Ranking every episode from the Star Wars television shows

Greetings, reader!

Yeah, this week's list is a crazy one. Ever since I started to watch The Mandalorian and its spin-offs, I've been keeping and updating a ranking of the episodes in the different TV shows of the Star Wars universe. Now, I haven't seen them all yet - I've tried by best to stay updated on the Disney-era ones, and I've been meaning to catch up on the older animated ones, but it's been a long process. I recently started to finally watch The Clone Wars, but I realized something - that series has 133 episodes, so watching that will make my episode list very hard to contain, not to mention borderline unreadable as a blog post. So, this is my last chance to make a proper post about this.

Now, while I haven't seen The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch and Skeleton Crew yet, I have seen all of The Mandalorian, Andor, The Book of Boba Fett, Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire, Tales of the Underworld, The Acolyte, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka - as well as Clone Wars (not to be confused with The Clone Wars), the original semi-canon cartoon from 2003-2005. These shows make for a total of 120 episodes, and here's my ranking of every single one!

120. Day (The Acolyte, Episode 4)

I'm an average Acolyte enjoyer and very defensive of the generally disliked series. But this episode, man - all the plotlines went into a dumb and/or uninteresting direction.

119. Chapter 9 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 9)

Most of the episodes in the Clone Wars cartoon are like 6 minutes long and part of a longer arch, so it's hard to tell 'em apart. From what I remember, I remember the Banking Clan episodes the least, so I guess they were the least memorable.

118. Chapter 8 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 8)

Part one of the two-parter where Obi-Wan encounters a bounty hunter at the Banking Clan headquarters. Riveting.

117. Chapter 12 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 2)

Another semi-forgettable Clone Wars instalment, this time centering on Mace Windu.

116. The Streets of Mos Espa (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 3)

I'm all for franchises branching out (it's so cool that Clone Wars and Andor are part of the same universe), but not like this! Never like this! (The episode's style feels like it's actively trying to distance itself from Star Wars).

115. Chapter 13 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 3)

The Mace Windu / Dantooine arch is pretty unremarkable, but at least we get some cool Jedi action here.

114. Chapter 21 (Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 1)

The cartoon's final five-episode run introduced us to longer (up to 13 minutes!) and more focused episodes. The first one, however, is pretty dull.

113. Chapter 3 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 3)

After the opening episodes that were fresh and different enough to be entertaining, this is where Clone Wars settles into its standard style - alright, but missing that special something.

112. Chapter 4 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 4)

The ARC troopers fight IG droids on Muunilist. I'm all for worldbuilding, but the action in this episode feels so very G.I. Joe.

111. Time to Fly (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 3)

To be fair, I watched Ahsoka without seeing Rebels first (I didn't know it's such a direct sequel), so I should really give the show another chance in the future. From the viewing experience in my cursed viewing order, this is one of the episodes that didn't really cause anything in me.

110. Chapter 16 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 6)

The visually engaging Ilum mountain arch falls flat in its culmination, as the plot is semi-ridiculous.

109. Chapter 22 (Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 2)

One of the deeper Clone Wars episodes, as Anakin and Padme's relationship is explored in this dialogue-heavy instalment. The music and style choices are pretty bizarre, though.

108. Toil and Trouble (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 2)

Good production values and visuals, but my heart just wasn't in it (again, I'm sure I would've been more invested if I had the necessary context from Rebels).

107. Chapter 11 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 1)

Good brainless fun for those of us who enjoy the pew-pew-pew side of Star Wars even without all the worldbuilding and depth.

106. Chapter 14 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 4)

One of the episodes where Clone Wars served as a precursor for what *The* Clone Wars would go on to do - delightfully fleshing out those fascinating background Jedi characters from the prequels. Here, it's Luminara Unduli's turn in the spotlight, and...it's alright.

105. Guns for Hire (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 6)

Even the worst Mandalorian episode ranks here, as it does have some decent moments. But, yeah - by The Mandalorian standards, the Jack Black / Lizzo episode (I know, sounds like an SNL billing) was a major disappointment.

104. Chapter 7 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 7)

Asajj Ventress proves to have tremendous villain potential in her introduction arch.

103. Chapter 6 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 6)

Here we meet Asajj Ventress for the first time, beginning a journey that would continue throughout The Clone Wars and Tales of the Underworld.

102. Chapter 24 (Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 4)

The penultimate instalment of the Clone Wars cartoon starts to wrap things up, in a manner just as lukewarm (or, should I say, heh, 'Anakinwarm') as you'd expect from the series.

101. Chapter 15 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 5)

One of the better arch kick-offs in Clone Wars, as Yoda and Padme go on an icy adventure. The animation rocks (relative to this series, that is).

100. Chapter 2 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 2)

After the introductory opening chapter, the signature style of the Clone Wars cartoon is fully introduced in this zany battle episode.

99. Chapter 20 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 10)

A bit of an underwhelming end to the second batch of mini-episodes, but it still ties some plotlines together in a semi-satisfying manner.

98. Friends (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 2)

I really liked Tales of the Underworld (like all three Tales of... anthologies), but this episode stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm all for heist capers, but this might be the most generic and unimaginative heist in the franchise.

97. Part IV (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 4)

My frustrating mixed feelings of the Obi-Wan series were at their strongest in the fourth episode - the visuals and set design are neat, but the plot was so predictable that it felt like it was written on autopilot.

96. Master and Apprentice (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 1)

Rosario Dawson and David Tennant were immediately fun in their roles, but otherwise this pilot episode wasn't very engaging (I would only later realize that this was partially because I hadn't seen Rebels first).

95. Choice (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 7)

The second flashback episode of The Acolyte poses some compelling questions, such as "Are the Jedi hypocrites due to their strict moral code and occasional inactions?" and "Did this eight-episode season really need a second flashback episode?".

94. Chapter 1 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 1)

The funky first episode of Clone Wars jumps right into the Clone Wars, being exactly what you'd expect when you're such a niche fan that you want to watch this forgotten gem two decades after its release.

93. The Path of Fear (Tales of the Empire, Episode 1)

The first episode of Tales of the Empire, kicking off a 3-episode arch focused on Morgan Elsbeth, leaves a bit to be desired. Thankfully, it would all be uphill from there.

92. Choices (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 3)

The middle part of the Dooku/Qui-Gon arch in Tales of the Jedi is easily its tamest, but it's still okay viewing for the type of fan I am (Worldbuilding and filling in gaps of character archs and the canon timeline? Hell yeah!).

91. Chapter 23 (Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 3)

A raging battle over Coruscant begins, kicking off the delightfully decent endgame of this silly cartoon.

90. The Way Forward (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 1)

Asajj Ventress' return would've definitely hit harder if I had watched Clone Wars and The Clone Wars first. Thankfully, I knew enough about the character from (the deep-down-the-nerd-rabbit-hole-side of) pop culture in order to keep up.

89. The Sanctuary (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 4)

The video-game-feeling sidequest episodes in The Mandalorian are generally its weakest, but I still have a love-hate relationship with them, because they make for a big part of the show's DNA and help the more climactic and serialized episodes hit harder.

88. Chapter 17 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 7)

The clash between Anakin and Ventress, which is probably the cartoon's most thrilling arch, is set up here, building the foundation for two even better mini-episodes to follow.

87. Lost/Found (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 1)

The biggest positive in The Acolyte's pilot is simply the intrigue of seeing the High Republic era on the big screen for the first time. Always a treat to explore a totally different part of the timeline.

86. The Jedi, the Witch and the Warlod (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 8)

Ahsoka underwhelmed me with its first episodes (as you read above), got surpisingly good in the middle (as you'll read below) - and culminated with a quality right in the middle. A good finale, but definitely not a great one.

85. Chapter 10 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 10)

Anakin's legendary prowess as a pilot is on full display in this all-fun space fight episode.

84. Revenge/Justice (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 2)

The intrigue of the mysteries and storylines in The Acolyte is built impressively forward with this slow-burn episode.

83. The Path of Anger (Tales of the Empire, Episode 2)

The dots of obscure lore characters are connected in this episode, as Morgan Elsbeth crosses paths with Grand Admiral Thrawn.

82. The Gunslinger (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 5)

I love the fusion of the sci-fi and western genres. This episode doesn't nail the combo as well as Firefly or Westworld, but it ain't bad either.

81. The Tribes of Tatooine (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 2)

If you're so into Star Wars worldbuilding that you want to know a lot more about the various political factions and criminal power plays in Tatooine, then this episode is for you. Honestly, it should've been longer.

80. Destiny (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 3)

The most hated and lowest-rated Acolyte episode really showcases what a whiny bunch the Star Wars fandom can be - Destiny has the guts to try something different, and if you aren't open-minded enough to like it, that's your loss.

