Best TV Episode

Started by Jeremy Blackman, March 21, 2016, 11:44:43 AM

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Best TV Episode

Better Call Saul – "Pimento"
10 (38.5%)
Black Mirror – "White Christmas"
5 (19.2%)
Fargo – "Waiting For Dutch"
2 (7.7%)
Game of Thrones – "The Dance of Dragons"
4 (15.4%)
Hannibal – "...And the Beast From the Sea"
4 (15.4%)
The Leftovers – "International Assassin"
2 (7.7%)
Mad Men – "The Milk and Honey Route"
8 (30.8%)
You're the Worst – "There Is Not Currently a Problem"
5 (19.2%)

Total Members Voted: 26

Jeremy Blackman

Welcome to the 2016 Xixax Awards! These nominees have been chosen by Xixax users, mods, and admins. Vote in the poll above to help decide the winner!



PLOT SUMMARIES FROM WIKIPEDIA





Better Call Saul – "Pimento"

Chuck and Jimmy are enjoying time outside on a park bench. It seems Chuck is able to spend more time outside than he originally thought, but after a while he insists they go back inside. Mike brings Stacey and Kaylee a dog (seen last episode), and receives a call about a job. Jimmy goes to court to argue against a restraining order from Sandpiper Crossing and ultimately wins. Returning to Chuck's house, Jimmy finds boxes of paperwork, and Chuck convinces Jimmy to bring the case to HHM because of its large scale. Later that night, Chuck sneaks outside to place a phone call. The next day, Mike, a loudmouth mercenary named Sobchak (Steven Ogg), and a very large man wait for the job. The client arrives, and Mike manages to subdue Sobchak and scare off the other man, then he accepts the job on his own. Meanwhile, Chuck and Jimmy prepare to visit HHM, sewing Chuck's space blanket into the lining of his suit. The McGill brothers present their case to Howard, but Howard informs Jimmy that he wants the case, but not him. Frustrated, Jimmy refuses to give the case to Howard and tells him to go to hell. Kim confronts Howard on his decision, but Howard reveals something to her. On the job, Mike and his client wait for Nacho and a new gang of thugs to show up and buy the pills the client is selling. After the deal is concluded, Mike explains to the client, who insists he is not a "bad man", that he is now a criminal, and that morality doesn't enter into it. Back at the nail salon, Kim meets with Jimmy and urges him to take the deal, causing Jimmy to get angry at her. Jimmy enters his office and has a realization when he charges his phone. The next day, Jimmy goes to Chuck's house and confronts him about the phone call he placed to Howard before their meeting. Jimmy has realized it was Chuck who told Howard not to hire him, and Chuck has been blocking him from being hired at HHM ever since his days in the mailroom. Jimmy demands to know why. Chuck reveals his opinion of Jimmy as not being worthy to be called a real lawyer and says he has not changed since his "Slippin' Jimmy" days as a con artist. Jimmy tells Chuck he's on his own and angrily drives off, with Chuck calling out to him as he goes.







Black Mirror – "White Christmas"

Joe Potter (Rafe Spall) and Matt Trent (Jon Hamm) work at a small, remote outpost in the middle of a snowy wilderness. Joe wakes up on Christmas Day and finds Matt preparing Christmas dinner, with "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" playing on the radio. Matt tries to get Joe to talk about why he accepted the job at the outpost, a topic they have never discussed in the five years they have worked together. Joe is reluctant to say anything, and instead asks why Matt took the job. Happy for the conversation, Matt begins his own story.







Fargo – "Waiting For Dutch"

