#180. Long Term Parking
The Sopranos, Season 5, Episode
12 |
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I'm so pissed at the FBI for
forcing their hand with Adriana. I've hated them ever since
Danielle used Adriana without any regard--all along, Adriana has been
basically innocent, yet they mess with her to the point that it's given
her an intestinal disorder. And then the idiots don't even realize
that Adriana didn't flee the country--she clearly would never leave
without Christopher anyway--but they sent her to her death. Drea
de Matteo has always been impressive, and once again, she is fearless.
She's on steroids that bloat her, she's bruised and battered from a
tense strangling, and then she's told Christopher's suicidal. The
world has always abused Adriana, and her death has been the worst for
me. Also: Tony and Carmela reconcile, Johnny Sack comes out
on top and lets the power go to his head, and Tony refuses to give in to
New York. Adriana: There's
something I need to tell you... |
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#179. Missing Kitty
Arrested Development, Season 1, Episode 16 |
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Kitty's appearance, Spring
Break is GOB's favorite holiday, GOB's painted chest, Kitty's "been out
two weeks with this chest thing," James Lipton getting Tobias to learn
from White Power Bill, Lindsay mistaking her grandmother, Kitty's
cross-eyed boob job, Girls with Low Self-Esteem turning away when Kitty
flashes them, Michael not having the hiring/firing power, "Take a good
look because it's the last time," the H. Maddas cooler, George Sr.
saying Kitty's like a boy, Tobias' video series, Annyong, "That's not
getting old," "And if you'll be so kind as to expose your breasts," GOB
crying after sex with Kitty, All hail Dorothy, "Can't be a part of the
story," "Talk you off, what, Pop-Pop?" Somewhere Over the Rainbow, GOB's
Spring Break magic show, and "Nana was on that yacht!"
Kitty: Who are you asking back, Michael?
Me, or these? |
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#178. The Ties That Bind
Battlestar Galactica, Season 4, Episode 3 |
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I've already written at great
length about my love for this episode, which I consider one of the best
episodes of the series. Cally remains hit-or-miss,
performance-wise, but in that final part in the airlock and in space,
she is exactly as she should be. Meanwhile, Roslin earns my love
with her phenomenal political scenes, speaking to both the press and the
quorum, while dressing down Bill for the Demetrius mission behind closed
doors. All the while she's on chemo, and Bill lovingly reads to
her. The cylons begin a civil war, Kara starts (continues?) to
lose it, Anders walks around modeling, and Zarek plots to take over. The writing--think
of Cally's talk with Doc Cottle, or the scenes between Laura and Bill--and direction--the
intercuts, Kara's viper flashback, only Cally in focus with Tyrol--are
especially outstanding here.
Cally: You wanna hear something really
sick? Sometimes I wish he would lay hands on me. |
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#177. Whitecaps
The Sopranos, Season 4, Episode
13 |
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The longest episode of The
Sopranos is my favorite, having seen the first five seasons, and
features a spotlight on the two best characters (and actors), Tony and
Carmela. This has always been a show about family, and Whitecaps
(the house) represents the fantasy of family perfectly. Carmela's
distress has manifested physically, like Tony and Adriana, so he
appeases her with a beach house, "for the kids" in theory. James
Gandolfini and Edie Falco are phenomenal in general, but here they get
to display an incredible range. Every scene between them is a
masterpiece. Watch how Carmela narrowly avoids Tony's fist, walks
away, and comes back for more. Junior's mistrial, Christopher's
return, and Carmine's surprise settlement would be great normally, but
here I was just waiting to return to Tony and Carm.
Carmela: I don't love you any more.
I don't want you. |
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#176. My Own American Girl
Scrubs, Season 3, Episode 1 |
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We open with Zach Braff walking in like Andrew Largeman listening to his ipod,
and you know it's going to be a great episode: the rule about
white boys dancing, Steven dancing, JD's smack talk ("I heard your sister
started drinking again"), JD voicing the other characters, Elliot's
new car, frick, "Yeah, he took it as bad news, maybe 'cause of the
unnecessary colonoscope I shoved 3 feet up his pooper," the support
staff using Kelso's nose whistle to know when to look like they're
working, Kelso's son is currently living in the Portland subway system,
Elliot and the smoothies, Elliot's dream about her dad, the army
colonel, and his wife, the convict asking to keep the picture of Dr.
