Top 10 TV Episodes Of All Time

TV is an auteur's medium, or at least that seems to be true of the last couple of decades. More and more, we're seeing fantastic filmmakers moving from film to TV and making some truly phenomenal pieces of television, and today I'm going to count down my top 10 TV episodes of all time. From satisfying finales to emotional epics to the classic bottle-episode, this is a list that encompasses all my favourites.

In terms of ground rules, I will only be allowing one episode from any show, which made sure this list wasn't just mostly Doctor Who and BoJack Horseman. So, before we start, here are some honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions:

 - Free Churro, The Old Sugarman Place, Time's Arrow from BoJack Horseman

 - The Waters of Mars, The Stolen Earth and Midnight from Doctor Who

 - The Bent-Neck Lady from The Haunting of Hill House

 - Slap Bet, Last Forever, How Your Mother Met Me from How I Met Your Mother

 - Whenever You're Ready from The Good Place

 - Goodbye, Michael, Stress Relief from The Office (U.S.)

 - A New Napkin from Daredevil

10. Please Remain Calm - Chernobyl 1.2

Chernobyl is easily one of the best miniseries ever made, and honestly an argument could be made for literally any of the five episodes being on this list. However, while 1:23:45 is a terrifying disaster film in an hour and Vichnaya Pamyat is an example of essentially perfect writing, I have to go with the second episode, Please Remain Calm. Set in the immediate aftermath of the explosion, this episode explores how the government deals with fallout in increasingly bizarre and often utterly pointless ways.

This is an episode that nails its tone to perfection, creating a sense of a living nightmare. Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard are both absolutely incredible, and the direction is incredibly oppressive, creating a monstrous sense.

9. Ozymandias - Breaking Bad 5.14

Breaking Bad is one of my all-time favourite shows, and its standout episode is Ozymandias. This is essentially a perfect piece of filmmaking, from the razor-sharp dialogue to the phenomenal cinematography - it's all pitch-perfect. I want to stay away from spoilers and, with this being the third-to-last episode of the entire show it's damn hard to talk about, but I highly recommend that everyone watch this show. 

Bryan Cranston is the real MVP in this episode, as his monumental performance as Walter White reaches its absolute peak. This is the only performance in history that I think rivals Heath Ledger's take as the Joker, and it makes this episode into an absolutely masterpiece.

8. The Ricklantis Mixup - Rick & Morty 3.7

The Ricklantis Mixup is unlike anything I've ever seen. An exploration of The Citadel, a society entirely of alternate universe Rick and Mortys, this episode manages to cram around four different storylines into 22 minutes of brilliance and then ends with one of the most satisfying twists in television history. 

The thing Rick & Morty excels at is how it perfectly balances wacky sci-fi with dark and emotional moments, and this episode is the perfect example of that. Both hysterical and horrifically disturbing at times, this is a masterpiece unlike anything that has ever been made, and something I'm really hoping for a revisit to in Season 5.

7. The Bicameral Mind - Westworld 1.10

Talk about satisfying twists, The Bicameral Mind is essentially seven twists in one. Though its stepped down a little since, the first season of Westworld is still one of my all-time favourite seasons of television, and nowhere is that more evident than in this impeccable season finale. Crammed to the brim with mesmerising sci-fi concepts, absolutely incredible twists and some truly brilliant performances - especially the enchanting Anthony Hopkins.

What's so impressive is that this movie is so incredibly complex but never feels convoluted or confusing. Jonathan Nolan's writing rivals anything his brother has ever done, as he unveils this puzzle box to give us something incredible. And the actual ending - chef's kiss.

6. Mizunomo - Hannibal 2.13

When a season finale delivers, it's often the best thing that show will have to offer. That is definitely the case with Mizunomo from Hannibal. Season 2 of this show is one of the greatest seasons of TV ever produced, and Mizunomo is its best episode. With just unbelievably sharp writing that manages to take everything this season had set up and deliver flawlessly, the episode crescendos into violent insanity that is so incredibly unpredictable that I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout.

Mads Mikkelsen gives probably his best performance as Hannibal in this, and the ending twist is one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen on screen. Just from the picture above you can tell that the cinematography is also stunning, and overall Bryan Fuller creates an unadulterated masterpiece of a season finale. Such a shame Hannibal got cancelled.