79. Chapter 18 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 8)

The confrontation between Anakin and Ventress escalates here, as the second batch of Clone Wars episodes nears its wrap-up.

78. In the Name of Honor (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 7)

Part of me would want to rank it higher because it does everything we needed from the Book of Boba Fett finale, and a part of me would want to rank it lower because it doesn't do anything extra and thus feels like a bare-minimum ending. #78 is a good compromise.

77. Chapter 25 (Clone Wars, Season 3 Episode 5)

The final Clone Wars instalment accomplishes my favorite prequel trope, leaving off right where Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith would begin. Always a cool trick.

76. Dreams and Madness (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 7)

An otherwise semi-average setup for the finale, but the C3PO cameo made my nerd heart swell.

75. That Would Be Me (Andor, Season 1 Episode 2)

Even the worst of the 24 episodes in the easily best Star Wars TV show makes it into the top 75! It's a fairly unremarkable episode by Andor standards, but the acting and dialogue are sublime as ever.

74. Chapter 19 (Clone Wars, Season 2 Episode 9)

There may have been one mini-episode more and a whole five-episode arch after this, but the culmination of the Anakin vs. Asajj duel still feels like the cartoon's true climax.

73. Part II (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 2)

The Obi-Wan show continues to show potential yet painfully fall slightly short of it. At least we get some great moments with young Leia, and the ending is cool.

72. The Path of Hate (Tales of the Empire, Episode 3)

The Tales of the Jedi/Empire/Underworld shows are at their best when filling in blanks and connecting different aspects of the Star Wars timeline. This episode does just that, neatly building a bridge between the Morgan Elsbeth backstory and her appearance on The Mandalorian.

71. The Acolyte (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 8)

I'm pissed off that The Acolyte won't likely be getting its planned second season, because the season 1 finale posed some really interesting questions, leaving the door open for what probably would've been a much better season 2.

70. The Apostate (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 1)

This season premiere has some very neat moments, but it also sets up some of the over-ambitious long-term archs that would end up making the season slightly lesser to its predecessors.

69. Chapter 5 (Clone Wars, Season 1 Episode 5)

The Kit Fisto episode is the hands-down finest moment of the silly cartoon series. The animation and action in the underwater sequences are funky as hell.

68. Fallen Jedi (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 4)

After the first three episodes, I wasn't expecting much from Ahsoka - but from hereon out, things started to look up.

67. Stranger in a Strange Land (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 1)

The editing is pretty skilful as we jump between timelines to see how Boba survived The Return of the Jedi, and start to follow what he's up to in the post-original-trilogy era.

66. Part I (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 1)

Two series openers in a row! Like most of the Obi-Wan series, the pilot doesn't reach its full potential, but it's a blast to see Ewan McGregor reprising his role (and looking delightfully like the midway point between the Obi-Wan in the prequels and Alec Guinness' role in the originals).

65. Teach/Corrupt (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 6)

The themes explored in The Acolyte are at their most intriguing here, as the fascinating villain known as The Stranger tries to make the hero Osha understand where he's coming from.

64. Life and Death (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 1)

Ahsoka Tano's origin story is cute, and a fun way to kick off the Tales of... anthology.

63. Far, Far Away (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 6)

Pretty much Ahsoka at its best, as the mysteries and storylines built across the first season begin to unravel and pay off.

62. Kassa (Andor, Season 1 Episode 1)

A cool pilot, introducting us to a more serious and grounded take on the Star Wars universe - but a far cry from how great Andor would grow to be after the gloves came off.

61. Practice Makes Perfect (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 5)

A hard one to rank for someone who hasn't seen The Clone Wars yet. I was confused by this episode's exact point after watching it, did some googling, and got spoiled on why it hits so hard if you have seen it. I think I can appreciate the clever tie-in even now, at least to some degree.

60. The Siege (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 4)

The best Mandalorian season is so good that its worst episode ranks here. An archetypical Mando sidequest, balanced with gradually building larger plots, and cool action sequences.

59. The Gathering Storm (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 4)

This is where I really started to warm up to the honestly underrated Boba Fett show, as the various forces battling for power in Tatooine are at their most intriguing. The soundtrack in the final scene is a fun way to hint at the direction of the next episodes!

58. Shadow Warrior (Ahsoka, Season 1 Episode 5)

A real treat to see Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Anakin. I'd imagine this would hit a lot harder after seeing The Clone Wars, so I'll have to re-watch at some point.

57. Justice (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 2)

Running it back to when Qui-Gon was Dooku's padawan, thus getting to explore both characters more? Hell to the yes!

56. Night (The Acolyte, Season 1 Episode 5)

Absolutely thrilling, well-directed action and a solid villain reveal. The Acolyte's finest hour.

55. Part III (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 3)

A frustrating one to rank - the events are big and dramatic, but the execution feels like a half measure. The episode is still good, but not as epic as it should've been.

54. Resolve (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 6)

A nice bookend to Ahsoka Tano's Tales of the Jedi arch, finishing one part of her journey while setting her up for the next.

53. One Warrior to Another (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 3)

After a slightly underwhelming two first episodes, Tales of the Underworld picks up its quality with an episode that just feels deliciously Star Wars, atmosphere-wise.

52. The Axe Forgets (Andor, Season 1 Episode 5)

The 3-episode Aldhani arch's middle instalment may be its weakest, but there are still some awesome moments (especially in the dialogue, fleshing out the motivations of the various rebels).

51. Devoted (Tales of the Empire, Episode 4)

Barris Offee was not a familiar character to me when I tuned in for Tales of the Empire, but I was enamored by her arch. It begins in a very no-nonsense manner, showing us a different perspective on the infamous Order 66.

50. The Passenger (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 2)

One of the most pure and fun sidequest episodes in The Mandalorian. The visuals are top notch as well.

49. The Return (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 8)

O, where to rank the Mandalorian finale? It's a mixed bag for sure, with some absolutely brilliant moments and others that feel lazy. The positives do outweigh the negatives, but still - it should've been better.

48. One Good Deed (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 6)

Tales of the Underworld concludes with a fantastic three-episode arch revolving around the villainous Cad Bane's origin story. The final instalment is the arch's weakest, but it's still rather excellent.

47. The Way Out (Tales of the Empire, Episode 6)

Tales of the Empire culminates in a tense confrontation, years in the making (timeline-wise), in the dramatic atmosphere of an icy cave on a remote planet. It's pretty awesome.

46. The Sith Lord (Tales of the Jedi, Episode 4)

A well-written look at why and how Count Dooku betrayed the Jedi, and a blissfully rare appearance by the highly intriguing lore character Yaddle.

45. Aldhani (Andor, Season 1 Episode 4)

Alex Lawther's role as Nemik is awe-inspiring from the get-go. This episode also kicks off Mon Mothma's storyline, and the Coruscant politics are immediately engaging.

44. The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 1)

Post-Return of the Jedi worldbuilding, Pedro Pascal being a total badass, the mysterious first appearance of Grogu - yeah, this is the best of the ten pilot episodes on today’s list.

43. Sagrona Teema (Andor, Season 2 Episode 2)

The kind of slow-paced writing that Andor’s eventual payoffs are built on. The Yavin reveal at the end is pretty cool.

42. The Good Life (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 4)

The Cad Bane arch kicks off with a poetic tale of good and evil (and the sometimes arbitrary relation between the two).

41. The Foundling (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 4)

The closest that the over-serialized third season came to a seasons-1-and-2-style sidequest episode. Ahmed Best’s redemption arch was touching!

40. Reckoning (Andor, Season 1 Episode 3)

Some of the show's core themes start to reveal themselves, putting the secretive and heroic rebellion backstory on the forefront.

39. The Mines of Mandalore (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 2)

An otherwise semi-basic adventure episode, made highly memorable by the awe-inspiring collision of intriguing lore and top notch visuals in the Mythosaur sequence.

38. The Sin (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 3)

After two episodes of mysteries and loose threads, The Mandalorian kicks off in full gear, showcasing exactly what kind of show it will be.

37. One Year Later (Andor, Season 2 Episode 1)

The masterful second season of Andor begins with a classic slow burn - the pace is what it is, but every single scene and moment of dialogue is carefully thought out, all of it serving the greater purpose.

36. Ever Been to Ghorman? (Andor, Season 2 Episode 4)

The slow burn of Andor's second season continues here, with the stakes gradually rising and the tension mounting up.

35. The Convert (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 3)

I really liked the generally divisive choice to use (a small chunk of) The Mandalorian's third season as a bridge between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Honestly, I would've loved to see even more. Hell, a Snoke origin story would be awesome.

34. I Have Friends Everywhere (Andor, Season 2 Episode 5)

The majestic crescendo of season 2 continues evermore, with the political intrigue and plots-within-plots writing building and building towards the series of eventual payoffs.

