Retroactive Post - Best Episodes of TV Shows on DVD

I promised it in an earlier post, so here it is: my picks for the best episodes of all of the TV show seasons I've watched on DVD so far. It's something I'm adding to future posts on TV DVDs and I didn't want previous posts to miss out.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Volume One
I don't know if I have a favourite on this one... Maybe "Revenge of the Mooninites", because I enjoyed Carl's expression of his love for 80's rock band Foreigner, which of course culminated in his head becoming a Connect Four board. Bonus: I didn't review the Volume Two DVD because I didn't really know what I could say about it that I didn't say about the first one, but my pick for best episode on that one is "Super Trivia", because watching the characters sit around a bar playing trivia turned out to be a lot of fun and really funny.

The IT Crowd - Season One
I almost chose "Calamity Jen" because of the hilarious fire brigade commercial, but I'll go with "Fifty-Fifty" because I loved the storyline about Roy wanting to prove that women love bastards. That is an age old debate that may never be settled.

The IT Crowd - Season Two
"Moss and the German", which may be one of my favourite IT Crowd episodes ever, because everything about it is classic - the anti-piracy ad, the weird cannibalism story (which, even weirder, was based on a true story), Roy desperately trying to avoid movie spoilers, and Jen's smoking habit evoking depressing Russian visuals. Definitely one of the most memorable episodes.

The IT Crowd - Season Three
I said in the post for this one that it was the strongest season, and really I could choose any of the six and be fine with that decision, but on a personal level I'd have to go with "Are We Not Men?". As someone who has no interest in sports, I found the conversation bluffing idea to be funny and probably true, though I've never tried it because even in that context I still wouldn't want to discuss sports with anyone.

Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes
I don't think the episodes have titles, but my favourite on this set was the second of the three lost episodes, in which Dave plays "Black Howard Dean" and security guard Gary Coleman, and puts George Castanza's "sex trifecta" to use. It's also the one with the controversial "stereotype pixies", but I don't care so much about that one. If only the Tupac sketch were in this episode instead. And as a bonus, Wikipedia says this episode originally aired on my birthday!

Dexter - Season One
I already mentioned in the post (although not as officially as I'll be doing in the future) that the best episode here was "Return to Sender", because it brought the tension and excitement from about a 4 to an 11, and solidified my enjoyment of the series. I would later be pleasantly surprised to find out that the entire second season is like that one first season episode.

The 4400 - Season One
The 1.5 hour pilot is what sold me on buying the complete series, but I think I'll have to go with "White Light", the season finale, because it had some cool stuff and really showed us where the show was going. Plus, you know, the trees were bending.

Breaking Bad - Season One
I said the first three episodes were the best, so that narrows it down, but I think my favourite is episode three, "...And the Bag's in the River", because the whole Krazy 8 situation was handled amazingly, and the moment where Walt puts the yellow plate back together is one of my favourite parts of the entire series so far.

Date Night

Impressions before seeing it
Normally I'd probably ignore this movie, but it stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, two of my favourite sitcom stars, as a married couple. Sounds awesome!

How was it?
If anything else, I think Date Night is a "star vehicle". Aside from Carell and Fey, there are plenty of other familiar faces, and rather than enhance the film like they're supposed to, they are the film. The script isn't really that interesting, and there is a scene on a subway where Phil (Carell) explains to a disoriented Claire (Fey) what is going on and what they've gotten themselves into, even though it's already been established and is really not that complicated, insulting both Claire's intelligence and the audience's. Minus more points from the script.

There are some decent laughs here and there, but nothing that is downright hilarious. Again, I blame the script because Carell and Fey themselves are much funnier than the source material, and most of the funniest parts were probably improvised by them anyway, or at least were made funny by their comedic talents. A lot of precious comedy time is instead wasted on action sequences or dramatic/emotional scenes about the couple's relationship, none of which was really gripping to me. I feel like the writers were also trying to present the illusion of screenwriting genius by duplicating certain occurrences and lines so that it would look like the couple's everyday life had almost prepared them for this action-packed night, but again I saw right through it. And I am disappointed that the "bumping into a glass door" gag was included. That one is getting really old, guys, can we please stop putting it in movies? It's about as unfunny and overused as "Say hello to my little friend!", which luckily nobody said in this movie.

