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Post by The Mad Plumber on Feb 8, 2010 18:48:14 GMT -5
For this thread, talk about your favorite television program episodes.
Married ... with Children - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" My love for this sitcom tends to be exclusively for the David Garrison era, and this two-part episode ranks as a guilty pleasure for me. Marcy, after having berated Steve for ogling a woman in daisy dukes, gets in trouble herself when she loses her wedding ring down the pants of a male exotic dancer. Probably my favorite part is Al's interaction with the exotic dancer and the way he reveals Marcy's secret to Steve.
Married ... with Children - "He Thought He Could" This would probably rank as my all-time favorite for this sitcom. In it, Al is forced to face his fears when he has to return Chicago's most overdue book. What I feel makes this episode so great is how Al refutes the librarian's assessment of him as being a "loser". Also, Al's revenge against the librarian is poetically beautiful.
Kim Possible - "The Fearless Ferret" In retrospect, I think this show was much better when it possessed more of its original satirical edge. This probably could rank as my favorite episode. Adam West guest stars as an eccentric old man who is under the delusion that he was once a costumed crime-fighting vigilante. Ya get it? West is just so delightful and his self-deprecating humor is uproariously hilarious.
The Mighty Boosh - "Electro" It's been a while since I've watched any of these episodes and it's hard to pick a favorite. I think I'll probably name this episode as a favorite so far. It features one of Boosh's best songs and I liked the gag about the Spirit of Jazz's flaming hat.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 9, 2010 2:03:19 GMT -5
Good question – it’s tough to remember, so I’ll do my best - and post my #1 fav eps from a few of my fav shows, to start (might post more as it goes).
The Outer Limits (Original) Demon With The Glass Hand A great mystery and a claustrophobic adventure as a man and woman are hunted in an empty building. Robert Culp starred in some of the best episode in this series; he was also in “The Architects of Fear” which many point to as the inspiration for Alan Moore’s Watchmen.
Red Dwarf Back to Reality (Season 5) Two word… Duane Dibbley – This is pitch perfect Dwarf as the guys discover that they’ve been living in a game and that in their real lives they are everything they despise.
The Simpsons Cape Feare There are so many classics, too many to name “Homer: Bad Man”, “A Streetcar Named Marge”, “Homer the Great”…. And on and on – but this was the first one that popped into my head so I’ll go with it. Bart vs Sideshow Bob in one of their best film parodies.
The X-Files Humbug I loved the humorous and weird episodes written by Darin Morgan and this one, about a town of circus freaks, was my favorite - just a step ahead of his “War of the Coprophages”, “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” and “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space”
The IT Crowd The Work Outing Which one to chose, The Red Door, the Haunting of Bill Crouse, Friendface, The Dinner Party? Tough to decide but I went with this one: Moss and Roy end up joining Jen on her date… where Moss winds up tending bar, Roy pretends he needs a wheelchair and it all ends with Jen’s date coming out of the closet. I laughed so hard it hurt.
Firefly Our Mrs Reynolds Only 13 eps, and not a bad one in the bunch. But this one really stands out for me. Drop dead hilarious as Mal gets hitched.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Feb 9, 2010 12:53:33 GMT -5
FireflyOur Mrs Reynolds Only 13 eps, and not a bad one in the bunch. But this one really stands out for me... I can think of exactly two reasons why.
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Post by inlovewithcrow on Feb 9, 2010 13:59:30 GMT -5
Thanks for asking, I've been waiting years for someone to ask me this!
M*A*S*H. Dennis Koenig's "Letters". I prefer the later-years MASH episodes, partly because I think Stiers is a great actor, and the bit he does with the maple leaf and the little girl's letter in this just makes me sob every time.
X-Files. "Jose Chung's From Outer Space." I loathed the show when it took itself seriously, the so called "mythology" eps. Only when it was tongue in cheek about itself was it good, imo, and this Darin Morgan episode is the best of the wry ones. Also, after laughing the whole way through, I'm very moved by the very last line of the teleplay: "For although we may not be alone in the universe, in our own separate ways on this planet we are all alone."
