The Countdown Reveals Best Episode of the Season!

Well, we have made it through the summer-long countdown, which means that it is time to reveal the #1 Best Episode of the Season. For the final time, here's a look at the rules for this year's winners. LillyKat and I ended up with 36 incredible episodes that demonstrate the diversity and quality of the current television state. The shows and their episodes are from both NETWORK and CABLE television. All episodes aired between June 2007 and June 2008. Each episode that made the final list moved us in some way; either by making us laugh out loud, cry our eyes out or just left us 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, we will reveal a few each week all summer. So, be sure to tune in every Thursday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Before we get to numbers 3-1, here's a quick review of #36-4:

36. "Kiss and Don't Tell" - Men in Trees
35. "Chuck vs. The Truth" - Chuck
34. "Ruby" - The Closer
33. "The Dark Defender" - Dexter
32. "World's End" - Cold Case
31. "Let's Get it On" - Friday Night Lights
30. "Lights, Camera... Homicidio" - Psych
29. "Wicked Game (I & II)" - Medium
28. "It's Alive" - Dexter
27. "Spoiler Alert" - How I Met Your Mother
26. "Shrink Wrap" - Dexter
25. "The Verdict in the Story" - Bones
24. "Next of Kin (I & II)" - The Closer
23. "There's No Place Like Home (I & II)" - Lost
22. "Last Days of Summer" - Friday Night Lights
21. "Resistance is Futile" - Dexter
20. "The Mummy in the Maze" - Bones
19. "May the Best Man Win" - Friday Night Lights
18. "I Hate These People" - Damages
17. "The Constant" - Lost
16. "Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead" - Psych
15. "Boy Crazy" - Cold Case
14. "Authority" - L&O: Special Victims Unit
13. "There's No We Anymore" - Damages
12. "Vick's Chip"/"What He Beheld" - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
11. "Til Death Do Us Part (I & II)" - The Closer
10. "Undercover" - L&O: Special Victims Unit
9. "Ten Sessions" - How I Met Your Mother
8. "Truth Be Told"/"Born Free" - Dexter
7. "Dexter" - Dexter
6. "The Santa in the Slush" - Bones
5. "The Road" - Cold Case
4. "Pilot" - Damages

And now, the Top 3 episodes of the season...

3: "My Princess" - Scrubs
We know that Scrubs is good at blending the imaginary with reality, but this clever fairytale outing really drove the brilliance home. The entire fairytale backdrop was beyond incredible. It was funny, clever, original and well, simply hilarious! This is what would happen if somebody redid The Princess Bride, but made it into a comedy. Everything from the gang staying still so The Todd gets confused, Keith continuing to agonize over Elliot, JD's gloating, the Lost smoke monster making a cameo, "Turla" and their alternating words and shared female problems, "Sasha" the scooter playing the part of the donkey, Janitor as the giant, Village Idiot (JD) and Princess (Elliot) trying to kiss but not being able to reach because they're shackled to the dungeon wall, Laverne, and every single awesome detail of the fairytale story made me laugh. Luckily, this stellar hour was only the end of the season and not the series as the network had planned because episodes like this definitely leave you wanting more. Written by Mark Stegemann and directed by series star Zach Braff.

2: "Pilot" - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
I've tried to come up with some whiz bang awesome way to describe just how freakin' brilliant the pilot of T:SCC was, but I can't. It speaks for itself. Taking the successful Terminator: Judgment Day (a.k.a. T2) film and turning it into a television series was no small task, yet creator (and fan of the film) Josh Friedman did so without even skipping a beat. The pilot presented the best elements of the film - including the score, the action, the special effects, the backstory and the awesome T on T sequences - whilst simultaneously expanding everything so as to set you up for the deeper, richer and more intricate series on the whole. It also presented some nice new twists not seen in the film – particularly when it came to the terminator sent back to protect young John Connor (portrayed brilliantly by Summer Glau who, I think, single-handedly redefined what it means to be a terminator). Lena Headey's portrayal of Sarah Connor gave us a tangible weariness to an already strong (and legendary) character. For the first time, we saw the exhaustion of maintaining years worth of rules to ensure her and son John’s survival whilst also reconfirming just how strong the mother in her is. And Thomas Dekker gave us a more mature and sensitive John, still trying to figure out how in the world he’s ever going to run the resistance whilst simultaneously trying to remember all of the rules to stay alive in our time today. All in all, I don't know how much better these guys could've done it - which is why it is Numero Two on this year's countdown. Written by Josh Friedman. Directed by David Nutter. - LillyKat, PTR Senior Staff Writer

And now, after an entire summer of counting down episodes, we're finally up to the number one episode of the past season. Drum roll please....

1: "Blindsided" - The Closer
This stellar hour of a PTR fave was so good, it topped both of our lists. So, we each wrote a few words about what made it so great and this year's #1 Best Episode of the Season.

LillyKat Says:
There is only one way to describe this episode: Wow. Just, wow. It's not often we see Brenda Leigh Johnson at her breaking point, but she was all that and then some in this episode. She had already had an encounter with a serial killer the week prior (and thus was being evaluated by a psychiatrist), still at odds with her favorite Sergeant Gabriel over his actions on a previous case, and entertaining the ol' parents. That would've been plenty. But when her ride along with a news reporter and cameraman completely gets ambushed by gunfire whilst driving through an intersection suggesting someone is out to take her life, that's enough to even push her over the edge. The car looked like it had been in a war zone. The shot (in silence) of it just rolling down the street to a dead stop as everyone lie crouched down inside … intense. Shot from low and high angles … doubly intense. And yet, the intensity was coupled with perfectly – if not brilliantly – balanced humor and light-hearted moments once again (something this show does so well without taking the focus off Brenda or her work). Whether it was the fact we got to see her dad for the first time, or her dealings with the shrink, or The Abbott and Costello-esque SWAT guys assigned to protect shadow Brenda’s every move – both in her own house and at the station - this episode was The Closer at its finest. Intense. Shocking. Tender. Funny. Powerful. Written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and directed by Kevin Bacon. - LillyKat, PTR Senior Staff Writer


TVFan Says:
You'd think that after so many years on the force, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson would be immune to death. But this episode proved that she isn't and that's what made it stand out and land the coveted number one spot on our list this year. For the first time, Brenda was the witness and about this close to being another victim. She and Sgt. Gabriel were taking a reporter and photographer for a ride along. Everything was honkeydorey until ear piercing shots rang out -- too many and too fast to count accurately. One minute the reporter is asking pointed questions, the next he's splayed out in a pool of his own blood in the backseat of the police cruiser. Brenda runs through a gamut of emotions as she comes to terms with what happened to her, in front of her and on her watch. It all culminates in an elevator in one of the most emotional, intense scenes of the series as Brenda faces the man who violently shattered the sanctity of her world. Not to mention the life he took in front of her eyes. This was The Closer at its best and when it's at its best, it's hard to beat which is why it tops this year's summer-long countdown of The Best Episodes of the Season. Written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and directed by Kevin Bacon.

Well, there you have it -- the complete list of PTR's Best Episodes of the Season! Do you agree? Disagree? Are there episodes that PTR left off the list? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on the final list. If you would like to take a closer look at numbers 36-4, click the "Best Episodes" link at the bottom of this post.