Also a** Futurama** episode, but I’m gonna have to go with ‘Luck of the Fryrish’.
Seinfeld’s “Master of My Domain.”
The Inner Light, ST:TNG. Didn’t even have to think about it.
Simpsons, “Homer’s Enemy.” (aka Frank Grimes.)
“In Excelsis Deo”, The West Wing
The episode in which Toby used the president’s office to arrange for the funeral of a Korean war vet, and Mrs. Landingham went with him after telling him how wrong he had been. Best exchange of dialog I’ve ever heard (paraphrased from memory):
President Bartlet
If we start doing things like this, every veteran of every war will come out of the woodwork and ask for the same thing.
Toby
I certainly hope so.
I’m fourthing “Once More With Feeling” from Buffy. Humour, revelations, tears, and - hey look! Songs!
Seinfeld: Rusty the bean eating horse episode.
I would take the Taxi Episode with Rev. Jim taking the drivers test.
Commonly know as the “what does a Yellow Light mean?”
I think it was this episode: “Reverend Jim: A Space Odyssey” Episode: #2.3 - 25 September 1979
Roughly like this:
Jim (taking written driver’s test): What does a yellow light mean?
Bobby: Slow down.
Jim: Okay… Whhaaaaat dooooesss aaaa yeehllllooww liiiiight meean?
Bobby: SLOW DOWN!
Jim: WHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT DOOOOOOOOOOESS AAAAAAAA YEEEEEEEEELLLLL-LLLOW LIIIIIIIGHT MEEEAAANN?!
Also a classic seen of Louie singing Moonlight Bay.
Jim
I might also call for Futurama, specifically the episode How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back. Now that episode is a lot of fun.
I’d say Crackers Don’t Matter of Farscape.
John Crichton: “Humans are superior!!!”
What I first thought. I do believe you’d have to have at least some of the other episodes for all the interplay between Paulie and Christopher to make good sense. It is great TV, no doubt.
I’m trying to think of a standalone hour (or half-hour) that would need less backstory, but it’s hard to recall specific ones.
I’m thinking mine would have to be from Night Gallery or Twilight Zone or maybe even the original Star Trek with the nod probably bypassing OST for the same reasons that you usually need backstory for the characters in any given episode to be fully understood and appreciated.
And then I don’t really know if “episode” applies to things like Masterpiece Theater or Playhouse 90 or that kind of regular “series.” Otherwise, I might be trying to focus on shows like that.
“Once More with Feeling.”
Yup, I’m jumpin’ on that bandwagon…
As I started reading this thread, I was wracking my brain going, what was the name of the ST:TNG episode with Picard and the flute and the other life?
Thanks, TMINC…
But I think The Inner Light comes in second for me, if I can cheat and take a two parter (I think this is technically against the rules). In that case, it would be In the Shadow of Two Gunmen from The West Wing. Some of the best acting in the entire series in that two-parter, IMO.
That would have been my second choice. It may sound strange, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen better acting than the look on Toby’s face, and the emotion in his vocie when he first found Josh
The premiere of <i>Cop Rock</i>.
Something with a lot of female nudity in it.
If I chose a Buffy episode, it’d be “Hush” (OK maybe “Gone” for nearly nude Spike).
I have to say though, I think if I were stranded, I’d want to laugh my ass off, so “The Injury” from The Office is my current choice.
There was a great episode of Star Trek: TNG in which Picard blacked out and imagined an entire lifetime in about 20 minutes… I would take that, along with 30 mins of pr0n…
That was the one I mentioned - the Inner Light.
Band of Brothers
I cannot remember (or find on IMBD) the names of all of the episodes, but it would be a toss-up between the first episode, or the episode in the Ardennes.
Sua