 Several reviewers preferred Paltrow 's return in " Sexy " to her first appearance in " The Substitute " . The Washington Post 's Emily Yahr felt that she was better integrated into this episode , and Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal called her return " infinitely better " than her first appearance : " Back then , she was a puzzle , a loony bin . Here , she 's sly and quick @-@ witted , appropriately adult and seductively saucy in an episode that showcased more of her comedic timing , than her stiff dance skills . All the better for us . " Fallon wrote that Paltrow was " if possible , even sassier and sultrier " than before , and felt that she served to anchor a busy episode . In contrast , Sandra Gonzalez of Entertainment Weekly had mixed feelings about Holly , as she believed that the character dominated screen time . The A.V. Club 's Todd VanDerWerff liked Paltrow 's acting , but disliked Holly 's interaction with Will , and said they lacked chemistry . Soraya Roberts of the Daily News disliked her return for prolonging Will and Emma 's separation , and commented that while Paltrow 's appearance in " The Substitute " was " relatively fresh " , in " Sexy " she was " acting almost like a cardboard cutout version of her former self , overly enunciating her lines [ and ] treading carefully around her choreography " . Poniewozik found all of Paltrow 's scenes " labored and ridiculous " , and wrote that the actress failed to bring an element of realism to her character . Benigno wondered why Holly appeared to be " the perfect mentor to these sexually confused kids " given that in her previous appearance she was " very fun to be around but not well equipped at all to deal with serious issues " . Canning said that " the moment she came on screen the whole episode lit up " , and the episode was a " fun and funny showcase for everybody 's favorite recurring character " , and Futterman echoed him when she called Paltrow " our new favorite cast member " . 
