Just What I Like In My Fantasy TV

Tonight's Legend of the Seeker ("Deception") had it all (except Zedd, who I honestly think brings the series down so he frankly wasn't missed).

The show finally showed it could break through the faulty, banal source material from whence it sprang. Morally gray areas, turncoats, the question of revenge versus justice, questioning a soldier's worth, interesting (if still predictable) turns...

I won't go so far as to say it was thoroughly brilliant television, but as far as this series has gone, it was DAMN good. I highly recommend you find a way to watch it. This episode is completely stand-alone and mythology-free (aside from the broad strokes of "Richard is the Seeker, he's fighting some big evil guy named Darken Rahl, and he travels with a woman named Kahlan who is a 'Confessor,' (and her purpose in addition to all of her powers are established within the episode so you don't have to know going in)."

For fanboys of the novels, it probably won't be as high on the list as "Denna" (which was certainly the best episode of LotS before tonight). But I think on a purely "this is an adaptation of a series of novels and it breaks away from those novels" POV, this was the superior episode.

Too bad the show goes into a few weeks of repeats now!

The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

What!?

Where the hell did that episode of Desperate Housewives come from? I mean, I know, I know, 100th episode... but it wasn't, like, a pull-out-all-the-stops game-changing very-special-episode episode. It was just... amazing. Except maybe Edie's flashback. Could've done with something from Katherine (during the 5 year skip, perhaps?) instead / in addition to (since the firm/perk line was great). Emotional fulfillment. I has it.

Kinda funny how, pretty much, nothing happened in the episode, but it was satisfying nonetheless. And centered around character we'd never seen before and never will again.

Sigh, and there's three weeks until the next episode?

Benefits

Oh my god, you guys. Did you watch last night's How I Met Your Mother? It was GENIUS. I don't normally laugh out loud through much of HIMYM, though I am generally entertained. Last night was hi-lar-i-ous. And touching.

This episode showed why this show is a step above other multi-cam sitcoms. The quick cutting back and forth and short scenes that "traditional" sitcoms don't do because they tape in front of a live audience (admittedly, a 10-second scene won't be very funny when taken out of context of the surrounding scenes).

Anyway. Holy eff. I think we already have a nominee for Best of 2009.

Oh, and the ratings?

A 4.8/12 in the demo and 11.847 million viewers.

However...

... while I won't do a Top 50 episodes of 2008, here are the two that stood out to me. Don't ask me to pick. Please?

Lost - "The Constant". If only Heroes had taken notes note on how to properly infuse time travel into a narrative. This episode was just pitch perfect. And that phone call. Just thinking about it makes me come close to tears.

The Wire - "Late Editions". If The Wire had submitted "Late Editions" instead of "-30-" (the series finale) to the ATAS blue ribbon panel, I'm convinced it would have been a nominee for Best Drama Series. "Late Editions" had it all... and didn't have the extra 30-some-odd minute running time and wrap-ups for characters that people unfamiliar with the show wouldn't fully comprehend as genius. Sigh.

No Top 50 of 2008... but here's some favorite things

Not doing that this year as inevitably every one of the top 40-some-odd slots would be filled by The Wire, Mad Men and Lost, with a couple 30 Rock, The Shield and Battlestar Galactica episodes thrown in. Also there was that whole writers strike and there's so much less TV to choose from. Also I cut down semi-significantly on my TV consumption this fall.

Instead here are a few of my favorite things from TV 2008 (outside of the above shows... which, um, d'uh), in no particular order. Please beware of spoilers. Ride the walrus.

- Tina Fey. Oh, come on, you knew she'd be on this list and for reasons no one in their right mind can deny. There, I said it. Lemon, out!

- Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf. Where would I, and Gossip Girl, be without them? Also the Yale episode (hahah, shot at Columbia... just like the University of Pennsylvania substituting for Princeton University in this summer's Transformers sequel)

- Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D. on The Big Bang Theory.

- Amy Ryan as Holly Flax on The Office. And then she left and the show sucked again.

- Grey's Anatomy. Shut up, I know! Here's the thing. For a lot of 2008... Grey's was actually kind of good? Not, like, back to its apparently-a-fluke second season good. But much better after the writers strike. Meredith seeing Amy Madigan as a psychiatrist worked. The way season four ended totally worked. And the start of season five worked, too. And then Erica Hahn had a minute long diatribe and glasses and foliage and lesbianism and Izzie started seeing ghosts and then Melissa George showed up and the interns started playing basement surgeons on themselves and then Izzie STARTED HAVING SEX WITH GHOSTS. Shut up, I know... basically all this shows is that Shonda can put together a string of pretty good episodes when not burdened with having to do more than, y'know, about 5 episodes. She'd do great in the UK. Anyway, the revival and quick fall from grace (again) of Grey's is totally one of my favorite things about TV 2008.

- Jimmy Smits dies on Dexter. I dunno, I just don't like him in, well, much of anything. And I thought his character, among other things, brought season three down several notches from the first two seasons (also hurting: obvious plotting and a snail's pace). But I was relieved when the last few episodes built to his death in the penultimate episode of the season, because it showed that Dexter still had it.

- South Park. The fall half-season wasn't so great (although who can forget the Indiana Jones Gets Raped sections of the premiere?), but the spring half was typical South Park genius. Cartman gives Kyle AIDS, Britney is ritualistically killed off in a harvast ritual (watch out, Miley!), cat pee drugs, The Writers Guild of America Canada goes on strike for more internet revenue, Mrs. Garrison (a MTF transexual who is a lesbian, who used to be a gay man, who used to think he was a straight man) gets her penis back (so, is Mr. Garrison straight now?) as Cartman teaches inner city kids to cheat like Beel Belichick in a Stand and Deliver parody, the internet fails... the only down note of the whole half-season was the finale.

- Frumpy Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives. Okay, Eva Longoria Parker doesn't ever look bad but, um, that character now has a few more layers and that's what I've been asking for since early season one.

- Kevin and Scotty get civil unioned on Brothers & Sisters, a week later the CA Supreme Court rules that same sex marriage is legal in the state, then the dolts at ABC air the episode that talks about Prop 8 a week after the election. While on the topic of B&S... Kima Greggs as the birth mother to Kitty and Robert's not-yet-born baby!

- Ugly Betty kinda sorta gets its groove back? The show has certainly opened up since moving production to NYC. They use those locations (but, um, Gossip Girl did it first!) And I think that, somehow, Betty's wardrobe has gottem even more clashy/poofy/over-the-top/unfashionable since the NYC move. I loved the episode "When Betty met YETI" because, now in her third season, Betty really needed a kick in the pants to start moving away from Daniel's desk, and the resulting conflict showed some truly ugly behavior from Marc (who remains my favorite character), but then some real heart from both he and Betty and yay. Also Justin's straight/str8 friend at school rejects his offer to go see In The Heights together because his friends are hecklers and homophobes. Also Amanda as Betty's roommate has been fun. The only things not working for me at the moment are the slight declawing of Wilhelmina and WHEN THE EFF IS CHRISTINA GOING TO BIRTH THAT BABY!?

