'Glee' recap: The Most Madge-ical Hour Ever!

''Borderline/Open Your Heart''
I listen to this one on my iPod on repeat. One of the best moments of the episode for me was when Finn and Rachel wandered through the hallway and were surrounded by all the various Madonnas. It was surreal and wonderful, and this mash-up was pretty fantastic: The two songs blended together amazingly well, and I liked that the wind machine was in less effect than when the pair did ''No Air'' last fall. A

''Vogue''
Utter brilliance. This should be on Jane Lynch's Emmy reel. First of all, Lynch has never looked more beautiful. Secondly, it was just a pitch-perfect reenactment of the video. Major props to Lynch for handling some quite difficult dance moves, too! And how much fun did Chris Colfer and Amber Riley look like they were having? A+

''4 Minutes''
Speaking of that twosome, their collaboration on ''4 Minutes'' actually sounded better to me than the Madonna/Justin Timberlake version. I absolutely loved it. And it was so fun to see them both get chances to shine. A-

''Like a Virgin''
A triumph of choreography and editing. This was one of the more ambitious numbers of the night, and I just thought the whole thing was flawless. I'm a little sad that Finn lost his virginity to Santana in a gross motel but we can't win 'em all (I do kinda wanna start quoting that devious cheerleader and refer to him ''Finnocence''). Also, I love that Rachel wears a capelet to bed. A

''What it Feels like for a Girl''
Another Madonna song that I think was actually made better! I know it's sacrilege, but it's also kinda true! It's just such a beautiful arrangement — I just wish it was longer. A-

''Like a Prayer''
The capper we all wanted, and holy Schuester, did it deliver! I've said this before, but if any Glee cover can challenge the success of ''Don't Stop Believin','' it's this song. I've watched this performance at least 5 times (and I've definitely underestimated), and it still gives me chills, particularly when Mercedes comes in. But even Kurt's beautiful falsetto is fantastic. This and ''Vogue'' are a tie for me as the best performance of the evening. A+

The Glee folks should be so proud of this episode. As my colleague Ken Tucker wrote, it's ''one of the best hours of TV you'll see all year.'' I completely agree. And now if you'll excuse me, I need to watch it again.   What did you think, Gleeks? Did the Madonna episode live up to the hype? What was your favorite performance?

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