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Macaroni_ninja @lemmy.world

What is your favourite episode of a TV show, and why?

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 :)

161 comments

  • 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.

    • I watched all of Twin Peaks because I was interested in the hype around David Lynch and wanted to see his most recent work.

      This episode made it all worth it.

  • Favorite might be a strong term but definitely the most impactful was the episode or two where Bojack Horseman discussed miscarriages because I was watching through the series on a depressive streak after experiencing such a thing in my own life when I got to that part.

  • This is a tough one. My go-to is usually that episode of the IT Crowd. Second on my mind is Breaking Bad's Ozymandias, but someone already said that.

    So, I have to pick two to tie for first.

    It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S3E1 - "The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby"

    There's a lot of perfectly written IASIP episodes, but this is probably my favorite. Every little detail is perfect, and I think it's better than the pilot at showing the characters' personalities. We have Mac and Dee trying to take care of a baby together, Charlie and Frank becoming homeless because they can't stop collecting garbage, and Dennis seeking revenge on a hippie because he got called out.

    The Office S6E9 - "Murder"

    This is a much-needed break in the middle of a tense overarching plot about DM's finances. It's not the best Office episode, but it's probably the best Michael episode. There are episodes like "Scott's Tots" that are iconic because he learns a lesson the hard way. But this episode is one of the few where we see Michael take action. The entire office is miserable so what do we do? Play a game and do funny voices. It's a Michael activity through and through, but he uses it to help the office take their minds off a bad situation. It's also one of the only times during the comanagement arc that Jim and Michael really synergize. Really funny, super sweet, and some of the best lines in the series.

    I think about these jokes almost daily:

  • A Dark Quiet Death from Mythic Quest.

    Nearly totally removed from the rest of the show, it's about relationships, sacrifice, integrity, compromise. For a comedy show about video games, this episode hit hard and made me reflect on past relationships and really broke me down. A reminder to take responsibility of your actions when you feel like the blame is external.

    Then there's a very brief end scene that puts it in context with the regular cast.

    This episode should have won an award.

  • The Late Philip J Fry in Futurama. It's a really sweet but sad episode, and I loved how they explored all the different eras. Episodes which involve Farnsworth's wacky inventions are always my faves!

  • I really enjoyed the episode Forks from The Bear, particularly after the traumatic gut punch that was Fishes. Hit close to home and didn't expect a Taylor Swift song to break me, much less in a GOOD way.

161 comments