Top 15 Saturday Night Live Skits of All Time

Live from Jyväskylä, it's Thursday morning!

As Saturday Night Live (1975-Whenever the world ends) aired its season 47 finale last week, I figured it would be a neat time to release a list of my all-time favorite SNL skits. Cold opens, as well as regular skits, are eligible for the list, while host monologues and Weekend Update segments are not as they'd be too hard to compare (perhaps one day they'll get their own post). Throughout SNL's long tenure, I've found these skits to be the best of the best!

Here are my honorable mentions: Sarcasm 101, Squid Game, The Clintons' Halloween Party, The Olympia Restaurant, Cha Cha Slide.

15. Michael Cohen Hearing Cold Open

Ben Stiller's guest role as Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen is funny enough, not to mention the then-relevant references to the political landscape of the Trump era that were especially poignant when the episode was aired and I had followed the news a lot that week. But what really makes this skit all-time-top-15-worthy is SNL alumnus Bill Hader's guest role as congressman Jim Jordan, which just gets more and more hilarious throughout the lengthy skit. Like every role I've ever seen him in, Hader nails it.

14. White Like Me

SNL has always had an eye for making fun of racism and race relations in the U.S. - nowadays such satirical humor is all the rage, but back in 1984, the series was ahead of the curve. The discrimination that Black people face was seen as a largely uncomfortable topic back then, as many white folks wanted to pretend that the problem doesn't exist while African-Americans were painfully aware of the issues. This skit, where Eddie Murphy puts on "white-face" and goes undercover to see just how differently white people are treated, is so deliciously over-the-top and objectively funny that it made many different Americans come together and laugh at the inherent stupidity of racism.

13. Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base

Guest host Adam Driver absolutely kills it in this skit, where he reprises his role as Star Wars villain Kylo Ren for comedic purposes. In the tradition of popular reality series Undercover Boss (2010-Present), we follow the Sith Lord as he goes undercover as a Stormtrooper, to see what his employees have to deal with in their everyday lives. This makes for quite the hilarious sequence of events, as SNL's sketch humor blends with the Star Wars world and the reality series atmosphere beautifully.

12. Airport Sushi

John Mulaney, perhaps my favorite comedian in the world, has hosted Saturday Night Live five times. His first time hosting, he did a skit where a guy (played by Pete Davidson) is in a diner with a friend (Chris Redd), and orders lobster from the waiter (John Mulaney). The idea of ordering lobsters from a diner being untypical and even absurd is taken to a hilariously over-the-top point, as it all turns into a large-scale musical number. And every time Mulaney has hosted since, there has been a new take on the skit: there's one where Davidson's character wants to use the bathroom at a bodega, one where he orders a churro at the subway, et cetera.

The third instance of this wonderful tradition is Airport Sushi from a few years ago. The commotion that begins from poor Pete's decision to order sushi at an airport leads to showtunes such as Kenan Thompson's creepy 'Phantom of LaGuardia', Bowen Yang re-working Little Shop of Horrors track 'Suddenly Seymour' into the timely 'Profiled Asian', and of course, guest star Jake Gyllenhaal channeling Wicked with the hysterically spectacular 'Enjoying Security'. It's all pretty great.

11. Gov. Sarah Palin's Press Conference

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin has got to be one of the best impressions of all time. It was nice to get some additional context for this skit when I read Fey's autobiography Bossypants (recommended reading for anyone who isn't afraid of choking from laughter), as she explains just how nervous she was about being in the same setting as the real-life Palin, who did a cameo for this skit.

The sketch is pure gold already before the shocking appearance by the infamous right-wing loose cannon, as Fey has more fun than ever before with the role. But the real Palin's appearance really seals the deal - as much as I disagree with her on pretty much everything, I must give her just a tiny fragment of respect for agreeing to show up on the famously liberal-leaning series as they're making fun of her. Guest star Alec Baldwin mistaking the real Palin for Tina and ranting to her about "that horrible woman" has got to be one of the funniest jokes in SNL history.

10. Bodega Bathroom

Out of the five Pete-Davidson-orders-something-strange-as-John-Mulaney-turns-things-into-an-over-the-top-musical skits that have been done, four made it into my all-time top 15 SNL skits - that's how magnificent this tradition is. Bodega Bathroom is the second-ever skit in the series, and it's naturally from Mulaney's second time as host. In this installation of my favorite running gag, Davidson's character wants to use the restroom in a shady bodega, and the owner (Mulaney, living his secret dream of being a Broadway diva) takes things to the next level as we meet all sorts of weird characters.

The skit pays tribute to many different musicals, such as Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Cats and Rent. Kate McKinnon bursting into 'Memory' (with extremely modified lyrics) while dressed as a cup of soda is a thing to behold, but it pales in comparison to the final act: the iconic 'Season of Love' re-imagined in this crummy bodega, with pretty much the entire cast joining in, as the chorus goes "What about FLAAAAAAAAAN?". Tears of laughter, man.

9. Republican or Not?

As you might've noticed, most of my all-time favorite skits are from very recent years - while I've watched my fair share of old SNL, I have seen much more of the new ones as I started actively following the series just a few years ago, so mathematically the current era is bound to be more represented. Bear with me, old-school fans: there are going to be a few nostalgic gems ahead amidst all the modernity!

SNL has done many, many game show parodies in the last few decades (and I'm pretty sure that Kenan Thompson has played the game show host in literally every single one of them). Republican or Not? is a genius satire of current political rhetoric in the U.S., as the contestants try to guess whether the people in front of them are Republicans or not. This makes for some deliciously clever jokes: "I think Facebook is evil" / "Because they're spreading disinformation or because they're banning Donald Trump?", and "I respect pro athletes who stand up for their beliefs" / "Which athletes - and which beliefs?", just to quote a few.

8. Celeb School Game Show

The concept of this skit from last year is quite generic and has been done many times - cast members, pretending to be various celebrities, compete in a game show. Yawn.

Except, this particular sketch happens to feature one of the single funniest things I have ever seen.

You see, this episode was hosted by actor Rami Malek, who has often been said to look similar to SNL star Pete Davidson (for example, when SNL parodied Malek's series Mr. Robot, Davidson played the main character). In this skit, they do the most wonderful thing with the similarity: Davidson plays the role of famous actor Rami Malek, while Malek plays Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. And they sit next to each other.

This is from the first-ever SNL episode that I got to watch live on a Saturday night from TV, as we don't get that here in Finland, but this episode aired when my Dad and I were visiting Colorado. When we realized that Davidson and Malek are playing each other and doing so incredibly well, we burst out in a fit of laughter that lasted for pretty much the whole skit; every time Malek opened his mouth with his hysterically chaotic Pete-impression, or Pete parodied Malek by just looking at the camera eerily, it just became funnier and funnier.

7. Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open

It was funny enough to watch this satirical skit after it aired, as I had followed news of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings very closely and was therefore able to appreciate the insanely many ways in which this cold open poked fun at the ridiculous proceedings. It became even greater when I read head writer Colin Jost's autobiography A Very Punchable Face, where he reveals a crucial bit of context: the skit was written in the last moments, Matt Damon was called about whether he could guest star as Kavanaugh on the night before, and apparently he had arrived and chugged a beer to get into character pretty much right before the skit went on air.

Damon's entrance will never not make me roar with laughter. While I do appreciate subtle humor, there is something to be said for very on-the-nose humor as well, and SNL prides itself in this comedic field. For example, if the thing they want to make fun of is how judge Kavanaugh was weirdly angry during the hearing, they put the parody up to eleven by having Damon enter with blistering fury, as he sits down looking as spiteful as one can, looks around himself and screams "WHAT?!" from the top of his lungs as an answer to the committee calling on him. Brilliance.

6. Landshark

Told you that I'd have some vintage SNL in the mix! This iconic skit from the show's very first season in 1975 is a classic example of sketch comedy where the idea is so brilliantly stupid in a creative, 'who the hell would ever come up with this' way, that it can't help but work like a charm. We essentially witness a trailer for the then-fictitious "Jaws II", in which a shark assaults people on land while posing as a human. Yes, it's just as magnificently dumb as it sounds.

