Below, find my top ten episodes for the 2003-2004 television season below, in no particular order. A few spoilers lie ahead, including for one of the more upsetting episodes of "The Sopranos."
Wonderfalls, "Wax Lion" - Let's start with the premiere episode of "Wonderfalls," the short-lived fantasy series from Bryan Fuller and Todd Holland, starring a wonderfully deadpan Caroline Dhavernas as a twenty-something in post-grad purgatory who starts hearing voices. Only four episodes ever aired in the US - the back nine were Canadian exclusives - but I never forgot about this collection of characters and the weird, fanciful little universe that they inhabited.
"Battlestar Galactica" - The miniseries that kicked off the reboot aired in 2003, and remains my favorite part of the whole saga. The destruction of Caprica and the hurried escape mean plenty of action and incident, quickly setting expectations and showing us how this version of "Galactica" is different from the original. The Cylons are more human, more intelligent, and more dangerous, while the depictions of space travel and warfare are far bleaker and more harrowing.
Paranoia Agent, "Happy Family Planning" - Satoshi Kon's anthology series about a group of troubled people who end up participating in a mass delusion is one of the best things to have ever come out of anime. The "Happy Family Planning" episode is one of the least connected to the main plot, following the adventures of three strangers, who have formed a suicide pact, as they seek to kill themselves together. It is dark, surprising, and in the end strangely touching.
Mythbusters, "Stinky Car" - The early episodes of "Mythbusters" were so much fun. The show hadn't really settled on any particular formula yet, and the experiments could get really gnarly. I don't know why anyone thought testing a myth about cleaning a car after bodies decomposed in it would be a good idea, but it made for some incredible - and disgusting television. Seeing the aftermath of two pig carcasses on a Corvette was fascinating and really, really gross.
The Sopranos, "Long Term Parking" - Final spoiler warnings here. We have to talk about Adriana. I knew that her exit was coming long in advance, and Christopher was obviously going to betray her, but so much of the effectiveness of her death comes from the hit still feeling like it comes out of nowhere. The sequence of events from Christopher losing his nerve at the gas station, to the call from Tony, to Adriana in the car with Silvio is so fast that you don't really have time to react.
The Wire, "All Prologue" - This is the one where they put Omar on the stand as a witness for the DA. He proceeds to take over the court room, clap back against attempts to cross-examine him, and deliver a fantastic monologue about how he views the American legal system. I still have no idea whether he lied on the stand or not. However, the episode ends on a dark note with the death of D'Angelo, ending his tragic arc and our time with one of the show's best characters.
Carnivale, "Babylon" - This is my favorite episode of the series, one that has little to do with the larger storylines, but profoundly impacts several characters. It's simply a brief stopover at a creepy, seemingly abandoned town, where a tragedy occurs and the troupe ends up leaving something behind. Like the best ghost stories, it's more melancholy and unnerving than actually frightening. The funeral sequence and the chilling final scene have stayed with me ever since.
Arrested Development, "Top Banana" - This was only the second episode of the show, but it was already firing on all cylinders. The amount of quotable lines is nuts. "There's always money in the banana stand." "No touching." Tobias trying to do Steve Martin. GOB trying to mail a letter. Patrice O'Neal as T-Bone. Also, I have to give a shoutout to one of the best visual gags I've ever seen, the "DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT" bag. Really, Michael. What did you expect?
Futurama, "Farnsworth Parabox" - I am such a nerd, and this episode is for the nerds. The story involves parallel universe theory, which means everyone rapidly encountering all these different versions of themselves from gold Bender to hippie Professor Farnsworth to that one universe where everyone has giant bobble heads. The interactions are priceless stuff - sometimes you can only truly know yourself when you actually have to spend time with yourself.
Angel, "Not Fade Away" - The end of the Buffyverse is a mixed bag, but I do love that it goes out with all the surviving good guys about to go into battle against the monsters, intent on fighting their good fight all the way to the end. It's an hour full of exits, big and small, leaving the door open for a sixth season that never came. I'm glad in a way, because some of these goodbyes were too good not to stick. That last scene with Wesley seeing Fred again in particular.
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