After tackling Madonna and the infamous Lady GaGa, what else was left for the “Glee” kids but to (attempt) to take on the (far) left-of-center cult-classic musical “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” 

But as the appearances of original RHPS cast members Barry Bostwick (Brad) and Meatloaf (Eddie) remind us, some things are better left to the professionals.

However, it may not be the fault of the actual members of the Glee Club. While the title of the episode is “The Rocky Horror Glee Show,” a better title would have been “The Will Schuester Has a Sad and Desperate One-Sided Romance with the in-a-Committed-Relationship Emma (and does some “Rocky Horror” on the Side) Show!” 

It seems that if the episode had truly been about the 1975 musical, it would have actually worked. Sadly, the RHPS was a side story to Schuester’s (Matthew Morrison) clumsy attempts at romance. Something as fantastic and challenging as “Rocky Horror” demands more attention than what this episode of “Glee” gave it. 

But just as they sing in “Rocky Horror,” there is a light, in that there were some enjoyable renditions in the episode. Rachel and Finn, (Lea Michele and Cory Monteith) cast as Brad and Janet, together delivering a respectable performance of “Over at the Frankenstein Place.” Their take on the lovable “Dammit, Janet” was also well-done, but mainly because it wasn’t their take at all. Down to the awkward breaths and lovesick sighs, the performance was mimicked exactly from the movie.  

On the other hand, the rendition of a personal favorite, “Sweet Transvestite,” was morphed just within the point of being unrecognizable. However, Mercedes (Amber Riley) did issue a warning that she was going to “reinterpret the number a little bit, make it more modern…” 

I suppose she may have missed the memo, but retro is in. Mercedes’ voice does soar like the original Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s (Tim Curry), but not necessarily in the right ways. It sounds pitchy and overworked, perhaps evidence of trying too hard to “reinterpret” the song. It’s so far a departure from the original that the number loses its substance and pizzazz. 

But to hand it to “Glee’s” writers, they did address many concerns that had been raised based upon clips of the show on the internet, prior to its airing. Mercedes as Dr. Frank-N-Furter is simply strange, for at least visually (if you are familiar with the Sweet Transvestite’s “risqué” wardrobe) obvious reasons. 

Kurt (Chris Colfer), the seemingly likely choice for the Doctor, instead assumes the role of Riff Raff the handyman, which works incredibly well for him. His vocal delivery of Riff Raff’s parts are superb, making it all the more disappointing that he doesn’t even get an entire song to himself, despite “The Time Warp” being written as such (more on this in a bit.) 

But if the casting appears topsy-turvy, it only fits in with the overall theme of the episode. Throughout the episode, the topic of body image issues is brought up over and over (take one look at the movie’s costumes and see why), but, here’s the twist -- in males. And, no, not with the gay character. We see what appears to be male anorexia via offhand comments from Sam-as-Rocky (“Sure, if I miss a workout or eat a hotdog I hate myself for a few days, but…”). Not that any of the shirtless males had anything to worry about as the episode was abtastic. 

Not only that, but the always-touchy topic of gender roles is brought up in Mercedes assuming Frank-N-Furter’s role, and Kurt fighting against the assumption that surely he, the homosexual, would want to play the Sweet Transvestite. They also touch on the topic of sexism/sexual degradation of men by women, and how internet porn makes girls have unrealistic expectations of guys (and they say “Rocky Horror” is too lewd for school.)

Most performances of RHPS in “Glee” in the absence of the challenging and unconventional sexiness of the movie “Glee” pushes the envelope by doing the opposite of what was expected of them, with mixed results.

One of these results being the slightly disappointing sharing of vocal roles in what were originally solos. That said, the revolving door of singers that was the popular “Time Warp” served an important point, as Schuester so rightfully says, “Rocky Horror” was not really made for the “envelope-pushers” but more for the outcasts, as a way to bring people on the fringes together. That’s precisely what RHPS has been doing for generations, in the same way that “Glee” pulls hoards of “Gleeks” together.