The Aftermath: Your Comments
Posted on February 9, 2008
Because the countdown attracted a small amount of interest, I see no harm in showing some of the reader questions and comments I received (primarily from responses to entries in my personal blog).
It looks like you know what you’re talking about in regards to the telly. I wish I had enough spare time and patience. – Scott
Patience is a fickle thing. I mean, I endured the whole seventh season of Gilmore Girls (and was rewarded with a couple of diamonds in the rough), but couldn’t last more than a few episodes of Bionic Woman. Most of the time, though, it’s not really patience. It’s more that I enjoy what I’m watching, getting past the fact that there will inevitably be bad episodes from time to time.
I love Gilmore Girls. Great show, not to mention Alexis Bledel is smokin’. Smallville has lost some of its thunder, but it’s still hot, especially the new season like Clark and Lana making the world shake [during sex]. – Vincent
By now, you know where I stand on Gilmore Girls, so I’ll move onto Smallville. Being honest, I’ve not been impressed with its latest season. Season 6 was pretty solid overall with the introduction of the Green Arrow (and having Lex finally showing signs of going into the dark side), as well as some great episodes in “Reunion”, “Justice”, and “Freak”, but now it feels like the writers are running out of ideas. All of a sudden, we have a gazillion Kryptonians, and I still think Lana’s outstaying her welcome with no importance other than to delay Clark’s step to becoming Superman. I don’t find it at all surprising to see that the show has hit series low ratings this time, either. Each to his own, though. It’s great to see that you’re still enjoying it.
(Re: #13 – All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I) How great to have Supernatural come in at lucky thirteen! So well deserved, of course. I’d have picked “In My Time of Dying”, “What Is and What Should Never Be”, and “All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II” amongst my favourite episodes, but in reality, all of them are great. Yes, Jensen Ackles is phenomenal [when Sam dies], but you ain’t seen nothing if you haven’t seen the rest of his amazing performances as Dean Winchester. This truly is the role he was meant to play, and he finally has the writing support to showcase what an amazing actor he is.
The beauty of this show is how every episode gives us action, drama, horror, and great brotherly insights, and then every so often, they throw in these deeply moving, very emotional angst moments that take your breath away and reveal even more about the Winchesters. Jensen and Jared [Padalecki] are mesmerizing, accomplished actors, and the writers of Supernatural give them the material to consistently knock it out of the ballpark. Supernatural is the best show on TV, and everyone needs to tune in and see what they’ve been missing. – bjxmas
This is what I mean when I say Supernatural has some of the most devoted, passionate, and crazy fans I’ve ever seen (this isn’t a dig – I’m rather jealous, because there isn’t a show that I’m just as fond as you are for Supernatural). You’ve summed up the show surprisingly well, though, behind all the gushing praise (whether it’s deserved or not, that’s up for debate…I’ll shut up now before I get shot). It excels in a lot of areas, and is genuinely creepy at times. Sure, the dialogue is occasionally clunky and Jared Padalecki’s acting is a little weak at times (…and I think I’ve signed my death warrant), but that’s not enough to keep me from looking forward to each episode every week. I totally agree that the writers do an excellent job at continuing to make the brotherly bond really genuine and heartfelt. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” is the perfect example.
For the record, “In My Time of Dying” is a 2006 episode. If it were a 2007, I’m sure it’d make my top ten. Speaking of my top ten, you must be delighted that “What Is and What Should Never Be” ended up with such a lofty position, and even more so that I’ve credited Jensen Ackles so much in that particular commentary that I’m starting to sound like you.
(Re: #16 – My Musical) “Lack of depth, emotion, and storytelling”… WTF? Every episode is built on all three? Am I misunderstood? – themovi3nut
Now, there’s two ways of interpreting your question. I’ll assume you’re sane and pretend you asked, “wait, are you being silly and stating that each Scrubs episode is built on depth, emotion, and storytelling?” I was merely comparing Scrubs’ musical with Buffy’s. Scrubs is a comedy through and through, so one wouldn’t expect it to produce a musical anywhere near on the same level as “Once More, with Feeling”. But like I said, “My Musical” isn’t meant to be compared to it – dare I say, the pinnacle of one of the greatest series ever (that’s right, not “Becoming, Part II” or “The Body”!) – and I did compliment it a huge amount by providing excellent mindless fun and entertainment. If you had asked, “but wait, isn’t each Scrubs episode built on depth, emotion, and storytelling?” we’d be here all day as I have the inability to stop ranting.
