Top 10 Penultimate TV Episodes

Many shows can’t pull off a solid finale. However, when it comes to penultimate episodes, as in the episode that precedes the finale, there have been some superb ones.

Here are my top 10 penultimate episodes (of about the past ten years, because I'm not going to try to remember the 90s).

10. LOST – Episode 3.21, Greatest Hits: This was all about confronting realities and accepting the inevitable. It was done to perfection, allowing characters to shine above the plot. Deeply emotional on all levels. Technically this was the third to last episode but the season finale was shown as a 2-hour event.

9. GAME OF THRONES – Episode 2.09, Blackwater: This show will probably go down as delivering the most epic penultimate episodes. This one gave us the drama and action of a big budget movie. Originally I put this higher on my list but then I watched the other episodes and realized it belonged right here.

8. MAD MEN – Episode 5.12, Commissions and Fees: Many people have argued and will likely argue for many more years about the quality of the fifth season but there is no denying that its penultimate episode was one of the show’s best.

7. COMMUNITY – Episode 2.23, A Fistful of Paintballs: The first part of a fun finale set. It was thematically different from the second part and arguably better than the finale.

6. FRINGE – Episode 2.22, Over There (part 1): This episode started a frantic ball rolling that would lead the show headfirst into its third (and my favorite) season.

5. CHUCK – Episode 2.21, Chuck vs. the Colonel: Not just a great episode but arguably the best episode the show ever pulled off in its 5-season run. It has everything that made this show beloved: heart, romance, action, family, drama, and comedy.

4. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – Episode 1.12, Kobol's Last Gleaming (part 1): This show had some amazing episodes but only one penultimate makes this list. Part 2 would probably make a top 10 list of finale episodes.

3. GAME OF THRONES – Episode 1.09, Baelor: For those who hadn’t read the books, this sent shock-waves throughout the galaxy. It was one of the most surprising turn of events in television history. That is until…

1. GAME OF THRONES – Episode 3.09, The Rains of Castamere: I am going out cheap and declaring a tie for first. Book fans knew what was coming. Non-book fans did not. Both were equally blown away. After 20 episodes of waiting, we finally received the payoff to "Baelor". And yes, this show gets 3 episodes on the list... by earning it!

1. THE WIRE – Episode 5.09, Late Editions: One of the show’s best with various plot points reaching their emotional apex. If Emmy voters had actually bothered to watch this show while it was on the air, this episode would have resulted in a clean sweep of the awards. The Emmy’s need a new category: shows we were too stupid to realize were incredible until off the air.

Don't like my list? Make your own in the comments section below.

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Best in TV: 2012-2013 Season

To make this list, a show had to premiere between 1 June, 2012 and 31 May, 2013.

Top 10 Shows
1. "Game of Thrones" - HBO
2. "Orphan Black" – BBC America
3. "The Americans" - FX
4. "Justified" - FX
5. "Mad Men" – AMC
6. "House of Cards" – Netflix
7. "Veep" - HBO
8. "New Girl" - FOX
9. "Parks and Recreation" - NBC
10. "30 Rock" - NBC

I thought about making this a top 20 list because I could have easily picked another 10 shows I loved this season, but I cut myself off at 10 (originally, this was supposed to be a top 5 list). Also, the top 6 are all hour-long dramas while the rest are all half-hour comedies. Coincidence? Or am I saying that dramas are more meaningful?

Top 10 Performances
1. Tatiana Maslany: Sarah, Alison, Cosima, et al. – "Orphan Black"
2. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau: Jaime Lannister - "Game of Thrones"
3. Jennifer Carpenter: Debra Morgan - "Dexter"
4. Matthew Rhys: Philip Jennings - "The Americans"
5. Maisie Williams: Arya Stark – "Game of Thrones"
6. Peter Dinklage: Tyrion Lannister – "Game of Thrones"
7. Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Selina Meyer – "Veep"
8. Clarke Peters: Albert Lambreaux - "Treme"
9. Charles Dance: Tywin Lannister – "Game of Thrones"
10. Bryan Cranston: Walter White – "Breaking Bad"

Honorable Mentions
Diana Rigg: Olenna Tyrell – "Game of Thrones"
Keri Russell: Elizabeth Jennings – "The Americans"

I realize there are a lot of GAME OF THRONES actors on this list. What can I say? The show has terrific performances that I consider better than most shows. I did try to not include that many from one show but I couldn't in good conscience do it and keep the list genuine.

Also, before someone asks why I didn't break the list up between men and women, it's because they are all actors. Why separate acting categories by sexes? That's ridiculous. This isn't athletics.

Top 5 New Shows
1. "Orphan Black" – BBC America
2. "The Americans" - FX
3. "House of Cards" - Netflix
4. "Elementary" - CBS
5. "Copper" – BBC America

There weren't that many new shows I thought should be on this list that I actually watched. The CW's ARROW could have made this list but I'm not finished watching it. Consider it an honorable mention.

