049. The Debate (The West Wing)

"So when you try to hurl the word 'liberal' at my feet, as if it were dirty, something to run away from, something that I should be ashamed of, it won't work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and wear it as a badge of honor."

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 6th November 2005
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 7, Episode 7
WRITTEN BY: Laurence O'Donnell Jr

The Debate was a special live episode of The West Wing that mimics the real live Presidential debates. They really couldn't have chosen a better subject matter. It's that air of authenticity that is it's biggest asset - it feels like a real debate.

For one night only, Presidential candidates Matt Santos and Arnold Vinick are put under the spotlight to answer questions from the public. The two actors prove more than capable of carrying the episode on their own. They tackle issues like immigration, education, taxes, healthcare and jobs. They're able to cover more ground than any other West Wing episode.

Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits both have a history on Broadway, and so the two actors are well in their element with the small-scale, one-take nature of the show. With the focus on the performance, they create some great scenes. The Debate keeps it simple, and watching the two Politicians spar enthusiastically is a lot of fun. It's like a tennis match, with the debate very even between both sides.

Although it may only be fiction and the fate of the country is not at stake, I guarantee this episode is as entertaining as anything Obama and Romney can produce in this campaign.

048. The Girl Who Waited (Doctor Who)

"I don't care that you got old. I care that we didn't get old together"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 10th September 2011
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 6, Episode 10
WRITTEN BY: Tom MacRae

Karen Gillan's tenure on Doctor Who may have just ended, but here's a look back at one of the strongest episodes from the Moffat era, the Amy-centric The Girl Who Waited, which was really driven by a great performance from our favorite Scot sidekick and one of her best contributions to the series.

Waiting has been a recurring theme for Amy and Rory throughout the series. Amy had to wait years for the Doctor to come back. Rory had to wait even longer to get Amy back when he was a Roman Centurion. And now it's Amy's turn to wait again, as a time travel glitch means that when the Doctor and Rory leave Amy behind, they only manage to catch up to her 36 years later.

Karen Gillan gives a great performance as the bitter and bedraggled older Amy, the make-up effects really helping to sell it. But The Girl Who Waited also uses time travel paradoxes as a way to introduce a complex moral dilemma. If Rory saves the younger Amy, the older Amy will cease to exist.

The set design for this episode is also really great, with the bare white walls of Apapucia' kindness centres creating a very futuristic look in a minimalist way. Amy also has some great fight scenes with the roots. But what sends the episode over the top is the extremely emotional ending which will move you to tears.

047. Out Where The Buses Don't Run (Miami Vice)

"If you don't beat it pal, you might get to Heaven right now"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 18th October 1985
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 2, Episode 3
WRITTEN BY: Joel Surnow & Douglas Lloyd McIntosh

This is the first entry from the 1980s on my list and it could hardly be more representative of the era. The opening features a rollerskater, set to a song by The Who. He then gets busted by cool guys in suits with very fashionable haircuts. Miami Vice is unapologetically full of excess, and is great fun because of it.

When former cop Hank Weldon turns up out of the blue to give information on a case, Crockett and Tubbs rightly begin to suspect his motives. Crockett's sixth sense shows why he makes such a great cop. So the pair set out to do what they do best - dig up clues. The erratic Weldon, played by Bruce McGill, is a great guest star and welcome addition to the cast.

But in between all the detecting, there's still time to watch stuff get blown up - this is a cop show, after all. There are plenty of great action scenes this episode, and that's what keeps it interesting. One great set piece takes place out on the water and involves speedboats.

The mystery of Hank's past is finally uncovered in a dark and creepy scene in a warehouse, which does well to highlight not just the corruption on view but the cop's increasingly deteriorating mental state. Out Where The Buses Don't Run manages to deliver on action, intrigue and strong character work.

046. Paradigms Of Human Memory (Community)

"A leprechaun took our clothes!"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 21st April 2011
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 2, Episode 21
WRITTEN BY: Chris McKenna

Remember the Community episode where Troy broke the group's raft on St Patricks Day? Or Mexican drug runners almost executed Pierce for being a racist? Of course not, because although Paradigms skewers conventions of the clip show to great effect ("Just give him some examples, Pierce"), the episode is entirely new footage. A clip show without the clips. Once again, the show cannot resist playing with the meta. Troy's reaction to the flashback-within-a-flashback series is hilarious, as the constant jumping through time begins to wear on him. They even take aim at fandom culture - a Troy and Pierce montage set to slow, sappy music making fun of shipper videos.

