The 411 Top 5: Week 79
Posted by Trevor Snyder on 09.21.2007
Top 5 Favorite TV Episodes of All Time
So, I was watching the series premiere of FOX's new post-Katrina cop drama, K-Ville, and I must say, for the most part I was pretty underwhelmed. It's not like it was bad or anything, just pretty generic, which was a shame given that I had high hopes for the show. And then, suddenly, the episode revealed a huge twist regarding one of the main characters that completely changed the show's dynamic, and made it seem a hell of a lot more interesting than it had up to that point. Too bad it had waited until the final moments to do so.
What exactly is my point? Just that a show can live or die by the strength of a particular episode. You mght think this is a somewhat extreme example, given that K-Ville has only been around for one week and I've only given it one chance to make an impression. But that's just it - if the premiere episode had been stronger as a whole, rather than just the closing moments, maybe I would be getting ready to make K-Ville part of my regular weekly viewing schedule. Instead, since it as a somewhat disappointing hour, I don't think the show will be pulling me away from Heroes anytime soon (but don't fret, K-Ville, there's always DVD).
I mean, sure, we might have spent the last few weeks looking at some of TV's best and worst seasons, but its particular episodes that are usually remembered and discussed long after a show has come and gone. Think about it - Lost earned itself much of its devoted fanbase just off of the strength of its amazing pilot episode, while Seinfeld went from just another funny TV show to classic sitcom almost overnight, with a little episode called "The Contest."
So which television episodes do the 411 staffers remember the most fondly? That was the question I posed to my fellow writers this week, and so now, for your enjoyment, we present:
OUR TOP 5 FAVORITE TV EPISODES OF ALL TIME
Trevor Snyder
HONORABLE MENTIONS
South Park - "Scott Tenorman Must Die" - Like most of the shows on my list, there are a handful of great South Park episodes that could have easily made my list, but I chose this one because of how it forever changed the character of Cartman. Previously, he had just been a fat, foul-mouthed little jerk, but it was never again that simple after the closing moments of this classic episode, when we see him licking the tears off the face of his teenage enemy Scott Tenorman, who has just (unknowingly) eaten chili made out of his own dead parents thanks to Cartman. It was perhaps the most twisted South Park has ever gotten (at least definitely up to that point). From that moment on, you knew the show really was willing to go anywhere. Oh, and the Radiohead cameo didn't hurt, either.
Friends - "The One Where No One Is Ready" - I know at some point the cool police decided it wasn't "hip" to actually like Friends, but it's their loss. While I might not have enjoyed the final few seasons as much, during its prime Friends was one of the funniest sitcoms ever, thanks to the immense chemistry between the six actors. The best example of this chemistry is this real-time episode, in which all the characters take their sweet time getting ready to go see a very flustered Ross deliver an important speech. There are plenty of great moments in this episode – Chandler and Joey's determination to get someone to drink a glass full of fat, Monica accidentally changing Richard's outgoing message, Joey putting on every piece of Chandler's clothing ("could I be wearing any more clothes?"). It's just too bad that the syndicated re-runs edit out my favorite moment – when Joey mistakes the electronic voice on Monica's voice-mail for a real person.
THE TOP 5
5.ER - "Time of Death" (Season 11)
There are about 2 or 3 times during each season of ER where you'll see a commercial for the next week's installment, which promises to be a special episode. The commercial usually says something like "when it comes to big events, nobody does it better than ER. Here's the thing: they aren't kidding. These episodes, in which the show drops its regular storylines and instead focuses on one patient or some big medical crisis, are typically some of the best hours of TV for the whole season. My favorite was "Time of Death," a heart-breaking near real-time episode which followed the doctors' treatment of Charlie Metcalf (Ray Liotta), a dying alcoholic, from 11:22 to 12:06, the time of his, well, you saw the episode title. Liotta was amazing as Metcalf, who spends his final moments realizing he has ruined his life and destroyed any chance of reconciling with his estranged son (who refuses to come visit him even on his death bed), but still leaves the earth somewhat redeemed thanks to the care and concern of the ER crew. TV or not, It was Liotta's best performance in years. Grey's Anatomy may have have stolen a lot of ER's thunder in recent years, but it's episodes like this that will always keep ER on top as the king of hospital shows, in quality if not in ratings.