The whole thing just gets more and more absurd, as we follow multiple gullible women opening the door to a 'delivery man' who knocks on the door and speaks plain English, only for Landshark (Chevy Chase in a hilariously bad shark costume) to devour them. The one victim who says "I don't need a plumber - you're that clever shark, aren't you?", but still ends up opening the door and getting eaten, is 100 per cent The Simpsons -style humor even though The Simpsons wouldn't exist for another fourteen years, showing just how influential SNL's brand of comedy has been in American culture.

And then there's Dan Aykroyd, informing a man of his wife's death by saying that he has good news ("Betty and I are having a party tonight, come on over, you'll have a great time!") and bad news ("You'll be coming stag").

5. American Households Cold Open

As I mentioned when describing the Kavanaugh Cold Open, SNL's political satire is often more on the obvious and on-the-nose side of things. But sometimes, they manage to tap into nuance and make for some surprisingly clever satire - never more so than with American Households. In this yule-tide cold open ahead of the 2020 Presidential election, we follow three families: a stereotypical liberal family, a stereotypical Trump-supporting family, and a lovable Black family who have a delightfully different approach to politics.

The parallels between the discourse in the two first families is a razor-sharp dig at how divided America is and how we're so similar yet so different: "If Obama did half the stuff Trump did, he would be in jail already" says one family, while the others claim "Obama did way worse stuff than Trump ever did yet they didn't impeach him" (naturally followed by Kenan Thompson's character excitedly claiming "Can you believe they didn't kill Obama! I thought they were gonna kill him for sure!").

Furthermore, the ending twist on what all three families have in common is a brutal jab at America's broken democracy, really driving home the point that the best kind of satire makes you think while also making you laugh.

4. The Shooting AKA Dear Sister

I consider the Bill Hader / Seth Meyers / Andy Samberg / Tina Fey etc. era of Saturday Night Live to be the show's definitive golden age - all that many skits from that period didn't make it onto my list, but overall the quality of humor seems to have been the best then, not to mention that the cast had probably half of my all-time favorite comedians in it. This digital short is an extremely influential piece of comedy, as it has been credited with more or less giving birth to so-called 'Millennial humor'.

I've never watched The O.C., but from what I've gathered, the series once aired a season finale where a character is dramatically killed to the backdrop of Imogen Heap's song Hide and Seek (better known as the 'Mmm whatcha say" song). Soon afterwards, SNL had fun at the popular show's expense by parodying the death scene in a fantastically tongue-in-cheek manner. Comedy masterminds Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Jason Sudeikis (as well as guest star Shia LaBeouf) all bring their A-game in this skit that keeps on giving, as more and more people keep getting over-dramatically shot as 'MMM WHATCHA SAYY" starts to play every time. Hysterical.

3. New York Musical

Never have I switched moods from amused to emotionally touched as quickly as when I first saw this skit. The fourth-ever instance of the John-Mulaney-Pete-Davidson-Chris-Redd musical sketch done every time Mulaney hosts, this one was extra special as it belonged to the last episode aired before the 2020 Presidential election, just three days prior to Election Night. A majority of the skit is just what you'd expect from this running gag: a bunch of zany characters do hilarious musical numbers, this time due to Davidson's character wanting to buy a pair of "I <3 NEW YORK" underpants at a tourist shop.

But then, when you least expect it, things take a turn for the honestly moving. After a series of silly showtunes, Mulaney's character starts to talk about the state of New York and America, after which he launches into 'One Day More' from Les Miserables, but with the lyrics being 'Three days more' and all about the upcoming election between Trump and Biden. The full rising-on-barricades feel of Les Mis can be felt despite the show's sketch-humor silliness, because the stakes of what they're singing about were so real and felt by all. I distinctly remember watching this for the first time on the morning after it aired, as I laughed my ass off for a majority of the skit, and suddenly out of the blue, there's a tear in my eye - quite a powerful change of atmosphere.

2. Election Night

Speaking of U.S. Presidential elections, this skit is from the first episode to air after the infamous 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Once again, crucial context was found from head writer Colin Jost's autobiography: like many of us, the SNL writers had felt subconsciously sure that Clinton was going to win, and they had mainly planned sketches involving a Clinton victory for that week's episode, only for the brutal real-life plot twist known as Trump's victory to throw a major wrench in the gears. The episode that they scrambled together in a few days is remarkably good for two reasons: 1), the monologue by host Dave Chappelle, who was the best possible person to share his take on Trump's victory on the SNL stage. And 2), this sketch.

The skit follows a group of liberal friends throughout Election Night, and the most genius thing about it is how every liberal who lived through the 2016 election can thoroughly relate to how it all goes down. The dialogue's progression from arrogance to unsure nervousness to downright panic is very similar to what went down in our own household that Election Night. As a jab at the prevalent racism throughout Trump's campaign, this skit feels like a tribute to the wisdom of African-Americans, as the two Black members of the friend group (played by Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock) are constantly the only ones who understand that Trump might win, and how his victory was actually quite on-brand for America's history with racism, while their white liberal-bubble friends are hilariously clueless that such racism could take place in their homeland.

It's impossible to decide just one favorite moment: Chappelle's cynical "I guess the Latinos didn't hear your little toast", Rock's hysterical "I don't get you ladies, I mean the country's 55% women! If the country was 55% Black, we'd have tons of Black Presidents, I mean Flavor Flav would be President!", Cecily Strong's incoherent panic-rant about urban counties, or Beck Bennett's hope-deprived "You never know guys, Alaska's still out there". This whole skit is gold.

1. Diner Lobster

I didn't even have to think twice about this one. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but a part of me is sure that no Saturday Night Live skit will ever top Diner Lobster - such a scenario feels impossible to comprehend. This sketch hits my comedic tastes with absolute perfection, and I still laugh out loud every time I re-watch it even though I've seen it countless times.

Diner Lobster is the very first instance of the Mulaney-Davidson-Redd-ordering-debacle-turned-musical gag. While on some levels the tradition has improved every time, I still can't help but see the original as the best: with the sequels, you know what to expect, but when I first saw this skit, it was nothing but positive shock of the highest order. It's funny enough that Davidson's character wants to order lobster from a diner and the waiter (Mulaney) is absolutely appalled by this, but when Kenan Thompson appears, dressed as a lobster, and bursts into song, you know you're in for a life-changing bit of comedy.

And it just gets better and better from there. Mulaney being fully Broadway-dramatic while the rest of the cast struggle not to break in laughter due to the skit's absurdity? Awesome. Pete not being able to hold it and fully breaking character multiple times as he simply found the premise so hilarious? Magnificent. The escalation as more and more characters appear leading up to the "Do you hear the people sing?" finale? Jaw-dropping. The line "This diner has incredible set design!"? Perfection. Every cast member giving their everything for the final number, as Alex Moffat waves a flag while Beck Bennett marches with dead-serious dedication and Kenan's lobster prances in the background? Extraordinary. It doesn't get any better than this.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I celebrate Pride Month by ranking the Top 10 cult LGBTQ+ movies!

Top 10 How I Met Your Mother Episodes

Greetings, reader!

This spring, the debut season of spin-off series How I Met Your Father was released. It flew so much under the radar that even this HIMYM mega-fan hasn't gotten around to seeing it yet - maybe some day. For now, I figured that a ranking of How I Met Your Mother's greatest episodes is long overdue, as it is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms.

A spoiler alert is in order, as the post is aimed at people who have seen How I Met Your Mother, so I will go into plot details when discussing what makes these ten episodes so legen...

Wait for it...

Here are my honorable mentions: The Pineapple Incident (Season 1 Episode 10), The Limo (Season 1 Episode 11), How I Met Everyone Else (Season 3 Episode 5), Shelter Island (Season 4 Episode 5), False Positive (Season 6 Episode 12), Legendaddy (Season 6 Episode 19), Tailgate (Season 7 Episode 13), Last Forever (Season 9 Episodes 23-24).

10. The Magician's Code (Season 7, Episodes 23-24)

"Look - I'm a screwup. I'm having something special with this girl Quinn and I ruined it. But this guy; he's done everything right. He's been loving and devoting since he was 18 years old. There are a few truly great people on this planet and he is one of them. And he deserves to be at the birth of his son. So what do you say?"

...dary!