- Anne Dudek as Cutthroat Bitch on House is dating Wilson and then she dies. Season five just hasn't been as good.

- Chuck. Man is there any other show currently on the air hitting it out of the park pretty much every episode the way Chuck has this season? Although they're going to run out of women who turn out to be secret agents for Sarah to get into girl fights with at some point... but hopefully not soon! "I hate you, Bryce."

- How I Met Your Mother's ratings rise. Who knows if it's linked to having a strong/funny/compatible lead-in with The Big Bang Theory, but in its fourth season, finally HIMYM isn't a bubble show. The final 2008 episode "Little Minnesota" was a lot of fun (Barney's smutty holiday song parodies... the Canada bar with karaoke at the end). Oh, and "Sandcastles in the Sand"! Barney/Robin! If only the show could get rid of Ted...

- David C beats David A in the American Idol season seven finale. Who knew there were more hungry cougars than horny teenage girls?

- Isis on America's Next Top Model.

- Christian Siriano winning Project Runway 4 and forever destroying the show in the process (seriously, even the top group of season five's designers sucked in comparison to, like, all of the season four designers... and they were all trying to catch phrase it up... annoyalicious!)

- Stephanie from Top Chef: Chicago and Jamie from Top Chef: New York.

- Ed pleading with America to let Heba be in The Biggest Loser Families finale instead of him and then America so obviously telling him it hates his wife by choosing him over her 84/16.

- The Mentalist showing freshman series can be hits (and simultaneously that, perhaps, once again, broadcast TV isn't dead)... even if I didn't like the second episode so stopped watching...

- True Blood showing that, while it's possible to make television shows about vampires, you're inevitably going to get Buffy comparisons and you just won't win that battle. Also the series started out laughable, got better, then became, um, just odd? Also for showing that you should never reveal to the audience who the killer is in a serial killer mystery before the main character(s) know unless there's going to be some sort of super awesome twist. Which there, y'know, wasn't. But, hey, at least HBO is making buzz-worthy TV again (cough, Entourage sucks, cough). Also... Ryan Kwanten.

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes Recap

Honorable Mention

Nos. 50-41

Nos. 40-31

Nos. 30-21

Nos. 20-11

Nos. 10-1

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (10-1)

10. Bones, "The Knight on the Grid" (originally aired November 20, 2007). This episode is one of the primary, “strictly as a television viewer” reasons I need this strike to end (although my savings account is certainly a bigger factor, ultimately). The show jumped back to the Gormogon mystery in full force in this episode, dispensing with the usual opening teaser sequence of Booth showing Brennan a corpse and them quipping over it. Nope, this episode was all about action, twists and turns, murders, secret societies, conspiracy theories… the list goes on. Also, Dr. Sweets becomes useful (and stands out as an obvious red herring choice) in the investigation, which revolves around the team figuring out a pattern to the Gormogon killings. Also Brennan and Booth’s car gets blown up with them inside it. And the team winds up not just solving murders, but also actively trying to prevent thing, in the form of a despicable Washington lobbyist who is part of the Knights of Columbus. And they find a completed Gormogon skeleton in a mausoleum with different teeth marks than the one they’re constructing, so there was another Gormogon who killed, like lots of people in the past. And Booth and Brennan find him (an aptly named Arthur Graves), a toothless, quiet, evil old coot in a nursing home. Who hisses at Brennan when she tries to talk to him. Creepy! Also creepy was his toothless smile as Booth and Brennan leave. Not to mention the cliffhanger ending that, I hope, gets picked back up in the three original episodes remaining when they come back in (ugh) May. This is, of course, involving the lobbyist coming home, thinking he’s safe, and they he opens his closet and being attacked by the current Gormogon. I need this show back, AMPTP. You hear me?

9. Desperate Housewives, "Something's Coming" (originally aired December 2, 2007). There’s a tornado coming. And Carlos’ accountant thinks it would be wise to drop off the only copy of his off-shore account information during this tornado? That’s stupendously stupid. Whatever. The main event is really all about Lynette’s family and about the intersection between Bree and the Katherine Mayfair mystery (why is it always Bree who is twisted up in these things most intimately? Oh, right, because she’s awesome). And damn that final sequence must’ve been crazy fun for the production designer. Regardless of what I think of the Mike as pill-popper plot… Susan acted like an adult. Like, a bonafide, fully-grown, mature woman. We’re all shocked, right? I’m conflicted about the death of Victor… while I hated his character, I was really excited for him to make good on his promise to make Gabby’s life hell (from the last episode). But someone had to die with a white picket fence through the chest, and it might as well have been him (also, what a great way to kill a character!) Plus, it means more of him on…

8. Mad Men, "Nixon vs. Kennedy" (originally aired October 11, 2007). Richard Nixon wins! I knew this show was a farce. Hah, anyway, the period set piece of the office party was just a bunch of fun, even though the real action took place in the form of flashbacks, informing us, finally, about Don Draper’s secret. I won’t say anything else for fear of ruining this episode for any of you.

7. Heroes, "Company Man" (originally aired February 26, 2007). If the second season was any indication, this will be the series’ best episode. The genius of the episode comes from two things. One, it was focused, to an incredible extent. With the exception of flashbacks, nearly all of the action takes place within the Bennet house or in PrimaTech in Odessa. The show’s attempt at scope is sometimes its greatest ally, more often it’s worst enemy. The second reason this episode was genius is the one-time adoption of Lost’s flashback formula, resulting in a touching, informative narrative magic rarely seen even on Lost since the first season. The special effects work is outstanding in this episode (the combination of Ted Sprague’s powers and Claire’s healing).

6. 30 Rock, "Cougars" (originally aired November 29, 2007). A-plot: Liz dates a young co-worker. B-plot: Jack and Tracy coach a little league baseball team. C-plot: one of Liz’s male co-workers has a crush on her new boyfriend and thinks he might be gay. What about this screams “too inside” the entertainment industry for a mass audience the enjoy it? Obviously, that’s the most basic description of the episode and the real magic comes from its quotability (“I’m 37, please don’t make me go to Brooklyn”), the visual gags (Liz meets her boyfriend’s mother, who is a close approximate to Liz’s twin… “Yup, that’s what we look like”), and the allusions (the entire baseball plot becomes one giant riff on the War in Iraq). You can watch it over, and over, and over again.

5. Grey's Anatomy, "Wishin' and Hopin'" (originally aired February 1, 2007). Here’s why this episode rates so highly on my list (notice how my Top 50 list includes four of the first five episodes of Grey’s that aired in 2007? Yeah, the season was really quite good until March): it is the one, and only, time that I think even the Meredith-haters liked her. The main plot of the episode is Ellis, Meredith’s mother, becoming lucid. And she berates Meredith, and Meredith is finally able to tell her exactly how/ having Ellis as a mother (not to mention her Alzheimer's) has weighed Meredith down. Ellen Pompeo nails it, and you can’t not be on board with Meredith in this one, shining moment. Also the rest of the episode kicked ass (the opening the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic and the start of the Chief retiring plotline and the competition for his position… which, sadly, went absolutely nowhere and wasn’t satisfying).

