Signature Episodes

[lleeder]

Can the same thing work for television as for music? What's the one defining signature episode for popular television shows?

[mikeyboy]

WKRP in Cincinnati - Turkeys Away

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OH MY GOD! THEY'RE TURKEYS!

[MacVittie]

Seinfeld - The Outing (not that there's anything wrong with that...)

[mikeyboy]

Seinfeld - The Outing (not that there's anything wrong with that...)

Nope. You're wrong. It's "The Contest"

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[mongothetrucker]

M*A*S*H - LtCol Blake going home.

Even more talked about than "goodbye, farewell and amen"

[GreatAmericanZero]

Nope. You're wrong. It's "The Contest"

yep. Seinfeld is def "the Contest"

Saved By the Bell - Jessie on Caffeine pills
90210 - the one where the cowboy hat guy shoots himself

[Hottub]

Who shot JR?
The Mighty Ferguson

[mikeyboy]

The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Chuckles Bites the Dust

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[yojimbo7248]

Sopranos - Russian mob guy in Pine Barrens episode
Wire - Stringer Bell's killing

[tele7]

What's Happening:

The Doobie Brothers episode
Bubblin' Brown Sugar episode

Brady Bunch:

Oh My Nose!

....and the What's Goin' Down? episode from That's My Mamma

[drjoek]

WKRP in Cincinnati - Turkeys Away

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OH MY GOD! THEY'RE TURKEYS!


"As God is my witness I thought turkeys could fly"

[reillyluck]

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[GreatAmericanZero]

South Park - "Taco flavored kisses for my Bennie"

[Tenbatsuzen]

90210 - the one where the cowboy hat guy shoots himself

No, 90210 is this:

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[IMSlacker]

Quincy: "We're just your lousy escape goats!"

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[Tenbatsuzen]

Star Trek TNG: Best of Both Worlds Part I. A lot of people say "Yesterday's Enterprise", but Best of Both Worlds is the "true" universe.

Battlestar Galactica:

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Exodus Part II.

[Tenbatsuzen]

WKRP in Cincinnati - Turkeys Away


OH MY GOD! THEY'RE TURKEYS!


One thing that always bothered me about that episode... Bailey's the promotions director AND SHE'S IN THE GODDAMN STUDIO!??!

[Hottub]

FTW!


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[Marc with a c]

ron and fez- enema show

[GreatAmericanZero]

Gary Unmarried - the "Penultimate" episode

[epo]

Barney Miller - Hash

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[GreatAmericanZero]

Quincy - the Punk episode

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[Hottub]

epo,
Nice job on the Barney Miller. One of the greatest programs ever!

[MacVittie]

Nope. You're wrong. It's "The Contest"

yep. Seinfeld is def "the Contest"

I was leaning Contest, but I think "not that there's anything wrong with that" has found its way into the American lexicon more so than "master of your domain"

[jauble]

Quincy: "We're just your lousy escape goats!"

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Quincy - the Punk episode

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Oh GAZ sorry, sorry. You'll have to try again.

[AF Mike]

The West Wing - Mark Harmon getting gunned down in the bodega.

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[epo]

Welcome Back, Kotter - Pilot

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[mikeyboy]

It's related, so I just uploaded this old segment from WJFK:

5/25/04 - Fez knows the definitive episode of every TV show (http://www.ronfez.net/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=3318)

[IMSlacker]

Just Shoot Me: Chicken Pot Chicken Pot Chicken Pot Pie

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[drusilla]

that is my favorite episode of that damn show. david cross is just the best.

really old sig from the oa.com days:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/drusilla/david_cross_sig.gif

[lleeder]

Quincy: "I Don't Care What Names You Call Me"

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[IMSlacker]

Quincy: "That's a crock mister! You think we're all zombie killers!"

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[Slumbag]

South Park - "Taco flavored kisses for my Bennie"

Gotta disagree.
"Scott Tenorman Must Die", definitive episode.

[kdubya]

BBCs Spaced, Signature episode is

"Epiphanies"

The one where they go to the rave with Tyres and Mike dances to the A-team theme.

[epo]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Super Birthday Snake (http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a25c39213b598550113b5e5758c002d)

[Servo]

MST3K - "Manos: The Hands of Fate"
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OR....

"Mitchell"
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[jauble]

for fans of "The Shield" when Shane killed Lem.

[pittphantoms]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Its a toss up between "Hush" and "Once More With Feeling" - probably the latter

[Slumbag]

This may be widely contested, or accepted. Not sure


Definitve Simpsons episode.
I am stuck between the Homer's Bowling Team episode, or the Frank Grimes episode.
I'm leaning towards the Frank Grimes episode.

