 The episode received a positive response from reviewers . They disagreed over how well Paltrow was used , but generally praised the Brittany – Santana and Kurt – Burt storylines . The Atlantic 's Kevin Fallon deemed " Sexy " an episode of mixed messages , one which treated the issues it raised with " an appropriate amount of levity " , but failed to " play the nuances of the [ celibacy vs. sex ] argument as delicately as it probably thought it did . " His Atlantic co @-@ writer Patrick Burns criticized the series for glorifying a risqué subject , " then half @-@ heartedly attempt [ ing ] to hammer home a moral . " Meghan Brown , also writing for The Atlantic , called it a " solid episode with some strong character moments . " Time 's James Poniewozik felt that the episode " began clumsily , lacked subtlety , involved some embarrassing moments " and focused too much on Paltrow , but as it continued , " achieve [ d ] a few moments of delight and honest emotion " . Anthony Benigno of The Faster Times described it as " incredibly comprehensive and enjoyable to boot " , and IGN 's Robert Canning said it " avoided preaching and teaching and instead just had some fun and let guest star Gwyneth Paltrow steal all the scenes " . Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone wrote that " Glee continues its climb , delicately and successfully marrying actual sex lessons with camp and humor " . 
