You know somebody in Fox’s programming department is saying an extra prayer to the Coincidence Gods, or whoever it was who scheduled a Michael Jackson night during “American Idol”‘s most recent season. Because this means they get a timely tribute to the now-deceased legend they barely had to lift a finger for. Well played, FOX.

Besides displaying the impressive work of MJ, the replay provided Idol fans with a juicy glimpse into this year’s Top 13, before anyone know who was going to shine (Adam, Kris), who was going to fade (Lil) and who I was going to forget was ever on there in the first place (Jasmine). It’s cool to go back before the hype, the fatigue, the vocal stress and the judge beatings and see who was actually always good. Or “Bad.”

Lil: Her “The Way You Make Me Feel” was really great – energetic, vocally creative and solid, full of personality. All the stuff that got her on the show, and all the stuff she lost not long after she got on it. It makes you wonder what might have been. Interestingly, Simon had already begun, in the first week, noticing what no one else saw – Lil’s eventual insistence on lazy vocals. I liked it. But he heard something that turned out to be true.

Scott: I think “Keep The Faith” is one of MJ’s weaker songs, but I don’t ever remember Scott being this good. His voice is still weak, and his backstory is still stronger than his talent. But he was pretty good. I’m still sure that back on her home planet, Tatiana is going “I got bounced before this guy?” Simon, again, sees something no one else does, because he hated “Keep The Faith,” with apologies to songwriter Siedah Garrett, who was in the audience. Randy, in one of the last times I would agree with him this season, thought it was all too safe. Yup. Me too.

Danny: OK, Gokey fans. I’m gonna say it. I have watched this pretty fantastic interpretation of “PYT” again, and I love most of it. He kinda lost some fire in the middle, but the slows, blusey intro kicked butt. Also, he can hit all that “Nah nah nahs” and that ain’t easy. What happened to this charming guy? I miss him. Oh, wait. Paula just said “I’ll see you in the finals,” which, Simon noted, was three singers into the first week. See? It was that entitlement, that judge-condoned flagging of a winner without giving anyone else a chance TO EVEN SING. Was the fix in? Well, it didn’t work. Ha ha. Sorry Gokey fans. Blame Paula.

Sarver: I forgot how well he could sing, and he hit some bum notes on “You Are Not Alone,” but he did something that not even Michael Jackson could do – make that song interesting. For real.  I hate that song. It’s snoozy. Also, it’s the one with that hideous Lisa Marie soft-core love video that makes me want to check myself into some sort of clinic for my own mental health.

Jasmine: What a cute little girl! I wonder if she was as boring in the beginning as she turned out to be? Her nephew sure is adorable. Lab-created like a ruby, perhaps, because are human children naturally that cute? But still cute. Oh, yeah.  I remember this. “I’ll Be There,” which is exactly what you would expect one of the younger girls to sing. It was OK, but no more special than any girl singing it at that moment at an Honor Society Induction. And those of you tempted to explain away her lack of interesting moments on her age – Allison’s up soon. And you know what she can do. Ooh, the first Randy Jackson Name Drop of the season! I gotta start recording these things and developing a drinking game.

Kris: Ooh. Conway, Arkansas. I wonder who lives here? This is before I fell in love with this kid, so let’s see if he was any good in the beginning. He’s doing “Remember The Time.” That’s right! I was curious about his acoustic performance. It was nice, but sort of uneven. George Benson should cut this. He voice sounds great, but, like a lot of latter MJ songs, it’s sort of boring to sing (I’ve done that, and it just goes up and down.) What a charming kid. He’s getting all jazzy and showing a surprisingly deft mastery of minor keys that aren’t highlighted in the original. Not as good as he would turn out to be. But this is where the magic started. Kara, who was my Idol girlfriend at this moment but would be broken up with just weeks later, noted that he helped the other contestants with their performances. Such a Boy Scout is our Idol.

Allison: Oh, Allison and her department store singing career. I love that. I’m really reminded how much family support all these kids had this year, and how likable they all seemed. I don’t even know “Give In To Me,” but she made it dark, desperate and passionate like she’d do everything else. I remember this moment, where I got chills. And I did, again.

Anoop: He really was a great singer, despite his perceived arrogance and goofy song choices. He forgot more than a few words of “Beat It,” however. Maybe it was nerves. Paula thought it was karaoke. Simon said it was stupid. Youch.

Jorge: I loved this boy. Let’s see if I was right. His vocals are flawless. “Never Can Say Goodbye” fit his softness like it was written for him. That’s darned impressive, young man. So skinny. I wish I could feed him. Wow. I didn’t remember it being THIS good. What happened, sonny? Well, half the fun of this show is watching people get better or fall apart. Randy is making up pitch problems he doesn’t have. Kara too. Did I break up with her this early? Paula didn’t like it either. What is wrong with them?

Megan: Oh, dear. Here it is. The controversial bird wing dance with ill-considered caw-caw ending. Honestly, I still think it’s charming. You know, she was my absolute favorite coming into this thing? I think I overestimated her ability to do more than that old-timey vocal thing she was so sweet with in the auditions. “Rockin’ Robin” was quirky, Paula agrees. Quirky, of course, is one of those words like “interesting,” that could be complimentary or dastardly. Simon, again, says it’s stupid. He was not happy that day.

Adam: Wow. There is where the cult started. The minute he started, I remembered all the bum notes. And there were a lot. But there were also some great ones, and a great performance that was only occasionally cheesy. The last note was awful. The energy was amazing though. I don’t think anyone could have known how great he was gonna be. Paula was right about him being seasoned and comfortable. He’s about to cry. It’s sort of sweet, because he’s taking it to heart. Paula just declared him in the finals. If you’re taking notes, FROM DAY ONE, they predicted a Gokey/Lambert final. Jerks. There were still a few more singers left to go! That just stinks.

Matt: Oh, Tiny Timberlake. His dad’s adorable. Oh, here it is. “Human Nature.” Giant Merry Christmas, was this fantastic. If he had stayed this consistently solid, this connected and professional, he may have beat Kris Allen. I certainly was pulling for him this week. This is my favorite Michael Jackson song, by the way, and has been since 1984 or so. It’s his best R&B song, and it remains Matt’s best performance. I am never erasing this thing.

Oh, unholy Hades. This is where that pimping started – Matt was amazing, and Simon couldn’t even compliment him without saying “It was good, but can you believe how much it would blow to follow Adam, who was so awesome?” Just praise the kid, you jerk. Let him have his moment. Which had nothing to do with Adam Lambert. Oh, these evil…

Alexis: She rocked “Dirty Diana,” and why she went home before Lil Rounds is one of this show’s greatest travesties. Idol voters, I hang that on you. Because…seriously? I noticed that after Adam, Simon wasn’t effusive about anybody. Was Adam good? Sure. But not as much as Matt was.

So there you have it. The origins of the pimping, and the Alexis meltdown, and a reminder that Lil used to be good. Curiously, the only person that didn’t get a lot of emphasis was Michael Jackson, which I bet the producers regret. That’s the only thing missing from this “tribute.”