4.The X-Files - "Bad Blood" (Season 5)
Despite its hit-and-miss (mostly miss) final seasons, X-Files remains one of my favorite shows ever, but unlike most fans I was never really that into the show's overriding alien "mythology." I always preferred the stand-alone, "monster of the week" episodes ("Home" and "Squeeze" being two of the best). But my absolute favorites were the occasional comedy episodes, which gave Anderson and Duchovny much-appreciated opportunities to show off their killer comedic timing. It's tough to pick a favorite amongst that bunch, given how great they all are. It could have easily been "Jose Chung's From Outer Space," or "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose." But in the end I went with the hilarious vampire-themed "Bad Blood," which draws its laughs from presenting both Mulder and Scully's two different perspectives of the same case. This leads to a lot of fun, particularly when it comes to the small town sheriff who assists them on the case (Luke Wilson), whom Scully sees as a dashing heroic cowboy, whereas Mulder remembers an ignorant, buck-toothed yokel.
3.Mystery Science Theater 3000 - "Manos, the Hands of Fate" (Season 4)
Regular readers of this column already know full-well about my love affair with this show, so it really should come as no surprise that an episode found its way in here. And while I prefer Mike, I don't think you'll find too many MST fans who disagree that the show's finest moment was probably this Joel entry, thanks to the unbelievable awfulness of the movie. Just how bad is it? Well, consider that the name of the film actually translates to "Hands, the Hands of Fate," and you'll have some idea of the filmmaking incompetence we're dealing with here. Still, an idea is one thing, but nothing can quite prepare for the sheer horridness that is this film, whether it be the mind-numbingly boring opening driving scene (which seems to go on for two hours), or the creepy, pervy antics of the large-thighed Torgo. MST was always funnier the worse the movie was, and with this film they found the crappy movie holy grail.
2.The Simpsons - "Cape Feare" (Season 5)
I knew The Simpsons would be represented on my list, and given my tastes, I knew it would be a Sideshow Bob episode. But which one? After some thought, there was really no question about it. It has to be "Cape Feare." Why? Well, that's easy – the rake scene. ‘Nuff said.
1.Homicide: Life on the Street - "Subway" (Season 6)
This might just be one of the most depressing hours in television history, yet it is also inarguably one of the best. Vincent D'Onofrio guest-stars as John Lange, a man apparently pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train. When Detectives Pembleton and Bayliss arrive at the scene, the train is stopped and Lange is pinned underneath. Basically, the only thing keeping him alive is that the train is still holding him together – once the train is moved, he will die. A couple cops are dispatched to find Lange's girlfriend, while Bayliss stays with him, keeping him company in his final minutes. It all builds up to an absolutely devastating resolution. No joke, this is one of the most intense episodes of any show you will ever see. In fact, I seem to remember PBS even having an entire documentary about this episode before. Am I crazy, or does anyone else remember this? Regardless, this was a great hour of TV, and an episode you'll never be able to forget once you've seen it.
Nick Wallander
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
"Hush" Buffy the Vampire Slayer- I really wanted this to make the top five, but I decided to not be a total Whedon whore. This is the one where there is no talking for a half hour because some demons called The Gentlemen roll into town. Creepy.
"Home" The X-files- This was a classic Monster-of-the-week episode that movies like Wrong Turn would be based on. It was about an inbred family that killed a lot of its neighbors. It was so violent and socially taboo that FOX only aired it once on in primetime.
"Treehouse of Horror" The Simpsons - This is a classic Halloween episode that set the tone for many more to come. This is one of the show's best episodes ever.
THE TOP 5
5. "Casino Night" The Office- Basically, I am a sucker for a good cliffhanger and "Casino Night", the season 2 finale, is actually a great cliffhanger. I had initially juggled with the idea of putting the episode "Sales Call/The Return" in this spot, but that episode didn't create the rift that this one did. Steve Carell does some of his best work as he juggles two dates to the titular event while Jim struggles with deciding his future with the company. However this episode provided the most talked about moment of 2006, the first Jim and Pam kiss. People were in agony for the entire summer waiting to see what would happen with these two.