[MacVittie]

I might not be especially memorable, but to me this episode epitimizes the show and is hilarious from start to finish.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/$pringfield_(Or,_How_I_Learned_to_Stop_Worrying_an d_Love_Legalized_Gambling)

[KnoxHarrington]

The X-Files: "Home".

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Now, when I think about that show, I think that the whole "mythology" thing was just stupid, but there are these stand-alone episodes of it that stand up with anything in TV history. This episode will fuck you up a little bit forever.

[pittphantoms]

I had to do a couple more...

24: The finalle of season 1
The Office (UK): I would say the one where Ricky dances...
The Wire: Clarification - the death of the best story on the show and the aftermath (or lack there of) is why this show is brilliant
Lost: Walkabout
Battlestar Galactica: 33
Anthony Bourdain No Reservations: Berut

[tele7]

This may be widely contested, or accepted. Not sure


Definitve Simpsons episode.
I am stuck between the Homer's Bowling Team episode, or the Frank Grimes episode.
I'm leaning towards the Frank Grimes episode.

Hard to argue with those choices. I'm leaning towards Grimes as well. (honorary mention to Mr. Sparkle)


Also, the Futurama episode where Fry has to share an apartment with Bender.

[KnoxHarrington]

Curb Your Enthusiasm, "The Car Pool Lane."

I wish I could have gotten stoned with my dad and a black hooker.

He always insisted that it be an Asian hooker.

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[EliSnow]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Its a toss up between "Hush" and "Once More With Feeling" - probably the latter

I was thinking about this last night. I don't think I'd go with one of these. I'd go with a second season or third season ep. Those seasons capture what Buffy was about more than those two eps above, which while incredible, were experiment eps.

Maybe the season finale of season 2, when she sents Angel to Hell.

[EliSnow]

Star Trek: TOS: Either Trouble With Tribbles or Space Seed.

[ANC]

All In The Family - Sammy Davis Jr. Episode.

[kdubya]

Hard to argue with those choices. I'm leaning towards Grimes as well. (honorary mention to Mr. Sparkle)


Also, the Futurama episode where Fry has to share an apartment with Bender.

I think the signature Futurama episode is "Roswell" It has it all, Domb Fry, crazy Zoidberg, Bender being bender. Even David Coen and Matt Groening consider it the peak of the show.

Signature Simpsons is the Monorail Episode.

[pittphantoms]

I was thinking about this last night. I don't think I'd go with one of these. I'd go with a second season or third season ep. Those seasons capture what Buffy was about more than those two eps above, which while incredible, were experiment eps.

Maybe the season finale of season 2, when she sents Angel to Hell.



If we are talking signature episodes... it has to be Once More With Feeling... - its the most popular episode of that show. I considered Hush because it is my favorite - but I would be willing to bet that OMWF is the most popular.

[EliSnow]

If we are talking signature episodes... it has to be Once More With Feeling... - its the most popular episode of that show. I considered Hush because it is my favorite - but I would be willing to bet that OMWF is the most popular.

As discussed on the show yesterday, signature does not necessarily mean most popular or even best, although it could be both. I think the signature episode of a show is the show that best captures the show as whole in terms of the story, dialogue and characters. It's the episode you would play to a non-viewer as an example of what that show was.

I would agree that OMWF is arguably the most popular episode, but I don't think it's the best example of what Buffy was. If you should that one episode to people, they would ask if the whole series was a musical.

Again, I think it has to be something from season 2 or season 3, where the show was at its best across the board that best captures the show. I think that would probably be the season finale of season 2, although it could be where Angel becomes Angelus.

[grlNIN]

Not only do i not know what this "Quincy" show is that someone keeps posting but i am also unable to recognize TV shows by their episode names, which ruins the entire point of this thread.

I only knew Seinfeld, Friends and one of the Buffy episodes.

[mikeyboy]

Not only do i not know what this "Quincy" show is that someone keeps posting but i am also unable to recognize TV shows by their episode names, which ruins the entire point of this thread.

That's why I post clips.

[grlNIN]

Well i am at school and can't view them.

So nuh.

[Servo]

The X-Files: "Home".

Now, when I think about that show, I think that the whole "mythology" thing was just stupid, but there are these stand-alone episodes of it that stand up with anything in TV history. This episode will fuck you up a little bit forever.

Absolutely! "Home" is fantastic. Runners-up could be "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" or "Jose Chung's 'From Outer Space'", but for the definitive episode, "Home" is it.

[tbonesteak]

I don't know the titles of the show but:

Seinfeld - the marine biologist
Lost - the Desmond time travel episode
Simpsons - sideshow Bob #1 or the one with Mindy
The Wire - season 2 finale