Top 10 Thanksgiving TV Episodes

Gobble gobble!

Last year, I celebrated (t)Hanksgiving by ranking Tom Hanks's greatest performances. This year, on the day of giving thanks, I shall present my list of the greatest television episodes where Thanksgiving is celebrated. I'm including only one episode per series here in the name of variety - otherwise this would pretty much be a list of the Top 10 Friends (1994-2004) Thanksgiving episodes, with one or two episodes from other shows thrown into the mix. Maybe next year I'll do a ranking of all the Friends Thanksgiving specials. Anyways, here's my list!

But first, my honorable mentions: Thanksgiving (Big Mouth, Season 5 Episode 5), The Thanksgiving Decoupling (The Big Bang Theory, Season 7 Episode 9), WUPHF.com (The Office, Season 7 Episode 9).

And, while it doesn't qualify as a TV episode, I'd like to give a special shout-out to the 1973 TV special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

10. Parents (New Girl, Season 2 Episode 8)

"Jess, I'm not done with that! It's 18-dollar granola, hand-made!"

New Girl isn't quite in the highest tier of the comedy shows I've watched, but it definitely has its moments. In this delightful episode from the show's sophomore season, Jess Day (Zooey Deschanel) ends up hosting both of her separated parents at her apartment on Thanksgiving. She turns this into a series of "Parent trap" hijinks, scheming to get the two back together. It should probably be mentioned that Jess's parents are played by no less than Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner, and the presence of two such charismatic actors adds immense value to all of the episode's shenanigans.

9. Thanksgiving (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 1 Episode 10)

"The whole holiday is based on over-eating. We should be wearing velvet tracksuits and diapers"

While the first season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine had its growing pains, it also had its own endearing charm. This is especially evident in episodes like Thanksgiving, where the squad's Thanksgiving (or, as Boyle (Charles Lo Truglio) calls it, 'Turkey Day') party at Amy Santiago's (Melissa Fumero) apartment turns into chaos - yet gets an ultimately heartwarming conclusion. The highlight is probably the cold open, where everyone plays 'Boyle Bingo' based on their dorky colleague's typical Thanksgiving behavior.

8. Three Turkeys (Modern Family, Season 6 Episode 8)

"God knows I couldn't love them more, but even the Kennedys didn't get together this often"

There is a certain formula that occurs in many of Modern Family's finest episodes - several intertwining schemes, misunderstandings and disagreements simmer in the background for most of the episode's duration, until it all comes together and unravels in a chaotic final act full of payoffs. One of the best examples of this trope is the season 6 episode Three Turkeys, where multiple cleverly built plot threads lead to one hell of a conclusion, with the episode's titular set of three different Thanksgiving turkeys at the epicenter of it all. Hilarity ensues.

7. Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular (Rick and Morty, Season 5 Episode 6)

"Fun's fun, but now the Federal Government is gonna be pissed again. Way to go. And on America's birthday...or whatever the fuck Thanksgiving is"

Normal shows do normal Thanksgiving episodes, roughly speaking. Odd shows, therefore, do odd Thanksgiving episodes.

And then there's Rick and Morty, with its Thanksgiving episode where Rick (Justin Roiland) and Morty (also Justin Roiland) turn themselves into turkeys in an attempt to trick the U.S. President (Keith David) into pardoning them on Thanksgiving. No, really. That's the plot. And the results are amazing.

6. A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving (Gilmore Girls, Season 3 Episode 9)

"Shouldn't we give thanks first?"

"Thanks for what?"

"Well, that we're not Native Americans who got their land stolen in exchange for smallpox infested blankets"

"Amen"

I like Thanksgiving as much as the next American, but I am painfully aware of why certain citizens and especially Native Americans aren't always too keen on the holiday, as the lore behind the holiday has gone somewhat hand in hand with downplaying some of the atrocities in American history that people don't like to talk about - therefore I appreciate it when TV shows celebrating the holiday take this into consideration, as is the case with the dark-humorous and poignant quote by the wonderful Luke Danes (Scott Paterson) that I chose to represent the episode.

Beyond that well-deserved dig at America's history, most of this Gilmore Girls episode is just loads of fun. The titular Gilmore Girls Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) face their greatest challenge yet as iconic over-eaters, as they scramble to fit in four different Thanksgiving dinners that they were invited to, while the charming Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody) steals the heart of Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) and of every viewer. Following the colorful small town of Stars Hollow celebrate Thanksgiving is an absolute delight, with perhaps the most entertaining bit being the subplot of the ever-obscure Kirk Gleason (played by the equally obscure Sean Gunn) buying a cat, who is naturally also named Kirk.

