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.