The Last of Us gave us an all-time great hour of TV with Episode 3’s “Long, Long Time" and then again with Episode 7's "Left Behind". The poignant and heartbreaking episode cemented the most emotionally devastating nature of the show, while also carving out an identity separate from the game. Without having to set up any long-term story arcs, or tie up any loose ends, the episode can instead world-build and create an exciting (albeit heart-breaking) story all of its own, featuring lovable side characters Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). Below we count down some of the best episodes of TV that aren't premieres or finales, but it is by no means an exclusionary list. How can you compare the peculiar wonder of Atlanta’s “Teddy Perkins,” the heartbreak of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s “Papa’s got a brand new excuse”, the tense dread of Chernobyl’s “Please remain calm”, the heartwarming joy of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s “HalloVeen,” the controversy of The Boys’ “Herogasm”, or the unique premise of Farscape’s “Through the looking glass”? We count our blessings to be living in the golden age of TV and recap some of the best episodes ever made.
12 Squid Game – "Gganbu" (Season 1, Episode 6)
Moral dilemmas abound in Squid Game and we intentionally (and unintentionally) learn more about the most mysterious characters. By the time we reached the fourth game we had seen a lot of death, but few tugged on our heartstrings – until “Gganbu.” The players pair up in the hopes of working as a team but instead discover that they must play marble games with each other and only those with all the marbles from the team will survive. Ji-Yeong reveals her tragic life story to Sae-Byeok before sacrificing herself. Sang-woo reveals himself to be a villain by tricking Ali into giving up his marbles. Gi-Hun and player 001 try to play, but Player 001 is suffering from a lapse in lucidity and his dementia is causing him to want to look for his childhood house instead of playing marbles. Gi-Hun exploits this and captures as many marbles as possible until he discovers the old man was actually lucid the whole time and aware of the deception. He allows Gi-Hun to win anyway, and everyone (including the audience) is left weeping over their lost friends…but are they all really lost?
11 The Sopranos – "Pine Barrens" (Season 3, Episode 11)
Masterfully directed by Steve Buscemi, “Pine Barrens” is the subversive kind of TV that The Sopranos was famous for. When Tony (James Gandolfini) instructs Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) to collect from Russian gangster Valery, things go horribly awry. After multiple attempts on his life, Valery vanishes in the Pine Barrens, leaving Christopher and Paulie to wander lost in the snow until they nearly freeze to death. Valery is never seen again, and the mystery of what happened to him has intrigued audiences ever since. The lack of closure is a great example of the murky world that the characters inhabit.
10 Mad Men – "The Suitcase" (Season 4, Episode 7)
Marking the halfway point in the series, “The Suitcase” focuses almost entirely on the two best characters of Mad Men – Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss.) Despite being platonic, the relationship between Don and Peggy endures as one of the show’s most important and this episode benefits from its tunnel vision of the two. After Peggy stands up to her boyfriend (and unwittingly, her mother and family as well) at her birthday dinner, he breaks up with her in an incredibly awkward fashion. Peggy and Don then work on the ad campaign that has been plaguing them but uncharacteristically end up discussing their lives and bonding over their trauma, rage, and grief. The heavy emotional scenes show the remarkable intimacy of their trying to connect to one another, reinforcing the idea that they are truly kindred spirits.
9 Mare of Easttown – "Illusions" (Season 1, Episode 5)
The slow-burn investigation into the murder of Erin McMenamin by Detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) takes a dramatic and heart-pounding turn that ends in unexpected tragedy. After posing possible connections with other girls who had gone missing, the show blows up that theory in this episode in spectacular fashion and raises questions about those closest to her instead. The twists and turns of the show are never tenser than when Mare follows up a lead, only to find herself in dire circumstances when her partner Detective Zabel (Evan Peters) is shot point-blank in the head, and she is forced to flee unarmed through the kidnapper’s house. The sequence will have you gasping for breath, as nail-biting as the epic tracking shot in another fabulous episode of TV “Who Goes There” – Episode 4 of True Detective.
8 Community – "Remedial Chaos Theory" (Season 3, Episode 4)
A quirky sitcom tries its hand at the multiverse with excellent results. At Troy and Abed’s housewarming study party, Jeff (Joel McHale) rolls a die to determine which member of the group must leave to collect the pizzas from downstairs, creating six different timelines we see play out to hilarious effect. Cut out your fake beard because the Darkest Timeline (where Donald Glover’s Troy is the one who collects the pizza) is by far the craziest - and launched a famous gif. The episode became a favorite of fans and critics thanks to its attention to the intricate details in each timeline, and how it showed the relationship between each character and the group, proving it was truly an ensemble show.