5. The Gang Squashes Their Beefs (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 9 Episode 10)

"Okay, alright, let's not get into a whole thing about missing eyes and whose fault they are"

In last December's ranking of my favorite Christmas TV episodes, I mentioned how brilliant it was that an anti-sitcom like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia had done an 'anti-Christmas episode', twisting the clichés of typical yuletide TV specials to the point of Frank Reynolds (Danny DeVito) bursting buck-naked out of a couch, while Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) utters the iconic line "Did you fuck my mom, Santa Claus?". If there's one series in the world that I like to recommend but "isn't for everyone", it's this one. Anyways, it's no surprise that the ever-creative dark comedy has also done a Thanksgiving episode in its 14-season (and counting) run - and that it was every bit as convention-defying and hysterically dark as the legendary A Very Sunny Christmas was.

As is often the case, the schemes and shenanigans of this It's Always Sunny episode begin with pure and good intentions - the gang wants to 'squash their beefs' that they've made over the years. To the delight of longtime viewers, this means that various recurring characters who have grievances with the gang from over the years are invited over for Thanksgiving dinner - these fan favorites include the creepy McPoyle brothers (Jimmi Simpson and Nate Mooney), television's most upsetting character arch Rickety Cricket (David Hornsby) and the hilariously eccentric and off-putting Gail the Snail, played by 24's Mary Lynn Rajskub out of all people. Things soon turn dark, and wonderfully entertaining at that, making for the perfect IASIP way to celebrate the day of giving thanks.

4. Bart vs. Thanksgiving (The Simpsons, Season 2 Episode 7)

"Hello, operator! Give me the number for 911!"

Emotional The Simpsons episodes are like deep AC/DC songs (looking at you, Ride On) - they occur so rarely, that when they do, it hits extra hard because you didn't expect it. One of the few truly touching The Simpsons episodes, alongside Bart Gets an F and And Maggie Makes Three (the quotes "You don't understand! I really tried this time!" and "Do it for her" will likely water the eyes of true fans), this semi-classic from the show's early run focuses on the sibling rivalry between Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (Yeardley Smith).

The ever-present feud between the Simpson kids takes a turn for the serious, when Bart feels he's being blamed for everything and runs away from home after ruining their Thanksgiving dinner. Much of the episode is built on typical Springfield shenanigans, but the conclusion is distinctly real and heartfelt - we get a glimpse into the established, but rarely seen, fact that Bart and Lisa do love each other despite all their fights and hardships. After being stubborn and refusing to apologize throughout the episode, Bart's heart finally softens when he overhears his sister crying and hoping that the family could enjoy Thanksgiving with Bart present. This leads to a touching and sincere moment of apology and making up, proving that despite the show's tendency for cynicism and satire, America's favorite animated sitcom also has a lot of heart from time to time.

3. Blitzgiving (How I Met Your Mother, Season 6 Episode 10)

"Where to?"

"I guess...we're going home"

"...Yeah, I don't know where that is"

How I Met Your Mother was one of the most challenging shows to choose a favorite Thanksgiving episode from. Between the cozy Minnesota atmosphere of season 1's Belly Full of Turkey, the running-gag-hilarity of season 3's Slapsgiving and season 6's hilarious yet heartfelt Blitzgiving, the decision was tough - but I had to go with the lastly mentioned one in the end.

There's just so much to love here - Lost (2004-2010) star Jorge Garcia's guest role and the subsequent clever Lost references, the lore behind the group's 'Blitz' who always misses great things, Ted's (Josh Radnor) vision of stuffing his Thanksgiving turkey with a smaller turkey in order to make a "Tur-turkey-key", and the fact that Ted's season 6 love interest Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) actually managed to be a sympathetic character for one episode, despite the fact that she's the absolute spawn of Satan. A classic episode with pretty much infinite re-watch value!

2. The One Where Ross Got High (Friends, Season 6 Episode 9)

"And Dad, you know that mailman that you got fired? He didn't steal your playboys. Ross did!"

"Yeah, well, Hurricane Gloria didn't break the porch swing. Monica did!"

"Ross hasn't worked at the museum for a year!"

"Monica and Chandler are living together!"

"Ross married Rachel in Vegas and got divorced...again!"

"I love Jacques Cousteau!"

"I wasn't supposed to put beef in the trifle!"

