Your Favorite Episode of A Series

cojo965

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Mine comes from Ultraman Max.

This this a fucking bleak episode as the monster of the week is the completely indestructible If. This thing is capable of copying anything it's hit with only many times stronger including Ultraman's attacks. After defeating Ultraman Max, If goes on to destroy the city, untouchable by our weapons until it falls asleep. The episode ends on a very bright note, however, because remember how I said that If is able to copy anything that hits it? Well that truly meant anything as If is defeated when a little blind girl plays a flute to it, turning the weapon of mass destruction into an entire one creature orchestra. The moral of the episode eludes me but the episode is so good that I'm okay with that.

Edit: Hang on I know the moral now, only mankind's beauty can counter its ugliness.

What about you guys?
 

happyninja42

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Samurai Jack vs The Lava Monster Season 1, Episode 10

Jack isn't even the hero of the episode, the Lava Monster is. He shows up like a badass, and you think he's the villain due to the setup, but you learn he's just like Jack, a warrior that fought against Aku, but ultimately failed. Aku, being the ass he is, punished him by making him live forever, trapped in the heart of a mountain. For thousands of years he was in sensory deprivation and solitary confinement (which IRL will drive someone insane in a matter of days for most), but his will was strong, and he retained his identity, eventually overcame Aku's imprisonment, and even turned the material of his prison into his own new body, to give himself freedom to move again. But since he's a Viking, he just wants to be with his people, who are all dead now. But, again, Viking, so the only way he can go to heaven, is to die in combat. So he makes a death trap, and lures warriors to fight him, hoping beyond hope that eventually, one strong enough to kill him (in his new badass form) will show up, and defeat him. The story is told so fucking well by the voice actor, you can FEEL his sadness and misery, and loss of all but hope. And when Jack, after hearing the story, stands up, draws his sword, and says "Prepare yourself", the reaction of the Lava Monster is perfect. His voice, a mixture of relief and anticipation. "AT LAST! THE GATES OF VALHALLA....OPEN TO ME!!" And then they clash, to an awesome drum sequence. Fast paced, frenetic, intense. The Viking gets a strong hit against Jack, and knocks him down. He cries out "RISE WARRIOR, RISE!! Honorably I must be defeated, I CANNOT let up!" So you know he's not throwing the fight. But he WANTS to lose, it's all he wants in the world, but he can't give the victory easily, or else he won't get into Valhalla. They fight again, and finally Jack lands the killing blow (and I don't care what anyone says, he killed a human being in this episode. They try to cover it with him dying of old age, but he has to die in battle, which means that Jack killed him, otherwise he wouldn't get into Valhalla. But his reaction when he is dealt the mortal blow. As his body begins to change, releasing the magic Aku used to imprison him, he yells out, defiant and victorious. "ACCURSED MONSTER!! YOUR SPELL IS BROKEN!!" He is freed of Aku's magic, restored to his human form, and then dies. As Jack kneels over him, saddened at the loss of the man, light shines down from above (they are miles under the earth), and two Valkyries ride down on the beams of light, and claim his body, taking him to his rightful resting place in Valhalla. The episode ends with Jack leaving the no longer tainted lands, and panning up to see the warrior in Valhalla, at last free and happy.

I'm sorry but that's just some fucking awesome storytelling, no matter how you slice it.
 

WhiteFangofWhoa

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Wild Cards from Justice League.

This series had tons of memorable episodes, but this one still stands out in my mind for being delightfully 'meta' just shy of the Joker waving at the screen and saying 'Heeey! Yoo-hoo to all you crazy action-loving maniacs who get off on this shit! I love you all!'. He was also used sparingly in the show so that an episode with him as the star was refreshing instead of routine. Also different is that this time, he was playing with insanity powers that even he can't control in the end, though of course that would never stop him.

Bonus points for pitting the League against the cast of Teen Titans decades before the movie.
 

Veldel

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Well fuck the 2 big episodes that came to mine people posted already so lets see


Bojack Horseman - Fish Out of Water

The episode was just amazing on every level with its art and how it told a story even without talking. I love when shows do risky episodes like that and it payed off greatly.
 