The formula of the episode is reminiscent of a sketch show. The "clips" are all very short, very different scenes, meaning the episode moves at past pace - and thus the joke come thick and fast too. It gives the show a creative freedom to drop in whatever jokes they want. Better yet, some of the clips intertwine and overlap.

But to say this episode doesn't further the plot is inaccurate. The group - and audience - are given the major revelation that Jeff and Britta have been sleeping together all year in a secret friends-with-benefits arrangement. And it's a storyline that has actually been set up throughout the season.

The episode visits many memorable locations - a haunted house, a camping trip in the wilderness and an insane asylum. Many of the scenes could've made great episodes on their own, but despite only giving us an abbreviated version, we do not feel shortchanged. The sheer amount of effort that must have gone into making this episode is mindblowing.

045. One Minute (Breaking Bad)

"Ever since I met you, everything I ever cared about is gone. Ruined, turned to shit, dead, ever since I hooked up with the great Heisenberg!"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 2nd May 2010
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 3, Episode 7
WRITTEN BY: Thomas Schnauz

Although One Minute is mainly remembered for its pulse-pounding ending, to reduce the episode to one scene does it a disservice. The episode is excellent throughout, right from the very first scene, a flashback here uncle Tio teaches the twins a lesson in family values, Salamanca-style.

Hank also kicks off the episode with an emotionally-charged beatdown of Jesse, which has serious repercussions for his career. The threat of Hank losing his jobs leds to some of the Agent's best scenes. The hospitalised Jesse has two greta speeches in the episode, one about his hatred for Hank, another about how much he's lost since Walt came into his life. Both are well-acted and very powerful.

What's also powerful is the ending. It's a thrilling showdown full of tension, as the twins' storyline reaches its explosive conclusion. The scene is directed superbly, with not a second of the action going to waste.

044. Home (The X Files)

"I can tell you don't have no children. Maybe one day you'll learn the pride...the love...when you know your boy will do anything for his mother"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 11th October 1996
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 4, Episode 2
WRITTEN BY: Glen Morgan & James Wong

Loosely based on a story from Charlie Chaplin's autobiography, Home is an episode that takes The X-Files to extremes it's never been to before. Every taboo is shattered - incest, disfigurement, dead children. It's certainly not light viewing.

The villains of the story are the Peacock family, a group of hillbillys who go on a murder rampage after being suspected of kidnapping. What's great is that the kids may look (and even act) like monsters, but they're still very much human. When you see it from their perspective, they're just a family that want to be left alone and allowed to do things their way.

The scenes where Mulder and Scully investigate the house are gold. The Sheriff bites it in a gruesome manner, and it becomes a difficult obstacle for Mulder and Scully to safely navigate the deathtrap that is the Peacock house. There's a lot of tension when they enter the creepy-looking house, and find inside various unsettling sights.

Shocking, provocative and brutal, Home gets under your skin and still manages to be incredibly entertaining. Morgan and Wong deliver a story that's the closest to a horror movie The X Files has ever been.

043. A Hole In The World (Angel)

"Please Wesley, why can't I stay?"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 25th February 2004
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 5, Episode 15
WRITTEN BY: Joss Whedon

Only Joss Whedon could follow up the funniest episode of the series (Smile Time, reviewed earlier on this blog) with the most heartbreaking. And that's no understatement with A Hole In The World. It is utterly heart wrenching. Joss' reputation for being ruthless in killing off characters is legedary, but this shocked everyone.

Fred Burkle was the nicest, sweetest, most adorable character on the show.  She'd been a pleasant presence for over 3 seasons. And for this, she is rewarded with the most brutal, painful and agonizing death possible, which she did nothing to deserve. She goes out terrified, and it's really hard to watch. The point is to inspire emotion in the audience, and it certainly does that. This is true for the team too. Angel simply has to say Fred's name to motivate his team into working to stop her from succumbing to the goddess Illyria. All of them loved Fred, even hardass rogue Spike.

Of course, Wesley loved Fred the most. Their relationship was a slow burning one, and barely even got going before it was taken away. It all started off so well for them, but the romantic kiss they share at they start of the episode would be the last time they were truly happy.