4. "Execution Tickets" Reno:911- This is an episode from way back in season 1 of the series. Lt. Dangle (Thomas Lennon) has two tickets to a big state execution that he needs to give away to one of his officers. To decide who gets the tickets he devises a scavenger hunt of perps. If you don't laugh at this episode, you have no soul. Also, it is worth seeing Deputy Raineesha Williams (Niecy Nash) give a hooker a makeover to earn some extra points.
3. "A Hole in the World" Angel- This season five episode of "Angel" should have been nominated for several Emmy's because it clicks on all cylinders. The episode finds Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters) traveling to what seems like the end of the earth in an attempt to save Fred (Amy Acker) who has been inhabited by an ancient demon god named Illyria. Marsters, Boreanaz, Acker, and Alexis Denisof all give emotional performances that make the events of the episode that much more significant. This is one that almost made me cry a little bit and that is an accomplishment for a TV show. Also noteworthy is Acker's brilliant change of demeanor when she becomes the fabled Illyria. Whedon wrote this one as well, if you are keeping score at home.
2. "Out of Gas"Firefly- A lot of you probably never saw this episode or hell, even the show for that matter. This one finds Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), the captain of the space transport Serenity, fighting for his life while attempting to prepare his beloved ship. Interlaced with his struggles are two sets of flashbacks. One shows the events leading up to the ship's troubles while the other gives us the origins of how Mal's crew came to be. Fillion puts in his best performance on the series as Mal pours out everything he has to save the ship that he loves. Joss Whedon wrote this episode and you can tell because every character gets the attention they deserve.
1. "Through the Looking Glass" LOST- To be fair, I only put one episode from any given series on this top 5. I could have picked several others from Lost, but as I stated earlier, I am a sucker for cliffhangers. Gee golly, did this episode ever deliver one of those. I wasn't sure if they could top either of the finales from season one or two, but this one sure took the cake. Every principle character had their moment to shine. Seeing Hurley (Jorge Garcia) kick some ass was almost worth this list alone. However it is the heroic story arc of Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) that sets forth a possible rescue from the mysterious island. The biggest thing that kicked ass about this episode came in the final minute when we learned that everything we had been watching for the past two hours was not what it seemed. The creators promised us a game changing event and they sure as hell delivered.
Owain J. Brimfield
HONORABLE MENTIONS
‘S'Out' (Bottom season 2), ‘Mirror Image' (Quantum Leap season 5), and ‘City on the Edge of Forever'(Star Trek season 1)
THE TOP 5
5. ‘AWESOM-O' South Park season 8)
Cartman is undoubtedly the best character in South Park, so it's no real surprise that the show's funniest episode is based heavily around him. While by no means the cleverest or rudest of the show's episodes, for sheer laughs it's hard to beat the one where Cartman pretends to be Butters' new robot friend in order to learn his secrets. Frankly, it's enough just to hear Cartman say "lame" in a robot voice to make you crack up, but the eventual capture of the AWESOM-O 4000 by studio executives who believe he can turn out ideas for movies (every single one featuring Adam Sandler), and from there to the military, is just genius. Even the payoff is foolproof - Cartman dancing around his garden dressed like Britney Spears. There's nothing short of magic here, and for me it's the best episode the show has produced.
4. ‘Marooned' (Red Dwarf III)
Although ostensibly a sci-fi show, Red Dwarf mined the majority of its laughs from character-based comedy and dialogue, and this episode was the epitome of that ethos. Lister and Rimmer are stranded on an ice moon for days with little hope of survival, and their love/hate relationship is stretched to breaking point. Faced with the prospect of Lister's death (Rimmer, after all, is a hologram and can survive indefinitely), the two discuss their lives and loves, burn prized possessions for warmth, and struggle to stay optimistic. A classic two-hander that could almost be a stage play, ‘Marooned' doesn't skimp on the funny, from Lister's final serenade on his guitar to some good old-fashioned gross out (Lister chowing down on dog food in his hunger - "Now I know why dogs lick their testicles. It's to take away the taste of the food."). A fascinating insight into two of the better-characterized TV personalities of the early 90s, and a damn good laugh to boot.
