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What single episode of a show would you recommend as a standalone?
As in, you think it’s still worth watching even if someone has never seen (and potentially never will see) any other episode from the show.
It’s good enough that you think it can stand entirely on its own.
Tell us what it is and why you think it meets the mark.
"Blink" (10th episode of season 3 in the reboot of Doctor Who) with the Weeping Angels is a fantastic standalone episode. You really don't need to know much about Doctor Who to enjoy it, and it doesn't necessarily rely on previous lore or previous episodes to understand the context of what's going on. It's widely regarded as one of the best episodes.
Only caveat to this is that while it is an amazing episode, if you watch it and expect the rest of Doctor Who to be just like it, you're going to be severely disappointed, for better or for worse. It's decently different than the rest of the series, and the episode barely features the main cast.
Midnight is another of those classic standalones, and hews a bit closer to the normal fare given that the Doctor is present throughout the whole episode. The Christmas specials are also mostly fairly good as standalone episodes as they were designed to be watched by the whole family, although the quality of those episodes can be a bit more mixed.
Although honestly most of the episodes of the 2005 Doctor Who series work quite well as standalone episodes. Obviously some of them are double bills, and the last three rely on continuity with the rest of the series, but because the whole series is trying to reintroduce the Doctor to a new generation of fans, it's all fairly accessible, and the "monster of the week" format means that most episodes are self-contained.
My second choice for Doctor Who standalone episodes is “Vincent and the Doctor”. Very well crafted episode, has the main cast for the most part and the story itself is self contained, so you get an actual taste of what Doctor Who is mostly like.
Yeah, that's a good one. Also (and I know it's technically a double bill, but just think of it as a single movie-length episode) Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead are really good episodes for capturing both the horror/suspense aspects of Doctor Who, as well as playing up the sci-fi aspects and the great character writing (at least of that era).
Damnit, now I want to go and rewatch it all again!
For me the quintessential Doctor Who episode, the one I always show people to get them into it, is Mummy on the Orient Express. Such a perfect encapsulation of what the show can be
I really don't remember that one. But I do remember Dinosaurs...in space!
...i clicked through to recommend exactly this...
Oh man... I remember watching this on TV when it first came out. I was kinda young and it made me not want to blink that whole day...
The funniest thing to me about that episode is that The Doctor is only just barely in it.
Battlestar Gallactica: Episode 1 of Season 1 called "33"
This one had more tension, more fear of the enemy than any other episode in the series. Nothing had gotten overly complicated in this introduction to the series, it was just a visceral reaction to an overwhelming enemy who was relentless in their pursuit.
Firefly: "Out of Gas"
This episode gives you vignettes, showing how the crew came to be on the ship Serenity, but it also shows how precarious their lives are, and how the thin the margin between living and dying truly is in space.
Also came here to recommend "33". The entire show is great, don't get me wrong, but to immediately come out of the gate with it, what is possibly your absolute best episode, is such an insane move.
The Cylons are coming in 33 minutes. Have fun :)
The Bear S2E6 - Fishes
Its technically a prequel episode to everything that happens in the series actually the one I watched first. If you know the show, it's a pressure cooker of tension. If you don't it is anxiety inducing family drama.
The Bear S2E7 - Forks
And now for something completely different. Seriously, if you are marathon watching the show the flip from the last episode to this one is the biggest emotional whiplash. But it's also an episode that exists amazingly on its own. It's a solo adventure for what is essentially the least likable character in the show. Its almost like a fairy tale mixed with an anime training arc.
On the whole, every solo episode of this series is incredible and makes for a good anthology.
S2E4 Honeydew. S3E6 Napkins. S4E4 Worms.
Community S3E4 - Remedial Chaos Theory
At some point Community just becomes a compilation of random standalone stories with the same cast. But this is collection of what-if scenarios that sort of tells you everything you need to know about the characters involved. Also the source episode of one of my favorite memes.
Stargate SG1 S4E6 - Window of Opportunity
Its a good time loop episode. I'm a big fan of filler episodes because its the opportunity for character exploration without the constraint of plot. It's something that difficult to do in other mediums and even in modern TV production. And the time loop is just a fun way to see characters give in to their worst impulses and then be forced to escalate just to feel something.
Bluey S3E18 - Rain
I'm just a sucker for silent TV and this is an amazing combination of Animation, Music and Storytelling.
