It was even harder to craft a top 10 than usual, and that left a lot of shows in that next tier. So once again, I’ve expanded my honorable mentions to 14 episodes of shows that didn’t make the cut, and one unexpectedly brilliant anniversary special.
Big Little Lies – “Kill Me”
I felt alone on my island in not only liking Season 2 of Big Little Lies, but also in thinking it was in some ways superior to the original limited series. Adding Meryl Streep was really the only reason to do this, and she was absolutely brilliant as the mother of the recently deceased Perry. She connived and manipulated her way to get what she wanted, and almost succeeded. Her pettiness made it feel like more than just Rich People Problems.
The Boys – “You Found Me”
It was an abundance of riches that we got not one, not two, but three excellent superhero shows in one year. Amazon Prime’s irreverent, ultra-violent satire occasionally had to work for it to feel substantial, but it got there in the back half of its season when things got more sinister, thanks to evil schemes and disturbing psychosexual relationship of Madeline Stilwell (Elisabeth Shue) and Homelander (Antony Starr). In the finale, the full horrors of the military-industrial-superhero complex are revealed, along with a shocking twist for Butcher (a delightful Karl Urban).
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – “The Honeypot”
That this sitcom slipped out of my Top 10 should be no indication that it’s lost a step in its move to NBC. There was just that much competition. The highlight of the sixth season’s precinct vs. commissioner arc was this absolutely hysterical episode in which it’s revealed that Holt’s new assistant is actually a spy sent to seduce him in order to embarrass the precinct.
Crashing – “Mulaney”
The season finale served as an unintentional series finale, but it was fitting too. Pete was still trying to find his big break, but he nailed his big shot opening for John Mulaney (playing a delightfully repellent version of himself), overshadowing his hero in the process. We’ll never know if Pete the character ascended the heights of the stand-up circuit, but he ended right where he needed to be, and back with Ali (Jamie Lee).
The Crown – “Aberfan”
In the first season of the show with an entirely new cast, The Crown felt a little inconsistent. But there were plenty of highs of course, with this devastating dramatization of the Aberfan mining disaster right up there with the series’ finest hours. Olivia Colman was terrific as usual, nailing the Queen’s dilemma of wanting to show sympathy for the victims without drawing attention to herself.
The Handmaid’s Tale – “Mayday”
Let’s get to a spoiler right away: There is absolutely no way June is actually dead. Dying, maybe. But she’s not dead. But this finale served as a fitting tribute to her character, or at least what her character represents at her best. In saving as many stolen Gilead children as possible, she did for others what she couldn’t do for her own daughter. That may have been worth going full Walter White.
Game of Thrones – “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
Truly, this season was not very good, even if I liked some of the moments most people hated (namely, the arrogant, megalomaniacal Khaleesi torching King’s Landing for not immediately bowing to her). But with some perspective, I’ve come to agree with the consensus that the best episode was the second, the calm before the storm. Even someone like me who’s not a major fan was moved by Brienne’s knighting and the tender and sometimes funny moments our compromised heroes shared before facing down the Night King.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “A Woman’s Right to Chop”
One of the show’s great third-rail episodes, touching on a controversial topic in an irreverent way that only the Gang can pull off. Using a hair salon as a stand-in for an abortion clinic, the show charged head-first into a still-sensitive issue, while also sending Charlie and Mac on a quest for a dog abortion. Like its previous takes on gun ownership and racism, it comes to an expected conclusion in a creative way.