3. ‘Flight Into Terror' (Father Ted season 2)
There was never a duff episode of Father Ted, but there certainly were some real crackers. This is my favorite, although its merit as the best episode of the series could be debated for a long while. Taking place on a plane loaded with priests and nuns, events soon descend into chaos as the plane loses an engine and Ted attempts to take control of the situation. Only two parachutes are onboard, so Ted elects to hold a competition where everyone on the plane has to write 200 words on why they should get a parachute. Unfortunately, while everyone is busy writing the parachutes are stolen by Father Jack who keeps one for himself and places the other on the minibar. There are some fantastic comic ideas at work here, not least of which is Ted repairing the plane with holy sellotape. The episode also features the excellence of Graham Norton, who before becoming an annoying TV host was fantastic value in his occasional appearances on the show, this time as the minder of Father Fintan Fay ("He's not supposed to see his reflection! He doesn't know he's a priest!"). Probably the best episode of probably the best sitcom ever.
2. ‘Homerpalooza' (The Simpsons season 7)
Oh, now this was the trickiest of choices. Determining your favorite Simpsons episode is like being asked to choose between your siblings. That is, if you had 300+ brothers and sisters, and around 70% of them made you giggle for half an hour. The episode in which Homer gains weight to qualify to work at home very nearly made the cut, as did ‘Girly Edition' with its immortal guest character Mojo. ‘Homerpalooza', though, really has every ingredient mixed to perfection - a cornucopia of guest appearances (Sonic Youth, Peter Frampton, Cypress Hill, Billy Corgan), fabulously acute youth satire ("Are you being sarcastic?" - "I don't even know anymore"), classic sight gags (Rover Hendrix, the Cleveland/Cincinatti junction), some killer lines ("Homer Simpson, smiling politely"), a dissection of the perils of old age ("I used to be with it, but then they changed what ‘it' was, and now what I'm with isn't it. And what's ‘it' seems weird and scary to me."), and of course a delectable moral centre, as Homer puts his family before fame. And if you don't laugh at the idea of Cypress Hill performing with the London Philharmonic, there's something seriously wrong. Truly an example of all the best of The Simpsons.
1. ‘Godfellas' (Futurama season 3)
I've raved about this episode before, but as my favorite episode of my favorite TV series ever, it's only fitting that ‘Godfellas' takes the top spot here. Following Bender as he is launched through space at a high velocity and contemplates a future alone with the universe, the episode is interspersed with Fry and Leela's attempts to trace him through a machine on earth designed for smelling out God. The ludicrousness of the premise is only enhanced as Bender creates life and becomes the God of his own tiny civilization (which he inevitably decrees should dedicate themselves to brewing him more beer, the appropriately named ‘Lordweiser'), before accidentally snuffing them out and then, in a brilliant twist, bumping into God himself. It's a perfect blend of comedy, philosophy, animation and writing that combines to form the best TV episode ever, and simply cries out to be watched and loved. Ask not for whom the bone bones; it bones for thee.
Bryan Kristopowitz
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Knight Rider: "Trust Doesn't Rust": Every Knight Rider nerd in the world knows exactly what this episode is about, and every kid who grew up with Michael Knight, KITT, and the Foundation for Law and Government pretty much spazzed out when this episode aired, because it features two KITT's. Well, there was the usual KITT, piloted by Michael Knight, and then there was KARR (the Knight Automated Roving Robot), which was the first suped up black Trans Am FLAG created. KARR had to be replaced because of an error in its programming (its first order of business was protecting itself: self preservation) and was basically left for dead (in storage) until two nosy hobos broke into the warehouse KARR was stored in and stole it. So we then get an hour of KITT chasing the hobo piloted KARR around wherever until the final "epic" battle between the two talking cars. It's neat, man. Two freaking KITTs. There's nothing cooler than that. At least for a nerd.
