Even though I’m not raging with Bieber fever, Sam made tween heartthrob Justin Bieber look and sound 10 times better than he actually is. Compared to last week’s, I liked this episode more because the music was a bigger component, but some plot lines still annoyed me.

First, the Santana-Sam romance.  Really?  Another plot where Santana steals another girl’s boyfriend?  It’s getting a bit old.  In this episode, Santana made Sam realize that Quinn cheated on him with Finn, and Sam broke up with her for it.  But before Quinn knew they’d broken up, Sam and Santana had already started dating.

Santana in no way deserves Sam as her boyfriend.  Not that Quinn does either after cheating on him, but he could do better.

Next, the Puck/Lauren relationship is getting on my last nerve.  Lauren’s arrogance annoys me in general, but Puck’s desperation to get with her bugs me even more.  There’s only one way it can end: Puck will treat her like dirt and dump her.

Lauren’s solo was just… awful and extremely awkward, despite her triumph over performance anxiety.  After attempting a rendition of “What Boys Like,” it’s clear that solos aren’t Lauren’s strong suit. At all.

On the opposite side of the spectrum,  Mercedes and Rachel’s diva-off was amazing.  In yet another attempt to ruin Glee club, Sue decided to make the two girls hate each other, telling them they were smack-talking the other.  Their rendition of “Take Me or Leave Me” from  “Rent” was well done.

In the end, though, it was Sue who suffered as the girls eventually made amends.  The Mercedes/Rachel friendship is definitely an episode highlight.

Another funny aspect was Brittany’s trend-setting frenzy.  After initiating a “wearing leg warmers on your forearms” trend, Brittany became a fashion icon at McKinley, unwittingly foiling Rachel’s plan.

Speaking of Rachel, I think I see a spark between her and Finn again… could this be the start of something old (Get it? like High School Musical’s “Start of Something New?” Musical humor, anyone?).

One of the only problems I consistently have with the show is it’s tendency to take and bring back characters with no explanation.  For instance, Emma made a comeback in this episode after an extended absence, yet no explanation came.  Kurt didn’t even make an appearance in this episode, after having the limelight last week. Weird.

The show needs to make it known that Kurt and Finn live together by making the “Furt” plot more relevant.  Other than that, I was much more satisfied with this episode than I was with the last one.