Since almost all Bluey episodes work as standalones, I can just list a few favorites: "Rug Island", "Grandad", "Baby Race", and "Unicorse".
The first three episodes are ten-minute setups that lead to their final line of dialogue, and “Unicorse” is simply funny.
Sticky Gecko is my life.
I don't know the name of this episode, but the episode where Muffin steals her dad's phone is a family favorite. Probably helped by the fact that my sister's four-year-old is definitely Muffin, but even my dad (who's not really into kids shows) was cracking up at that one.
Faceytalk.
I can probably name every bluey episode from a brief description.
We've watched so much with my nephew that my partner jokes I can name every Bluey episode from the first 2 seconds
"I want the one where the pink one does the thing wrong."
Oh you mean Shadowlands.
I could probably create a really useful lookup tool for translating toddler descriptions of shows into the actual episode.
Window of Opportunity is definitely my favorite of the series. I was so excited when we got to that point in my wife and my watch through.
The Bear S2E6 - Fishes
This has the best portrayal of borderline personality disorder I've ever seen. I did not handle it well and wish someone had warned me.
It is a very good Sanctuary Moon!
I came here to share this one too. It's the perfect bottle episode, especially since the scenario means you miss out on basically nothing knowing nothing about Star Trek. The end is also such a mind fuck that it sticks with you, plus future episodes call back to it.
I've thought of another one.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4 Episode 10 called "Hush"
The fourth season is not a favorite of mine, but this episode might be one of the most outstanding in the series. They set out to scare the pants off their audience, and did they ever succeed. This is a stand-alone, since the villains never appear again, and aren't part of the main story line of the season.
I don't know that it would work as a standalone but Once More, With Feeling and Hush are both amazing episodes. It's funny how even when you love a show as it normally is, it's often the weird and unique episodes that stand above the rest.
You have identified the correct answer. Congratulations!
While there are many, many great episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, I'm going to have to go with season 5 episode 14, The Box. While it certainly benefits from knowing things like the history between Peralta and Holt, you can watch the episode with absolutely no historical context and still thoroughly enjoy it for its quotable moments, humor, and the bottle style shoot that makes it easier to grasp without background knowledge.
That episode is fantastic. I remember recently explaining to my wife what a bottle episode is, then I watched The Box shortly after by coincidence. About partway through the episode I realized that it was a bottle episode, because it is so engaging that it is not obvious that it is a bottle episode. I remember in looking up examples of a bottle episode with my wife one example that was listed was from Parks and Rec, where Michael Schur mentioned wanting to do a bottle episode to showcase Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman's acting skills (S7E4 Leslie and Ron). My guess is that The Box came from a similar place rather than a budgetary perspective
A recent one, Widow’s Bay S1E4 “Beach Reads”.
Oh yes this was so good!
Bojack Horseman - Fish Out of Water (S3E04)
This episode probably works a little better when you have the entire context up to this point of season three but it's strong enough to stand on its own. It has a self-contained narrative with plenty of gags and wit but also hints at the stronger emotional themes of the series. The setup gives you enough about the main characters to go in blind and the ending, while perhaps a little predictable, is a fantastic payoff. One of my favorite single episodes of any show
Hard disagree. The fact that it is a self-contained narrative means it's a throwaway. It's probably the weakest episode in an otherwise incredible show and if you only watched this episode you would have absolutely no idea what Bojack is even about.
That wasn't the prompt. OP asked for an episode that stands on it's own, even if the viewer never watches another episode in the series. Most of the series focuses on Bojack's personal growth (or lack thereof) and requires an understanding of the wider plot. Fish Out of Water can be watched and understood without any prior knowledge.
I considered others like Free Churro here but even that arguably relies on some familiarity with Bojack/Beatrice's relationship. Is there an episode of Bojack that you think fits better?
Bluey Season 2 episode 24: "Flat pack"
There're a lot of good standalone episodes in that show, even for adults. But if you want a demonstration of how much depth an episode of the show can pack into a few minutes, then that's the one.
Bluey has a lot of amazing episodes. Similar to Flat Pack you have Rain and Sleepy Time as masterful story telling and beautifully animated/storyboarded respectively.
Futurama S04E07: Jurassic Bark—on man’s best friend.
Psych S05E12: Dual Spires—Twin Peaks riff.
Malcolm in the Middle S05E22: Reese Joins The Army: Part 2—funny play on boot camp and Hal’s work.
