# The most ludicrous episode in TV history **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166 "2009-12-06T04:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/41 "2009-12-07T18:19:47Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > There was an episode of _Little House on the Prairie_ where blind sister Mary’s (entirely fictitious) baby was being kept by a housesitter or something while Mary and her (equally fictitious) husband were gone. The house catches on fire and the housesitter grabs the baby and _bashes it against a window_ to break the window and escape, IIRC. What the what? Was the housesitter Nellie? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/42 "2009-12-07T18:23:38Z")
Mrs Garvey ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/43 "2009-12-07T19:21:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > \*For some perverse reason this theme of The Failed Suicide has some sort of resonance. For a hilarious variation on that theme, try to find the episode _Overkill_ from a British series called _Murder Most Horrid_. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/44 "2009-12-07T20:06:24Z")
I remember watching _The 6 Million Dollar Man_ as a child and even then knowing the episode where he met Bigfoot (a 2 parter!) was as ludicrous as television gets. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/45 "2009-12-07T20:07:02Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > I came in to mention Threshold, but am not surprised to find it already here. > > I remember when this episode first aired. Just as the little Paris/Janeway lizard-babies went sliding off into the swamp, my phone rang. It was my best friend. She didn’t say anything; she was laughing too hard. I had to laugh too, and we sat laughing together over the phone, unable to discuss coherently the show we had just witnessed until after the closing credits had gone by and we could catch our breath. I can’t think of anything else I’ve ever seen on TV that has had that effect on either of us. This is also the only episode my husband remembers from the entire series, and it ruined the rest of the series for him. I kinda liked the series as a whole, but I agree that was the worst episode ever. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/46 "2009-12-07T20:19:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > _The Bitter End_, an episode of a show called **The Little Theater** circa 1949-1950. This episode showed up on a Rhino Video tape several years ago – it’s about a man who tries to commit suicide and fails\*. I didn’t know who the actor was until his last line: “Well whaddaya know! I couldn’t do it!” The way he said that was _exactly_ the way he said it when he said “Well whaddaya know! I finally got the Last Word!” as Dr. McCoy in **Star Trek** – DeForest Kelley. It was apparently one of his first TV roles: > > [Deforest Kelley's Unseen Scenes](http://www.tvparty.com/unseende.html) > > You can click the link for the 6 minute scene. It’s some of the weirdest stuff I’ve seen that would have been on prime time TV. > > [http://klhalliday.com/DeKelley/Annotated/1950.htm#1950BitterEnd](http://klhalliday.com/DeKelley/Annotated/1950.htm#1950BitterEnd) > > Oddly enough, the IMDB has nothing at all on this. Thanks for this. I’ve been looking for it on and off for a couple years now, even since before I was a Star Trek fan. You’re right, it’s kinda bizarre. I think the end, where Kelley’s character finds out they switched off his gas was supposed to be funny, but Kelley laughs more like a man who’s finally snapped. After the cameras stopped rolling, I’ll bet he up and murdered his bitch of a landlord with a butcher knife. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/47 "2009-12-07T20:39:43Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > There was an episode of _Little House on the Prairie_ where blind sister Mary’s (entirely fictitious) baby was being kept by a housesitter or something while Mary and her (equally fictitious) husband were gone. The house catches on fire and the housesitter grabs the baby and _bashes it against a window_ to break the window and escape, IIRC. Babies were made much sturdier back in the frontier days. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/48 "2009-12-07T20:51:37Z")
“The Frontier Days of Lake Woebegon. Where all the women were strong, all the men were good-looking, and all the children were bricks.” ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/49 "2009-12-07T21:01:08Z")
> [@Mississippienne](#): > > There was an episode of _Little House on the Prairie_ where blind sister Mary’s (entirely fictitious) baby was being kept by a housesitter or something while Mary and her (equally fictitious) husband were gone. The house catches on fire and the housesitter grabs the baby and _bashes it against a window_ to break the window and escape, IIRC. Well, she should have never have hired one of her blind school students to baby sit. And she probably shouldn’t have left that ham in the crib. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/50 "2009-12-07T21:15:07Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Almost any show that has an episode where the cast decides to “put on a show.” Like companies are always doing that. I never worked for any company that had a “yearly employee talent show.” It’s called “United Way Campaign”. Yup, there are a bunch of companies I know of here in the financial district who have some (usually ridiculous) “employee talent shows” as fundraisers for United Way. Eg/ a bogus _American Idol_ type event, where the idea is you have to buy votes (say one vote is $10), and you can vote as many times as you want as long as you pay each time. The funniest team usually wins. