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Post by callipygias on Feb 26, 2010 20:02:41 GMT -5
The Twilight Zone ~ And When the Sky Was OpenedStarring Rod Taylor as Col. Clegg Forbes, one of three astronauts recently returned from a space mission. One of them is in the hospital with a broken leg, and the other two, Forbes and Harrington, go to a bar where... things start to happen. One of the very best Zones, and my personal favorite, but relatively unknown next to other great ones. Star Trek: The Next Generation ~ The Inner LightTNG is my favorite Star Trek series, mostly because of the ever watchable Patrick Stewart, and this is one of his most amazing performances. Picard is zapped by a probe and in the space of a few minutes lives an entire life on a dying planet. An excellent and pretty unusual episode, for a Trek. Inner Light also sets up another good, quiet episode called Lessons, which has Trek's best use of music ever, in my opinion. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ~ The VisitorDespite all the great story-arc episodes about the war with the Dominion, my favorite is a stand-alone that stars, mostly, a guest. Captain Sisko becomes trapped in subspace, and the story revolves around his son, Jake's, desperation to get his father back. Beautiful, touching show, and as good as Avery Brooks was, Tony Todd, the guest star who played a grown up (and grown old) Jake Sisko, dominated. Three's Company ~ Up In the AirJack's afraid to fly to an island party so he takes a tranquilizer, then at the party he inadvertantly drinks alcohol, and he pretty much goes wild. John Ritter was one of the best physical comedians since the silent days, and this was his greatest showcase -- especially once he started dancing. Most scenes would have ended when he fell behind the bar, but thank goodness this one didn't. Looney Tunes ~ The Great Piggy Bank RobberyGrowing up, most of my favorites had Bugs, but this might have been my overall favorite when I was little. Absolutely Fabulous ~ MoroccoI almost went with Birth (Patsy sitting up in the smoldering kitchen was one of the funniest things ever), Poor, which is so great all the way through, and... which one was it when Saffy slapped Eddy in the kitchen? God Eddy's reaction was funny. Morocco is also great all the way through though, and this scene with Bubble put it over the top.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Feb 26, 2010 22:27:09 GMT -5
LOST- The ConstantI love the sci-fi elements of LOST. I love the mysteries and the mythology, far more than I care about the characters or love triangles or pregnancies. However, this episode, where 90% of the cast regulars don't even appear, focuses on a love story, and it stands head and shoulders above the rest of the series. The heart-rending and heart-warming reunion of Desmond and Penny, coupled with his ultra-cool time jumps, makes this the best hour of TV I've seen in at least a decade. I'll admit it got kind of dusty in my room during the phone call scene. Heck yeah. This is the episode that got me back into the series after I'd slumped away from it. I didn't even need to know everything that led up to it (although rewatching it in context added a lot), it was just incredible.
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Post by pups4ever on Feb 27, 2010 21:39:30 GMT -5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Offspring
This is probably one of the best examples of science fiction writing. It takes a story about a robot that builds another robot and calls it its child and makes it anything but akward. It is quite endearing and makes Data seem at his most human, even before he got emotions. The story has a lot of twists and turns and a sad ending. I would challenge anyone who thinks that Star Trek sucks to watch that episode, look me in the eye, and tell me its bad. It truely is the sweetest, and one of the best, episodes. It is my personal favorite.
Sure, the events in it really never came back later in the series, but that's what makes it so perfect: you don't have to know anything about Star Trek to enjoy it. It stands on its own, and is one of the best-crafted tales from the series. I always say that Star Trek is at its best when you see humanity in the ailens (or androids, in this case), and this emotional tale of an emotionless being is amazing.
I also pretty much agree with everyone elses TNG picks.
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Post by callipygias on Feb 27, 2010 22:50:45 GMT -5
The Carol Burnett Show
And my favorite Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
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Post by siamesesin on Feb 28, 2010 11:54:04 GMT -5
I also pretty much agree with everyone elses TNG picks. Same here. It's the reason why I didn't even try to name my favorite TOS or TNG episodes. I have the same problem with Red Dwarf, Robot Chicken, X-Men, Doctor Who, etc. Just too many I like!
