Episode of the Week
Standout episodes of television deserve to be highlighted. It’s the Episode of the Week!
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The X-Files: ‘Musings’ of a Not-So-Wonderful Life
The following contains spoilers for The X-Files “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” (directed by James Wong and written by Glen Morgan). “Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. And when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” – Clarence (It’s a Wonderful Life) “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” […] More
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The Twilight Zone: “Twenty Two” Is the Number of Nightmares
Near the start of The Twilight Zone‘s second season, after CBS had informed the production team that they were well over budget, it was decided that six episodes of the show would be shot on videotape in a matter similar to that of a live drama, then later transferred onto 16mm film for future syndication. […] More
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How Buffy’s Structure Makes “The Body” an All-Time Great Episode
Revisiting Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s finest moments can mean revisiting its most traumatic. The show’s willingness to reject the comfort-food demands of ’90s television resulted in several ambitious heartbreaks, chief among them the desolate triumph of “The Body”. It’s an episode that stops you in your tracks and keeps a part of you stopped there. […] More
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The Sound of Silence: The Success of Buffy’s ‘Hush’
Season 4’s ‘Hush’ is one of the most famous and acclaimed episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Upon receiving feedback that Buffy was only successful due to its witty dialogue, Joss Whedon took it upon himself to write and direct an episode that would, for the majority of the runtime, be silent. He was concerned […] More
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“Once More, With Feeling” Uses the Music To Expand the Magic
When the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” first aired in November of 2001, I did not watch it. Nor did I have any intention to do so. I had never seen the show. I was living in Colorado working at a ski resort and I’m not even certain I had […] More
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “Selfless” and Solitude
Breakups are, for a better word, shitty. It’s an almost universally shared experience that we all go through at some point or another, a personal rug pull that throws things off completely. For some, your life revolves around your significant other. Your friends, interests, and even sense of self may be impacted by the person […] More
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The Twilight Zone: “The Obsolete Man”
“You walk into this room at your own risk, because it leads to the future, not a future that will be but one that might be. This is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one.” – Rod Serling, The Twilight Zone, “The Obsolete Man” Originally, I […] More
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The Newsroom S1E4: “I’ll Try to Fix You” — Start the New Year off With a Bang
Did Aaron Sorkin set The Newsroom S1E4 on New Year’s Eve just so he could have the excuse to have someone make a cheesy joke about starting the new year off with a bang? As The West Wing’s Toby Ziegler would say, that’s the kind of joke, you see it coming and you can’t do […] More
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer S3E13: Making “Amends” on Christmas
“What can we forgive?” – Officer Jim Kurring (Magnolia) Growing up, I was taught that Christmastime was a time of forgiveness. That still makes sense to me. Forgiveness can sometimes feel like a miracle, and although it’s not always the easiest thing to do, the reward of such an act can be bountiful. At the […] More
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Spoofy Goings-On in Supernatural S4E5 ‘Monster Movie’
Parodies seem to be a staple of mainstream media these days. Characters will frequently reference popular culture, and more overt spoofs will have scenes or entire episodes stylistically and narratively rip off well-known works, usually for comedic effect. The Simpsons is the first TV show that comes to mind, including countless parody episodes throughout its […] More
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Six Feet Under: Singing for Our Lives, Preparing for Our Death
The wheels were well in motion for the end of Six Feet Under prior to the eighth episode of the final season, titled “Singing for Our Lives”. This was the episode that prepared us for the final act however, one that few viewers saw coming. Looking back on this episode, there was a heavy emphasis […] More
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NCIS Shows How Trauma Catches Up to Us in “Watchdog”
The following contains spoilers for NCIS S18E10, “Watchdog” NCIS as a whole is somewhat of an ensemble show. However, Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, has always been the “lead” and heart of the program. A former marine sniper, Gibbs served in Operation Desert Storm and then later joined NCIS. Rising to lead […] More
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