Post by RJ Alden Lackie on Aug 23, 2014 19:03:50 GMT
What's your personal Top 10 (or more) for TV episodes?
I love these discussions. Unlike politics, it's safe to yell at each other about this stuff (unless it strays sidelong into politics, yikes), and forces us all to examine and explore what about individual episodes moves us. And what TV we haven't watched yet. As we explore what it is that impresses us about these episodes - from a concept, character, craft level - it elevates our own eyes on our work.
And, plus, it's fun!
MY TOP 10 EPISODES OF TV
Runners up:
Battlestar Galactica 4x13, "Sometimes a Great Notion", The Leftovers 1x06, "Guest", Community 2x10, "Mixology Certification", Louie 3x10-12, "Late Show Parts 1-3", Community 1x23, "Modern Warfare".
There are some shows that, if I rewatched episodes instead of building this off Wikipedia lists and hazy memories, would show up on here. Particularly In Treatment, which was a masterclass in episode construction but was also so serialised it's hard to tell which ep was which from an episode list. And there's lots of shows I have watched that I probably forgot to consider when building it. The list, while fun, is imperfect.
Lists like this also notably don't function as Best TV series lists, because what makes an awesome episode doesn't necessarily put a show on the top of all series. First up, deeply serialised series like The Wire are harder to include here because their episodes flow one into the next, making it harder to select an episode out of the bunch. Some shows here got on because of a shift in their structure for one episode - Mad Men, Looking and Masters of Sex all integrated their serialised plots into focused episodic stories, which got them on here. Secondly, some series are better at constructing superlative episodes than keeping up that quality; for example, Community landed 3 episodes in my tentative 'favourite 15 episodes of TV' list, but I don't know that the show itself would land on my top 15.
But, it's fun to discuss and debate! What's your list? Feel free to revise it as we discuss, though ideally you'll mark where you've revised things after the fact. Have at it!
I love these discussions. Unlike politics, it's safe to yell at each other about this stuff (unless it strays sidelong into politics, yikes), and forces us all to examine and explore what about individual episodes moves us. And what TV we haven't watched yet. As we explore what it is that impresses us about these episodes - from a concept, character, craft level - it elevates our own eyes on our work.
And, plus, it's fun!
MY TOP 10 EPISODES OF TV
- #1: Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5x16, "The Body"
. The interjection of the mundane, awful, emptiness of grief into a magical world. Even the parts of The Body folks criticise, like the sudden vampire, I've come to love and understand as part of the thesis of the episode, which is, "Grief is overwhelming and awful and empty... and the rest of the world doesn't feel it and doesn't care. Everything keeps going." - #2: Looking 1x05: "Looking For the Future"
. This is an episode that couldn't have existed even 10 years ago. Simple, singular, moving.This episode is astonishingly wel-crafted and subtle, telling us both about the intricacies of these 2 chars AND about living as gay men today. It, in an episode, sums up a style and skill that much of my writing is chasing. It's also an intensely personal choice. I don't know how many people who aren't gay men in North America would choose it. But it makes me feel known. - #3: Breaking Bad 1x03, "...And the Bag's In the River"
. The evidence that, once upon a time, Walter White was a good man. Walt's struggle to apply logic to an emotional, moral struggle moved me. And his grief at having to make that choice stays with me. - #4: Friday Night Lights 5x13: "Always"
. A great series finale is nearly impossible. Friday Night Lights offers a perfect one. - #5: Masters of Sex 2x03, "Fight"
. One of the most complex, fascinating, character-centric eps of TV I've seen. I immediately wanted to rewatch the episode to capture subtleties that I missed initially, especially from the first half of the episode as it was building its themes and central metaphors. - #6: The Good Wife 5x05: "Hitting the Fan"
. Five years of relationships splintered and, in doing so, explored. Plus that PACE! - #7: Community 2x08: "Cooperative Calligraphy"
. You want an ep that exploits every quirk of this cast, with sharp joke after joke and direct metacommentary on the nature of the group in one story? Here it is. - #8: Mad Men 4x07: "The Suitcase"
. The intense relationship between Don and Peggy summed up in a great overnight bottle episode. - #9: Doctor Who 6x10, "The Girl Who Waited"
. The question of Other Amy is a stunning indictment of the dangers of the Doctor. - #10: Louie 1x12, "God". Little Louie's crash course in faith, suffering and responsibility is unique and fantastic.
Runners up:
Battlestar Galactica 4x13, "Sometimes a Great Notion", The Leftovers 1x06, "Guest", Community 2x10, "Mixology Certification", Louie 3x10-12, "Late Show Parts 1-3", Community 1x23, "Modern Warfare".
There are some shows that, if I rewatched episodes instead of building this off Wikipedia lists and hazy memories, would show up on here. Particularly In Treatment, which was a masterclass in episode construction but was also so serialised it's hard to tell which ep was which from an episode list. And there's lots of shows I have watched that I probably forgot to consider when building it. The list, while fun, is imperfect.
Lists like this also notably don't function as Best TV series lists, because what makes an awesome episode doesn't necessarily put a show on the top of all series. First up, deeply serialised series like The Wire are harder to include here because their episodes flow one into the next, making it harder to select an episode out of the bunch. Some shows here got on because of a shift in their structure for one episode - Mad Men, Looking and Masters of Sex all integrated their serialised plots into focused episodic stories, which got them on here. Secondly, some series are better at constructing superlative episodes than keeping up that quality; for example, Community landed 3 episodes in my tentative 'favourite 15 episodes of TV' list, but I don't know that the show itself would land on my top 15.
But, it's fun to discuss and debate! What's your list? Feel free to revise it as we discuss, though ideally you'll mark where you've revised things after the fact. Have at it!