This two-part finale to the show's seventh season manages to cram a whole lot of material into its runtime. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) gives birth to her and Marshall's (Jason Segel) firstborn Marvin, while Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) proposes to Quinn (Becki Newton) in a hilariously over-blown spectacle that is somehow only the second-most memorable proposal in the series, and a flash-forward ending gives more details on the wedding where Ted (Josh Radnor) will eventually meet the love of his life.

The episode has some hilarious gags, such as Barney taking the mystery of the 'Magician's code' very seriously and Marshall and Lily giving their child the middle name Waitforit. It is also filled with emotional moments - my heart melts every time the old people on the bus pull a Spartacus so that Marshall can be there to witness the birth of his son. It's a climactic and extremely eventful ending for the season, setting the table for the show's two final seasons with brilliance.

9. The Time Travelers (Season 8 Episode 20)

"Kids, it's been almost 20 years since that cold April night in 2013, and I can safely tell you, if I could go back in time and relive that night, there's no way in hell I'd go to Robots vs. Wrestlers. No, I'd go home. I'd go to my old apartment, see all my old furniture, my old stuff. I'd see my old drafting table where I sketched out my first building. I'd sit on that old couch and smell the Indian food cooking three stories below. I'd go to Lily and Marshall's place, be back in that old living room where so many things happened. But none of those things is the thing I'd do first. You know the thing I'd do first"

If I had a list of the TV episodes most sure to make me cry, this would probably make the top five. A majority of the episode is strongly on the wacky shenanigans -side of things, as Ted debates whether or not he should go to Robots vs. Wrestlers, and in his head he has conversations with Barney, 20-years-from-now Barney, 20-years-from-now Ted, and 20-minutes-from-now Barney. It's all quite fun. But then the episode's ending hits you like a thousand nails piercing your heart.

When you're watching the series through for the first time, not knowing how it will end, the ending is only somewhat emotional - we find out that Ted is just 45 days away from meeting the Mother (Cristin Milioti) for the first time, and if future-Ted could go back in time to that moment, he would immediately find the Mother so that they could meet earlier. Pretty sweet, I guess.

But when you've watched the whole series, thus finding out that the Mother has passed away by the time Ted is telling the story to their children, re-watching this episode will give you a crucial bit of context. We realize just how powerful Ted's words are, because he's talking about his dead wife, and how he would give anything to have met her earlier, because spending just those 45 extra days with her would've meant the world to him. When we hear narrator-Ted saying "You know the thing I'd do first", followed by a vision of Young Ted running over to the Mother's apartment and telling her that they're going to fall in love and that he wants these extra 45 days with her, to the backdrop of John Swihart's deeply emotional score - it's just too much. HIMYM is one of the funniest shows I've seen, but it's also so much more than a mere sitcom.

8. Three Days of Snow (Season 4 Episode 13)

"We should buy a bar"

"OF COURSE, we should buy a bar!"

"We should totally buy a bar"

"We should TOTALLY buy a bar! Our bar would be awesome. And dude, dude...DUDE! DUDE!!!! The name of our bar...Puzzles. People will be like, 'why is it called Puzzles?'. THAT'S THE PUZZLE!"

And now for something completely different - whereas The Time Travelers represents HIMYM at its most obscure, creative and wildly emotional, Three Days of Snow is a testament to how well the series succeeds as a conventional sitcom as well. There's nothing all that groundbreaking about this nice season 4 episode (although the twist that we had been following three separate days instead of three storylines on the same day was quite cool), but it's just a really swell feel-good episode filled with heartwarming moments and hilarious jokes.

Not only do Ted and Barney want to buy a bar, but so does (at least on some level) every real-life set of bros who have watched this series and this episode in particular. The storyline of those two running McLaren's for a night, to the backdrop of The Beach Boys' Kokomo (the HIMYM showrunners are world class in always choosing the best possible song to perfect the atmosphere), is an absolute delight. Even better is Lily and Marshall's storyline of keeping up their silly airport tradition, which ends in a fantastic rom-com payoff that melts my heart every time.

7. Tick Tick Tick (Season 7 Episode 10)

"Feels good to be sober again. Man, how long have we been sitting here?"

"Twelve seconds, and you're in the wrong booth"

Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney's storyline in this season 7 instalment is a good example of the show's emotional side, and Neil Patrick Harris' acting is so good that you'll really feel for the character who you'd often think to be beyond deserving anyone's sympathies. But that thoroughly decent storyline isn't why Tick Tick Tick is one of my biggest favorites - the reason for that is Ted and Marshall's stoned misadventure during the Groovapalooza, which is one the hands-down funniest things I've ever seen across movies and television.

Radnor and Segel are just so damn funny when acting high, and the various running gags such as them never finding the nacho line and always ending up in the line for the ladies' room are simply top tier comedy. Even better is the moment when Lily finally finds them, explains that they were gone for only two minutes, and we see the "What really happened" version instead of the "How the characters experienced it" one we'd seen earlier (a trope that HIMYM has often used in clever ways). This episode has me rolling with laughter every time.

6. Girls Vs. Suits (Season 5 Episode 12)

"I thought you were a complete idiot - but a very cute idiot"

"So, um, do you ever date cute idiots?"

"Almost exclusively"

The hundredth episode of the series hits all the right notes. How I Met Your Mother celebrates the 100-episode milestone in two remarkable ways, with one storyline that takes the show's comedic hijinks to a spectacular level, and another that masterfully weaves the show's romantic themes, magical atmosphere and long-term storytelling into a great sequence of events.

The comedic side comes from Barney's storyline, where he's trying to get with a hot bartender who hates men in suits - thus forcing the character to choose between his two greatest passions. This difficult decision culminates in a fantastically over-the-top musical number, where Neil Patrick Harris really gets to show off his Broadway chops while the choreographies are way better than a half-hour network sitcom has any right to be.

But Ted's storyline is arguably even more hundredth-episode-worthy, as the star-crossed story of him and The Mother comes to one of its most memorable points. Of course, the two would meet for the first time in the series finale, but throughout the series, there are magical moments of them almost crossing paths in memorable ways, and one of the very best instances can be found here: Ted goes on a date with her roommate, Cindy. When at their apartment, Ted singles out three items in Cindy's room that really resonate with him, and they are the exact three items that actually belong to the mysterious roommate - the woman he would one day fall in love with. The late Bob Saget provides one of his finest hours as the voice of older narrator-Ted, as his emotional reminiscing of this close-call-encounter is a real testament to how meant-to-be the eventual love story of Ted and Tracy always was.

5. Something New (Season 8 Episode 24)

"This is such a big decision. I'm not good at big decisions"

"...Are you sure you want to be a judge?"

Did I mention that the people who chose the background songs to pivotal How I Met Your Mother scenes are absolute geniuses and the very best in their field? Because the finale to the show's second-last season is one of the best examples of their masterful work - the use of Simple Song by The Shins in the final montage is so good, that it has literally become a song that starts to play in my head during certain dramatic season-finale-like moments in my own life. The way the song's creepy intro starts to play in the background while Lily warns Ted not to do anything stupid (right before Ted, as is tradition, does something stupid), is so wonderfully unsettling, only for the first verse to kick in just as the season-ending montage begins as we see the main characters looking important and determined, with all five having dramatic moments and decisions ahead of them.

Of course, the delicious cherry on top of this cake is the very ending of the montage, as after eight seasons of build-up, we see The Mother for the first time. While it would take a whole final season before we got to see her meeting Ted for the first time, this scene feels climactic as hell as we finally get a face to the by-then mythical figure. Cristin Milioti was so perfect for the role, that with just one mundane line of dialogue and a smile, it immediately felt right - of course the woman Ted has been talking about looks and acts like this. Definitely one of the most epic character entrances in all of television.

4. Farhampton (Season 8 Episode 1)

"Have you ever felt this way about someone?"

"I think so"

"If you have to think about it, you have not felt it"
"And you're absolutely sure you'll find that someday?"

