So, normally, I would explain to you what about each of these episodes I love. However, this year has kind of deflated me. In general, I have not posted as often as I would have liked, because I have not really been able to find the motivation. Moving forward, I plan to take a break from posting here at all, but will continue updating Twitter and Facebook with TV news and opinions. And hopefully, I will find my inspiration again in 2018. If nothing else, I will be working very hard to get Beto O’Rourke elected to the United States Senate in Texas.
But, for now, this is my list of favorite episodes, not necessarily what I believe are the best episodes of the year, just my favorites. I would still love to hear what are some of your favorites, so please share them with me in the comments!
In honor of last weekend’s season finales of Turn: Washington’s Spies and Orphan Black (which were both fantastic), I have made a list of other favorite series finales. Most of these finales are attached to personal memories, and some are just really good episodes of television. All these shows affected me in different ways at different times in my life, but I felt a real sense of loss when they ended. There were a couple great finales this year, but I did not include them because it is likely they will make my list of Best Episodes of 2017. As long as you do not watch the videos, there should not be any big spoilers.
1. Sex and the City: I was in high school when this show started, and I used to watch it at night when my parents were in bed, because my mother would have never approved. When I got to college, it was the show that everyone watched. It ended my junior year in college and I remember watching it with my roommates at our apartment in Elon, North Carolina. I would actually have preferred for Carrie to end up with Aiden, but I was happy with the way the other three women’s stories were wrapped up.
2. Parenthood: Jason Katims knows how to do a series finales, as evidenced by Friday Night Lights also being on this list. I do not like too much ambiguity in my series finales, and this let me know that the Bravermans would all be okay. I watched this finale at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas surrounded by other Parenthood fans for an ATX Television Festival event. There was something cathartic being in a theater full of people, all of whom were sobbing.
3. Sons of Anarchy: I got into SOA in the middle of season three. I had put off watching it because of the subject matter, but could not ignore the critics raving about it. It also came to me at a time in my life when I needed to just completely lose myself in a world so unlike my own. When I moved to Austin, I bonded with one of my new friends over our love of Charlie Hunnam and the show, and we started watching the episodes together each week at my apartment. Obviously, I wish every character could have had a happy ending, but that is not what this show was about. It was about dealing with the consequences of the life each of them had chosen, and the actions they had taken along the way.
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: I do not really have a fun story for where I was when I watched the finale of this show. I actually think I was alone in my parent’s basement, which sounds kind of creepy. I got into this show late, and I don’t think I had even caught up on all the seasons yet, but wanted to watch the finale live. I did not really know what was happening at the time, but have obviously gone back and watched the entire series several times since then. This speech still brings me to tears every time I watch it:
Killjoys Gander: I can give you whatever you hunger for. Delle Seyah: Said every gross man ever.
Wynonna Earp Dolls: Neutral men are the devil’s allies.
Turn: Washington’s Spies Mary: The man you are is a man who would do anything for his friends.
Robert: Those whose sit on the picket fence are impaled by it.
Orphan Black Felix: My sister and I are orphans, you see, and, um, we could’ve ended up anywhere. We could’ve ended up in any family. And if we had, we would’ve been entirely different people. But my mum, Siobhan, this woman, come on, this woman… This woman, she chose us as her own. We are who we are because she carried two little London urchins on her wings to Canada. Watching her raise my sister, watching my sister raise her own daughter, finding my biological sister… it’s quite mad. It’s taught me that we are all… mysterious works of chance. Of choice. Of nature versus nurture. So, to my galaxy of women, thank you for the nurture.
These are my favorite quotes from the past two weeks, mostly from shows currently on the air, but also other random things I happen to be watching.
Grantchester Sidney: This is the life we are here for. We owe it to ourselves to live it.
Preacher
Jesse: This woman last night, she told me about some secret organization with designs on world domination. You know about that? Cassidy: Yeah. Sure. Which one? Is it Z.O.G.? Rosicrucians, Reptilians? Secret society of alien lizards. They impersonate celebrities in an attempt to take over the planet through popular culture. Is that it?
Jesse: …No.
Will Alice: You’re a man. Don’t talk to me about not being free.
Marlowe: Greatness comes at a cost. Yours is to endure your guilt.
Animal Kingdom Smurf: Everything’s fine. Bring your gun.
The Bold Type Kat: Open a bottle of gin. Chase it with nothing. Start typing.
Sutton: I can’t have my hand up there an hour before I’m supposed to shake it with the entire ad sales team.
Suits Harvey: You know I have more than one trick, right? Mike: No, I kow you think you do, but just because you put on a different costume doesn’t make it a different trick. Harvey: Yeah, I liked you better when you were drunk. Mike: I liked you better when I was drunk too.
