# Best Written Episodes of a Series you Love **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180 "2009-04-24T03:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/21 "2009-04-24T14:19:45Z")
Buffy: Hush Babylon 5: The Coming of the Shadows. This was the second-season episode that signalled the shift from the set-up phase of the show’s overarching plot to the delivery. Hope, betrayal, and big roles for both G’Kar and Londo. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/22 "2009-04-24T14:39:58Z")
**Peep Show** s1e3, “On the Pull”. I think every Peep Show episode is a gem but this is the one I show people to introduce them to the series. Starting with Mark’s short soliloquy about how life is all gloom that ends with “hey, 33% more free! I’m doing excellent shopping…”, then snarking on Jez at the party, then Mark internalizing “being cool” while smoking weed in the bowling alley bathroom, the fight about Peter Gabriel, and Mark actually having a nice time on a date. Well, it’s just f’n brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/23 "2009-04-24T14:46:09Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Dick van Dyke Show** : A Show of Hands – Very funny and a surprisingly strong message for the time. (Rob and Laura end up dyeing their hands black). No. The one where Dick is convinced that the hospital switched Ritchie at birth with a baby with a similar name, so he calls the other father and invites him over. The other father was played by Greg Morris. Dick: Why didn’t you tell me? Greg: And miss seeing the expression on your face? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/24 "2009-04-24T14:48:11Z")
**Stargate SG1** : Window of Opportunity ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/25 "2009-04-24T15:05:46Z")
**Scrubs** : My Lunch **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** : Conversations With Dead People **Star Trek: Deep Space Nine** : In the Pale Moonlight ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/26 "2009-04-24T15:27:34Z")
Night Court–The one where they had a whole bunch of cases and Dan wanted to get through them early cause he had frequent flier miles that were going to expire at midnight and he had to meet up with a woman. Best Line: Someone is suing because his blow up doll “bust a boob.” He starts blowing it up to demonstrate. Dan: You know how long that is going to take. Judge Harry: No. (long pause). BUt I bet you do. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/27 "2009-04-24T15:28:54Z")
I think the best written Simpsons episode might be Marge vs. The Monorail or Radioactive Man. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/28 "2009-04-24T15:31:43Z")
Drew Carey: Easily the one with the Buzz Beer Party. The writers managed to incorporate four great plotlines into the mother of all crowd scenes and guest stars brillantly. Friends: The One With Chandler’s Father. After hearing about him for so long, casting Kathleen Turner was amazing. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/29 "2009-04-24T15:38:54Z")
**ER** : Love’s Labor Lost **Friends** : The One Where Everybody Finds Out **My So-Called Life** : Self-Esteem **The Wire** : Middle Ground **Six Feet Under** : Everyone’s Waiting **The Sopranos** : Long Term Parking **Sex and the City** : My Motherboard, My Self ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/30 "2009-04-24T15:42:10Z")
**Firefly:** Bodies in Space **Beavis and Butthead:** The Great Cornholio ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/31 "2009-04-24T16:10:04Z")
**House:** Three Stories, House’s Head/Wilson’s Heart (2 parter) **Father Ted:** I don’t know the name of it, but it’s the one where the carnival comes to Craggy Island, with the Spinning Cat and Duck Startling and the Spider Baby. (“We’re going to need a crowbar…and another nurse…in the Tunnel of Goats.”) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/32 "2009-04-24T16:14:34Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** : Conversations With Dead People Agreed. I know it’s de rigeur to hate the later seasons, but this episode freaked the _shit_ out of me. I loved the different levels of conversations. Buffy had that funny conversation with the vampire she’d gone to high school with, Spike was weird and creepy, Willow had a sort of fucked up psychological thriller type conversation with not-Cassie that was ultimately probably the scariest of the conversations, and Dawn had a full-on horror movie experience. They balanced each other out beautifully. ETA: It’s been a long time - was Xander even in that episode? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/33 "2009-04-24T16:22:07Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > **Star Trek: Deep Space Nine** : In the Pale Moonlight YES! Such a change from the milquetoast we do everything by the book Trek universe. Sisko did what he had to, and would do it again…Computer, Delete entire log entry. Just dayum. What’s the Scrubs episode where Ben dies and we don’t realize it until the end, when Cox shows up to what he thinks is his son’s birthday party?? I like that one and My American Girl, when Eliot gets her makeover on. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/34 "2009-04-24T16:24:42Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > What’s the Scrubs episode where Ben dies and we don’t realize it until the end, when Cox shows up to what he thinks is his son’s birthday party?? That’s “My Screw Up.” I agree it’s one of the best. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/35 "2009-04-24T16:28:21Z")
NCIS: The one with the line “Ilya Kurakin.” ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/36 "2009-04-24T16:51:50Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] **Peep Show** s1e3, “On the Pull”. I think every Peep Show episode is a gem but this is the one I show people to introduce them to the series. [/QUOTE] Oo, I remember that one: For the worst thing that could possibly happen this is going surprisingly well! **Bones:** The Gravedigger buries Bones and Hodgins. The show titles for Bones don’t describe the episode so I’ve no idea what it was called. **House:** A second vote for Three Stories. **Clangers:** The Rock Collector\* \*Everone know this one don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/37 "2009-04-24T16:53:43Z")
**Firefly** - _Out of Gas_\* **Buffy** - _Hush_ & _Restless_ **Futurama** - _Godfellas_, _Amazon Women in the Mood_ & _The Slurm Factory_ (New) **Doctor Who** - _The Girl In The Fireplace_ and _Blink_\* **Frasier** - _3 Valentines_\* (the “Niles irons some pants” episode) \*I rate these 3 as the 3 greatest episodes of any TV series, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/38 "2009-04-24T17:00:17Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **Frasier** - _3 Valentines_\* (the “Niles irons some pants” episode) > > \*I rate these 3 as the 3 greatest episodes of any TV series, ever. My Mom bought the entire Season 6 of Frasier, Just for that Episode. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/39 "2009-04-24T17:08:53Z")
The Gong Show: The one with the Popsicle Twins. Whose Line Is It Anyway?–The one with Richard Simmons If you saw either of these, you know what I am talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180/40 "2009-04-24T17:29:23Z")
> [@cactus\_waltz](#): > > For Arrested Development, I think it boils down to **Amigos** and \*\*The One Where They Build A House. \*\*I have a lot of love for those two episodes. I’d say The One Where They Build a House and Immaculate Election. The rock-paper-scissors stuff in House is fantastic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-written-episodes-of-a-series-you-love/494180.md?page=3)