Welcome to my Monday newsletter. This week, I am looking at My Top 10 Episodes of the Year, Mr. Monk's Last Case, Frasier, Fargo, For All Mankind and more!
Last week, I took a look at my Top 10 Performances of the year. This week, I am taking a look at my Top 10 Episodes of 2023!
10. Fargo "The Tragedy of the Commons" (November 21, 2023)
The first episode of the new season of Fargo showed us that the series was back in form with an outrageous action sequence and the perfect mix of dark comedy and just plain darkness.
9. What We Do in the Shadows "Urgent Care" (August 10, 2023)
One of many delightful summer episodes from an always reliable laugh factory, the episode in a supernatural urgent care was just so inventive and funny.
8. Abbott Elementary "Educator of the Year" (April 5, 2023)
Of the first season and a half of the show, this episode probably best depicted what it's like to be a teacher, especially when dealing with an angry parent.
7. The Bear "Fishes" (June 22, 2023)
The holiday instant classic with guest stars galore and stress and tension that would rival any action or thriller movie. Jamie Lee Curtis was of course a standout.
6. Poker Face "Dead Man's Hand" (January 26, 2023)
The pilot of Poker Face showed us what kind of show this was going to be and set up the season extremely well while also giving us substantial time with Natasha Lyonne's great character.
5. Succession "America Decides" (May 14, 2023)
An episode that felt so unsettling for so many reasons, the idea that the Roy family could decide an election based on whims and personal grievances was terrifying yet captivating.
4. The Bear "Forks" (June 22, 2023)
Richie came full circle in this episode from a jerky character in season one to a character who everyone was rooting for. The fact that everything went well for him in this episode was a huge sigh of relief.
3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel "Four Minutes" (May 26, 2023)
There are many years where this could have been the #1 episode but there were three masterpieces this year. The finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel absolutely stuck the landing with the titular "Four Minutes" a highlight they absolutely had to nail and they did.
2. Succession "Connor's Wedding" (April 9, 2023)
I think we all knew we were watching an episode of a TV drama that would be talked about for years in real time as we were watching it alongside episodes like Mad Men's "The Suitcase" or Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias." It's in the upper echelon of greatest character episodes ever.
1. The Last of Us "Long, Long Time" (January 29, 2023)
The third episode of a post-apocalyptic zombie drama went somewhere completely unexpected and delivered the most poignant and heartbreaking love story of the year. This felt like a mini-movie in the best way with characters we grew to love even though we had never seen them before and never would again.
There were no new or returning shows premiering this week that I felt like watching or discussing but I did watch Peacock's Monk movie. "Mr. Monk's Last Case" - for now - brings back most of the original cast save for Bitty Schram and the late Stanley Kamel. Despite being called the "last case," it feels like testing the waters for a possible Monk revival. If you watched Monk back in the day, as I did, this feels very much like a slightly inflated Monk episode. All the familiar beats are there with the whimsical approach to a "case of the week." There's also some comedic looks at how Mr. Monk handled the pandemic (spoiler: not well) and some more serious scenes about where he is in life. The serious scenes only sort of worked. This show works better as a case of the week show than delving too much into serious character studies, but I felt like the writers felt like they had to add more substance to round out a 90 minute movie instead of a 42 minute episode. I don't need more Monk in my life but I also wouldn't be sad if it came back. Compared to some other revivals, it felt very much like everyone settled back into their roles quickly and it felt like old times.
The first season of the revival of Frasier came to a close this past week on Paramount+. I already shared some thoughts on this revival over the course of the season and my opinion didn't really change as the season went on. Kelsey Grammer remained excellent in the role, he knows the character inside and out. An episode featuring Bebe Neuwirth and a brief appearance by Peri Gilpin int he season finale only served to magnify the biggest issue with the revival: the supporting cast wasn't up to the task. On Cheers, Grammer was part of a legendary ensemble. On Frasier, Grammer led a very strong ensemble. But here, he was left with weakness all around him. Even Jack Cutmore-Scott, who I liked in the beginning, started to get on my nerves as the season went along. As far as revivals go, Frasier wasn't terrible. But it didn't do enough to justify its existence. If it gets a second season, I'll probably watch it. If it doesn't, I won't be sad.
I could tell as soon as this week's episode of For All Mankind started that it was going to be a stronger episode than the last couple, which I found to be very meandering. Anytime For All Mankind finds more of a purpose to rally the story around, the episodes tend to be better. And that was the case with the discovery of a "Goldilocks" asteroid filled with iridium. The episode still did meander a bit but for the first time all season, I felt like it was finally heading somewhere and the story was kicking into high gear.
We also got to find out what happened to the Danny Stevens character through flashbacks that informed the current plot between Ed and Danielle and led to a very dramatic showdown between those two characters at the end of the episode. Aside from that great scene, I did wish the show kept its eye on the Goldilocks asteroid a little bit more than it did to help focus the episode but I did feel like I could finally see where the Season Five plot is heading. Or at least it's finally heading somewhere interesting. I felt like the Miles plot and the "Upstairs/Downstairs" stories at Happy Valley were not really doing anything for the show. While I'm a bit skeptical of the "kid going into space" direction it's heading, I'm at least relieved to feel more invested in the season. Also, the Al Gore faux pas in the alternate timeline using actually clips like Letterman ribbing him was a nice touch.
FARGO "Insolubilia"
I don't have too much to say about Fargo this week. I thought it was a tale of two halves. The first half, an extended and insane action sequence, was really enjoyable to watch (especially with that creepy version of "I Got You Babe" playing). The second half of the episode, which pivoted more to the Jon Hamm side of the story, was less exciting. As much as I like Hamm, his part of the story is only sort of working for me so far. I'm ready for the stories to intersect a little bit more.
SCRIPTED PREMIERES THIS WEEK
The December doldrums continue with another very quiet week. The only two premieres of note are the final six episodes of The Crown's sixth and final season on Thursday and Season Two of Reacher on Prime Video on Friday. The Crown received mixed buzz and reviews for its Diana-themed first four episodes so we'll see how the once-acclaimed series ends its run. Reacher fits into the Jack Ryan family of shows that have done well for Prime Video.
THOUGHT TO END TODAY
Norman Lear passed away this past week at the age of 101. I was actually not a huge fan of Lear's shows (I have a strong preference for the character-driven MTM shows than the topic-driven Lear shows) but there's no denying that he changed television, and how it could be used, forever. Anytime you see a show discuss a current event or hot-button topic, that is because Norman Lear did it first. Definitely an icon in TV history.
No comments:
Post a Comment