4. 30 Rock, "Rosemary's Baby" (originally aired October 25, 2007). I’ve sung the praises of 30 Rock so much on this list that to do it again, and for a second time in the Top 10, seems trite. So I’ll just sing the praises of Alec Baldwin and his amazing Good Times impressionism. The two minutes in the therapist office where he plays the roles of Tracy’s father, mother, Tracy himself, a Latina maid, and laments not being able to whip out his Howard Cosell impression is sidesplitting. Oh, heck, I can’t resist. The subplot with Jenna burning Kenneth’s Page jacket was hilarious (Page Off! Page Off! Page Off!) And, of course, Carrie Fisher as an eerie look into the future for the one and only (or not) Liz Lemon. Liz’s “Followship” award. “Help me, Liz Lemon, you’re my only hope!” (couldn’t been cloying, somehow it wasn’t). “If I can’t be Monique fat, I have to be Teri Hatcher thin.” “You are my heroine. And by heroine, I mean ‘lady hero.’ I don't mean I want to inject you and listen to jazz.” “I breastfed until I was eleven, so I've forgotten more about a woman's chest than you'll ever know.” “”The mailbox was Haldeman!” “Don't ever make me talk to a woman that old again.” Aaaaah…

3. The Sopranos, "Made in America" (originally aired June 10, 2007). You don’t get to judge me for loving the ending of this series. I had “Don’t Stop Believing” in my head for, well… I’ve still got it in my head.

2. Brothers & Sisters, "36 Hours" (originally aired November 11, 2007). There’s only one thing that stopped this episode from being number one on the list (and it’s not the number one episode, itself). It was the Senator McCallister subplot that was so… separate. They needed to do something with Rob Lowe, I guess, but it proved once and for all that this show is all about one thing: the Walkers. And for the show to work, every scene needs to contain the Walkers. As for why this episode is the number two episode of the year for me… well, look at the rest of the episode. Justin is back on pain medication, a development initially forced on him by mother Nora and half-sister Rebecca despite his reservations about falling back into his old addiction. And, of course, he did fall back, fell hard, and hit rock bottom. The intervention scene, where Justin angrily lashes out with harsh truths (but truths nonetheless) about each member of his family (except Tommy, who isn’t there, and Kitty, in a scene that shows how great an actress Calista Flockhart actually is) should win Dave Annable an Emmy. If you’ve never had a family member succumb to addiction, I don’t know if this scene, if this episode was as powerful for you as it was for me. But, well, this is the honest truth about the disease. This is how it happens. It pulls your heart out and stomps on it. And the show captured every element of how an addict can tear a family apart (even after the intervention, the effects of Justin’s words reverberate). The scene where Justin tries to convince the family that he’s healed, despite the doctor-prescribed time not having elapsed is just as wrenching (and good on Nora for putting the fear of god back in him). Almost as heartbreaking as all of this was the episodes last moments, when Justin does have the drugs out of his system and, essentially, breaks up with his mother. I can’t say it enough, but goddamn if the combination of this show, this episode, and me doesn’t keep Kleenex in business.

1. Lost, "Through the Looking Glass" (originally aired May 23, 2007). Was there ever really a doubt what would top this list? This two-hour episode could potentially go down as one of television’s “best ever”. If you haven’t seen it and you’ve fallen off the Lost bandwagon… watch it. If you’ve never seen Lost… watch it. I’m not even going to write anything else about it.

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (20-11)

20. Pushing Daisies, "Pie-lette" (originally aired October 3, 2007). Whimsy. Fairytale romance. Bright colors. Kristen Chenoweth. Bake all these things together in a pie and you get Pushing Daisies, yet another example of why Bryan Fuller is the most imaginative person creating television shows that with concepts better suited to features than weekly series. This series never lived up to its pilot, but gosh darn it if this isn’t magical regardless.

19. Bones, "The Santa in the Slush" (originally aired December 11, 2007). While this episode had nothing to do with the intriguing Gormogon mystery, it was an example of why Bones is the best crime procedural on television (and the only one I allow myself to watch… yes, I’ve tried the various flavors out there). A fun mystery (a murdered Santa Claus whose name was Kris Kringle) with a touching side plot involving Brennan’s family and the idea of Christmas miracles. Plus, even if it was only a peck… Booth and Brennan kissed. Gotta love the sexual tension that the show just refuses to become an extant relationship. The final image with Brennan, her jailed father, her fugitive brother, sick niece, and her brothers’ girlfriend in the conjugal visit trailer watching Booth light a Christmas tree with his son just outside the penitentiary premises was just touching in all the warm, fuzzy ways I’ve been led to believe televised holiday magic is supposed to be.

18. Lost, "One of Us" (originally aired April 11, 2007). The ongoing mystery of who Dr. Juliet Burke is, and where her allegiance lies, is front and center in this episode, Juliet’s second flashback. Elizabeth Mitchell was a gift to this ensemble cast, and you can see the conflict on her fact, even as she tries to keep it cool and intrude the Lostaway society, winning some tiny bit of trust in a long con that not even Sawyer could see through. The interplay between the flashback sequences and the current events are used to great affect to keep us, the viewers, guessing even as our hearts go out to Juliet for the sacrifice she has made to come to, and stay on, the Island. Even though Ben’s taped message tells Juliet that he’ll see her in a week, the episode has shown cracks in her façade now that she is out of his grasp.

17. Battlestar Galactica, "Crossroads" (originally aired March 18, 2007 and March 25, 2007). Baltar’s trial was more talk-y than I like in this show, but the public reveal of Roslin’s returning cancer. Mark Sheppard is a lot of fun, why doesn’t he show up on my television more often? And Baltar’s acquittal? Thank the gods, right? I’ll be damned, but that final CGI sequence taking us from the Ionian nebula to Earth was some feature-worthy stuff (far better than the opening credits of Superman Returns, for instance). All along the watchtower… can’t wait for Battlestar’s return. Hopefully knowing they only have 20 episode to wrap things up means we won’t face the midcycle doldrums we were subjected to in the third season (i.e. “The Passage” and “A Day in the Life”), and I definitely can’t wait to find out how the show explains its reveal of four of the Final Five Cylon. Starbuck’s (inevitable) return, the path to Earth, and a massive opening space battle awaits.

16. Ugly Betty, "I'm Coming Out" (originally aired February 1, 2007). If Ugly Betty hadn’t been able to pull off a Fashion Week episode with its early first-season pizzazz… well, you might as well have written the show off for dead. Mixing fanciful, silly moments with genuine emotion and over-the-top soap opera antics is what the show is about and this episode pretty much defines that (and has guest stars like Tim Gunn). As you might expect from the title, this was Alexis Meade’s debut, or her coming out party. Alexis is, of course, Alex Meade post-sex change operation and no matter what you think of her acting skills, Rebecca Romijn is stunning (in fact I’m unsure if she or Famke Janssen is the hottest TV transsexual). Alexis’ first meeting with Daniel, before he knows her real identity, is a hoot. “And by the way? Hitting on your dead brother’s old girlfriend? Classy.” Meanwhile, Betty’s plotline cleverly has her fighting with her own sister, Hilda, and them both coming to a mutual appreciation of the other one. Also, Wilhelmina falls victim to a duck fat injection as an alternative to botox and needs to use Marc as her “seeing eye gay.”