"I WANNA GO!"

"That's a lot of information to get in thirty seconds"

With their unified narrative structure of things being nice, then going horribly wrong and descending into an upsetting yet entertaining chain of events where people yell at each other, after which someone does something unselfish and heartwarming to save the day, so that everything feels wholesome by the end, the Thanksgiving episodes from Friends (1994-2004) are pretty much their own genre. Containing iconic moments from mockolate and "Got the keys?", through Christina Applegate and Brad Pitt stealing the spotlight with fantastic guest appearances, all the way to Chandler (Matthew Perry) in a box and the more than one occasion where a character has had their head stuck in a turkey, these episodes are television gold, and I'll definitely do a ranking of them for next year's Thanksgiving. For now, let me tell you why (after long consideration) my favorite one out of the bunch is The One Where Ross Got High.

While funny subplots, such as Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) hilariously failed cooking attempt and the fact that Joey (Matt Le Blanc) enjoys it nonetheless ("Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Gooood"), certainly help lift the episode to greatness, its placement ahead of all the other great ones can be boiled down to one scene - just take a look at the dialogue I chose to represent the episode. The moment where long-kept secrets begin to spill in a wonderfully chaotic and escalating fashion is such a prime example of the show's way to create comedic payoffs, write clever dialogue and just be funny and entertaining as hell. Can't go wrong with this episode.

Well, when I started working on this list, I felt certain that a Friends episode would be at first place. But my list-making process proved me wrong, as I realized that there is one Thanksgiving episode that I love even more. It surprised me, although I'm guessing that if you've ever heard me talk about sitcoms or TV or life in general, I'm guessing that the series it's from won't surprise you...

1. Cooperative Escapism in Familiar Relations (Community, Season 4 Episode 5)

"I heard your Thanksgiving wasn't much better than mine. So I thought we could take some time and be grateful for our real family. The one we chose"

There's no way around it. This is my favorite Thanksgiving episode. It may be from the least good season of my favorite sitcom (although season 4 gets way too much hate from fans - they did a surprisingly good job without main writer Dan Harmon's presence), but even at the worst of times, Community always had its moments - such as this one.

Firstly, to the part that makes this into an excellent Thanksgiving TV episode in the conventional sense. One of the two parallel storylines that are followed takes place with Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown) relatives, as most of the study group celebrate Thanksgiving there as Shirley's guests. Upon realizing the ridiculous family drama taking place around them, our main characters retreat into the house's basement, and start to plan an escape, as Abed (Danny Pudi) turns the whole situation into a brilliant The Shawshank Redemption (1994) homage. Everyone who has ever been at an uncomfortable family gathering will fully relate to the main characters' panic, and howl with laughter at just how far they're willing to go - Troy's (Donald Glover) dramatic delivery of the line "What if we got sick?" always gets me.

Secondly, the other storyline - the one that makes this episode into one of my top favorites. At first glance, the fact that Jeff (Joel McHale) finally reunites with his father William (James Brolin), only for heartbreaking and tear-jerking drama to ensue as Jeff's well-written psychological issues are on full display, made me question whether this episode should be #1 on this particular list - maybe it's not the best Thanksgiving episode, even if it's a great episode that happens to take place on Thanksgiving, right?

Wrong.

Upon further inspection, I found that this storyline in particular makes Cooperative Escapism in Familiar Situations into a wonderful Thanksgiving episode. Just look at the quote I chose to represent the episode - at first I thought of choosing Jeff's monologue to his father about just how much him leaving screwed him up, as that is the episode's greatest moment and never fails to move me to tears with its raw and real delivery, but I found that to be a bit too upsetting for the context of "This is my favorite Thanksgiving episode, yay!". So, instead, I chose the quote from the tail end of the episode, where the characters we love turn their sour Thanksgiving experiences into a good memory by celebrating together. For those with loving families around them, such as myself, any number of conventional TV specials will feel nice to watch on this holiday, but the existence of episodes such as this one comforts me when thinking about all those who may not have the best relationship with their family.

The fact that everyone's Thanksgiving is pretty much ruined in this episode, until they realize they should be with the ones they love the most and who they are most grateful for - which, in this instance, is their group of friends - is a great reminder that we all have something to be grateful for, even if it's not the same conventional set of things for everyone. If you're like me, you can choose a more fun Thanksgiving episode that will resonate with your feeling of spending time with family, but if you're like Jeff Winger and the idea of a traditional Thanksgiving pisses you off, this episode might strike the right chord and remind you that there's something out there for every one of us.