5. Two Storms - The Haunting Of Hill House 1.6

Two Storms is Mike Flanagan's masterpiece, an achievement far greater than most filmmakers ever come close to creating. On a technical level, this episode is a downright masterpiece. Shot mostly in about 5 or 6 shots, with incredible long takes that are just visual perfection. This also has some absolutely terrifying moments that Flanagan crafts beautifully.

However, it's not just on a technical level where this excels. The story is also phenomenal, with the family finally coming together for the first time since Nell's death as they confront each other's trauma, while in the flashbacks we learn of a horrific night for them as kids. It's equally moving and chilling stuff, and basically everything I could ever want from horror television. If Mike Flanagan ever tops this, I will be shocked.

4. Victory and Death - Star Wars: The Clone Wars 7.12

Here we have a duo of what I believe to be the two greatest series finales in TV history, starting with this animated masterpiece. Being a huge fan of Star Wars since I was about 3, I was shocked when this ended up being my all-time favourite piece of Star Wars media. What I love about this and how it deals with the horror of Order 66 is that we get to see it as the point of view of seeing people, characters we've known for years fighting against our protagonist.

Ahsoka and Rex are two of the most incredible Star Wars characters in history, and they both ground this episode with such strong emotion that by the end I was absolutely sobbing. The episode also creates some incredibly evocative and emotional imagery (such as the image above) that has been stuck in my mind ever since. This four-part arc is the perfect way to end such a good show, and the final episode wraps it up in the most satisfying way humanly possible.

3. Finale - The Office 9.23

The greatest ending in television history. This episode manages to do everything right, from delivering on its character arcs to giving us some amazing fan service. The performances are off the charts, with the likes of John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Ellie Kemper and Angela Kinsey all giving career-high performances. 

The episode also does an amazing job of balancing comedy with drama, with the episode providing a story that is equal parts hysterical and heartbreaking. I remember watching this for the first time in the early hours of a cold January morning and just feeling so fucking sad when it was over. It's rare for a show this good to be able to deliver so strongly on its finale but The Office does it perfectly, delivering the best series finale in history.

2. Heaven Sent - Doctor Who 9.11

It physically pains me at not having this at #1, but alas it comes in at the #2 spot. This episode is essentially just an hour of The Doctor walking around a castle and talking to himself. That may sound dull but, in actual fact, this is one of the most intricately plotted and wonderfully written pieces of filmmaking ever. The mysteries set up are phenomenal and are all interwoven into one incredibly satisfying and ultimately quite tragic final twist, an ode to Steven Moffat's wondrous writing.

The real standouts of this episode are Peter Capaldi and Rachel Talalay. Capaldi's performance is absolutely incredible, and easily one of the greatest pieces of acting I've ever experienced. He just becomes this character, and somehow manages to reflect 2,000 years of bottled trauma and anger in a completely believable way. Talalay's direction is equally stunning, crafting this fantastic location with stunning cinematography and beautiful lighting.

1. The View From Halfway Down - BoJack Horseman 6.15

The greatest episode in television history is undeniably BoJack Horseman's penultimate episode, The View From Halfway Down. Honestly, this entire list could be made up of BoJack Horseman episodes and I don't feel there'd be any complaints, but this is easily the #1. Equal parts terrifying, depressing and beautiful, this episode is a beautiful reflection on the ways of life and the inevitability of death.

Will Arnett gives the performance of a lifetime, and the titular scene is one of the most chilling experiences in history. Never in my life has anything managed to perfectly encapsulate the existential dread of death quite like The View From Halfway Down.

So there you go. If you have any suggestions for what I should do next, do let me know. And, as this list has no How I Met Your Mother episodes, I'll probably do a post on that show next. 

Final Destination Movies Ranked

Movie Rankings #1

Having just finished rewatching all of the Final Destination films, I thought this would be the perfect time to stop and rank all five Final Destination movies from worst to first.

Final Destination is one of the most consistently entertaining horror franchises, with all of them providing entertainment on at least a fun, schlock level. Most of them feature a pretty solid cast and surprisingly good filmmaking, all combining to create one of my all-time favourite horror franchises. However, with there being five instalments there are inevitably some better than others. So let's rank them.

