The Best of the Best of the Best, Sir. With Honors. Part 1 | Page 2 of 2

#15: Teen Wolf – “Insatiable” –

Teen Wolf is among the shows that make me think, maybe MTV can do some quality scripted shows. The werewolf saga is soon to be entering its fourth season, and I have been consistently impressed by the cast and the storylines. Dylan O’Brien, who plays Stiles, the very human best friend to main character and teen werewolf Scott, has been the most pleasant surprise of the series. O’Brien is finally given a story that puts him front and center and gets to show off a wider range of talent. Stiles is possessed by an evil spirit that threatens the lives of innocent people and his friends. What made this episode stand out most is the death of a major character, Alison, in the midst of fighting. The show has featured deaths before, but never to someone so integral. There was no time for mourning her either, as the fight was still ongoing. Alison was a central character, a love interest for Scott, somewhat caught in a love triangle. Alison and Scott were the Ross and Rachel of the series. Imagine if they killed Rachel!

[Honorable Mention: “Divine Move”]

#14: Orphan Black – “To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings” –

Helena and Sarah on a road trip! Helena singing, or trying to sing, “Sugar Sugar!” Helena entertaining Sarah with shadow puppets! Helena flirting, dancing, kissing! I never thought I would ever say any of those things, but I would be more than happy to see it again. The episode also set up some exciting tidbits for the future–a female relative, Vic working for Angela, Leekie the murderer… Tatiana Maslany, who has now played at least 11 distinct clones, can do no wrong.

[Honorable Mention: “Governed As It Were By Chance”]

#13: Warehouse 13 – “A Faire to Remember” –

Back when this show first aired, I couldn’t make it past the first hour of the two-hour pilot. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I decided to give the series a second try, and I’m not sorry I did. The introduction of Claudia Donovan is the point where the show really finds its voice (it is only 4 episodes in, so it was not much of a wait). Claudia changed the dynamic from typical co-worker fair to something closer to a family. Artie is the dad, Pete and Myka are the older siblings, Claudia is the kid sister everyone looks out for. She’s more than that of course, as we learn about her past, her family, her connection to the warehouse and the artifacts it stores. Any episode where she is at its center is a good one in my book and “A Faire to Remember” was one of the best. After discovering that her sister has been alive and in a coma for 15 years, Claudia sets out to wake her up, to disastrous results that end with a tear-jerking ending. I am sorry to see this series coming to a close after what has already proven to be an excellent final season in progress.

#12: Chicago Fire/Chicago PD – “A Dark Day”/”8:30 PM” –

I am treating these two episodes as one for all intents and purposes since they are a part of the same story. While I don’t believe that either of these shows is particularly groundbreaking in and off themselves, NBC has been doing something very interesting by having this highly integrated world. Characters from both series constantly cross over, sometimes in a small way, like when the EMTs that are on the scene are from Firehouse 51, but other times, like this week’s two-part episode, feature a crossover in a major way. (And I don’t just mean the cementing of a cross-series romance, which is interesting in and of itself because it allows the characters to exist outside of the relationship they are in). A bomb going off during registration for a marathon calls the fire department in for recovery efforts, which leads to a long, harrowing day for Firehouse 51. Voight’s team arrives on scene to help track down the bomber and stop another attack. As a New Yorker, the episodes were reminiscent of 9/11. I’m sure for those from Boston, it felt more like last year’s bombing, and for those from Oklahoma City, some very direct similarities were made. The show handled the situation incredibly well. I felt invested in every single plot line (a rarity on even the best shows). Nothing felt extraneous. Every moment of joy the characters felt was palpable, the moments of sorrow were shattering (even when we saw them coming). I hope the writers continue to explore these two worlds with crossovers big and small because that seems to be where the writers are at their best.

#11: The Big Bang Theory – “The Locomotive Manipulation” –

Adding Amy and Bernadette to the main cast was a massive step forward for the series. It balanced out the show in a way I didn’t realize it was missing. Bernadette is generally hysterical and its nice to see Wolowitz stop being a creepy womanizer. But the most important addition was Amy and the emotional relationship she has forced Sheldon on. Did we ever think we would see Sheldon kiss someone? Kiss someone and like it? It seemed like Amy and Sheldon would forever be in a chaste relationship, but we saw them take their first step forward. It felt earned in a way that not many TV relationships feel earned.