Ology loves TV. In fact, we love TV so much that when we
came together to create a master list of our favorite television moments of the
past year, we thought we'd try and film it: what happens when you lock Jack
Moore, Terron R. Moore (no relation), Benny Gammerman, Emily Cheever, Matt
Marquez, Sharon Tharp and Josh Harrison in a room to battle it out for
television supremacy? The rules were simple: anything that aired from June of 2010 to May of 2011 was fair game, and only one episode per series. Simple, right? WRONG!
We couldn't show you exactly what went down for so many legal reasons, but let’s just say there was a lot of screaming, some fist-fights,
laughing, crying, some semi-offensive jokes, some completely offensive jokes, a bloody dagger, and a few surprise pregnancies. And we’re only exaggerating slightly. Ology’s
25 Best TV Episodes Of The Year is like our season finale of Being Awesome, and
a thank-you to all of the readers for continuously clicking here every week to
check us out. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pretty. But our final result is a
hodgepodgy mish-mish of animation, drama, comedy, killing, reality, laughs,
tears, psycho killers, vampires, gay kids, marriages, funerals, hookups,
premieres, finales, and the OMG moments that made us obsessed with our favorite
shows. And Glee.
Cut The Fat And Get Straight To Our Picks For The 10 Best TV Episodes Ever 2011!
OR, you can check out the first fifteen on our rockin' list, and then
make sure you head over to see The Top 10. Agree? Disagree? COMMENT!
THE OFFICE - “Goodbye, Michael” (NBC | Season 7, Episode 22
| 04/28/2011)
Original Recap | The Office Recaps & News
As a longtime fan of this show, I couldn't help but feel a
little disappointed with this episode when it first aired. But after tuning in
a second time, I looked less at the flaws (there were several) and more at the
little moments that made Michael Scott's exit so perfect. Hands down, the best
moment of the entire episode (and perhaps the series) was the small, subtle
exchange between Jim and Michael. Epic. I don't know how anyone got through
that with dry eyes. And between the paintballing with Dwight, Michael's attempt
at finally being nice to Toby, the "Will you guys let me know if this ever
airs?" quote... everything was just spot on. But because they left in that
excessive and annoying side storyline with Will Ferrell, it landed toward the
bottom of our list. - Sharon Tharp
ONE TREE HILL - “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” (THE CW |
Season 8, Episode 11 | 12/07/2010)
Original Recap | Exclusive Cast Interviews: Shantel VanStanten - Robert Buckley - Jackson Brundage - Kate Voegele |
One Tree Hill Recaps & News
Normally, I would never put One Tree Hill on any kind of top
TV countdown… and that's coming from someone who has a strange addiction to the
long-running CW series. But there was one episode this year that absolutely
blew me away. I first attributed it to the fact that they named it after a
Bruce Springsteen song, but really, it was the writing, acting and directing.
In a rare occurrence, they all came together to not only make a great episode
for Tree Hill standards, but for general TV. The performances of both
Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols deserve recognition. The entire episode revolves
around a car accident – something this show has unsuccessfully done many, many
times. But they stripped down the story, got rid of the extra characters and
focused on the emotion. And what do ya know? They finally got it right. -
Sharon Tharp
JERSEY SHORE - “Cabs Are Here!” (MTV | Season 3, Episode 7 |
02/10/2011)
Original Recap | Jersey Shore Recaps & News
RONNIE - YOU USELESS SPOILED B*TCH!!! Okay, technically this
is the second time Ronnie trashed Sammi's room, but this time it was actually
severe enough for her to leave, albeit temporarily. In several ways, this was
the quintessential episode of Jersey Shore: Mike was manipulative, Sammi was
shady, JWoww was hot (relatively). Pauly was bug-eyed. Vinny was perceptive.
Snooki was hysterical. Deena was forgettable. And Ronnie was roided to the max.