And the Top Talent Award of the 2012-2013 Season goes to:

Tatiana Maslany – "Orphan Black"
This young Canadian actor bested highly respected veterans in a TV season with many excellent performances. If you aren’t watching her on ORPHAN BLACK, then I cannot emphasize enough that it would benefit your life to do so as soon as possible.

The From Best-to-Worst Award goes to:

"Community" - NBC
Created by Dan Harmon and killed by Dan Harmon’s firing. The new show runners tried very hard to deliver on the fruitful Harmon garden but only managed to peel back some skin without squeezing out an ounce of juice (minus one episode by Oscar winning writer Jim Rash). Thankfully Harmon has been hired back for next season.

*The choices are personal and not meant to be definitive. Make your own and post it in the comments section.

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Review - MAD MEN Season 5 Finale

Well that season seemed to go by quickly.

But what did it all mean?

Don's rotten tooth becomes too painful for him to handle and has to be pulled. Unfortunately for Don, tormented souls and regret can't be so easily extracted. With the guilt of suicides on his mind and the disappointment of not being able to truly control his world, Don returns to the place where he feels most comfortable. Boozing, smoking, and cheating. Because even though Don is a man who suffers his demons, he is also a man who finds ways to smother himself in his own needs so that he never has to reflect too much on his responsibility for the course of his life and how it has affected others badly. All he can really do is consider how much helping those he loves results in them leaving him. And so his chance encounter with Peggy is likely reflected in the final scene. Having just helped to make his wife's dreams come true, he awaits the dread of what is to come when she realizes she no longer needs him.

If I had to rate this episode, and an electric shock therapy treatment is in the cards if I don't, I'd give it:

85 out of 100

It sets up the future growth of the business while also foreshadowing the doom of Don's marriage, if not his life. It also leaves Joan and Pete dangling, neither sure what they could have done to head off their own regret. Peggy and Roger, on the other hand, seem to have found some kind of happy place for themselves. Whatever can Don do to destroy that next season? I'm sure he'll find a way.

If I had to rate this season, and a ghostly suicide beckons for it, I'd give it:

90 out of 100

It isn't the best of the series, and perhaps it is what some would call its worst, but saying MAD MEN has a "worst" season is like saying that peperoni pizza without extra cheese is worse than with extra cheese. I mean come on. It's still a damn good pizza!

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Review - MAD MEN the First 2 Episodes

This is not a recap... in the way Sunday Bloody Sunday is not a rebel song.

Don Draper turns 40 and his wife throws a surprise birthday party for him where she sings and embarrasses him. At the office, there is much talk about this happening. In Don's world, he overreacts because he hates sharing his happiness with others. Don likes to collect his prizes and hide them away so that no one else can steal them from him.

In the office world, when a rival company embarrasses itself with an insensitive prank on some local African American protestors, Don and Roger put an ad in the paper proclaiming their diversity. This has unintended consequences and they end up being forced to hire a new secretary so as not to embarrass themselves in the process.

Meanwhile, Betty is fat and has a lump. The lump turns out to be benign (OR DOES IT?!) but she's still a fatty. Does that story go anywhere? Not really but these writers never do anything without meaning to lead it somewhere later. Perhaps Betty's largeness relates to her unhappiness without Don. Perhaps Don's need to keep his young prize away from prying eyes, and his attitude toward her in the first two episodes somehow relates to his need for a woman who understands him more.

Pete acquires a big whale of a client in Mohawk Airlines and Peggy hires a new full-time copywriter to be their whipping boy on the account. He is all kinds of strange and apparently wildly talented, plus Jewish. Seems like diversity is the name of the game this season as we pass the mid-60s. Peggy doesn't really want to hire him, partly perhaps because of his talent (though she declares that is not so), but mostly because she fears Don will hate him, and her for hiring him. Roger tries to reassure her that there is nothing to worry about.

Roger is given the account since the client seems to be more comfortable with him. Later, when Pete announces the client to the office, he takes all the credit for the acquisition and treats Roger much like an underling. This is clearly not taken well by Roger and a sense of worry can be seen on Don's face as his fellow senior partner fakes his way through an applause. Roger then warns Peggy of impending trouble with her new guy, as Pete was Roger's last hire.

This early in the season the theme looks to be about fear, youth, changing times of diversity, and a hint of redemption in the wings. There is also the notion that Pete is becoming a bigger fish and will some day execute his master plan of taking over the universe, one whiny declaration at a time.

If I had to rate each episode, it would look something like this.

Week 1: 93 out of 100

Week 2: 90 out of 100

It is a slow burn and I left out a lot of stuff... but no one is paying me to write MAD MEN reviews anyway. I'm just doing this for fun. You know, like everything else.

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