If you could only watch one episode of your favourite shows, which episodes would they be? Which do you think encapsulate everything you love about a particular show? Here's a few of mine...
Father Ted - The Old Grey Whistle Theft
I'm Alan Partridge - To Kill A Mocking Alan
The Office - Training (Episode 4 of Series 1, when the external facilitator comes in and Brent ends up playing guitar).
Fawlty Towers - Waldorf Salad
Spaced - Epiphanies
That's it for the moment.
Quote: chipolata @ January 21 2009, 10:38 AM GMTIf you could only watch one episode of your favourite shows, which episodes would they be? Which do you think encapsulate everything you love about a particular show? Here's a few of mine...
Father Ted - The Old Grey Whistle Theft
I'm Alan Partridge - To Kill A Mocking Alan
The Office - Training (Episode 4 of Series 1, when the external facilitator comes in and Brent ends up playing guitar).
Fawlty Towers - Waldorf Salad
Spaced - EpiphaniesThat's it for the moment.
Friends - The One Where No One's Ready.
22 minutes of brilliant lines and characterisation.
Porridge - A Night In.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Porno Gil (I love the first season of Curb best, and that was the episode that really made me think it was a great show).
Blackadder II - Potato. (I love Tom Baker in it: "You have a woman's hands!")
Peep Show - Mark Makes A Friend.
Johnson is probably my favourite character in Peep Show, and this episode where Mark starts hero worshipping him and even trying to grow a similar moustache is majestic.
Extras - Les Dennis episode
The episodes in that first series were the tightest and best constructed, and for me this was the stand out one, mainly for the heartbreaking and creepy storyline involving Bunny and his grownup daughter.
Quote: Griff @ January 21 2009, 11:07 AM GMTThe Thick Of It - Series Two, Episode One (the disastrous factory visit)
That was a great episode. Especially the shouty woman that accosts Langham. She was excellent.
Only Fools and Horses - Ashes to Ashes.
The early half hour shows were the best, and for me this was the pick of the bunch. With a great ending as well.
Red Dwarf -- 'Back to Reality' S5E6 (originally, I believe)
Joking Apart -- S1E6 (Mark and Tracey try it on, and Mark has to hide in the bathroom)
Peep Show -- 'Dance Class' S2E1 where Jez meets Nancy and they go sexual taboo-breaking.
Friends -- 'The One With The Holiday Armadillo', never fails to make me laugh. A lot.
On The Blog (radio) -- S02E01, where Andy meets his girlfriend.
Only Fools and Horses -- 'Mother Nature's Son' (Christmas '96 Special) The Peckham Spring Water one.
Extras -- S02E01. The one where Keith Chegwin portrays himself as a complete idiot is genius.
The Thick Of It -- 'Spinners and Losers'. The second of the two specials where 'The Opposition' start appearing. Awesome.
The Office (US) -- the episode where Michael burns his foot on a George Foreman grill and Dwight ends up concussed.
Dan
Quote: swerytd @ January 21 2009, 11:12 AM GMTRed Dwarf -- 'Back to Reality' S5E6 (originally, I believe)
That is a cracking episode. My favourite too from the Dwarf canon.
Seinfeld - The Betrayal
There's a lot of great Seinfeld episodes, but I just love how clever this one is, with time running backawards. Genuinely innovative, and yet it never loses what makes the show so charming.
Fraiser - The Inkeepers.
Porridge - A Quiet Night In
Scrubs - My Screw Up
IT Crowd - The Work Outing
Blackadder - Bells
Spaced - Epiphanies
Friends - The One with the Embryos
Coupling - Inferno
Totally agree with Red Dwarf Back To Reality, that would have been a fantastic way to end the whole series. As it was, at the time it was looking like the last ever episode so it was great watching it the first time thinking that the whole thing might have been a game. Also agree with the IT crowd episode where they go to the theatre. Jen seeing Roy in a wheelchair and then Moss popping up behind the bar, brilliant!
I'll add:
The Good Life - The Windbreak War. Some classic farce with the confusion over where Margot puts her new windbreak and they all get drunk. Definitely one of my favourite episodes as it shows all the characters, both the tensions between them and how much they all care about each other.
People Like Us - The Managing Director. Some great stuff in that episode, particularly with the van driver who doesn't know he's about to be made redundant.
Count Arthur Strong - The episode where he goes to the post office. Cracks me up every time.
Nebulous - Madness is a Strange Colour. This episode has lots of Harry in it, which is great.
Not sure if it counts as a sitcom but the last episode of the second series of Down The Line. One of the most genuinely creepy things I have ever heard, as well as being very funny.
Communication Problems from Fawlty Towers has pretty much everything but so does The Germans so I could flip a coin with those and not care 'one wit'.
Bells for Blackadder II was a corker as was Private Plane in 'goes Fourth' both with Flashart of course. In 'the Third' it was the dictionary one I liked best with Robbie Coltrane as Dr Johnson.
Anyone got a three sided coin?
Here's some:
Red Dwarf: 'Marooned' I love that episode.
Seinfeld: 'The Puffy Shirt'
Father Ted: 'Kicking Bishop Brennan Up The Arse'
Spaced: 'Gone' Where Tim And Daisy go out for the night and have the 'hand gun' shoot out. Brilliant.
Quote: Griff @ January 21 2009, 11:24 AM GMTFrasier - My Coffee With Niles
The IT Crowd - where they go to see GAY the gay musical
'My Coffee With Niles' is amazing - it's in the scriptbook and is a textbook example of stripped down sitcom writing at its best.
I'd also agree that 'The Work Outing' episode of The IT Crowd is probably the stand-out.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ January 21 2009, 1:23 PM GMTHere's some:
Red Dwarf: 'Marooned' I love that episode.
'Marooned' is another example of quality stripped down sitcom writing, but I'd say that 'Future Echoes', 'Polymorph', 'The Last Day' and 'Back To Reality' offer the most satisfying blends of character comedy and interesting sci-fi concepts.
As for Father Ted, I'm torn between most of the second and third series, but 'Speed 3' is the one that always stands out for me.
Good call on Down The Line's last second series episode -- it was good.
Yeah, the 'Speed 3' episode of Father Ted is by far the best in my opinion.
Dan
Agree with quite a few here.
For me:
Friends - The one where no one's ready / The one where everybody finds out
Green Wing - The last episode of the first series.
Coupling - The man with two legs / The end of the line / Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps (I could go on...too many to narrow down!)
Father Ted - Speed 3
The IT Crowd - The Office Outing
Red Dwarf - Gunmen of the Apocalypse / Back to reality
The Good Life - The Christmas special