This I will say about Season Three of Jersey Shore: It was better than Season
Two. - Benny Gammerman
CASTLE - “Knockout” (ABC | Season 3 Finale | 05/16/2011)
Castle News
Well, it happened, even if it took three full seasons for
Castle to hold Beckett in his arms and tell her that he loves her. And all
Beckett could manage was a gurgle and copious amounts of oozing blood. Though
to be fair, she'd just been shot. But that's what we want to see in the best Castle episode of the season, and probably the series. Not the getting shot
part (although it's about time somebody got hurt, they do chase murderers every
day) but a major shakeup for a crime-fighting team that had become way too
cozy. There's a moment in the episode where Castle warns Beckett to back off
the case because it's too dangerous. Stop looking for your mother's killer, he
begs her, don't risk your life over a conspiracy that grows larger and claims
more victims and friends with every new clue. Thank god she doesn't listen to
him. - Matt Marquez
SKINS - “Tea” (MTV | Season 1, Episode 2 | 01/24/2011)
Original Recap | Is MTV's 'Skins' Dead Yet? | Exclusive Cast Interviews: Sofia Black D-Elia
(Tea) - Daniel Flaherty (Stanley) - Jesse Carere (Chris) - Rachel
Thevenard (Michelle) | Skins Recaps
MTV’s most controversial show (possibly ever) didn’t have a
bite quite as good as its bark, plauged by some not-so-good acting (I’m definitely looking at you, James Newman) and tough scripting-- but with complete amateur actors and writers, you have to take what you can get, right? The premiere definitely left critics scratching their heads and fans leaving in
droves, but the follow-up, a tour of the twisted world of Tea involves a lesbian tryst, a closeted
grandmother, and a boy who just won’t let a gay girl be gay. This all culminates in the
greatest scene in this year of teen drama and a brilliant performance by the
young Sofia Black D-Elia; here on a spinning merry-go-round, we have two drunk
teenagers, one of them determined to woo the other, leading to the most awkwardly
charming sex scene you've seen yet. Dammit, Tony, she’s just not
wired that way. I deeply wish that the rest of Skins turned out to be better
than it actually was- alas, we can’t always get what we want. But we can have a
sh*tton of drugs.- Terron R. Moore
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA - “The Gang Buys A Boat”
(FX | Season 6, Episode 3 | 09/30/2010)
Original Recap | It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Recaps & News
DEE - I say we take this lady out onto the sea and get
loaded.
Charlie Day and Rob McElhenney penned this winner, my
favorite of Season 6, and it shows right off the bat. When Charlie, Mac and
Dennis purchase a boat with their dicktowel.com money, they find themselves
torn between aspirations of shrimping and throwing P. Diddy-level parties on
the deck. This episode keeps it extremely simple in that all gags are boat
related, no weak side-stories to be found. Just quotable line after quotable
line:
MAC (re sh*tty boat) - This isn't Diddy-esque at all.
MAC (re Dee's dancing) - You look like one of those
inflatable dancing things at the used car lot.
FRANK (re the ocean) - I'm not goin' in there! I don't sink!
I just bob around like a cauliflower.
DENNIS (re nautical seduction fantasies) - Think about it.
