I was recently rewatching the IT Crowd, which is one of my favourite shows and after finishing Season 2 Episode 1, “The Work Outing” for the hundredth of time I realized this is probably my favourite sitcom episode of all time. I just can’t get bored of the jokes and the delivery. The writing is gold, and the story escalates from funny to absolutely insane hilarious. Makes me laugh every time. Half the dialogue I quote to this day.
There are many good episodes I love, and could put here as close seconds: probably most of the Futurama series, a dozen of episodes of The Office or some classics from the Friends, I could think of.
So I would like to hear what episodes of any TV show is your favourites and why? Doesn’t needs to be necessarily comedy, anything from television is fair game.
Think of it as a “what single item would you bring to a desert island with you” question, just with an episode of a TV show :)
The Luck of the Fryrish - Futurama
Fry spent his life thinking his brother was a dick who was stealing his personality, when all he really wanted was to be around him. And by the time he realized it, it was too late. Having a similar relationship with my brother, this hit close to home. I keep telling myself if I ever got a tattoo, it would be a 7 leaf clover.
Love that episode
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Hush
The writing for this silent episode is just wonderful, and the whole cast’s chemistry really shines in their non-verbal acting
Hush was so good! Oh my god, when that first came out I was obsessed.
“I’m disabled!” Is a classic reference in my house that cannot be used in pleasant / uncultured company. It’s great to see my people are out there!
I’m not the biggest Seth MacFarlane fan, but the American Dad episode “Joint Custody” is pure classic.
I really want to pick an episode of Community, but I’m having a hard time nailing down just one. There’s the obvious answers like Remedial Chaos Theory or Modern Warfare. I just love the whole series. Maybe Basic Intergluteal Numismatics, The Asscrack Bandit episode, just because it’s so layered it really lends itself to rewatches.
Master of None has its issues, but there’s some standouts in the first season. Parents and Mornings always get me.
Also oftem my wife asks me the question: what happened I just reply in a high pitched voice: “Acid!”
Community, season 3, Pillows and Blankets.
It’s a campus wide pillow fight between two friends / armies done as a Ken Burns Civil War documentary.
Winger’s critics suggest he merely improvised hot-button patriotic dogma in a Ferris Bueller-ian attempt to delay schoolwork. Winger decries the accusation as “A slanderous betrayal akin to 9/11.” Later after the war, he would refer to the theory as “essentially accurate.”
There are people who say: ‘I don’t get it, so it was a pillow fight.’ To which I say: ‘You weren’t there.’
I know we’re being asked for our favoritE, not favoriteS, but it’s too difficult to pick just one. Both of them had me unashamedly bawling my eyes out. The first (aired) is the fourth episode of the third season of Black Mirror – San Junipero. The second is the third episode of the first season of The Last of Us – Long, Long Time. I couldn’t keep my cool during either of them or for quite a while after.
Honorable mention is the series finale of Six Feet Under. The show, by and large, I’m just not a fan of. Like, pretty much at all. But that finale. Good god.
I don’t care about The Last of Us at all but I’ve watched that episode a few times.
It’s just such a perfect love story. Regardless of your orientation or views, it should hit home.
I have very strong opinions about flashback episodes (ask me some time, I’ll tell you), and I haven’t changed my mind, but holy crap, that was just one of the most beautiful loves stories I’ve ever encountered.
That’s also why I can say I didn’t care about the show that episode is a part of.
It stands on its own, and it could have been a footnote, or a few lines. A heartfelt scene, some light sorrow.
I’m so glad they chose to give it a full episode.
I don’t know the game, but from what I understand, the relationship between those two men could’ve been completely skipped in the show and the story wouldn’t have been affected at all. That’s just what I’ve heard, though.
I agree that it’s a beautiful love story in a vacuum, but in the context of a larger society I think Nick Offerman’s character was a psychopath. With so many people suffering around him, he chose to hoard weapons and resources, and set up booby traps to avoid having to share with anyone. That’s essentially what the ultra-rich are doing today in response to the climate crisis, and nobody is romanticizing it.
