Series Spotlight, Pt. 1

Hiya, folks! Remember when I said I was going to bring you a new post yesterday? Yeah…sorry about that. Haha. Little crazy around here as of late. Anyway, I was originally going to make a top 10 list out of this post, but I think it’s the kind of thing that I could easily make into a regular feature. I have my Song and Screen series for movies, but it doesn’t seem fair that I’m ignoring TV, no? Especially since this week marks the beginning of several shows I’m SUPER excited about (read about those here)! Hence the start of this: Series Spotlight. Yes, I know–MORE alliteration. Deal with it. Lol. The idea is to highlight the best episodes from various TV shows. Given that there is so much awesome television out there right now, there’s lots to talk about. So let’s begin!

#1: “A Scandal in Belgravia” (Sherlock)

Oh, you can bet this isn’t going to be the only episode of Sherlock making an appearance in this series. “A Scandal in Belgravia” is a great kickoff to season two for a lot of reasons. It begins by resolving a massive cliffhanger from the first season in a random yet awesome way, and then it proceeds to introduce one of the best characters in the whole series: clever dominatrix Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). The rapport that she has with Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) is pretty perfect, and I love seeing the evolution of their relationship throughout the episode. And the ending! Uggghhh that perfect ending! It’s great. The episode is exciting, hilarious, and completely gripping. Plus, there’s this incident with Sherlock and a sheet…but never mind. You should just watch it.

#2: “Out of Gas” (Firefly)

I haven’t talked about Firefly much on here, but I really do intend to review it one day because it’s a fantastic (albeit far too short) series. And “Out of Gas” is without a doubt my favorite episode from its single season. It’s funny–I’m not usually big on flashback-heavy episodes. I feel like if the main story is engaging, jumping to some other random thing can be kind of annoying. But this episode is the perfect blend between the main story and flashbacks. It begins innocently enough with a lighthearted dinner, but things get serious very fast, putting the crew of Serenity–especially Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion)–in severe danger. As the ship’s life support system begins to fail, Mal fondly remembers how he met his crew members. It’s both a nerve-wracking and a very touching episode.

#3: “Mizumono” (Hannibal)

I know that I’ve mentioned Hannibal more than a few times on here, but I just can’t help myself. This show is phenomenal. And, in my opinion, no episode is better than the last one of season two, “Mizumono.” I don’t want to spoil too much for anyone who hasn’t seen the show, but season two as a whole is pretty crazy. And that last episode is a doozy. No one is quite sure where Will’s (Hugh Dancy) loyalties lie–even Will doesn’t seem to know–but for better or worse, everything comes to light in “Mizumono,” setting up for what is sure to be a very, very interesting third season. Will the profiler do the bidding of Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne), head of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, or will he be the protege of sinister cannibal genius Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen)? Like I said, I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say it’s a bloody good ending.

#4: “Who Goes There” (True Detective)

Heh. You guys are probably sick of hearing me talk about True Detective, right? Sorry. I’m still kind of in awe of this show–particularly this episode. With Emmy-worthy performances and an extremely engaging story, the show as a whole is quite an achievement, but “Who Goes There” is definitely the pinnacle of the show’s first season. It’s when detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) first begin to crack their case. But it isn’t easy. Rust has to infiltrate a hardcore motorcycle gang, putting himself in serious danger. The best part is the very end of the episode, which includes an amazing six-minute tracking shot (which you can watch here). If you want to know anymore about True Detective, you should probably just go here.

#5: “The Rains of Castamere” (Game of Thrones)

Okay, so at this point most of you are probably aware that something insane happens in “The Rains of Castamere,” the penultimate episode of season three of Game of Thrones. Of course, you could say that something insane happens in a lot of GoT episodes. But this one proves that no one, absolutely no one is safe on this show. Which makes it horrible and heart-wrenching and amazing all at once. I don’t even know if I can say a single thing about this episode without ruining a major plot point, hence why I declined to include a clip from the show and opted instead for a haunting song inspired by this very episode. Just…watch Game of Thrones, you guys. For reals.

That’s all for now! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends! 🙂