15. 30 Rock, "Hardball" (originally aired February 22, 2007). Jack teaches Liz about negotiating. Could he please step in and fix the writers’ strike? Gotta love the visual gags of this show, like Jack’s negotiation furniture (the opposition’s cushions sink low so Jack and his team look down on theme). Jenna’s photoshoot as one of America’s funniest women was hilarious, as she can’t pose on a couch after getting lathered in grease. Jenna winds up being misquoted as insulting army troupes in the magazine so she goes onto the political talk circuit to defend herself and winds up mistaking Obama’s name for Osama.

14. Lost, "The Man Behind the Curtain" (originally aired May 9, 2007). Answers! Sweet, delicious answers! And more questions! Infuriating, unanswered questions! The Henry Gale / Ben Linus flashback episode was so very necessary, and so very rewarding. Although Ben doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who shoots someone and leaves them in a ditch for dead without making sure that they are, y’know, dead. Who, or what, is Jacob? How will the show explain Richard, apparently an Island native, looking around the same age now as he did when Ben looking a bit like Harry Potter (just one of the reasons to root against CBS's Cane)?

13. Grey's Anatomy, "Six Days" (originally aired January 11, 2007 and January 18, 2007). George’s dad died. I don’t want to talk about it. Remember when Grey’s Anatomy had the power to make you feel that way? Also, and this totally just occurred to me because I haven’t gone back to rewatch/recap Grey’s episodes for a while, how about the revelation that Addison aborted Mark Sloan’s baby and her later discover of her being infertile-for-all-intents-and-purposes? That kinda salts the wounds, don’t it?

12. Brothers & Sisters, "Domestic Issues" (originally aired October 28, 2007). Sarah Whedon can be a tad priggish, but if your heart doesn’t bleed for her as her (suddenly moustache-twirling villain of an) ex-husband takes the kids away from her because she’s a working mother (which suddenly trumps philandering, stay-at-home musician in primary custody hearings)… you’re inhuman. Watching the so-very-strong Sarah collapse into her mother for support was another tearjerker. Should the Emmys go on this year, Rachel Griffiths will surely repeat her nomination, and if she submits the episode, she’s a shoe-in to win. In addition, this episode was a Walker Family Halloween, and dealt with the disturbing development of Tommy’s affair. Sins of the family, etc. Also Kitty is pregnant, which could throw McCallister’s campaign for a loop. Honestly, Kitty is the reason Robert is going to lose the election. She almost has to be after this season of blunders on her part.

11. How I Met Your Mother, "Slapsgiving" (originally aired November 19, 2007). How I Met Your Mother has, apparently, established that it will never be able to top “Slap Bet”. So it tries to dip into that magic vat for laughs while it can, but never in the same formula as the last time. After Jason Segal and NPH sing Les Miz on Megan Mullaly a while back, I was waiting for the day that they’d sing us a tune on the show. “You Just Got Slapped” didn’t have the campy wonder of “Let’s Go To The Mall” (and what will?) but with Barney moaning in harmony… you can’t ask for much more. The machinations the episode put us through, the will-he-or-won’t-he of the third slap, was a great way to deal with the Slap Countdown and watching NPH’s Barney mentally unravel on screen was more than worth the price of admission.

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (30-21)

30. Desperate Housewives, "Now I Know, Don't Be Scared" (originally aired November 4, 2007). Hah! The Simpsons isn’t the only show on television that can run a Halloween episode in November. This episode gave us so much. Lynette is free from cancer (so long, crappy plotline!) Danielle had her/Bree’s baby (and can you imagine if you were one of the Savo kids and saw the birth from a window, on Halloween? And the guy delivering the baby was Frankenstein’s Monster?) Speaking of, we had plenty of fun costumes. Andrew as Cher (thanks to Bree, covering for the fact that neighbors thought they saw Danielle, who was supposedly out of the country). Nathan Fillion as Frankenstein’s Monster. Danielle as Bree. Mrs. McClusky, the neighborhood witch, in a witch costume… can this be an annual event on Wisteria Lane?

29. The Sopranos, "The Second Coming" (originally aired May 20, 2007). I really have little to say about this episode. My heart plunged in the backyard pool along with AJ in his (thankfully failed) suicide attempt. Also of note, Dr. Melfi’s dinner discussion with other therapists about analyzing sociopaths, and how it may in fact enable rather than rehabilitate them.

28. Brothers & Sisters, "Matriarchy" (originally aired May 20, 2007). There was almost nothing wrong with the season finale of Brothers & Sisters. Almost. I even appreciate the symmetry of the entire Walker family (sans Iraq-bound Justin, but now including McCallister, Holly Harper, and Rebecca) jubilantly jumping into the pool as a bookend to the premiere’s ending where patriarch William Walker drowned in said pool (much better use of symmetry than Shonda Rhimes saying that Meredith Grey helping Izzie out of her prom dress at the beginning of Grey’s Anatomy season three and her helping Cristina out of her wedding dress at the end was symmetry). It was all a little soured by the introduction of Senator McCallister’s extended family, which is huge and out-crazy-s the Walkers by a long shot. It wouldn’t be so terrible, but we’d just gotten a dose of “look at this other big, crazy family” a couple episodes back in “Game Night”. At least the show joking called attention to this when the Senator asked Kitty if she thought he was still electable given his family. But you have to love Kevin and Jason as the Gay Scouts / Gay Party Planning Brigade (also that they made out). And Sarah and Holly making up (despite Sarah not getting to throw a cake at her father’s ex-mistress). And Kitty and Nora’s trip to the airport, where the show actually made use of the fact that people can’t just run up to waiting gates any longer. The moment the show let us think that Justin managed to leave without seeing them was a sucker punch that was, obviously, followed by the requisite, sappy strong goodbye moment. And that’s what you have to love about this show. It wears its emotions on its sleeves in the form of smeared mascara.