7 Mr. Robot – "407 Proxy Authentication Required" (Season 4, Episode 7)
A single setting, minimal actors, and no commercials left plenty of room for fine performances in an episode that more closely resembles a play than an episode of TV. Character development abounds as Elliot (Rami Malek) and his therapist Krista (Gloria Reuben) are held hostage by gangster Fernando Vera (Elliot Villar) who hopes to force Elliot into joining him by coercing them into a therapy session and delving into his Mr. Robot persona. The title infers this is something that needs to happen before the character can go any further and once the startling revelation is revealed, even our unflappable villain is caught off-guard. What the characters are going through is so powerful that you will not miss the embellishments this episode lacks.
6 The Leftovers – "International Assassin" (Season 2, Episode 8)
A surreal departure from the rest of the series which is known for its gritty emotional realism, “International Assassin” is a bold narrative choice in which to plumb the thematic depths of grief, spirituality, and tragedy. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) should be dead but wakes up inside a hotel bathroom instead. In his wardrobe are four potential outfits. Kevin chooses a suit and the action begins – by choosing the suit he has assumed the identity of an international assassin. He is tasked with killing Patti, and while difficult he manages to achieve the task, triggering his return from the dead back to the real world. Potentially polarizing, the episode is a provocative piece of storytelling.
5 The Office - "Dinner Party" (Season 4, Episode 9)
Genuinely hilarious TV occurs when Jan and Michael (Melora Hardin and Steve Carell) host an awkward couple’s dinner party, inviting Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) and Andy and Angela (Ed Helms and Angela Kinsey.) The night quickly descends into chaos once Michael and Jan start arguing, with the two invited couples trying unsuccessfully to leave, and the uninvited couple of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and his former babysitter trying desperately to stay. As the fighting escalates the laughs come in thick and fast, culminating in Jan throwing Michael’s precious Dundee award at his only personal possession in the apartment – a plasma TV.
4 Game of Thrones – "The Rains Of Castamere" (Season 3, Episode 9)
After Ned Stark lost his head, we learned to expect unexpected deaths from Game of Thrones, but no one who hadn’t read the books expected the red wedding. We had just begun to hope that Robb Stark (Richard Madden) might one day be a great king, his plans cleverly coming to fruition, and it seemed that at least some of the Starks would finally be reunited. In this truly unforgettable hour of television, our hopes were crushed swiftly with each stab of the knife, as the Starks and their bannermen were brutally slaughtered. The tragedy knew no bounds - even Robb’s unborn heir was murdered. Creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff noted this was the scene that convinced them to adapt the books into a TV show. Game of Thrones also produced other wonderful episodes that weren’t premieres or finales – “Battle of the Bastards” is often cited as another one of the best episodes ever to grace the small screen.
3 Lost – "The Constant" (Season 4, Episode 5)
For a show that was lauded for its captivating pilot, and heavily criticized for its finale, the mid-season episode “The Constant” is a high point of the series. A microcosm of what Lost did best, the episode uses time travel to tell a compelling love story with a philosophical edge. Henry Ian Cusick brings a resounding depth to Desmond as becomes unstuck in time, jumping back and forth between 2004 and 1996, trying to avoid losing his mind or worse, dying. Only a phone call can prove Penny is his constant and break the loop, and also provide a satisfying romantic reconciliation for our lovers lost in time.
2 Buffy the Vampire Slayer – "Hush" (Season 4, Episode 10)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer had so many wonderful standalone episodes (“The Body,” “Doppelgangland,” and “Once More With Feeling…” to name a few) but “Hush” is the standout because it is an episode that has no ties to any other episodes or long-term storylines. The self-contained story became a fan-favorite without any big reveals or huge character moments. Instead, the episode relies on nightmare-inducing villains floating into town and stealing the voices of everyone in town, causing the episode to play out in near-silence. It is a gimmick that has been used to equally skillful effect in movies like A Quiet Place, but the uniqueness of The Gentlemen as villains - with their well-pressed suits and terrifyingly toothy smiles – gives this episode an unforgettable edge.
1 Breaking Bad – Ozymandias (S5E14)
The only episode of TV to score a perfect 10 on IMDb, this is impeccable television. Bringing the entire series to a head, this non-finale episode directed by Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Poker Face) was a culmination of the show up until this point. The title of the episode refers to the Percy Shelley poem about the inevitable decline of once-significant rulers and their delusions of lasting greatness. This is Walter White’s ultimate downfall, the end of his empire, the crumbling of a king. One by one Walt loses the things he holds as symbols of his legacy; his money, his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), his son Walt Jr. (RJ Mitte), his partner in crime Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), Brother-in-Law and Police pursuer Hank (Dean Norris), and even the power once commanded by the Heisenberg name.
His desperate attempt to salvage something of the life he created results in him kidnapping his baby daughter Holly, but Walt soon realizes that there is nothing from this now-crumbled empire he can scavenge. He gives her up and leaves to assume a new identity, undoing five seasons of story in just one episode. Juxtaposing the hopefulness of Walt and Jesse’s first cook together with the consequences of Walt’s vanity and hubris that eventuated after that triumph was a satisfying masterstroke by writer Moira Walley-Beckett, who won an Emmy for this episode, along with Cranston and Gunn for their outstanding performances.