"Glee" gives Britney a run for her money

What do you get when you combine television's current phenomenon with one of pop music's biggest stars? You get a memorable episode of "Glee" paying tribute to none other than Britney Spears. With recreations of some of her biggest hits and three cameos of the pop star herself, the episode was nothing short of a delight for fans everywhere. _x000B_When buzz about an all-Britney episode spread online, the reaction was immense. Once actual filming began, creator Ryan Murphy told E! News how having Spears on set was like "having the President," with so much security and mayhem throughout their set._x000B__x000B_

With all the excitement surrounding the episode, the only question left was if it would live up to the hype; and indeed, it did. The episode drew 13.3 million viewers, giving the show its highest ratings to date. _x000B_

While under anesthesia given to them by the school's new dentist (guest star John Stamos), the students at McKinley High drift off into dreamland where each has their own Britney fantasy. Heather Morris's character, Brittany, stole the limelight with her top notch dancing and striking resemblance to the star.

Some fans of the show immediately criticized the episode for its lack of development to the show's actual storyline. The main attraction though, was not in the show itself but rather in the recreation of all things Britney.

Given the increase in ratings, it's apparent that more people than the ones that consistently watch the show tuned in. The premise of the episode was to pay tribute to the star and that is precisely what it accomplished._x000B__x000B_The performances of "Me Against the Music" and "…Baby One More Time" were exact replicas of the originals, from the outfits to the choreography. "Slave For You" incorporated Spears' 2001 MTV VMA performance with the python. Arty, performing to "Stronger" alongside the football team was a fun take on the Spears classic._x000B__x000B_

What's interesting is how the songs they chose to cover were all from her earlier years. With one song from each of her first four albums, the homage was in fact to the Britney that cemented her pop icon status. _x000B_

The final number, which was the only non-dream sequence, had the Glee club and their teacher, Mr. Shu, performing "Toxic" at the school's homecoming assembly.

Jorge Estrada, a student here at SMC, was one of the many who tuned into Glee on Tuesday night. When asked his thoughts on the episode, he responded: "I don't watch Glee but I thought the episode was great. The song choices were like a memory lane of the last 10 years. It was jaw dropping good how they did it. Epic, even."