Pushing Daisies is a great show and that episode was indeed worthy of a mention, but I am surprised not a single House episode made your list. I am particularly referring to the one with “Big Love” getting Cuddy’s panties. Great list, though. I definitely enjoyed reading through it. – Jon
Thanks for the compliment. I agree that “You Don’t Want to Know” (the House episode you were referring to) was particularly strong, but along with “Half-Wit”, “Act Your Age” (I’m a sucker for House-Wilson interactions), and “Alone”, they missed the cut. However, did you know that “Three Stories” topped my 2005 list?
It’s funny that Dexter is #1, because that’s the one show I didn’t recognise at first, but then I realised [the first season] doesn’t premiere until later [this month in the US]. – Tyler
You need cable! Showtime’s where Dexter’s at, unless we’re talking about the show’s terrestrial debut on CBS (which will undoubtedly be inferior with all the editing and cutting due to swearing and nudity). So yeah, you need cable, because I’m confident that the original, uncensored episodes will remain far, far superior.
(Re: #3 – Through the Looking Glass) That episode of Lost really was unbelievable. I bet the person in the casket is Charlie, but that would be kind of predictable. – Tish
Actually, I’d say the person in the casket would be boring, and the option not many people would be expecting because of that reason. Having seen the first two episodes of the fourth season, I’m willing to bet reasonable money that the deceased is someone amongst the “Oceanic Six”. Maybe he/she was driven to suicide because of the guilt at leaving “them” behind on the island – the very same guilt that has made Jack suicidal? As for “them”, I’m confident its Abbadon’s recruits (the four parachutists).
(Re: Top Ten) Well, since I don’t watch “TV” (I’m a kid at heart and watch Cartoon Network, The Simpsons, Family Guy, George Lopez, and anything else that looks interesting), I might as well comment with something interesting like: Two of these episode titles are by Guns ‘N Roses and Led Zeppelin respectively. But in all seriousness, Dexter sounds like a thrilling show. - Eddy
To anyone not in the know, Eddy’s referring to “Welcome to the Jungle” (Guns ‘N Roses) and “What Is and What Should Never Be” (Led Zeppelin). “Wishin’ and Hopin’” is a Dusty Springfield song, too, I believe. And yes, Dexter is awesome.
(Re: #5 – Company Man) Good choice on the Heroes episode. It wasn’t my favourite from the whole season, but a tense and exciting episode nonetheless. – Paul
My main beef with Heroes – even though it’s a great show on the whole – is that it’s split up into so many initially unrelated sub-plots. What I neglected to say in my commentary for “Company Man” was that another reason why I loved it so much was because it spent the entire duration on one storyline. The attention the Bennets received really showed. That’s not to say the other episodes are bad and lacking depth – that’s certainly not the case – but there’s a real difference. Also, if there’s a sub-plot that you’re generally not interested in (e.g. Hiro searching for the sword; Simone in general), that’s obviously going to negatively impact your impression of the episode, depending on how much screentime and how little advancement these stories get within that timeframe. Of course, the advantage of having many of these sub-plots running beside each other is that storylines tend to progress faster (unless they’re filler).
On the other side of the coin is Lost. That particular show has undergone a lot of criticism in the past for not progressing the story fast enough or not answering enough questions. As I’m sure you’ll know even if you don’t watch the show, each character tends to get an episode to themselves before the spotlight moves onto the next the following week. Quite the opposite of what Heroes does, but the key to why Lost beats it in character development. To summarise? Both storytelling techniques have their strengths and weaknesses.
(Re: Top Ten) I liked the third episode a little bit more than the first for Pushing Daisies myself, but I picked the pilot for my [own top ten list of 2007 episodes], because I thought it was an original concept, and it was a more refreshing experience, since it was the first episode. “Wishin’ and Hopin’” was a great episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and “Company Man” from Heroes came so close to making my top ten as well. As for #3 and #1, you know I loved those. I just realised that my #1 was third on your list, and my #3 was first. That’s pretty cool! – Anthony
Just in case any of you were curious, his #2 was 24’s 9–10AM hour (at #11 on my list), #4 was Heroes’ “Landslide”, #5 was “Rosemary’s Baby” of 30 Rock, #6 and #7 were “The Deposition” and “Local Ad” respectively from The Office, #8 was Prison Break’s “Sweet Caroline”, #9 was “Crash Into Me, Part I” from Grey’s (my #25), and #10 was Pushing Daisies’ pilot, “Pie-lette”.
