Best Episodes of the 2012-2013 Season | Jmunney's Blog

Best Episode of the Season: Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23 Season 2

June 9, 2013

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Season Analysis: There were several episodes of Don’t Trust the B… produced for Season 1 that did not air until Season 2. Those were from a time when the show had not yet found its footing, but the Season 2 proper episodes were good enough to put the show in the running as one of the top 3 sitcoms on television.

“Love and Monsters…”
Nothing else besides Don’t Trust the B… in Apartment 23 could so succinctly pull off a subversion of the typical romantic comedy, and the reason why is because it just does not care. That is to say, not that the show does not care, but that its characters, in general, care very little, about anything, especially Chloe, the titular B—-. Chloe has an annual game/long con of picking out a loser at JVDB’s Halloween parties to ruin his life, but her current target, Benjamin, has turned the tables on her by making her life like a romantic comedy, the epitome of all that she is against. Chloe’s lack of caring is illustrated by June telling Chloe over the phone that Benjamin has indeed pulled it off and put Chloe in a situation in which she realizes what she wants has been in front of her all along, and June is in fact able to convince Chloe of this, and then Chloe abruptly hangs up on June. The antics of most characters on this show are enjoyable but off-putting if you take them personally. Luckily, June – the one who most bears the brunt of these antics – has thick skin, and she continues to be willing to stick with Chloe, making their friendship one of the most unique and surprisingly successful friendships on TV.

Honorable Mention: “Dating Games…”
It is revealed to June that Mark has feelings for her, something the audience has known for a while, and it is always enjoyable when a character has a big one dropped on her like that; Don’t Trust the B—- makes it particularly so by having it happen within the context of JVDB testing out his new dating show idea on his friends.

Best Episode of the Season: The Office Season 9

June 9, 2013

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Season Analysis: I had thought the return of creator Greg Daniels might right the totally wayward ship of Season 8, but there proved to be precious little from Season 9 that I actually cared about.

“Finale”
Despite having just said I didn’t care for Season 9, the finale was a solid piece of television. If you haven’t seen any of the show since Steve Carell left, I would recommend skipping everything after his last show and jumping straight to the finale. Perhaps the best way to think of the series ender, in a way that is consistent with ignoring nearly two full seasons, is as a reunion special. Much of the charm comes from getting an update on past guest characters and former regulars like Kelly, Ryan, and of course Michael. Interestingly enough, half of the plot of the episode itself revolves around a reunion special. Taking a behind-the-scenes look at the documentary crew mostly proved problematic in Season 9, but framing the finale as a reunion of the cast of the office documentary for the DVD bonus features was actually an ingenious idea. It allowed for the show to examine its place in the history of the television landscape without being heavy-handed about its message.

Best Episode of the Season: The Big Bang Theory Season 6

June 6, 2013

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Season Analysis: The Big Bang Theory actually had some major developments with some of its main characters, thus defying all expectations.

“The Closet Reconfiguration”
If there is one thing The Big Bang Theory is known for getting right, it is not the emotional beats. I have never once watched an episode of TBBT and thought, “That was beautiful” … until “The Closet Reconfiguration.” Sitcoms tend to be more about emotional resonance than laugh-out-loud moments as they get older. Surprise is the most important element of humor, and there is an inverse relationship between a sitcom’s age and its ability to surprise. But sitcoms can still be worth watching in their golden years, and perhaps the most common reason for that is the relationship between viewers and the characters. Up until this season, TBBT seemed either incapable or uninterested in capitalizing on that connection. The gang is always so petty and snippy with each other that it is a wonder that they have all remained friends for six seasons. But the stories that Howard’s friends told him that all could have potentially been the contents of the letter from his father proved their friendship. Even Sheldon’s version that was obviously the plot of The Goonies managed to show how much he cares. This is what The Big Bang Theory is supposed to be doing: taking a legitimately nerdy idea and giving it a real world application.

Best Episode of the Season: Arrow Season 1

June 5, 2013

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Season Analysis: The soap opera elements are kind of silly, but it’s The CW, so whatever, because the rest of this show is pure, old-fashioned entertainment.

“Sacrifice”
Arrow went for it in every way in its first finale, and it did not require any twists that came from out of nowhere. This was all that the entire season had been building towards: Malcolm Merlyn actually goes through with his plan to destroy the Glades, Oliver goes into hero mode, some characters actually die and some others nearly do, Moira’s culpability is revealed … to everybody, Detective Lance is suspended, Roy does something that makes us think he’s not a total idiot, and most important, there is finally justification presented for why Oliver and Laurel might actually work together. I mean, he still has a hell of a lot more chemistry with Felicity, but all this talk about how Laurel knows him better than anyone else is no longer complete bullshit.

Best Episode of the Season: The Mindy Project Season 1

June 5, 2013

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Season Analysis: The Mindy Project has defied all conventional wisdom regarding how long a show can remain Promising But Still Trying To Figure Itself Out.