Queen of the South El Santo: I will not be infected by your faithless deals! Teresa: And yet, here we are.
Guero: I’m not saying I’m not gonna kill you. I just…I’m not gonna kill you right now.
Killjoys Banyan: I thought you were just the funny one.
Johnny: I multitask.
D’avin: I know I should feel worse about punching an old blind dude, but I don’t, and I’m cool with that.
Playing House Maggie: I want to shove my mouth full of meat, and then I wanna hit the dance floor!
Bob the DragQueen: We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag!
Turn: Washington’s Spies Anna: I don’t just have a job to do. I have a job to pretend to do.
Orphan Black Krystal: She’s been poisoned…by big cosmetics. What about that is confusing?
Since the ATX Television Festival, my schedule has been little wonky. So, here are my favorite quotes from the past two and a half weeks, mostly from shows currently on the air, but also other random things I happen to be watching.
Orphan Black Alison: Poop on a stoop!
I’m Dying Up Here Edgar: That is not how a bladder functions. Gabe: Shut up, Edgar. I’m Jewish, you’re Mexican, which automatically makes me closer to being a doctor than you.
Downward Dog Martin: I think, so often I forget the really, really obvious things in life. Because I don’t think it’s all that hard to be happy. I…I think you just have to be grateful. Like, you have to remember to be grateful for what’s right in front of you. Because me and Nan are really, really different. Like…like, we’re, like, 60% compatible at best. And, like, we have these huge issues we have to work out. But, like, when you’re always running around looking for what’s wrong with everything you just – you just end up miserable. Yeah, like, I’m a trash dog and she’s, like, a fancy lady, but we have each other, and that’s what’s important. We’re not alone. And for that…for that I’m honestly, really, truly grateful.
Martin: One thing I’ve always wanted to ask is just, like, what if we never got out of bed? Like, ever. Why are we so convinced it would be bad? Like, that might – that might solve everything. Or we could not try my suggestion, and we could just, like, keep getting out of bed every day expecting somehow to achieve a different result, even though that’s the actual dictionary definition of insanity. I mean, I don’t know. Maybe it’s worth a try.
iZombie Liv: He escaped.
Justin: How’d that happen? Liv: Said the guy who showed up late.
Fargo Emmit: A lie is not a lie if you believe it’s true.
Doctor Who Bill: You’re not cowards. You’re scared. Scared is fine. Scared is human.
Doctor: That’s the trouble with hope. It’s hard to resist.
Turn: Washington’s Spies
Judge Woodhull: When the consequence of the day rears its head, then we’ll know what we learned.
Orphan Black Rachel: You can be part of this change, or you can be part of the past.
In preparation for Saturday’s final Orphan Black season premiere, I thought I would share the blog I wrote after watching the first season, which was originally posted at Aye, Tortuga!. I updated a few sections, otherwise, these were my first thoughts about the series.
I follow a lot of entertainment-related people on my Twitter account. I also tend to follow people that I agree with so, sometimes my perception of what the majority of people are actually watching and enjoying is a little skewed. From my Facebook feed, it seems like most of my friends have not yet discovered one of my new favorite shows, so I thought I would try to change that, especially considering those same friends compose the majority of my readers. (Sadly, this fact has not changed much since that first season but, there are a few more Clone Club members now.)
Over the past month, my Twitter timeline has been a constant love-fest for new show Orphan Black. I was not initially planning to watch this show, but I could not ignore the loud voices telling me how amazing it was, and I am very glad that I gave into the peer pressure. They were right and you should all be watching it as well.
While it was actually airing, I had only seen a few posts here and there about this new BBC America series but, again, mostly from entertainment writers and bloggers and mostly from the same few people. However, after hearing about Tatiana Maslany for four days straight at Season 2 of the ATX Television Festival, I decided I should probably see what everyone was talking about.
I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this list, so here are the returning shows that I am mostly looking forward to watching this summer.
1. Animal Kingdom, season two premieres May 30th on TNT, stars Scott Speedman, Finn Cole, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Molly Gordon, Aamya Deva Keroles, and Ellen Barkin. The Cody family dynamic has flipped in this second season, as the boys start to turn on their mother after a heist goes wrong. Baz, Pope, Craig, and Deran each begin to plan their next moves, while J is stuck in the middle, still trying to figure out where he belongs. I was not sure if I would like this show when it started last summer, but it is dark and gritty, with some humor weaved throughout. It is a fun summer drama.
