Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) sabotages New Directions by giving their set-list for sectionals to the competing clubs.

Quinn (Dianna Agron) reconsiders having her baby adopted, but ultimately recommits to the idea, and Rachel (Lea Michele) tries unsuccessfully to attract Finn (Cory Monteith).

Rapper Eve guest-stars as Grace Hitchens, director of the Jane Addams Girls Choir, and So You Think You Can Dance contestants Katee Shean, Kherington Payne and Comfort Fedoke appear as members of her group.

Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal deemed the mash-up performance one of the worst of the season, with Zap2it's Liz Pardue agreeing that it was "hideous".

Will is intimidated by their opposition, but Rachel (Lea Michele) assures him that the girls are using the power of "hairography"—frequent, dramatic hair-tossing—to distract from the fact their singing and dancing ability is limited.

Unbeknownst to Will, Sue reveals two songs from New Directions' line-up for sectionals to Grace and Dalton, suggesting they have their own clubs perform them to gain an edge in the competition.

Kurt (Chris Colfer) gives Rachel a make-over, ostensibly to help her attract Finn, but in reality attempting to sabotage her chances with him.

Recurring characters who appear in the episode are glee club members Brittany (Heather Morris), Santana Lopez (Rivera), Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.) and Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton), Terri's sister Kendra Giardi (Aspen), Kendra's husband Phil (Michael Loeffelholz), and their triplet sons (Aidan, Ethan and Ben Freedman).

"[8] Though she does not sing in "Hairography", Eve commented that she would like to do so if she returned to Glee in the future, naming "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics as her ideal song choice.

[8] The episode features cover versions of "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child, "Don't Make Me Over" by Dionne Warwick, "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna, a mash-up of "Hair" from the musical Hair and "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Imagine" by John Lennon, "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper[9] and "You're the One That I Want" from Grease.

"[23] Liz Pardue of Zap2it felt that with "Hairography" Glee "wasn't at its best", deeming the writing less sharp than usual and observing that the pregnancy storyline dulled the episode for her.

[1] Gerrick D. Kennedy for the Los Angeles Times was generally more positive regarding the episode's musical performances, however was critical of the ongoing pregnancy plot, noting that he cringed whenever Quinn appeared on screen.

[24] Conversely, Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle enjoyed Quinn in the episode, writing: "I love that she can keep her Mean Girls edge while being heartbreakingly sad or as joyful as she was singing "Papa Don't Preach".

"[2] Entertainment Weekly's Dan Snierson reviewed the episode positively, calling the "Imagine" performance "a classic feel-good Glee moment, teeming with sappy but undeniable heart",[25] while Aly Semigran of MTV deemed it her favorite musical moment from the show, feeling that it: "honored the classic song in such a respectful way.