MASH S03E24: Abyssinia, Henry—a particularly moving and emotional episode even if you do not know the backstory.
Atlanta S01E07: BAN—funny alternate universe tv show episode with some funny bits like the stay at home black boy who identifies as a 35 year old white man.
Psych is one of the last great episodic shows IMO, almost none of them require any deep insight to the characters to enjoy the story, but the more you watch the better it is.
Mob Psycho 100 Episode 5
The first line of the episode is "What a surprise, guess there are other middle school age espers besides yourself, but it looks like hes surpised to see you as well." Immediately you are caught up with what the show is about and what the scenario is.
Then the fight starts, and from the framing and the reactions you can immediately tell that Hanazawa is supposed to be pretty impressive, but Mob is on another level.
Then the characters start talking and you can quickly see the stark differences in their outlooks and why they are in conflict, and it all just makes sense right away.
Plus the whole conflict fits nicely within that one episode. You are introduced to Teru's mindset, see how Mob challenges it, see him ultimately abandon his values, and finally see his realization that the world is bigger than him, both physically and metaphorically. Its both a visually interesting fight, and is more conceptually than just "the good guy beats up the bad guy because he is stronger".
Master of None Season 1 Episode 2
This is the first time I watched something and related to it on almost every level. As a millenial, American child of asian immigrants, this episode reflected my reality at that point in my life.
You don't need to watch any other episodes. It works perfectly on its own. People of other backgrounds can relate to it too.
I love how great Aziz Ansari's total non-actor parents are in that show. You just know he said "well, my parents are the funniest people I know, so I'm going to cast them no matter how bad their acting skills are," and it worked perfectly.
Mythic Quest S1E5 - "A Dark Quiet Death"
I was flip flopping on whether I wanted to continue watching this show, since the first season is a little rough, in my opinion, but this one episode was fantastic. The show is generally about the video game industry and the modern difficulties of making games as a large studio. This episode is a standalone and basically covers the life cycle of an indie game darling. It's such an incredible standalone episode, I was completely blown away. If you like video games at all, I highly, highly recommend it.
Really wish they had had more episodes like this on the show.
I already commented a different show/episode in this thread, but this would have been my second choice. Absolutely phenomenal stand alone episode. You don't need to watch the rest of the show to have it really hit you, but if you have been watching the full series, it really does put things in more perspective.
I think that Mythic Quest's "Backstory!" (S02E06) also fits in this category. The episode itself is basically about a young man who loves scifi and wants to write his own stories going to work as a copy editor for a publication, meeting other people who also want to write their own stories, and slowly realizing that being a fan of something doesn't necessarily lead to being good at that thing.
The context needed for it is minor (basically knowing what the series itself is about), and even watching watching the series itself beforehand gives only bits and pieces of extra context about a character that was mostly used for comic relief until that point, mostly the viewer asking themself "how did this guy win an award for his work when all his ideas are super hacky?" It left a bigger impression on me than Dark Quiet Death since I've watched similar things play out in front of me in real time.
Also, it has Josh Brener in the lead role here, which was a bit distracting since I just see him as Big Head from Silicon Valley, but he did such a good job that I forgot about it a few scenes in.
Sometimes Stargate SG-1 would take a break from the wider plot and do an episode that could have worked as a standalone sci-fi movie.
S02E16 "A Matter of Time" A military base is connected via wormhole to a planet falling into a black hole, causing increasingly drastic levels of time dilation as they race to cut the connection. A very compelling and well written depiction of a physics concept.
S09E12 "Collateral Damage" A team of explorers visits a civilization with the technology to implant memories, then one of them is seemingly framed for a murder. But of course, he remembers doing it. Can he prove it's an implanted memory?
I was thinking 1969 for Stargate, too
It played on repeat on the scifi channel growing up and honestly I dont even remember watching the rest of the episodes as a kid, I remember just that one.
I didn't really like the TV adaptation of Last of Us in general, but S1E3: Long, Long Time was pure cinema and perfectly watchable without knowing almost anything about what was happening outside of that episode.
Star Trek TNG S5E18, Cause and Effect is pretty great also, and probably works without knowing a huge lot about the series.
Also, X-Files S5E12, Bad Blood is a funny, quite well bottled, episode written by none other than Vince Gilligan.