Cox's son, why Laverne calls Elliot Marshmallow, No Cutsies, Siamese
twins X-ray, Elliot trying the urinals, Janitor's sister-mother, and "My
machines!" Jordan: I may have
painted his toenails for funzies. |
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#175. Cougars
30 Rock, Season 2, Episode 7 |
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An animals-only strip club,
Knuckle Beach, Dijonaise is a boy's name, the kids' aspirations ("I'm
gonna get shot by a cop and sue the city"), a venti chocolate mocha
blast with half and half and brownie chunks, "What, sexy, you are, shut
up," Frank's gay for Jamie, Boobs magazine, Jefferson Davis Park,
"There's a weird dude standin' over there and I don't want to get shot
today," Jack's charity that gives tuxedos to homeless people, "Just
gellin' like Magellan," Jenna's no-sex-with-Asians rule, "a world where
orange soda is an acceptable substitute for breast milk," Kenneth's
dream journal, Fun Times Accomplished, "I'm 37, please don't make me go
to Brooklyn," Liz going out on the roof, "Betrayal: What Really
Happened with My Baseball Team, Disaster at Knuckle Beach?" and Jenna's
boyfriend Aidan and his heelies. Tracy:
Practice, meetings, what is this, a marriage? |
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#174. Whoever Did This
The Sopranos, Season 4, Episode 9 |
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Season 4 is shaping up to be my
favorite, thanks to the incredible Adriana, Bobby, and Carmela
storylines, but then I get to the best episode of the season so far, and
neither of those plots factor. Instead, we get to see Ralphie in
an actual state of tragedy with a kid in the hospital, and on top of it,
Tony tells him he's seeing Ralphie's ex, Paulie wants Ralphie killed for
messing with Paulie's mom, and Ralphie brings about his own demise by
burning the stable. It was only a matter of time until Tony
lost his temper and killed someone without thinking about it, and I've
been praying for Ralphie's death since he was introduced, but damn.
We get a violent fight between them and the goriest scene yet when
Christopher helps Tony dismember the body. Joe Pantoliano,
James Gandolfini, and Michael Imperioli are incredible in this episode.
Christopher: Here's the problem, as I see
it, with Ralph getting whacked... |
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#173. The Siege of AR-558
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 7, Episode
8 |
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Deep Space Nine is, more than a
sci-fi drama, a war serial, and this was its most searing indictment. Gene Roddenberry's future is
a pacifist utopia, and while
this version of Star Trek pushed the limits of that vision the most,
episodes like this do more to endorse that vision than less gritty
shows. Throughout the final seasons, we are never allowed to
forget the weekly casualty reports, an acquaintance of a main character
dying each week, but none of them were as effective as Nog losing a leg.
Sisko taking the characters least prepared for war (Bashir, Ezri, Nog,
and Quark) to the most futile battleground yet was a brilliant choice by
the writers. And that haunting Vic Fontaine song, "I'll Be Seeing
You" was the perfect choice to play over the final attack.
Undoubtedly the darkest episode of the darkest Star Trek, this is one of
my favorites. Sisko: Sometimes it
feels like that's all I do--stare at the names of the dead. |
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#172. -30-
The Wire, Season 5, Episode
10 |
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I'll be the first to
double-dip. This one was in Ryan's first 10, and it's obvious why. I've seen it
over four times already, and it hasn't lost its emotional or
intellectual impact. As I've said, the finale of what I consider
the best television drama in history effectively concludes the season
arc focusing on media corruption while wrapping up longer plots within
the police department and elsewhere. I think my favorite scene is
the brief glimpse of Prez as Dukie scams him out of money and falls into
the life of a junkie. It's one of the many heartbreaking stories
of The Wire, but strangely, the minor victories, like Bubbles breaking
free from his past or Freamon retiring to a peaceful life with Shardene
are more than enough to balance it. The closing montage remains my
favorite of the series, but I can't say enough about this perfect hour
and a half. Gus: Maybe you win a Pulitzer with this
stuff. Maybe you gotta give it back. |
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#171. Money
The Office, Season 4, Episode 4 |
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Of all the Season 4 hourlongs,
this is the most dramatic, but it's also the one that is true to the
characters and doesn't stretch for laughs. Michael is secretly
working a night job telemarketing, and it's heart-breaking to find out
that Jan thinks he's at improv. Later, he's wracked with guilt
about the debt that Jan incurred, but it leads to a beautiful
reconciliation where Jan tells him she's going to stand by him and work
their problems out. Meanwhile, Dwight is going through Angela
withdrawal, and kind of as a joke, Pam and Jim visit Schrute Farms for a
weekend of awesomeness. The day after, Jim comforts Dwight by
telling him how he felt when Pam rejected him, and it works to help
Dwight out. It's all tied together with the theme of running away
from your problems, and it has one of my favorite scenes, the brilliant
"whomever" discussion. Jim:
I always imagined less manure...I mean, some manure, just less.
|
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