"Of course. Everyone does eventually...you just never know when or where"

Farhampton is, in my view, the greatest season premiere in sitcom history. The show's eighth season couldn't have kicked off any better, as this 22-minute juggernaut hits an insane combo of memorable laughs, heartstring-tugging emotion and well-built storytelling. The laughs are much thanks to Marshall and Lily being deliriously sleep-deprived and out of it in the aftermath of Marvin Waitforit Eriksen's birth, further complimented by the linguistic shenanigans of runaway groom Klaus (Thomas Lennon) and perfected by the scene where Barney basically recaps the entire series to Quinn in one minute.

The heart, as well as the epic scale of the story, reaches a maximum at the ending - once again made infinitely better by the best possible soundtrack choice, The Funeral by Band of Horses. The song's atmospheric and delicate opening half plays as Klaus gives Ted a monologue of love, and we see a heartfelt montage including Robin realizing how much she means to Barney, and Lily and Marshall looking lovingly at their newborn child. Then, just as the song implodes into power-ballad mode with banging drums and distorted guitars, we flash forward to the stormy wedding night some ways down the road, where Ted would eventually meet The Mother, thus learning for the first time where the fateful encounter would take place. That moment always gives me major goosebumps.

(*Salutes* Major Goosebumps!)

3. The Final Page (Season 8, Episodes 11-12)

"Step fourteen: Robin arrives at her favorite spot in the city, and finds this secret final page of the playbook - the last play you'll ever run"

For many years, I considered The Final Page to be the #1 best episode of HIMYM - it still is just half an inch away, as the top three are all 10/10 masterpieces that were extremely difficult to put into order. While it is now very barely beaten by two others, this two-part extravaganza is still better in my books than the #1 best episode of shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Seinfeld and The Office.

Part 1 is hilarious in its own right, as we see the gang taking jinx rules way too seriously (something that has passed on to me and my friends at university, with amusing results), but Part 2 is where the fireworks start. Barney's proposal to Robin may be insanely over-the-top, but for those particular characters in this particular series, it is just magical enough to work - the show's overblown hijinks meet with the show's rom-com influences to make for a scene that is as funny as it is clever and most of all heartwarming. I've watched the episode many, many times, and my heart still always skips a beat when Robin sees Barney standing on the rooftop after reading through the Playbook's final page - and even more so when she turns the page and realizes that he's proposing, as Let Your Heart Hold Fast by Fort Atlantic starts to play (seriously, the people who were in charge of soundtracks for HIMYM might be my favorite people in the world).

But everyone only remembers this episode for the high-concept proposal, which overshadows an other element worth mentioning - this is the episode where the building designed by Ted is finally opened for business. The architect protagonist's dream of designing a building into the New York City skyline is first mentioned in season 1, and it was built gradually across eight seasons, with tons of small steps across the process mixing into the series. I've always found Ted very relatable (often to a worrying degree), and so I was very invested in this long-term storyline - hence the very climactic feel of finally seeing his building opened, which is a huge moment for his character.

2. The Leap (Season 4 Episode 24)

"That was the year I got left at the altar. It was the year I got knocked out by a crazy bartender. The year I got fired. The year I got beat up by a goat - a girl goat at that. And dammit if it wasn't the best year of my life"

Again, I just have to applaud the soundtrack department. Not only does Prophets by A.C. Newman create the backdrop for this episode's climactic scene (the best individual moment in all of HIMYM), but snippets of its intro and chord progression are heard throughout this season four finale as a means of subconscious build-up. I've watched this gem so many times that this soundtrack build-up has created somewhat of a Pavlovian effect on me; right in the very first scene, as you hear the Prophets chords in the background as Ted explains what is going on and the song bursts into its intro at a sudden high volume, I immediately feel a rush of magical anticipation.

And it all builds up to that scene, where after long deliberation, the five main characters take the symbolically important leap from their rooftop onto the patio of the next building. When everyone else has jumped except for my main man Mosby, he pauses to think as the older narrator-Ted gives the speech I quoted above. And naturally, the song reaches its most epic part right at the moment he says "And dammit if it wasn't the best year of my life" and takes the leap.

I've always found this episode to resonate with me, but it gained a whole new level at the end of 2020. I was celebrating New Year's Eve with my friends, when I started thinking about the past year - Covid-19 had fucked the world up, I had broken up with a longtime girlfriend and so on, yet I couldn't help but smile when thinking of all the good things that had happened that year. And in that moment, more than ever before, I felt exactly as I've imagined Ted feeling in that moment, realizing he wants to focus on the good instead of dwelling on the bad, ready to take the metaphoric leap.

1. How Your Mother Met Me (Season 9 Episode 16)

"Kids, I must've heard your Mom's rendition of La Vie En Rose a million times over the years - every night when she tucked you in, for instance. But that performance, that first night I ever heard her sing, that one will always be my favorite"

Across the show's first eight and a half seasons, we had seen many close calls between Ted and Tracy - his date with her roommate, the back-and-forth journey of the iconic yellow umbrella, him accidentally teaching an Econ 101 class where she was enrolled, and so on. And late in the final season, with just a few episodes to go of the series, the showrunners had their greatest stroke of genius - doing an episode that follows the timeline from the show's pilot episode all the way to the present point in time on Barney and Robin's wedding weekend, but from Tracy's perspective.

The episode is beyond clever, as we get so much more context for the various connections between the star-crossed lovers. It's also fun and nostalgic, as we see bits from classic episodes across the seasons from a slightly different viewpoint. But the great minds of Carter Bays and Craig Thomas didn't settle for just fun and clever, but opted to also give Tracy's story a massive emotional core - we find all about the original love of her life, his tragic passing, and the years and years that it took for her to get over the devastating loss and be ready to find love again. Every time I re-watch this episode, I'm left speechless by just how effectively the showrunners could flesh out a character and make the viewer care about her so incredibly much in less than half an hour of runtime.

The scene where she steps outside to speak to her former lover up in the heavens is a towering performance by Milioti, and the way it goes down is nothing short of cathartic. Shortly after that, we're treated to an equally powerful scene, as Tracy returns to her hotel room and plays a beautiful rendition of La Vie En Rose on the ukulele, as the camera pans to show that Ted was on the very next balcony, listening in awe (if you manage to watch this scene without shedding a tear, I'm convinced you're a robot or an alien impostor). God, this series is amazing.

Thank you for reading! Saturday Night Live (1975-Present) airs its season 47 finale this week, so next week I'll be sharing my Top 15 favorite SNL skits of all time. See you then!

Ranking The Marvel Cinematic Universe

Readers, assemble!

The massive Marvel Cinematic Universe has recently released its latest film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Interested to see how this movie ranks among other MCU movies? Read this list to find out!

A note to readers: 2008's The Incredible Hulk has been left out since it is debatable whether it is canon and an actual part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Other than that, all films of the universe are ranked below!

27. Black Widow (2021)

"You good?"

"I'm clearly injured"

Here's the crazy thing - out of the twenty-seven films that have been released in this cinematic universe, there is only one that I would flat-out call a 'bad movie'. There are many subpar ones, many flawed ones and many woefully average ones, but there's enough brilliance in Marvel's never-ending comic book source material and enough creative ideas in their teams of writers that even the worse films always have some cool twist to them in order to make them not-terrible.

Except, unfortunately, for Black Widow.

This one really hurts to admit, because Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is one of my favorite characters in the MCU. She is a carrying force throughout the Avengers films, and I had waited a long time for her to get a proper solo film. But there's no escaping it - Black Widow just isn't good. Johansson does her best with the script she's given, but somehow this is the only MCU film that just doesn't have anything resembling a hook to keep the viewer invested. The story is boring as hell, the action scenes are generic, and the whole thing just feels very forced. You deserved better, Scarlett.

26. Iron Man 2 (2010)

"Sir, I'm gonna have to ask you to exit the donut"

Yep - excluding Black Widow, I sincerely find every MCU film to have a bunch of elements to enjoy and respect, even if they don't quite make the cut for 'great cinema'. Iron Man 2 is at the bottom of the barrel because it doesn't quite hold up compared to most others - the plot is at times very boring and lazy, the villains aren't particularly interesting and the MCU writers hadn't yet begun their ongoing streak of creativeness and new, fresh twists for each film.

This movie is still an adequate sequel to the first Iron Man, with a lot to like: Robert Downey Jr. is solid in the role, and the larger world of Marvel starts to build up with the introduction of new important characters, such as Black Widow herself.