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Post by inlovewithcrow on Mar 1, 2010 19:13:36 GMT -5
Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Offspring T It truely is the sweetest, and one of the best, episodes. It is my personal favorite. . I like this one, too. Another TV episode that makes me cry like a little kid every time.
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Post by inlovewithcrow on Mar 1, 2010 19:15:54 GMT -5
Star Trek TOSCity On The Edge Forever. One of the best tv episodes ever. Amazing to me is how well this holds up, too. Most of TOS eps look so dated it pains me to watch them, but this one, having the benefit of being set in the past, doesn't look odd. And it's moving, too, a neat moral dilemma and the inevitably tragedy.
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Post by Hellcat on Mar 2, 2010 1:48:53 GMT -5
All In The Family - "Fire" Edith wakes up in the middle of the night and discovers a fire in the bathroom. Everybody runs around frantically trying to save family mementoes such as Gloria’s baby booties and Edith’s book of green stamps. Mike ends up putting out the fire with a garden hose. Archie schemes to exaggerate the damage in order to get his insurance company to pay for extensive home repairs, but when it comes out that he caused the fire by short-circuiting a fuse, his plan falls apart.
I loved All In The Family when I was younger, but it has not aged well for me. This episode is an exception. Watching Edith scramble to save Gloria's Brownie the Clownie baby dish always cracks me up.
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Post by solgroupie on Mar 2, 2010 15:57:25 GMT -5
reno 911though i don't watch it much now - mostly because CC kept changing the days when they would show it - i love the first few seasons of this show. i love the improvisation they do. a couple of episodes that stand out would be the one where garcia and raineesha are assigned to "protect" kenny rogers at a book signing, or the one where the british officer visits. they all think he's so polite and probably not used to gritty american violence, but he turns out to be absolutely vicious sumbitch on the job. sometimes it can be stupid, but much of the time it is really funny. i have the movie and now i want to watch it!
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Post by Gripweed on Mar 2, 2010 20:17:05 GMT -5
m*a*s*h ... the only thing i wish they did not do back then was use that godawful laugh track. Of the four DVD collections that I own, the episodes have an option to play without the laugh track. I wish they had that on my Hogan's Heroes DVDs.
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Post by canuckmstie on Mar 4, 2010 10:39:27 GMT -5
Any episode of Night Court where they have to go through an insane number of cases for whatever reason.
Any episode of a show from the Law & Order family where the traditional 'dunk-dunk' cards utilize a ticking clock instead of the usual date and location. Especially the episode 911.
"Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) receives a forwarded 911 call from a nine-year-old girl who claims to have been locked in a room for days. When the detectives try to trace the call, they continuously get phony leads. This causes the detectives to think the call is a prank. Benson however is the only one with whom the girl will speak, and also the only one who believes that the call is real. With little time left to save the girl's life, Benson must come up with a way to find her."
And Ginger Morris' run as the dumbest Match Game contestant ever.
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Post by The Mad Plumber on Mar 4, 2010 18:58:12 GMT -5
Chappelle's Show - "Season 2 - Episode 4"
Now, I was left to question this show's appeal. I would note that the show seemed pretty popular with fellow students while I was in college. Still, I wonder if I was the intended demographic. I'm not black, I don't like hip-hop, and I don't really follow a lot of these pop culture references that they're throwing out there. So, when Dave Chappelle does a very scatological sketch involving some pop star named R. Kelly, I don't get what inspired the whole thing and the damn thing has to be explained to me.
"Season 2 - Episode 4" seems to be the most popular episode of the series, inspiring the catchphrase, "I'm Rick James, bitch", which would ultimately become Dave Chappelle's bane.
The episode begins with a lame sketch called "The Love Contract" which segues to Chappelle's live hosting. Chappelle then introduces what he, and soon the rest of us, had hoped would be a reoccurring series: Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories. Chappelle informs the audience who Murphy is, who in previous episodes played brutish hoodlums. The sketch begins with Murphy standing in front of a green background (which was originally intended to be used for a chroma key effect, but was scrapped and the green was retained) and telling crazy stories of being part of his brother's entourage. The main subject of the stories of this particular episode is his often-violent relationship with pop singer Rick James (played by Chappelle in flashbacks).
What added immense value to this sketch was James being interviewed as well and refuting some of Charlie Murphy's accusations. I listened to the DVD commentary and Chappelle noted that James told him, "I didn't have a gold tooth, n*****!" An often repeated quote from James in the episode was, "Cocaine's a helluva drug!"
