The Best Episodes of 2009

Lost – “LaFleur” or “Some Like it Hoth”

Breaking Bad – “Peekaboo”, “Grilled”, “Mandala”

BSG – “The Oath”, “Blood on the Scales”

Great list idea, James!

Some of my favorites of 2009:

Friday Night Lights – “Hello Goodbye” – I dare anyone to get through this episode without shedding a tear. “I just wanted to thank you, for everything.”

Breaking Bad – “Phoenix” – For that pivotal scene where Walter lets Jane choke to death on her own vomit. It was dark. It was ballsy. And it was brilliant. There’s no turning back now.

Dollhouse – “Belonging” – A fascinating episode of science fiction that poses and explores the kind of stomach-churning questions neither film goers nor tv viewers regularly get asked.

Top Chef – “Pigs and Pinot”

I refuse to choose between my favorite LOST episode of 2009. I refuse!

the office post-super bowl episode with the fire drill gone bad!

I thought the second season of Flight of the Conchords didn’t live up to its great debut season, but I loved the episode with the Australian directed by Michel Gondry. Great plot and great songs.

Flight of the Conchords, “Unnatural Love”
House, “Broken”
Mad Men, “Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency”
In Treatment, “Week Six: Gina”
Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Ring”
The Office, “The Lover”
Bored to Death, “The Case of the Beautiful Blackmailer”
Party Down, “Celebrate Rick Sargulesh”
Breaking Bad, “Phoenix”
Curb Your Enthusiasm, “Denise Handicapped”

What are the rules again? Original airing must be between Jan 1, 2009 and Dec 31, 2009? One episode per series, max?

But without knowing for sure, I am listing some runners-up (denoted ru). Ignore them if necessary:

Dollhouse – “Spy in the House of Love” ru – “Epitaph One”

Venture Bros – “Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel”
(No, this isn’t just an excuse to get a VB nod in. I’ve long said VB is the cartoon Lost (despite starting before Lost), but the season 4 opener plays around with narrative order more than any episode of Lost ever has, even while providing a running clue that also serves as punchline.)

Fringe – “Bad Dreams” ru – “Ability”

Lost – “La Fleur” ru – “The Variable”

BSG – “Blood on the Scales” ru – “The Oath”

Mad Men – “My Old Kentucky Home” ru – “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”

Breaking Bad – “Phoenix” ru – “Peekaboo”

Party Down – “Celebrate Rick Sargulesh” ru – “Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception”

Sure I’m forgetting some series that will have me slapping my head in an hour…

The best episode I recall this year was “Come, Ye Saints”, the road trip episode of Big Love. Big Love really came together in its third season, reaching the level of Lost and Mad Men as the best dramas on TV. That episode was probably the best show I saw this year.

My favorite episodes of the year (so far, at least):

Drama – “Underdogs”, Friday Night Lights

Comedy – “Pilot”, Modern Family

I figure you have your own ideas about Mad Men, Chuck, Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galactica. So, from the “also ran” series of 2009:

30 for 30 – “The Band That Wouldn’t Die” a classic documentary about the Baltimore Colts band that stayed in town after the Colts moved away.

In Plain Sight – “A Frond in Need” Out of all of the USA series, this is the one that I think could break the stereotype. This story is hard to follow on its own, but it shows the strength of the series.

The Closer – “Waivers of Extradition” Just some awesome Kyra Sedgwick/Xander Berkley performances.

Castle – “A Death in the Family” Castle is typically at its best when it’s humorous, but this episode is a bit more serious.

Ugly Betty – “The Butterfly Effect” I honestly don’t know why Ugly Betty is overlooked as a great show. Two hours of struggle and fighting, with a great climax at the UN.

Leverage – “The Juror #6 Job” Hard to pick a good Leverage episode in 2009, but this one shows off Beth Riesgraf, who is sneaky good.

Burn Notice – “Long Way Back” My wife likes this one because Michael gives a glimpse of his power.

Medium – “How to Make a Killing in Big Business” Medium is not a good show, but I really enjoyed this premise.

Mad Men – “Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency”, “Gypsy and the Hobo”

House – “Broken”

I have a terrible memory for individual episodes, so I scanned back to Lostpedia to refresh myself on some of my favorites. I was ready to make the case for He’s Our You, but then after looking again at Some Like It Hoth and LaFleur, I have to agree with the others and go with LaFleur (with Some Like It Hoth coming in second).

I agree with a lot of the above and would include:

South Park – “Margaritaville”

Modern Family–The Incident

Lost–Jughead or The Variable (The best episodes of Lost always seem to feature Desmond)

I really don’t remember the tiles of a lot of episodes (besides Lost) so this is a hard list to make.

I agree with Big Love “Come Ye, Saints”

Mad Men–”The Gypsy and the Hobo”

True Blood–”I Will Rise Up”

The state championship game episode of FNL.