25. Eternals (2021)

"If this is what the end of the world looks like, at least we'll have front-row seats"

Now, bear with me here - Eternals isn't exactly a bad movie. It's actually a really well-made one, when looking at Chloé Zhao's quality directing, the spectacular visuals and the talented cast. The thing is that I just don't like the film. I respect the film for its aesthetic, ambition and production values, but that doesn't change the fact that I felt bored out of my skull when watching it.

I've always enjoyed the MCU as a whole first and foremost, as the sum of its parts is in many ways greater than the individual parts - I love how the films and characters figure into each other like pieces in an ingeniously built puzzle. And in that sense, Eternals sticks out like a sore thumb, because it simply doesn't feel like it fits in. It doesn't bring anything particularly interesting into the universe, rather feeling like it's being crammed with new and rushed characters that the viewer doesn't have the time to get invested in. Could've done without this one.

24. Thor (2011)

"This drink. I like it"

"I know, it's great, right?"

"ANOTHER!"

Another decent-but-not-amazing film from the early era of the MCU as the studio was still finding its footing, Thor is a fine origin story for the Asgardian superhero played by Chris Hemsworth. He is brilliant in the main role, as is Tom Hiddleston as the villain Loki. The story is just a bit simple and predictable, and the film's style is quite inconsistent - director Kenneth Branagh's attempt to make a Shakespearean comic book movie wasn't realized all the way through, leading to a fairly clumsy mix of campy superhero fun and more dramatic elements. Still, the movie does some things right and serves as a memorable introduction to one of the most important Avengers!

23. Iron Man 3 (2013)

"Is that all you've got? A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?"

"Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography"

This is one of those films that blew me away, but watching it for a second time made me realize it wasn't quite as great as my initial reaction made it out to be (also known as the Avatar (2009) effect). At its best, Iron Man 3 is quite awesome - the dramatic scope of the plot is befitting of the hero's final solo outing, and the final minutes are genuinely emotional.

But it's easy to forget that in between these excellent moments there is a lot of messiness as well; the big villain twist halfway through the film falls flat, many action sequences go on for too long, and director Shane Black's style here isn't a favorite of mine as the film doesn't really feel like the first Iron Man movies (where was the AC/DC music??), but also isn't distinctively different in a very interesting way.

22. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

"Yes! I'm gonna call you ANT-onio Banderas!"

Had a movie of this exact quality been released 15 years ago, it would've absolutely amazed the world by being a superhero movie with so much well-directed action, impressive visuals and top notch entertainment. However, in the past decade Marvel had upped the quality of the genre so much that Ant-Man And The Wasp felt a bit like just another addition that isn't one of the best. But that tells more about how excellent the MCU is than about how this movie may not be the greatest.

Sure, it isn't the most groundbreaking Marvel movie, but it makes for a perfectly fine addition to the universe: Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are entertaining as the main duo, the subtle setup for Ant-Man's role in Avengers: Endgame makes this film important for the franchise's larger narrative, and the action sequences are fun as hell. Ant-Man And The Wasp may be a bit run-of-the-mill for the MCU, but it's still very decent in its own way.

21. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing"

"I said, 'how hard could it be?'"

This Thor sequel is once again one of those Marvel movies that isn't quite cinematic gold, but is an adequate piece of the puzzle that is loads of fun to watch. Hemsworth is better than ever in the title role, as is Natalie Portman as Thor's love interest Jane. Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) makes for an entertaining (if not very fleshed-out) villain, and the various sci-fi and fantasy elements make for many cool story developments and moments. Tom Hiddleston really steals the show as Loki; he's not the main villain anymore, but becomes an even more interesting character as the viewer isn't quite sure what he's playing at and whose side he's really on.

20. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017)

"I am Groot"

I quite often have problems with sequels that are just more of the same as the original. But in the case of the movie where Chris Pratt, a talking raccoon, a lovable tree creature, a badass green alien and a hilarious warrior go on rogue missions in space, one film was simply not enough!

The first Guardians Of The Galaxy left Marvel fans begging for more, and they thankfully got their money's worth with this sequel. The humor, charm, weirdness and fascinating worldbuilding of the first film are back, and while they don't impress with as much positive shock as the first film (this phenomenon is also known as Deadpool 2 syndrome), they certainly make for an entertaining movie. And it's not all copying the original - towards the end the film gets surprisingly emotional, and you realize just how much you care about these silly characters.

19. Captain Marvel (2019)

"You have three names. What do people call you?"

"Fury"

"Just Fury?"

"Yep. Not Nicholas. Not Joseph. Just Fury"

"What does your mother call you then?"

"Fury"

Having made 19 comic book movies before this one, many of which were origin stories, I was amazed about how the MCU was still able to make an origin story that felt this fresh. The film's writers employed many tricks to make sure that the film wouldn't become too repetitive or cliché - a 90's setting making it into a prequel to the rest of the MCU, a stand on war culture that looks on the motivations of both sides instead of a black-and-white heroes-and-villains narrative, and of course being the first MCU film to have a female lead (say what you will about the film's flaws, sexism most definitely played a huge part in the film's over-negative reception and that's a hill I'm willing to die on).

Brie Larson is marvelous in the lead role, and her on-screen chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury is delightful, making for an all-in-all enjoyable entry into the Marvel universe.

18. Ant-Man (2015)

"My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over. What do you need me to do?"

"...I want you to break into a place and steal some shit"

The most beautiful thing about Ant-Man is how perfectly self-aware it is about the silliness of its concept. It doesn't get all over-the-top and meta about it, but the film simply doesn't take itself too seriously - as is appropriate for a movie about a superhero who can shrink to a very small size or occasionally become very large. The second-best thing about the film is Paul Rudd, who is a delight in the title role, playing a charming and likable guy who feels very Marvel but also very Paul Rudd.

The supporting cast is awesome; Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Pena all bring their own talent and humor to the table. The film's villain Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) isn't very well-written, but Stoll's acting more or less makes up for it, making him a good-enough antagonist for Ant-Man to go up against.

17. Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019)

"There's gotta be someone else you can use. What about Thor?"

"Off-world"

"Doctor Strange?"

"Unavailable"

"Captain Marvel."

"Don't you invoke her name!"

As I have mentioned in a previous entry, I was quite cynical of the MCU's decision to keep making movies after the climactic Avengers: Endgame; why continue after such a great conclusion instead of ending on a high note? But then I saw Spider-Man: Far From Home, the first MCU film to be released after Endgame, and this changed my attitude: as they are adapting from a nearly endless supply of comic books and making entertaining movies from them, why not keep up the good work?

Far From Home is, quite simply, a blast. Tom Holland continues to be the best Spider-Man actor ever, Jake Gyllenhaal makes for a solid villain as Mysterio, and Peter Parker's love story with MJ (Zendaya) tugs at my heartstrings every time. Add some thrilling action sequences and a chaotic post-credit sequence, and you've got yourself quite an addition to this ever-growing franchise.

16. Iron Man (2008)

"The truth is...I am Iron Man"

Ah, the one that started it all. If you're wondering why the by-now iconic film that started the MCU is this low on my list, it's simply because the universe has kept improving upon itself through the years, and has outdone its initial achievement multiple times. That being said, Iron Man is one hell of a beginning to the franchise. Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is a genius casting decision, and Jon Favreau's directing makes for a superhero film that was (for its time) quite revolutionary: not as campy as the mainstream wing of the genre, but also not dark and down-to-earth like Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, but rather a perfect mix of these that would be a theme throughout the MCU: movies that are well-made and dramatic enough to be considered good cinema, but also fun and entertaining at their core, not taking themselves too seriously.

Also, the film's ending is one of the most memorable endings in superhero cinema. And the post-credit scene, which would begin the franchise's long tradition of such scenes, manages to be even better; it makes the viewer realize that this wasn't merely a fun superhero flick, but the beginning of something much larger.

15. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

"Can I ask a question?"

"Just one?"

"Why me?"

Sure, it's not the most cinematic or well-directed MCU film, but damn it if doesn't have more heart than any other film of the franchise. While the first Captain America film is flawed in many aspects, it has such a great feel to it that it succeeds with grace on its own level. The glorious soundtrack and upbeat atmosphere make for a film filled with heart-pounding fist-pumping moments - later movies like Captain Marvel are respectable for their blurring of moral lines, but this one works wonders as a simple black-and-white piece where a likable hero punches a bunch of Nazis.