Veldel

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Happyninja42 said:
Samurai Jack vs The Lava Monster Season 1, Episode 10

Jack isn't even the hero of the episode, the Lava Monster is. He shows up like a badass, and you think he's the villain due to the setup, but you learn he's just like Jack, a warrior that fought against Aku, but ultimately failed. Aku, being the ass he is, punished him by making him live forever, trapped in the heart of a mountain. For thousands of years he was in sensory deprivation and solitary confinement (which IRL will drive someone insane in a matter of days for most), but his will was strong, and he retained his identity, eventually overcame Aku's imprisonment, and even turned the material of his prison into his own new body, to give himself freedom to move again. But since he's a Viking, he just wants to be with his people, who are all dead now. But, again, Viking, so the only way he can go to heaven, is to die in combat. So he makes a death trap, and lures warriors to fight him, hoping beyond hope that eventually, one strong enough to kill him (in his new badass form) will show up, and defeat him. The story is told so fucking well by the voice actor, you can FEEL his sadness and misery, and loss of all but hope. And when Jack, after hearing the story, stands up, draws his sword, and says "Prepare yourself", the reaction of the Lava Monster is perfect. His voice, a mixture of relief and anticipation. "AT LAST! THE GATES OF VALHALLA....OPEN TO ME!!" And then they clash, to an awesome drum sequence. Fast paced, frenetic, intense. The Viking gets a strong hit against Jack, and knocks him down. He cries out "RISE WARRIOR, RISE!! Honorably I must be defeated, I CANNOT let up!" So you know he's not throwing the fight. But he WANTS to lose, it's all he wants in the world, but he can't give the victory easily, or else he won't get into Valhalla. They fight again, and finally Jack lands the killing blow (and I don't care what anyone says, he killed a human being in this episode. They try to cover it with him dying of old age, but he has to die in battle, which means that Jack killed him, otherwise he wouldn't get into Valhalla. But his reaction when he is dealt the mortal blow. As his body begins to change, releasing the magic Aku used to imprison him, he yells out, defiant and victorious. "ACCURSED MONSTER!! YOUR SPELL IS BROKEN!!" He is freed of Aku's magic, restored to his human form, and then dies. As Jack kneels over him, saddened at the loss of the man, light shines down from above (they are miles under the earth), and two Valkyries ride down on the beams of light, and claim his body, taking him to his rightful resting place in Valhalla. The episode ends with Jack leaving the no longer tainted lands, and panning up to see the warrior in Valhalla, at last free and happy.

I'm sorry but that's just some fucking awesome storytelling, no matter how you slice it.
Not to mention for a kids show that is some insane level shit. Genndy is a fucking genius.
 

Casual Shinji

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I love Episode 2 of Paranoia Agent, where we see the most popular kid in the class fall from grace after rumors start spreading that he's Lil' Slugger.

I love how the protagonist is this little, egotistical brat, and the antagonist is this chubby and genuinely nice kid who even sticks up from him when he gets accused. It does a great job of having you see through his eyes and feel his frustration and ultimately despair, and even equally start to dislike that chubby kid.
 

happyninja42

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Veldie said:
Happyninja42 said:
Samurai Jack vs The Lava Monster Season 1, Episode 10