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone has a Thanksgiving more along the lines of the feel-good endings of most of these episodes than the chaos that dominates their middle sections. I have always liked the idea of people sharing what they are thankful for on this holiday - I, for one, am extremely thankful for my loving family, the amazing friends I have around me, the various music projects I've found my way into, and the existence of things like movies and TV shows and literature that always make me excited and passionate about life even when it's the objectively shittiest month of the year. Tune in next week for a list recommended by my Aunt Donna - the top 10 movie/TV snacks!

Top 10 Escape Movies

Greetings, reader!

The idea for this post was recommended by my Uncle Dan - remember, readers, that you can always suggest topics and they will almost certainly make it into my blog. For this list, I'll be looking at various escape movies - whether it's escaping from prison, POW situations, or hostage situations. In some movies, the whole plot is all about the escape, whereas in others, there is more to the film but there might be an especially memorable escape sequence or storyline. Mere hostage films don't count (Die Hard (1988) and Inside Man (2006) were excluded, for example), unless they have a clear escape narrative to them. Without further ado, let's dive right in!

SPOILER ALERT: in some of these films, the 'escape' in question is a major plot turn and not the premise from the beginning, so my descriptions might include some spoilers. Reader discretion is advised!

10. Cube (1997)

This indie sci-fi thriller begins with quite the setting: six complete strangers awaken in a strange, cube-shaped room, with no idea about where they are or how they got there. The mystery deepens as they try to find their way out, and that's what the entirety of Cube is about: this group of unlikely misfits navigating their way through this cube-shaped maze, trying to figure a way out and find answers to what the meaning of this strange place might be. While the acting isn't exactly world class (except for Nicole de Boer, who excels in her role and really carries the film), the mysterious setting makes for quite a thrilling and claustrophobic experience.

9. Toy Story 3 (2010)

This might not be the first film to come to mind when considering escape movies, but an escape movie it is. The third instalment of the Toy Story franchise, which many consider to be the best of the quadrilogy, might be best remembered for its heartfelt coming-of-age themes that resonate with the end of one's childhood - but let's not forget that much of the film is an animated, child-friendly escape thriller.

When the film's villain, Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty) imprisons the main group of toys at Sunnyside Daycare, they must find a way out. For a kids' movie, it is impressively riveting to follow Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks) and the other toys coordinating a carefully crafted escape plan through the trash, and carrying the plan out with multiple twists and turns.

8. Captain Phillips (2013)

While many hostage movies were excluded from this list, Captain Phillips has enough escape elements in it to justify qualification. This thriller, based on a true story of the hijacking of a U.S. cargo ship by Somali Pirates, tells the story of the ship's captain, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks). We follow as the ship is taken over and Phillips is held hostage, only for him to attempt escape and figure out a way to keep himself and his crew alive until help arrives. Captain Phillips is an intense, adrenaline-packed viewing experience, made all the more impressive when considering that it all really happened.

7. Key Largo (1948)

Another hostage flick that has enough escape elements in it to qualify for today's list, this 1940's classic has it all: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, a classic gangster villain, the exotic setting of Key Largo, Florida, and an edge-of-your-seat final act. Key Largo follows a group of hotel guests who are taken hostage by notorious gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson). The situation escalates and escalates, until protagonist Frank McCloud (Bogart) takes matters into his own hands. Resourceful methods of escape follow, as he takes out his captors one by one in a manner that John McClane would be proud of. Classic stuff.

6. Face/Off (1997)

While escaping isn't the main plot point in this face-swapping action extravaganza, there are two important escape storylines that are memorable enough to put Face/Off on this list. First off, there's the moment where imprisoned terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) breaks out of captivity with the help of his cronies, while undergoing facial surgery to steal the likeness of FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta). More importantly, there's the narrative where FBI agent Sean Archer (Travolta), impersonating terrorist Castor Troy (Cage), goes undercover in a top security prison and must break out after his plan goes awry.

The first escape sequence is quite straightforward, but the second one is incredibly thrilling (albeit equally unrealistic). Well-directed John Woo fight sequences, clever twists and unexpected turns ensue as Archer makes his way out of the middle-of-the-ocean penitentiary.

5. Argo (2012)

If the true story that Captain Phillips is based on was incredible, then the real-life events behind this Best Picture winner were absolutely insane. For those who don't know: six American diplomats were taken hostage in Iran in 1979, and the CIA responded with quite a regular, run-of-the-mill operation: they launched a rescue attempt by faking the production of a science fiction movie.