27. Gossip Girl, "Hi, Society" (originally aired December 5, 2007). Oh, Gossip Girl. How could you do this to me? I get in the mood to laugh at you during America’s Next Top Model. I never laugh with you. This episode was good. And not in the “Gossip Girl is so bad it’s good” way the rest of the series has been. The story was about a Cotillion Ball and, I’m not up on my high society timetable, but if these girls are juniors in high school, shouldn’t they have already debuted? Whatever, not important. Serena doesn’t want to make her stuffy debut, but is conned into it by her grandmother, a duplicitous, lying old sag of (apparently) cancer-ridden crap. My goodness, but Grandma CeCe is evil personified. Manipulative, class-minded, age-wisened… where has she been the entire run of this show? She also manages to throw a spork in the Dan/Serena relationship (which is really no feat at all, since they seem to have minor squabbles on a weekly basis… ah, young lust). But the real revelation is that she broke up Lily, Serena’s mother, and Rufus, Dan’s father, ages ago. So this is, like, a rerun for her. She forces Lily to change Serena’s debut statement, but when Serena catches wind of the falsities about to be spewed about her at her supposed debut to high society (have you understood the pun in the title yet…?) she changes it to something wild and rebellious. And my God I was ROLFMAO at “Miss Van der Woodsen hopes to bed as many billionaires as she can…” Burn on that, Grandma CeCe. Also, Chace Crawford gets shirtless as Nate and Blair dive into pre-coital bliss. I’m still stumped as to how he didn’t know that the very vehemently virginal Blair was not a virgin when he finally got down to business. And we see that beneath his well-clothed, bad boy, rapist exterior, Chuck might just have the semblance of a heart.

26. Scrubs, "My Long Goodbye" (originally aired April 5, 2007). Scrubs is a wacky show, but I do think its best episodes come hand-in-hand with the more serious ones. For instance, “My Screw Up”. And so, we bid our goodbyes in this episode to Laverne, the nurse who always had a sassy comeback. We get some faith checking. And we get some reality instilled in our characters (the sixth season, generally, lacked far too much reality even for the wacky standards of this show).

25. House, "You Don’t Want To Know" (originally aired November 20, 2007). This episode just might go down as the fan-favorite episode of House. Not because it was the best story ever (um, “Three Stories” much?) but because, well… the patient had lupus. I had to rewind my recording about seventeen times to savor that revelation. And now, of course, I’ve ruined it for you. The patient in question was a semi-infuriating magician that Kutner and Big Love brought in (why, I’m still asking, was Kutner at a magic show with Big Love?) And, naturally, the whole episode rotated around the idea of “the reveal”. Of not showing your cards, not explaining the tricks. And, given that ultimately Thirteen made House’s team, I’m just dying to know whether or not she has Huntington’s Chorea… and I totally support and understand her decision to not know. The subplot about stealing Dr. Cuddy’s thong was also genius. Genius, I say!

24. How I Met Your Mother, "How I Met Everyone Else" (originally aired October 22, 2007). How I Met Your Mother struggled in the beginning of the season, in the wake of Ted and Robin’s break-up. But, holy heck if this episode didn’t demand a rewatch or two. The “Future Ted is narrating form the year 2030, he has a pretty damn good memory” problem was given a tip of the hat in the form of Ted’s date of the episode, the forgotten “Blah Blah”. They met of World of Warcraft. Ted’s character is a scantily-clad female. This episode gave us Barney’s Vicky Mendoza Hot-Crazy scale, some nice continuity fill-ins (um, did you read the title?), and “eating a sandwich” as a kid-friendly euphemism for “smoking a joint”.

23. Grey's Anatomy, "Walk On Water" (originally aired February 8, 2007). I’ve previously been able to discuss my feelings on the infamous Ferry Crash three-parter. So I won’t embellish here (no, “Some Kind of Miracle” does not have a place on this list). This episode’s non-ferry shenanigans revolve around the Chief’s bad hair dye job (shudder) and Cristina’s inability to tell Meredith she got engaged. Hm, you think she’s going to have cold feet eventually? Anyway, for all the grandeur of the ferry crash, the moments that really got me in this episode involved Meredith and that quiet, lost little girl. Especially the ending. I dare you to not gasp when Meredith’s patient convulses and accidentally pushes her over the pier. Seriously!

22. 30 Rock, "Jack Gets Back in the Game" (originally aired October 11, 2007). “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” may have existed as a novelty party tune before this episode, but now there’s a Thriller-parody video to go along with it. Also… “You want to watch me eat this steak…? Okay.” “Me want food!” “The pillowy abyss of a lover’s bosom”. The Church of Practicology (“By the eye of Zohak!”) “You do the meth” medical pamphlet. “ICU81MI” license plate. “Angie is in the past, like Dracula and broadcast television.” Kenneth seducing Tracy’s wife, Angie. And any scene that involves Will Arnett is guaranteed to be funny. I mean, Alec Baldwin is hilarious and, unless he famously yells at his little, eleven-or-twelve-year-old pig daughter again, he’s practically guaranteed the Emmy for a different episode (we’ll get there, too). But Will Arnett steals all scenes. His smoldering gaze at Kenneth from behind a window as the page gets a soda. “I’m going to make your heart explode.”

21. Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Hard Imported Salami" (originally aired November 19, 2007). Rachel Bilson needs her own TV show, or to be a big movie star. I think the former is more likely. Bilson’s Lou was such a sweet casualty of the spy games that happen on this show. I’d prefer to see more of her, and more of Chuck’s hilarious romances outside of his Sarah Walker cover. Not that I don’t like Sarah and Chuck together, especially because we know (thank you, truth serum episode) that she is developing real feelings for him. I’m sure, eventually, the awkward hoops Chuck would have to jump through to keep a romance alive with a non-spy would get dull, but I didn’t have my fill. Zachary Levi and Bilson had great chemistry, too. At least they got to make out in the Nerd Herd Mobile.

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (40-31)

40. Bones, "The Widow's Son in the Windshield" (originally aired September 25, 2007). This episode, the third-season premiere, was a turning point between me and Bones. I'd always enjoyed the show, its romantic tension, the comedy elements... but it was so damned and strictly procedural (outside of brief interludes into Brennan's family). There was a hint at a serial killer case in the second season when Brennan and Hodgins are buried alive. But now, good lord, there's a full blown cannibal serial killer linked to wild conspiracy theories. This episode transformed Bones from a "record and watch it over the weekend" show to "you damn well better watch on the night it airs". Bravo, show. Bravo.

39. Heroes, "Cautionary Tales" (originally aired November 19, 2007). So, Heroes can still build to something satisfying (and then take the rug out form under you). This episode loses points for reviving HRG and, in doing so, eliminating "death" as a consequence in the Heroes-verse. It loses points for taking so much time to show Hiro seeing the man who killed his father because the audience was 17 steps ahead of him. It loses points for being heavy-handed with its fatherhood theme. But you know what? Ultimately none of that matters because the episode worked on a level the show didn't work the entire second season. I still don't trust this show the way I trust Lost to lay story pipe and pay it off, but I'm not entirely convinced Heroes can't be fixed from its slump. In a way, this episode tries to repeat "Company Man" from season one by being about saving Claire Bennet. Like that (superior) episode, this one incorporates a storyline we've been following separately into how events play out (again, Parkman's). "Company Man" was more focused, though, which is when Heroes is/was at its best. This go-around, we get the Hiro plotline that was thematically parallel but otherwise unconnected.

