With 2014 a little more than half over, my partner in crime Margaux and I wanted to take a look at the year’s ten best episodes of television so far. It’s been a hell of year; Fargo and True Detective floored us with amazing debut seasons, Community returned to NBC under Dan Harmon’s stewardship, and returning shows like Louie and Orange is the New Black came blazing back to our screens with brilliant sophomore offerings. This list is in no order, save for alphabetical, and while taste is subjective, remember that if you don’t agree with us, you’re wrong.
True Detective, “The Long Bright Dark”
And so our obsession began. For its entire runtime, True Detective dominated the Internet (who is the Yellow King? What is Carcosa?), but it all started here. “The Long Bright Dark” was Nic Pizzolatto making his mark on the television landscape. We met Matthew McConaughey’s Rust Cohle, one of this year’s best characters, and his partner, Woody Harrelson’s good ol’ boy Marty Hart. We heard Cohle’s first philosophical rumination; we saw Hart’s first extramarital dalliance. It was the mark of the beginning of ten bleak, existential hours of television. “The Long Bright Dark” wasn’t just a premiere. It was a statement. – Trevor
Playing House, “Pilot”
Pleasing pilots are hard to pull off. I’ve hated a lot of the first episodes of what ended up being some of my favorite shows, but not Playing House. I’ve loved Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham since their short-lived NBC show Best Friends Forever, so it was a welcomed return in May when Playing House had its series premiere. Though I loved the entire season, “Pilot” hooks you so effectively and makes you feel so apart of their friendship, you’ll never wanna leave the raccoon-infested playhouse either. – Margaux
Orange is the New Black, “A Whole Other Hole”
I really wanted to hate the second season of Orange is the New Black: Piper really grinds my goddamn gears with her Larry/Alex drama – they both suck, problem solved! But the smart move of giving the supporting (and more interesting) cast more to do in the second season really paid off and we really got something wonderful in “A Whole Other Hole.” You think it’s just going to be another cheeky episode with lots of vagina talk until, BOOM you are hit in the face with Lorna and Christopher’s backstory and I was straight up shocked. I mean, you knew that she couldn’t really be engaged or that something else was at play but when you find out? Clutch your damn pearls cause it’s a doozy. – Margaux
Louie, “In the Woods”
The fourth season of Louis C.K.’s excellent sitcom saw the comedian trying his hand at more long-form narratives, such as “Elevator (parts 1-6)” and “Pamela (parts 1-3).” But for all of C.K.’s filmmaking ambition, it never played better than it did in “In the Woods,” the overlong eleventh episode of the season. The whole episode is told in flashback, with C.K. appearing only to bookend the narrative. His cast is, as usual, excellent; “In the Woods” boasts amazing performances from Jeremy Renner and Skipp Sudduth, as well as a star-making turn from Devin Druid as a young Louie. It was one of this year’s most ambitious episodes of TV, not because of cast size, or epic scope, but because of how personal it all felt. Watching “In the Woods,” we are watching C.K. confess: I wasn’t always a good guy, and you might not be either, but you can be. – Trevor
Hannibal, “Mizumono”
Hannibal’s second season felt like an orchestral piece, albeit a jarring, discordant one, like something from Samuel Barber or Bela Bartok. It rose to a hellish crescendo in the season finale “Mizumono.” The episode masterfully touched upon all the themes that Bryan Fuller explored throughout Hannibal: madness, loss, evil, and family. Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy have seldom been better as Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham; Mikkelsen in particular shows us a very human face of evil, even as Hannibal is wielding knives and covered in blood. He seems almost like a monster who’s weary of being monstrous, but knows no other way to be. – Trevor
Fargo, “Buridan’s Ass”
This might have been one of the bloodiest hours of TV all year, even including offerings from shows like Game of Thrones and Hannibal. “Buridan’s Ass” saw Lorne Malvo’s fiendish plan writ large, as the hour culminated in a literally snow-white shootout. The body count rose to four, as two of Fargo’s standout side characters – Glenn Howerton’s Don Chumph and Adam Goldberg’s Mr. Numbers – met their ends in grisly, operatic fashion. “Buridan’s Ass” showed Fargo creator Noah Hawley’s grand ambition, and more importantly, it showed the pitch-black heart lurking at the show’s center. – Trevor
Community, “Cooperative Polygraphy”
This episode is a spiritual cousin to season two’s masterful bottle episode “Cooperative Calligraphy,” which is a pretty high bar to hurdle. But Dan Harmon and Community’s deliriously talented ensemble prove more than up to the task, as “Polygraphy” sets out to eulogize Chevy Chase’s Pierce Hawthorne, a divisive character played by an actor with whom Harmon butted heads more than once. What’s surprising about the episode is its underlying sweetness, which guest star Walton Goggins does nothing to belie, speaking almost in a monotone as he asks Abed if he’s ever “9/11’d anybody.” To me, “Cooperative Polygraphy” is more than just great comedy – it’s a great goodbye. – Trevor
Chozen, “In a Pickle”
What can I say, I love cartoons that curse. Especially at bad kids named Eddie, or Shane. Chozen was sadly cancelled by FXX (along with Legit) a few months ago but if you’re gonna watch one episode, I’d start at towards the of the end of the season with “In a Pickle.” How will a white, gay, ex-con rapper entertain kids? Probably with a little diddy about hot dudes with big-ass dicks. – Margaux
Broad City, “P*$$Y Weed”
I don’t think a single episode of TV made me laugh so hard this year from beginning to end than “P*$$Y Weed.” I mean, ALL of Broad City’s first season was a hysterical riot that makes me wish on an everyday basis I was BFF’s with Abbi and Ilana. But this episode stands out in my mind because for an episode with sorta low stakes (Abbi just wants to get high and Ilana just wants to figure out what “doing your taxes” means), it’s the way these characters go about everyday life like this that make you tear up with laughter. Cause finally, you’re not alone. Oh, just me? Okay.- Margaux
Bob’s Burgers,“The Questranaus”
Bob’s Burgers makes having a family, and in all reality, being one constant step away from bankruptcy look like heartwarming, hilarious fun. And it was captured excellently in the 17th episode of their 4th season with, “The Questranauts.” Quite frankly, I have no idea what the subculture of Bronies is about, but from what I’ve been told, Bob’s interpretation is pretty spot-on. Do you really need reason than, there is a character in the episode that goes by “Pony Danza” – I didn’t think so. mic drop – Margaux
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