Jack isn't even the hero of the episode, the Lava Monster is. He shows up like a badass, and you think he's the villain due to the setup, but you learn he's just like Jack, a warrior that fought against Aku, but ultimately failed. Aku, being the ass he is, punished him by making him live forever, trapped in the heart of a mountain. For thousands of years he was in sensory deprivation and solitary confinement (which IRL will drive someone insane in a matter of days for most), but his will was strong, and he retained his identity, eventually overcame Aku's imprisonment, and even turned the material of his prison into his own new body, to give himself freedom to move again. But since he's a Viking, he just wants to be with his people, who are all dead now. But, again, Viking, so the only way he can go to heaven, is to die in combat. So he makes a death trap, and lures warriors to fight him, hoping beyond hope that eventually, one strong enough to kill him (in his new badass form) will show up, and defeat him. The story is told so fucking well by the voice actor, you can FEEL his sadness and misery, and loss of all but hope. And when Jack, after hearing the story, stands up, draws his sword, and says "Prepare yourself", the reaction of the Lava Monster is perfect. His voice, a mixture of relief and anticipation. "AT LAST! THE GATES OF VALHALLA....OPEN TO ME!!" And then they clash, to an awesome drum sequence. Fast paced, frenetic, intense. The Viking gets a strong hit against Jack, and knocks him down. He cries out "RISE WARRIOR, RISE!! Honorably I must be defeated, I CANNOT let up!" So you know he's not throwing the fight. But he WANTS to lose, it's all he wants in the world, but he can't give the victory easily, or else he won't get into Valhalla. They fight again, and finally Jack lands the killing blow (and I don't care what anyone says, he killed a human being in this episode. They try to cover it with him dying of old age, but he has to die in battle, which means that Jack killed him, otherwise he wouldn't get into Valhalla. But his reaction when he is dealt the mortal blow. As his body begins to change, releasing the magic Aku used to imprison him, he yells out, defiant and victorious. "ACCURSED MONSTER!! YOUR SPELL IS BROKEN!!" He is freed of Aku's magic, restored to his human form, and then dies. As Jack kneels over him, saddened at the loss of the man, light shines down from above (they are miles under the earth), and two Valkyries ride down on the beams of light, and claim his body, taking him to his rightful resting place in Valhalla. The episode ends with Jack leaving the no longer tainted lands, and panning up to see the warrior in Valhalla, at last free and happy.

I'm sorry but that's just some fucking awesome storytelling, no matter how you slice it.
Not to mention for a kids show that is some insane level shit. Genndy is a fucking genius.
Yeah, I just love that episode. To be honest, a lot of the Samurai Jack episodes were just ok for me. But that episode, awh man, that gets me every time. I genuinely get choked up watching it. I love stories of defiance, and the way that Viking handled everything just hits all my "Yes Please" buttons for awesomesauce storytelling.
 

gigastar

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That one[footnote]TL: I forgot which exactly[/footnote] episode of Nisemonogatari.

You know the one im talking about.
 

Queen Michael

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Tricky, tricky... BoJack Horseman, "Downer Ending." I love pretty much all episodes of that show, but that episode, especially when...
BoJack asks "Am I a good person?"
hits me right t h e r e.

An extremely close contender is "The Telescope," for the moment when...
Herb says he won't forgive BoJack, and BoJack will just have to live with that.
 

Arnoxthe1

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Cowboy Bebop - The Real Folk Blues (Part 1 & 2)

Burn Notice - Sea Change and Reckoning (Last two episodes of the show.)

Rick and Morty - S3E1 (The Rickshank Rickdemption)

Community - FFS, there's so many. I'll just choose three. Intro to Political Science (S2E17), Modern Warfare (S1E23), and Advanced Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (S5E10)
 

RaikuFA

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I'll post some more happy stuff. Simpsons Marge vs the Monorail. Every 5 seconds there is a joke in there. Whether it be someone saying something funny or a quick visual gag, it should be up there with classic 3 Stooges shorts and "Who's on First" as milestones of comedy.
 

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The X Files: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man, Squeeze, or Triangle.

Breaking Bad: 4 Days Out

Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Drill

Game of Thrones: Blackwater

Orange is the New Black: It Was the Change (s2e12), or Storm-y Weather (s5e13)

Cowboy Bebop: Jupiter Jazz (Pts 1 & 2)

Community: Modern Warfare

The Venture Bros: Showdown at Cremation Creek (Pts 1 & 2), or All This and Gargantua-2
 

Bedinsis

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It's been years since I watched a TV series... apart from when I briefly tried to get into anime again on crunchyroll, but I never stuck around, even though I liked Shirabako.

My favourite episode of Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged series must probably be The man who would be Steve. The only episode where it felt like the main characters actually cared for each other and wasn't constantly insulting each other.
 
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It is hard to apply 'favourite' to something so soul-churning and brutal as "Ozymandias" from Breaking Bad, but it's the best hour of TV I have ever watched. "Hardhome" from Game of Thrones deserves a mention; the ending of the episode being one of the finest in the show. "Crushing Blow: The 57th Exterior Scouting Mission, Part 5" from Attack on Titan, as demonstrating the willingness of that show to give absolutely no regard for your feelings ... aaand, Escape from L.A. from BoJack Horseman; it's a really beautiful episode that shows off the series' dark side perfectly.
 