33. Announcement (Andor, Season 1 Episode 7)

A moment to breathe between big events, an aftermath to the Aldhani arch, and a setup for the Narkina arch all rolled into one tight package. Nicholas Britell's score is especially awesome here.

32. Realization (Tales of the Empire, Episode 5)

Barris Offee's redemption arch is genuinely touching, and the mystery Jedi is a nice plot addition.

31. The Pirate (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 5)

After a shaky start to the third season, The Mandalorian gets fully back on track in an episode with memorable villains, cool action and a neat cliffhanger ending.

30. Daughter of Ferrix (Andor, Season 1 Episode 11)

All the carefully built pieces are moving, building up towards the season 1 finale at just the right pace, proving the Andor writing team to be a more formidable and well-oiled machine than the Empire itself.

29. The Prisoner (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 6)

The main duo teams up with a bunch of misfits, played by a chaotic array of famous actors, to pull off a space heist. Easily the show's goofiest episode, and pretty damn entertaining.

28. A Good Turn (Tales of the Underworld, Episode 5)

Didn't expect a Tale of the Underworld to be one of the five episodes not from Andor or The Mandalorian to make the top 30, did ya? But seriously, A Good Turn is that good. The character relationships and power dynamics here feel like something out of Shakespeare.

27. Messenger (Andor, Season 2 Episode 7)

The last episode before one of the all-time greatest runs of five consecutive episodes that any TV show has accomplished. As one can expect, it's a brilliant calm-before-the-storm situation, putting all the final pieces into place, ready to unravel.

26. Part V (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 5)

After an okay but underwhelming first two thirds, Obi-Wan Kenobi finally kicks into full gear for its two final episodes. Part V is as emotionally charged as it is narratively well-built.

25. Narkina 5 (Andor, Season 1 Episode 8)

Ah, the Narkina prison episodes are so f**king good.

24. The Reckoning (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 7)

This one instantly makes me think of the The Onion article "Introduction of Giancarlo Esposito suggests main character now totally fucked". But, yeah, the emergence of TV's greatest villain actor as Moff Gideon makes for one hell of a season finale setup.

23. The Marshal (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 1)

The Mandalorian's second season kicks off with a bang! Timothy Olyphant's guest role as Cobb Vanth is entertaining, and the balance between solo-adventure shenanigans and gradually building longer story archs is just right.

22. Return of the Mandalorian (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 5)

I know it was generally divisive (haha, unlike the myriad of things that the traditionally harmonious Star Wars fandom can agree on), but I really liked the unorthodox manner in which the two Mandalorian shows crossed over. The rules of how TV shows should work are very arbitrary - why not utilize a cinematic universe to throw an episode of one show into the middle of another in-universe show's season? I found it ballsy and refreshing.

21. Nobody's Listening! (Andor, Season 1 Episode 9)

Did I mentioned how great the Narkina prison episodes are? Because they f**king rock.

20. The Spies (The Mandalorian, Season 3 Episode 7)

The finest hour of The Mandalorian's weakest season. The dramatic arrangement of the main title theme in the final fight goes hard.

19. Redemption (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 8)

Everything you wanted from the season 1 finale of The Mandalorian, and a great point to build further adventures on.

18. Harvest (Andor, Season 2 Episode 3)

The sexual assault scene had the internet talking, truly bringing out the dumbest voices of the fandom. I for one found the scene to be handled well, hard-to-watch in just the powerful way that it's supposed to be, and a properly frightening extra layer to the evils of fascism showcased throughout the series.

17. The Tragedy (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 6)

Boba Fett's return feels abrupt yet strangly anticipated, as if the whole series had been subliminally building towards this almost inevitable moment.

16. From the Desert Comes a Stranger (The Book of Boba Fett, Episode 6)

Say what you will about CGI de-aging, I'm a sucker for spending nostalgic time with old beloved characters. Not only did this episode feel cozy, it felt epic in an original-trilogy way, truly bringing us back to what the Force lore used to feel like when it all was new.

15. The Heiress (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 3)

One of the best implications of the streaming era has been that TV shows don't have to force every episode to be the same length, which really gives the writers and directors artistic freedom. The Heiress is a half an hour long because that's how long it needs to be, conveying a perfect balance of mystery intrigue and refreshing entertainment.

14. Part VI (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode 6)

The best episode outside of The Mandalorian and Andor. While the Obi-Wan series was flawed as a whole, it definitely stuck the landing, with a few key moments having me in tears.

13. The Jedi (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 5)

After one and a half seasons of mostly farting around with silly sidequests and inventing new story directions, The Mandalorian starts to tie into the rest of Star Wars with a few powerful connections in the second half of season 2. The first one is pretty f**king epic.

12. The Eye (Andor, Season 1 Episode 6)

This would probably be Andor's best episode if you viewed the show like a centrist would (take away the politics of it all and just consider how 'good TV' it is by other merits - a fun but challenging thought exercise). The heist sequence is intense as hell, and the visuals are outstanding.

11. Who Else Knows? (Andor, Season 2 Episode 11)

With Andor's penultimate episode, showrunner Tony Gilroy goes out of his way to make things suspenseful even though viewers know what will happen in Rogue One (and the original trilogy). And he does a damn fine job - that cliffhanger had me reeling.

10. The Believer (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 7)

If you told me that comedian Bill Burr was going to play a character who only appears in one season 1 episode and one season 2 episode, I wouldn't have expected this character to have one of the best archs in the goddamn franchise. Way to go, Filoni&Burr!

9. The Child (The Mandalorian, Season 1 Episode 2)

One of the most underrated episodes in anything ever, and possibly the best 'Season 1 Episode 2' of any series ever. The pilot was decent, but this is where I fell in love with the show and saw the potential of the Star Wars TV universe. The atmosphere in The Child is arguably the closest the franchise has gotten to the atmosphere of Episode IV in all this time - it just feels so genuinely Star Wars.

8. Jedha, Kyber, Erso (Andor, Season 2 Episode 12)

The Andor finale had me in a rush of big emotions (honestly, who wasn't wrecked by that final shot?), while tying into Rogue One with admirable perfection.

7. What a Festive Evening (Andor, Season 2 Episode 6)

In a universe filled with space battles, lightsaber duels and other pew-pew laser action, it's pretty cool that the arguably most suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat moment in the entire franchise is a person trying to remove a device from a table during a party. I was actively sweating throughout the final act.

6. One Way Out (Andor, Season 1 Episode 10)

In one storyline, you have an intense escape sequence with grandiose production design, a dramatic score and just a rush of adrenaline in the atmosphere. In the other, you have some killer dialogue about the motivations behind the rebellion and the sacrifice that went into it. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

5. Make It Stop (Andor, Season 2 Episode 10)

Andor's final three-episode arch begins with a series of events that felt even more "OH SHIT, IT'S ALL COMING TO A POINT OF NO RETURN" than the final episodes of Breaking Bad. And it somehow gets even better from there?? Also, Kleya cements herself as one of the most awesome characters in the whole franchise (no, really, she's legit up there with Luke, Han, Leia etc.).

4. The Rescue (The Mandalorian, Season 2 Episode 8)

Yeah, I'm a sucker for fan service, especially when it's executed in such a pitch-perfect, chills-down-your-spine manner. The Mandalorian's finest hour.

3. Rix Road (Andor, Season 1 Episode 12)

The posthumous hologram scene had me simultaneously weeping and wanting to go climb the barricades. Never did the Rebel Alliance have as much emotional context as it got here (that is, until season 2 of the same show took it even further). A beautiful testament to resistance against tyranny and oppression.

2. Who Are You? (Andor, Season 2 Episode 8)

Watching this episode unfold was a physical experience. I needed several minutes to breathe deep and gather my thoughts after it was over. We're only halfway through the year, but I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that Andor's second season will take the #1 spot in my ranking of the 2025's best TV shows at the end of the year, because I don't really see anything topping it. I was already thinking that Andor's second season is the best thing the franchise has done after the original trilogy based on the first seven episodes - Who Are You? marks the point where it overtook The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well.

1. Welcome to the Rebellion (Andor, Season 2 Episode 9)

After Jawas, Ewoks, Gungans and Mythosaurs, Star Wars outdoes itself and invents its most mythical fictional creature: politicians who have the guts to speak out against genocide. Anyways, from the mega-intense opening act, through the tear-jerking and empowering middle, all the way to the even-more-intense-than-ever-before closing moments, this episode is a masterpiece. How in the hell did a prequel to a prequel become one of the decade's most prominent pieces of antifascist art?!

