6. "Goodbye, Toby", The Office - Season 4, Episode 14, Airdate: May 15
The Office has always been good at closing out seasons, with "Hot Girl", "Casino Night", and "The Job" all being some of the best the series has had to offer. Season four's closer was no exception, giving us the big moments like Toby's farewell, Phillis catching Dwight and Angela, Jim's thwarted proposal to Pam (OMG!), and the downfall of Ryan. But the best part of the episode was the introduction of Amy Ryan's new HR rep Holly Flax, who instantly made Michael Scott a better man, and resulted in one of the season's funniest bits, when Dwight (fairly easily) convinced Holly that Kevin is "special". A good season finale will leave a viewer desperate for the next season to begin, and this one certainly accomplished that.
5. "Succession", 30 Rock - Season 2, Episode 13, Airdate: April 24
30 Rock was riotiously funny coming back from the writers' strike, with “Subway Hero”, “Succession”, “Sandwich Day”, and “Cooter” all contending for this list. I give the nod to "Succession" not only had for the great gags of Liz's corporate makeover (and her and Pete's reactions to executive salaries), Dr. Leo Spaceman's phoning for diabetes repair, and Frank introducing the concept of "the Uncanny Valley", but also for the brilliant Amadeus spoof that pushed the episode over the edge to become something truly sublime.
4. "The New Girl", Mad Men - Season 2, Episode 5, Airdate: August 24
When you have a season as uniformly excellent as season two of Mad Men was, it can be difficult to pick out the best episode. Sure, the finale stuck out, which is why it made the list, but in many ways, the resolutions found in the finale aren't as indicative of the pleasures of this show. A better representation comes from episodes earlier in the season, which show the strengths of the series in how it can slowly unfold its characters. Of these earlier episodes, "The New Girl" was probably the strongest, and not just because it added another beautiful woman to the cast in the form of Don Draper's new secretary. Instead, "The New Girl" stands out because of the spotlight it gave to the relationship between Don and Peggy, filling in some of the gaps that came when the series jumped ahead two years. Knowing how Don helped Peggy out following her surprise pregnancy offered a fascinating glimpse into the mind of Dick Whitman/Don Draper. I still get chills when I think about Don sitting at Peggy's hospital bed, leaning in to say, "This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened."
Article comments
1 - Shannon Howard
Thank you for including "Goodbye, Toby" on the list. I was so pleased with the unpredictability of the episode's plotlines and the fun performances given by Carrell and Helms.
I recall thinking that Andy's character was strangely absent from all the goings-on during the hour finale, but it wasn't glaringly obvious.It was more like a tickle in the back of my brain.
The payoff at the end was reason enough to let Ed Helms stay in the shadows until the precise moment he took center stage.
THE OFFICE, I think, gets stronger every year. Not all shows can do that.
2 - El Bicho
All I will say is I believe you will update this list in the comments after watching the last season of The Shield.