Below, find my top ten episodes for the 2015-2016 television season, in no particular order. And spoilers ahead.
Documentary Now! "Sandy Passage" - The very first episode of "Documentary Now!" is an irresistible spoof of the beloved cult documentary "Grey Gardens," with Bill Hader and Fred Armisen in drag. I was initially not a fan of the ending, which struck me as tasteless, but it grew on me over time. The subjects of the real documentary were portrayed as pitiable grotesques, and it seems only right that the fictional versions should enact their spiritual revenge on the filmmakers.
Mr. Robot, "eps1.0 hellofriend.mov" - The pilot of "Mr. Robot" had enough intriguing elements to get me through two very rough seasons before I had to take a break. I think Elliot is still Rami Malek's best role, a disassociating, alienated, cyberpunk renegade with serious mental health issues. His rambling internal monologues reveal his paranoia, but also hit upon some uncomfortable truths of the first online generation. And they set the tone for a show that still feels very of the now.
Fargo, "Loplop" - This is not my favorite season of "Fargo," but this is my favorite episode. Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Zahn McCarnon, and Jeffrey Donovan are all at their best negotiating a tricky, absurd hostage situation where the villainous Dodd Gerhardt meets his match in an actualized Peggy Blumquist. The episode is a totally unpredictable high-wire act of nervous tension, hilarious role-reversals, sudden violence, and well-earned comeuppance for all parties involved.
The Americans, "The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears" - Every plan and mission in this episode goes right, but at the same time everything is going wrong, with the Jennings family hitting their emotional limits and threatening to fall apart. Juggling so many relationships and lies and obligations comes to a head at last, the tensions spill over into a full blown fight between Philp and Elizabeth that was a long time coming. Goodbye Martha.
The Leftovers, "International Assassin" - Dream episodes are tricky things, but "The Leftovers" has always been a show that deals in symbols and existential themes particularly well. Justin Theroux's Kevin might be dead, but in this episode he's currently an assassin tasked with killing an old foe - except that foe in this world is a little girl. Part vision quest, part "Dante's Inferno," part wrapping up unfinished business, and a whole lot of emotional catharsis, say goodbye to Patti for good this time.
Better Call Saul, "Nailed" and "Klick" - I couldn't pick between them. These two episodes from the show's second season should be watched together anyway, as Jimmy and Chuck's relationship hits a particularly bad patch when Jimmy sabotages Chuck's work. And Chuck will not take the loss. It's jawdropping to see how far Chuck is willing to go to prove he's right, and Michael McKean performance is a tour de force. And the fact that Chuck actually is right makes it all the more painful.
Saturday Night Live, "Ryan Gosling/Leon Bridges" - Ryan Gosling had never hosted SNL before, and of course not everything in the episode works, but two of the sketches turned out to be all-timers. One is "Santa Baby," where Gosling and Vanessa Bayer believe in Santa way too hard. The other is the very first "Close Encounter" sketch, where Kate McKinnon plays an abductee, makes everyone else in the room break, and cements herself as one of the SNL greats of this era.
Game of Thrones, "Battle of the Bastards" - Arguably the best battle episode that "Game of Thrones" ever produced, both because of the excellent depiction of the warfare, and because of the immense satisfaction of finally seeing Ramsay Bolton go down. The intensity of the hand-to-hand combat was unusual, setting the episode apart from the show's previous big action-heavy installments. And I love that Sansa got to be the one to really stick it to Ramsay in the end.
The Chris Gethard Show, "One Man's Trash" - Quite possibly the greatest unscripted episode of television of all time. Chris Gethard and his crew simply want the audience to guess what's in a dumpster before the episode ends. The twists and the turns and the switching of sides and the ratcheting tension make this very silly comedy show into a total nail-biter by the end. Special kudos to the guest stars, Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas, who help to spur on the madness.
The X-Files, "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster" - Finally, the best part of "The X-files" revival was definitely Darin Morgan getting to write and direct two more episodes. In this monster-of-the-week spoof, the monster is a were-creature who is cursed to turn into a human. Played by Rhys Darby, this tragic figure is both poignant and hilarious. As for the episode, it's chock full of Easter Eggs, superfan Kumail Nanjiani gets a role, and Mulder gets his mojo back.
Honorable Mention: "The Jinx" - While I'm on the side of those who question the tactics of the people who put this documentary together, that final admission at the end of the very last episode was undeniably a bombshell - one of the greatest gets I've ever seen in this kind of investigative piece.
--
No comments:
Post a Comment