King of Queens: "Present Tense": This is, to me, the best episode of the King of Queens. It's the episode where Doug and Carrie Heffernan get a portrait painting as an anniversary present from their best friends Deacon and Kelly. Doug and Carrie don't care for the painting. For some reason Carrie's arm right arm is gigantic, and Doug's teeth are very, very white. The painting is ridiculous. Doug and Carrie try to get rid of it by staging a burglary with the help of Danny Heffernan and Spence Olchin. When Deacon and Kelly find out about the alleged burglary, they get Doug and Carrie a new painting. This one is more ridiculous than the first. If you get a chance to see this episode, check out that painting and you'll see why this episode is so dang funny.
Married... with Children: "Reverand Al": This episode aired in the 10th season, and featured a story about a beer tax in Chicago. Al Bundy and his pals from the National Organization of Men Against Amazonian Masterhood ("NO MA'AM") are deeply upset about it and decide to figure out a way to get out of paying taxes. The answer is simple: become a church. And that's exactly what Al, Jefferson, Griff, BobRooney, Ike, and everyone else do. The Church of NO MA'AM is so over the top, so insane in its celebration of "men" and manhood. Chicks in bikinis, barbecued meat everywhere, and lots and lots of beer. When Marcy D'Arcy shows up with her feminist group to take the church down it's a battle of ideologies. Marcy fights dirty, showing that Al "sinned" by taking his wife Peggy out for dinner, dancing, a show, and some sex in a hotel room, and suddenly the Church of NO MA'AM falls. "Take her down Archimedes!" "Take him down Dot!" "You a lotta woman." "I'm a lotta everything." Great stuff.
THE TOP 5
5.Roseanne: The "audit" episode
This is from the sitcom's second season. It's an episode about paying taxes. Dan decides to do the family taxes by himself and gets wicked behind, and Roseanne is worried that Dan didn't get the right forms, so they both go down to the IRS office to find out if they do in fact have all of the necessary forms. There's the great usual back and forth between Roseanne and John Goodman, but for me the best part of the episode, and what makes this episode so special, is how the show breaks the fourth wall. Jackie, Roseanne's sister, tells Roseanne that she has to be careful with her taxes because she could get an audit, and everytime someone says "audit" threatening music plays: "Dunt dunt duuhhhh!" Roseanne and Dan hear it and look around the house everytime it happens. Dan's face the second time it happens is priceless.
4.The X-Files: "Jose Chung's From Outer Space"
This is the "non-mythology" episode featuring the great Charles Nelson Reilly as an author doing research for a book on an alleged alien abduction. From what I remember this is the first real "goofy" or "funny" episode of the series. It's also a great story about one event told from multiple points of view. It's an episode that lets the audience know, if they didn't know already, that while the show is a hoot and great drama and all that, don't take it all so dang seriously. "Another bleeping alien." Remember that?
3.The Larry Sanders Show: "Out of the Loop"
As I remember the plot of this episode, Larry feels he's not around the office enough, that he doesn't know enough about the show's inner workings and he decides he wants to get more involved. He asks his producer Artie to put him in "The Loop," the office/show rumor mill/gossip network. Artie tells him that it isn't a good idea, that he should be more concerned about putting on a good show (The Loop is Artie's thing, the thing he uses to rule the office). But Larry says he wants to be in it, and Artie lets him in. Larry quickly regrets it. Everyone from Hank to the make up girl keeps asking Larry if he's in The Loop, and he's then forced to deal with emotions and information he really has no business knowing about. Hilarious.
2.The Simpson's: Homer gains 61 pounds to go on disability
Because he's tired of doing five minutes of exercise in the morning at the nuclear power plant, and after he hears that one of his fellow employees got to work from home, Homer devises a plan to work from home by gaining 61 pounds (under the law, anyone 300 pounds or more is considered disabled). Homer thinks it's going to be great. Marge will love having him home, he'll wear Hawaiian shirts all of the time, and his life will improve tremendously. Instead, Marge can't stand having him home, he's forced to wear a moo moo because he no longer has pants that fit (don't forget his fat guy hat), and he almost causes a meltdown at the plant because he lets a bobbing bird thing do his work for him. This episode has some of the best lines in the series ("Hey, Miss doesn't find my attractive sexually anymore. I just tripled my productivity!" as one of the best), and has one of the funniest scenes ever in a TV show period: Homer waving a car down and screaming at the driver that he has to take his car because he's a big fat guy.