She's out in the middle of nowhere with some dude that she barely knows. She
looks around, what does she see? Nothing but open ocean. "Ahh there's
nowhere for me to run! What am I gonna do, say no?" / MAC - That seems
really dark. - Benny Gammerman
SOUTH PARK - “Coon Vs. Coon And Friends” (COMEDY CENTRAL |
Season 14, Episode 13 | 11/10/2010)
Original Recap | South Park Recaps & News
Don't get me wrong--I love the relentlessly topical,
massively vulgar humor of your basic South Park episode as much as the next
guy. I keep coming back, though, for those nights on which the long-running
animated smash goes above and beyond the call of duty. "Coon vs. Coon and
Friends" is a phenomenal exercise in parody, featuring faux comic panels,
epic battles, and out-there origin stories for South Park's hometown heroes and
villains. Here, more than in any other episode from the standout 14th season, Parker
and Stone have their oft-employed middle fingers directly on the pulse of
popular entertainment. Tackling everything from LeBron James' latest
advertising antics to hippie celebrations to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft
(big love for Cthulhu), "Coon vs. Coon and Friends," with its
impossible collisions between the realistic and the fantastic, is a microcosm
of what keeps South Park great even after all these years. Plus, this is the
one where they kill off Justin Bieber. So, you know. There's that. - Josh
Harrison
TERRIERS - “Quid Pro Quo” (FX | Season 1, Episode 12 | 11/24/2010)
Original Recap | Terriers Recaps & News
Terriers was the best new show on TV last year. Period. It
was a hilarious and dark and sad all at once. Written by Ted Griffin and Shawn
Ryan, Terriers was the story of Hank (Donal Logue) and Britt (Michael
Raymond-James), two low-rent private eyes who quickly get in over their heads.
“Quid Pro Quo” was the penultimate episode of the series and watching Hank get
pushed to the point of buying a giant cache of guns for protection? It was
pretty awesome, and still funny throughout. Impressive. - Jack Moore
THE KILLING - “The Cage” (AMC | Season 1, Episode 2 | 04/03/2011)
Original Recap | The Killing Recaps & News
As my coworkers know, I'm in love with The Killing. I think
it's the best show on television right now. The pilot was a perfect exercise in
steadily increasing tension, but the follow-up truly sealed the deal as far as
I'm concerned. Mitch and Stan's worst fears are confirmed when police drag
their daughter's dead body from a lake. An instant link is drawn to a local
politician. Homicide detective Sarah Linden is stuck with a rookie partner
fresh from narcotics, the exceedingly shifty Stephen Holder. We thought this
guy was just dumb dead weight, but Holder reveals his street smarts in a scene
where he slickly extracts information from a pair of eager high school girls
with the assistance of a fake joint. This leads him to the basement of the
school, to a room the students call "the cage." As the rain pours
down outside, Stephen shines his reluctant flashlight on a dirty mattress...
and a wall covered with bloody handprints. Hell of an ending. Hell of a show. -
Benny Gammerman
LONESTAR - “Pilot” (FOX | Season 1, Episode 1 | 09/20/2010)
Original Review | Lone Star News
The best new network drama of the 2010-2011 season lasted a
total of two episodes. I don't know what that says about the current state of
our networks... but I think it's pretty bad. Lonestar was the story of a con-man
living a double life, and realizing that he wanted to go straight. Complicating
this is love of two different women, one in each con. It was beautifully shot,
written, acted, and cast, featuring the music of Mumford and Sons and the
direction of (500) Days of Summer's Marc Webb. It was awesome. Jon Voight was
there. It's depressing we have only seen two episodes. - Jack Moore
GLEE - “Never Been Kissed” (FOX | Season 2, Episode 6 | 11/9/2010)
Original Recap | Glee Recaps & Replays | Glee News
Glee (perhaps better known as The Kurt Show) never fully managed to get it right over the course of the entire second season; amidst some flashy numbers and gut-punching moments, it was a brutal destruction of Will Schuester as a character and a burnout of what was once the show's best asset in Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester. And even I couldn’t refute that there were
better episodes of Glee this season-- but if you can cut out the unreasonable amount of time
spent setting up a kiss between Will Schuester and Shannon Beiste, the remains of "Never Been Kissed" are absolutely glorious. Chris Colfer, the best damn actor on the planet, takes Kurt,
the best representation of what Glee is supposed to represent, and gives the
underdog-verses-the-world performance of a lifetime. Glee does that
motif better than anyone else, and to display the victimization of Gay Kurt
Hummel at the hands of his also-gay bully (kudos to Max Adler as well),
culminating in that kiss! before sending him back to his duldrums was absolutely the single best story of the season. -
Terron R. Moore
ARCHER - “El Secuestro” (FX | Season 2, Episode 10 | 03/31/2011)
Original Recap | Archer Recaps & News
Often, the best episodes of any show are the ones that
reveal tremendous amounts of information about the characters. Here, we learned
that Cheryl of all people is actually a railroad heiress worth half a billion
dollars, and Pam has a past as a underground brawler of sorts. The action
starts when hooligans nab Pam, mistaking her for Cheryl. After that it's double
cross after double cross and some of the best lines and exchanges this always
brilliant show has ever had to offer:
CHERYL - You're a moped. Mopeds are fun, but you don't want
your buddies to see you riding one. / PAM - I thought you meant I was fuel
efficient.
