to like it - I really like the story they’re trying to tell about Brittany and what she’s going through, I even like Cassie taking Rachel down a few notches for her own good. (Nope, still don’t give a crap about Jarley.) But I was so caught up in the absurdity of a second Britney Spears tribute episode and the clumsy way they went about it, that I couldn’t quite get all the way there. Ultimately, my dislike for Britney 2.0 is nowhere near as strong as it was on first viewing. I can appreciate its merits and like pieces of what they were trying to do. But the sum total of the episode didn’t make it all the way there for me.
So, what did you think about Britney 2.0?
That’s my (half-baked, thoroughly un-substantiated) story, and I’m sticking to it.
More under the break.
OK, Brittany’s voiceover-out-loud and Blaine asking her WTF is going on was hilarious, I’ll give you that. But then we go straight into a frantically-edited “Hold it Against Me,” and I think it may have given me a minor seizure.
Here’s the thing - I understand why people love Brittany so much. Her absurd throwaway lines are amazing, but she can get a look on her face (as she does when Sue kicks her off the Cheerios, and when Santana is too busy to Skype) that absolutely breaks your heart. Because for as kooky as she is, her heart is completely real. She believes and means every word that she says.
At NYADA, horrible Cassie tells Rachel that she doesn’t have enough Sexy for the tango. Harsh, perhaps, but she does give an actual critique: “You’re awkward and tentative in your body, and you move like you’re ashamed of it.” As brutal for Rachel as it is to be so utterly dismissed, at least it’s something constructive instead of just “you’re dumb and I don’t like you.”
In Miss Pillsbury’s office, another spectacular pamphlet: “So You Look Like Crap!” Can you imagine the wardrobe crew going in search of an enormous t-shirt, reverse-fit mom jeans, and orange crocs?
Oh Schuester, you gross human being. You decide the way to cheer up a thoroughly depressed Brittany is to make the week all about fixing her through Britney Spears songs. I hate you.
“Boys/Boyfriend” - look, I love Blaine and Artie getting their boy band on, I really do. But how is this supposed to help Brittany? “Look, you have a girlfriend who’s far away, but I’ll just ignore that and sing about wanting to be your boyfriend.” Just... no. But, you know, spaced-out Britt is just jamming along and munching on her Oreos.
Intro to the Bushwick loft! Oh, seeing Rachel and Kurt and their bikes and their takeout on the floor gave me such hope for the New York side of this season... I’m glad to see Kurt learned his lesson from being rejected by the ONE college he applied for, and is now applying for ONE job. Hrmph. I do love his knowledge of Broadway gossip when he tells the story of how horrible Cassie fell from grace.
Back to McKinley again, and while I do enjoy Unique starting up some girl-talk with Marley, the “let me be clear, he’s [beat] a womanizer” was just too clunky a song introduction even by Glee standards. As Britney songs go, I do like this one. But for as much as they play up Jake’s over-the-top girl-hounding, they don’t even keep that characterization of him for the entire 44 minutes. By the end of the episode, he’s (exclusively, apparently) dating Kitty. Though really, I do dig Unique. She’s pretty fierce.
New York! Whiplash! Brody working his abs! But only for a few seconds, because...
Poof! We’re back in the choir room! Tina, Joe and Sam (weird combo?) are doing “3,” a song I had literally never once heard before this episode. But does it seriously include the line “everybody loves counting?” Apparently so. Everyone’s into it except Brittany, who is sick of people claiming this week is about helping her get back on her feet while not even paying attention to her and how much she’s hurting. So she just gets up and plugs in a set of clippers and makes to chop all of her hair off, just so someone will NOTICE her.
At least Blaine tries. “Should we do something... about Brittany’s downward spiral? The whole singing at her thing isn’t really helping.” Artie thinks it’s about being kicked off the Cheerios, and what she really misses is performing. No one has yet figured out that maybe it’s about being left behind at school and missing her girlfriend and feeling totally adrift.
