Best of 2018, TV Episodes


Today I continue my look at the Best of 2018 on the small screen with my favorite episodes. There were a lot of episodes of TV in 2018, and many of them touched me in some small way. This list is a mix of comedy and drama, a tribute to the fine year of work in both the hour long and half hour format. Here's the list in ascending order.

10. "The Good Twin," GLOW episode 2.08
About: The second season of "GLOW" was strong, advancing a number of crucial storylines and offering some fun moments. It had some poignant moments, too. In fact, many people have focused on other episodes, but I enjoyed the creativity, here. This one played out like a show within a show, and it allowed the ladies to be wild and crazy, and it was a good break from the traditional format. I really enjoyed this one.

9. "The Box," Brooklynn Nine-Nine episode 5.14
About: For those who know that Andre Braugher played one of the most iconic TV detectives in Frank Pembelton on "Homicide," this was a big treat. His specialty was interrogation in the box, and in this one Capt. Holt (Braugher) and Jake (Andy Samberg) try to break a suspect (Sterling K. Brown). The performances from all three are incredible, and the episode is a lot of fun.

8. "Honor," The Walking Dead episode 8.09
About: It's no secret "The Walking Dead" has been in a bit of a slump. Even I grew weary of the seventh and first half of the eighth season. But in this mid-season premier, where Carl (Chandler Riggs), the show found its heart and humanity again. It started Rick (Andrew Lincoln) on a rich narrative path, one that I think has made the show better.

7. "Andre and Sarah," Forever episode 1.06
About: "Forever" was a weird show, one you can't really write about without spoiling the secret, which I won't. I didn't love the show, but this bottle episode about the ill-fated romance between two realtors (Hong Chau and Jason Mitchell) was nothing short of beautiful.

6. "Midnight at the Concord," Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episode 2.05
About: For all the first season and half the second, Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) had to try and keep her comedy life a secret. But one night during a blue set at the Catskills she looked out and spotted none other than her father (Tony Shaloub). It was an incredible, and incredibly awkward time at the club, that was also a showcase for those two talented performers and Alex Borstein.

5. "The Burrito," The Good Place episode 2.11
About: This episode marked the big movement toward change for Season Two, as our heroes made it to the judge and were asked to show they'd improved. All of them failed, save Eleanor (Kristen Bell), who wanted to maintain solidarity with her crew. It was funny, moving and engrossing.

4. "START," The Americans episode 6.10
About: Ending a show is always difficult, especially one with the stakes of "The Americans." And yet, this show did a great job of bringing this story to a close. It didn't end the way I expected, but it was powerful and engrossing just the same.

3. "Kiksuya," Westworld episode 2.08
About: This season of "Westworld" was uneven, to put it mildly, but the stand alone stories were great. This one, which followed the leader of the Ghost Nation (Zahn McClarnon), was a beautiful origin story and one of the most emotionally engaging hours in the show.

2. "Past Lives," Bosch episode 4.04
About: Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) doesn't show a lot of emotion, but in this episode we got to see him as a husband and father when his ex-wife (Sarah Clarke) is shot and killed. We see Bosch in action and then, just as quickly, breaking free to find his daughter, Maddie (Madison Linz), before she finds out on the news. I love this show, and this episode was one that really got me in the show's fourth season.

1. "Janet(s)," The Good Place episode 3.09
About: People haven't loved the third season, and I get it. But in this episode where everyone is pulled into Janet's (D'Arcy Carden) void and ends up looking like her, it was an incredible showcase for Carden to channel her ability to play the other characters. It was creative, fascinating and a showcase for one of the show's be performers.

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