# Episodes of TV shows which departed from the standard formula and were good **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972 "2011-10-08T04:22:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/41 "2011-10-09T16:15:29Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > The Dollhouse episodes Epitaph One and Epitaph Two, at the end of each season, were like a completely different show - a far, far better one. But one that would have had far less resonance without the rest. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/42 "2011-10-09T16:20:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Another _Star Trek: TNG_ one is “The Inner Light”, which was possibly the best episode of the show, **despite** Patrick Stewart being the only one of the regular cast who was in most of it, and him not even exactly playing Picard. I think you have the wrong word there. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/43 "2011-10-09T17:47:08Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > **M_A_S\*H** also did an episode where Hawkeye’s Jeep crashed; he had a concussion, and most of the episode was him trying to keep himself awake by pacing and talking at the Korean family that found him. That episode was pure dreck. Not funny. Nobosy has mentioned House’s [Three Stories](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Stories). Absolutely brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/44 "2011-10-09T18:02:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > That episode was pure dreck. Not funny. Not every episode of M_A_S\*H tried to be funny. If you want to criticize an episode for failing at something it didn’t attempt, that’s weird. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/45 "2011-10-09T18:09:48Z")
What about the Nikki and Paolo episode of **LOST**? :ducks and runs: ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/46 "2011-10-09T18:14:13Z")
**Scrubs** had a couple episodes narrated by the secondary characters instead of by JD that were pretty good. **American Dad** had one episode where, after the first commercial break, the rest of the episode has the characters ten years in the future and fighting in a war between Jesus and the anti-christ which was pretty amusing. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/47 "2011-10-09T18:43:16Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > What about the Nikki and Paolo episode of **LOST**? > > :ducks and runs: I would say most of Desmond’s episodes broke the formula of flashbacks that were going on at the time and were some of the best episodes. “Live Together, Die Alone” was the first episode about a non-Oceanic character, “Flashes Before Your Eyes” and “The Constant” had crazy time-travel, and “Happily Ever After” was the first to focus mainly on the side-universe. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/48 "2011-10-09T18:46:18Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > What about the Nikki and Paolo episode of **LOST**? > > :ducks and runs: As I have posted in the past, that actually is one of my favorite episodes of Lost. Top 5 easily. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/49 "2011-10-09T18:46:35Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Of course it is probably the only Character Study that had one character eat the other character’s poop. And throwup. Though to be fair, Brian likes throwup. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/50 "2011-10-09T18:58:08Z")
Whedon’s shows probably set the bar for this. The guy seems to love doing one-shot episodes that intentionally subvert the concepts and supposed strengths of his shows. Aside from the ones already listed, we have… **Buffy** “The Body” - In which an entire episode revolves around the NON-supernatural death of a family member, in painfully realistic detail. Also notably has no musical score at all. “Restless” - The whole episode takes place in the dreams of the main cast. May be the best, most genuinely “dreamlike” dream sequence ever filmed. “Hush” - The show is normally known for its snappy dialogue, so naturally Whedon subverts the whole thing by having an episode in which everyone loses their voices… and still manage to be as witty as ever (while dealing with Big Themes of how speech can actually confound communication). **Angel** “Smile Time” - Angel gets turned into a Muppet. 'Nuff said. The Pylea three-parter - Full-on medieval fantasy in an alternate dimension. **Firefly** , sadly, didn’t have enough time to really build a “formula.” You could argue that episodes like “Out of Gas” or “Objects in Space” are atypical, but the show as a whole varied so much in tone and subject that they’re more like outliers in an already broad bell curve. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/51 "2011-10-09T21:14:22Z")
Northern Exposure had a couple really good one-off episodes. There was one told nearly completely in flashback, about the founding of Cecily, told from the POV of a very old man who was nearly hit by a car driven by Joel. Another takes place in an alternate universe, in New York, with all the characters living there and interacting with Joel, who is married to Shelly. Maggie is their nanny, Ruth Ann is his boss, Ed is a wildly successful businessman, and Chris is a photographer who is nearly paralyzed with fear when he has to speak in public. There’s also a riff on “It’s A Wonderful Life”, but with Joel and his rabbi, which takes place on Yom Kippor. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/52 "2011-10-09T21:43:54Z")