With help from Hollywood, the men in charge took the guise of scouting locations for a new sci-fi flick in Tehran, all the while the real motive of the trip was to covertly retrieve the six diplomats being held captive. It is a fantastic story that thoroughly deserved to be adapted to the big screen, and Argo does an impeccable job conveying this story in an exciting, matter-of-fact manner.

4. The Fugitive (1993)

The Fugitive stands out from the rest of the list's content, as the main character Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) isn't escaping from a certain location, like a prison or a hostage situation, but rather the whole film follows him escaping from various situations as he races against the clock to prove his innocence, while being pursued by law enforcement. It's essentially the live action adaptation of the game 'Cops and robbers'.

And what a thriller it is: I've often said that The Fugitive is extremely similar to about a thousand other films, but better than any one of them: it's the crown jewel of the cat-and-mouse chase thriller genre. The plot is incredibly slick, as Kimble's creative methods of escaping tough situations and managing to barely be one step ahead of the police in any given situation are a wonder to follow. High on adrenaline and sharp in its storytelling, this film will keep the viewer captivated as they follow the main character avoiding captivity throughout a brilliant chain of events.

3. The Great Escape (1963)

I'm pretty sure that I'm required by law to put this film onto this list based on its title alone - I mean, you wouldn't do a list of the "Top 10 Gatsby Books" without including The Great Gatsby (1925), or a list of the "Top 10 British Bake Off shows" without including The Great British Bake Off (2010-Present), right?

Jokes aside, this John Sturges classic truly lives up to its title. It is (more or less) based on a true story from World War II, chronicling a mass escape of American and British prisoners of war from a prison camp in Nazi Germany. The film starts off with an almost light tone, with many of the prisoners making creative individual escape attempts that end up failing. By the time the mass escape is planned, things get real as the mounting tension is enough to keep any viewer on the edge of their seat. With masters of the trade such as Steve McQueen, Donald Pleasance, James Garner and Richard Attenborough in the ensemble cast, The Great Escape is an entertaining and thrilling classic that truly set the blueprint for escape films to come.

2. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Prison Break (2005-2009; 2017) was the first TV drama series that I actively watched from beginning to end, around the age of 13 - and largely due to this, I had a major "escape phase" where I was absolutely fascinated by movies and shows about various escapes, video games where you have to escape from somewhere, and other such things. Combine this with my love for history, and you get the infamous 1962 escape from Alcatraz Prison becoming one of young Veikko's absolute favorite real-life stories. I remember reading up on it and, despite the fact that the escapees were criminals who shouldn't be glorified, being in awe at just how genius the escape was.

Naturally, a movie has been made of this legendary breakout, and it captures the story well. There is no especially dramatic flair or stylized atmosphere to the film, but it doesn't need one: the story is so incredible, that merely telling it in a matter-of-fact way makes for awesome cinema. Whether it's the fact that the convicts widened the ventilation ducts in their cells using spoons, that they tuned out suspicious sounds by loudly playing the accordion, or that they slowly built their raft (and wax figures of themselves to make it look like they are sleeping) by stealing items from the prison workshop little by little, every detail of the escape is quite mind-blowing, and the cinematic adaptation lives up to expectations.

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

If you haven't seen The Shawshank Redemption, stop reading. And maybe try to forget that you saw it on this particular list.

I almost felt like I didn't want to include this masterpiece on today's list, just because of the risk that it might spoil its major twist to someone. But I just had to include the list's rightful winner - the scene where Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) escapes from Shawshank Prison is literally my favorite cinematic moment of all time.

What makes the escape so special is the fact that first-time viewers really don't see it coming. The Shawshank Redemption feels like a gripping drama set in a prison, and not like any traditional escape flick. When things start to near the climax, the viewer is lead to believe that the protagonist Andy is going to commit suicide - he has been seemingly deprived of all hope of ever getting out despite his innocence, and he asks for rope from one of his mates before going to bed. The next morning, he doesn't show up outside his cell for the morning's inmate count - all the more reason to believe that he has tragically hung himself. And then, when you least expect it, the most magical thing happens - the guards enter his cell, and he isn't there.

What follows is a mind-blowing set of flashbacks, showing how Andy had been secretly building his escape plan for years and years, and how he finally dug himself out on that fateful night. When we see him finally getting out of the last tunnel, entering a river in a rainstorm and bathing in the rain as Thomas Newman's score turns from intense to glorious, the emotional power is beyond anything words can describe. If there is one movie I could watch for the first time again, there is no doubt in my mind that it would be this one.