A man after my own heart, it seems.
Top 30 Television Episodes of 2007: 20-11
Posted on January 16, 2008
20. Gilmore Girls – To Whom It May Concern (Season 7, Episode 12)
I’m going to risk being mobbed by all the fans here and say that I never really got into Gilmore Girls. Too many annoying minor characters to take the show seriously. It probably isn’t a coincidence that one of the rare few episodes that I loved saw no Lane, Michel, or Kirk. Then again, it might have been the fact that Christopher finds Lorelai’s character reference for Luke, the one that had her spewing all the qualities she sees in Luke that she wishes to see in her husband. A heartbroken Christopher quite rightly states that it read “almost like a love letter”. In addition, “To Whom It May Concern” achieves an unprecedented first for the show by making the wait for next week’s episode excruciatingly slow after Richard’s unexpected collapse during one of Rory’s lectures.
19. Smallville – Freak (Season 6, Episode 15)
A lot of people have been raving about “Justice” being the highlight of Season 6. While I agree it was a terrific hour of entertainment (with the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Green Arrow, and Superman all banding together to take down 33.1, how can it not be awesome?), my personal highlight was “Freak”, Michael Rosenbaum’s debut as a director and a Chloe-centric episode in which she discovers that she’s the very thing she used to document on her very own Wall of Weird: a meteor freak. Better paced and filled with more tension – Clark heat-visioning you? Triple ouch – “Freak” serves as key groundwork for the season finale at the dam. It’s also an increasingly rare episode where Lana Lang becomes surprisingly likeable for one week. Rosenbaum, sir, you are a genius.
18. How I Met Your Mother – Spoiler Alert (Season 3, Episode 8 )
Remember when I said “Showdown” (#22) didn’t quite reach the level of “Slap Bet”? That missing ingredient can be found right in “Spoiler Alert” – an episode about bad habits and how you generally don’t notice them until someone points it out to you. Though this particular half-hour may not have mustered as many laughs as Barney’s foray into The Price Is Right did, it doesn’t rely on Neil Patrick Harris. It’s an impressive ensemble episode that is very reminiscent of “Slap Bet”. Everyone has their moments – from Marshall singing to Lily inexplicably and ridiculously loud munching with candyfloss (and Ted’s priceless irritation) to Barney being Barney – and it’s episodes like these where I absolutely love the show. To me, How I Met Your Mother is much more than how Ted meets his future wife. It’s about a group of close friends living their lives together, and “Spoiler Alert” demonstrates this perfectly.
17. Grey’s Anatomy – Haunt You Every Day (Season 4, Episode 5)
By far the best episode of Grey’s since mid-Season 3, and one we’ve been waiting for an incredibly long time. Folks, this was the moment when the show regained its mojo and came close to achieving the same standard as they did with Season 2. (We still miss you, Denny.) The way Meredith put her mother to rest with the Chief at the end of the episode by rinsing her ashes down an OR sink was incredibly moving and the perfect farewell to Ellis Grey. Couple that with some great humour (Olivia forming a “Nurses United Against Mark Sloan” club – haha), and yeah, I stand by my initial comment and believe that this compares to Grey’s sophomore season. Even the subplots pack plenty of drama and laughs, from Ava’s bittersweet return to George and Izzie’s drunken sex finally made public. The show just needs to be a little more consistent now.
16. Scrubs – My Musical (Season 6, Episode 6)
“My Musical” doesn’t come anywhere near to Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s “Once More, with Feeling”, an episode that I regard as one of my favourites of all time. But to compare the two is like apples and oranges, and anyone who watched this expecting it to be on the same ridiculously high level should be more aware how different these two musical episodes are. Put simply, Scrubs makes up for the lack of depth, emotion, and storytelling by providing half an hour of pure entertainment. It’s just great, mindless fun that you can watch over and over again without getting bored. It does border on being outrageously silly at times with “Ev’rythin’ Comes Down to Poo”, but the third act really does steal the show with the hilarious “Guy Love” and the upbeat group finale “Friends Forever”. Fantastic performance by Stephanie D’Abruzzo as the lead patient, and kudos to writer Debra Fordham for making the daring project a success.
