The “golden age of television” was once touted as belonging to the late 40’s and sweeping into the 60’s. Drama, controversy, and eventually a culture was born and bred from the advent of the home viewing system. While that’s all well and good, please forgive this crass “fuck you” to that early golden age, and direct you to the year in television we just had the upmost pleasure of taking part in. 2015 was a banner year for not just our streaming darlings, but the cable giants, and even (gasp) network television. Watch out for rampant spoilers, and check out these choice episodes that allowed television to sprout legs and become part of our world this year.

The Walking Dead “Thank You”

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This first half of The Walking Dead season 6 was arguably dull. After an exciting first episode shot half in black and white, half in full unadulterated gore ridden color, we were subject to episodes full of the same annoying “but what’s the right thing?” and the Morgan back story no one was looking for. The early action from the first episode carried over into the next two culminating in “Thank You” an episode where characters we didn’t care about gave up their lives to the greater good while Glen “died” in a horrific glory mostly reserved for characters an audience despises. “Thank You” is chosen less as the best episode of the season, and more as the one that bubbles up the most contention.  However, the execution of “Thank You” was more of an outside perspective to the problems laying just over the ridge, ensuring its status as a touchstone for the rest of the season.

Game of Thrones “Hardhome”

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Not only did we get full insight into what the White Walkers are capable of, but we were left with an unwavering fear that only a tiny fraction of the population knows about it. Yes, for years now we’ve been told that “winter is coming” but who cares when you’re rich and powerful? The thing about the onset of this zombie ridden future is that there’s no stopping the inevitable slaughter of Westeros. There’s a looming peril about, and to ignore that importance of Jon Snow starring down a White Walker (regardless of his current state of being) is downright idiotic.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend “I Hope Josh Comes to My Party!”

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“What is this show and why should I care” said my editor and readers (probably). The story revolves around Rebecca, a women who deals with her problems head on by abandoning her successful life in New York to pursue a high-school crush in West Covina, California. In this particular episode there’s a special spectrum of character building and Rebecca crazy moments that lead to not two (the usual), but three songs relating to the story at hand. Oh right, it’s also a musical. The musical aspect was not a horrific surprise as initially suspected, but rather a charming add on to a show that’s grossly adorable while hitting every feel in the book. Even the most hardened of cynic can’t help but cringe as Rebecca sniffs Josh’s hair (her crush who is in a serious relationship) as he attempts to make the party she threw for him a success, proving once and for all that she does have friends and didn’t just move to West Covina for Josh (a feat she’s constantly chasing).

Last Man on Earth “Is There Anybody Out There?”

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Kicking off season two, Last Man on Earth continued to surprise with its ability to remain entertaining while focusing almost solely on character development rather than plot. What was initially thought to be a show about the literal last man on earth has evolved into a talent defining moment in time for Will Forte. The season opener has Phil (Forte) and his wife Carol (Kristen Schaal) gallivanting about the US, happy as can be with just one another by their side. Eventually Phil learns that he’s not enough for Carol; she misses their friends. In an act of selflessness he decides to drive Carol back to Tucson where they can reunite with their fellow last folks on earth despite Phil’s potential misery. A series of hijinks leads to Carol getting left behind, while Phil’s unsuspecting brother Mike sits in space unnoticed, and unmissed just as the accidentally left Carol is. The reality is both Carol and Mike have a companion (though Mike’s is a worm) but they both crave more as humans tend to do.

Silicon Valley “Two Days of the Condor”

 

After a fairly strong season, Silicon Valley ended on a note that was enough to rip your guts out and use them to strangle you while your heart exploded and you peed your pants. If this sentiment is familiar to you, then you caught the season finale of the series as it aired. After a disappointing trial in which Hooli’s Gavin Belson was suing Richard for the rights to “Pied Piper” (or rather the algorithm that made it possible), Richard found he had no choice but to “accidentally” destroy the whole thing in order to save his pride and hard work. Just as he’s texted the bumbling boys back at the “incubator”, he is awarded full rights to the company. Hooray, right? What proceeds is a literal heart pounding seven minutes in which Richard tries to contact his crew before they destroy the program forever. While he’s dropping keys into a sewer, commandeering landlines, and running through the neighborhood, the boys are drinking a last farewell beer, acquiring a lemon (nay, the perfect lemon) for the beer, and generally fucking around while they should be preserving their dignity. At the last minute, Richard is able to save Pied Piper, only to be told hours later that he’s being removed as the CEO of the company. If this isn’t a sad trumpet moment, I don’t know what is.