Removing shows that are episodic or known for one-offs like Atlanta, I think the first few that come to mind are:
True Detective - S1E4. Easy enough to follow along with what's happening in front of you, and, like, motherfuckin goddamn. (Honorable mention for season 2 episode 4 as well)
Game of Thrones - S4E8/9 or maybe S5E8. My ex forced me to watch that show and I didn't appreciate it and never knew what was going on or who was who. Then The Mountain vs The Viper happened and I locked tf in. Would it be better to know everything that's going on? Yes. But speaking from experience, it's good enough with just whatever you pick up in that hour and have going in from cultural osmosis.
Mr. Robot - S3E5 was better in the pre-1917 days but still a hell of a ride. Yes, I love a oner. No, I will not apologize. Besides, does anyone ever really know what's happening in that show? Also, shoutout S4E5. Big swing, very cool, totally works imo, and can probably be enjoyed without knowing anything that's going on beyond what you see in front of you.
Peep Show - S4E5. Feels like cheating since Peep Show isn't something you necessarily have to follow in order, but there is a main story throughout the show. This episode (Holiday) is sort of throwing you into the deep end, but it is incredible. Be warned, there's a 3.1% chance this ruins Thanksgiving for you if you're an American. Speaking of Americans...
The Americans - S1E1. Not the best episode of the series, but probably the most enjoyable if you haven't seen anything else. In a weird way, I think it works if the end of that episode is the end of the story. Kinda cheating since it's a pilot, but whatever.
Fargo - S3E8. I have personal experience with this one, having shown it to a few people who hadn't seen the third season. Season 3 is a slog, imo. And while there is an all-time "hell yeah!" moment at the end of episode 7 for those who have seen the first season, you don't need to know anything to dive into this episode and enjoy it. It gives you all the weirdness and excitement that the show delivers when it's at its best in a single episode.
Succession - S1E10. I think this actually works as a standalone. There's enough in the dialogue, setting, and storytelling for you to understand the Roy family and their fucked up dynamics, and there is a clear beginning and end to this little chapter of their story. Add 30 extra minutes to this episode and it would make a hell of a movie.
The Sopranos - S3E1. "Pine Barrens." The GOAT. You don't need to know anything about these guys going into it. Just sit back and enjoy. They'll show you everything and more.
While this is a great episode that stands on its own, I would argue that the primary weight behind it is lost without the context of the rest of the show. Having watched the entire series, the outcome of that fight was actually one of the most gut-wrenching moments of the entire series for me, because
major spoilers
it all but guaranteed Tyrion’s imminent death (and then in addition, the subversion of him surviving was legitimately shocking as well). Up until this point of the show, there were really no deus ex machinas or surprise happy endings—if someone looked like they were gonna die, they were gonna die (Ned Stark in S1 being the prime example and great tone-setting).
Again, not arguing it was a great standalone, but for anyone not familiar with the series, this episode carries a lot more weight when you have context around the fight and have emotional attachments to other characters.
Just started watching The Americans and it's so good! We watched it after finishing the season of Widow's Bay so it's extra fun for us seeing Matthew Rhys in this role.
Season 1, Episode 6 of Watchmen, “This Extraordinary Being". One of the best stand alone superhero episodes ever. Does an interesting twist on a character that had little background.
I can second this one! And also Watchmen as a whole. I'm in awe at how they managed to capture the same spirit and energy of the original comic. This particular episode was shocking and gripping. And mild spoiler, so I'll put it in a detail box:
One thing I loved was how an earlier episode had a brief glimpse of a TV show that did dramatizations of hero lives, based on the in-universe theory he was that circus strongman. It opened with a dramatic reenactment of his death and the actor's narration about his life, including I believe some remark about how he was the first hero, before the camera panned out to show it was a TV.
Really helped make the universe feel real and fleshed out, and also served as a good yet subtle way to bring the character of Hooded Justice to viewers' attentions so they'd get the gravity of the reveal even without reading the comic.
.....and on that note: episode 5's opening had me giggling maniacally as I realized the significance of the date, and even grabbed the comic to double-check. That sequence was glorious.
Westworld Season 2 Episode 8, "Kiksuya". It was so painfully beautiful, emotional, introspective, visually stunning, and overlaid with Ramin Djawadi's haunting rendition of Heart-Shaped Box. Perfect.
