My 20 Greatest TV Drama Episodes
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- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulWalt goes on the run. Jesse is taken hostage. Marie forces Skyler to tell Walter, Jr. the truth.More or less every scene of this episode could stake a claim on a short list compiling the most powerful moments in TV history. We have the opening which is nothing short of stunning (in fact it was deemed so intense that AMC granted special permission to the director and allowed him to delay the credit roll until we are given some respite 15 minutes later), we have the iconic barrel scene, we have Marie confronting Skyler, Walt's ambiguous and deeply unsettling telephone call, and (not least) the improvised and heartbreaking moment when baby Holly calls out for her mother. However, in my mind nothing can quite match the argument between Walt and Skyler at negra arroyo lane for its shear harrowing power. This moment is the climax of the whole series as Walt's self delusions are brutally shattered and he finally understands the dark realities of his actions. The writing here is exceptional, as is the acting, as is the directing. We watch the penny drop and Dave Porter's heavy duty industrial score rises ferociously to capture the horror. All in all it's the most face melting sequence I've ever seen. The fact that it's just one incredible scene in an episode full of them only goes to further prove that other series have a long way yet to go before they can produce an hour of television which rivals Ozymandias.
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsJustin TherouxAmy BrennemanChristopher EcclestonLaurie Garvey, a former therapist, must become one again as she heads to Australia to help Nora and Kevin along their paths.On first viewing I really liked Certified, but I wouldn't have envisaged myself putting it this high up my list, but as time has gone on it's emotional resonance has stuck with me and even grown stronger. This is a very fine piece of film making in every sense, it's elusiveness reminiscent of art film: understandable in an emotional sense rather than a quantitative logical one. That makes it great.
- DirectorTimothy Van PattenStarsJames GandolfiniEdie FalcoMichael ImperioliTony makes a request to Johnny Sack on behalf of his cousin, and Adriana makes a request to the FBI, followed by one to Chris.I've begrudgingly had to put Long Term Parking in what feels like a very unfair 3rd place. It is a true masterpiece. Making a distinction between this, my number 2 choice, and my number 1 choice, is frankly churlish. Each of the trio are so different and so perfect in their separate ways that there isn't really any fair comparison to be made.
- DirectorCraig ZobelStarsJustin TherouxAmy BrennemanChristopher EcclestonIn the wake of Kevin's desperate decision to vanquish Patti, questions and answers emerge as the world adjusts to the repercussions of what comes next.Rarely have I been so completely in awe of an hour of television. Based on Dante's Inferno, International Assassin is simply virtuosic in the way it plays with our emotions and expectations and evolves into an emotionally heartbreaking coda for a character I least expected to feel for as much as I did in their final moments.
- DirectorAlan BallStarsPeter KrauseMichael C. HallFrances ConroyNate and Brenda's daughter Willa is born, but 2 months early and at only 2 lb. 4 oz., requiring a prolonged hospital stay. Nate is convinced she won't make it and insists that he can't accept it if she does and is "damaged", shaking Brenda's own confidence. Rico encourages David to sell the funeral home but instead he and Keith buy out Rico's 25% so he can start his own. David agrees to temporarily leave home, and goes to the funeral home. There he's confronted by Nathaniel about considering leaving the business and for his gayness, and is forced to fight his mysterious attacker back, then finally sees his face. Maya is returned to Brenda and Ruth has to face her own problems, until Maggie reveals Nate did see her, happily, as Brenda insisted. Claire takes up photography (of Ted) again and gets a job offer at a New York photo production company, but offers to be there for Ruth until she insists she go and unfreezes her account. Brenda gets a surprise visit from Nate, who finally shows love for his daughter, and someone else. Claire learns the company who gave the job offer has just failed, but Nate encourages her to go onto New York anyway.This episode, especially its incredible final 6 minutes are an exclamation mark at the end of a great series. This is as close to a perfect ending as any series has ever had, so much so that it raises Six Feet Under from being just a good show to an all time great show. Everything in the series has been working up to those last few minutes so that when they arrive they land in such a way as to completely take your breath away. I can think of nothing in TV or film that has made me cry quite as much as this, it's an absolute emotional powerhouse.
- DirectorJoe ChappelleStarsDominic WestJohn DomanIdris ElbaThe wire begins to yield information about the Barksdale organization. Stringer and Avon reminisce on how far they have come. McNulty finds the way to a key piece of the puzzle in an unlikely place. Awaiting his fate, Colvin works behind the scenes to shape the outcome of Amsterdam, while protecting his men from possible repercussions. Bubbles considers a new partner.The Wire is not so much a series of great episodes. It's not a full meal every week like The Leftovers' later seasons, however, there are a few real standouts towards the end of each season. Middle Ground is the denouement to one of the greatest character arcs in the history of television and contains one scene in particular which is borderline Shakespearean in the way that the various motives and feelings of the characters are laid so plainly out for the audience yet concealed from those in their own world.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsJustin TherouxAmy BrennemanChristopher EcclestonNora wishes to step into Dr. Eden and Dr. Bekker's machine. What are the consequences?