Sports Night. The episode about the Confederate Flag, "The Six Southern Gentlemen of Tennessee" Smart, moving, powerful. I think Aaron Sorkin wrote it, and for my money, it's not only the best of this series, but possibly the best episode of TV, ever.
Ellen "The Puppy Episode. Ellen Degeneres, Mark Driscoll, Dava Savell, Tracy Newman, and Jonathan Stark. The coming-out episode, and funny? I laughed so hard at this I got the hiccups. Groundbreaking, political, personal and oh-so-hysterically funny.
Star Trek: TNG. "Lower Decks," Rene Echevarria is given credit for the teleplay. What's great about this ep is that it takes the franchise to task, in a way, for the "man in the red shirt" phenomenon. Instead of having someone we don't know die before the first commercial break, we spend four acts getting to know three junior officers and only then they kill one, and it's devastating to us, the viewers. No mere numbers cited of casualities, we are reminded, are just numbers. They are real people, who are loved.
Six Feet Under The pilot, because it was so different at the time, like nothing I'd seen before.
West Wing "Posse Comitatus" Aaron Sorkin. There were a lot of good episodes of this show in the first three years, but I'll go with this one--it's the one where Mark Harmon's character dies.
Get Smart"The Groovy Guru." Norman Paul and Burt Nodella, writers. 86, 99, mod clothes, and LSD. What could be more fun?
The Dick Van Dyke Show"It may look like a walnut." Carl Reiner. Funny, scary sci-fi dream episode about Danny Thomas, walnuts, alien invasion, and thumbs. I've probably seen this a dozen or more times in my life and I could watch it a dozen more.
WKRP in Cincinnati "Turkeys Away" Written by Bill Dial.
Frasier "The Seal Who Came to Dinner." Joe Keenan. Great physical comedy in this one, as they try to get rid of the dead seal.
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Post by inlovewithcrow on Feb 9, 2010 14:11:26 GMT -5
The X-FilesHumbug I loved the humorous and weird episodes written by Darin Morgan and this one, about a town of circus freaks, was my favorite - just a step ahead of his “War of the Coprophages”, “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” and “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” The problem with this episode, for me, is that, imo, the central idea of the oddly conjoined twins, one of whom is the killer, is plagiarized from a short story by Tom Reamy, "The Detweiler Boy." Reamy was never famous, and he died young, but that doesn't mean you can lift his stuff willy-nilly.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 9, 2010 19:18:49 GMT -5
^Ah well, things are lifted all the time in music, film and whatnot. In my old age I don't find many wholly original ideas out there. If it was stolen word for word that's a shame, but the episode in and of itself is still my favorite. And Mr. A - I have no idea what your talking about. That ep is a wholsome good time is all. (Am I going to the special place too?) In honor of Mr. A... Sledge Hammer[/b] Witless Again, it's been a while since I broke out my DVDs and there might be others that surpass this one, but this episode always pops into my head when I think of the series. The hilarious parody goes into high gear when Sledge winds up in an Amish community.
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Post by crowschmo on Feb 9, 2010 21:02:39 GMT -5
Home Movies: Season Two - "History".
For those who don't know, Home Movies is a cartoon about a kid and his friends who make movies. It used to be on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, I don't know if they still show it.
This episode is my favorite. They focused more on the movie the kids were making in this ep than the "real world". Main character Brendan (voiced by Brendan Small) is failing history because he's spending too much time on his movies. His mom wants him to get a tutor, but, - bad idea, because he gets his soccer coach, Coach McGuirk (Jon Benjamin) - someone even worse than he is on the subject. (Who gave the Gettysburg Address? Richard Nixon, of course!)
But the fun part is the movie. It's kind of like a parody of cheesy, goofy 50's space films like Rocky Jones - Starboy and the Captain of Outerspace! (Played by Brendan and his friend Jason).
