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.