The Countdown Rolls On

We are in the home stretch of this year's countdown of the Best Episodes of the Season, which means we're getting even closer to the number one best episode! 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 9-7.

9: "Responsible" - Law & Order: SVU
This episode was highly controversial, but addressed such an important topic that it didn't take much to make this my favorite episode of the season. Not many people realize that teen drinking and driving is a huge issue, but it is. First a girl dies from alcohol poisoning. Then, during the course of the trial, two more of her friends die in a drinking and driving accident. In the quest to discover who is supplying the alcohol, it is discovered that someone no one suspected is addicted. It is eventually discovered that a parent is supplying alcohol to the kids. Elliot's daughter, Kathleen, highlights how easy it is for kids to buy alcohol by ordering some in a restaurant without being carded, and she's 17! "Responsible" did an amazing job in highlighting the serious issue on our hands in today's society, and just some of the consequences of leaving it to grow. Written by Allison Intrieri and Directed by David Platt & Yelena Lanskaya (Photo courtesy nbc.com). - PTR Staff Writer Trublu

8: "Expose" - Lost
This episode was shear genius as only Lost can do. We finally got to meet Nikki and Paolo -- those two random survivors who suddenly appeared this season. And then, we said goodbye to them. Everything from the rest of the survivors not knowing Nikki and Paolo (along with all of us) to the breath taking ending (literally) that marked the end of these two insignificant character additions made this one pretty awesome. The two were so busy quarreling with each other over diamonds that they lost sight of what really matters. Nikki used a venomous medusa spider to temporarily paralyze Paolo, but she didn't count on getting bitten herself. With both of them paralyzed, the rest of the survivors thought they were dead, so in the ground they went. In the end, they were both buried alive (with the diamonds they were fighting over) because of the mix-up. And yes Alanis, it is ironic. I loved it! Written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by Stephen Williams. (Screencap courtesy of Lost-Media.com.)

7: "Pilot" - Friday Night Lights
How can the episode that introduced us to some of the best written characters on television not make this list?? But, it wasn't just the introductions that landed this one the #7 spot this year. Imagine having the world at your feet -- a future filled with college football and NFL dreams and a present occupied by the starting QB position on one of the greatest high school football programs in the country. And now imagine all of that disappearing in the blink of an eye. Welcome to Jason Street's world, which feels a little like it's closing in on him by the end of this stellar episode. The star QB with the bright future goes down in the first big game of the season and winds up in a hospital bed paralyzed for the rest of his life. But it isn't just Jason's life that gets turned upside down. The entire town waits with baited breath to learn his fate - both because they're worried about their team and the well-being of one of their own. Lyla Garrity suddenly wonders what her future with Jason holds, and Coach Taylor tries to move on and refocus his team while he faces the shock of what just happened on the field. You see in Dillon Texas, it isn't just Jason paralyzed, but the entire town. And the complex emotional fallout from it all can only be explored this well by Friday Night Lights. Written and (exceptionally) directed by series creator Peter Berg. (Photo courtesy nbc.com)

So, there's a look at episodes 9-7 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 breaks the Top 5!!