They must battle "Evil" George Washington (Brendan, again), Picasso (Jason), and Annie Oakley (their friend Melissa).
Brendan: "Yes, I, George Washington, born in 1492, freer of the slaves, and the first President of this, our country. Though savagely impeached for the shooting of Abe Lincoln, I will lead us into the demise of all humans."
Jason: "I am Picasso! I cut off my ear with a razor in a major shaving accident, and mailed it off to an ex-girlfriend - for LAUGHS! And...I gues I paint, too - NEXT!"
Melissa: "That would be me - Annie Oakley! Skilled shootist, who was orphaned at a young age, living a hard life, my only salvation came at the hands of Daddy Warbucks who took me in and forced me to sing - and now I seek revenge on the human race!"
Jason: "Revenge! The time is now!"
Brendan: "Yes! --- But - I must insist we vote - for we must uphold democracy!"
Melissa: "Aye!"
Jason: "Aye!"
Brendan: "Aye!- Wait - were we agreeing to vote or was that the vote?"
The dialogue between Starboy and the Captain of Outerspace is great (they speak in kind of pompous, heroic, precise tones) - "We've got to do something, eh, Captain of Outerspace?" "Like what, Starboy?" "We've got to STOP them!" "But what if they kill off the human race?" "They won't - if we stop them first." "Yeah, I'm not..." "We stop them BEFORE they kill everyone." "Uh, I'm sorry, why not after?" "Because then, they will have done that...thingee..." "The thingee..." Too funny.
There's great songs in it, alot of the other kids they feature on the show have "guest starring roles" - Walter and Perry as Shakespeare and Oliver Twist, and the kid who talks funny ( I can't believe I forget his name - Edit: Ken Addleberg, Jr.) as the "Mermaid Queen", all hostages of the evil characters. (When Starboy and Capt. of Outerspace are off to rescue them: SB: "C'mon, Captain of Outerspace!" COUS:"I don't know what to wear - I feel fat.")
Duane as an evil "kitty" (kind of like the characters in "Cats"): Mr. Pants.
Just a fun episode.
I also like "Renaissance" - an ep MSTies would appreciate, when the kids go to a Renn Fest, and they enact a play with King Arthur and Robin Hood having a battle. And the renn fest nerds and sci-fi geeks, who just happen to be having a convention next door, get into a clash. Patton Oswalt does a guest voice as a Renn Fest nerd.
Just two good episodes.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 10, 2010 6:34:45 GMT -5
Leave it to Beaver There are so many highlights to this excellent series. The show hit its peak when Larry Mondello was around to get Beav in some kind of trouble. Here are a few I loved off the top of my head...
The Hypnotist Beaver is trying to become a master hypnotist, and Eddie pretends that he has come under Theodor's spell. Eddie was always fun as the troublemaker and smart-ass.
Ward’s Baseball Larry and Beav go out for a game a catch, using a baseball signed by the Yankees. When the ball gets smooshed by a car, the duo find a new ball and forge the signatures. Just one of many great 'Larry gets Beav in hot water' eps.
Teacher Comes to Dinner Hilarious story is summed up in the title. Man this one had me in stitches.
All of these came from season 3, so it’s obvious that’s a favorite of mine. But the most memorable is still the first ep from season 1.
Beaver Gets ‘Spelled Beaver is given a note from school and is told to bring back a reply. He fears he’s in trouble, so Wally writes him a note… which confuses the Principal because they just wanted permission to have him in the School play. I remember my wife and I laughing so hard at Wally’s letter…
Dear Miss Canfield,
I have received your note dated two days ago, the one sent home with Theodore. I have whipped him, his father has whipped him. He is sorry, we are very sorry.