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsKyle MacLachlanLeslie BergerRobert BroskiGotta light?
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulWalter White returns to Albuquerque one last time to secure his family's future and settle old scores.Breaking Bad's finale has been lightly criticised for being too neat and tidy, there may be some truth in this. However, personally that doesn't bother me. In fact I feel like this is exactly the point. There are numerous allusions to clockwork (Walt leaving his watch, telling Elliot and Gretchen about a countdown, the neo-nazi's oscillating massage chair, Walt's his rotating machine gun device etc.), and everything just slots into place for Walt like he has become master of manipulation, predicting people as though they themselves are mechanical (he even tells Lydia that she is 'rather schedule oriented' when he asks how he found her). I feel like the series has earnt this. It's as though Walt's stint in a cold lonely cabin have taught him a thing or two about being humble and he has finally learnt to put his ego behind him and focus on the end goal.
Putting that to one side, the real reason I include Felina as one of the very best episodes I've ever watched is the way, rather than going for an explosive grand finale, it is super quiet and restrained, and encourages us to take a step back and absorb everything which came before so that when the credits roll it really feels like the story has completely finished. It shows how although Breaking Bad was often messy, it was actually a very self contained story all along. It's a beautiful cat's cradle such that every component complements every other component. Put another way, you come away from it in awe of how epic the entire story of Breaking Bad was, rather than in awe of how amazing just the finale is. In that way it elevates the entire series. - DirectorJennifer GetzingerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserDon deliberately delays returning an important call from California, because he knows it's bad news about Anna. Instead, he keeps himself occupied by forcing Peggy to miss her birthday dinner to pull an all-nighter with him for a client.What is it that makes The Suitcase so good? I've never quite got to the bottom of that question myself. It's not all that dramatic and it's not going to explain the mysteries of the Universe to you. However, there's just something so honest about the character interactions, and something so complete about the structure of it that now, many years after I first watched it, I still think of it as one of the loveliest hours of TV I've ever seen.
- DirectorAlan TaylorStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoA tragedy rocks the family, and Tony takes a solo trip to Las Vegas when the grieving gets too hard to handle.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsJustin TherouxAmy BrennemanChristopher EcclestonThe tensions between Kevin and John reach a climax, as the fourth anniversary of the Departure brings an unsettling threat to Miracle.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulThere is a fly loose in the lab. Walt and Jesse must do whatever they can to kill it before it contaminates the meth.
- DirectorClark JohnsonStarsDominic WestReg E. CatheyJohn DomanCarcetti maps out a damage-control scenario with the police brass in the wake of a startling revelation from Pearlman and Daniels. Their choice: clean up the mess...or hide the dirt.
- DirectorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserDon and Betty Draper have an argument when it becomes apparent that he doesn't want to spend Thanksgiving with her family and she plans on going only with the children. He also learns some information about his brother Adam. Pete Campbell confirms that he has landed an account from his father-in-law for a new skin care product called Clearasil. He objects however when Don gives the account to Peggy Olson, whom he has just promoted to junior copywriter. Peggy proves her mettle in auditions for the weight loss device but later is feeling unwell and goes to the hospital where she is given some shocking news. Don comes up with a brilliant presentation for Kodak on a new wheel-like storage device for a slide projector that he dubs The Carousel.Much ado is made about the carousel scene, and rightfully so. It's a genuinely beautiful TV moment. However, The Wheel is a really great episode of TV even without that one moment.
- DirectorJack BenderStarsNaveen AndrewsHenry Ian CusickEmilie de RavinJack and the survivors wait for Charlie to turn off The Others' signal-jamming device, not knowing that he has been captured at the Looking Glass station. The plan to blow up the group of Others who invade the camp fails.An iconic episode of Lost, I'd call it the series high point, which says a lot since the series had so many highs.
- DirectorDavid FrankelStarsDoug AllenNicholas AaronEion BaileyAs the Allies move into Germany and the war comes closer to an end, disillusionment and anger set in for Easy Company - until they stumble onto a concentration camp abandoned by the German military."That's Beethoven". There are only a few times I've ever completely lost control of my tear ducts in the many many hours of TV and film I've seen, but this was one of them. This is a shocking, absolutely visceral piece of film making. Of course you'd expect it to be given it's subject matter: the discovery of the nazi concentration camps, but there's something about the way it sneaks up on you that hits you like a ton of bricks. The story of the genocide is so familiar to us that it can be easy to be nonchalant about it all, but watching these characters we've become familiar with discover first hand what had been going on in darkest Germany, puts you, as the viewer right there with them, and sure enough that makes you feel like you're hearing about the holocaust again for the first time. It's stunning and left me shaken.
