Every now and then we are treated with episodes of great shows which are masterpieces making us go "this is why I love TV". After this weeks Hannibal season 2 finale, I was lucky enough to feel that maximum level of enjoyment from a TV show because it hit all the right notes. After watching the finale I felt myself thinking about what other episodes of TV made me feel like that and alas this article was born. So now I present to you the Best TV episodes of all time, for sake of time and article length each show will only be mentioned once even if it has more than 1 masterpiece episode, the absolute best of the episodes of the series if you will. Also a side note these episodes are all a 10/10 for me which means that obviously the order doesn't mean anything since they are ranked the same.
Breaking Bad - Ozymandias
One of the best episodes of Breaking Bad that ever aired. This episode did everything right from major character deaths to solidifying the true nature of Walter White. This episode was all storm and no calm, the defeat of good, it was the most gut wrenching,twisted and horrific episode and it was so well planned that it not only tied up loose ends but created a clean slate for the finale 2 episodes to take place without any open ended stories tying down the final episodes. One of the best parts of the episode was the love that Walter showed for his family by making one phone call that would absolve his wife of any connection to Walt's crimes, showing indeed that while what he did can be seen as cruel he did it all for his family. I just can't appreciate this episode enough, in my books it is one of the best episodes of TV I have ever seen and I'll be damned if it doesn't stay that way for a long time to come.
Game of Thrones - Rains of Castemere
Death everywhere, no one was safe. Game of Thrones is one of the best shows on TV at the moment, especially after the end of Breaking Bad but what GoT does is that each episode in a season builds up to the penultimate episode which hasn't failed to deliver since the shows conception. Baelor, Blackwater both were penultimate episodes of previous seasons which also are a masterpiece in their own rights but for me Rains of Castemere is one which reigns supreme over all the episodes which has aired thus far. Why? Because Rains of Castemere shows that this isn't a happy story at all but a realistic story (for its setting), it shows what the show runners are willing to do and how true to the books they would be. This episode was magnificent, horrific and had us on the edge of our seats from start to end and made us hate characters and feel sorrow for our favorite characters, just when we thought something good would happen to the Starks and they would be reunited at last, it was all stripped away.
Hannibal - Mizumono
Even though this episode just aired, it was one of the best episode of Hannibal to date and up there with the rest of the episodes on this list. The whole season was building up to this moment the good vs evil confrontation at casa de Hannibal. We all knew that Jack was gonna get stabbed in the beck but we didn't forsee was the extra casualties and what is worse is that we have to wait until season 3 to see the fate of the heroes all of which have been defeated, no one was left unbroken. This episode showed us the sheer intelligence of Hannibal from how he smelt Freddie's scent on Will to how he played every single character, despite his love for Will he did what was necessary to make sure no one could link him to the Chesapeake Ripper. On top of that we got two major cliffhangers which completely changed the show. This was the Red Wedding all over again mixed with a bit of Shakespere.
True Detective - Form and Void
This show was on everyone's radar from the get go, the acting, the directing everything in this show was done to near perfection and the finale took it one step further ending the awesome crime drama in a glorious finale. What surprised most viewers was that the show ended on a touching, life-affirming note which was unexpected from this dark crime drama. We finally got to see our villain in this episode, the scarred lawmmower man Errol who was truly creepy, the icing on the cake was the heart of darkness inspired journey to Caracosa. This part of the episode was chilling to the bone and osme of the best set design and production that has been see in this show. In the climatic final where Cohle didn't get the death he was seeking but instead got a new outlook on life and decided that their battle was over an they got their demons. Honorable mention goes to episode 4 of True Detective which had one of the most amazing one shot scenes in TV (and Movie) history.
Parks and Recreation - Moving Up
Moving up was the finale for season 6 of parks and rec and boy was it a good one. We got so many throw backs in the episode and a plethora of cameos, the best call back tho was to Ben's board game the Cones of Dunshire!. You know an episode is awesome when it can also serve as a worthy series finale. On top of all the crazy we also were fed laughs non stop throughout the episode mostly from the segments involving Tom's bistro. But what really made this episode a 10/10 was the fact that the writers did something that was never done before in a sitcom (to my knowledge at least), they did a 3 year jump into the future. This time jump opens up so many possibilities for the show going a head into season 7 and keeps the show fresh with newly invigorated stories to be told. It isn't often that a sitcom gets a 10/10 but Parks along with Scrubs nailed their respective masterpiece episodes.
Supernatural - Point of No Return
Point of No Return was Supernatural's 100th episode and it didn't disappoint one bit. This episode in season 5 was where the stakes were the highest for the Winchesters as they searched for a way to stop the Apocalypse with Dean having no choice but to let Michael take over his body. The episode jsut had so many high points from Dean's emotional fallout with the rest of the gang to Sam being being to weak to resist Lucifer. The performances in the episode were outstanding and especially Sam who we saw would do anything to hold his family together. What really surprised us all was the fact that the third Winchester brother returned to cause chaos as the new vessel for Michael. This episode didn't waste a minute and was action packed with a strong lead up to the climatic battle with Zacariah, no other supernatural episode drove the family theme home stronger than this episode. This episode showed us that the real hook to this show is the growing and rocky relationship between Sam and Dean.
