Board 8 > Scarlet Ranks User-Nominated Episodes of Television: Season 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previously on Scarlet Ranks...

Vampires. Time travel. Death. Space. And money in the banana stand.

We're back with a second run of one hundred episodes (just enough to get this topic into syndication) as Scarlet Ranks rockets into its sophomore outing. As you all know, I'm an avid viewer of all sorts of television, from Sorkin to Kelley to David. It's often a social event for me; sharing a great show with a friend is often quite rewarding, and no show should be experienced in a vacuum. So television has become a large part of my life, both in terms of my personal free time and my social scene.

With one hundred new episodes, it became kind of clear this time that people were more interested in pushing more niche shows. I look forward to exploring ALL of these!

But but but I fear this, honestly, since I imagine that I will see a major drop in traffic on this list. The commentary and interaction is what primarily drove the previous list, and when it dropped, it became harder to push through. Hopefully, that won't be the case. But, keep in mind that Scarlet topics rely on that constant discussion to keep me motivated. Please don't nominate obscure stuff and disappear!

I definitely am less familiar with this list than with last, and I'm neither positive nor negative on that front. Of course, if the goal is to get me to watch new shows, that's PROBABLY not going to happen. Maybe one or two shows will earn that honor, given the sheer deluge of television currently running that I watch. We live in a golden age of television these days, and a lot of these episodes that have been nominated will likely prove that to be the case. The greatest travesty is that some of the shows that might be nominated are forced onto my long, growing list of television to watch later, desperately awaiting an opportunity at viewership. Of course, a great example of a show that won a watchthrough from me last time around is 12 Monkeys. Can't wait to eventually sit down and binge it after I get closer to Thanksgiving.

You never know what I'll say or how I'll feel... I'm unpredictable! What you do know is that I grade on three ten point scales:
Writing
Characterization
Scarlet Factor
We've explained those enough in the past, so everyone likely knows the drill.

Here's a list of what's been ranked in the past and what's coming this time around:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jVhS-8AR8b84RJgRHi3p_Xjdgz8cDRG4L_5obGq2lCU/edit?usp=sharing