I'm not certain that it works completely as a standalone episode- I might remove the introductory five minutes and instead work in the cold opens from the first two episodes to give more context, but I'd nominate episode 03 of the first season of "The Last of Us"- titled "Long, Long Time".
What a fine episode of TV that was - I've never played the games, but am aware of their existence and their story (very broad strokes). My partner went into the series blind and thought it was fine, not amazing, but fine. But we both loved that episode so much. I'll probably get round to season 2(+?) at some point purely from the "halo" that that episode gives season 1 for me.
Seinfeld - “The Contest”
The Dick Van Dyke Show - “I’d Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head At All”.
Victorious - “Brain Squeezers”
Friends - “The One Where No One’s Ready”
American Dad - “The American Dad Afterschool Special”
I seem to remember that this is also a filler episode so it takes place only in Monica and Rachels apartment which makes it even more impressive.
I think Darmok, Star Trek: The Next Generation (S5 E2), is pretty great as a stand alone.
I think that episode, or the one in which Wes Crusher almost gets put to death when he’s convicted of accidentally stepping on some flowers, are great for showing the thematic contrast between Star Trek and “New” Star Trek , which to me is anything produced after Enterprise (which had the 2nd best theme song if we’re honest about it).
Northern Exposure, season 4 episode 18, "Northern Lights".
The episode is all about finding light in the middle of the worst darkness, both literally and figuratively. About overcoming isolation, uncertainty and polarisation through empathy, art and coming together as a community. It condenses the series' main themes into a single episode, features almost all of the major characters, is largely self-contained, and has one of the most beautiful endings of any episode of television ever created.
It's sad that the show has been so difficult to watch for such a long time. I would argue that it was as influential and popular as contemporary shows like Twin Peaks and X-Files. But Northern Exposure was also full of great licensed music, and music licensing is complicated, so it all but disappeared soon after broadcasts ended. It remains one of my favourite series, and "Northern Lights" one of my favourite episodes of television. If you can watch it, and like quirky, warm, thoughtful television, do give it a try.
Eye of the Beholder from The Twilight Zone, but there's also easily 20+ episodes that people could choose instead. Being a very well written anthology series is basically cheating in this format.
...anthologies are indeed easy marks for this exercise: i'll nominate san junipero from the third season of black mirror...even though its tone isn't representative of the series as a whole, there's a subtle sinister note to the narrative in keeping with the overall theme of the series, which a lot of folks miss at first blush...
"Nosedive" (S3E01) is my pick if we're including Black Mirror/anthologies. I love San Junipero as well but the social credit score episode is one that I think people can see themselves in the Bryce Dallas Howards character with minimal effort. I especially love the optimism of the final scene
An anthology like The Twilight Zone feels both like cheating, but also hard, because it has so many good and classic episodes that still pop up in references. ("It's a cookbook!")
Other episodes that are noteworthy and legendary: It's a Good Life, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Time Enough At Last, Little Girl Lost... There are countless episodes that leave a mark.
I'll give a shout out to "Five Characters in Search of An Exit" in particular. It was one of the first I remember seeing as a kid, and is such a simple yet memorable concept. Also the kind of "quiet" plot that just never gets made these days.
S1E6 Flight of the Conchords - Bowie. This show is funny, but this episode especially had me in stitches. The songs are so funny. “Wear the eye patch Bret. Wear the funky funky eye patch”
S6E11 of the Simpsons: "Fear of Flying". The story alone has a great emotional arc where Marge has to unpack what triggered her fear of flying, but then on top of that I think it has the highest rate of jokes per second of any Simpsons episode (and any comedy I've seen). So many of my favourite jokes are from that episode.
The jokes
"Wait a minute... there's something bothering me about this place... I know! This lesbian bar doesn't have a fire exit! Enjoy your death trap, ladies!" "What was her problem?"
"Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for crisis as they do for opportunity?" "Yah! Crisatunity!
"Homer? Who is Homer? My name is Guy Incognito."
"The important thing is that we've pinpointed the precise moment when you developed your fear of flying." "Wait. Some other stuff's coming back to me." (Marge recalls several traumatic events involving airplanes, including being shot at from a plane, North By North West-style) "You think those things could also have contributed to my fear of flying?" "Yes, yes, it's all a rich tapestry."
I could keep going but then I'd just be copy and pasting the whole script here.
"This is what a cornfield looks like, honey!"