[Season Premiere]  In March 1979, the Gerhardt family is the most prominent organized crime syndicate in Fargo, North Dakota. Their hold on the territory is threatened by two near-simultaneous incidents. Patriarch Otto Gerhardt suffers a debilitating stroke, leaving the dynasty's leadership uncertain, with his sons Dodd, Bear, and Rye all vying for the position. Meanwhile, at a waffle house near Luverne, Minnesota, Rye, the youngest Gerhardt son, attempts to extort Judge Mundt into unfreezing his business partner's assets, only for the encounter to violently devolve. Rye kills the judge, along with a cook and a waitress. Afterward, distracted from a close encounter with a UFO, Rye is struck by a passing car which drives off with him stuck in the windshield. The driver, Peggy Blumquist, believes Rye is dead and keeps him in her garage without informing her husband, Ed, a local butcher's assistant. Ed discovers Rye still alive but manic, and he stabs Rye to death after Rye attacks him. Peggy convinces a traumatized Ed to keep the incident a secret, and they hide Rye's corpse in their meat freezer. Officer Lou Solverson, the father of Molly Solverson from season 1, investigates the waffle house shooting, noting the strangeness of the shooter apparently fleeing the scene in a vehicle after parking his own car outside the diner. He is joined by his father-in-law, Sheriff Hank Larsson. At home, Lou deals with his wife Betsy's progressing cancer, for which she recently has begun chemotherapy. Meanwhile, in light of Otto Gerhardt's stroke, the members of a Kansas City-based syndicate make plans to move on Fargo.







Game of Thrones – "The Dance of Dragons"

During a snowstorm, Stannis' camp is sabotaged when Ramsay's force of twenty men completely destroy the entire camp's siege equipment and food stores, while inflicting heavy losses on the army's horses. Melisandre insists they must make a sacrifice of King's Blood to reach Winterfell. Stannis reluctantly offers his daughter, Princess Shireen, burning her alive at the stake, while she desperately cries out for her parents. Jon and the wildlings return to the Wall, where their welcome is fraught with tension. In Dorne, Prince Doran permits Jaime to return to King's Landing with Myrcella, provided Trystane accompany them and serve on the small council in Oberyn's stead. In Meereen, the fights at Daznak's pit begin, and Daenerys is stunned to see Jorah amongst the combatants. Although he is successful, his triumph is interrupted by a fierce attack by the Sons of the Harpy, who quickly surround Daenerys and her supporters. Just as all hope seems lost, Drogon arrives, and Daenerys mounts her dragon and flies away from Meereen, her followers and enemies watching alike in awe.







Hannibal – "...And the Beast From the Sea"

Graham, Bloom, and Crawford discuss the events at the museum. Dolarhyde has another session with Lecter over the phone where he suggests going after Graham's family to appease the dragon, sparing McClane. Dolarhyde seemingly transforms into the dragon back at home. He spends another night with McClane, where he has gathered film of his victims and selected victims, and watches a selection with an unknowing McClane – Graham's family. Molly and Walter go to the veterinarian after their dogs have been poisoned. They promise not to tell Graham, and as they leave, a notice from the FBI asking to immediately report any pet mutilations is shown on the bulletin. Graham visits Lecter where he deduces that Dolarhyde has contacted him. He asks Lecter to tell him who Dolarhyde is, saying that they can save the next family; Lecter states that he does not know who Dolarhyde is, and asks Graham if when he closes his eyes, is it his family he sees as the next target. Dolarhyde travels to the Graham's residence to murder Molly and Walter; they narrowly escape, but Molly is hospitalized. Graham has a conversation with his stepson in the waiting room before going to see Molly. Bloom arrives with Crawford at Lecter's cell, where they tell him that they know he has been talking to Dolarhyde under the guise of receiving calls from his lawyer. They ask him to cooperate in trying to identify Dolaryde the next time he calls. Back at home, Dolarhyde has a hallucinogenic fight between himself and the Dragon. He goes to McClane's lab to terminate their relationship, as he is afraid he will hurt her. Dolarhyde does not explain himself well, and McClane, feeling rejected, asks him to leave. He calls Lecter, with Crawford and Bloom listening in. He states that he is worried McClane will come to his house, and that she told him he is a sweet man. Lecter tells him that Crawford and Bloom are listening in before he hangs up. Bloom removes the comforts from Lecter's cell in response. When Molly awakens, Graham and she have a conversation. He angrily goes to Lecter, stating that he has had it with him and all these "crazy sons of bitches". Lecter reveals that he gave Dolarhyde Graham's home address and asks him how Molly is doing. Graham angrily states that she is lucky. They discuss Dolarhyde at the end of the conversation, and Lecter asks Graham if he craves change like Dolarhyde. Graham follows Lecter's hint, concluding that in Dolarhyde's own mind he is not killing his victims but "changing" them.