Thank you for reading! Next week's Thursday is Thanksgiving, so I'll be sharing my list of the Top 10 Thanksgiving-themed television episodes. See you then!

November Eleventh: Top 11 Eleven Moments from Stranger Things

Hello, reader!

I always post on Thursdays, and when I saw that the date 11/11 this year is a Thursday, I just had to do something with that information. And what better way to celebrate the eleventh day of the eleventh month, than to rank the eleven best moments of beloved Stranger Things (2016-Present) character Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)? So, without further ado, today is 11/11 and here is my ranking of the Top 11 Eleven moments from Stranger Things.

A spoiler alert is in order, as I will be freely discussing events from all three seasons of the series!

11. The Demogorgon Flashback (Season 1, Episode 5: The Flea and the Acrobat)

Eleven's mysterious past was a big part of the intrigue in the show's debut season. This was especially evident in moments like this, where we saw her flashing back to her time as a test subject for, as she puts it, the 'bad men'. Seeing her encounter the villainous Demogorgon, even when it's just in a vision, is quite riveting, and witnessing such a strong character so afraid really puts the plot's sense of danger into perspective.

10. The Breakup (Season 3, Episode 2: The Mall Rats)

Eleven's personal growth into more of a 'regular human' ever since she escaped her captors at the start of the series is a fascinating and well-written arch. Eventually, her introduction to social norms and everyday life lead to a romance between her and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) - but all good things come to an end, or so they say. It's sort of sad to see the young lovebirds ending their relationship, but it goes down in a comedic manner - Eleven's "I dump your ass" has become one of the more well-known lines in the show, and it highlights just how much she had become a part of this strange world of ours.

9. The Return (Season 2, Episode 1: MADMAX)

Ah, the old trick of making the viewers wait for the thing they really want to see - it works in Jaws (1975), it works in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015), and it sure as hell works here. While Eleven had sort of 'sacrificed herself' and disappeared in the season 1 finale, it was strongly hinted in the very end that she's still out there. The viewer's intrigue grows and grows when watching the season 2 premiere, as Eleven is nowhere to be seen - until the payoff at the very end, when we see that she has been secretly living with Jim Hopper (David Harbour). A delightful return, and a delicious way to end the season premiere.

8. Her Empire Strikes Back Moment (Season 2, Episode 7: The Lost Sister)

Sure, this is the one Stranger Things episode everyone hates - the 6.1 IMDB rating between several over-9 episodes is quite striking. But while stalling the other storylines completely in order to spend an entire episode on Eleven's side-quest was a bit overkill, I will give the episode credit for having a fantastic ending that brings Eleven's journey to a point very similar to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). After going off to find herself and connect herself with her powers, the heroine realizes that she's needed back home, and begins her journey back - quite the ultimate cliffhanger leading up to the season's final set of episodes.

7. Debut appearance (Season 1, Episode 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers)

A girl walks into a diner. The diner's owner is immediately worried about her, as she seems lost and alone. Soon, some mysterious agents appear, and they are clearly after the girl. Things look dire, until she casually uses some badass telekinetic abilities to slickly escape from their clutches. Probably one of the more memorable debut appearances of a character in modern TV history.

6. The Winter Dance (Season 2, Episode 9: The Gate)

I'm a sucker for romance, okay? Sure, it's cool when Eleven uses her super powers to take down bad guys and when she spouts out iconic pieces of dialogue at dramatic plot turns, but I happen to think that it's equally cool when she kisses Mike at the Winter Dance at the end of season 2, bringing their sweet story of young love to a delightful breakthrough. Good for her, man.

5. Eleven Ex Machina (Season 2, Episode 8: The Mind Flayer)

Remember how I mentioned that it's quite epic when Eleven realizes that she must return to Hawkins, Indiana in order to save her friends at the end of season 2's notorious seventh episode? Well, she spends most of the following instalment on her way, and off-screen. The episode is so jam-packed with adrenaline-filled twists and turns that you'll forget her whole storyline - which makes it all the more fist-pump-worthy when she arrives just at the nick of time to save the rest of the main characters from the Mind Flayer's creatures. A very badass return.