38. Brothers & Sisters, "An American Family" (originally aired October 7, 2007). Despite opening with an overly-manipulative funeral, the show did not kill off Dave Annable's Justin off-screen in Iraq. And thank God. I think this is the only show on television that I completely let my guard down for and allow it to pull my emotional heartstrings in every which way. Sure, the show can get extremely sappy... but whatever. You get moments like Sarah telling Rebecca (who has just admitted her part in Sarah's husband kissing her) that her confession is the height of selfishness (but thanks for playing!) You get attempts at politics (The West Wing, it isn't, but at least it tries to pretend that it's not the gayest, most liberal show on television). And you get pain. That may be the only time I use bold in this entire list. There is just so much pain to be felt, to be dealt, and to be discussed in the plotline of an injured son returning from war. And damn if this show doesn't bring it (as we'll see, in spades).

37. Desperate Housewives, "If There's Anything I Can't Stand" (originally aired October 21, 2007). Took them long enough! This was the episode that really proved to me that Desperate Housewives was going to be all right. I lot of people thought so right away from the fourth-season premiere, but I was wary after the third-season started so magnificently then trickled down to near Applewhite levels of bad. In any case, the gay neighbors (Bob and Lee) moved in and Susan stuck her foot right where it usually is... in her mouth. Hilarity ensues. Over and over again. Kevin Rahm plays an excellent bitchy queen (the scene where he tells Susan off about the basket of baked goods that she poses as homemade but then doesn't know what's in them and he has a food allergy is just pitch perfect... or should that read bitch perfect). Not to mention the brief return of the magnificent Shirley Knight as Bree's ex-mother-in-law, Phyllis. And not to mention the continuation of twisting whatever (still unexplained) dark, evil past is behind Katherine and Dylan. This episode also featured Felicity Huffman in wigs and costumes trying to make the Scavos' sex life more existent, as well as the best use of a cater waiter as plot device this side of Scotty on Brothers & Sisters. Crab cake, anyone?

36. 24, "Day 6: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM" (originally aired , 2007). I'm not going to try and justify this one in light of my "the only things Day 6 did well were suck and eventually end" attitude. I just remember watching Jack's take down of Abu Fayed and the entire contingent of his stock-villain-terrorists alone and cheering (and echoing Mike Doyle's "Damn, Jack" sentiment). Who cares that Jack's been running on fumes non-stop for 17 hours... before which he was on a boat in Chinese custody which means he's been recently starved, tortured, etc. Who the bloody hell cares. Also Audrey is alive, which was not as shocking a moment as it could have been (given the "she went to China to find you and disappeared" bit). But... damn, Jack.

35. Family Guy, "Blue Harvest" (originally aired September 23, 2007). Family Guy is often cited for its hilarious cutaways and pop culture references (not necessarily current pop culture. What it's never praised for is narrative structure. The Simpsons and South Park and Futurama beat the crap out of Family Guy in that department in almost every episode. So when Family Guy got the a-okay to do a Star Wars parody using the original (Episode IV!) plot... the result was hilarious and structured. I can't wait for Episode V's parody. Surprisingly, even Family Guy's cutaway jokes didn't provide the most laugh-0ut-loud Star Wars parody moment of 2007. That honor is strictly reserved for Robot Chicken's Admiral Ackbar Cereal sketch ("Your tongues can't repel flavor of that magnitude!")

34. Veronica Mars, "The Bitch is Back" (originally aired May 22, 2007). What can really be said about this series, this season, this episode that hasn't been said already? It was too soon for the show to go the way of the Dodo. The third season was uneven at best, especially the last four episodes of stand-alone mysteries as a whole (it's always been my argument that Veronica Mars would've been a much bigger hit if she were solving murders of the week instead of "there's a missing monkey, oh no" mysteries). But the series finale didn't back off the noir themes that were a staple of the show... in fact it brought many of them back into the light (can you do that with noir themes?) after losing them for some of the third season (what can I say, college was just a brighter, shinier, happier place... so clearly didn't belong in Veronica-land). Keith sacrificing himself to save Veronica (not his mortal life for hers, but the principle's the same)... that father-daughter relationship is ultimately what the show was about, and you'll be hard-pressed to find another like it on TV. The final shot of Veronica walking out of the election polling place, in the rain, away from camera, as the outcome in her father's bid for sheriff is more uncertain than ever... end series. Stay cool, soda pop.

33. Grey's Anatomy, "Drowning on Dry Land" (originally aired February 15, 2007). I've separated the now-infamous three-part Ferry Crash plot arc for purposes of this list. Which is sort of holding it to a different standard than other multi-parters (I kept South Park's "Imaginationland" to a single ranking, as I did with the Family Guy two-parter, and will do with another Grey's Anatomy two-parter that aired in 2007). I did this because I think this episode is, perhaps, the last great episode of Grey's Anatomy (note: as of posting, I have not seen the hyped-up "Bailey narrates" episode that airs on Janaury 10, 2008). While I didn't really mind "Some Kind of Miracle" (the three-parter's finale) the way a lot of fans did, I recognize that it didn't fit in the universe of Grey's Anatomy. The fact that, during "Drowning on Dry Land", we all knew that the show wouldn't kill off Meredith didn't take away the drama for me. But what came after was, well... misguided to put it nicely. Anyway, let's talk briefly about it episode and about how much of a freaking rock star Izzie is. Because she is. And you have no choice but to beam along with Izzie when she comes back to Seattle Grace with her confidence reinvigorated after drilling holes into a man's skull with a power tool instead of a surgical instrument. That she gets to tell Cristina about her rock star status was all the sweeter (because Cristina is supposed to be the rock star, d'uh). Heigl is awesome. We here at Travis Yanan Industries think she's great and despite a tepid-at-best script are almost tempted to watch 27 Dresses because of her. For me, this season was about identity. Shonda went on record saying that this season was about showing the women of Grey's that they couldn't have it all. I don't buy it. Just as last season was all about the heart, weak, broken, etc (and brought to light through anvil-y metaphor in Denny), this season was about identity as seen through Jane Doe/Ava/Rebecca (which we're introduced to here). It speaks on so many levels about these characters. Addison loses herself so much through the season that she goes all spin-off-y (*gag*). Izzie has no idea who she is, then reclaims it (and, um, proceeds to lose it again...) Cristina is losing herself to this bride-to-be person, while Izzie is drilling holes in a man's head she's stuck on stitch detail. Even Meredith has her journey of identity thanks to her mother's death... and what it means for her to live without that weight hanging on her. And all of that, that entire season-worth of plot is so delicately summed up in this episode's plots. George's desperate search in the hospital in this episode. He promises a patient going into surgery that her son is alive and okay, but has no idea, then he finds a dead boy in the morgue, but it turns out the kid Callie is operating on is the mother's child. Alex's determination to discover the idenity of Jane Doe. It just all worked for me in this episode. It clicked. And it was the beginning of the end.

