Glee: Never Been Kissed Review (4.5/5)

Thank the Lord it didn't suck: Glee has a horrid tradition of having its episode quality drop down a steep slope after its flagship episodes, and with the excellent The Rocky Horror Glee Show behind us I feared the same fate for Never Been Kissed. Thankfully, the themes of homophobia and sexual harassment surprisingly worked in the episode's favour, meaning less songs than usual but ultimately a more emotional tale than usual sure to appeal to the heartstrings of any fan. Coach Beast's hallucination appearances were certainly something to laugh at while Kurt dealt with the strains of being the only openly gay student in his year, even revealing that one of his bullies was in fact homosexual too. Glee rarely deals with these kinds of issues, and come to think of it so do many dramas or comedies so Never Been Kissed was a definitely a welcome deviation from the status quo (though let's hope the show doesn't get too bogged down with it in weeks to come). Jane Lynch was at her finest, too, as Sue Sylvester in the scene where she gloats over Beast's temporary departure from McKinley High to Will using a confetti cannon or two. There was very little plot development this time around, but (and this is a unique example) for once it didn't matter as the characters and their dilemmas took presidence in Never Been Kissed, making for a story that was far better than most of the drivel inbetween Audition and Rocky Horror. If the show's producers keep this standard up until the next big hitter, Season Two will take a major turn for the better!