With exception to "The Love Contract", the three-part story about Murphy and James made up the entire episode. I may not side with popularity often, but it is a very funny and very well done sketch. The potential of Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories makes evident the great tragedy of Chappelle having given up on the show. I wanted to see more of Charlie Murphy, Paul Mooney, and the other players of the show.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Mar 13, 2010 4:44:39 GMT -5
Justice League Unlimited DVD Season 1I’ve been pondering a blog for this subject, but then it seems too big and I give up. I thought I’d do something here to test out how it feels. First off Season 1 DVD is actually the 1st 2 seasons, DVD season 2 is the 3rd and final of the JLU. I didn’t really care a whole lot for the final season. There are great eps, but for the most part I wasn’t interested in the evil league of evil, which was thrown aside for Darkseid… and I hate Darkseid, hate the whole New Gods concept as a whole. So, season 3 doesn’t hold much appeal for me. I like the first 2 seasons because there was a lot of character study. And I like character study, more so than the fights. I like the way Timm gives his heroes their own personalities and quirks, (Supergirl sticking her tongue when she’s irritated with someone). It wasn’t perfect, there was too little Flash and too much John Stewart, my least favorite Lantern and one of the most complaining and whiney little bitches in the DC universe. Anyway, onward to my favorite JLU eps from the first 2 seasons. #1. Double DateI’ve always liked that the Huntress is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her ends. Though this episode shows why that isn’t always a good thing. The highlight of this ep is the pairing of Huntress with the Question. What a wonderful, odd couple they turn out to be. Also includes Canary and Arrow, standing between them and a thug Huntress wants to kill to avenge the death of her parents. #2. Fearful Symmetry Project Cadmus will play a major role in this series and this is one of the first indications of that. Supergirl investigates her disturbing dreams, with the help of Green Arrow and the paranoid Question. Though they don’t call her “Power Girl”, that’s the Power Girl prototype squaring off against SG. I love Kara stories and this one gets a big boost by introducing us to the Question. What the hell is he is doing up in a space station? He’s seems the least likely Justice League candidate of them all, but thank God they used him, he wound up one of the best things about this series. He was cool and funny and a great mysterious figure. #3. Dark Heart This is one of those huge episodes - where you have just about everyone battling a nanotech doomsday machine. The best thing here is the Atom, who not only saves the day but got me one of the biggest laughs in the series. I love his dry sense of humor… “I’m going to lay here for a while, Katie. I’m old now and I get tired”#4. Wake the Dead Solomon Grundy has gone out-of-control and no one but Shayera, Hawkgirl can stop him. This is one of the most heartbreaking, bittersweet stories ever told on the JLU. It helps to have seen previous JL stories to get some background on Hawkgirl, but it still works as it is. #5. The Cat and the Canary I’ve love Wildcat ever since I was a wee lad. And how nice to see him featured. This also has a good heart as Black Canary and Green Arrow try to help Canary's mentor who is reliving glory days as a boxer by competing in an underground super-powered fight club. #6. Clash Cool episode! Capt. Marvel’s naive optimism gets under Superman’s skin (That square bugs him, he really bug him!). Due to Lex Luthor’s manipulations, Cap and Supes engage in a brutal battle of Biblical proportions. Combines great character with Earth shattering action. #7. Divided We Fall The season finale gives us the original seven Justice League members taking on the combined mind and might of Lex Luthor/Brainiac. Flash finally gets to shine! #8. The ReturnAmazo is coming back to Earth for Lex Luthor and nothing can stop him from this goal. Nice examination on the meaning of life, with the added appeal of just about every hero trying and failing to stop Amazo, he even takes out the Lanterns homeworld! #9. This Little PiggyCirce turns Wonder Woman into a pig, which sounds pretty stupid but is actually pretty hilarious. Batman and Zataana team up to track down Wonder Pig, with some help from their friends (Ah yes, seeing Red Tornado do some pig calling -- what a hoot) #10 InitiationThe series premier is a goodie as a reluctant Green Arrow joins Lantern, Cap Atom and Supergirl as they fly to Asia to face off against a gigantic nuclear creature. This unique mix of personality – the way they clash and how they eventually learn to respect one another, made for an interesting as well as thrilling episode. It was fun to have Kara around, though I could have done without bitchy Lantern’s lecture. I limited myself to 10 and was frustrated by how I left out so many favorite episodes. In truth, I don’t believe there was a bad one from the 26 they aired.