Scrubs - My Fallen Idol/My Lunch
Breaking Bad - Ozymandias
Game of Thrones - Rains of Castemere
Death everywhere, no one was safe. Game of Thrones is one of the best shows on TV at the moment, especially after the end of Breaking Bad but what GoT does is that each episode in a season builds up to the penultimate episode which hasn't failed to deliver since the shows conception. Baelor, Blackwater both were penultimate episodes of previous seasons which also are a masterpiece in their own rights but for me Rains of Castemere is one which reigns supreme over all the episodes which has aired thus far. Why? Because Rains of Castemere shows that this isn't a happy story at all but a realistic story (for its setting), it shows what the show runners are willing to do and how true to the books they would be. This episode was magnificent, horrific and had us on the edge of our seats from start to end and made us hate characters and feel sorrow for our favorite characters, just when we thought something good would happen to the Starks and they would be reunited at last, it was all stripped away.
Hannibal - Mizumono
Even though this episode just aired, it was one of the best episode of Hannibal to date and up there with the rest of the episodes on this list. The whole season was building up to this moment the good vs evil confrontation at casa de Hannibal. We all knew that Jack was gonna get stabbed in the beck but we didn't forsee was the extra casualties and what is worse is that we have to wait until season 3 to see the fate of the heroes all of which have been defeated, no one was left unbroken. This episode showed us the sheer intelligence of Hannibal from how he smelt Freddie's scent on Will to how he played every single character, despite his love for Will he did what was necessary to make sure no one could link him to the Chesapeake Ripper. On top of that we got two major cliffhangers which completely changed the show. This was the Red Wedding all over again mixed with a bit of Shakespere.
True Detective - Form and Void
This show was on everyone's radar from the get go, the acting, the directing everything in this show was done to near perfection and the finale took it one step further ending the awesome crime drama in a glorious finale. What surprised most viewers was that the show ended on a touching, life-affirming note which was unexpected from this dark crime drama. We finally got to see our villain in this episode, the scarred lawmmower man Errol who was truly creepy, the icing on the cake was the heart of darkness inspired journey to Caracosa. This part of the episode was chilling to the bone and osme of the best set design and production that has been see in this show. In the climatic final where Cohle didn't get the death he was seeking but instead got a new outlook on life and decided that their battle was over an they got their demons. Honorable mention goes to episode 4 of True Detective which had one of the most amazing one shot scenes in TV (and Movie) history.
Parks and Recreation - Moving Up
Moving up was the finale for season 6 of parks and rec and boy was it a good one. We got so many throw backs in the episode and a plethora of cameos, the best call back tho was to Ben's board game the Cones of Dunshire!. You know an episode is awesome when it can also serve as a worthy series finale. On top of all the crazy we also were fed laughs non stop throughout the episode mostly from the segments involving Tom's bistro. But what really made this episode a 10/10 was the fact that the writers did something that was never done before in a sitcom (to my knowledge at least), they did a 3 year jump into the future. This time jump opens up so many possibilities for the show going a head into season 7 and keeps the show fresh with newly invigorated stories to be told. It isn't often that a sitcom gets a 10/10 but Parks along with Scrubs nailed their respective masterpiece episodes.
Supernatural - Point of No Return
Point of No Return was Supernatural's 100th episode and it didn't disappoint one bit. This episode in season 5 was where the stakes were the highest for the Winchesters as they searched for a way to stop the Apocalypse with Dean having no choice but to let Michael take over his body. The episode jsut had so many high points from Dean's emotional fallout with the rest of the gang to Sam being being to weak to resist Lucifer. The performances in the episode were outstanding and especially Sam who we saw would do anything to hold his family together. What really surprised us all was the fact that the third Winchester brother returned to cause chaos as the new vessel for Michael. This episode didn't waste a minute and was action packed with a strong lead up to the climatic battle with Zacariah, no other supernatural episode drove the family theme home stronger than this episode. This episode showed us that the real hook to this show is the growing and rocky relationship between Sam and Dean.
Scrubs - My Fallen Idol/My Lunch
I decided to count these two episodes as one because they seemlessly link together. These two episodes showed us that Scrubs is capable of more than just comedy, after seasons of seeing Dr. Cox teasing J.D we finally get to see them as equals after tragedy strikes Sacred Heart. These episodes show us exactly what kind of relationship JD and Cox have and how JD really does look up to Cox and not just for a running gag. On top of that the acting in this episode was just amazing especially John C. McGinley's acting in the scenes where we see a broken Dr. Cox a character who is usually unphased by emotion struggles but losing three patients does really take a toll on doctors and they way he portrayed it just made you feel for the guy.
Most of you might be wondering what about episodes from the Wire, Sopranos, Justified etc. I'll be honest and say that I haven't watched those shows completely yet but when I do, I'll address those episodes then. Other shows I think that have potential to have masterpiece episodes are Fargo, Penny Dreadful, The Walking Dead, Arrow, Vikings and maybe even Halt and Catch Fire if it follows suite from the pilot.
Most of you might be wondering what about episodes from the Wire, Sopranos, Justified etc. I'll be honest and say that I haven't watched those shows completely yet but when I do, I'll address those episodes then. Other shows I think that have potential to have masterpiece episodes are Fargo, Penny Dreadful, The Walking Dead, Arrow, Vikings and maybe even Halt and Catch Fire if it follows suite from the pilot.
0 comments:
Post a Comment