I don’t cry anymore except when I hear Linda Ronstadt
The Tales of Ba Sing Se from S2E15 of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
It is an incredibly poignant, albeit beautiful tableau about the loss of a child in a filler episode of a Y-7 Nickelodeon show. On top of that, the voice actor whose character is at the center of this incredibly painful story was dying of esophageal cancer during the recording and the episode ends with his in memoriam.
Someone already mentioned my top favorite (Community - “Pillows and Blankets”). So I’ll have to go to my backup which is its equal.
Community - S3E04 - Remedial Chaos Theory.
Why? Because it’s the quintesential Community episode; goofiness, intelligence, absurdity, slapstick. and it all exists in one package)
I might have suggested that one instead, but I just rewatched Pillows and Blankets last night!
There’s also the Dreamatorium episode but that’s a whole other mess.
Can’t wait for the movie!
“Blink” Episode 11, season 3, Sep 3, 2007 Doctor Who
Edge of your seat. It was so enjoyable.
Watching this for the first time was so magical. I didn’t have anyone who watched the show and never used forums for discussion. So I remember just buzzing with excitement after completing the episode and having no outlet.
I felt the same way after Vincent (S5 E10). Completely aglow with such a meloncholy and powerful episode.
Ed, Edd, n Eddy
The Eds break reality
The episode focused on the Eds breaking physics by dismantling the perspective of certain objects. At one point Ed stands on what’s supposed to be a silhouette of a house far in the background, grabs the sun, and takes a bite out of it before putting it back in the sky. Eddy at one point grabs Jimmy’s outline and pulls it off causing him to melt and slip down a sewer grate.
It’s always stuck with me because that’s where my love of learning physics came from and it exemplified a lot of the tricks artists use to convey a 3d world in a 2d animation.
That episode is an extremely close second place for me. Such an amazing episode.
Life has many doors Ed boy!
It’s always sunny in Philadelphia - “The gang cracks the liberty bell”
Ah man thats an unpopular one, I’ve got to ask why? I loathe that episode and skip it everything it comes on shuffle. Mac and Charlie Die has got to be my pick for IASIP
I think it’s a great episode because Charlie really plays the “simple minded commoner” role really well, spitting in peoples faces and bartering with people over pumpkins. Macs wooden teeth scenes are hilarious. The part where they try to act like British royalty kills me. And by the end of the episode it’s just very obvious how full of shit the gang is, as usual.
Twin Peaks season 3 episode 8 comes to mind. It might not be something I want to watch over and over but it’s probably the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen on broadcast TV. A surrealism short film in the context of a series that both has a self contained story and speaks to the broad narrative of the series. Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima, Nine in Nails, The Platters’ “My Prayer” on the soundtrack? Amazing! Still to this day I can not believe the artistic freedom allowed by Showtime to create this. Jaw was on the floor for the entire episode. I’ve felt for a long time that nothing could actually be new/shocking/different on broadcast TV. This changed my mind. Nothing has even been close imho.
That was something. We watched it with a group of friends and half the people were stunned and some had no idea whats going on, but enjoyed it regardless.
Firefly s2e1. Because I daydream that fox weren’t a bunch of dicks every now and then.
Stargate SG1 S4:E06 Window of Opportunity
Tap for spoiler
Groundhog Day, but Stargate.
That sounds awesome. I watched a couple seasons of the original series, never got to SG1
… sg1 is the original series…
Ha, self burn :) It was ages ago and never got too far into it, I just know there are multiple series and made a guess.
The ones that matter are SG1, Atlantis, and Universe.
https://www.gateworld.net/news/2009/05/stargate-recommended-viewing-order/
“In the middle of my backswing?!”
Not my favorite, but it’s certainly a good one.
The Red Dwarf has so many
Dwayne Dibley’s first appearance is the most memorable for me.
The Good Place finale
I could watch it and cry every time.
I know a lot of people felt that they were kinda winging it throughout the show, but I’ve always felt that the ending in particular was planned out from the start, and was beautifully executed.
I watched that and the finale of Dark around the same time. Between them, I felt a bit distracted for the following week.