The Leftovers – "International Assassin"

Kevin is plunged into the realm of the undead; a hotel full of people stuck between life and death. In this world Kevin is an international assassin, charged with assassinating presidential nominee Patti Levin. Virgil is the concierge of the hotel. He guides Kevin through this newfound maze of a reality, before drinking the water and becoming completely oblivious as to whom Kevin is. Meanwhile, Kevin saves a little girl from drowning in the pool, then discovers that Mary is staying at the hotel. He's tortured by Levin's security team, led by Gladys, in order to confirm intention and identity. He passes after admitting some truths and attends a meeting with Patti. Just as he's about to kill her, the woman claims that she's a decoy, that the real Levin had paid her off. Kevin shoots her anyway, but the fact turned out to be true. He realizes that the little girl from the pool is really Levin. Having received instructions from his father, Kevin takes Patti to a water well back in Jarden, and begrudgingly tosses her down. An aged and battered Patti calls out from the depths of the well. Kevin climbs and falls down. Patti bares her sorrow, then Kevin drowns her. He is returned to the edge of the wood of Jarden, where Michael is waiting.







Mad Men – "The Milk and Honey Route"

Don continues his journey West and has a nightmare where he's pulled over by police, who say they've been looking for him. He stops for several days in Alva, Oklahoma when his car breaks down. Don is mildly hustled by a young man who gets an extra $10 for finding him some alcohol, and later Don reluctantly attends a veterans' fundraiser to repair one of their homes. Don becomes nervous when introduced to fellow Korean War veteran, Jerry, but is relieved when Jerry says his tour took place after Don had gone home. Don recalls for them how he killed his C.O. after dropping his lighter, causing a fatal explosion. Another vet shares his horror story of World War II. The vets later find the $500 they raised was stolen. They beat up Don, thinking he stole it, and demand it back (taking his car as collateral). Don demands the cash back from the young hustler who set him up, and gives the boy advice about the difficulty of having to be someone you are not. Don returns the cash for his car, and grants the young man's request for a ride to the bus stop. Don then surprises him by giving him his car, yet another material possession, after Don waits for the bus. Betty feels sick while at college and suffers a broken rib when she collapses; X-rays reveal she has advanced lung cancer and may live up to a year, but only if she accepts debilitating treatments. Henry wants her to do that and asks Sally to try to convince her, but Betty stands firm: she gives Sally instructions for dressing and grooming her corpse, and heads back to class. At McCann, Pete gets an unwelcome visit from Duck Phillips that turns into a genuine opportunity for both a career with Learjet and a fresh start with Trudy and Tammy, if they will move with him to Wichita. Trudy agrees.







You're the Worst – "There Is Not Currently a Problem"

Jimmy and Gretchen find Dorothy at breakfast with the weekend Bloody Mary ration already drunk and no food available. Traffic is snarled by a marathon run so they can't go to the diner or the store. Gretchen starts drinking and dancing to conceal her blues. Jimmy starts hunting a mouse that is in the house. Lindsay arrives to complain about Becca's attitude to her, and Vernon "honking her boob" in the previous episode. Vernon arrives, looking for Lindsay to get her to keep quiet about the honking. Stuck in Jimmy's house, the different characters dance and bounce off each other. Jimmy obsesses over catching the mouse while Gretchen keeps drinking. She finally loses it and puts everybody down one by one, except Vernon who is "not worth it". The mouse appears at her feet and she drops a copy of Jimmy's novel on it. Jimmy and the gang decide to euthanize the mouse on his car exhaust while Gretchen recovers with Lindsay's help. Gretchen admits to Jimmy that she has been handling depression for years, but he can't fix her. As they embrace Jimmy spots another mouse.

Fernando

Good job overall JB.  :bravo:

just one thing, that mad men's episode aired in 2014...

Jeremy Blackman

Yikes, we definitely missed that one...

I've switched the Mad Men episode to "The Milk and Honey Route" (review here).

You can now change your vote in this category. Click the REMOVE VOTE button below the poll.

Jeremy Blackman

VOTING IS CLOSED.

The winner is "International Assassin" Better Call Saul's "Pimento."