Glee: Britney/Brittany

"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the twenty-fourth episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears. Glee club member Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) experiences an anesthesia-induced hallucination in which she recreates iconic Spears moments, and comes to self-realization, and several club members follow suit. Co-captains Rachel (Lea Michele) and Finn (Cory Monteith) experience difficulties in their relationship, and club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) becomes jealous of guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury's (Jayma Mays) new boyfriend, Dr. Carl Howell (John Stamos). Following the first season episode "The Power of Madonna", which served as an homage to Madonna, Murphy planned two tribute episodes for Glee's second season, of which "Britney/Brittany" is the first. He was approached by Spears about using her songs, and deemed her one of the most important female musicians of the decade, having inspired many of the show's young cast to pursue musical careers. Spears makes several cameos in the episode, appearing in the students' dream sequences. "Britney/Brittany" was also intended as a showcase for Morris, whose character was originally a background character on the show, but was promoted to a series regular after her character proved to be a fan favorite. The episode features seven musical performances, six of which were released as singles. It was watched by 13.51 million American viewers, Glee's third largest audience ever, and attracted mixed reviews from critics. ToddVanDerWerff of The A.V. Club criticized its slightness of plot and incongruous musical numbers; however, James Poniewozik of Time praised the episode for embracing its fantasy nature. Entertainment Weekly's Tim Stack was dismayed by the close recreations of Spears videos, preferring Glee's more original interpretations of its cover versions, yet MTV's Aly Semigran felt that the performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" was one of the best sequences in the show's history. Michele's rendition of "...Baby One More Time" attracted negative reviews, though her performance of Paramore's "The Only Exception" was generally well received. Spears' cameo received mixed reviews, with even those critics who received it favorably expressing relief that she did not appear for longer. Morris' performance attracted critical praise, particularly for her dancing skills.