No-one could have expected the episode to be so emotionally powerful, and the intensity is upped at every opportunity. Angel and Spike are given the tough decision to let Fred die, knowing the alternative was worse. Gunn is feeling really guilty about his part in Fred's condition. Whedon sure loves to make his character suffer. And the acting is just fantastic every step of the way.

The titular scene is a surprisingly profound moment when Spike looks down into the emptiness below and muses that there's a hole in the world. A great metaphor for the hollowness of life.

042. Numbers (Lost)

"Ok, that thing in the woods: maybe it's a monster, maybe it's a pissed-off giraffe, I don't know. The fact that no-one is even looking for us, yeah, that's weird, but I just go along with it, because I'm along for the ride, good old fun-time Hurley! Well, guess what? Now, I want some friggin' answers!"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 2nd March 2005
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 18
WRITTEN BY: Brent Fletcher & David Fury

Hurley was the last person to get their past explored out of the original cast, but it was worth the wait, as he got one of the most inventive and original backstories of the lot, which tied in directly to the Island plot. And in trademark Hurley style, it was not without its humour, either. Moments like his house catching fire and the man who falls off a building right behind him were totally hilarious.

The adventure in the A-plot is a lot of fun, as Hurley finally takes the leadership role and goes on a mission to find Danielle. There's plenty of excitement along the way as they encounter traps, old bridges and explosives. It's also a great episode for exploring Hurley's character. He really grows a lot over the course of the episode as he takes charge for the first time. The scene where he confronts Danielle and his relief when she tells him he's not crazy is a great moment.

Etched in every Lost fan's brain, the numbers became a core part of the series' mythology. The "curse" plot blends the supernatural with the outlandish and opens the door on one of the show's most outlandish mysteries. Hurley's encounter with Leonard is the mental institution is an intriguing moment.

Having been relegated to secondary character status most of the season, this is the episode Jorge Garcia announced himself as an integral part of the show and Numbers is the perfect blend of mystery, action and humour.

041. Living Doll (CSI)

"Okay, we're in a David Lynch movie. Where's the dwarf?"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 17th May 2007
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 7, Episode 24
WRITTEN BY: Sarah Goldfinger & Naren Shankar

It's an unusual CSI when the audience sees the killer before the team get them. But this special treatment isn't so surprising in context - seeing as the "miniature killer" story was the culmination of a season-long arc, we'd already had time to get to know the killer as a faceless entity. Now it's time to meet her in the flesh and see what makes her tick.

The miniature killer is a great villain. Making her female was a great choice as it already played with expectations. She's appropriately aloof but still credible as a formidable opponent. Her backstory is interesting. Her signature move is perfect for making her stand out but there's also something genuinely uncomfortable about her handiwork.The living doll scene is just creepy.

The scene where Gil gets his throat cut was a brilliant shock. Sure, it turned out to be a fake-out - but it was worth it. There's still a great cliffhanger to end the show on, as it ends with a close-up of Sara in the car wreck, leaving a question mark about her fate. Because the miniature killer plot isn't the only running storyline to reach a head - Gil's relationship with Sara also comes out in the open...and there has never been a more crucial time to make it relevant.

Overall, one of the most exciting and unsettling CSI episodes of all time, which proves the show can do great arcs as well as self-contained stories.

040. Baelor (Game Of Thrones)

"I grew up with soldiers. I learned how to die a long time ago"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 12th June 2011
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 9
WRITTEN BY: David Benioff & D.B. Weiss

The motto of Game Of Thrones is "you win, or you die". That's never been more evident than here. Ned Stark stands accused of treason, but has too much honour to deny the truth - that Joffrey is not the real heir - until his daughter's life is threatened. But then, in a twist, Joffrey demands Ned's head anyway. Another show would have a happy ending to this story, and somebody save him - but not this show. The final moments are nothing short of unbelievable.

It's a sickeningly cruel plot twist and a major shock to anyone who hasn't read the books. Sean Bean was marketed as the main lead. He is the only character on the season 1 DVD box. Ned should not die. It established Game Of Thrones as a ruthless world where anything goes. And George RR Martin is ruthless in killing off his characters...no-one is safe.

The war between the Starks and the Lannisters is also kicking up a gear. Tyrion has an amazing scene with Bronn and Shae the night before battle which really gets to the heart of revealing the essence of his character. We don't see much of the final battle, for reasons that will become apparent once you watch, but Tyrion getting KO'd was a hilarious moment. We also see Jon Snow's conflict in helping his family and keeping his oath.