15. CSI: NY – Snow Day (Season 3, Episode 22)
Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t watch a lot of crime procedurals. Yet somehow, CSI: NY blew me away with its surprisingly action-packed Die Hard-esque season finale. That’s right, I said “action-packed”, and yeah, I likened it to Die Hard. When drug lords infiltrate the entire building with guns galore and when it becomes Mac’s job to save the day almost single-handedly, how can you not make that comparison? The most impressive thing about this episode, though, is that it still manages to keep the CSI element amidst all the action, investigating who these men are and what they want. Add that to the fact that it doesn’t turn into Rambo and cleverly uses the whole scenario to sensibly develop characters and relationships, and you have one stellar episode that ultimately converted me into a regular CSI: NY viewer. A special mention goes to CSI’s seventh season finale, “Living Doll”, but it didn’t quite get my heart pumping as much as New York did.
14. Dexter – There’s Something About Harry (Season 2, Episode 10)
As if our favourite serial killer, Dexter Morgan, didn’t have enough worries on his mind, what with the whole Bay Harbour Butcher investigation going on and, of course, him holding the persistent Doakes captive in a cage after he discovered his secret. So, to find out gradually over the episode that his father had committed suicide because of his guilt in channelling Dexter’s dark tendencies into killing those who deserve it and in the end “creating a monster” must have been damn devastating for the antihero. James Remar really shines in his small recurring role as Dexter’s father. His shocked reaction when he came upon his son gleefully cutting up one of his earlier victims said it all. So did the puke that followed. (Ew.) It is during this episode that we are reminded that Dexter isn’t a normal person. He doesn’t have genuine feelings like the rest of the characters do, and this is not only supported by the suicide of Dexter’s father, but also by Doakes becoming completely unresponsive towards him when he kills someone practically in front of his eyes.
13. Supernatural – All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I (Season 2, Episode 21)
Hell doesn’t literally break loose in the first part of Supernatural’s season finale (that comes in the second!), but the cliffhanger of this otherwise transitional episode had me completely stunned: they freakin’ killed Sam Winchester. Of course, we know Eric Kripke doesn’t have the stones to permanently bid farewell one of the two brothers that make the show, lest the ever-so-rabid fanbase send death threats and whatnot to his mail (and I’m not exaggerating when I say that Supernatural has by far the most loyal, vocal, and crazy fans I’ve seen this decade, despite its modest viewing figures). But no one – no one who watched the trailer prior to the episode, of course – expected at all to see Jake actually deliver that killing blow. I’ve got to admit, Jensen Ackles had my throat dried up when his character was begging Sam to hang on. He never really stood out during his brief stint on Smallville, but he’s perfect here.
12. Lost – Greatest Hits (Season 3, Episode 21)
I’ve never really cared much about Charlie since mid-Season 1, so for one episode to come along and make me sympathise with him is definitely noteworthy. His admirable decision to accept his fate for Claire and the rest of the survivors was touching and towards the end of the episode when he swam into the Looking Glass, I was scared he was going to get killed. I was scared he would drown right at that point unceremoniously. That’s powerful television. A friend said to me right after the airing that Charlie’s main flaw prior to this sequence of events was failing to accept responsibility, and I couldn’t agree more. From drug addict and has-been rock star to one heck of a brave saviour, his journey on the island is now complete. Regardless of what happens in Season 4, Charlie will always be a hero in my eyes.
11. 24 – 9:00AM – 10:00AM (Season 6, Episode 4)
The fourth and final part in the two-hour season premiere back in January should have been in my top five. Curtis dying wasn’t a huge shock (the omission of the actor’s name from the main cast didn’t go unnoticed), but the fact that it was Jack who had to pull the trigger left quite a large impact on myself. Then, less than ten minutes later, there was the ultimate “holy fucking shit” moment, the moment that all of a sudden made me silent: a nuclear bomb actually went off in the middle of a populated area. And then, we were thrown another curveball, that there were four more of these motherfucking nukes out there. So why the heck did it miss the top ten? Retrospection. Instead of being a jaw-droppingly awesome episode that set the scene for a great season of 24, it became a jaw-droppingly awesome episode that led to mediocrity and the show’s worst season yet.