Thank you for reading! If you thought this was ambitious, just wait - we're just three weeks away from me unveiling my ridiculously grandiose passions project: a ranking of every movie I've seen, to celebrate hitting the 1000-movie mark. Before then, tune in next week for a list celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Community's series finale, as I rank the top 10 reasons why it's my favorite sitcom of all time!

Top 26 movies that I have the most personal relationship with

Greetings, reader!

I'm turning 26 tomorrow, so I figured I'd celebrate my birthday week with a top 26 -list. Now, while all my lists are subjective, as they should be (attempting to rank films only based on objective greatness is a silly idea that flies in the face of art), this week's list is even more grounded in subjectivity than my usual ones: I'm ranking the films that I have the most personal relationship with. The exact criteria is hard to put to words as it comes more from my intuition; but I've looked at my abundance of favorite films, and left out the ones that I like only/mostly for less personal reasons (appreciation for the work done by the actors, production values, et cetera), and ranked the remaining films based on how much completely subjective and personal love I have for them. Whether it's because of a story or themes resonating with my life/worldview/values, or because of positive memories relating to the film, or just a movie touching me in that very specific way that only a great work of art can, these are some of my favorite films, not ranked based on overall cinematic greatness but purely based on the more subjective side of what makes a movie buff like a movie.

Here are my honorable mentions: 21 Jump Street (Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, 2012), Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore, 2002), Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989), Tolkien (Dome Karukoski, 2019), The Simpsons Movie (David Silverman, 2007).

26. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

Yeah, most of the films on the list are going to be famous and mainstream ones - I could've made this list even more personal-looking by choosing underground/underrated favorites, but that would've felt forced and against today's premise. The fact that millions of other people also love the same movie doesn't make my relationship to the film any less personal, because no one else has the same exact relationship. Now, films like The Godfather aren't on today's list, because I reckon that the main reasons why I love that particular masterpiece are quite identical to what the most usual listed reasons are, and I don't have any particularly personal or individual memories relating to the film (other than watching it and repeatedly going "Man, this is great cinema").

But with 2001, it's not just a great film, but one that hit right in the vein of my taste in cinema (and art in general). The first time I watched it, I was locked in, floored and speechless from the beginning - it was overwhelming to comprehend that I was watching a film that felt so handcrafted for my movie taste, as I had never seen such a Veikko-coded film before. Yes, I'm sure that tons of sci-fi nerds have the same experience, but I don't feel like that makes my experience any less special. The second time I saw 2001 was from a big screen on my 19th birthday during my civil service training, the third time was with my best friend, and the fourth time was with my fiancée - so 2001 has really been there throughout the major milestones in my life as well.

25. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

Like quite a few of the flicks on today's list, my personal relationship with Back to the Future has to do with a specific memory. In my fourth year as a university student, I was the Vice President of our student organization, and had more or less taken an unofficial post as point-person for cultural affairs, as we didn't have a designated post for that. So, when it came to our attention that a local venue that has been moonlighting as a movie theater for a long time was reaching out to student organizations with the idea of hosting student movie nights, I immediately became enthralled.

A few months later, it came to fruition - our organization and the venue arranged a movie night, showing the original Back to the Future at this local cinema - and I got to be the host. For a movie buff, that was an absolute dream come true, from getting briefed on how to use the projector and other machinery to welcoming everyone with a little speech about the beauty of cinema. It was a special experience in itself, and the fact that our choice of film was such a beloved classic was really the cherry on top. Since then, Back to the Future has been intertwined to that memory in my mind.

24. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin, 2020)

Cinema played a big part in the awakening of my strong political views and activist spirit. There are several films that I could've chosen to represent this side of my relationship to cinema - but one that hits especially hard is Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7. Rarely (if ever) has a movie been released at such a perfect time - this historical flick had been written and shot well before the murder of George Floyd, so it's a massive coincidence that the film (that was going to feel quite relevant regardless) became extremely relevant for anyone with a heart living through 2020.

It was a time when I was learning a lot about the world and wanting to learn more, and this film really inspired a further dive into U.S. history and the ways in which the evils of past tie into the evils we see today. Socially charged movies, at their best, are the kind that just might send you to the barricades, and this is one that certainly inspired me to up my active-citizen game.

23. Wicked (Jon M. Chu, 2024)

Again, it feels a bit silly to put one of last year's biggest mainstream blockbuster hits on a list about individual, special and personal relationships to movies. But again, it's about my experience, and I didn't only enjoy Wicked on the levels on which I enjoyed my other favorite movies from last year (both Dune: Part Two and Challengers didn't make the list, no matter how obsessed I was about them). For a multitude of reasons, I felt a deeper connection to Wicked - even though the musical wasn't familiar to me beforehand!

It started when I saw the trailer for the first time, while in the cinema to see something else. The trailer moved me in a way that is difficult to describe - the story and characters weren't familiar (except for the bits and pieces I remembered of Wizard of Oz lore from my childhood), but I was moved to the point of tears, because something about the combination of visuals, music and dialogue in the trailer just really got to me. It felt magical, absolutely magical. And oh boy, when I finally saw the film - I don't think I've been in tears for as much of any other film's duration as this one. Wicked spoke to me, and once again, it doesn't make it any less special that it also spoke to so many others - that just means that the people behind the musical and its film adaptation really know how to get a story and its themes across in a powerful manner.

22. The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)

I swear, it's an unplanned coincidence that these two are in consecutive order! The Wizard of Oz is here for a specific reason, as it has to do with a specific memory - one of the most important milestones in my journey as a movie buff.

You see, I had never seen the film until this year. I was aware of this being a glaring hole in my cinematic street cred, and I had been meaning to get around to it forever, but somehow it kept evading me. That is, until I started to notice that my list of watched movies on IMDB was nearing the 1000-film milestone.

I knew that I wanted my one thousandth movie to be something special, and after a while of consideration, I made a choice - out of all the famous and iconic 'must-see' films that I hadn't seen yet, there was no other that felt as appropriate to be the 1000th movie I watch, as The Wizard of Oz. Finally, the time came, and honestly, it was everything I expected. You can just feel the cultural heritage, the groundbreaking artistic value, and the impact that this absolute classic had on the world of cinema, when watching it.

Oh, and I have to mention - this happened quite recently, and I've been working on my ultimate list throughout the spring and summer: a ranking of every movie I have seen. It's almost finished, and it will be dropping on my blog on June 17th 2025, also marking my 300th post.

21. Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice (Zack Snyder, 2016)

Admit it or not, we all have it - that one generally hated movie that you have an undying love for, and will die on the hill of defending it. For me, there are many such cases, but the ultimate #1 will always be this profoundly misunderstood piece of superhero cinema.

I have spent a large chunk of my life debating fellow nerds about Batman v. Superman. I have heard every possible argument for why it supposedly wasn't good. But, here's the thing: you're all wrong, it's a borderline masterpiece within comic book movies. Whether it's Hans Zimmer's spine-tingling score, the 4-in-1 balance between 'Batman reboot' / 'Man of Steel' sequel / 'Hero vs hero flick' / 'Justice League setup' actually working, the intriguing God complex take on Superman's character arch, or any number of things, I just love this movie.

Having spent so much of my thought process regarding the film on the defensive, due to the popular opinion being what it is, really helps me analyze just why the movie hits so hard for me. Turns out, the reasons are many, and my relationship to the film feels naturally personal because it often seems that me and Zack Snyder are the only ones who like it.

20. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)

The musical genre is very dear to me, and rarely has a musical spoken to me as much as this one. It's not even the plot, per se, that got to me on such a deep level - but the vibe, and the way in which the song arrangements, visuals, choreographies and aesthetic helped the film's themes come across in a way that's perfect for a viewer like me.

It's a special feeling when a work of art really speaks to you, and there was something about Moulin Rouge! that I felt deep in my bones - the leading performances, coupled with Luhrmann's zany directing choices and the creative production elements, felt like visual expressions of love and passion in the exact way in which I experience those feelings.

19. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (Wes Craven, 1994)

Most of the horror films that I consider to be among the scariest I've seen are the typical choices - The Grudge, The Blair Witch Project, the original Nightmare on Elm Street et cetera. But, the film that I'd choose as the #1 scariest I've ever seen - I've gathered that it's a very uncommon choice, based on the many bewildered reactions I've gotten from telling fellow movie enjoyers.

It's the Nightmare on Elm Street meta reboot/pseudo-sequel from the 90's.

Yeah, I can't fully explain why, but this weird-ass cult film had a much bigger impact on me than it clearly did for many fans of the franchise. Not only is the film's premise genius and creative, but the way in which it utilized 'meta horror' just really got to me - it's pretty much the only case where I've seriously lost sleep due to a horror film, as the idea of Freddy Krueger not being contained to the fiction of the previous films but rather escaping into our reality had me f**king spooked. I get why that premise is merely silly to many viewers, but with my love for meta storytelling and my ways of becoming immersed in good pieces of fiction, this film caused something impressively dark in my mind.

18. Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986)

First of all, David Lynch is my favorite filmmaker of all time - none of his films are in today's top ten, because my love for him comes more from the tapestry of all his films as a collection than from any individual one (not to mention that the greatest thing he ever did was very much a TV show, not a movie). That being said, my favorite Lynch flick has to be on today's list - it showcases so much about what I love in Lynch's filmmaking style, and the film just really resonated with my taste in art.

The opening shot, with the red roses in front of the white picket fence to the backdrop of a blue sky, is just the most aesthetically pleasing way in which any film ever has started. From thereon out, Blue Velvet does most everything in its power to be exactly my kind of film - down to the fact that a young Kyle MacLachlan's performance as protagonist Jeffrey Beaumont is something that I felt personally. It's not exactly that I relate to the character or see myself in him, but something similar yet even more profound. The way in which Kyle plays the character feels like it unlocks something in my brain, causing a strong sense of "everything the character does is exactly in lockstep with how I'd write and/or play that character if I was making this film".

17. The MCU Spider-Man trilogy (Jon Watts, 2017-2021)

When Tom Holland's version of Peter Parker / Spider-Man was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, a friend of mine saw the film before me and told me I have to see it because the new Spider-Man is "exactly like me". I did indeed come to see a lot of myself in him, especially when his first solo movie Spider-Man: Homecoming came out. For that stage in life, the awkward high school kid felt a bit too real, and the way in which his eventual romance with MJ (Zendaya) is teased and set up felt very shivers-down-my-spine (I was single and immediately as much in love with Zendaya's character as Spidey himself).

When Spider-Man: Far From Home came out two years later, it was a different stage in my life. The character had seemed to age in a pace similar to my own, and the progress of Peter and MJ's love story felt happy and right (it was around the 'peak' of the relationship I was in back then).

Then, two more years went by, I did a lot maturing and was single again - and out comes Spider-Man: No Way Home. Now, I see Peter and MJ's romance in these three films as one of the all-time greatest love stories in cinema and I'm not exaggerating - and for that stage in my life, the events of this film hit like a ton of goddamn bricks. Following the growth of this version of the character, with so many parallels to my own growth despite the outlandish nature of the superhero genre, was really quite something.

16. It (Andy Muschietti, 2017)

Stephen King is probably my favorite author of all time, and I have this movie to thank for the beginning of my obsession. While I had seen other films based on King's books and had meant to read his stuff before this, there's no question that It was the turning point. It's such a great horror movie, and the atmosphere was so uniquely haunting and beautiful that I just had to read the 1200-page behemoth it was based on.

Well, It was so awesome that it left me with a festering need for more - until it all culminated in my insane project of only reading King books in the year 2023. This brought with it some unforgettable elements, such as finding my all-time favorite book series (The Dark Tower), reading the scariest book I've ever read (Pet Sematary), and getting inspiration for pretty much every creative project I've done post-2023. And all of this was sparked by this horror film being so f**king good. Still, re-watching it after reading the book, I retain my love for the movie and consider it the best King adaptation (the plot takes a bunch of liberties, but the atmosphere is a perfect match).

15. Tag (Jeff Tomsic, 2018)

I have a best friend. Over the years, we've engaged in the sorts of shenanigans that really only the best of friends can come up with. When we heard that there was a movie coming out, loosely based on a true story, about a group of friends who have been playing the same game of tag ever since childhood and well into their adulthood, we immediately felt that this was the movie for us. It just had our taste in various hijinks written all over it. We went to see it together, and it was awesome. In addition to being a hilarious comedy with a heartfelt message of retaining one's inner child, it's also a film that will always be tied to my friendship with Atte and our whimsical worldview in my mind. So, points for that.

14. I'm Not There (Todd Haynes, 2007)

I love weird movies even when I don't entirely follow the plot or get their point. It's always fun to have one's brain challenged by artistic cinema, or to have to analyze and search for clues. That being said, it's a very special feeling when every now and then you find a movie that's weird as f**k - yet you feel like you get it perfectly. Of course, who's to say if your interpretations are right - no one can really know what the filmmaker means apart from the maestro themselves. But sometimes it just feels like you're locked in with the filmmaker's vision, and in addition to making you feel smart and good about yourself, it just makes for an enjoyable, immersive experience. That's what happened with me and I'm Not There.

If you're looking for a conventional Bob Dylan biopic, last year's A Complete Unknown has got you covered. But if you're looking for the perfect unconventional Bob Dylan biopic, good news - that exists as well! Because Dylan is such a complex, larger-than-life figure that a normal narrative wouldn't do him justice (at least that's my theory on Todd Haynes' motivation), his story is told here by following six separate narratives about six different people, all of whom represent different facets of Dylan's life and persona. There's a 19-year-old nihilist being interrogated by the police, a folk rock star called Jack Rollins, a Hollywood actor playing Jack Rollins in a fictional biopic, a godlike poet and musician, a freighthopping boy by the name of Woodie Guthrie, and the legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid. Many criticize this movie calling it an incoherent mess, but man, the pieces of the puzzle fit my brain in a very satisfying manner.

13. Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977)

I just really f**king love this film. Yes, I know, that's a universal experience for millions of people - but still. I became obsessed when I read a Star Wars -parodying Donald Duck cartoon as a kid, thought about it 24/7 until I got to see the actual film, and it was somehow even better than I had fantasized.

While the massive cinematic universe built around it is awesome, nothing will ever beat the original for me personally. That's also a part of why it's on today's list - I'd estimate that over 90 per cent of Star Wars fans rate Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back as their favorite, so I've always felt like a bit of a rebel (heh, pun intended) putting the OG ahead of it. There's just something about the pure sense of epic adventure here.

12. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich, 2003)

Finding Nemo was a massive childhood favorite, and one of the films that really started to shape my taste in cinema early on. I've always found the terrifying, awe-inspiring depths and mysteries of the world's oceans to be one of the coolest concepts to contemplate - and I think a lot of that stems from watching this film as a kid. To the worldview of a young Veikko, the visuals and music in this movie created an atmosphere that made the ocean feel like something mythical and larger than life. And that sense never really went away. That's the magic of cinema right there.

11. Top Gun (Tony Scott, 1986)

I'm guessing we all have that one film - the one you saw as a kid, but that wasn't a kids' movie (in fact, I may be one of your first 'grown-up movies'), where the film's style just hit your brain with a strong sense of "WHAT IS THIS, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS", which in turn becomes a high you chase as it becomes harder and harder with age and movie-watching experience to find anything so magically fresh and unique. For me, that was Top Gun.

I mean, the soundtrack and general atmosphere go so hard that the movie would rock in any case. But really, the power of how cool and exciting this film felt as a kid will always be a major part in why Top Gun is so very important to me. It's extra impressive when considering my current worldview and values - I'm a pacifist, strongly opposed to pretty much everything the U.S. military has been doing worldwide for decades, so for a film about fighter pilots in the U.S. navy to be one of my all-time favorites...it's real testament to just how f**king much the soundtrack rocks. Ah, the magic of cinema.

10. Star Trek: First Contact (Jonathan Frakes, 1996)

Of course the Star Trek franchise, my all-time favorite fictional universe, had to appear on this list. While the franchise famously does TV shows even better than movies, the Trek movies are as magnificent at their best as they are ridiculous at their worst. I cannot overstate how much Star Trek means to me, and while many of the movies play a part in that (J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot was very close to making the list), First Contact has got to be the one I go with.

This movie represent so much about what makes Star Trek great. The ideals of the franchise - Gene Roddenberry's vision for a utopian future, a call for humans to get their shit together and put an end to war, discrimination and poverty and fulfil our potential as a species - are on full display, making for some of the most powerful moments in the whole franchise. I already loved Star Trek before I saw First Contact, but this film took that love to another level yet.

9. Adaptation. (Spike Jonze, 2002)

This is one of those films that feels just made for my brain. I can't think about this film without picturing Charlie Kaufman's writing process when creating it, imagining how it all must have gone down and feeling a degree of relatability (obviously I'm not comparing myself to Charlie Kaufman - I'm just saying that I'd like to think that our writers' brains work with a similar style, but his are simply lightyears more advanced and in a league of their own). But, yeah, I feel like I understand why he made this film in the bizarre-ass way that he did, and I respect the hell out of it.

You're writing a script for a book adaptation, but you get stuck on not wanting to be cliché, so you add an extra layer and turn your script into a film about a writer called Charlie Kaufman who is writing a script for a book adaptation, but then it feels like it's going to have too much inner dialogue, so you invent a fictitious brother for yourself, and make the movie about these twin brothers writing the movie, and you get Nicolas Cage to play them...ah, perfection for my peculiar taste in cinema.