4. Eleven Vs. Demogorgon (Season 1, Episode 8: The Upside Down)

This was the climax that season 1 always was leading towards. After seven episodes of build-up, the show's heroine Eleven goes up against the season's big bad - the Demogorgon. Their battle is quite something, and it ends in an emotional fashion - Eleven seemingly sacrifices herself, as she uses her powers to such an extreme that taking the Demogorgon down makes her disappear. Viewers were glad to find out that she wasn't gone for good, but it says everything you need to know about the character that she was willing to do this, not knowing if she would live or die, in order to save her friends.

3. Sauna Standoff (Season 3, Episode 4: The Sauna Test)

Along with the rest of Finland's avid Netflix viewers, I was delighted to see that one of the third season's most memorable sequences took place in a sauna. As the character Billy (Dacre Montgomery) is possessed by the Mind Flayer, he chases the younger generation of the show's main heroes across a pool area and into a sauna, where they try to trap him. This leads to a terrifying, edge-of-your-seat standoff between Billy and Eleven, and once again, our hero barely manages to come out on top. Riveting stuff.

2. The Badass Car Flip (Season 1, Episode 7: The Bathtub)

When I came up with the idea for this post, the first epic Eleven moment to come to mind was this scene from the penultimate episode of season 1. The moment might not be hugely climactic, especially emotional, of reflective of any sort of character development. It still makes into second place, purely thanks to how completely and ultimately badass it is.

In a sequence wonderfully reminiscent of E.T. (1982), the main group of youths are riding their bikes away from the bad guys, who come after them with vans. In a moment of pure action-thriller adrenaline, the hopeless-seeming situation is salvaged by Eleven, who casually stares down the van coming at them, and uses her abilities to flip it over, making it crash-land in front of the other vans. This allows the kids to escape, and the story to continue.

1. Saving the Gang (Season 1, Episode 6: The Monster)

This moment works on so many levels. As Mike and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are ambushed by a group of bullies, Eleven shows up and gives the thugs a piece of her mind, telekinetic powers and all. This leads to an embrace between the three characters, after the bullies had scattered away. The moment is a prime example of Eleven being epic with her superpowers, it's an empowering moment of standing up to bullying, and it's a critical turning point in the relationship between the characters, as their friendship and bond reaches a whole new level.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a post recommended by my Uncle Dan - the Top 10 Escape Movies!

One from the Archives: Top 10 Dystopian Movies

Preface

Today's post is a bit different. You see, next Monday will mark the five-year-anniversary of Donald J. Trump being elected as President of the United States. For better or for worse (read: for worse), this was a monumental historical occasion to live through, so I figured that I should reflect upon the Trump era with a post. And it just so happens that the perfect post already existed - I just hadn't posted it yet. You see, in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, I wrote two different posts depending on the outcome. Since Biden won, I posted my list of the Top 10 Party Movies, but had Trump won, I had a post fueled by fury and despair all ready to go - the Top 10 Dystopian Movies. Thankfully, I didn't have to post it - but then again, why let a perfectly good post go to waste? So, five years after Trump being elected into office, and one year after his re-election loss, here is the Top 10 Dystopian Movies list that I would've posted last year, if Trump had won. The text, as it appears below, was written in October-November of 2020, for the event of a Trump victory.

Top 10 Dystopian Movies

Well, congratulations to Donald J. Trump for winning the election and securing a second term!

Totally unrelated, here's a list of the best dystopian movies. For whatever reason, my mind has recently gone a lot towards the events of cinema and literature that features bleak societies, crumbling democracies, police states and such - the genre started to feel more relatable around 4 years ago or so, and somehow I've felt even more of an itching to discuss the genre during the last few days. Go figure.

Anyways, these films are interesting takes on what life would look like if humanity chose a path of populism, corruption, violence and hatred - quite far-fetched, I know, but bear with me.

Here are my honorable mentions: I Am Legend (2007), Looper (2012), The Hunger Games (2012)

10. Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The Mad Max films take place in a strange dystopian hellscape where the poor can't even afford basic necessities like food and health care, while the tyrannical rulers fight to maintain the status quo. The films take an interesting look at crime, as well as a strange, violent police force that sometimes just brutally murders people. There's even a scene where a character rapes someone and gets away with it due to a broken justice system. Can you imagine??

9. Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Blade Runner, as well as its critically acclaimed sequel, takes a philosophical look at the very essence of humanity. The films take place in a divided society, where the very lives and human rights of certain groups are questioned. It might be hard to picture a world in which different people have different amounts of value and their society questions their rights, but if you just suspend your disbelief, this set of far-out films will amaze you.