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Post by reaperg on Apr 4, 2010 9:27:37 GMT -5
Ultraman: "The Ruffian from Outer Space"
A strange meteorite that can grant wishes is stolen by a thief who imagines a monster that can do his dirty work for him. When the thief falls into a coma, the monster can't be stopped. I enjoy an episode where a frequent Toho actor, who usually just got small parts, got a chance to strut his stuff, and Ren Yamamoto (memorably crushed in "Godzilla, King of the Monsters") has a lot of fun as the cackling crook. The monster, Gango, is a strange looking critter and nearly beats the U-man. This episode has a lot of offbeat humor, like Gango terrorizing bellhops and swimsuit models.
Super Robot Red Baron: "The Challenge from Space" and "Destoryed! The Secret Space Ship"
Like Yamamoto, Kazuo Suzuki was a bit player in many a Godzilla flick (i.e. the Peter Lorre-esque assassin in "Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster" and various other thugs). Here he dons silver face paint as Angel Killer, an evil alien sent to destory the heroes, and again, the bit player rocks.
Ultraman Tiga: "The Star of Ultra"
Tiga and his alter-ego, Daigo, travel back to 1966 to meet the original Ultraman and his creator, Eiji Tsuburaya. It's an affectionate tribute to the original series and the master of tokusatsu. There's a bit of a crossover, as the GUTS commander tells his team about watching Tsuburaya's monsters like Godzilla and Mothra as a boy.
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Post by Shep on Feb 3, 2018 6:25:30 GMT -5
Was reading through this great old post (and really enjoying some of the responses), so thought I'd resurrect it with a few of my own.
The Larry Sanders Show. "The Party." So many great, awkward moments in this one for Larry (who isn't comfortable sharing his personal life), plus Hank desperately seeking an invitation, Artie getting drunk on Salty Dogs ("Drink it, you p***y!"), etc....Other favorites: "The Stalker," (Artie's advice for Larry: "Get a 12-foot electrical fence and fry the motherf***er!") "Hank's Sex Tape," and "Next Stop...Bottom," etc. etc. Entire series is great really.
Mad Men. "The Suitcase." Don and Peggy pull an all-nighter. Beautifully written and played.
Breaking Bad. "Face Off." The "explosive" conclusion of Walt vs Gus.
The Twilight Zone. "The Hunt." The one with the old man and his dog. Written by Earl Hamner Jr. (who later created "The Waltons.") An atypical, love-it-or-hate-it kind of episode; I think it's delightful....Other favorites: "Walking Distance," "Long Live Walter Jameson," "The Lonely," "The Hitchhiker," "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," etc. Again, loads of great ones.
Star Trek. "The City on the Edge of Forever." Yes, Harlan's original script was better (please read it/the comic book adaptation if you're a fan of this one) but this is still a lovely, thought-provoking episode with great performances.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents. For all-time favorite I'm torn between "The Crystal Trench" (great script by Stirling Silliphant) and "The Man from the South" (the one with Steve McQueen, Peter Lorre, the lighter...and the butcher knife!).
Thriller. "Pigeons from Hell." Scary as hell! A rerun of this gave me nightmares for weeks as a kid.
The Fugitive. "Home is the Hunted" and "Running Scared." Some of my favorite episodes of "The Fugitive" were about Kimble's relationship with his family (mainly his sister, played by Jaqueline Scott) and how it kept him going. In "Hunted," the look on the elderly father's (the always excellent Robert Keith) face when his son leaves breaks my heart every time.
The Andy Griffith Show. "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs." Don Knotts' speech about giraffes may be my favorite moment in the series.
Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. "A Child Shall Lead Them." The one where the Japanese boy pretends to be lost and cons Pyle and Sgt. Carter into taking him to the amusement park, the baseball game, etc.
Route 66. "Don't Count Stars." Great Stirling Silliphant script about a self-pitying drunk (the great character actor Dan Duryea) that Todd and Buz try to clean up.
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