Your friend, Mrs. Ward Cleaver (Theodor’s mother)
That became our tag line, when I’d write her a note I’d add a P.S. “I have whipped him, his father has whipped him…etc”
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Post by The Mad Plumber on Feb 10, 2010 9:46:43 GMT -5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - "The Drumhead" Admittedly, there are several of the Worf / Klingon stories that I haven't seen in a long time, never get to see often, and would really like to watch again. Still, this probably would still be a likely candidate for my favorite episode. "The Drumhead" was obviously inspired by McCarthyism and the Red Scare, where a decorated officer of the Federation is convinced that a Romulan conspiracy is behind a recent incident on the Enterprise and begins a witchhunt. She specifically targets an innocent young man with a dark secret and, when Picard comes to his defense, she includes the captain as a suspect.
Batman: The Animated Series - "Heart of Ice" The two-part "Two-Face" episodes might rank as a close second, story-wise and script-wise. From what I'm to understand, Mr. Freeze was pretty much a one-dimensional villain in the comics before this episode. This would be the episode that gave the villain a backstory, and Freeze is easily a sympathetic, tragic villain. In fact, I would dare say that the ending originally invoked a few tears in me.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 11, 2010 6:12:07 GMT -5
^Oh yeah, heart of Ice was incredible. Michael Ansara (who once played a Klingon in the original Trek and was in the excellent Outer Limits ep "Soldier") was perfect voicing Freeze
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Post by Mod City on Feb 11, 2010 12:18:26 GMT -5
Some good calls, here. I just know mine will change eventually, but a few of mine are:
Futurama - The Sting I caught this one out of the blue late one night and was surprised by the emotional impact it carried. Fry is killed by giant space bees, and Leela is starting to go crazy because she blames herself for his death. Some very surreal, sad moments with a happy twist ending.
Battlestar Galactica (2004) - Scar Another one dealing with guilt. Kara has crawled into a bottle over leaving Sam behind on Caprica and is losing her edge. To compound matters, Kat is aiming for her Top Gun spot. They end up in as showdown with a particularly deadly Raider, with Kara pulling herself out of her suicidal tailspin while setting up the Raider for the kill by Kat. Really showed for the first time the vulnerable side of Kara.
Deadliest Catch - Stay Focused Or Die I could almost pair this with the previous episode, Red Skies In The Morning, and count it as a two-parter. We follow the Coast Guard as they fly 900 miles on a mission to rescue survivors of the Katmai, a fishing vessel that went down while fishing for cod. The stories are powerful. The very end of the episode features old home video of the Katmai crew throwing rocks into a lake and goofing around, and one of the crewmembers - one who died during the sinking - says something like "It's important to have this. We might be on Deadliest Catch someday," as the screen fades to black.
South Park - Cartoon Wars, Part II South Park at its smartest, controversial best. An episode that dares Comedy Central to allow them to depict an image of Muhammad on the show (not long after the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy). In the end, the terrorists win, and Family Guy is skewered in a way it deserves. Hilarious.
Trailer Park Boys - A Sh*t River Runs Through It The final episode of the seventh season, and would have served as the series finale if they could have left it alone and not done another pair of specials (which are good, by the way). It caps an incredible season that involves cigarette smuggling, model train collecting, Sabastian Bach and Patrick Swayze. Would have been a great series ending, and it still holds up. The only thing missing is Corey and Trevor, who didn't appear in the entire season.
OK, I have to stop for a while and think on this.