The **Stargate: SG1** episode where a character with knowledge of the Stargate program sells the “fictional” story to a studio that turns it into a television series called **Wormhole X-Treme!** The fictionalized show-within-the-show is an extremely caricatured “Hollywood” version of the real show, with actors playing characters corresponding to the SG1 team. It was a way for Stargate:SG1 to poke some good-natured fun at their own show as well as some other SF shows and tropes in general. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/53 "2011-10-09T23:04:56Z")
Deep Space Nine: Far Beyond the Stars. None of the regular characters were in their alien makeup and the episode took place in the 60’s. Jake even says a certain word I never expected to hear in Star Trek. Several episodes of Futurama end by punching you in the gut emotionally. There’s also the Anthology of Interest episodes. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/54 "2011-10-18T14:38:49Z")
No mention of Criminal Mind’s “Riding the Lightning”? Best. Episode. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/55 "2011-10-18T14:47:46Z")
Babylon 5 also had “And Now For A Word” (ISN news crew visits), “The Illusion of Truth” (Clarke-apparatchik ISN crew visits, with the second half of the episode showing the propaganda hit piece they concoct from out-of-context clips and slanted commentary), and “The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father” (following Bester and another Psi Cop on a mission to the station). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/56 "2011-10-18T14:49:05Z")
Most episodes of \*\*\*All in the Family \*\*\*showed Archie Bunker as a stupid bigot, and gave his infinitely smarter hippie son-in-law Mike Stivic all the best put-down lines (most of which Archie either didn’t get, or respnded to with a raspberry). One rare episode that broke the mold was an episode in which Archie went out to the bar for almost the entire 30 minutes, while Mike, Gloria, Edith and the neighbors played a new board game Mike was excited about- a board game that was supposed to encourage people to share their feelings honestly. What the game kept revealing was that Mike Stivic’s friends and family secretly regarded him as a smug, pompous jerk. By the end, Mike knocked over the board and stormed out of the room, nearly in tears. ---
**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:** [October 18, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/57 "2011-10-18T14:52:14Z")
_All in the Family_ also had the episode where Edith was alone in the house, being held captive by a guy intending to rape her. She overpowered him by shoving a burning hot fresh-out-of-the-over chocolate cake in his face Another Edith episode had her losing her faith in God after her transvesite friend Beverly LaSalle was attacked and killed in a hate crime. Mike, of all people, gave a speech that gave her faith back to her. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/58 "2011-10-18T14:55:33Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Babylon 5 also had “And Now For A Word” (ISN news crew visits), “The Illusion of Truth” (Clarke-apparatchik ISN crew visits, with the second half of the episode showing the propaganda hit piece they concoct from out-of-context clips and slanted commentary), and “The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father” (following Bester and another Psi Cop on a mission to the station). \*\*\*The Corps Is Mother \*\*\*was the best of the bunch. It was interesting to see how Bester (usually presented as sheer evil) thought of himself, and how he behaved among people he genuinely liked and cared about. Bester proved himself to be smart, capable, charming, funny, and a good boss. Bad guys, we tend to forget, usually don’t think of themselves as bad guys. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/59 "2011-10-18T15:09:57Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Several episodes of Futurama end by punching you in the gut emotionally. There’s also the Anthology of Interest episodes. Jurrasic Bark. I gotta go cry now. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972/60 "2011-10-18T16:16:31Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > Deep Space Nine: Far Beyond the Stars. None of the regular characters were in their alien makeup and the episode took place in the 60’s. Jake even says a certain word I never expected to hear in Star Trek. This reminded me of the episode of _Las Vegas_ (a show I really enjoyed, by the way; despite being a silly, soapy trifle, it was a lot of fun.) that was a flashback to the early days of the Montecito in the 1960’s. Each of the show’s principal actors played a character with varying degrees of similarity to their regular ones. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/episodes-of-tv-shows-which-departed-from-the-standard-formula-and-were-good/598972.md?page=4)