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Loved the GaGa-themed episode of ‘Glee,’ but…

Let’s get this out of the way up front. I loved last night’s episode of “Glee.” It featured two of my favorite songs thus far — a stripped down “Poker Face” and a dazzling “Bad Romance” — while also giving Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and the costume designers ample room to shine.

But not everything about the episode was so impressive — in addition to a major song stumble, one character was so mishandled I have to wonder if there’s more fueling the plot than simple storytelling.

Like many of you, my heart sank and swelled during the Finn/Kurt/Burt showdown. Finn’s nasty treatment of his “friend” Kurt seemed extremely out of character and a bit out of nowhere. I know that Finn’s always been painted as a semi-spineless jock who has trouble standing up to the popular crowd, but to express that frustration by lashing out at Kurt and calling him a fag was quite jarring.

Then, like the father nearly every shunned gay boy wishes he had, Burt Hummel swooped in and defended his son in the most beautiful way possible. Again. And that’s kind of my problem with this whole plotline. Why do the writers continue to give us examples of just how far Burt will go to prove his love for Kurt? Are they in fact those aforementioned shunned gay boys who, with a flick of their pens, attempt to fashion the dream daddy?

Much like the humanization of Sue Sylvester I lamented a few weeks back, every time they write a scene where Burt stands up for Kurt, it diminishes the impact. Don’t get me wrong, the saturation point hasn’t yet been reached, but it’s only the first season and we’ve already had a handful of these increasingly identical scenes.

I’m hoping that the episode ending resolution is the last we have to hear of Finn’s gripes with Kurt (and Will’s slow clap) since I feel it’s well, well worn territory at this point. However, in the midst of my issues, it must be said that Chris Colfer deserves an Emmy for the work he’s delivering this season. Redundant plot or not, his performance is fresh, affecting and incredible every single week.

My other big issue with this week’s episode was the boys’ (sans Kurt) seemingly endless performance of “Beth.” Where the eff did that come from? I get that it was Puck’s attempt to tell Quinn how badly he wanted to be there for her and the baby, but .. good grief Charlie Brown, was it dull. I’m actually getting bored just talking about it.

For some reason the writers stumble any time the guys are required to deliver a message in song. Just like “What It Feels Like For A Girl” was the weak link in last month’s Madonna episode, their unofficial sequel was also the low point of GaGa’s installment.

On the plus side, it gave Quinn two-minutes of beauty shots and that was almost worth it. I swear, this girl looks so good with blonde hair and pink highlights it’s not even funny.

In the effort to end this post on a high note, here are a couple of other, random things I adored about this week’s episode.

This screengrab:

“You look terrible, I look awesome”

Santana’s “Bad Romance” solo — where did that voice come from?!?

Brad’s just always around … somewhere.

And, of course, the episode’s most enduring message: “Asian vampires are the most vicious of all the vampires.”

Photo: Fox