2. Kingdom, season three premieres May 31st on Audience, stars Matt Lauria, Jonathan Tucker, Nick Jonas, Kiele Sanchez, Joanna Going, Natalie Martinez, Talia Shire, Kirk Acevedo, and Frank Grillo. Alvey and Lisa are still dealing with the loss of their son, while also trying to keep their gym afloat. Nate has finally admitted that he is gay, but is not entirely comfortable in his new relationship. And, as always, Ryan and Jay are sorting through their own demons, with a potential rematch still on the horizon. This show is so fantastic, and I am disappointed that more people are not watching it. The entire cast have continued to blow me away with their performances from episode to episode. As this is, sadly, the final season, I fully expect them to knock us on our asses, and I cannot wait.
3. Orphan Black, season five premieres June 10th on BBC America, stars Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Kristian Bruun, Kevin Hanchard, Ari Millen, Evelyne Brochu, Josh Vokey, Skyler Wexler, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. Another one of my favorite shows is coming to an end this summer, and I am not okay with it. I have been rewatching the entire series to prepare for this final trip, and it gets better and better with each viewing. I continue to be amazed by the cast and, after four seasons, still need to remind myself that Tatiana Maslany plays half of the major roles. I cannot wait to see how they wrap up the story of these sestras, but will be sad to see it go.
4. The Great British Baking Show, season four premieres June 16th on PBS, stars Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc. I have to admit, I was skeptical of this baking show when I first watched it with my mother while home for Christmas a few years ago, but I was hooked after the very first episode. This aired in the United Kingdom last Fall and is the final season with the original hosts. Bring on the crazy technical challenges and baking puns!
My list of favorite episodes each year is usually a combination of things that made me think, and things that just made me really happy. I always like to preface my list with the recognition that these are simply *my* favorite episodes, and not necessarily the best episodes, because I know that there is way too much good TV to make that statement, and that other people have different tastes than me. So, here we go…
1. Game of Thrones “The Winds of Winter”
The previous episode “The Battle of the Bastards” was also fantastic, but this is my favorite because everything starts to come together in the season finale. Cersei refuses to stand trial, and instead blows up the High Sparrow, the Faith Militant, and most of the Tyrell family. Tommen then kills himself, and Cersei takes the Iron Throne. Aria exacts vengeance on House Frey for the Red Wedding. Bran has become the Three-Eyed Raven and learns that Jon Snow is the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. Jon and Sansa have reclaimed Winterfell for the Starks, and Jon is named the King of the North by the rest of the Northern families, with a little help from Lyanna Mormont. Daenerys makes Tyrion the Hand of the Queen and begins sailing across the Summer Sea with her dragons and her army, aligned with Dorne, Highgarden, and House Greyjoy. Everything seems to have fallen into place, and it set-up what will hopefully be a eventful season seven. I cannot wait to see what happens next.
2. Black Sails “XXVIII”
I had not read a lot about the show before starting to watch, and have never read Treasure Island, so I actually did not know that the show is a prequel to the book until the end of the most recent season. I mostly just like pirates and decided to finally catch up on the whole series this year. In this season finale, there is an epic battle between Flint’s and Rackham’s crews, the Maroons and the British. After the British are handily defeated, with help from Blackbeard, the pirate captains sit down together and begin to figure out a plan to take back Nassau. Meanwhile, Billy Bones and a few select others have been instilling fear in the people of the island, and Silver is finally given the name ‘Long John Silver.’ Lines have been drawn in Nassau, and if you are not with the pirates, you are against them.
3. 12 Monkeys “Blood Washed Away”
For me, this is the best science fiction show on television right now. Every season I think they cannot possibly blow my mind any more, and then they do, over and over again throughout the season. Cole and Cassie are stuck together in 1958, with no way back to the future unless they stop the primary from causing another paradox. When they fail, they FINALLY admit to each other that they are both in love, and they face those feelings head on. Back in 2044, everyone else is searching for Titan so that they can kill The Witness. This is not the season finale, but it ends in such a way that you have no idea how they could possibly go on from here, and yet they do somehow, and it is excellent.
4. Lovesick “Frankie”
This show makes me laugh a lot. This episode in particular made me cry with laughter. The reason this episode has made my list is because of one specific scene where Angus has eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms and somehow manages to get into the freezer at a grocery store. He is enjoying the cold temperature, and tells Dylan that it’s like being in Narnia. When the grocery store employee tells him to get out, he tries to hide by putting a bag of frozen peas over his face. Later, after Dylan’s car gets a flat tire, Angus is afraid that they are being watched so he runs into the woods and climbs a tree. I chuckle just thinking about it.
My TV Family 