The Countdown Breaks the Top 10!

This is a very momentous post. We are finally breaking into the Top 10 Best Episodes of the season!! That's not to say that numbers 11-30 aren't fabulous (they had to be to make the list), but the 10 best just had an extra somethin' somethin'. Before we get to this week's entries, here's a look at the rules for this year's winners. I ended up with 30 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. All of the shows and their episodes are from NETWORK television only, meaning that I did not take any cable series into consideration (since I only watch a few and felt that it would be unfair). All episodes aired between September 2006 and June 2007. Each episode that made the final list moved me in some way; either by making me laugh out loud, cry my eyes out or just left me with that "wow" feeling that stays with you for a few days. So basically, it's completely subjective! Since this is a summer-long countdown to the number 1 episode, I will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in on Thursdays to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 15-13.

12: "My Point of No Return" - Scrubs
Big changes alway bring big hesitations, but most aren't as funny and dramatic as they are for the characters on Scrubs. Eliot is set to marry Keith and JD is about to be a dad. Both are clinging onto relationships that may have burned out months ago. But, how do you know for sure? Well, kissing your best friend while sharing a bed with her in the break room at your hospital might be your first clue. Or, you might just be getting a HUGE case of cold feet. Eliot wants to be with Keith, but she's not sure that it will make her happy. Meanwhile, JD wants to be OK with being a dad and not being in love with the mother of that child, but neither is having a decent time working it all out. And then there's the past lingering over these two like unfinished business. This outing highlighted the comedy's ability to weave real emotions and inner confusion between its laugh out loud moments. And honestly, who isn't struggling to sort it all out at that point in their lives? Written by Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan and directed by Linda Mendoza.

11: "South of the Border (Part Uno y Dos)" - My Name is Earl
As if watching Earl in Camden County cross people off his list wasn't funny enough, this episode had him (and brother Randy) traveling to Mexico to cross Catalina off. He got her deported, so he had to get her reinstated. But, the only way to do so was to marry her. Except Randy was secretly in love with her, so he gets to play hero and save the day. There was so much funny along the way, though: The plane ride, the bus, Randy adopting a family for the night, and all the trials that Earl had to go through to marry Catalina (he failed). Thank goodness Randy was there to save her. Comic gold! These two should travel across the border more often. Written by Michael Pennie (Part Uno) and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Part Dos) and directed by Michael Fresco (Part Uno) and Marc Buckland (Part Dos).

10: "Forever Blue" - Cold Case
One of the most respectable things about this crime drama is its gumption to not shy away from controversial topics, but this episode used a past crime to break barriers on a present-day social conflict. The gang reopens the murder of a beat cop after a prisoner comes forward with new information. What appears to be a drug-related murder turns out to be a hate crime. The victim, Coop, was gay and dating his partner. In 1968. Tensions were running high, especially between him and his father. And then there was his partner, a man who wasn't ready to come to terms with the idea that he and Coop were "the lucky ones." Now, almost 40 years later, he finally gets a chance to make amends for not being ready for what he and Coop had. Perhaps the most telling thing about this one was the lack of noise about its groundbreaking onscreen kiss between the two male partners. Imagine such a scene going down so quietly back in Coop's day. And thus, the value of time and Cold Case's flawless use of it. Written by Tom Pettit and directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

So, there's a look at episodes 12-10 on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Be sure to come back next week when the countdown continues with more of the Top 10!!