With the New Year beginning my friend, Austin Lugar, requests a bunch of his friends to take a look back at all the TV episodes of the year and pick their one favorite to write about and then rank their Top Ten. I hate picking favorites because there are so many brilliant shows and I’m bound to forget one. *My top option was Parks and Recreation but it was already taken so I went with another show that mocks another style of show, Jane the Virgin. See my thoughts and ranked episodes below.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of everyones thoughts over at Austin’s Blog
FYI – there are some minor spoilers.
What telenovelas are good at are finales, so for my favorite episode I have to go with the most recent mid-season finale, “Chapter Thirty.” It has such a great pay-off and includes all the great things I love about Jane the Virgin: flashbacks, Jane’s thoughts and, of course, Rogelio.
The theme of this episode was trust and how to handle it. Rafael finally got his POV taken seriously over the lie he told to Jane. He does need a break, his life is now a popular story rightfully named Curse of the Solanos. How much can this guy endure? His sister’s mom is potentially a mob boss and his sister is talking to another mob boss who kidnapped his son! Rough life!
The love-ish triangle got some development this episode via Jane’s romance writing. We get a glimpse into her mind of who she thinks is her Knight in Shining Armor. To no surprise, it’s Michael which we all knew no matter how hot Rafael’s abs are. Will she act on her feelings??
One guy not in a triangle of love but in the search of his next project that isn’t a Mad Men rip off takes strides of his own. In this episode he goes from his typical celebrity acts to discussing unknown trust issues he has with Xo about Jane and appreciates his unpaid intern. I can’t wait to see what’s in stores of him because just this year he had a ringtone to remember, his friendship with Michael ups and downs and his celebrity feuds (Britney Spears!).
One of the great parts about this episode is Petra’s storyline, she has really grown as a character who I can actually like (kind of). Her pregnancy has done wonders for her since her lies and scheming are effecting the babies (TWINS!), she goes through her own therapy and spills everything to Rafael and to her surprise he isn’t mad. Forgiveness is key to a healthy life, which her mom needs to learn.
So now I must wait five awful long winter weeks for the show to return so I can see how the cliffhanger gets resolve which I’m sure in soap opera fashion it will be resolve within an episode.
Like every year, I hate ranking things but here’s my list. Note, I’m not caught up on Hannibal, Fargo, The Leftovers and The Americans. Too much good television!!
Top 10 Episodes of 2015
1) Parks and Recreation, “Leslie and Ron” (Season Seven, Episode 4)
2) Community, “Emotional Consequences of Broadcast Television” (Season Six, Episode 13)
3) Broad City, “Knock Offs” (Season Two, Episode 4)
4) Marvel’s Daredevil, “Daredevil” (Season One, Episode 13)
5) Mr. Robot, “eps1.9_zer0-day.avi” (Season One, Episode 10
6) Jane the Virgin, “Chapter Thirty” (Season Two, Episode 8)
7) Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Ava” (Season Three, Episode 8)
8) Master of None, “Indians on TV” (Season One, Episode 4)
9) Doctor Who, “Heaven Sent” (Season Nine, Episode 11)
10) Mad Men, “Lost Horizon” (Season Seven, Episode 12)
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