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Post by solgroupie on Feb 11, 2010 13:05:34 GMT -5
Futurama - The StingI caught this one out of the blue late one night and was surprised by the emotional impact it carried. Fry is killed by giant space bees, and Leela is starting to go crazy because she blames herself for his death. Some very surreal, sad moments with a happy twist ending. that is my absolute favorite episode of futurama. very well written and kept you guessing until the ending, and the emotional storyline between leela and fry was awesome.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 11, 2010 18:38:32 GMT -5
The Outer LimitsThe music by Dominic Fronteire, the control voice, the gothic atmosphere and moody black and white cinematography all of it made the Outer Limits a pretty eerie viewing experience. Leslie Stevens and Joseph Stephano (screenplay for Psycho) were the forces behind the show, directors Byron Haskins and Gerd Oswald (Agent For H.A.R.M.) gave it a distinct look. And a guy named Gene Rodenberry was known to hang around the set… later you see some story ideas as well as several OL actors (Shatner, Nimoy, Doohan) show up in his series Star Trek. I’ve already mentioned my #1 fav ep (Demon With the Glass Hand) Here’s a few more I loved SoldierGerd Oswald directed this story by Harlan Ellison. Michael Ansara is perfect as a soldier from the future who is flung into our present. Ellison sued and won a lawsuit over similarities between this and the Terminator film. Architects of Fear This one is directed by Byron Haskins and stars Robert Culp as a man who is turned into an alien, a scarecrow, in order the scare the world into peace. Great acting and a scary monster that the network censored! Bellero ShieldMartin Landau is another who starred in some of the better OL eps. Here he plays a scientist who brings down an alien from the sky. His greedy wife (Sally Kellerman) murders the alien and steals his force field. This is a rather Shakespearian and well acted. Neil Hamilton (Batman) is also in the cast. The Man With the PowerDonald Pleasance plays a mild and meek man who invents a device that can enhance our mental powers. But there is a side effect, his subconscious mind creates an energy (a simple but cool cloud effect) that seeks out and kills anyone who’s wronged him. ZZZZZ and The Zanti MisfitsNeither was the best OL but both are memorable to me. ZZZZZ had its plot holes and the Bee girl seems too fragile to be a real threat… but that Bee girl, wowie, wow, wow! When I was a young man Joanna Frank stole my breath away, what a sensual beauty. To this day I still think she’s the bee’s knees. As for Zanti, a pedestrian storyline makes it pretty standard fare… but the stop-motion animation ant alien creatures were creepy as hell. When I was a kid they scared the crap out of me! Regina the Queen BeeOther episodes I enjoyedThe Galaxy Being (The first episode, stars Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, Cliff Robertson playing a disc jockey who converses with an alien. Written and directed by Leslie Stevens) Corpus Earthling (Gerd Oswald’s scary body snatcher story, another winner with Robert Culp and Salome Jens (The creature from “Terror for the Year 5000) Conrad Hall’s photography adds to the horror) The Man Who Was Never Born (Martin Landau stars as a time traveler who’s trying to prevent the destruction of the Earth. Very haunting) Keeper of the Purple Twilight (Alien agrees to help scientist develop ray gun, if he gives him his emotions. Nice alien makeup) A Feasibility Study (Directed by Byron Haskins, written by Joseph Stphano. A psychological study concerning Alien’s who steal an entire suburb) I, Robot (with Leonard Nimoy)
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Post by afriendlychicken on Feb 11, 2010 19:09:57 GMT -5
NEWHART - "PIRATE PETE" Bob is a replacement host on a kids program, what could possibly go wrong? Well, just about everything obviously. In fact, he's so bad as the host, the show ends up being canceled. I haven't seen this episode in a long time and can't remember specifics. It's just the funniest episode of a TV show I can ever remember seeing.
KAMEN RIDER V3 - "OPERATION: DESTRON SHIKOKU CONQUEST" & "THE DOUBLE RIDERS LIVE" In this 2 part episode, Kamen Rider V3 tries to stop Destron, and Dr. G, from taking over Shikoku Island. Battling first Guillotine-Saurus, then Syringe-Spider, Kamen Rider V3 saves the day. These episodes are great for 2 reasons. 1) The return of Kamen Riders 1 & 2. 2) The spectacular stunts done by lead actor Miyauchi Hiroshi on the top of a cable car. This was my favorite show as a kid. The continuation of Kamen Rider, the original henshin program on Japanese TV, Kamen Rider V3 is one of the high points of Tokusatsu children programs.
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Post by reaperg on Feb 13, 2010 11:58:44 GMT -5
Heh, a fellow KR fan. You're right about the cable car stunt, that was amazing. That said, I preferred the two-parter where the original Shocker commanders return. Another great tie-in to the original "Kamen Rider", and I enjoy Doktor G's nobility despite his evil.
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