32. House, "Games" (originally aired November 27, 2007). I'm still waiting to find out exactly what it means for Chase and Cameron, and to some extent Foreman, that House has a new team. Those three characters (and their actors) were heavily sidelined this season in the wake of their various resignations and firings at the end of the third. I was uneasy about the development, but House's reality TV-esque method of picking his new team turned out to be incredibly engaging. The "mystery illnesses of the week" almost (almost) took a backseat to this serialized plot, and I'll be damned if (but for one episode) I could care less about what the illnesses were or about the patients. This plotline was about the candidates and I will severely, severely miss Cutthroat Bitch, who was the final candidate eliminated in this episode. We even get a bittersweet moment after her firing, in which she reveals the chewy emotional center beneath her hard, candy-coated exterior. Brava, Anne Dudek. I hope you come back in some capacity. And, of course, cheers to the writers for naming the episode "Games" and showing us the brilliant way House played Cuddy to get exactly what he wanted. I'd love to see Dr. House versus Jack Bristow in a game theory match. And, for the record, I don't understand the hiring of either Kutner (besides the fact that he's played by Kal Penn) or Ministud, but I do understand House's rationale for why Cutthroat Bitch couldn't be on his team.

31. Friday Night Lights, "The Confession" (originally aired December 7, 2007). A surprisingly satisfying end to a murder plotline that could've, and did, have fans of the show screaming "jump the shark". Even if it was a round hole of a plotline to try and shove square peg Landry into, the way the character went about his confession, ultimately, is what this show really is. Decent. Honest. Real. Oh, and Julie and Tami made up which was like "finally!" and Tim moved out of the meth lab house and all of this other stuff that was like waking from a bad dream happened.

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (50-41)

It was SO not an intelligent decision to start doing this list on an eve of new television (The Amazing Race, The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives, and American Dad... and, yes, I might tune into Cashmere Mafia but mostly to see what changed between the pilot I saw eight months ago and the for-air version... because that pilot was pretty excreable). I'm delaying my viewing of The Wire (sacrilege!) until I've rewatched the entirety of the first four seasons. I'm almost done with season two, so it won't be long. Definitely will be caught up around by episode 3 or 4 of this season.

But now is not a time to discuss 2008's television.

50. 24, "Day 6: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM" (originally aired January 15, 2007). Ah, the beginning of the end. The two-night, four-hour premiere of 24's sixth season was riddled in stock characters, bad acting, and wooden dialogue (note to casting directors: no more D.B. Woodside). But, FOX marketing machine be damned, they really did have a jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end of the fourth hour. Not necessarily a development for the show, and in fact I'd pin the nuclear detonation of Valencia as the classic "jump the shark" moment (especially because, twelve hours later when the show became about the Chinese government, something little like a nuke killing 12,000 people was long forgotten). In any case, I have a mantra that I will repeat throughout this Top 50: bad developments coming after effective plot twists don't mean the plot twist was a bad thing (see, eventually, the Grey's Anatomy ferry crash arc). This episode also brought us Jack Bauer's slaying of Curtis (a sorely missed Roger Cross) in a last-minute attempt to find said nuke. The editing in the scene in the warehouse right before the explosion? Absolutely amazing. Between the look on the random suburban husband's face as he, while helplessly bound and unable to do anything but yell, saw an almost-dead terrorist activate the nuke to the look of devastation on Jack's face in the final moments before the clock rang out over black... it just worked. Even if it jumped the shark.

49. Ugly Betty, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (originally aired March 22, 2007). Note to the current writing staff of Ugly Betty (er, whenever this strike issue is settled): this is how to do an episode of your show. There's pathos, there's telenovela goings-on going on, and it's hilarious. It's not drowning in sorrow the way much of the second season has been. The main plot of the episode revolves around the aftermath of Claire (Judith Light) admitting that she murdered Fey Sommers, and being sent to jail (releasing Bradford, who was previously accused of the crime). But the real joy of this episode is the deepening of Marc St. James' character with the introduction of his mother, who doesn't know he's gay. He uses Betty as his "girlfriend"/beard, and hilarity ensues. He eventually comes out (and his mother rejects him) in one of the show's more touching moments... because it's grounded in reality. Also, Justin rewinding a newscast of Betty trying to avoid reporters' questions about the Meade shenanigans and walking into a wall of a bus shelter is just hilarious.

48. Family Guy, "Stewie Kills Lois/Lois Kills Stewie" (originally aired November 4, 2007 and November 11, 2007). While the end of this arc was not satisfying, no matter how hard the show tried to laugh off the dream sequence/computer simulation/reset button ending (and, really, the swipe at the finale of The Sopranos would've been funnier had the joke not been used to more comedic effect two months earlier in the Family Guy musical number that opened the Emmys), that doesn't take away from the journey it took us on. Ridiculous violence is one of the things this show does best (see "Patriot Games" with Stewie as Brian's loan shark), and these episodes brought it in spades.

47. House, "Airborne" (originally aired April 10, 2007). House solves the case of a spreading mystery illness while on an airplane. WHILE ON AN AIRPLANE. The illness turned out to be mass hysteria caused by one passenger having decompression sickness and Cuddy alarming people that there might be viral Meningococcus spreading. Which is kind of lame as far as House mystery illnesses go, but totally worth it for the sequence when House assigned Chase's, Foreman's, and Cameron's personalities to random people on the airplane (they are told to agree with him, disagree with him, and get morally outraged by all of his decisions). The fact that Dr. House, supposedly one of the best diagnosticians in the world, needed this makeshift team around him to really function was great foreshadowing for the effect firing a member of said team (and having the rest resign) would take on him. It did make his use of a janitor in "Alone" (the fourth-season premiere) a tad redundant, but I'm pretty certain that episode was meant to be an awkward springboard into the game of Survivor House set up.

46. Damages, "Because I Know Patty" (originally aired October 23, 2007). I enjoyed Damages. I really did. But I found it very difficult to figure out which, if any, episode should make the Top 50. That's the "problem" with such a serialized show, I suppose. None of the episodes, to me, were ever really about a particular thing except asking more questions and giving some answers about the Big Mystery. So, I chose the finale, which answered questions about who tried to have Ellen killed, finished the Frobisher case, gave us some really meaty Patty scenes, and provided a nice hint at what was coming next. Whenever the writers' strike is done, the series has been picked up for two more seasons. I hope the writers can figure out a way for the next two stories to not lag as much in the middle.

45. Desperate Housewives, "The Little Things You Do Together" (originally aired February 18, 2007). Desperate Housewives had to abruptly finish off the Bree/Orson/Alma storyline thanks to Marcia Cross's bed-rest orders, and this was the end of it. This episode featured the opening of the Scavos' pizzeria (which was nicely forced to use chairs from various neighbors thanks to a screwed up stool order... nothing says neighborhood pizzeria like sitting in your own chair), two wedding proposals (and the awkwardness that was the brief Zach/Gabrielle relationship), and a death. DH is at it's best when it is darkly comic, and that can certainly be said of how Alma Hodge's life ended. She finally escapes the attic she was locked in, only to fall off the roof when trying to get someone's attention. And, of course, the massive confrontation that was, like, every member of the Hodge/Van De Kamp family versus Gloria Hodge, Orson's maniacal, murderous mother. It was a quick wrap up due to outside circumstances and the third season didn't recover minus the best housewife (sorry, Felicity Huffman, Marcia wins my vote), but there's just so much delicious justice to be found in an old woman having a stroke and being trapped with her sins in her body, alone, with no loved ones thanks to her deceitful actions. The image Orson forcing the paralyzed, but conscious, head of Gloria to watch him walk away from her, forever, was powerful stuff.