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/51 "2009-12-07T21:22:35Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > It’s called “United Way Campaign”. Yup, there are a bunch of companies I know of here in the financial district who have some (usually ridiculous) “employee talent shows” as fundraisers for United Way. Eg/ a bogus _American Idol_ type event, where the idea is you have to buy votes (say one vote is $10), and you can vote as many times as you want as long as you pay each time. The funniest team usually wins. They sell votes? 'Round here, we just sell tickets to the show and a lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/52 "2009-12-07T21:35:49Z")
Doctor Who - [The Gunfighters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gunfighters) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/53 "2009-12-07T21:42:08Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > What the what? Was the housesitter Nellie? Nope. Mrs. Garvey, who burned to death along with the baby. The fire was started at the blind school by Albert who was smoking the basement. So add “burned down a blind school and killed a baby and best friend’s mom” to Albert’s short but eventful BUCKET LIST. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/54 "2009-12-07T21:54:50Z")
I’m tempted to throw the last ep of Deadwood into the fray here. Hearst is in town and causing a lot of trouble, killing and maiming and causing mayhem and then he says “Eh, I’m leaving” and Bullock shakes his angry fist at him and says “Don’t come back, ya hear?” There’s the whole buildup for a big throwdown that just doesn’t happen. I guess there are extenuating circumsances, though, on account of the series not being renewed. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/55 "2009-12-07T22:13:20Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > They sell votes? 'Round here, we just sell tickets to the show and a lunch. Yes, they had tickets to each “shows” as well if you wanted to go (it ran every Friday for one month with half of the participants “advancing to the next round” until the final show), but buying votes generated a ton more money. Buy one ticket to go to the show, that’s $10. A single $10 donation. If you sell votes instead of tickets, one person could buy 20 votes for $10 each. So as departments tried to stuff the ballot boxes a lot money was being raised (eg/ people pooling resources to buy 100 votes or more at a time.) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/56 "2009-12-07T22:19:19Z")
As long as we’re bagging old _Star Trek_, there are [these](http://www.youtube.com/user/dayjoborchestra#p/u/51/DPYGFNIv_Ak) [priceless](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414TmP12WAU&feature=player_embedded) [moments](http://www.youtube.com/user/dayjoborchestra#p/u/5/PWq56gcbOi8). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/57 "2009-12-07T22:34:19Z")
In **Galactica 1980** , Adama led a bunch of kids covertly on earth. The kids had superpowers on earth because of Superman-type logic (our atmosphere is thin or something, but they could also become invisible). They called themselves the super scouts, and [in one episode they were ringers in a baseball game to help some guy save a summer camp.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceball_%28Battlestar_Galactica%29) ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/58 "2009-12-07T23:11:05Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > I’m tempted to throw the last ep of Deadwood into the fray here. Hearst is in town and causing a lot of trouble, killing and maiming and causing mayhem and then he says “Eh, I’m leaving” and Bullock shakes his angry fist at him and says “Don’t come back, ya hear?” There’s the whole buildup for a big throwdown that just doesn’t happen. I guess there are extenuating circumsances, though, on account of the series not being renewed. Life’s like that. The camp-strike that- THE TOWN had to decide if what they had built was more important than ‘making things right.’ Ultimately they decided that civilzation- even one that allows a man like Heast to prosper- was better than giving in to blood and the ultimate destruction of the town. They acted both altruistic and selfish at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/59 "2009-12-07T23:16:20Z")
Speaking of original STAR TREK, the episode with the Roman planet where they realize “They had Caesar… and Christ!” was one I always thought ludicrous. Why would they automatically assume this planet’s Christ is the same as Earth’s Christ? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166/60 "2009-12-07T23:39:03Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Speaking of original STAR TREK, the episode with the Roman planet where they realize “They had Caesar… and Christ!” was one I always thought ludicrous. Why would they automatically assume this planet’s Christ is the same as Earth’s Christ? Weirder than the one where they go to the Greek planet, and Captain Kirk plays pony with a dwarf - after Spock tap dances on Kirk’s face and bursts into tears? Clip: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhQA-06kSLU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhQA-06kSLU) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-ludicrous-episode-in-tv-history/520166.md?page=4)