"mmmmm"
It's so stupid but it's one of my most memorable lines from that era of the Simpsons
Twin Peaks: The Return (aka Season 3), Part 8. There's some stuff at the beginning that may be a bit confusing if you haven't followed the show up to that point, but then the rest of the episode is a magical Lynchian-in-its-purest-form journey that would be confusing to even the most die-hard fan, so it's a perfect standalone.
There's a reason it's "that one episode."
It's the one I am referring to whenever I say "Frost let Lynch off his leash."
This is really not at all what the creative dynamic between Frost and Lynch was on Twin Peaks. At no point it would be accurate to describe what was happening as Lynch being on Frosts leash, it's a bit of a ridiculous and even offensive notion. They both commented many times over the years on how well they worked together as a team, and how critical and complementary each of their contributions were to making Twin Peaks what it was. It was all much more pushing each other forward, than pulling each other back, if that makes sense.
Much of the concept behind part 8 was actually Frosts. He was behind a lot of the lore of the Twin Peaks universe and the forces at play. Lynch often gave Frosts ideas concrete visual form. Lynch himself said that Frost deserves at least 50% of the credit for the content of the final season. (Of course Lynch contributed many ideas as well, his tended to be more abstract and based on feelings and mystery. Frost often then weaved those into the larger lore of the universe alongside his own ideas.)
You can really tell too - visually part 8 is of course all Lynch, but in terms of structure and storytelling, it's much more Frost than Lynch. There are much more Lynchian elements in the rest of the season, with the parallel realities/dream worlds and non-linear time, in contrast part 8 is a very straight forward A to B story.
Frost was interviewed about part 8, and said they knew writing it it was going to be critical to the season, and the episode was written in great detail by both of them:
On the page, we wrote it in great detail. I think it was maybe 12, 15 pages. But as we were putting down the descriptions, I knew David was going to take that as the blueprint for something extraordinary. He ran with it and elevated it to a whole other level.
..the atomic explosion was probably half a page as written, but I knew that, in David’s hands, it could run as long as 10 or 12 minutes, and it would be riveting. It was certainly a narrative departure from what we had done before. There was no question about that. But it needed to stand apart, and it needed to blow your mind. So mission accomplished.
Yes ! This is the girl !
Arguably one of the best things Lynch ever did. This episode is the peak of the best season of perhaps the best show in television history. It explains and lays out the entire backstory of Twin Peaks in a way only Lynch could put into existence. It's not really a spoiler, you have to watch Twin Peaks start to end probably several times to really put it together and understand this episode. But it still works on its own as an absolute tour de force of surrealist cinema. Hard to envision a more fitting visual companion to the Penderecki Threnody too.
Episode 3 of Heated Rivalry technically works really well as a standalone. It adapts like 90% of the first book in that author's series, as something that happens at that book's climax (which occurs in a later episode) is relevant to the overarching story of Heated Rivalry (which adapts a later book in the same anthology). But because the director cut it where he did, Episode 3 introduces us to the characters and ends in a solid-if-bittersweet place that makes sense for the narrative, so it stands alone reasonably well. It's also my least favorite episode of the series, but I'll chalk that up to an overexposure to coffeeshop AUs and investment in the main couple of Heated Rivalry (who barely even appear in that episode), as a lot of the straight dudes I saw reacting to the show really loved that episode.
The Studio S01E02. is so good on so many levels I rewatched immediately and then once again later.
I was so convinced the show could not get better from here I stopped watching for awhile and I've only seen one episode after haha
Star Trek - Deep Space 9 S6E19: “In the Pale Moonlight”
Captain Sisko weighs the value of his morals and self respect against the greater good during a losing war against the Dominion.
This one from Euphoria. Best trans representation I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. It's also nothing like the rest of the show. There might be some context missing but I think it will pass alright.
And then there's this one from Black Mirror. Also not much like the rest of the show. Just an incredible stand-alone.
Euphoria - Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob
Black Mirror - San Junipero (also mentioned here)
for anyone who don't want to click through for the answer
Thanks.
I put links and not names because I almost never have a single clue what TV episodes are named. Don't know how anyone knows it actually haha, to the point I don't actually quite understand why single-episode discussions and reviews are even a thing (except a topic like this).
I don't know why TV reviews can ever be based on that and not either the entire thing, or at least a full season. A single episode out of dozens or hundreds is like reviewing a single chapter of a book?