Hugo Weaving is delightfully hammy as the main villain Red Skull, and Chris Evans is pitch perfect as the film's title hero, who along with Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson would go on to do the biggest job in carrying the MCU for the following several years.

14. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

"Just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn't mean they're lost forever"

If you're wondering why Marvel's latest large-scale blockbuster isn't even higher on my list, it's because the Doctor Strange sequel has its share of individual factors that I didn't particularly like. The horror element, for example, felt a bit half-assed: it would be cool as hell if Marvel made a proper horror-themed superhero film, but in this one the horror element felt like an afterthought that wasn't properly woven into the film. Also, the villain's story arch was something we've seen a few too many times in modern cinema.

Yet still, a film with such flaws makes it higher on my list than Iron Man or Captain America: The First Avenger, which really speaks to how much Multiverse of Madness does right! Its primary function was to be our introduction to Marvel's multiverse - a narrative that had been teased and slightly visited in many projects throughout 2021, yet we hadn't dived into the deep end of this fascinating concept until now. And in that, the film succeeds phenomenally: the Multiverse is just as delightful, intriguing and full of neat new storytelling opportunities as one would've hoped. I also really liked the way that certain new characters (or new versions of famous Marvel characters) were brought into the story, as their introductions weren't built up too heavily but also contained the proper gravitas for such a moment. The future of the MCU looks exciting!

13. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

"I choose to run toward my problems, and not away from them. Because that's what heroes do"

Director Taika Waititi must have considered all possible viewpoints on how to make a proper Thor film to end the trilogy, and then decided to put all of these ideas into the final product. This crazy, adrenaline-pumping circus show of a movie is full of everything one could imagine seeing in a Thor movie and a lot more - and it's amazing.

A dramatic villain played by Cate Blanchett? Sure. Jeff Goldblum playing another villain who is basically Jeff Goldblum? Why not. Waititi himself voicing a strange rock creature? Absolutely. The Hulk appearing and fighting Thor in an arena? Of course. Add a Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cameo, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it Matt Damon cameo, a new superhero group called the Revengers, a final fight to the backdrop of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song, a post-credit cliffhanger setting up Avengers: Infinity War and a bunch of other things, and you'll start to get an idea of just how insanely wonderful (and wonderfully insane) this film is.

12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

"We have nowhere else to go"

"Everyone we know is trying to kill us"

"Not everyone..."

The aforementioned balance of well-produced cinema and not-taking-itself-too-seriously entertainment that the MCU is known for hits its ultimate sweet spot in the second Captain America film. Much less campy and more cinematic than its predecessor, while still being a fun superhero movie at its heart, this thrilling sequel is quite fantastic. It was the first MCU film to be directer by the Russo brothers (also known for their work on television masterpiece Community (2009-2015)), who would go on to direct three other MCU films, all of which are even higher on this list.

Chris Evans continues to shine in the lead role, the complex moral dynamics of the film make for a spy-thriller atmosphere, and the plot of Captain America going rogue makes for some exciting high-stakes situations. The Russos do an especially great job directing the action sequences, which are some of the best of their kind throughout the superhero genre.

11. Doctor Strange (2016)

"Dormammu, I've come to bargain!"

What really gets me about this particular flick is the sheer psychedelia. Doctor Strange is more fantasy than sci-fi, tapping into a strange part of Marvel lore, and they really go places with it. Between the mesmerizing visuals and cool fantasy concepts, this is definitely the trippiest superhero movie I've seen (or at least was at the time, before a certain sequel outdid it). The film gets added points for Benedict Cumberbatch fitting the lead role wonderfully, as well as the film's final act averting the "big CGI battle" cliché of the genre by having the main hero go up against the main villain in a very out-of-the-box manner.

10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

"I know you don't like to talk about your life, but a guy with a freaking MACHETE FOR AN ARM just chopped our bus in half!"

I've gone back and forth a few times on my opinions of post-Endgame MCU. My initial reaction was skepticism, my views after Spider-Man: Far from Home were along the lines of "Actually, I'm excited to see what's in store!", but my attitudes shifted back to skepticism after Black Widow and the trailer for The Eternals. However, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings proved for once and for all that Marvel can at any given time surpass one's expectations and prove that there's more cool stuff to be uncovered.

Once again, the MCU writers and producers faced the tough job of making a superhero origin story that feels fresh and exciting, and they somehow pulled it off. Shang-Chi is especially notable for the absolutely beautiful aesthetic throughout the film, as well as the extremely well-choreographed action sequences that are thrilling to follow. Definitely want to see more of this guy in future films!

9. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

"But if you put the hammer in an elevator?"

"It'll still go up"

"Elevator's not worthy"

The second Avengers film was a point of division for viewers. For people who didn't have the time and energy to keep up with the Marvel universe and who just wanted entertaining individual movies, it was frustrating to have a film filled with characters and plotlines that only make sense if you've seen all of the previous Marvel films. And I do get why the film would be annoying for such a viewer. But, for viewers like me, who were in for the long haul and all fired up about the whole cinematic universe thing, it was amazing to see such long-term storytelling that felt like a season finale to a movie franchise. Many long-built elements across the Marvel universe came together, and many more got set up for the future as the universe got even bigger.

Age of Ultron is filled to the brim with the things you'd expect from an Avengers movie, such as entertaining banter and exciting action sequences. James Spader is brilliant as the voice of Ultron, the artificial intelligence -type villain who makes for a formidable opponent.

8. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

"I'm sick of Mr. Stark treating me like a kid"

"...But you are a kid"

Forget superheroes and cinematic universes - Spider-Man: Homecoming is one of the best coming-of-age high school comedies I've seen. Seriously, it really zeroes in on the "ordinary teen from Queens" side of Peter Parker, and the results are wonderful. The film is entertaining and hilarious, as it doesn't take itself too seriously and has a lot of fun with its cast and setting.

Then there's the film's villain, Adrian Toomes a.k.a. The Vulture, played by Michael Keaton. When he's in his CGI super-villain suit of armor, fighting good guys, he's a pretty run-of-the-mill supervillain and not particularly threatening. But when he's just Michael Keaton, being Michael Keaton, in scenes like the one where he talks with Peter Parker in a car on the way to the homecoming dance, he's downright terrifying. That's Keaton for you.

7. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

"I am Groot"

"Well that's just as fascinating as the first 89 times you told me that. What is wrong with Giving Tree here?"

I'm guessing that this was pretty much the point where the good people at Marvel realized that they can pull a blockbuster out of anything. After playing it safe with movies based on conventional and safe characters like Captain America and Iron Man, they decided to adapt one of their most obscure comic books into a film for the MCU's next entry. And so it came to be that we all went to see a space adventure about an unlikely group of rag-tag heroes - and when I say "unlikely", I mean it in a very literal, "One of them is green, while another is a talking raccoon and then there's a tree who can only say one sentence and the rest of them are also pretty weird" sense.

The movie works so well because it's so bizarre. There are really no barriers on its humor, from the inexplicable casting of Vin Diesel as Groot to the Howard the Duck post-credit scene. Chris Pratt is nothing short of brilliant in the main role, and the main cast have wonderful chemistry together. Guardians of the Galaxy is a hilarious and immensely entertaining space adventure, and just one of the most pure-fun movies I've ever encountered.

6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

"Happy?"

"No, I'm incredibly annoyed"

Unfortunately, the main character is called Spider-Man and not Spoiler-Man, so I reckon I shouldn't give away some of the big plot turns from the tail end of this fantastic film. Let's just say that I really liked what goes down, and the things I don't want to spoil for people who haven't seen No Way Home yet are perhaps the main reasons for why I enjoyed the movie so much.

But it's not only about that! The film's greatness is boosted by the well-built sense of panic and intensity throughout the first act, the trippy and wonderfully created fight sequence between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, and the fact that Tom Holland provides some of the best acting in the entire superhero genre in the lead role. Basically, No Way Home manages to be the ultimate Spider-Man film and the ultimate MCU film at the same time, which is pretty neat.

