The Countdown Pushes On with Episodes Full of Surprises

The countdown is moving full steam ahead with three more shining examples from this past season. But before we get to them, we have to go over the rules for the countdown. LillyKat and I ended up with 33 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 2008 and June 2009. 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 Friday to find out which episodes are on the countdown! Today, we're going to take a look at numbers 27-25.

27: "Tuesday the 17th" - Psych
Who doesn't love a good horror flick? Especially when you're watching it home alone. In the dark. And noises, which would normally go unnoticed, become magnified and severely menacing. Now, have one of TV's funniest shows satirize this classic format and you get a fan-freakin-tastic mix of scary and funny. Shawn and Gus find themselves at a remote (of course!) summer camp "psychically" investigating the disappearance of one of the camp's counselors, but things quickly take a freaky turn when bodies start turning up And The There Were None-style. Shawn soon realizes that the entire thing is staged (the camp is about to re-open as a murder mystery camp for adults). They have a laugh or two until a real body surfaces in the pool. With the power knocked out from the storm, things go from creepy to creepier without losing a sense of humor -- just how we like it. Written by (series star) James Roday and (executive producer) Steve Franks and directed by James Roday.

26: "Officer Down" - Cold Case
There were so many good things about this one. Turns out, Cold Case is clever. There was a flashback from "March 15, 2009... 5 minutes ago." What a great way to bring in the usual CC fare without being boxed in by the formula. And, the show surprised me: the connection between Pops and Jeffries, Lilly's father and her emotional response to his gift, Scotty and Frankie continuing to test the waters, and Lilly shooting the younger brother. The best part of this episode, though, was the emotion. There was emotion from the characters for their fallen comrade, emotion from Lilly for that gift, emotion for the loss of Pops, and emotion from every single character in the episode. CC can rip your heart out and break it in a million pieces and that's what makes it so good! Written by Christopher Silber and directed by Alex Zakrzewski. Screencap by RichE.

25: "A Pretty Girl in a Leotard" - Damages

(ETA: Apologies to our readers for adding this write-up LATE. There is this thing called real life that gets in the way of my television obsessions at times - LOL!)

I remember I nearly fell out of my chair watching this episode of Damages when it was revealed Arthur Frobisher (yes, that would be Frobie - the man Patty buried into oblivion in the first season) was going to be the Plantiff in the mother-of-all class action suits she intended to level against Walter Kendrick and Ultima National Resources (UNR). It was such a brilliant twist. The fact Patty was conveniently withholding that little bit of information from out-to-get-Frobie-at-all-costs Ellen made for even more intrigue. And in this episode, my heart ached for Ellen. We'd been seeing the more vengeful, sinister side to her character in the first episodes. But, we were treated to that softer, more emotional side when she returned back to her and now deceased fiancé Doc David's boxed up apartment - the memory of finding him murdered in the bath tub still haunting her every move. We also got our first extended look at Marcia Gay Harden's Claire Maddox character in this ep. I remember thinking ... tramp? pimped out hot stuff attorney on the UNR payroll? sleeps with everyone? I did not see that characterization coming. It was one thing for her to have the affair with Daniel Purcell, but the sleep around thing was quite curious to me - and got even more curious as the season progressed. Written by Adam Stein and directed by Greg Yaitanes. - LillyKat / Senior Staff Writer

So, there's a look at numbers 27-25 on the countdown. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave us a comment with your thoughts. And be sure to tune in next Friday for #24-22 on the list.