The perfect TV-episodes

[Babel-17]

Booo you guys mentioned all the episodes I was going to

Lost: The End. Very emotional. The perfect ending. Try and beat that showrunners! (Yes, I know several people hated it, but those mostly fell out of love with the show, long, long, before the final episode).
Buffy: A bunch of episodes, typically being directed by Whedon himself, were breathtaking!
Firefly: Out of Gas. Perfectly weaving three timeframes.

Oh, oh, I remembered one;
Babylon 5: Intersections in Real Time. This was one of the most chilling things I've ever seen in a series and for that reason it's B5's most memorable episode for me.

I agree with Intersections in Real Time as being one of the best. I've posted a scene from it on several occasions so as to make a point.

Ed "Mr. Morden " Wasser starred in a short film on youtube that gave a strong tip of the hat to that episode. I gave it a thread here, fwiw.

http://jmsnews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41663

yes, "Intersections" (and B5) was an inspiration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKz4pvq8kZU

[Jonas]

I think Severed Dreams is perhaps the best example I've ever seen in television of tension building, building, building... and then exploding, with massive payoff. So many shows these days try to build up to these massive cliffhangers, but then quickly take a step back (BSG being a prime example). Severed Dreams is so amazing because it's the moment when everything changes and you can't ever go back to the status quo anymore.

[Ubik]

Okay, I'm going to add one from a series I'm currently watching. I've been ill as a dog all weekend with norovirus, so binge watched a good chunk of Person of Interest on Netflix. Have been casually watching the series as 'chill out' viewing and it's held my attention quite well.

I just hit the S4 episode 'If Then Else' and wow, it had me choking up at two points. The final scene just left me in tears. Didn't realise how much I'd grown to love the characters. Good TV. Definite high point of the show so far, in terms of writing and direction.

[babylonlurker]

Okay, I'm going to add one from a series I'm currently watching. I've been ill as a dog all weekend with norovirus, so binge watched a good chunk of Person of Interest on Netflix. Have been casually watching the series as 'chill out' viewing and it's held my attention quite well.

I just hit the S4 episode 'If Then Else' and wow, it had me choking up at two points. The final scene just left me in tears. Didn't realise how much I'd grown to love the characters. Good TV. Definite high point of the show so far, in terms of writing and direction.

I got that in episode 3.10 as well (Carter).

[Satai with Punsch]

Lots of new suggestions since I popped by last time. I do agree with Out of Gas as well as The Body. Several of the ones you mention I have never seen unfortunately. Jeremiah especially. I had heard of JMS experience and did not bother with the show as a result. But you guys think it is worth a try?


There is quite a few episodes here that I am unfamiliar with, so feel free to edit and add as you like.

So far we have:


-Babylon 5: Sleeping in Light, Intersections in Real Time, Severed Dreams
-Fringe: An Enemy of Fate, A Short Story About Love, An Enemy of Fate
-M.a.s.h.: Final episode, second half
-Blakes 7: Final episode
-Firefly: Objects in Space, Out of Gas
-Buffy: Restless (s4), The Body
-Person of interest: If then else (s4), Carter (3.4)
-Lost: the Finale, White Tulip, Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,
-Stargate Universe: Epilogue
-Jeremiah: Finale

[babylonlurker]

Lots of new suggestions since I popped by last time. I do agree with Out of Gas as well as The Body. Several of the ones you mention I have never seen unfortunately. Jeremiah especially. I had heard of JMS experience and did not bother with the show as a result. But you guys think it is worth a try?


There is quite a few episodes here that I am unfamiliar with, so feel free to edit and add as you like.

So far we have:


-Babylon 5: Sleeping in Light, Intersections in Real Time, Severed Dreams
-Fringe: An Enemy of Fate, A Short Story About Love, An Enemy of Fate
-M.a.s.h.: Final episode, second half
-Blakes 7: Final episode
-Firefly: Objects in Space, Out of Gas
-Buffy: Restless (s4), The Body
-Person of interest: If then else (s4), Carter (3.4)
-Lost: the Finale, White Tulip, Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,
-Stargate Universe: Epilogue
-Jeremiah: Finale

One comment : The episode "White Tulip"is from Fringe, not Lost. Otherwise this looks like a good list.

[Ubik]

Jeremiah especially. I had heard of JMS experience and did not bother with the show as a result. But you guys think it is worth a try?

Many will likely disagree with me, but personally, I was never that fond of Jeremiah I did see the entire series too. It was okay, nothing more, nothing less. It just never really seemed to go beyond fairly mediocre post apocalyptic stuff, and my girlfriend and I had a running joke about Jeremiah 'helping' women, which would almost always culminate in him sleeping with them! Hahaha... I doubt it's aged that well. No real desire to re-watch it. There's better TV out there. I think we often settle for less than what we should with SF TV.

[Jan]

Many will likely disagree with me, but personally, I was never that fond of Jeremiah I did see the entire series too. It was okay, nothing more, nothing less. It just never really seemed to go beyond fairly mediocre post apocalyptic stuff, and my girlfriend and I had a running joke about Jeremiah 'helping' women, which would almost always culminate in him sleeping with them! Hahaha... I doubt it's aged that well. No real desire to re-watch it. There's better TV out there. I think we often settle for less than what we should with SF TV.