It's probably my all-time favorite movie fun fact that the fictional Donald Kaufman was credited as a co-writer for the film despite not existing, so the Academy Award nomination for screenwriting was addressed to Charlie and Donald Kaufman, and Nicolas Cage got nominated for his performance, making him the only actor to have gotten an Oscar nomination for playing the double role of two writers who got nominated for writing the same movie even though one of them isn't real.

8. tick, tick...BOOM! (Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2021)

Before he passed away, Jonathan Larson wrote a semi-autobiographical stage musical - and years later, it got adapted to the big screen by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The narrative here is very unconventional, as a lot of the story is told via stand-up comedy -style philosophical ramblings, while the emotional story deals with the stress of grappling with a creative mind in a grounded existence, seeing pain in the world and being unable to help everyone. Andrew Garfield plays the lead role, and Brad Whitford of The West Wing drops by to play the legendary Stephen Sondheim.

Now why do I - a huge fan of musicals, movies, Lin-Manuel Miranda, unconventional narratives, stand-up comedy, philosophical ramblings, emotional stories, creative minds, empathy and activism, Andrew Garfield, The West Wing and Stephen Sondheim - like this movie so much? Hm, haven't figured that one out yet.

7. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Peter Jackson, 2001-2003)

On one hand, my love for The Lord of the Rings doesn't even feel personal, because I struggle to comprehend how these movies (not to mention the books they're based on) could not be felt deep by any human. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that everyone has their own taste and it's totally fine if you're not into these movies - but I just don't get it.

But, yeah, I've spent such a big chunk of my life obsessing over Tolkien's works and their film adaptations, that the greatest movie trilogy of all time was quite a no-brainer for today's list. It's a viewing experience you can go through again, and again, and again, and again, and always feel refreshed by the relentless sense of magic, utter epicness, and themes of loyalty, friendship and the little guy standing up to evil. The music from these movies is some of my all-time favorite music, the actors in these movies are some of my all-time favorite actors, and the quotes from these movies are some of my all-time favorite quotes. We're now really starting to get to the portion of the list where it's hard to imagine my relationship to cinema without these films.

6. School of Rock (Richard Linklater, 2003)

Forget cinema - it's hard to imagine how different my life might be if it wasn't for School of Rock. Now, I'm not saying that I became a music teacher because of this film - but I'm not ruling such a chain of events out either. I'm serious - I was a little kid when I saw this with my family for the first time, and we would re-watch it time and again, and the film's lessons about education, rock n' roll and everything in between really stuck with me. The film's soundtrack affected my developing sense of music, Jack Black's shenanigans in the lead role affected by sense of humor, and the inspiring character archs of the kids in the movie affected the kind of person that I wanted to be.

When I first started to consider that teaching music might want to be what I do in life, I don't remember if I thought about this movie right away, but I'm damn near positive that it was at least a part of the equation in my subconscious. And you better believe that during my six years of studying to be a music teacher, key moments from School of Rock would play in mind a lot from time to time. It's hard to estimate exactly how big of a part this film played in my journey, but in any case, I sure as hell am glad that it was there to guide the way when needed.

5. Home Alone (Chris Columbus, 1990)

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why a certain film becomes one's childhood favorite out of a bunch of candidates - but whatever the reasons, Home Alone was always it for me. I just loved this film, wanting to watch it over and over, and that love gleefully transcended into adulthood - Christmas just isn't the same without this absolute gem. Something about the atmosphere in Home Alone just always hit me in a larger-than-life way, and the feeling was so magical that watching it still brings out my inner child and makes me feel the scenes in pretty much the same way as they felt when it all was new.

For example, the opening sequence with the spooky music and the "WANTED" poster for Harry and Marv flying on a rainy night - if I saw it now for the first time, hundreds of horror films into my cinephile journey, it might not feel like anything, but because it left such an impression as kid, I still feel a chill down my spine because I remember how creepy the scene was to me back then.

The same goes for all the big emotions, whether it's the anger Kevin feels when arguing with his family, the ultimate chill vibe in the montage of him horsing around in the house, the absolute adrenaline-charged hype when he starts to set the traps (this is made infinitely better by John Williams' pitch-perfect score), and especially the mega-emotionally-charged ending. Man, when Kevin reunites with his family to the backdrop of the heart-melting main theme, only for the music to modulate just as he looks out of the window to see that Old Man Marley has reunited with his son - I've seen that moment tens of times, and I always cry like a baby. It's just a really special film, okay?

4. Love Story (Arthur Hiller, 1970)

This one is on my list, and so high up, for a big and meaningful reason: appropriately enough for the film's title, it ties into my own personal love story. I remember Martta telling me about this being her all-time favorite movie on our very first date, just as I remember having to admit that I hadn't seen the film but would very much want to watch it. Later that summer, we watched it together, and I cried my eyes out because it's a damn beautiful movie and it makes so much sense that it means so much to Martta (and her entire family).

The following year, the title song of this film was playing in the background when I asked Martta to marry me. The wise words from this film, "Love means never having to say you're sorry", have played a big part in our journey together. Martta is the love of my life and my single favorite thing to ever have existed, so the movie I associate the most with her is bound to be among the films most important and personal to me.

3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (John Hughes, 1986)

I watched this film for the first time at the best possible moment. It was my freshman year of university, and man, I was veering on burnout. I had left school early that day because it all just felt like too much, and I figured that sometimes you gotta prioritize your mental health. I pulled a piece of paper from a box where I keep a shortlist of must-see films I haven't seen yet, and as fate would have it, out came the one movie better suited for that time in my life than any other.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is best remembered as a silly comedy about cutting class, and well, it is that. But it's also so much more. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - those words of wisdom touched my heart possibly more than any other movie line has. It wasn't just a soul-healing lesson for that individual moment, either - those words and the sentiments around them, about not taking life too seriously and remembering to stop and smell the roses, became etched into my subconscious. It's funny how those lessons aren't all that uncommon and I've heard them from plenty of directions - but having the peculiar kind of undiagnosed autism where the literary and dramatic arts often function as a language I understand better than the ones we humans speak in our everyday lives, I think I needed a movie to tell it to me.

There are many such cases, where an important life lesson seems to have eluded me until a piece of cinema (or a play, or a book) conveys it in such a way that something clicks in my brain. It might seem weird and trivial for someone for whom movies mean less, or are just a form of entertainment - but trust me, for people like me, the right movie can mean everything. And Ferris Bueller's Day Off was the right movie, at the right time, and it will always be a part of me.

2. Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989)

I can't really even find the words for this one. Watch the film and you'll understand. Big, big, emotions. Important stuff - bordering on life-changing - for me as a creative spirit and writer, an enjoyer of poetry and literature, a teacher, and a human.

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, 2012)

#1, and it's not even a contest. From the first time (out of many) that I saw this film, it was clearly the GOAT in the category of films that I feel on a visceral level. Much like the book that it's based on, Stephen Chbosky's story about Charlie (played by Logan Lerman in a performance so real it hurts) resonated with me to a soul-healing degree.

Funnily enough, the story isn't all that similar to my life, especially when looking at specifics. But the way in which the characters are written, the protagonist is portrayed, and all the elements from score to cinematography are used in order to convey his journey - there's something profoundly familiar there. I may not have been through the same things are Charlie, but his arch contains a lot of themes and emotional experiences that I'm familiar with, and watching this film always makes me feel seen and understood in that magical way that a really special work of art can. The words spoken in the final monologue, one of my favorite movie moments of all time, are permanently etched into my soul:

"I don't know if I will have the time to write any more letters because I might be too busy trying to participate. So, if this does end up being the last letter, I just want you to know that I was in a bad place before I started high school. And you helped me. Even if you don't know what I was talking about, or know someone who's gone through it - it made me not feel alone. Because I know there are people who say all of these things don't happen, and there are people who forget what it's like to be 16 when they turn 17. I know these will all be stories someday, and our pictures will become old photographs, and we'll all become somebody's mom or dad. But right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here. And I am looking at her, and she is so beautiful. I can see it - this one moment when you know you're not a sad story, you are alive, and as you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you are listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in in this world. And in this moment, I swear...we are infinite"

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for an ambitious post in honor of Andor's second season - a ranking of all the episodes in the Star Wars TV shows (minus the few ones I haven't seen).

Happy Pride Month: Top 10 queer love stories from TV

Greetings, reader!

I've already ranked the best LGBTQ+ movies, the best cult LGBTQ+ movies and the most Pride-appropriate TV episodes during the Pride Months of previous years. But here's one that I haven't done yet: the greatest queer couples from television! I hope you enjoy, and I wish a safe and happy Pride Month to everyone reading!

