To Beatle or not to Beatle, that is the question.

Don’t get me wrong: Last week’s “American Idol” episode was one of the series’ most entertaining from start to finish. But I had to agree Tuesday with Simon Cowell’s assessment after Jason Cook’s blah “Michelle”: In untested contestants, the suddenly redundant Beatles material was “all getting a bit strange.”

But first, the good news. The remaining Davids proved they remain the ones to beat for very different reasons.

Archuleta, honest about last week’s meltdown in his pre-song interview piece, made viewers forget all about “We Can Work It Out” as he did just that with a stirring rendition of “The Long and Winding Road.” I literally had goosebumps at the end of it. And it was only his second-best song of the show so far. The best, of course, was “Imagine” by John Lennon.

Cook, meanwhile, has been gaining momentum weekly, and as of right now is likely the season’s most likely to challenge Archuleta in the finale. Unlike the judges, I actually preferred the Whitesnake version of “Daytripper” to last week’s judge-favorite “Eleanor Rigby,” perhaps because “Daytripper” was actually in tune from start to finish. Plus, anyone who plays one of those Peter Frampton voice box thingies earns automatic bonus points with me. Yes, David Cook, I feeeeel like you feeeeel. And I want youuuu to show me the waaaay. OK, I’m done now.

But even with two of the ladies—Carly Smithson on “Blackbird” and Syesha Mercado on “Yesterday”—showcasing above-average talent on their songs, it’d be a stretch to say their material was as memorable as that of the Davids. And worse, even as a somewhat-more-than-casual Beatles fan, I was struggling to recall or even recognize some of the other songs that were sung tonight. And I got the feeling most of Tuesday’s contestants were, too, hence the emotional and lyrical disconnect that appeared to happen more often than not.

That could prove dangerous for Mercado, who, despite being one of my favorites, is my pick to be the last to head home before the touring Top 10 are solidified. But more about that later. First, onto the evening’s rankings:

1. David Archuleta—Heeeee’s baaaa-aaaack! You know you did a superb job when Cowell breaks character and starts clapping halfway through explaining why your song was “amazing.”

2. David Cook—Fantastic take on “Daytripper” wins bonus points not only for the Frampton guitar thingie, but also because he seemed to have the most fun on this song than any of his previous efforts. But will someone please explain to me what the “AC” decal on his guitar means?

3. Carly Smithson—Still my favorite female vocalist, she seemed to stumble a bit on an odd arrangement of “Blackbird.” But her voice is such a gorgeous instrument that I’ll give her a pass almost every time.

4. Syesha Mercado—She did an admirable job on “Yesterday,” but I have to admit I was bored through most of it. And, usually, boring + forgettable = disaster come results night.

5. Brooke White—The champion of the literal wore a yellow dress whose tiered ruffles were like rays as she sang “Here Comes The Sun.” But she did it with an arbitrary spin move and with vocals that were often out of tune and dull. But one of the likable things about the sweetheart nanny is that she’s open to—and agreeable about—most constructive criticism. I think she’s also tough on herself, which is both endearing and frustrating from a viewer’s perspective.

6. Michael Johns—I didn’t think the abridged version of “A Day in the Life” was a “mess,” as Cowell put it. I thought his “ahhhhs” before the final verse were pretty cool, actually. But he might be the first guy to go home if he doesn’t nail a song soon.

7. Chikezie—The Top 11’s most up-and-down contestant hit a bit of a clunker on the awkwardly bipolar version of “I’ve Just Seen A Face.” The rudimentary, perfunctory harmonica didn’t exactly help, either.

8. Ramiele Malubay—She sang “I Should Have Known Better.” She just should have announced the title and walked off the stage. But even her shaky song was better than three others that night.

9. Jason Castro—Did you know the translation of the French lyrics to “Michelle” equates to “I’m prancing around like I’m singing this haphazardly in a high school cafeteria”? Because that’s what Castro seemed to think it was. But it doesn’t matter what I think; ‘tween girls love this boy.

10. Amanda Overmyer—After a week of semi-enjoyable, semi-tuneful singing, Overmyer’s “Back in the USSR” put me back in a lousy mood. That said, she was actually better this week than my favorite remaining eye candy.

11. Kristy Lee Cook—It was very hard for me to put America’s kickboxing sweetheart last, especially after she probably instantly regretted telling Simon Cowell she’d “blow you out of your socks.” Awk. Ward. But equaling her terrible decision to sing “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” were the terrible vocals themselves. But I’m still not convinced she’s missing the “Idol” tour….

(Photos by Frank Micelotta/FOX)