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulJesse is brought to the FBI for questioning on his knowledge of ricin. In a last effort to kill Gus, Walt must ask for help from an old enemy.
- DirectorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulJesse has disappeared and Walt is in big trouble with Gus. So Gus rehires Gale to learn from Walt's cooking so that they can dispose of Walt once and for all.
- DirectorSteve BuscemiStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoWhile Silvio has the flu, Chris and Paulie run his collections for him, which results in the pair getting lost in the woods and nearly freezing to death while Tony's affair with Gloria goes sour as does Meadow's relationship with Jackie Jr.
- DirectorMichelle MacLarenStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulJesse ends up in the hospital after getting beaten up by Hank. Now he is threatening to press charges against the DEA. To stop him, Walt decides to bring Jesse on as his partner, once again.
- 2013–201851mTV-148.7 (1.6K)TV EpisodeDirectorMatthew RhysStarsKeri RussellMatthew RhysDylan BakerThe Jennings hit their breaking points as they try to handle their local agents such as Martha.
- DirectorGregg FienbergStarsTimothy OlyphantIan McShaneMolly ParkerDeath in the camp spooks the superstitious, and the impending funeral causes much sorrow. Cy is convinced that Andy - who will officiate at the service - is back in town to run a game. Wu asks Swearengen to back him against the "San Francisco cocksucker". Bullock encourages his wife to stay in Deadwood.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsDominic WestJohn DomanFrankie FaisonIn the Season Four finale, the bodies from the vacants pile up while Burrell offers his support to Daniels and admonishes Rawls for crossing him. A distraught Bubbles finds himself at his wit's end after his revenge plan backfires.
- DirectorDavid SladeStarsHugh DancyMads MikkelsenCaroline DhavernasJack devises a plan to apprehend Hannibal, while Hannibal prepares for his departure. Will makes his decision, and it results in devastating consequences.
- DirectorMichelle MacLarenStarsBryan CranstonAnna GunnAaron PaulWalt expands his business overseas, and the money is pouring in.
- DirectorJack BenderStarsNaveen AndrewsHenry Ian CusickJeremy DaviesDuring the helicopter ride to the ship, Desmond's consciousness begins jumping back and forth between present day 2004 and 1996. He is forced to find Daniel Faraday in 1996 in order to get answers and stop the jumps.
- DirectorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserDon's journey ends in California with Anna's niece, Stephanie, where he contemplates his future. Roger decides to marry Megan's mother, Marie. Joan has a business proposition for Peggy, who is coming to terms with her feelings for Stan.
- DirectorMichael RymerStarsMads MikkelsenHugh DancyCaroline DhavernasWill hatches a cunning plot to slay Francis Dolarhyde, using Hannibal Lecter in his ploy. Bedelia voices concern about the perilous plan as Will continues his game with Hannibal, though Will may have to face his darkest fears.
- DirectorMatthew WeinerStarsJon HammElisabeth MossVincent KartheiserDon and Peggy prepare to pitch to Burger Chef, one day after the Apollo Moon Landing. Meanwhile, a power struggle in the firm between Sterling and Cutler leaves Don's future hanging in the balance.
- DirectorJohn PattersonStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoTony starts cleaning house, while Artie feels torn between keeping the peace in his household, and getting even with Tony for destroying his restaurant.
- DirectorEd BianchiStarsTimothy OlyphantIan McShaneMolly ParkerBullock makes a connection with his son. Swearengen, who has entrusted E.B. to spy on the new telegraph operator, stokes rumors of an annexation of the camp and amends his agreement with Miss Isgringhausen. Cy aims to unburden a troubled man of his bloodstained money. Alma and Martha come to an agreement, and a tragic accident befalls the camp.
- DirectorTimothy Van PattenStarsJames GandolfiniLorraine BraccoEdie FalcoTony fails to reason with Phil as more problems increase with Anthony Jr as his depression worsens.
- DirectorErnest R. DickersonStarsDominic WestJohn DomanIdris ElbaAvon readies his troops for a seemingly endless war against Marlo. The detail works towards the top rungs of the Barksdale organization with the information garnered from the wire. While Royce continues to grapple with Amsterdam, Burrell offers a deal to minimize the fallout. Carcetti's political plans become obvious to his friend and fellow councilman Tony Gray. Bubbles offers his view of the world. McNulty changes tack.