Jake is so bad-ass, he rides a goddamn Razor scooter. Wow. He meets soppy Marley on the bleachers, who says his hair is one of the walls he puts up - really? A short haircut with no apparent coloring or product is a wall? Huh. But handy that he just walks around the football fields with a guitar (did he ever play the guitar again this season?), so they can spontaneously mash-up “Crazy/You Drive Me Crazy.” Once again, I cannot get over Jake’s voice in the back of his throat. And this is the beginning of Jarley, which Ryan Murphy seems to want me to care about, and I simply cannot.
I do so adore the Kiki from Brittany’s phone. And Brittany just lays it out for them. “Thank you, Kiki. You’re the only one I can trust now that Santana’s too busy for me.” But these dopes in front of her still think this is about being kicked off the Cheerios.
“Kiki, is it a good idea for me to lip-sync at the pep assembly?”
“It’s not a good idea... it’s a great idea.”
Back in Cassie’s class, Rachel is pretty sure an even-shorter-than-usual skirt and red lipstick makes her sexy as she does “Oops... I Did it Again.” Especially when she mostly lounges around while Brody fondles her and the So You Think You Can Dance alums writhe around her. Smoke machines and flashlights (in the middle of the afternoon) also help. Way to impress your dance teacher, Rachel. Cassie, unsurprisingly, ain’t buying it. So Rachel gets bitchy and lashes out and Cassie kicks her out of her class. I don’t blame her, frankly. Rachel is being a pouty, entitled brat.
Meanwhile, in the high school cafeteria, Jake defends Marley and her mom by picking a fight with the horrible football players, and omnipresent stalker Schuester breaks it up and brings him to see... Puck? Who paid for his flight from LA just for a 90-second conversation? Jesus. But they get the spinning camera treatment for their little chat, is that why I feel a little nauseous? Though, fine, I do love the secretly-sincere Puck.
“Gimme More” is an intentional train wreck, of course. But Schuester is almost fake-pregnant-wife mad when he starts lecturing them on the horrible, HORRIBLE evils of lip-syncing. And comes down on Brittany, who quits with all of her depressed flat affect.
Cassie July is working on her super-sultry moves in the mirror when Rachel comes to apologize. And for all that she can be mean, Cassie gives Rachel a much-needed reality check on handling criticism.
In the auditorium, with a hand-drawn map, it’s Sam the Man to the rescue. He’s the only one who understands that Brittany is (sort-of, in my opinion) intentionally hitting rock bottom just so her comeback can be awesome. Not to diss on Brittana, but I loved this pair from right this very second. They’re both dopey in their own ways, but they’re also both genuinely sweet and caring. They really do make a good pair, as friends now and more down the line.
We get a sweet Rachel/Kurt moment in the loft, as Rachel paints Finn’s name inside a heart (ugh). And Kurt, the worlds least efficient wall-painter in the least appropriate clothing, ever, offers to cheer her up with late-night cake. Can I just be a fly on the wall in that apartment? I kind of love them like this. And I want Kurt to bring me cheer-up cake. But Brody comes over to deliver Rachel some flowers and to try to kiss her, and I get my first Brody creep-vibe. Rachel puts the brakes on because of her completely MIA ex-fiance.
Then we’re back in high school again, and Ryan Murphy really wants me to have feelings about Jarley. My only feeling is annoyance at them taking up precious screen time. After all of the New Directions give Jake the weirdest possible welcome (which did make me chuckle), heartbroken Marley sings a song (“Everytime”) about wanting to be noticed. I begrudgingly have to admit that it kind of works, especially with sweet Britt missing Santana, even if I could not possibly give a shit about Marley being sad over Jake.
When this episode first aired, I thought it was awful. On this re-watch, as I go slowly and pick apart each scene, I find myself actually really wanting to like it - I really like the story they’re trying to tell about Brittany and what she’s going through, I even like Cassie taking Rachel down a few notches for her own good. (Nope, still don’t give a crap about Jarley.) But I was so caught up in the absurdity of a second Britney Spears tribute episode and the clumsy way they went about it, that I couldn’t quite get all the way there. Ultimately, my dislike for Britney 2.0 is nowhere near as strong as it was on first viewing. I can appreciate its merits and like pieces of what they were trying to do. But the sum total of the episode didn’t make it all the way there for me.
So, what did you think about Britney 2.0?