5. Black Panther (2018)

"Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We can not. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other"

First of all, Black Panther is a cultural landmark. Some of you may argue that such factors aren't what makes a movie good, but I fully disagree. Representation matters, and seeing the sheer joy that people of African descent all over the world experienced due to this blockbuster film filled with people who look like them was extremely powerful and moving. It's not just the fact that almost the entire cast are people of color, but that the whole movie feels like celebration of African culture - the beautiful landscapes, Ludwig Göransson's Africa-inspired soundtrack, and all sorts of factors come together to build the film's culturally intriguing and beautiful atmosphere.

It also helps that Black Panther is a kick-ass superhero flick, in addition to its cultural significance. Director Ryan Coogler does a great job putting the various action sequences together, Michael B. Jordan is nothing short of mesmerizing as the film's well-written villain Killmonger, and the dynamic between the hero and the villain feels quite Shakeseparean for a Marvel film. Speaking of the hero, T'Challa a.k.a. the Black Panther is played by the late great Chadwick Boseman, who was just as inspiring and majestic in real life as he certainly managed to be in this movie. Rest in Power, King.

4. The Avengers (2012)

"I have an army"

"We have a Hulk"

Sure, the original Avengers film might seem a bit 'small-scale' after the likes of Infinity War and Endgame. But take your mind back to 2012, and this was the most epic thing to have happened in superhero cinema - the main heroes from multiple different Marvel films were all teaming up? It seemed ambitious and crazy, and it worked like a charm.

After various pieces of build-up in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, it all came together. The first half of the film is a slow-burning build-up to bring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, The Hulk and Hawkeye together, while the second half is a series of payoffs as it is an absolute joy to follow this team interacting with one another while banding together to fight Loki and his army. Simply glorious.

3. Captain America: Civil War (2016)

"He's my friend!"

"So was I."

Captain America: Civil War manages to juggle an impressive amount of threads that really only the Russo brothers could accomplish in the context of a comic book film. It's a continuation to the Captain America story, just as it is an expansion of the MCU as we're introduced to the universe's versions of Black Panther and Spider-Man for the first time, while also being a pseudo-Avengers film as most of the MCU's main heroes appear in it and larger storylines are taken forward. The rift between Captain America and Iron Man is gripping and well-built, and watching the heroes take sides and fight against each other is as dramatic as it is entertaining.

The film's villain, Zemo (Daniel Brühl), is also one of the MCU's best, as he manages to convey a tragic backstory, gripping motivations and a complex plan with very little screen time. From the fun and thrilling airport fight to the heartbreaking final act, this film delivers on every front and proved that the Russo brothers were the MCU's best filmmakers and the right people to eventually take on the gargantuan challenge of the final two Avengers films. Speaking of which...

2. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

"I am Groot"

"I am Steve Rogers"

When it came out, Infinity War was in many ways the most ambitious superhero film ever made. Its job was essentially to do what The Avengers did, but to a staggeringly larger degree: while the first Avengers was the result of four films of build-up and it brought six different superheroes together, by 2018 the MCU had grown so much that this film was tasked with answering to 17 films of build-up, and bringing together more than twenty superheroes. It would've been so easy to do a poor job with this balance, thus making the film feel messy and over-stuffed - yet somehow it doesn't. Each hero gets the right amount of screen time, each arch is paced just right, and the viewer can keep up without over-stretching their brain even if they haven't seen every single MCU film made before this one (naturally, the more you have seen, the more you'll get out of this).

Infinity War's greatest accomplishment is that it managed to answer the expectations of both the comic book fans who simply wanted to see all of the MCU heroes uniting to fight Thanos (Josh Brolin) in an epic battle, and the cinema enthusiasts who wanted the film to challenge the viewers and not go for easy solutions. The film answers expectations with its payoffs, but also defies expectations with its twists. In short, there's something for everyone in this massive cinematic production.

How could an accomplishment like that possibly be outdone? Well...

1. Avengers: Endgame (2019)

"Avengers! Assemble"

I know, I know. While Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame are the two highest-rated MCU films on IMDB, and have gotten more praise and acclaim than any of their counterparts, no one ever cites them as their two favorites, as that would sound boring and basic. But I'm not making my ranking based on what makes for a narratively interesting list - I'm simply being honest and telling what are my favorites. And there's no getting around it - the two last Avengers movies are, quite clearly, the two best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to my movie taste. I'm sorry if that makes my ranking less sexy and interesting, but that's just the way of it. No other MCU films have reached quite the same cinematic heights as these two giants.

As much as I loved Infinity War, the follow-up managed to somehow be even better. Expectations were sky-high, but they were met, as Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely's script and the Russo brothers' directing elevate the MCU into unforeseen greatness. It's so tragic that Marvel comics mastermind Stan Lee passed away just two years before this film came out - it's great that he lived long enough to see the characters and storylines envisioned by him being turned into a massive franchise grabbing the world's attention, but it does break my heart that he didn't quite live long enough to witness this epic conclusion.

While Endgame is first and foremost an ending - an ending to the 21-film Infinity Saga, to the Avengers movies, and to many central characters - I do appreciate that it isn't only that. Before we get to the climactic set of payoffs and moments of closure, we're treated to a standalone movie's worth of time travel, exciting action sequences and character development. Of course, because this was the conclusion to it all, those storylines are absolutely riddled with nostalgic callbacks and clever references that really tie everything together.

But as a climax to twenty feature films worth of build-up, it works on a whole other level. The 'Portals' scene, with the story turning around in a heart-pumping fashion as Alan Silvestri's magnificent score reaches unforeseen heights, is honestly one of my favorite movie moments of all time. Having followed this cinematic universe carefully and with great emotional investment, movie by movie, up to that point, it just felt like the best possible way of everything coming together - certainly not an easy job for the filmmakers, but they got it done.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I rank the Top 10 greatest episodes of my all-time second-favorite sitcom, How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014).

Top 10 TV Shows that Mix Drama and Comedy

Greetings, reader!

Today's list is a long overdue one; whenever I've ranked my favorite television shows or favorite television episodes of all time, I've divided TV into comedy and drama. While almost all scripted TV can be fitted into one or the other, as comedy includes everything from Friends and The Simpsons to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Good Place, while drama ranges from Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones to Twin Peaks and Mr. Robot, there are a select few shows that blur the lines so much that I haven't ended up including them in either category.

Today's post is all about celebrating those shows! Any series is eligible, but I've ranked them purely based on how well they combine drama and comedy, which means that it really has to be a good blend: any sitcom that occasionally has dramatic episodes, or any clear drama that has moments of humor on the side, won't make it. Only the shows that blend comedy and drama in an exceptional manner have made it onto this list.

10. One Day at a Time (2017-2020)

Cards on the table, the laugh track coupled with the show's use of classic sitcom tropes and the half-hour runtime make One Day at a Time into a series that is more comedy than drama, which is why it's only at 10th place and not higher. This reboot of the 1970's series of the same name still makes it onto the list, because episodes that deal with serious themes aren't an occasional occurrence like they are in Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Community, but rather a rule with no exceptions for every episode.

No matter how silly the show's style is, every episode deals with very real-life issues such as racism, bullying, sexual harassment, alcoholism and many more. The emotional range of the cast as their characters have to deal with such issues, coupled with the almost slapstick-like comedic touches in the show's atmosphere, make for a bizarre combination of both extremes, but it works like a wonder.

9. The West Wing (1999-2006)

Here we have the same phenomenon but the other way around: Aaron Sorkin's masterpiece The West Wing is clearly more drama than comedy, but the show's comedic side plays such a huge role as well that the iconic political series deserves a spot on this list. While every good drama series has its comedic side, and one could argue that The Sopranos or Twin Peaks could be on this list due to their humorous sides amidst the drama, those shows didn't quite make the cut because the comedy always feels like a side element and never the main focus. With The West Wing, the comedy is an absolutely integral part of the mix, and a surprisingly heavy portion of many episodes.

Very often, if the episode's main story is about something serious like President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) dealing with the death penalty or Josh (Brad Whitford) fighting congress on a gun control bill, the subplot will be something straight out of a sitcom, like Charlie (Dulé Hill) and CJ (Allison Janey) engaging in a prank-off or Sam (Rob Lowe) meeting with UFO experts on Leo's (John Spencer) Big Block Of Cheese Day. While the show doesn't quite qualify as a comedy series, its large chunks of humor do bring levity to every single episode, more so than with most occasionally-comedic dramas.