44. South Park, "Imaginationland" (originally aired October 17, 2007, October 24, 2007, and October 31, 2007). Only on South Park will you ever find an ethical dilemma like the US Government pondering sending a nuclear missile at "our imaginations" because terrorists hijacked them. Perhaps I'm a little sick in the head, or maybe it's just my own personal love of desensitization to violence (hey, I didn't write it), but the beating of Strwberry Shortcake followed by the reintroduction of the Woodland Critters suggested they flay and rape her (in part two) was just pure heaven. Throw in Al Gore, ManBearPig, and Cartman's relentless mission to get Kyle to suck his dry balls and you have one freaking hilarious, weird-ass trilogy.

43. Friday Night Lights, "Mud Bowl" (originally aired March 28, 2007). This show is not about football, and yet it is about football. Coach's speech about the love of the game resonated on so many levels... and being from a North Eastern suburb, I've never understood why or how high school football can become commercialized, so yay on Coach Taylor for teaching us all a lesson about football and alternative uses for cow pastures. There's some great cinematography in this episode. And I still can't even talk about the Tyra/Landry plot. And that's the problem with shows that are so real you can feel it.

42. Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Nemesis" (originally aired November 26, 2007). The NBC marketing machine hyped this episode as "the episode that changes everything" and while it was an interesting twist that they brought Bryce Larkin back from the dead, I couldn't help but feel a tad less overwhelmed than I should have. Mostly because from the moment he died in the pilot (and remember, I first watched the pilot in May) I figured there was no way you waste a fine actor like Matt Bomer on that opening scene. No way he was perma-dead. Still, this episode was action- and twist-heavy, which more than made up for the non-shock of Bryce's resurrection. For once, though, my favorite parts of the episode were at the Buy More. The Black Friday preparations, Morgan's manning-up, Big Mike, "pineapple"... I know they can't stage the final showdowns (or even midway showdowns) of the spy adventures in the Buy More in every episode, but it was nice to have it so fully integrated.

41. Dirty Sexy Money, "The Watch" (originally aired November 28, 2007). I am not the biggest fan of Dirty Sexy Money. I think that with all the talent on the show, it could be so much more than it is. I hate that instead of being this big, over-the-top, glamorous soap in the tradition of Dallas, it tries to mock the serio-comic tone that pervades ABC hour-longs. I also hated that the show, in episode four, introduced a plotline about a bastard Darling from the affair between Letitia and Nick's dad, Dutch. Introduced the plotline and proceeded to have Tish tell Tripp who the bastard was, off-screen. In the middle of an episode. And then the plot was dropped. And now, suddenly, it's back in full force a month-plus later. So we find out that Brian is the bastard, is Nick's half-brother (which makes sense, dramatically, because of how Brian deals with Nick... with utter abhorrence). Nick gives Brian his dad's watch. And we have the legitimately touching end of the Brian/Brian's illegitimate son Brian Jr./Gustav plot, in which Brian waves goodbye to the son he never wanted then grew to love, and gives him the watch. Really well done stuff. So much better than the previous week's "let's make an entire episode out of people having meetings with each other."

2007 Recap: Travis Yanan's Favorite Episodes (Honorable Mention)

The time has come for some sort of annual "best of" list. I'll be listing, and in most cases explaining, my favorite 50 episodes of scripted television... that I watched. I don't watch everything. I don't even get Showtime (so, while I'm sure Dexter would have places on my list, I'm waiting for Season Two DVDs).

Here are the episodes that didn't quite make the cut, in alphabetical order by series:

• Brothers & Sisters, “Something Ida This Way Comes” (originally aired January 21, 2007). One of the more amusing, but less consequential, episodes of B&S. This episode is about the family throwing Nora (the incomparable Sally Field) a surprise 60th birthday party, and the titular Ida (Nora and Saul's mother) coming to town for the event. Ida, as a non-resident of Los Angeles, is blissfully unaware of the drama of The Walker Family. Not much happens in the episode, but it serves as a great comedy piece and summary of the characters' stories thus far.
  
• Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Sandworm” (originally aired October 29, 2007). This episode of my pick for Best New Network Series was filler, no question, but there are few combinations I love more than Halloween-themed episodes, spies and geeks. Having Chuck face a nerdy, ex-CIA "agent" villain was a good touch.
  
• How I Met Your Mother, “Stuff” (originally aired February 19, 2007). Take that, independent theater. Barney's send-up of one-man plays entitled "Suck It Lily" was genius, and, of course, Slap Number Two.
  
• Mad Men, “New Amsterdam” (originally aired August 9, 2007). The lines between Don Draper and Pete Campbell are drawn in the sand in this episode where Pete oversteps his station and Draper has to suck it up because Pete is, well, a Campbell. Social, political, and office politics be damned!
  
• Pushing Daisies, “Bitter Sweets” (originally aired November 28, 2007). The first, and only, episode of the series that managed to stand close to the pilot/pie-lette in my eyes. I'm not a big Molly Shannon fan, but I found her (perhaps recurring) character, the competitive proprietor of a candy store that opens right near The Pie Hole, to be a great addition. Something needed to stir up trouble with the group of characters. Throw in the added stakes of Ned being framed for murder, and you actually have a passably engaging episode of television.
  
• Reaper, “Pilot” (originally aired September 25, 2007). The pilot provided hints at a really great series as soon as it got rolling (I was no fan of the almost sitcom-ish first few minutes). Ray Wise's Devil is a standout character this season. Unfortunately, the rest of the series has (at the behest of the network, I understand) taken a purely anthological turn and gotten rid of Sam's powers. To which I ask... huh?
  
• Scrubs, “My Musical” (originally aired January 18, 2007). Props for trying, but "Once More, With Feeling" this wasn't.
  
• The Shield, “Chasing Ghosts” (originally aired May 8, 2007). Oh, man, this was the episode the series was building up to since it killed Lem off in the fifth season finale. And, of course, it defied expectations. From the opening scene between a desperate Vic and an all-too comfortable (and jailed) Antwon to the final confrontation between Vic and Shane where the latter comes clean about killing Lem... just great.
  
• The Simpsons, “24 Minutes” (originally aired May 20, 2007). We all know the glory days of this show is long past, but it brought out its parody bat and went down swinging with this send-up of FOXs 24. Which was surprisingly timely, as the parody version had to have been conceived around the time when 24 won its Best Drama Series Emmy and then proceeded to have a season that, overall, will rank among humanity's worst crimes. Cameos by Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brien only showed that The Simpsons could write 24 better than 24 itself could.
  
• The Sopranos, “Kennedy and Heidi” (originally aired May 13, 2007). Christopher Moltisanti dies. In the freaking beginning of the episode.