Here are my honorable mentions: Colin Hughes & Michael (Ted Lasso), Jay Bilzerian & Matthew MacDell (Big Mouth), Madame Vastra & Jenny (Doctor Who), Ola Nyman & Lily Iglehart (Sex Education), Raffi Musiker & Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Picard).

10. Darlene & Dominique DiPierro (Mr. Robot)

Oh man, this unlikely romance was a brilliant masterstroke by the writers. In a series that was never particularly focused on romantic pairings, we spend a bunch of time growing invested in two major characters who initially don't have many scenes/storylines together and aren't an obvious item-to-be even when they do start to run into each other more often. But then, all of the sudden, there's this chemistry.

At first it's subtle, and then it starts to hit you like a ton of bricks, and it's satisfying how the characters realize their feelings in a pace very similar to the viewer's train of thought. The love between Darlene and Dom adds a lot of emotional core to the final season, and this representation for the lesbian community is quite on-brand for the socially minded series.

9. Bob Hunter & Lee McDermott (Desperate Housewives)

I'm still working my way through Desperate Housewives, so I'll have to see whether or not I'll end up eating my words of praise here, depending on the relationship's trajectory. So far, Bob and Lee have been like any of the show's married couples - they have their issues and can be quite difficult, but at their best, they're an absolute delight.

After the heteronormative milieu of the first seasons, the addition of a proud gay couple onto Wisteria Lane was a fantastic injection of fun and diversity, and Bob and Lee are just the kind of supporting characters that you always want to see more of - they don't have as much screentime as the biggest major characters, but all of their moments and storylines are gold. And man, what a delicious dynamic! Both actors contribute wonders to their chemistry, with the end product feeling like a real married couple you know and love.

8. Elena Alvarez & Syd (One Day at a Time)

Ah. perfect. Season 1 of the One Day at a Time reboot follows the main family's daughter Elena awakening to her gay identity, and coming out of the closet, in what is a brilliant portrayal of the coming-of-age process and finding one's queer identity. After this solo journey, season 2 was the perfect time to introduce a proper love interest for her, and the new character Syd was immediately a blast of fun. They also made for important representation for the nonbinary community, who are still grossly under-represented in our media. Elena and Syd are fantastic characters, with great chemistry and a safe and respectful vibe.

7. Mitchell Pritchett & Cameron Tucker (Modern Family)

I never watched Will & Grace growing up, so for me, these two are the OG's. In a time before LGBTQ+ characters in media became such a common occurrence that a bunch of tough conservatives got scared shitless that their way of life is being threatened because a character on a TV show has preferred pronouns, Modern Family was an important trailblazer for queer representation. Many consider this sitcom to be the first case where the major characters include a gay couple in a series that isn't marketed first and foremost as a "gay series" or strictly for the gay community, but rather in a mainstream television show marketed for general audiences.

So, Mitch and Cam get a lot of points for historical impact alone - studies have shown time and again that positive media representation for minorities, at its best, saves lives, not to mention taking part in a general shift towards social progress. But it's not only that - Mitch and Cam rule! At least for some of the time. At their worst, they could be a fairly toxic couple, but in a weird way, that also works as positive representation - it's like the show skipped the awkward step of "Let's be scared and write these minority characters as perfect angels to signal that we're trying to be good people" often seen in well-intentioned but clunky media, and went straight to writing the married gay couple just like TV writers would write a married straight couple. And, let's face it - at their best, Mitch and Cam made for a fantastic love story. The wedding episode is the biggest tear-jerker in the show's 11-season run.

Also, I like to remind people of this fact whenever I can - Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who plays Mitch, is gay in real life, whereas Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cam, is the greatest actor of all time.

6. Bill & Frank (The Last of Us)

Yes, it's just one episode, but it still makes my top ten (and it's not even the only instance like that on this list!). Really, if you're a good enough storyteller, one episode is plenty of time to tell a touching and complete love story - a challenge for sure, but one that a certain few have completed. In this The Last of Us episode, we follow side characters Bill and Frank, played by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett in two gripping, fleshed-out performances.

The episode is a major change of pace for the series, but it helps in making the show's worldbuilding feel more complex and relatable, while working wonders just as an individual story outside the show's other plotlines. It's an episode that will melt your heart, and (interpretational spoiler alert) utterly break it. The story of Bill and Frank is written and acted with aplomb, and will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

5. Kelly Booth & Yorkie (Black Mirror)

Some might fight me on this, but this is the ultimate one-episode LGBTQ+ love story, even ahead of Bill and Frank. The episode San Junipero came out in the show's third season, only nine years ago - yet it has already become the stuff of legends. The story of Kelly and Yorkie hits hard on all possible levels, truly becoming one of the most touching love stories of any kind that I've seen on television. It plays out like a mini-movie, with the viewer absolutely falling in love with the characters and following with utter fascination as they fall for each other.

The episode's creative sci-fi element really helps make the romance even more powerful, much like the case with supernatural romance movies like About Time and Palm Springs, and the chemistry between actresses Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw is just unreal. I also love the against-all-odds way in which this episode sticks out from the rest of Black Mirror - I won't spoil any details here, but if you know, you know.

4. Adira & Gray Tal (Star Trek: Discovery)

Ah, these two make my heart swell, and if you watch Star Trek: Discovery, chances are they'll make your heart swell too. Discovery was already on track to be the gayest Star Trek show to date, with the endearing romance between major characters Paul Stamets and Hugh Culber as well as the supporting-cast lesbian Jett Reno stealing every scene (actress Tig Notaro is a national treasure, and it's funny how her real-life name sounds more like a sci-fi character than any made-up Star Trek alien).

But, yeah - season 3 of Discovery added some essential further representation to Star Trek, introducing the franchise's first major nonbinary character Adira, as well as its first trans character Gray. The existence of these characters, and the nonchalant way in which they're treated, is a brilliant testament to the utopic future setting of the franchise: in this enlightened version of the future, where humanity has grown past hatred and discrimination, there isn't any transphobia or antigender attitudes, so everyone is super chill with these characters, as it should be. Of course, the same can't be said for the 'fans' who got upset that "Star Trek has gone too woke" and protested - I can't fathom how someone's media literacy skills can be so terrible that they've sat through the original Star Trek series and never realized the Vietnam War parallels, the Civil Rights Movement metaphors and the overall socialist nature of the Federation. Star Trek was always woke, and it takes a special kind of idiot to only realize it now.

Anyhow, the story of Adira and Gray is pretty great. They have each others' backs, they develop a unique and quite literally star-crossed bond, and they work on overcoming their obstacles. They're both among the show's best characters, so all of their scenes and storylines together are a pretty special treat (not to mention how the 'family unit' formed by them and Paul&Hugh is just such a cozy and safe-feeling element in the show's atmosphere for us LGBTQ+ viewers).

3. Sameen Shaw & Root (Person of Interest)

In the second season of this underrated sci-fi crime drama, there's an episode called Relevance, in which we meet Sameen Shaw for the first time. She'd go on to be one of the show's major characters, becoming a part of the main cast from season 3 onward, and she immediately comes across as a serious force to be reckoned with in her first episode. At that time in the show's narrative, Samantha "Root" Groves is purely a villain, so no one's first though would be "hey, these two should end up together". But, already in that episode, the seeds are sown, in a fleeting moment of sudden flirtation and sexual chemistry, that may seem abrupt for a first-time viewer - but, when re-watching the series with the knowledge of the adventures these two would go on, feels so right and downright prophetic.

The character archs of Shaw and Root as individuals are wild and chaotic, so it makes sense that their trajectory as a couple is completely f**king bonkers. But it works. I won't spoil any details here, but the fifth season utilizes this love story for some of the most tear-jerking moments in the entire series - the way in which showrunner Jonathan Nolan intertwines this blast of beautiful lesbian love with the show's genius sci-fi elements makes for some seriously powerful storytelling.

2. Raymond Holt & Kevin Cozner (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

This couple is everything. Throughout this sitcom's eight-season run, Holt and Kevin are just so perfect in their unique way, one that is equal parts heartfelt and hysterical. Holt is the show's hands-down best character, and from the first episode where we meet Kevin, it's just such a delight to know that for all the ridiculous peculiarities in Holt's persona, he has found someone who shares his quirks and is his perfect match. In my single years, the idea of such an authentic weirdo finding another weirdo who matched his style really gave me hope that there's someone for everyone who is looking (and, thank God, this turned out to be the case).