That’s all I got right now

Breaking Bad – “Peekaboo”

The Office – “Michael Scott Paper Company”, “Lecture Circuit Parts 1 & 2″, “Company Picnic”, “Niagara” (they had a very good year)

30 Rock – “Apollo, Apollo”

Friday Night Lights – “The Giving Tree” (OK, so it aired in 2008 on DirecTV. I don’t have DirecTV.)

Dollhouse – “Epitaph One”, “Belonging”

BSG – “Daybreak”, minus the final five minutes or so

Parks & Recreation – “Practice Date”

Modern Family – “Pilot”

Big Love – “Come, Ye Saints”

Glee – “Pilot”, “The Rhodes Not Taken”

Party Down – “Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen”

Mad Men – “The Gypsy & the Hobo”, “My Old Kentucky Home”

Pushing Daisies – “Kerplunk”

Burn Notice – Lesser Evil
Chuck – Chuck vs The Ring
Dollhouse – Man on the Street
Fringe – There is more than one of everything
Supernatural – The End or the Monster at the End of this Book
House – Broken

I don’t watch Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Big Love etc – and I know these are critical darlings – but these are the favorites of the shows that I do watch.

No list would be complete without the road trip episode of Big Love. I felt liked I survived something after that.

My favorites so far probably include:

Dollhouse – “Spy in the House of Love”

Lost – “The Variable”

30 Rock – “Apollo, Apollo”

The Office – “Stress Relief”

Supernatural – “The Monster at the End of this Book”

True Blood – “I Will Rise Up”

Dude, Dollhouse? Please! Put down the meth pipe, send Andre Agassi home and chug some coffee, stat.

The best shows are:
Glee: Throwdown (I’m about to vomit down your neck)
Glee: Preggers (Single Ladies football flash mob? Yes!)
True Blood: Frenzy (Oh, Billy)
Frontline: The Warning on PBS (Greenspan! Ayn Rand! Fiscal Meltdowns!)
Fringe: Momentum Deferred and A New Day in the Old Town
PBS Documentary on Latin Music
Mad Men: Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency
Life: Evil and His Brother Ziggy

Notice: no Dollhouse. Jeez!

Whoops, forgot to say best episode of the PBS Latin Music docu hour 2 titled “The Salsa Revolution.”

Yeah, I’m, with dolleyes in saying Dollhouse should not be on this list.

Favorite:

Mad Men–Notes on an Emergency
Lost–The Variable
Fringe–Momentum Deferred
Community–Pilot
Modern Family–The Incident
Parks and Recreation–Kaboom

It’s between
“Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”, Mad Men
and
“Phoenix”, Breaking Bad
for my favourite episode this year. The latter might clinch it, though – that ending had me literally rocking back and forth, muttering “nonononono” under my breath. Shivers.

Rest of my list:
“Epitaph One”, Dollhouse
“Gilead”, Sons of Anarchy (though I’ve a feeling this might be topped before the season is over)
“The Variable”, Lost
“James Rolf High School Twentieth Reunion”, Party Down
There should be some FNL on there too, but it’s been so long that the episodes are kinda flowing together. The one where Mrs. Saracen moves to the retirement home?

Oops, I meant Mad Men–Meditations In An Emergency.

Also, from this season:

Mad Men–Seven Twenty Three.

I forgot the show Life – a great show that was canceled last season. The episode One.

My favorites:

Lost – LeFleur or The Variable

Mad Men – Guy Walks Into an Ad Agency

Supernatural – The Monster At The End of This Book

House – Broken

Sons of Anarchy – Potlatch or Eureka or Gilead

True Blood – New World in My View (which SHOULD have been called The Smiting of Sam Merlotte)

Dollhouse – Epitaph One (which didn’t actually air, but deserves mention anyway since it was the best episode of the whole season, and it was better than most of the other stuff I saw on TV all year)

Castle – Ghosts, or Death in the Family

Psych – either An Evening With Mr. Yang or Shawn Takes A Shot In The Dark

Sarah Conner – Some Must Watch, While Some Must Sleep

Torchwood – Children of Earth (the whole thing, but the 3rd episode was probably my favorite

Leverage – The First and Second David Job

Chuck – Chuck Versus The Ring

Lie to Me – Undercover

And of course the whole Michael Scott Paper Company arc on The Office.

House – Season Premiere
BSG – Daybreak
FNL – Smash’s tryout episode
Office – Broke
Fringe – Season 1 finale

I think the point about Dollhouse is well-said. The show itself is wildly uneven but when it works it’s amazing. It’s a shame those episodes are the exception and not the rule.

Glee: “Throwdown” (The epic battle of cheer-leading fuhrer vs. glee club maestro – There Can Be Only One.)