WhiteFangofWhoa

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Bedinsis said:
My favourite episode of Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged series must probably be The man who would be Steve. The only episode where it felt like the main characters actually cared for each other and wasn't constantly insulting each other.
I preferred Ep. 52, Seto Kaiba vs. The World. Nailed every joke without ever coming across as insulting. Come to think of it most of the Virtual arc was good despite the source being mere filler.
 

Guffe

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Series: Supernatural
Episode: French Mistake, no idea what season or episode it is
Reason: Comedy episode, which I find being some of the best in the series
 

Tautology

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I'm not a big fan Family Guy or American Dad, but each one has an episode that I will never forget.

For Family Guy, it's the episode "Brian & Stewie." it's just those two locked in a bank vault for a few days. It's so unlike every other episode. No cutaway gags and other than a drawn out poop joke, which I think worked for this episode, it's not funny. The focus is the relationship between Brian and Stewie.

Neither was my favorite character on the show. I didn't even care for either of them. But when they walked away at the end, having changed their feelings towards each other, my opinion changed, too. Just a little bit.

My favorite American Dad episode has to be "Blood Crieth Unto Heaven."

 

Sniper Team 4

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The Legend of Korra: Venom of the Red Lotus. Never before had it felt so satisfying to see villains just get thrashed in a cartoon. The whole season was building up to all these showdowns, and it was great to finally see them all pay off. And the fact that they don't kill Zaheer, but keep him alive (something that I don't usually like for villains) was icing on the cake, especially when he comes back in season 4.

X-Men: The Animated Series. I don't remember the episode's name, but it's the one that Days of Future Past is based on (Maybe that is its name?). The opening scene, where we see the future and all the mutants just in all out war, with Magneto as their leader? Oh man, my little kid self LOVED that, and it's always stuck with me.

Star Wars Rebels, Season 2 Finale, Twilight of the Apprentice. So many good lines--"Revenge, is not the Jedi way/I am no Jedi." "I don't fear you/Then you will die braver than most...Perhaps I was wrong."--but that fight. The fight we all knew was coming. To finally see it, to finally see the payoff...so worth the wait.

Springing off of that, Star Wars The Clone Wars, the four-part episode will General Krell. Not only was it great to see what a real Jedi would do to a bunch of Clone Troopers (why yes, I am bitter about Episode III), but it was nice to finally see what the Clone Wars were really like--messy, violent, and filled with death. Anakin and Obi weren't around to take point this time, and thus expand their plot armor so that you knew everything would be okay. This was war, and Troopers were dropping left and right.
 

Kyrian007

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"Hush" Buffy. I have absolutely no doubt that if Firefly had continued; my "Whedon" episode would have gone to an episode of Firefly. But even with all of the other great episodes of BVTS, Angel, Dr. Horrible, and even Dollhouse to pick from I can break down this decision easy. Hush was a silent episode. Balls, BRASS balls.

"Dreams" M*A*S*H. Hard hitting and chilling. I loved the humor in MASH, but few episodes stick with me as much as this one. No matter how hard I try, there are a few images I will never be able to get out of my head. Specifically Loretta Switt in the bloody wedding dress and the choppers waking Alan Alda (who directed this ep) up from his dream.

I'll say "Humbug" The X Files. I'm giving it to Darrin Morgan's first script. Every other script he was given primary writing credits on was also on my short list for best episode. And he wrote the best episodes of Millennium as well. There were other greats in XF; "Ice," "Grotesque," "Quagmire," and more... but "Humbug" is very special. Plus it guest stars a man who played a pivotal role in the next entry.

"Babylon" and "Pick a Number" Carnivale. It's a 2-parter, they can be listed as one. Carnivale is my all-time favorite show so it follows that I need an episode high up on this list. And this 2-parter early on in the series showed (in shocking fashion) that this series was not screwing around.

"A Game of Pool" The Twilight Zone OS. There was such a talented team of writers working on TTZ that it's hard to pick a favorite. Serling and Richard Matheson are my favorites, but my favorite ep was written by George Johnson. The episode leaned on its actors, and with Jon Winters and Jack Klugman... it was a can't miss.

"Jurassic Bark" would have qualified. Super funny and then at the end it just rips your guts out, amazing. But the impact is lessened by the fact they retconned the end in Bender's Big Score.