Recommendation
Clearly I was disappointed, but I still have trouble hating this movie because I just love the idea of Steve Carell and Tina Fey in the same film. They both write, I think Date Night could have been a fantastic movie if they had teamed up to pen the script. But alas, they did not, and so Date Night is mostly forgettable except that it stars two sitcom superstars. Excuse me while I stare longingly at the poster and imagine a better movie.

The 4400 - Season Two

With a longer season than the previous one, we're allowed to get deeper into things, although the season one finale explained quite a bit. Now that we more or less know the reasons behind the whole 4400 situation, we can sit back and watch their destinies fall into place. Luckily that keeps it interesting, because this show could've taken a nosedive after revealing their biggest mystery so soon.

I have to admit there were a couple of laughable moments that took me out of the experience (one was acceptable because it turned out to be a hallucination, and the other was baby Isabelle's killing powers, which was funny more for the way it was shot than the concept itself), but overall I am still enjoying this show. Some of the episodes have that X-Files/Fringe feel because they focus on individual 4400's struggling with their abilities on a case-by-case basis, but they always include the continuing plotlines with our series regulars in every episode as well. I appreciate that balance, although there are two episodes this season (one of them being my favourite, which I will discuss more below) that sort of throw the formula out the window and do something different, which I appreciate even more.

Danny and Collier are douchebags, but Kyle, who we didn't get to know very well last season anyway, became more likable and Shawn a little less so because of his obsession with Collier and wanting to follow in his footsteps. It was also cool to see some familiar faces as guest stars, including Summer Glau and that weird guy from The Frighteners who I really have never seen in anything else. Knowing very little about the series as I watch each episode, these appearances come as pleasant surprises to me because I am a man who enjoys cameos and guest appearances. And finally, I just want to say that the end of the season finale felt a little rushed because they threw about five different plot twist cliffhangers at us, as if they didn't have the time to build up to them while writing the season. But it will at least make the season three premiere more interesting, so I suppose I can't complain.

Best episode: "Life Interrupted", a cool little self-contained mystery where Tom awakes in an alternate world in which the 4400 don't exist and a random stranger is supposed to be his wife. As I said, that episode took a wild left turn from the general story, and it was an awesome and unique way to introduce a romance and phase in a new character without being too intrusive.

This Week in Television - July 26-30, 2010

The IT Crowd
I like that this one was a Douglas heavy episode because I felt he was somewhat underused this season. It also allowed for some zanier humour that otherwise may not have worked without Douglas since he is the most random character on the show. I think the scene with Victoria sleeping behind a large pair of sunglasses was a reference to an episode in an earlier season where Douglas thought Jen was sleeping because she was wearing the same ones. For that reason I was able to see it coming, but at the same time I appreciated the callback. It might have been nice for Roy and/or Moss to have had a subplot in this episode because on a personal level I just like when there's more going on, but then it would've taken time away from Douglas and, again, he deserved this episode because he's only had a small amount to do this season. Also I have never heard the phrase "wet squib", but I did know that it was "pedestal" and not "peddle stool".

That's it for this season of The IT Crowd, and for "This Week in Television" until the new TV season begins in September. The Hero/Douchebag of the Week awards will probably return in the third week of September because there will be plenty of premieres that week. See you then!

