We're living in a postmodern age for entertainment. Our super heroes are flawed and have a lot more in common with the villains they fight, our pop music is nothing if not referential to the decades of pop that came before, and our TV shows, at their best, recognize that every single one of their viewers grew up watching cliches come into being. That's what makes Glee really stand out in episodes like "Vitamin D". None of the themes in the show are all that unique, but the approach is unexpected.

Every high school show eventually gets around to the topic of drugs. Without fail, the big, bad substance turns one of the characters into some kind of generic monster and everybody learns the all-too-familiar DARE-style lesson that illegal things are designed to ruin lives. "Vitamin D" undercuts this well-worn fable by making the drug in question an over-the-counter substance and targeting the causes of addiction instead of the effects of long-term abuse. Also, it was pretty funny when it was happening.

The episode opens with Will chastising the glee club for being complacent. It seems that their competition for the upcoming sectionals isn't all that stiff, so they stop trying so hard to win. Eager to put the kids back on track, Will institutes a contest, pitting the boys against the girls in a battle of the musical mash-ups. Neither team seems ready to bring the house down, but then Teri worms her way into the recently vacant school nurse position.

See, Teri (with Sue's help) catches wind of Will and Emma's attraction to one another, so she becomes the school nurse to spy on Will during the day. Not expecting to have to deal with anything bigger than a headache or common high school hypochondria, Teri mishandles Finn's insomnia by feeding him pills. Sure, in the real world non-drowsy allergy medication doesn't act like a cocaine, but in Glee it sure does. First the boys' team, then the girls' start popping blue tablets like candy and running around the school like understudies to David Bowie circa 1975.

Fittingly, the two mash-ups sound extra speedy and enthusiastic. They were both pretty good, but the girls' rendition of "Halo/Walking On Sunshine" was particularly fun.

In soap plot news, Teri convinces gym teacher Ken to pop some pills before he pops the question to Emma, resulting in one of the most depressing proposal acceptance scenes in history. Emma, torn down in every way by Teri, says yes with a list of preconditions that makes the marriage moot, but Ken's so sad and lonely that he agrees anyway. I'm not sure how or even if this show will get Emma and Will together, but it certainly is a uniquely sticky situation.

By the end, Teri gets fired for drugging half the student body and Will is forced to take on Sue as co-director of the glee club. I've been waiting to see how Glee is going to work Jane Lynch into a singing position. Now I've just got to make time in my schedule to watch A Mighty Wind again.

Best Moment: Sue's diary. Aside from being really funny, I liked getting a peek into Sue's inner life.

Favorite Song: The girls' mash-up. The choreography was especially good and the whole performance seemed downright exhausting.

Episode Rating: 4.5/5- "Vitamin D" could have turned into "a very special" episode of Glee, but it stuck to the central plot and gave some added depth to the adult cast. Definitely the strongest episode in the past few weeks.