“The One That Got Away”
It feels a bit counterproductive to pick “The One That Got Away” as the best Mindy episode so far, because it was a mostly self-contained story and thus does not offer much guidance for future episodes. What this show really needs is a blueprint for Season 2. But the story of Mindy rekindling the fire with an old childhood flame (played by Seth Rogen) was the most enjoyable half-hour of Season 1. Some people are turned off by Seth Rogen; I don’t think they’re giving him a fair shake, but I can understand where they are coming from. But in this appearance, he toned down his persona to something that ought to have been palatable to a general audience. Also, he is in the Army, which is odd, but it somehow works in the context of the episode. I guess the moral of this episode is, Mindy really needs her love interest to be played by someone on the same comedy level as herself.

Best Episode of the Season: New Girl Season 2

June 5, 2013

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Season Analysis: Season 2 of New Girl toned down the quirkiness (which was never really that big a part of the show anyway) to become this pleasant, low-key show that anyone can enjoy.

“Cooler”
I had been a little wary about the Jess/Nick will they/won’t they leading to the two actually getting together, not because I thought they didn’t have enough chemistry, but because will they/won’t they’s have been done so many times on TV already, such that I did not know if New Girl could possibly have anything new to say about it. But when Nick Miller passionately kissed Jess Day (and then did a whole lot more post-“Cooler”), those concerns faded away. Those concerns may not have been answered, exactly, but they did not have to be. The kiss was a chillingly soundless scene, with Nick’s “I meant something like that” punctuating the silence. Maybe a few years later, we will have settled on the meaning of Jess/Nick (Jick? Ness?) in the Will They?/Won’t They? Pantheon, but for now we can just go gaga over how romantic the kiss was and how beautifully it was staged.

Best Episode of the Season: How I Met Your Mother Season 8

June 5, 2013

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Season Analysis: Season 8 of HIMYM felt awfully stretched out.

“P.S. I Love You”
The story of How I Met Your Mother has never really been about Ted meeting the mother. Well it has, but it has never been the focus. Now that the mother has been revealed and now that we have known for a while that the narrative is heading towards Barney and Robin’s wedding, the serialization elements have not been able to pull too many surprises. Frankly, I don’t know why the wedding hasn’t happened yet. So considering how frustrating the serialization is, it makes sense that the best episode this year would be more or less a one-off. The Robin Sparkles episode of Underneath The Tunes is essentially the ultra-Canadian version of Behind the Music, which is kind of funny because the Robin Sparkles song that is the focus of the show is a parody of “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette, who is already Canadian in the first place. “P.S. I Love You” is so satisfactory thanks to displaying the full breadth of Canadian manhood, with guest appearances from Luc Robitaille to Jason Priestley to Alex Trebek all the way to Geddy Lee.

Best Episode of the Season: American Dad! Season 9

June 4, 2013

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Season Analysis: AD! Season 9 was never in danger of being a season to forget, but it wasn’t one to remember either until it brought things together with a character shakeup at the end of the season that really went places.

“Lost in Space”
If there was any episode of television this season that illustrated the virtue of mixing up the routine, it was “Lost in Space.” It does not feature any members of the Smith family proper, instead focusing entirely on Haley’s husband Jeff, a hitherto basically inoffensive but unmemorable character. The story of Jeff working as a slave on a spaceship from Roger’s home planet is a richly realized, visually engrossing sci-fi mini epic. His journey to prove his love of Haley at the risk of losing his genitals was a lot sweeter and more romantic than I would have ever expected a Jeff-centric episode to be. Jeff’s disposition is plenty sweet (when he has enough presence of mind to be sweet, or anything, on purpose), but he has never been known to go above and beyond in his devotion. So it was heartening to see him actually step up to the plate and show who he really is. The twist revealing that Emperor Zing long ago had his heart broken by Roger was wholly appropriate. Plus, Sinbad stopped by to voice himself and remind us how awesome Good Burger is.

Best Episode of the Season: Bob’s Burgers Season 3

June 4, 2013

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Season Analysis: Bob’s Burgers was the best television show of the 2012-2013 season (give or take an Arrested Development).

TIE: “An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal”/“O.T. the Outside Toilet”
“An Indecent Thanksgiving Proposal” was the one Season 3 episode of Bob’s Burgers that I gave an A to after it first aired, so it would seem like the obvious choice for the best episode of the season. But something had been holding me back. It may be filled to the brim with hilarious Belcher-isms, but its plot does not feel as significant as some other episodes from the past year. That is not a prerequisite for being the greatest, but it is a safer criterion, because “significant plot” tends to stick with me longer than “lots of laughs.” But I cannot deny “Thanksgiving Proposal” was indeed pure hilarity, and thus it does deserve that number one spot, but it will have it in a tie with the more “significant” episode, “O.T. the Outside Toilet,” in which the family shows their love and support of Gene by having his back regarding his love and support (the love and support that a pre-teen father shows his toilet child) of a Jon Hamm-voiced john that he discovered in the woods.

Best Episode of the Season: Glee Season 4

June 4, 2013

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Season Analysis: I thought Glee had turned a corner at the end of Season 3, but Season 4 took that foundation and did … who knows?

“The Break Up”
The closing number of this episode – in which Kurt and Blaine, Rachel and Finn, and Brittany and Santana all head to splitsville – was probably the consensus choice for the most powerful moment of Season 4. While it was undoubtedly well-staged, personally it didn’t do a whole lot for me. But it was certainly a hell of a lot better than anything else from this season.

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