With season 2 set to air next month, I'm very excited for the prospect of what's coming next, and this episode demonstrates just how great this show can be.

039. Company Man (Heroes)

"You didn't grow inside your mother. You grew inside our hearts"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 25th February 2007
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 17
WRITTEN BY: Bryan Fuller

Heroes has always been slightly derivative of Lost, but this one borrows the flashback episode format completely. It works well though, because Mr Bennett (or, "Horn-Rimmed Glasses" as he's sometimes known) is one of the most mysterious characters on the show and seeing his past was the best way to gain an understanding of who he was, as well as answering a few mysteries.

Bennett has been seen doing countless bad things, and the company he works for is nothing short of evil. His professional appearance cuts an image of a cold, ruthless individual. But the one thing that humanizes him is his love for his family. This episode shows Bennett beginning to form that bond with his adopted daughter, and how it has defined and changed him.

We get a glimpse at some of the other characters in their younger forms, most notably the Haitian. Christopher Ecclestone makes his (sadly) final appearance as Claude the invisible man. He was one of the highlights of the show. Here he remains mysterious, enigmatic and morally ambiguous. When Mr Bennett tries to kill him, he reminds him that they are both guilty of the same crime.

Company Man also has plenty of action. One key scene involves the indestructible Claire (Hayden Panettiere) running into a burning building to stop Ted going nuclear. There are tense stand-offs, involving Bennett, Ted and Matt Parkman.

But the heart of the episode is its emotional power. Bennett being willing to take a bullet and a mind wipe in order to protect Claire turns a stone-cold killer into a sympathetic character.

038. You Only Move Twice (The Simpsons)

"On your way out, if you want to kill somebody, it would help me out a lot"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 3rd November 1996
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 8, Episode 2
WRITTEN BY: John Swartzwelder

You Only Move Twice is a wacky, far-fetched but totally brilliant episode. The majority of it takes place outside of Springfield, but Cypress Creek manages to be a fresh new setting. Besides, the Simpsons are funny enough that it doesn't matter where you put them.

Hank Scorpio is an amazing character. His eccentricity evolves into insanity as the episode goes on. Albert Brooks aways delivers, but this is easily his best character. I loved the secret agent theme, especially all the Bond references.

We see a re-enactment of the classic Goldfinger laser cutter scene, a diplomat suggesting that maybe the bridge Scorpio blew up "collapsed on its own", and a frantic shootout at the end. But the best part is that Homer doesn't even seem to notice he's working for a supervillian, or is completely indifferent to it.

Bart's special class produces a lot of laughs. From a whole class on the letter A to a game of musical chairs everyone wins, it's a nightmare and insult to his intelligence. His fellow classmates all produce a laugh too. Meanwhile, Lisa discovers she has hayfever and is betrayed by a chipmunk.

Overall, You Only Move Twice manages to be outlandish but still grounded. And that makes it one of the best episodes of the series.

037. The Zeppo (Buffy)

"I brought Marshmallows! Occasionally I'm callous and strange"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 26th January 1999
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 3, Episode 13
WRITTEN BY: Dan Vebber

Truly an underrated gem in Buffy's catalogue, The Zeppo is a fresh, original and inventive episode that began to expand the limits of the show.  The influences this episode has since had are numerous, but most notable is on Russell T Davies' Doctor Who reboot, which had several Doctor-lite episodes inspired by this Xander-centric tale.

The episode deals with Xander's insecurity in the group. A regular Joe in amongst a Slayer, a witch, a vampire, and a werewolf makes him feel he has little to contribute. Seeing the show through Xander's eyes is fun, as the apocalypse plot takes a back seat to undead hijinks.

Very meta and self-aware, the episode gets a lot of laugh from cranking up the melodrama and deliberately ommitting supposedly "important" scenes and playing it straight. But let it be said that The Zeppo is a very funny episode in its own right. What is zombie frat boy Bob's first reaction to being pulled out of his grave? To catch up on his favorite TV show. There's also the brilliant scene where Xander's questioning ends early after his subject gets his head knocked off by a mailbox.

The format takes a little while to get used to, but once it gets going, it's a riot.

