So, I went on a hiatus with this feature while I was figuring out what I wanted it to be. Should I take the opportunity to go back and watch the highlights of these years that I hadn't seen? Did I want to try to be comprehensive with these picks?
I quickly came to the conclusion that I didn't have the time or the resources for that. It was better for me to take the more personal approach and make lists of favorites based on what I'd already seen, as if I'd made the lists at the end of the years they covered. I'll continue to watch older shows, so you will see picks from programs like "Lost" pop up here and there, but I'm not going to seek out programs specifically for this list, or put off writing these lists until I've seen certain shows.
So, find my top ten episodes for the 2013-2014 television season below, in no particular order. And a few spoilers ahead. "Breaking Bad" and "Hannibal" newbies, watch your step.
Review, "Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes" - "Review" was a black comedy, but it wasn't clear how dark it was willing to go, or how much Forrest MacNeil was going to involve his personal life in his absurd reviews, until this episode rolled around. Bookending the divorce segment with the two deranged pancake segments is perfect, emphasizing the cruelly arbitrary nature of the forces that Forrest has allowed to take over his life.
Game of Thrones, "The Mountain and the Viper" - Pedro Pascal became a star thanks to his role as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season, and he got one of the show's most memorable fight sequences. The buildup to the climactic clash was perfect, with the stakes slowly being raised until everyone was ready to see the Mountain go down. Arguably, this was the high point of the entire show, and the last big surprise that the showrunners pulled off.
Orange is the New Black, "The Chickening" - I didn't watch much of "Orange is the New Black," but this one always stuck with me for the way it deftly humanizes so many of the characters, like Kate Mulgrew's Red. This can be treated as a transitional episode of sorts, where the narrative becomes less concerned with Piper, and spends more time on the diverse community around her, The Diaz ladies get the spotlight and Pennsatucky makes her first appearance in this episode.
Kitchen Nightmares, "Amy's Baking Company" - Reality programming doesn't make many appearances on these lists, but occasionally there is a cultural milestone so undeniable that to leave it off would be unthinkable. So it is with this episode of "Kitchen Nightmares," a show I don't normally watch or enjoy. However, there are some television trainwrecks that are so infamous that they are transcendent. Behold, the folly of Gordon Ramsay and the madness of Amy and Samy Bouzaglo.
Person of Interest, "The Devil's Share" - The third season of "Person of Interest" had a run of fantastic episodes, including one of the best exits I've ever seen for a regular on a network show. This episode is about the aftermath, where the good guys are embracing rage, retribution, and a lot of wrath as part of the grieving process. However, what makes it an all timer is Enrico Colantoni's badass villain monologue at the end, when we find out who actually gets to see justice done.
True Detective, "Who Goes There" - I'm making the obvious choice with "True Detective," the show that made the TV/movie star distinction obsolete, and choosing the most technically impressive episode. This is the one with the famous six-minute long take action sequence, a hallmark of the work of director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Within the narrative, it's something of a digression, but it's also indicative of the momentum ramping up and the past starting to catch up to the present.
Community, "Cooperative Polygraphy" - I wasn't planning on picking anything from the rocky fifth season of "Community," but then I stumbled across the COVID table read of this no-frills bottle episode, with Pedro Pascal filling in for Walton Goggins, and I remembered how much fun it was. The absence of Chevy Chase's Pierce is milked for all its worth, and I'm not smart enough to make the obvious sperm sample joke here. Let's just say the best was made of a ridiculous situation.
Breaking Bad, "Ozymandias" - Walter White has his day of reckoning, and it's spectacular. His entire criminal enterprise has fallen apart, the police are closing in, and the fallout is affecting all of his remaining relationships. Every single goodbye, from Hank and Jesse to Skyler, Walt Jr., and even baby Holly is absolutely gutting. Directed by Rian Johnson, the episode is tense, full of little misdirections, and very good at ramping up the emotional intensity to dizzying heights.
Mad Men, "Waterloo" - The moon landing episode, which features the farewell performance of Robert Morse as Bert Cooper, singing "The Best Things in Life Are Free" as he dances off into the unknown. As the show prepared for its final stretch, Don found himself in another round of corporate politicking, escaping the executioner's axe again, and facing another divorce. However, some changes are inevitable, and the season ends with Don facing both mortality and the 1970s.
Hannibal, "Mizumono" - Let's end with one of the most jawdropping season finales ever aired on network television. The bloody culmination of the second season of "Hannibal" involves a showdown with all the remaining players at Lecter's house. In hindsight, it would have had so much more impact if the show had ended right here, with four major characters on the brink of death, and a serial killer at large and seemingly invincible.
Honorable Mention:
Doctor Who, "The Day of the Doctor"
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