CHERYL - The Tuntmore house, yes. I spent like every summer
there listening to my creepy great grandmother b*tch about Abraham Lincoln. Apparently
slavery was pretty awesome.
MALORY - No heroics, you two, it's just Pam.
- Benny Gammerman
CONAN - “Baa Baa Blacksheep” (TBS | Series Premiere |
11/08/2010)
Conan Series Premiere Live-Blog | Conan News
One day, the story of Conan O’Brien will be an amazing
biopic. It will no doubt center around
the story of the bumbling, irreverent, and self deprecating late night talk
show host whose career was slaughtered by his bosses yet revitalized by his
faithful fans. Perhaps this is why the
first episode of Conan’s self named talk show was so overwhelmingly successful.
It was everything that you expected from Conan- his guests (Seth Rogen, Lea
Michelle, Jack White and Arlene Wagner) were relaxed and jovial (perhaps due to
beverages in the green), his opening monologue was self aware and all about
cajoling with his beloved audience, his band and Andy were there to back him up
so effortlessly it was as if Conan had never left the airwaves, as if he had
never been apart of the biggest NBC snafu since...well, ever. This episode, and
the whole week for that matter, was the penultimate testament to the power of
Team Coco and the fire crotch himself. - Emily Cheever
DEXTER - “Take It!” (SHOWTIME | Season 5, Episode 8 |
11/14/2010)
Original Recap | Dexter Recaps & News
Dexter as a show, isn’t in any way a battle between good
vs. evil. For god sakes, our “protagonist” is obsessed with mercilessly murdering serial douchebags and collecting their blood samples on a slide. But wouldn't you know-- its' the best
thing about the show; the thrill of which bad guy is going to get caught first
isn’t quite portrayed on any other show in quite the same suspenseful,
spine-tingling manner that it is on Showtime’s best series. We’ve watched
Dexter weasel his way into and out of the most compromising situations in order
to make a kill, but never in a packed hotel with thousands of guests, never
with a partner (Lumen, played by guest star Julia Stiles) in tow, and never
with someone this close on his heels- the scumbag Stan Liddey. The wheels
between all of our villains spun brilliantly for the entire run of Season 5,
but this episode was arguably the most thrilling of the bunch. - Terron R. Moore
COMMUNITY - “Paradigms Of Human Memory” (NBC | Season 2,
Episode 21 | 4/21/2011)
Original Recap | Community Recaps & News
Community's second season really brought its A game
to the table, making it impossible for us to not include at least one episode on our list. Here, we were delighted
and in constant awe of creator Dan Harmon’s ultimate fandom of all things media
and meta. The episode circled around an idea of a clip episode, where its joked
that writers and producers are too lazy to come up with a new episode. Except this wasn’t a lazy episode by any
means- a combination of both self referential humor and pop culture awareness
that makes Community so good. While this
wouldn’t be the first episode I would refer a new comer Community (If you’ve
read my recaps I would actually recommend the Paintball finales of Season 2) it
was what you will remember Community as forever being- absurd, tender, and most
of all, funny. - Emily Cheever
NEXT: Our Picks For The 10 Best TV Episodes Ever 2011!
Connect with Ology on Facebook and Twitter for the latest in TV news and recaps, as well as movies, gossip, fashion, music, geek culture, and more.
Comments (1)