036. David Bowie (Extras)

"Pathetic little fat man. No-one's bloody laughing. The clown that no-one laughs at, they all just wish he'd die"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 21st September 2006

EPISODE NUMBER: Season 2, Episode 2

WRITTEN BY: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

Extras season 2 was a drastic improvement on a show that was already good. I firmly believe it is Gervais' best work. The concept of a no-name extra scrambling for fame has taken a new development, as Andy does become a star, yet finds it isn't what he expected. Many laughs are delivered as hi day goes from bad to worse. Cleaned out by a tramp, blowing his chance of a date, to being the laughing stock of a whole club.

This episode also fully utilizes the Barry/Darren dynamic, often the unsung heroes of the show. Seeing them squabbling over Darren's payment for Barry's roofing is a great scene, as is their cringe-inducing attempt at picking up girls. There are plenty of other great scenes too, and Maggie has one of her best moments as she tries to salvage a botched autograph attempt.

David Bowie is the guest of the week, and whilst he doesn't really play with his persona as other guests have done, he provides plenty of laughs with his song, serving as the cruelly hilarious finale. It's mean-spirited, but that often makes the jokes funnier. Andy being mistaken for a frog in the same episode is another example of Gervais being able to laugh at himself. It can be argued Andy brought the incident on himself, which is why I love the end scene so much when he goes to spend time with the fans that he had previously mocked and been condescending to. I guess sometimes he actually does learn a lesson.

035. Jaynestown (Firefly)

"Our love for him now ain't hard to explain. The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 18th October 2002
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 7
WRITTEN BY: Ben Edlund

There's a lot of great characters in Firefly, but this episode was Jayne's chance to shine, as we arrive on a planet where he's hailed as a hero, after accidentally dropping a bag of money onto the houses of the "mudders".  But obviously not everyone is happy to see Jayne back, and Boss Higgins plots to take him down. Jayne proved he was up to the task of having an episode center on him and was brilliant throughout.

The scene where the minstrel sings the song about Jayne is some brilliant comedy. Simon's reaction is the funniest, wondering if he is "going mad", seeing his nemesis being heralded with praise. And if you want more laughs, check out Book's hair.

The concept of the episode was great, because Jayne is the character least deserving of hero status. He's selfish, arrogant and completely lacking in morals and class. And he knows it. The guilt he feels when his secret is exposed feels genuine, and gave it a sombre climax.

It also leads to a great ending, where Mal explains that the people needed something to believe in, whether it was true or not. He then caps the episode off with a great quote: "every guy who got a statue made of him was one kind of sonuvabitch of another".

034. Spoiler Alert (How I Met Your Mother)

"Brother, you're driving the "I wanna have sex with her" truck, and it has a huge blind spot"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 12th November 2007
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 3, Episode 8
WRITTEN BY: Stephen Lloyd

How I Met Your Mother has some great observations about life, or specifically, friendship dynamics. Spoiler Alert presents the idea of love blinding you to people's flaws. When Ted wonders what's wrong with his girlfriend, the gang are reluctant to tell him out of fear they'll end up shattering his illusion. It's funny, and it's also very true.

After his illusion is shattered, Ted's perspective on the dinner scene is revisited to show the reality. How I Met Your Mother isn't afraid to play around with reality, so this was the perfect way to present it. The recurring "glass breaking" sound effect almost becomes a joke in itself.

There's a small subplot involving Marshall waiting to find out if he's passed his Bar Exam and being unable to retrieve his password. Barney enacts a long con, purely for the purpose of tricking Marshall into watching a dumb video. Classic mischievous Barney. There's also a hilarious monologue from Barney where he brags about his lovemaking prowess for no reason in particular, and some good running jokes like Marshall's love of sugar.

There's more to the illusion shattering idea though. Towards the end of the episode, the main cast all start to have their flaws pointed out, which is interesting. Watching everyone's reaction to revelations about their friends is very funny, but the heart of the episode is how they learn to love eachother despite their flaws. Because nobody's perfect.

033. A Cock And Balls Story (Oz)

"Oz didn't make you a bitch. You were born one"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 12th July 2000
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 4, Episode 1
WRITTEN BY: Tom Fontana

I can't believe it took me this long to put an episode of Oz on the list. It's one of my favorite shows of all time. This episode might seem like a strange choice to use first, but any episode that gets rid of a character as annoying as Kenny, and as satisfyingly as it did, deserves our gratitude.

French inmate Guillame Tarrant has an eventful character arc for a one-shot character. The impact he has on the series lasts much longer than his screentime. He's a quiet psycho with the potential to go postal, and after receiving a rough reception at the hands of the homeboys, it all finally explodes into violence when he gets his hands on Adebisi's gun. The last few minutes are totally exhilarating and the perfect pay-off to the building tension when he finally cracks.