1.Leave It To Beaver: Beaver in the boat episode
This episode features the greatest scene in the history of television. More on that in a second. This is from the second season, and is all about Beaver's brother Wally and his homemade boat. Wally wants to take it to the lake and see if it will float and, well, work like a boat. His father Ward tells him not to take it out unless he's there to supervise. So, being a stupid kid, Wally wakes up early one morning and decides to take the boat with him to the lake. Wally takes Beaver with him. When Wally gets to the lake he realizes that he can't fit in the boat, but it's perfect for Beaver. So Beaver gets in the boat, goes out to the middle of the lake, and (this is the greatest moment in the history of television) the boat tips over. And Beaver is all wet. So Wally has to get Beaver home and dry before his parents find out. The boat capsizing with Beaver in it is just freaking hysterical. The show has such a bad, lame reputation that it really doesn't deserve, and this episode, I think, proves what I'm talking about. It's just dang funny.
Jason Chamberlain
5.Heroes 1.20 "Five Years Gone"
What a haunting view of the future this episode was! When Hiro travels five years forward, we learn that the New York bombing wasn't stopped and that the world has become a very dangerous place for ‘special' people. From the machinations of President "Petrelli" to Peter's face-scarred badassness to HRG doing his best to help protect Claire and others like her, it was a very cool ‘what if'. And the briefest glimpse of a colossal fight between Peter and Sylar? DAMN.
4.Angel 5.22 "Not Fade Away"
I'm trying very hard not to be a total Whedon whore with this list, but this episode deserves to be here because it is flat out brilliant. I've spoken of it a couple times in the top five before (best finales). It's a perfectly executed ending to a great show.
3.Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2.17 "Passion"
It's hard to pick just one episode out of 144 of my favorite hours of television. I chose Passion because it really turned the show on its ear and showed what it was capable of. It had a very effective and haunting structure (a rumination on passion by the heartless killer Angelus), for the first time showed the series would do away with beloved characters in a heartbeat (Jenny Calender's death is brutal and terrifying) and showed some new sides to some of our favorite characters (Giles got HARDCORE). In all the series, I'm not sure there was a better crafted moment then when a voyeuristic Angelus spies outside of the Summers home and smiles at the pain he has caused when Buffy gets the call about Jenny's death.
2.Lost 2.23 "Live Together, Die Alone"
The finale of the second season of Lost was awesome for a few different reasons. One, it told the backstory of one of my favorite characters, Desmond. From his release from a military prison to his fight to regain his honor from his love Penny's evil father to his ill fated sailboat race around the world, it gave us all the background on how Desmond came to the island and what he is fighting so hard to get back to. It also answered almost every question we had about the hatch, revealed the extent of Michael's betrayal and left three of our heroes in a very dark situation heading into the third season.
1.Angel 5.14 "Smile Time"
What's not to love about this episode? Main character known for his broodiness turned into a wee little puppet man? Check. Tons of in jokes and references about puppets? Check. Werewolf/puppet interplay? Check. Lorne referring to Angel puppet as ‘my little prince'? Check. Awesome songs like the Smile Time theme and the immortal Self Esteem? Check. Wes finally getting his mack on with the oh so cute Fred? Check. Puppet Angel leading a hilarious "battle walk" out of Wolfram and Hart? Check. Brawl between Puppet Angel and Spike? Check. Look, it boils down to this; either you love a show that turns its main character into a puppet just for fun, or you're a communist. So go watch it. Or don't. Commie.
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Next week, we try to create the next great movie crossover (a-la Freddy Vs. Jason) with our own little bit of movie fantasy booking, as we present The Top 5 Movie Match-Ups We Want to See.