We'll start soon... maybe even tomorrow!
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The Nominees:
24 - "Day 5: 6 AM to 7 AM"
Agents of SHIELD - "4,722 Hours"
Ally McBeal - "Over the Rainbow"
Angel - "Dead End"
Ash vs. Evil Dead - "Twist and Shout"
Avatar: The Last Airbender - "The Storm"
Avatar: The Last Airbender - "The Tales of Ba Sing Se"
Babylon 5 - "Signs and Portents"
Babylon 5 - "The Coming of Shadows"
Batman: The Animated Series - "Almost Got 'Im"
Beast Wars: Transformers - "Code of Hero"
Black Mirror - "Hang the DJ"
Black Mirror - "Shut Up and Dance"
Black Sails - "I"
Bojack Horseman - "Escape from L.A."
Bojack Horseman - "You're a Piece of Shit"
Boston Legal - "Shock and Oww!"
Carnivale - "Pick a Number"
Channel Zero - "All You Ghost Mice"
Cheers - "Thanksgiving Orphans"
Chernobyl - "1:23:45"
Chuck - "Chuck vs. the Marlin"
Community - "Remedial Chaos Theory"
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - "Josh Just Happens to Live Here"
Doctor Who - "Gridlock"
Doctor Who - "Midnight"
Doctor Who - "The Water of Mars"
Doom Patrol - "Danny Patrol"
Flight of the Conchords - "Love is a Weapon of Choice"
Frasier - "The Ski Lodge"
Futurama - "Hell is Other Robots"
Futurama - "Jurassic Bark"
Girls' Last Tour - "Accident/Technology/Takeoff"
Gotham - "The Beginning"
Gravity Falls - "Dreamscaperers"
Grey's Anatomy - "It's the End of the World"
Hello My Twenties - "My Dream is to Be an Office Worker #Proof of Poverty"
I, Claudius - "Zeus, By Jove!"
Impact Wrestling - "Eli Drake's 2nd Annual Gravy Train Turkey Trot"
Impact Wrestling - "Total Nonstop Deletion"
Infinity Train - "The Corgi Car"
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The D.E.N.N.I.S. System"
Joe Pera Talks with You - "Joe Pera Takes You on a Fall Drive"
Jonathan Creek - "Danse Macabre"
King of the Hill - "A Beer Can Named Desire"
Legion - "Chapter 20"
Leverage - "The Nigerian Job"
Lexx - "I Worship His Shadow"
Lois & Clark - "Tempus Fugitive"
LOST - "Walkabout"
Mad Men - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"
Made in Abyss - "The City of the Great Pit"
Malcolm in the Middle - "Red Dress"
Mao Mao: Heroes of the Pure Heart - "Not Impressed"
Misfits - "Season 1, Episode 1"
Murder, She Wrote - "Trial by Error"
Nirvanna the Band the Show - "The Buffet"
One Piece - "Episode 37"
One Punch Man - "The Strongest Man"
Outcast - "A Darkness Surrounds Him"
Over the Garden Wall - "The Old Grist Mill"
Oz - "A Game of Checkers"
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Psych - "Last Night Gus"
Quantum Leap - "Raped"
Raising Hope - "Jimmy's Fake Girlfriend"
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai - "My Senpai is a Bunny Girl"
Rick & Morty - "Meseeks and Destroy"
Samurai Jack - "XCIII"
Sgt. Frog - "Face-Off! Decisive Battle Over Molar-3/Sgt. Frog vs. The Cavitians of Cavity 9"
Sherlock - "A Scandal in Belgravia"
Simpsons - "Homer at the Bat"
Six Feet Under - "That's My Dog"
Star Trek - "The Menagerie, Part I"
Star Trek - "The Menagerie, Part II"
Star Trek: The Next Generation - "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1"
Star Trek: The Next Generation - "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2"
Stranger Things - "Holly, Jolly"
Supernatural - "Lazarus Rising"
Teen Titans - "Haunted"
Teen Titans - "How Long Is Forever?"
The Hero Yoshikhiko and the Demon King's Castle - "In Which the Sword Falls out of the Stone"
The Librarians - "And the Point of Salvation"
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - "Pilot"
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Chuckles Bites the Dust"
The Orville - "About a Girl"
The Outer Limits - "Small Friends"
The Prisoner - "Arrival"
The Sopranos - "Employee of the Month"
The Sopranos - "Pine Barrens"
The Walking Dead - "Too Far Gone"
The X-Files - "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster"
Toast of London - "Bonus Ball"
Twilight Zone - "And When the Sky Was Opened"
Twin Peaks - "Part 8"
V - "Pilot"
Weird City - "The One"
West Wing - "What Kind of Day Has It Been?"
White Collar - "Burke's Seven"
X-Men: The Animated Series - "Days of Future Past Part I/II"
Young Justice - "Homefront"

Random.org dictates that the first episode will be...
The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Chuckles Bites the Dust" (Nominated by: KBM)
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This is gonna be fun, tag!

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Pretty excited for this especially since I missed the first one.

Are you watching them in alphabetical order? I'm going to try and watch along for discussion
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Tag
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BetrayedTangy posted...

Pretty excited for this especially since I missed the first one.

Are you watching them in alphabetical order? I'm going to try and watch along for discussion

I will be using Random.org to dictate the order.
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Tag.
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Tag
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chuckles......
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Tag
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Tag
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Oh totally didn't see that at the end of the list. My bad haha
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of these 100 episodes, I've seen 30, but there's definitely a few favorites in there

props to whoever nominated Joe Pera, I absolutely would've nominted Joe Pera Talks You to Sleep if I had thought of it
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On a quick skim I think I've only seen about 14 of these episodes.
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I count about 42 eps seen for me.

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I didn't think this set was significantly more obscure than the last, but I've only seen around 20-25 (there are a few I'm unsure cause I've seen a lot of the series but I don't care to look up episode titles) so I guess it is? I dunno! I probably was on the low end of episodes seen from the last set though
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Obscure isn't bad at all. I mean, they could be a of lot stinkers, who knows? Obscure just makes me worried that I won't see too many responses.
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Theres a lot of 90's nostalgia on this list, which is gonna maybe leave a lot of us a bit disappointed haha,.
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Tag
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I can definitely say I've watched 23, with 15 or so I might have but don't know.