Supernatural: “The End” (I think this may be the best episode of the entire series. However, I’m not sure it stands alone without understanding everything that’s gone on for 4 and a half seasons. But it boils down the entire theme of the show very succinctly and is, in and of itself, pretty freakin scary. Plus, “THE VOICE SAYS I AM ALMOST OUT OF MINUTES.”)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: “Ourselves Alone” (The dynamic between Jesse and Riley finally takes a tragic turn and you see just how savage the future really is. The real John Connor stands up [or sits down] and for the first time, it seems like Thomas Dekker has finally grown into the part. Brian Austin Green is frightening as the man who [maybe] murders his lover, showing once more the savage future.)

I realize someone must ‘fess up to watching popular, yet perhaps not such critically acclaimed shows:

1. Grey’s anatomy: “Stairway to heaven” (only time scripted show made me cry this year – and one helluva moral dilemma, more interesting than anything the “mad men” come up with)

2. CSI: “A space oddity” (A funny and sweet episode from a somewhat staid, yet reliably entertaining show)

Other than that – a shoutout for Big Love, Dexter, True Blood and Fringe. And if someone was to make a list of best episode ever: The Lost pilot back in the day just blew me way.

This is really hard for me to narrow down, so my nominees are the following:

Dollhouse – “Epitaph One,” “Belonging,” “Spy in the House of Love”

Bones – “Mayhem on a Cross”

GLEE – “Throwdown”

Fringe – “There’s More Than One of Everything”

Castle – “Vampire Weekend”

FlashFoward – “No More Good Days”

Life – “One”

Ok, I’m stopping :)

Adding my voice for Breaking Bad’s “Phoenix.” Unforgettable “Sophie’s Choice” moment for Walter.

Supernatural – The End
Dollhouse – Belonging or Epitaph One
Glee- Throwdown

So I’m curious why some Lost fans are choosing The Variable. I really liked the episode (there was hardly a weak episode all season), but in going back through the episode summaries, The Variable just doesn’t stick out to me. Yeah, Jeremy Davies played the part very well, and it was a very interesting episode, but nothing strikes me as making it head and shoulders above the rest (maybe Eloise being the one who kills him). Maybe I just liked LaFleur better, but I really thought Josh Holloway took the episode and ran with it.

So come on, folks, let’s get some Lost talk going in the offseason to torture ourselves over it not being back yet :)

Dave,

This is the Medea of Lost: high tragedy where a mother kills her son. In the Lost version, she knowingly sends him back to be killed by her younger self, all for a greater good. The episode was such a surprise and such a head bleep that I spent a long while thinking about it; I didn’t get much sleep. Also, we get a rich, complex relationship btwn two people–mother and son–that is told in a brief format, but told with the utmost precision of dialogue and imagery. We also get a good advancement to the mythology. For all those reasons, “The Variable” stands out.

Dollhouse- Belonging – great episode which does some more exploration on the motivations of the characters, and the mysteriousness of the brain. Does love really conquer all? It seems it does.

Castle – Vampire Weekend – but only because of the Firefly reference. Oh I guess there was some interesting trip into the motivations of Castle, or could have been if he’s not so good at dodging. Which says something if I’m talking about the character and not the writer. :D It’s more of a fun episode.

As a whole though, this year I’m left with feeling like what the hell was the writer’s strike for? They still write like crap. Are my standards really that high? My dad being a professional filmmaker might have jaded me to tv, but I don’t think so.

I see what you’re saying… I guess I just didn’t enjoy the episode as a whole as much as I did LaFleur. *shrug* :)

Daily Show – 3/12/2009 – The Jim Cramer Interview
.
Breaking Bad – Any, but I liked “Down”
.
BSG – “Blood on the Scales”
.
30 Rock – “Larry King”

Oops, had the wrong “In Plain Sight” episode – the one I want to suggest is “Who’s Bugging Mary?”

While I’m here, have you been able to catch “30 for 30″? I’m really impressed with the quality of the documentaries so far (this week’s on Ali and Larry Holmes was another great one)

I’d add the premiere of V; what a way to make an entrance. And the attack on the resistance was very creepy.

Burn Notice- “Lesser Evil”
Reaper- “The Devil and Sam Oliver”
Chuck- “Chuck vs The Colonel” and “Chuck vs The Ring”
Better off Ted- “Racial Sensitivity”
Scrubs- “My Finale” and “My Lawyer’s in Love”
How I Met Your Mother- “The Playbook”
Modern Family- “Pilot” and “Fizbo”
Parks and Recreation- “The Camel” (I can’t believe how much that show improved)
The Office- “Broke” and “Shareholders Meeting”
Pushing Daises- “Window Dressed To Kill”
30 Rock- “The Funcooker”
Dollhouse- “Epitaph One”
Lost- “The Incident”
Psych- “An Evening with Mr. Yang”

Yeah, I watch alot of TV…