For the best example on The West Wing's comedic side, watch the season 4 premiere 20 Hours in America. It's funnier than ninety per cent of sitcom episodes, as there were moments that literally had me spitting out the tea I was drinking due to the episode's extremely laugh-inducing nature.

8. Suits (2011-2019)

The further up we get on the list, the deeper we'll dive into shows that are actual 50-50 hybrids between comedy and drama - these first three have been borderline instances of shows that are clearly one more than the other, but mix the two enough in order to be in the discussion. Such is the case with legal drama Suits, which unlike The West Wing, actually has 'comedy' marked as one of its genres on IMDB. No wonder, either - while the show is more a drama than it is a sitcom, the show's dialogue is quite full of humor, ranging from silly plotlines you wouldn't find in more serious legal dramas to the even more dramatic scenes having an abundance of witty comebacks and clever jokes dominating the dialogue.

The show's balance of drama and comedy is personified best in the season 3 episode She's Mine, as the A-story follows a long-term legal battle reaching an intense and dramatic high point, while the equally engaging B-story follows Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) battling in a mock trial over custody of a cat. Not many shows could fit those two wildly different atmospheres into the same episode so seamlessly.

7. WandaVision (2021)

While the placement of this Marvel series at #7 speaks to it not quite being the very best mix of drama and comedy in TV history, it certainly is one of the most creative instances on how the two can be combined. Essentially, due to sci-fi reasons that I won't spoil here, this superhero series taking place in the Marvel universe follows Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), as they are seemingly trapped in another plain of existence - one where life is exactly like a TV sitcom. No, really. I swear, if you watch the show, everything ends up making sense.

But, yeah. We also see glimpses of the outside world, and the fact that the sitcom setting is a part of the existing story instead of the show's outermost milieu is enough to qualify this as a drama, not to mention the fact that we go quite deep into character psychology and high-stakes power struggles in a way that typical comedy shows wouldn't. But, as most of the show takes place in the sitcom-based world of Westview, WandaVision does also qualify as a comedy - there's a laugh track, there are physical comedy shenanigans, and there's loads of meta humor in how the series pays tribute to old-school sitcoms with its unique setting. WandaVision is one of those shows that you have to see in order to believe.

6. The End of the F***ing World (2017-2019)

Now we're starting to get to the real hybrids. The series is very much a drama, as it deals with serious psychological topics in an often grim manner and there are no overtly comedic shenanigans, but it is also very much a comedy, with the episodes' 25-minute runtime and the plentiful instances of dark humor in the events and dialogue. The sweetness of the bond between main characters Alyssa (Jessica Barden) and James (Alex Lawther), contrasted with the dark nature of the problems they face in their personal lives and during their misadventures together, make The End of the F***ing World into a proper British comedy-drama.

5. Sex Education (2019-Present)

The way that Netflix's Sex Education mixes comedy and drama is, in a way, an exact reversal of the combination in The End of the F***ing world. Here, the episodes are 45 minutes long and the structure of episodes and seasons are built like a typical drama, but the series is simply light enough to be seen as a comedy as well. The story deals with very important and powerful themes concerning sex, sex positivity and coming of age, but it does so in a wholesome and lighthearted fashion.

Every episode will make you laugh on multiple occasions, while also giving important life lessons and going deep into the realistic and well-written characters. The balance between comedy and drama is clear, as I never know which one to count Sex Education as when making a list of the best comedy shows or best drama shows - it's right there in between, with its light and fun yet quite dramatic and not-over-comedic atmosphere.

4. Gilmore Girls (2000-2007; 2016)

When watching the more intense scenes of Lorelai (Lauren Graham) arguing with her mother Emily (Kelly Bishop), or Rory (Alexis Bledel) recovering from the dramatic fallout of her actions in the season 4 finale, you won't feel like you're watching a comedy series. But when watching Lorelai's workplace bickering with Michel (Yanic Truesdale) or anything that town weirdo Kirk (Sean Gunn) ever does, you'll be sure that you are watching a quirky sitcom.

Essentially, I'd describe Gilmore Girls' genre as "soap opera, but good" - it has the complicated and dramatic character relationships and plotlines of messy family drama et cetera that soap operas are known for, but gone is the trademark low-quality cheesiness of the genre: it's a soap opera, but with well-written characters brought to life by excellent acting performances. This makes the show's drama powerful, while the heavy dose of silliness in each episode balances the more dramatic side out.

3. Ramy (2019-Present)

Okay, to be fair, Ramy is objectively more comedy than drama. But it does both so strongly and combines them so well, that this half-hour modern sitcom about a Muslim family living in New Jersey still makes it to the top three. Not many sitcoms deal with the deepest crevices of faith, from the complexities of modern interpretations of Islam and the balance between being a faithful Muslim and wanting to live a 'normal life' amidst Western norms, all the way to the horrors of religious persecution and instances of fundamentalism.

But this bold series tackles it all, making for episodes that are very serious and thought-provoking at their deepest, while still always retaining a comedic touch in how the story is told. Ramy's balance of serious topics and top-tier humor is nothing short of masterful.

2. Barry (2018-Present)

Bill Hader's HBO masterpiece Barry is another side to the Ramy coin - it is objectively more drama than comedy, but the comedy element is still so strong that the series can't be described as anything but very strongly both. Yes, the half-hour runtime, outrageous dark humor, joke-filled dialogue and overall comedic feel in how the story is told make Barry into a great TV comedy. But the extremely dark backstory of main character Barry (Bill Hader), which continues to come back to haunt him, not to mention the realistic character drama with gritty elements of crime and violence involved, make Barry into an even greater TV drama. Like I said, very much both.

The show's greatest episodes are the ones that drive home the point of the combination by creating tear-jerking drama and laughter-inducing comedy simultaneously. This is made possible by the show's obscure premise, as Barry is all about a former hitman trying to create a clean slate with a career in acting. The crime/drama/thriller elements are provided by Barry's disturbing background and the storylines of gang violence, vengeance and legal issues that come with it, while the comedy is provided by the shenanigans he gets into with his acting career, as well as the sheer absurdity of this double life.

The best individual example of the show's delicate balance is season 2 episode ronny/lily, where an extremely well-directed fight sequence goes on for a ridiculously long time, as the characters resort to creative methods of Tarantino-esque violence - you can't help but laugh at how absurd it all is, even though the fight has very real and grim implications on the characters and story. In short, Bill Hader is a genius.

1. Atlanta (2016-Present)

If Bill Hader is a genius, then Donald Glover is a full-on wizard.

Atlanta isn't so much a mere combination of comedy TV and drama TV, or a sort of halfway point between the two, but rather it transcends the traditional divide in order to create a genre of its own. No other series ever made is like Atlanta, in terms of where it fits on the comedy-drama spectrum. The series is extremely funny, but not in a conventional sitcom way - it's also hard-hitting and dramatic, but not in a conventional TV drama way. The genius of Donald Glover's vision for this series is best described as "Seinfeld meets Twin Peaks meets The Wire meets Ramy". No, really, there's no better way to explain it. It's a strange and artistic show, that has a lot to say about society and culture but does so in an organic and non-preachy way, while being extremely comedic in a subtle, low-key manner, and randomly grabbing elements from all sorts of genres into the mix.

Sure, it's not a fantasy series by any means, but one episode does feature an invisible car because creativity! Then there are episodes that go wildly into the deep end of comedy (like Barbershop, where the whole episode is just Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) trying to keep up with his barber who goes on side quests amidst a haircut), while others are dead-serious and even uncomfortable to watch (Teddy Perkins you just have to see in order to believe), and some transcend the norms of television (like B.A.N., which is from start to finish presented as an episode of a fictional talk show on a fictional channel, down to the 'commercial break' where we see actual commercials directed by Donald Glover for the purpose of this series). Atlanta is, I suppose, everything.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I ambitiously rank all twenty-seven movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including the newest instalment Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). I don't know yet where it will be ranked, as I'm going to see it later today - can't wait!