With Bob and David “Episode 3”

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The truth is With Bob and David was the long-lost series we never knew we needed. Relying heavily on the humor of the namesakes, the two were able to reach into the past where their show was unable to gain a larger audience and bring it into the future where a cult following has left every comedy fan dying for more. The third episode felt like skits seen on Mr. Show, connecting each one carefully to the next without being pushy about it. What starts with a deadbeat dad flyering for his crappy band all over town with kids in tow quickly evolves into a trio of brothers all acting as the character “Shangy” a Russell Brand-esque motivational speaker who uses his brothers to get out of gigs he doesn’t want. The whole scene is “brought to you by, popcorn” eventually turning into a scene featuring Keegan Michael Key as an annoyed police officer remaining calm and downright delightful in the face of a pushy “cop catcher” David Cross. Throw in a little ‘Shark Kitchen’ cooking show parody featuring deadbeat dad and a Tim and Eric like moment where “Shangy” screams digital while flying away still unclothed from sleeping with someone else’s wife and you’ve got an exact representation of the brilliance that is With Bob and David.

Better Call Saul “Pimento”

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What at first felt like a fairly mundane episode of Better Call Saul would quickly snowball into a turning point in Jimmy McGill’s life. After working for so long to become legitimized in his brother’s eyes, Jimmy has finally landed a case that would act as a landmark in his career as a lawyer. Before he can have time to revel in the small victory, he’s pushed out of his moment in the sun by the terribly unlikeable Howard whose entire presence in the series is strung together through moments of screwing Jimmy over. In a twist ending that would lead to incredible performances by Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) and Chuck (Michael McKean), we learn that Chuck has been the reason for Jimmy’s shortcomings all along; while he was verbally rooting for his brother, he was also secretly sabotaging his every move. The penultimate episode of the season, Jimmy cuts ties with Chuck, leaving him to fend for himself with a psychosomatic disease only Jimmy had the patience to deal with.  Meanwhile, we get a peek into Mike’s ruthless tactics as he shows up for a new job as a bodyguard armed with nothing but a pimento cheese sandwich, establishing himself as a go to goon while rightfully acting as a namesake with his lunch choice. Saul is a strange show in that it cannot be defined, carefully wading in a pool of genre baked series that bear the AMC namesake while having no pretense of attempting to fit into a mold. The uniformed will chalk up the goodness to Breaking Bad carry over while the rest of us bask in the glory of a masterpiece made up of a muted pallet.

Daredevil “Rabbit in a Snow Storm”

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The thing about Daredevil is that Netflix and Marvel were able to perfectly convey the gritty grossness behind being a street level superhero. The third episode of the first season finds a man walking into a bowling alley, and then murdering the shit out of someone for no discernable reason other than he needed to do some killin’. The rest of the episode teeters on Matt Murdoch’s sense of right and wrong, learning more about Ben’s life, and the name that the growling Hell’s Kitchen Devil has been Jonesing for from day one. What’s incredible is the segue from Murdoch’s successful (?) acquisition of the name, to the introduction of the man himself. Standing in front of a painting, vulnerable and quiet, we are introduced to Wilson Fisk. You can’t stop the chill that runs over your spine as you meet the man who is soon to be one of the best villains in Marvel history.

Jessica Jones “AKA Ladies Night”

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It’s really hard to choose an episode of Jessica Jones as the “best of” because truthfully the season was phenomenal. However, there are a few stand out moments of the series that demand extra attention, primarily because so much is thrown out in that first episode. We find ourselves in a world with a “super” who runs a P.I. business and drinks like your Uncle Billy who lived in your garage while he was “getting on his feet.” She’s unapologetic, unabashed, and totally badass. Her inner demons quickly gain corporeality as we’re introduced to Kilgrave, the main villain and reason Jessica’s head is all sorts of messed up. Rather than giving us our villain right away, we see a purple light fogging Jessica’s judgement, and another victim of his that is so deep down the Kilgrave rabbit hole she feigns feeling better and murders her parents in front of Jessica to prove Kilgrave’s point; he’s always watching. Not only is this a set up for the rest of the season, but it sets a precedent for the way female characters can and should be represented on television.

Fargo “Waiting for Dutch”

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Full disclosure: As a Fargo latecomer it felt imperative to add it to the “best of” list while still giving it the time it deserves as a series. As such, “Waiting for Dutch” acted as a catalyst in the Fargo universe, wasting no time in setting up a season that is almost impossible to find a single poor review about. Between the setup of the decade spanning characters, the sweeping setting, and the grisly murders expected early on in a series of this namesake, it’s not hard to see the greatness peaking from the corners of the first few episodes. The importance in researching the subject is apt to feel irrelevant after the realization of what FX has managed to put out, however it seems the public’s reaction to episodes 7 & 8 (and even 5 with Bruce Campbell playing Ronald Reagan) is overall optimistic of the series as a whole, ensuring the future success of a well-versed writing staff and board of producers who stumbled into a creative goldmine and incubated it to completion.

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