Everybody's taste is different, of course but yeah, I'm one to disagree with you on that. Now, as usual, season one was hit and miss with me but I noticed right away that it was the Sam Egan episodes that were so sadly predictable (with one exception, iirc). Season two, though? Loved pretty much every minute. Loved Mister Smith. Loved that Kurdy got more to do. Loved the twist with Jeremiah's girlfriend. Would have loved to see more. But yeah, next time I pull out the DVDs I'm likely to to skip the Sam Egan eps.

[sense8ional]

I finished Jeremiah a few days ago and I thought it was pretty cool. What I liked the most was the interaction of Jeremiah, Kurdy and later Smith, other stuff not so much. I definitely recommend a watch as I had fun and the plot did go somewhere, unlike the short lived Crusade.

However, yes, thank you Ubik, Luke Perry getting laid with a new woman every other episode while "helping" them (oh god I'm getting flashbacks from that awful brothel/circus episode, or how about the twins one?!), definitely confused the hell out of me.

[sarthaz]

Since I made the comment in the other thread about perfect episodes, I guess I should chime in with the ones I was thinking about at the time. I adore Buffy, and The Body is one of my favorite episodes of television ever. "Mom? Mom? Mommy?". Brilliant. Earshot, Hush, Conversations with Dead People, Once More with Feeling ... all just wonderful and creative television. Not sure I'd call any of these perfect, though. In fact, the more I think about it, the more discriminating I get. The West Wing's Two Cathedrals is spectacular, as is Twenty Five. Every single episode of The Wire, Band of Brothers, and From the Earth to the Moon could make any top list. Lost, Alias, and Battlestar Galactica all collapsed under their self-righteous mythologies, but their pilot episodes were among the best television we've ever seen. Pine Barrens, Ozymandias, Rains of Castamere, I could list HBO episodes until the forum crashes. And what about comedies? How could I make a list without Chuckles, and Over the River, and The Contest, and Lucy Does a TV Commercial.

So when I think about it, when I really think about it, I have to stop my list at two. Two perfect episodes of television. Babylon 5's Sleeping in Light and Six Feet Under's Everyone's Waiting.

[Delenn_of_Mir]

Watch out here comes the thread killer "whoa -ohhhh, whoa -ohhhhh"

All of Babylon 5 is my perfect episode, starting from the gathering, through the movies and novels and ending with SIL.

The pilot episode of the 4400 was really good, it's still the best pilot episode I've ever seen. The show goes downhill from there, although I still really liked the rest of it, even if they had to finish it in novels.

Farscape's "Peacekeeper Wars" miniseries that they did after the show was prematurely canceled, was pretty darn perfect, in my estimation.

Once More With Feeling, my fave Buffy episode, of all time!!!!!

And Tara's first episode, the one where there's no dialogue and the uber creepy "Gentlemen".

Oh, and I have to mention "Borealis" a canadian pilot movie that wasn't picked up for series, but was totally perfect, also. They gave it a frelling stupid new name for the dvd, but "Borealis" is its real title.

And um, oh yeah - did I mention Babylon 5?

[Ubik]

Every single episode of The Wire

This. That show pretty much re-wrote the book on 'good television'.

[sarthaz]

Farscape's "Peacekeeper Wars" miniseries that they did after the show was prematurely canceled, was pretty darn perfect, in my estimation.

I didn't enjoy "Peacekeeper Wars" that much, but the preceding "Bad Timing" is spectacular. On its own, it's probably the best episode of the series, but taken in the context of Bonnie Hammer's dismantling of the Sci-Fi Channel and the cast/crew's knowledge that they'd been lied to and cheated out a 5th Season, it becomes something truly special, because they had the time to change it and they didn't. They changed the name of the episode to reflect the circumstances and then delivered the most badass cliffhanger followed by a giant middle finger to Hammer in the form of "To Be Continued ..." It was so good that I would have been OK with it being the last Farscape we ever saw, and that's high praise.

[WorkerCaste]

In addition to the M.A.S.H. finale, I'd put up a couple of other ground-breaking episodes.

Season 7 - Point of View - all done form the POV of a wounded soldier who couldn't speak due to his injury.

Season 8 - Life time - An episode done in real time

[Satai with Punsch]

We have a nice list. I've put in a few of the ones mentioned earlier. Sarthaz mentioned a lot, so I was not sure which to put in, but feel free to add any ones you like to the list.

The question becomes, what makes an episode perfect? If we are talking great I can put in a bundle, the whole of Firefly for example, but perfect? To me it is an episode that makes you forget the outside world while viewing and at the same time you cant find anything that could have been made a little better. Everything is, well, perfect. But it also have to work somewhat as a stand alone and not be dependent on other episodes to "make the greatness".



-Babylon 5: Sleeping in Light, Intersections in Real Time, Severed Dreams
-Fringe: An Enemy of Fate, A Short Story About Love, An Enemy of Fate, White Tulip
-M.a.s.h.: Final episode, second half, Point of View (s7), Life time (s8)
-Blakes 7: Final episode
-Firefly: Objects in Space, Out of Gas
-Buffy: Restless (s4), The Body, Once More With Feeling, Gentlemen
-Person of interest: If then else (s4), Carter (3.4)
-Lost: the Finale, Tricia Tanaka Is Dead,
-Stargate Universe: Epilogue
-Jeremiah: Finale
-Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars, Bad Timing
-Six Feet Under: Everyone's Waiting