Breaking Bad - Season Two

Season one didn't really end on a cliffhanger so much as a moment of "oh crap, what did they get themselves into?", which is a great lead into the next season because for me the appeal of this show is watching Walt and Jesse try to overcome dangerous and/or unfortunate circumstances. Last season had a couple of episodes that, while still really good, were a little slower and less interesting than others because Walt and Jesse had parted for a while, and I think this season was better at managing that minuscule problem. I do still like it best when they are sharing the screen, because they're such an unlikely pair and while they may be business partners they are clearly not friends, so their dynamic fascinates me, but Walt and Jesse also had better individual story arcs this time around. Jesse had to deal with finding new living arrangements, having a relationship with his landlord, and things happening to his dealers, and Walt had continued trouble with the web of lies he was continuously spinning at his wife, including the payment of his cancer treatment.

At the beginning of the series I wasn't sure I liked Skyler because she seemed nosy and even a little fickle, but now I can empathize with both her and Walt, and that makes their arguments almost heartbreaking because I am siding with both of them. I don't know if he was playing dumb, but Walt didn't seem to get it when she turned the tables on him and started doing exactly what he had been doing to her (going out for long periods of time without saying where), and then he insulted her intelligence by pretending he wasn't hiding anything when she knew that he was. Maybe I am a little more on Skyler's side, but I can understand why Walt can't tell her and that he's doing it for his family. It was also interesting to see another side to Hank. Up until a certain point he had been a crass, tough guy jock type - and admittedly a bit of a douchebag at times - but after a couple of traumatic events he gets knocked down a peg and we see that he's not so tough after all. And I just want to randomly point out the coolness of a shot in the finale where Hank holds up a donation jar with Walt's photo on it, and the photo is positioned directly under the "WANTED" sign on the board in the background. Nice work.

Best Episode: There were several fantastic episodes, but I'd have to go with "Grilled", where Tuco holds Walt and Jesse hostage and they try to devise an escape plan under the watchful eye of an old man who communicates by ringing a service bell. Easily the most riveting, high-tension hour this season.

Dexter - Season Two

The cool thing about the second season of Dexter is that it makes the first season better because of all the things it set up for us. As we open, basically everything Dex did last season comes back to haunt him: being unable to kill because of his showdown with the ice truck killer, all of his victims being discovered at the bottom of the ocean, Doakes becoming so suspicious that he begins tailing Dexter, Rita's ex husband biting the dust in prison (and that entire Paul storyline last season being a nice setup for the "Dexter pretending to be a druggie" arc this season), and so on. While the arc of season one felt like an open and shut chapter, it's nice to see that it's still completely relevant to the following chapter.

While last season was mainly to establish Dexter's rules and his process for killing, his decision in the finale led us to this season's purpose, which was to establish who Dexter actually is beneath Harry's code. As his secrets come frighteningly close to being exposed, we learn more about him because you can tell a lot about a person from how they react when cornered.

I found it funny in one episode when Angel introduced himself as "Dexter's best friend" because season one had spent so much time telling us that Dex is a loner and only puts up with people for appearances, but by the end of the season I realized Angel was probably right. The only people who can come close to being considered Dexter's friends are his co-workers, and out of them he is closest with Angel. In the last few episodes he was even showing signs of caring about him, and really I think that's what this arc was getting at. In the past Dexter was pretending to care so as not to seem like a psychopath, but we've slowly been watching him develop some feelings as he learns about himself thanks to Lila (it's amazing how they turned that around on me, because when she was first introduced I thought she was cool and then by the end of the season I couldn't stand her).

It looks like Doakes is dead. If so, I will miss his hilarious bursts of anger and swearing. In his honour, I have prepared a special tribute video. Special Agent Lundy was also a cool addition and I hope to see him back sometime. I know I'm behind on this show but I'm looking forward to the next seasons.

Best Episode: From now on (and retroactively, watch for that post) when I review TV shows on DVD, I'm going to name what my favourite episode was from that season. For the second season of Dexter, it's "Left Turn Ahead", which contains a humourous sequence where Dexter imagines different outcomes in telling Deb he's the Bay Harbor Butcher, and possibly my favourite Doakes quote ever ("Suck ma dick, muthafucka, you understand that shit?").