Glee Tackles Britney Spears’ Downward Spiral — But Did They Go Too Far?
What is Britney going to say about this, y'all?
That was the question on our minds after Glee's pretty brilliant but slightly brutal Britney Spears tribute episode. After first covering the pop songstress' songbook back in Season 2, the New Directions once again turned to Britney to help Brittany (Heather Morris) after the now-former Cheerio sunk into a depression no amount of feline antidepressants and setenta-size coffees could cure.
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However, while the first Britney episode celebrated Spears' triumphs — re-creating her breakout music video for "Baby, One More Time" and her Madonna duet "Me Against the Music" — "Britney 2.0" put the focus squarely on Britney's downward spiral. First, Brittany tried to shave her own head because, she reasoned, "if I can't have a high pony, I don't want hair at all." Unlike the original Brit-Brit, Mr. Schue was able to stop her in time, but that didn't keep the fifth year senior from going beserk in the McKinley halls moments later when she attacked the paparazzi, errr... Jacob Israel with a large umbrella.
Just like in Season 2, Brittany's defining take on Britney was re-creating a VMAs performance, but New Directions' "Gimme More" was no snake-charming crowd-pleaser. Paying very close homage to the original 2007 train-wreck live moment, Brittany officially went off the rails the minute she came out in a replica black sparkly bikini top without even feigning to sing live or dance in step with the rest of the glee club. Put. Those. Cheetos. Down!
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In the end, Sam (Chord Overstreet) was able to figure out what was really going on. Brittany was simply orchestrating her own horrible downfall just so she could then rise from the ashes in a glorious comeback, just like the real Ms. Spears has done in the past few years with the success of Circus and Femme Fatale, and her huge X Factor payday. "No matter what happened to her, she just came back stronger." So yes, technically "Britney 2.0" turned out to be another love letter to singer — Britney helped inspire Brittany to get herself back on the Cheerios and to push herself to try to graduate this school year. Can she do it? Or will her very public downfall be in vain?
What did you think of the episode? Did Glee go too far in remembering Britney's career? Were any of your favorite Britney songs missing? Or has the show, as Artie said, "scraped the bottom of the Britney barrel?" Sound off below!
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