"Chuckles Bites the Dust" was on my shortlist so I'm glad to see how it does!
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Woot woot! I also missed the first installment of this (I think I was on sabbatical from the board when it started) so I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out. I'm stoked you're starting with Chuckles... it was between that and the drunk Thanksgiving episode from Bob Newhart Show ("Over the River and Through the Woods") for my bonus "Classic Seventies Sitcom Episode" nomination.

I've only watched 5 of them - my four nominations and the other Black Mirror episode. I don't watch a lot of TV...
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I'm in the same boat pretty much, aside from my nominations I've only seen four of these. Most of the stuff I like wouldn't do that great, probably.
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Raka_Putra posted...

I don't watch a lot of TV...

You watch plenty of TV compared to me, though! I have seen a grand total of zero of these episodes. Since it's a scarlet project, I'll nonetheless be eagerly following along.
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Yeah, I've seen about 30 of these episodes but a significant number of the shows I haven't seen I haven't even heard of. It is a little intimidating how much great (I'm assuming, or at least interesting to talk about) TV there is that was not even remotely on my radar. Friggin golden age.
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MetalmindStats posted...

Raka_Putra posted...

I don't watch a lot of TV...

You watch plenty of TV compared to me, though! I have seen a grand total of zero of these episodes. Since it's a scarlet project, I'll nonetheless be eagerly following along.

Well, fair enough!
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wait when were there even nominations? or was it just gauntlet people or something?
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NFUN posted...

wait when we're there even nominations? or was it just gauntlet people or something?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78041610
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I was busy that day =/
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19 watched for me, although I don't remember what happened in most of the episodes.

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NFUN posted...

I was busy that day =/

I'm sure this will get picked up for a season 3.
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Gaaaah, I missed noms for this? Damn!

Tag
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trdl23 posted...

Gaaaah, I missed noms for this? Damn!

Tag

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The Mary Tyler Moore Show - "Chuckles Bites the Dust"
Nominated by: KBM

When I go back to the Nick at Nite/TV Land shows of yesteryear, I've often found that they just don't capture my interest in the way that newer shows do. There are many exceptions, of course, but there's something about the four-camera laugh track show that really slows down the momentum of a story, resulting in a less complex plotline in order to accommodate the constant intrusions of canned laughter. That does make this episode slightly more impressive, given the nuance of the plotline here.

The concept of understanding that there can be humor in darkness, that tragedy need not solely breed sadness, is something you don't see presented with any sort of complexity in television of this era. And even here, I hesitate to say that this is the best representation of that notion, but compare this to an era of kissing grits and wriggling noses for wishes, and you can see that the grappling with death in this episode is positively Dickensian from that perspective.

For me, what I really noticed was the eerie similarity between this cast and the cast of Murphy Brown. Aside from a major difference between Ed Asner and Miles, the casts are functionally copies of one another, right down to their choice of occupation. Mary and Murphy are opposites, the (surprisingly uninteresting) Betty White and Corky Sherwood Forest are opposites, Jim Dial and Ted Baxter are virtually identical... you can point to the various equivalent characters with ease. I think that actually took away from this episode overall for me. These people embody stock characters, not deeper, more meaningful characters that can resonate on a personal level. A lot of television is grounded in the superficial, and this is kind of the same way. Despite the attempt to achieve something a little bit more meaningful, it ultimately is mired in the processed writer's room conventions of old school television, and old school television is designed to cater to a particularly conservative audience. Not in political perspective but in creative accessibility.

So, this is the best of a lukewarm stew. That bite with a little extra flavor in an otherwise unremarkable meal.

Writing: 6/10
Characterization: 4/10
Scarlet Factor: 6/10
Overall Rating: 16/30

Next up is... LOST - "Walkabout" (Nominated by: Iceisnice)
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Hearing mention of Murphy Brown dopplegangers kinda makes me want to watch this. Not that I'm a big Murphy Brown fan or anything but it just adds some intrigue to me that wouldn't normally be there.

Not to derail from Mary Tyler Moore but speaking of Murphy Brown (I am not a big fan I swear) scarlet (or anyone else) you see any of the Murphy Brown reboot that came out last year or something
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I watched it in its entirety. There was a little bit of potential, and the cast itself is great, but man, it felt like it was telling the jokes it meant to tell 20 years ago when it ended.

