My Top Ten Episodes of 2009-2010

Below, find my top ten episodes for the 2009-2010 television season below, in no particular order.  And a few spoilers ahead, including "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad."  I

Community, "Modern Warfare" - The first paintball episode is my favorite episode of "Community," thanks in large part to director Justin Lin, who perfectly executes all the action movie spoof sequences.  The cherry on the cake is Ken Jeong channeling Chow Young Fat as he faces off against Jeff and Britta with multiple paintball firearms and even a paintball IED.  None of the subsequent paintball episodes came close to topping this.

Torchwood: Children of Earth, "Day One" - One of the best things to ever come out of the "Doctor Who" franchise was this five episode event miniseries that served as the third series of "Torchwood."  It presents an engrossing invasion scenario targeting Earth's children, with a troubling moral dilemma at its center.  My favorite episode is the first with the initial worldwide threat being unveiled, and Captain Jack's team racing to figure out what's going on.

Doctor Who, "Vincent and the Doctor" - "Doctor Who" was having a very good season itself.  "Vincent and the Doctor" is one of the highlights of the Matt Smith era, written by Richard Curtis, and featuring guest appearances from Bill Nighy and Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh.  It's a little art history lesson, a little wish fulfillment, and a little reminder of the immutability of human existence.  It's my favorite "Who" encounter with a historical figure to date.

Mad Men, "Shut the Door. Have a Seat" - I love a heist episode, and this is exactly what this episode is, as the Sterling Cooper staff gather their allies, raid the offices, and strike out on their own as a new agency under Roger, Bert, Lance, and Don.  The irony is that this is also the episode where Betty engineers her exit from her marriage and makes her own escape.  Runner up in this excellent season was "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency," for the unexpected carnage.

Breaking Bad, "One Minute" - The third season of "Breaking Bad" had "Full Measure" and "Fly," but pound for pound the most entertaining and memorable episode of the season was all about Hank Schrader, featuring his revenge against Jesse and its ugly aftermath.  Most of the episode is about Hank versus Jesse, and the tension is running so high, you almost forget about the other lurking danger in this episode - which all comes to a head with the explosive ending.

30 Rock, "Anna Howard Shaw Day" - This is the one where Liz Lemon is stuck at the dentist on her least favorite holiday trying to get a ride home, with that priceless ending tag with the Jamaican nurses.  However, I like the B-plot with Jack trying to impress Avery just as much.  And the C-plot with Jenna and her ex-stalkier ain't shabby either.  Very good use of cameos here.  And "Klaus and Greta" with James Franco and his body pillow is our runner up.

Dollhouse, "Epitaph One" - Technically this was never broadcast in the US, but it was in the UK, so I'm counting it as a summer of 2009 release.  This was our first glimpse into the show's dystopian future, quickly doing a ton of worldbuilding and giving us hints of what happened to all of the series regulars via memory flashbacks and encounters with their future versions.  The most touching is DeWitt and Topher's scene, recounting the way the world ended.

The Office, "Niagara"  - Okay, the best episode of this season is probably "Scott's Tots" based on the sheer gutsiness of airing something with that amount of cringe.  However, I'm a softie and I'm picking the double episode with Jim and Pam's wedding.  There are so many great moments here, from Andy trying to do the splits, to Jim cutting his tie in half, and the viral video recreation, and of course the actual wedding itself - both versions! 

Dexter, "The Getaway" - This was the last I saw of "Dexter" for a long time, the final episode of the Trinity Killer season.  And though I enjoyed the show, I'm glad I stopped where I did, because how could "Dexter" have ever topped this?  John Lithgow and Michael C. Hall are taking no prisoners, and the ending delivers one of the series' best shocks.  I will elaborate no further, because this is one spoiler I will take no chances with.

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, "Finale" - It didn't last for very long, but I watched as much of Conan O'Brien's stint as host of "The Tonight Show" as I could.  He definitely had one of the most memorable exits, inviting Will Ferrell, Beck, ZZ Top, and friends to close out the show with a rousing rendition of "Freebird."

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