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.