I watched the original series when I was young on TV Land, so I felt obligated.
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Yeah I watched a few episodes but I kinda hated it

Pretty similar to your thoughts in a way, it felt like the writers from 20 years ago were still there telling the same jokes, but trying to spin their jokes in a way with a coat of paint that made them relevant today. Or "old people trying to tell jokes they think young people will like" to put it more simply.

Like I think I'd like the show a lot more if it was actually just set in the 90s cause man it felt so out of touch.
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That last sentence pretty much sums it up. Shows like Murphy were revolutionary but are now relics. It's different from a reboot like Dallas, which improved on its return dramatically.
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I had a feeling that might not land for you as much as it does for me, but I do want to note in all fairness that MTM never used canned laughter; it was always performed in front of a live audience.

I can appreciate that it's live, but that tends to make no difference to me in the end. It's the break in flow that I dislike, personally.
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Tag
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tag
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Ooooh Walkabout next.
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Tag
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Chuckles was a pretty revolutionary episode at the time, but yeah now we have an episode like that in just about every sitcom
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Lopen posted...

Yeah I watched a few episodes but I kinda hated it

Pretty similar to your thoughts in a way, it felt like the writers from 20 years ago were still there telling the same jokes, but trying to spin their jokes in a way with a coat of paint that made them relevant today. Or "old people trying to tell jokes they think young people will like" to put it more simply.

Like I think I'd like the show a lot more if it was actually just set in the 90s cause man it felt so out of touch.

On this note, I am horribly fascinated by the Mad About You revival that's coming this fall.
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I think Mad About You will have less potential to be terrible at least cause the subject matter probably won't be as compelled to be pop culture relevant

But the source material wasn't as good there either so who knows
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LOST - "Walkabout"
Nominated by: theiceisnice

Before I get into the meat of this episode, I've never had reason to mention this before, so I'll do it now - a good TV show constantly reinforces the names of characters. Show quality is directly proportional to how often the main and supporting characters reference each other's names. Why is this? Likely because you easily find yourself able to identify them. There's a subtle organizational structure involved in defining characters and the simplicity of identification is HUGELY important to characters being memorable. I don't know if these things are NECESSARILY connected with quality, but I've found that shows that make an effort to constantly reinforce names in early episodes are very often the best shows on TV. It's strange, but true.

What I love about Walkabout is what I love about LOST in general. At the heart of LOST, you find a show about self-discovery. And no episode better reinforces that thematic beat than Walkabout. We discover John Locke as John Locke discovers himself. The catalyst for change in his life proves to be this hugely tragic, traumatic event for everyone else. Until this point, three episodes have been focused on how this trauma is causing everyone to spiral and adjust on the fly. Survival is first and foremost, and the early mysteries of the island center around the simplicity of life and death.

Unlike many people, I find the entirety of LOST (with certain exceptions) to be a truly excellent class in storytelling. Season One especially lays out an ensemble cast and gives everyone involved a memorable, distinct role that stands apart from the rest, and yet gels excellently as part of the community. John Locke is one of the most important key characters, and this is the episode where we are given most of the important nuance for John Locke. Man of Faith is born here, as even in ruins, a flower can grow. Locke sees the miracle in disaster, and this makes him an unsettling character for some and a wise and heroic character for others. That divisiveness actually extends to the cast of characters itself, and the relationship between Jack and Locke defines this series more than any other.

Of course, every major character (except Jin is mostly absent from this episode) is given a chance to shine. The simplicity of a happy moment of respite for Charlie and Hurley can't be overlooked among the larger scenes of dramatic tension. Jack begins to explore the relationship with his deceased father, Kate really starts to become the wishy-washy runaway brat that will define her later on, and Shannon and Boone are honestly remarkably entertaining as spoiled rich kids.

Of course, this episode is nominated for the final moments. LOST is a show in love with symbolism, and few moments are as powerful as Locke's wheelchair burning in the fuselage with the bodies of the dead. That life is over. John Locke, as he is now, is a man reborn. And the trappings of that previous life are burned away in the metal wreck that birthed this new Locke. Thanks to the musical score provided by Michael Giacchino, this moment has become one of the greatest in a series chock full of great moments. Giacchino's music is, quite honestly, the best ever presented on television. It gives the characters distinct identities and colors every scene perfectly.

All in all, Walkabout is an excellent episode.

Writing: 9/10
Characterization: 10/10
Scarlet Factor: 10/10
Overall Rating: 29/30
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