The gun of course was planted by Adebisi as part of a pre-meditated plan to start a race riot. Adebisi's rise to power is one of the best storylines of the season, and this ruthless but brilliant scheme really set the tone. He was such a star that his increased presence on the show was definitely welcome, but I'll talk more about that when I review You Bet Your Life.

Also introduced this episode was undercover drug cop Desmond Mobay. Lance Reddick is one of the standout guest stars of the show. His gradual descent into drugs and murder was tragic, and it's heartbreaking to see how well-intentioned he started off.

But this episode proves more than most that Leo Glynn's warning had merit - it's tough to survive Oz.

032. Mister Wu (Deadwood)

"You can't cut the throat of every cocksucker whose character it would improve"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 23rd May 2004
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 1, Episode 10
WRITTEN BY: Bryan McDonald

Deadwood has a large assortment of characters, but this episode's titular character Mister Wu is definitely one of the most memorable. This episode centres on a dispute between Wu and two white thieves who stole his dope. It's interesting to see the show deal with racially-motivated crime, as in those times people were a lot more casual about racism. Fair warning - the word "Chink" is thrown around a lot, even from the people that are on Wu's side.

First off, I love the character of Mister Wu. His interactions with Al are very funny - the failure to communicate "Who" instead of "Wu" is some great wordplay, and I love that the only English word Wu truly understands is "cocksucker". In a show that, whilst generally very witty, is not normally praised for its laugh out loud humour, this whole first scene manages to be hilarious.

In the end, Swearengen gets what he wants - as usual - following a really great scene involving the two thieves in a bathtub drawing straws to see which one of them lives and dies, and then Al drowning the unlucky one. Swearenegen at his ruthless best!

The episode also introduces Silas Adams, who quickly becomes an enemy then friend of Swearengen. The relationship between the two is one of the best in the series, and it's obvious right from the start how well they work together.

031. Grilled (Breaking Bad)

"We tried to poison you. We tried to poison you because you're an insane, degenerate piece of filth and you deserve to die"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 15th March 2008
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 2, Episode 2
WRITTEN BY: George Mastras

One of the major problems of Breaking Bad's first season getting cut short is that it ends before it really goes anywhere. One of the benefits is that it allowed for the second season to get started right out of the gate. Grilled, which would have been a fitting season finale, is exciting and eventful all the way through.

There's lot of tension in the air as Walt and Jesse attempt to kill Tuco without him suspecting - unsuccessfully, of course. The show's trademark dark humour is out in full force as the pair have several near-misses in trying to get Tuco to take the poisonous ricin, one thwarted by Jesse's big mouth and the other by a comical food switch. There's also a lot of fun in the scramble to try and stop wheelchair-bound Tio managing to communicate what he knows via his bell.

The climax explodes into action, with Tuco almost killing Jesse, Walt saving him, and then Hank and Tuco having an intense shootout. Tuco was a fine mini-villain and this is his best episode, but his early death allows to make room for more credible bad guys, and close the door on Walt and Jesse's first major brush with danger.

030. Late Editions (The Wire)

"Let them know Marlo step to any motherfucker - Omar, Barksdale, whoever. My name is my name!"

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 2nd March 2008
EPISODE NUMBER: Season 5, Episode 9
WRITTEN BY: David Simon & George Pelecanos

The final season of The Wire was undoubtedly the most exciting season of the show, and it really didn't take very long to get going at all. In the show's penultimate episode, all the storylines start coming to a head: the police start making moves on Marlo's empire, McNulty's fake serial killer lies start getting unravelled, and so do Journalist Scott Templeton's.

The episode starts off with a bang, as Marlo's crew are tailed to their latest shipment and raided by the Police. There's a great Marlo moment where he is in jail and realizes Omar has been slandering him, and loses his cool for basically the first time. Omar may be dead, but the damage he's done lives on.

Snoop's death scene is among the best in the show, as Michael outsmarts her and manages to take her out before she does the same to him. It's Michael that really makes this episode, although it was nice to see his old buddy Namond and Bunny Colvin reappear briefly one last time.

The final scene between Dukie and Michael, where they reminisce about simpler times, is the part that really brings a tear to my eye. It's amazing to think of how far they've come. And as Michael drives off, we're hoping beyond hope that he can stay safe.