No worries, I just grabbed the titles from your links. It was super early when I saw your comment and I read it several times trying to figure out what the episodes were. I was pretty sure knew the Euphoria one but you left me guessing on the Black Mirror one :)
Miami Vice (Season 1 Pilot)
That show changed the history of TV and the pilot/first 2 episodes themselves could be watched as a movie on their own.
Good music, amazing photography, an ok script and superb vibes.
I wouldn't say single episode (more like six), but there is a mini-arc of Sword Art Online that I would thoroughly recommend watching over the main series. Specifically, S2E19-24 (or the Mother's Rosario arc, which technically starts at Episode 18 but that's a filler episode that can be skipped.)
I hate Sword Art Online for a lot of reasons, but this is easily the best arc in the series by a mile, and it's a side-story.
To sum up Mother's Rosario
Asuna meets a skilled player called Yuuki in Alfheim Online and challenges her to a duel, only to then be recruited by her into the Sleeping Knights, a guild that is trying to land a world first Aincrad floor clear and immortalize their names. Despite being actively pushed away from their goal by a rival guild, they accomplish it (with some help from Kazuto) only for Yuuki to fear she's grown too close and disappear off the face of the map.
After Kazuto tips her off, Asuna visits a hospital where she learns that the Sleeping Knights are a guild of terminally ill patients and that Yuuki is immunocompromised, because when she was born, a botched c-section and blood transfusion resulted in her (and her mother) contracting AIDS. She was the first patient to use a Medicuboid, a full-dive virtual reality device. They reunite once again and spend more time together, until Yuuki dies, but not before passing on her 9-hit sword skill as a scroll.
The X-Files S2E02, The Host.
The show has a bunch of good candidates for its monster-of-the-week format and some terrible candidates for the overarching, winding alien abduction conspiracy plot, but this episode was well received and can be enjoyed in isolation. I just looked it up on Wikipedia and apparently a critic even noted that it was "a refreshing instance of a fully and satisfactorily resolved episode — like a perfect meal, although you definitely don't want to eat during this one."
It's about some kind of humanoid flukeworm mutant arriving in the bilge of a cargo ship from Russia, moving into the sewers where it starts killing people. The design of the monster is absolutely iconic, horrifying and by all means campy. The main characters are at their best, perfect representations of themselves. You will probably remember the flukeman for a long time after watching this.
I first had another episode in mind at first, S02E10 Humbug. That's probably more enjoyable if you are familiar with the characters and general tone of the show, though, because it's a bit of a departure in that regard, tuning the off-beat dark humor aspect to 11. But it follows a complete, conclusive plot and is one of my favorite episodes for the variety of colorful characters and the still-somewhat-cosy whodunnit mystery. A circus freak is murdered and all the other circus freaks are suspects, guest starring The Enigma.
Multiple X-Files MOTW episodes could fill this niche. My favorite was one of the revival seasons in the last decade, s10e3 "Mulder and Sculler meet the Were-monster". The fun twist is that the shapeshifter is originally a lizard man that gets bit by a human, and is compelled to get a job selling mobile phones, and laments the hopelessness of human existence.
In the October spirit, Murdoch Mysteries Season 12 Episode 6: "Sir. Sir? Sir!!!"
It's a standalone halloween episode that is silly but also very fun. My husband and I both enjoyed it, and he doesn't watch the show at all. This episode has it's own plot not tied to anything else.
Too Old to Die Young S01E04-05 was aired at film festivals as a standalone and its really amazing.
I think The Magicians S3E5 'A Life in the Day' would work quite well for this, at least for the Elliott and Quentin part of the episode.
Two friends attempting to solve an impossible puzzle to retrieve a magical maguffin. It takes a while.
"The Sopranos" Pine Barrens (TV Episode 2001) ⭐ 9.7 | Crime, Drama
Episode 38 – Originally aired March 6, 2001 Written by Tim Van Patten and Terence Winter Directed by Steve Buscemi
If there’s any Sopranos episode to watch, it’s this one for two reasons:
Basic story is, two of the show’s capos are sent on a mission (specifically not a hit btw), and antics ensue. This episode is so motherfucking funny man. If you’re into critical analysis, check out this break down of the episode Pine Barrens (3.11).
*I hate that I’m reccommending an HBO show at the same time as the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger, but Sopranos is worth it. What’s ethical stance on piracy here?
**Maybe?