5. The Final Destination


The fourth instalment in the franchise, ironically titled The Final Destination, is an extremely flawed yet still pretty entertaining slasher flick. The reason the earlier films in this franchise standout in the horror genre is due to the fact that their filmmaking is extremely interesting and creative, and the kills utilise some truly great practical effects to create some really gnarly kills. This movie, unfortunately, doesn't manage to keep that streak going. The best example of this is the opening premonition, normally the best part of the films, is full of terrible CGI and extremely unoriginal kills. This movie also tried to fit into the 3D market, and some of the 3D shots in this are so ridiculously gratuitous that it becomes pretty darn funny.

The characters and performances in this movie are also dreadful, with not one of them standing out. This also means that the tension never really delivers, as I could not have cared less if these characters died.

Best Kill: Escalator Crushing

Star Rating - **½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/the-final-destination/


4. Final Destination 5


Though The Final Destination is a worse movie, I find Final Destination 5 to be the boring and forgettable. Once again, this film features no interesting characters or plot points, and also continues the trend of overly CGI'd kills trying to fit into the 3D fad that was going on at the time. This film does feature some interesting concepts, such as being able to kill someone and take their life to cheat death, however it's never fully explored and climaxes in an extremely dull fight scene at the end of the movie.

There are, however, things I enjoy about this film. The opening premonition is a lot better than the NASCAR one in The Final Destination, and there are some genuinely tense moments in this movie. This film also has a great ending twist, and the way it gives a different point-of-view on the first movie is actually a really intriguing idea.

Best Kill: Gymnasium Malfunction

Star Rating: **½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-5/


3. Final Destination 2


There is a big jump in quality here, as Final Destination 2 is the first movie on this list to be a genuinely great horror. This is a film full of creative kills, palpable tension, excellent practical effects and surprisingly investing characters. The opening premonition in this movie is absolutely phenomenal, and easily the best in the series, and it sets up the excellent kills to come. The practical effects in this movie are some of the best of the franchise, especially one involving an elevator, which is absolutely chilling.

The characters are all pretty good in this film, and all of the most forgettable ones are killed early on. Reintroducing Clear Rivers into the mix was also a very clever move, as it allowed the movie to speed up but also gave us a protagonist we could instantly get invested in. The screenplay here is what lets this one down, as it gets very bogged down in the rules of this universe which start to get very convoluted in this film.

Best Kill: (Not counting the premonition) Elevator Decapitation

Star Rating: ***½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-2/


2. Final Destination


This is definitely one of those rare horror franchises where the original is not the best, however the original Final Destination is still a classic of its genre, and an excellent example of how to do a teen slasher. With a great screenplay, investing characters, horrific kills and a simple yet brilliant premise, this is a horror that delivers on all fronts. The opening premonition of this one is yet another excellent example of how to go about using visual effects to create tension, and this is carried over into the elaborately awesome deaths in this film, and I have to say that this is probably the movie that contains the best kills.

What I love about this film, and the reason its become such a cultural phenomenon, is due to way that it feeds off the single most common human fear: the fear of death. The fact that it presents death from even the most ordinary situations adds to the creep factor considerably, and makes for a truly affecting horror film.

Best Kill: The Bus

Star Rating: ***½


1. Final Destination 3


Final Destination 3 is definitely my favourite instalment of this franchise, due to creativity and originality this film presents, especially impressive for a film this late into a franchise. I absolutely love the whole storyline about the pictures, and being able to see how each character will die. This film also features some incredible kills, with ones such as the tanning bed, the nail gun and the drive-in.

The film also features Mary Elizabeth Winstead giving what is easily the best performance of the franchise, delivering a surprising amount of depth to her role. I will say that this movie's opening premonition is not as good as the first two, however it completely makes up for it with an insane and utterly unpredictable ending that really got to me.

Best Kill: Tanning Beds

Star Rating: ***½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-3/


I love the Final Destination franchise. I think this is one of the best slasher franchises, excellently combining super gory practical effects with a great premise and some of the most interesting slasher characters to date.

Letterboxd Account: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/