This series started very promisingly, but has since lost some of it's magic. First, the songs were firmly rooted in the real world, then became the standard Musical genre practice of including sequences that are either fantasies or insights into the character's mind. This change also changed the format of the whole series - it's as if the makers either said, "Wait, we chose the wrong format in the beginning" or "Nobody will notice the abrupt change" - and neither is good.
Also, the character of Rachel demands way too much suspension of disbelief in any work that is not a parody where "the ugly duckling" becomes "the swan" by just letting her hair down and removing her eyeglasses - and that joke has been played to death. No one who has even a passing familiarity with parodies is ever again going to take characters such as Rachel seriously. "Mildly attractive?" In what alternative reality? Especially since in *our* reality the actress has posed in Maxim. The girl is *hot*! She just has a *slightly* larger nose than an average girl. I can't believe the makers of this show are trying to pull this $#it for real in 2009!
When it comes to the episode itself, this one is hardly original and is not nearly as funny as some of the previous ones. Also, it's not like the ending is going to surprise anyone. Mediocre.
