I was recently rewatching the IT Crowd, which is one of my favourite shows and after finishing Season 2 Episode 1, “The Work Outing” for the hundredth of time I realized this is probably my favourite sitcom episode of all time. I just can’t get bored of the jokes and the delivery. The writing is gold, and the story escalates from funny to absolutely insane hilarious. Makes me laugh every time. Half the dialogue I quote to this day.
There are many good episodes I love, and could put here as close seconds: probably most of the Futurama series, a dozen of episodes of The Office or some classics from the Friends, I could think of.
So I would like to hear what episodes of any TV show is your favourites and why? Doesn’t needs to be necessarily comedy, anything from television is fair game.
Think of it as a “what single item would you bring to a desert island with you” question, just with an episode of a TV show :)
This is a tough one. My go-to is usually that episode of the IT Crowd. Second on my mind is Breaking Bad’s Ozymandias, but someone already said that.
So, I have to pick two to tie for first.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S3E1 - “The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby”
There’s a lot of perfectly written IASIP episodes, but this is probably my favorite. Every little detail is perfect, and I think it’s better than the pilot at showing the characters’ personalities. We have Mac and Dee trying to take care of a baby together, Charlie and Frank becoming homeless because they can’t stop collecting garbage, and Dennis seeking revenge on a hippie because he got called out.
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This episode really has some of the best Dennis moments. I think about Mac and Dee trying to tan the baby a lot, but the funniest part of this episode to me is when Dennis is trying to act more environmentally conscious than everyone else, so when the hippie long-windedly calls him a poser, Dennis just runs over to the gang and tries to use that insult on them. It shows their dynamic perfectly.
The Office S6E9 - “Murder”
This is a much-needed break in the middle of a tense overarching plot about DM’s finances. It’s not the best Office episode, but it’s probably the best Michael episode. There are episodes like “Scott’s Tots” that are iconic because he learns a lesson the hard way. But this episode is one of the few where we see Michael take action. The entire office is miserable so what do we do? Play a game and do funny voices. It’s a Michael activity through and through, but he uses it to help the office take their minds off a bad situation. It’s also one of the only times during the comanagement arc that Jim and Michael really synergize. Really funny, super sweet, and some of the best lines in the series.
I think about these jokes almost daily:
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Dwight: Voodoo Mama Juju, explain your dalliance with the Dark Arts.
Angela: It’s not my fault, I was exposed to Harry Potter.
Dwight: I know you did it!
Dwight: I know she didn’t do it. It’s never the person you most suspect. It’s also never the person you least suspect, since anyone with half a brain would suspect them the most. Therefore, I know the killer to be Phyllis, AKA Beatrix Bourbon, the person I most medium suspect.
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Oscar: [tries to speak in a high-pitched southern accent] This plantation, we’re running low on greenbacks. We’re having problems paying the people who give us the seeds and the dirt. We can’t pay… [in regular voice] – Michael, I can’t – Basically it could mean a lot of things, but it is unprecedented, so its cause for concern.