8. 12 Monkeys (1995)

12 Monkeys is a sci-fi thriller where the main hero travels back in time to prevent the spread of a deadly disease. It's crazy to think that a real-life government would allow the spread of such a virus, but this movie will show you just how chaotic a scenario like that would be. So if you feel like just forgetting about reality for a while and watching an action-packed film about a fatal disease rampaging across the land while a scientist who tries to prevent it is largely ignored, this is the escapist movie for you.

7. V For Vendetta (2006)

V For Vendetta is all about a scary, tyrannical government that is willing to do anything to keep in power, while trampling on the freedom of their subjects. One of the creepiest parts of the film's milieu is the narrative of a media company that is in cohorts with the government, thus spreading their agenda to regular people as a form of propaganda. Watching movies like this makes one very thankful for the unbiased and reliable media that we have here in the real world. Can you imagine what would happen if some crazy lunatics had a popular media network that always defended their actions and portrayed them as saints to everyone listening?

6. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange is an interesting look at how far criminal justice should go. It takes place in a dystopian society where the government uses extreme measures to punish criminals, calling into question the morality of their justice system. At least the main character who undergoes said treatment is an admittedly horrible person - the film's story would be a lot darker if those unjust measures were used on more innocent people based on arbitrary factors like their wealth of the color of their skin. Now that would be real dystopia.

5. Metropolis (1927)

All the way in the 1920's, Fritz Lang had quite a vision with this film - the oldest movie I've ever seen, as of now. It predicts a grim future where billionaires and huge corporations run the world, with all sorts of means of corruption and greed fuelling their actions. As they make more and more money, the environment is trampled on as it doesn't seem to be anyone's priority. Quite dark stuff - thank goodness that it's just a movie, am I right?

4. Planet Of The Apes (1968)

SPOILER ALERT: I cannot discuss this sci-fi classic without discussing its iconic plot twist - you've been warned. What seems like a strange film about a distant planet where monkeys rule everything becomes a surprisingly poignant dystopian story, when the final scene reveals that the titular planet is actually our very own Earth but in the future.

This has some insane implications: the twist ending implies that humanity never overcame its tendencies for violence and the inexplicable urge that some humans have to just destroy the shit out of each other. We should all look for signs of this potentially happening in real life, such as major nations using more and more money on their military spending so that they can continue to destroy the shit out of each other on a regular basis. Then again, the film also implies that the inhabitants of earth end up forgetting their civilized manners and going back to a primitive habits in their society and leadership - there's no way that could happen, right?

3. Terminator II: Judgement Day (1991)

I mean, it's just a bunch of people shooting at each other. Everyone has a ton of guns. It's strange that no one in the film does anything about the fact that everyone has a ton of guns and people keep getting shot. I'm sure if that were going on in real life, someone would do something about such a problem. I mean, what kind of group of sociopaths could just sit by as people keep getting shot time and again without having the slightest urge to restrict the availability of guns?!

All in all, Terminator II is a great action film.

2. The Matrix (1999)

This cool and zany Keanu Reeves film barely feels like a dystopian flick with all of its stylistic choices and badass action sequences. The film is mainly remembered for elements such as kung fu, entertaining visual imagery and Keanu saying "Whoa", but there is a serious backdrop to all of this. The Matrix takes place in a hellscape where everything is dark, hackers hold a scary amount of power, the very essence of human rights (not to mention freedom of speech and even free will) is questioned, and no one even seems to care about preserving what little is left of our nature. Far out, man. Thankfully this stuff is reserved for the sci-fi movies and not real life.

1. The Black Mirror (2011-Present) Season 2 Episode The Waldo Moment (2013)

Yes, yes, I know - it's a TV episode and not a movie. But in this particular genre in this particular context, nothing will ever come close to beating this Black Mirror episode from 2013. Sure, the premise where a foul-mouthed caricature from television gets into politics and his campaign succeeds despite his lack of experience and horrible rhetoric, is extremely far-fetched and something that could never happen in real life. But imaginative fictional tales like this serve as a stark reminder of how grateful we should be to live in a world where qualified and well-intentioned people always win elections. Just imagine the implication if this Black Mirror story about a populist TV celebrity winning an election happened in real life! Really makes you think.

Thank you for reading! Next week's Thursday is November 11th, and I will celebrate the eleventh day of the eleventh month by ranking the eleven greatest moments of popular Stranger Things (2016-Present) character Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). So, on 11/11, be sure to tune in for my ranking of the Top 11 Eleven moments!