The late great Andre Braugher and the always-delightful Marc Evan Jackson have so much fun with their roles and their mutual chemistry, making for what feels like an authentic marriage with its struggles and uplifting moments, despite the inherently bewildering personalities of the characters. Their arch in the final season, where their marital troubles reach a point of crisis but they decide to weather the storm and overcome the obstacles, is honestly powerful as hell. The scene in Game of Boyles, where Holt's line "This is the real world, Santiago. Relationships end in unsatisfying ways every day. People don't run to each other in the rain" is followed by Kevin's voice shouting "RAYMOND HOLT?" from outside the building in the rain, is hands-down the most tear-jerking moment of the entire series. The love between two cultured, comedically over-serious men is a beautiful thing.

1. Callie Torres & Arizona Robbins (Grey's Anatomy)

Ah, my emotional support lesbians. Now, the full trajectory of Callie and Arizona's complicated relationship leaves a lot up to debate (you can read a less spoiler-avoiding account of my thoughts in my "Ranking every couple from Grey's Anatomy" post from last month) - but there's no denying that at their best, these two were the sweetest, hottest, most insanely chemistry-riddled couple on television.

Shortly after Callie's endearing and well-written bi awakening arch, her first female love interest Erica was written off the show, leaving viewers wondering how her love life will continue within the grand mythos of the show's relationship drama - and when she and Arizona started to get close, something just f**king clicked. Sara Ramirez (who, by the way, is nonbinary in real life, so it feels extra right to highlight them in a Pride Month post) and Jessica Capshaw (who, by the way, is Steven Spielberg's stepdaughter - not relevant to Pride Month, but just a delightful fun fact) are magnificent in their roles, and arguably the biggest trace either character leaves on the series is this larger-than-life love story, filled with powerful and unforgettable moments. Tears, man, absolute tears.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate my 26th birthday by ranking the 26 movies that I have the most personal relationship with.

Top 15 zombie TV episodes

Greetings, reader!

The second season of the hit series The Last of Us wrapped up last week, and this got me thinking - as far as making top lists goes, it would be a damn interesting challenge to make a ranking of the greatest 'zombie episodes' from TV shows, thus comparing regular episodes from zombie shows to individual zombie-themed episodes from shows that aren't usually about zombies. After putting a lot of thought into this very arbitrary ranking, I decided that these are the greatest episodes of zombie television! Please note that they've been ranked purely based on how good they are as zombie fiction, and not on how good the overall episode is (therefore, no season 1 episode 3 from The Last of Us, which is a masterpiece of television but has very little to do with zombies despite the show's overall genre).

Oh, and a spoiler alert is order, so be sure to skip anything you haven't seen but might want to see some day!

Here are my honorable mentions: Beyond the Wall (Game of Thrones, Season 7 Episode 6), Feel Her Love (The Last of Us, Season 2 Episode 5), Oxygen (Doctor Who, Season 10 Episode 5), Treehouse of Horrors XX (The Simpsons, Season 21 Episode 4), When the Dead Come Knocking (The Walking Dead, Season 3 Episode 7).

15. Killer Within (The Walking Dead, Season 3 Episode 4)

In the third season of the Citizen Kane of zombie television, the main group of survivors takes shelter in an abandoned prison. Killer Within is the notorious episode where shit hits the fan, as the perimeter is breached and the prison is breached by a horde of walkers. In a show full of intense humans vs. zombies action sequences, the main chaos set piece from this episode is definitely one of the more memorable ones, and the walkers rarely felt as dangerous as they did here.

14. Look for the Light (The Last of Us, Season 1 Episode 9)

An episode from a zombie show can be great zombie fiction even if it's low on horror and suspense, as proved by the season 1 finale of The Last of Us. This episode makes it onto the list largely because of its take on the genre's sci-fi side (How does the fictional zombie virus work? Is there a cure? If yes, how does it work? Et cetera), and the ethical dilemmas that it implies.

Look for the Light focuses heavily on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her case of immunity from the virus, as well as the lengths that Joel (Pedro Pascal) is willing to go to in order to protect her. The classic "the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few, or the one" moral dilemma is on full display, in a manner that would make the original Star Trek writers proud.

13. The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 8 Episode 3)

And here we have one of the many instances on today's list where a non-zombie show has produced a fantastic individual zombie episode! Okay, technically this wildly chaotic sitcom episode should be disqualified, because the answer to the mystery didn't turn out to be actual zombies. But, for a majority of the episode, Mac (Rob McElhenney) and Charlie (Charlie Day) sure think that it is, and the episode utilizes the tropes and conventions of the zombie genre to create a hilariously horror-spoofing atmosphere. Good stuff.

12. What If...Zombies?! (What If...?, season 1 episode 5)

Marvel found a way to adapt some of its more obscure comic book storylines to be a part of the MCU with the gimmicky What If...? series - and one of them is this gem, where the world is overrun by zombies. A very fun crossover of the superhero and zombie genres.

11. No Way Out (The Walking Dead, Season 6 Episode 9)

Ah, this is the stuff. By season 6, it felt like a tried-and-true formula for The Walking Dead - the survivors find a new safehaven, are there for about a season's duration, and then it gets overrun by zombies and the survivors are forced to evacuate in a chaotic and dramatic manner. History seemed to be repeating itself when Alexandria was breached by a massive herd of walkers in season 6 - but this time, Rick Grimes and company decided that they've been through too much and won't escape again, but rather will fight back despite the odds. The human vs. zombie action in this episode is insanely intense, and the payoff hits hard when Alexandria prevails.

10. The Unquiet Dead (Doctor Who, season 1 episode 3)

Only Doctor Who could pull off a combination this unhinged. In fact, it's episodes like this that make me imagine that the producers and writers of the series come up with episode premises by pulling random sci-fi plot elements from a hat and going with it. I mean, how else do you come up with going back in time to the 1800's, only to find that villainous aliens are also there, and that they are basically zombies, so now you're fighting the living dead, in Victorian England - with your new pal Charles Dickens? Anyways, the Charles Dickens zombie episode is gold.

9. When You're Lost in the Darkness (The Last of Us, Season 1 Episode 1)

The beginning act of a zombie story is often the best - nothing quite like starting off in the normal world, and seeing the utmost chaos unfold as the virus starts to spread and everything goes to hell. The pilot episode of The Last of Us does that, using its first act to properly introduce the Cordyceps parasite before jumping ahead to the time frame where the rest of the series will take place. The episode is intense as hell, and does a brilliant job introducing us to the big-screen adaptation of the video game world's most iconic zombie virus.

8. Treehouse of Horrors III (The Simpsons, Season 4 Episode 5)

"Dad, you killed zombie Flanders!"

"He was a zombie??"

That exchange alone makes the Dial "Z" for Zombies segment into one of the better parodies of the zombie genre. But it's not only that - from the Pet Sematary -inspired opening to the fantasy-spoofing ending, everything about this zombie-movie homage is pretty great.

7. The Grove (The Walking Dead, Season 4 Episode 14)

This is one of those instances where it could be argued that it doesn't belong on the list, as it's more about human drama than the horror and action generally belonging to the zombie genre. But, the thing is - the human drama in The Grove, one of the most gripping The Walking Dead episodes, is very much connected to the show's zombie apocalypse and its implications.

In what is probably the most heartbreaking storyline ever seen in the show's 11-season run, we follow sisters Lizzie and Mika, who had to grow up during the pandemic and who the post-apocalyptic society affected in a severely f**ked-up manner. The Grove is the episode where it all comes to a head - Lizzie is so sure that people are "supposed" to get bitten and turn, that when the sisters are left unsupervised, she stabs her sister in an attempt to prove her point. The final moments of the episode, where Carol has to make some impossible decisions regarding Lizzie, are absolutely haunting, making this episode into a fine example of the psychological side of the zombie genre.

6. Through the Valley (The Last of Us, Season 2 Episode 2)

Ah, this is the stuff. While the already-notorious second episode of the second season is remembered best by Joel’s tragic death, I’d argue that the ”B-story” of the episode plays just as big of a part in making the episode one of the show’s best. In that storyline, we follow the long-standing survivor community of Jackson, Wyoming being under attack as a herd of terrifying, evolved zombies breaches the perimiter. The action sequences are directed with brilliance, making for one of the most dramatic, high-stakes humans vs. zombies battles in the genre’s history.

5. Beside the Dying Fire (The Walking Dead, Season 2 Episode 13)

The season 2 finale of The Walking Dead is great zombie fiction for a couple of reasons. First of all, the sequence of the zombies overrunning Herschel’s farm, as the main survivors scramble to escape and survive, is the stuff of legends. But also, this is the episode where the very nature of the series changes, as we learn a game-changing key fact: as uttered by Rick Grimes in a heartbreaking line delivery by Andrew Lincoln, ”we’re all infected”.

Of course, Rick learned about this in the season 1 finale, but this is when the audience (and the rest of the main group) finds out this devastating truth. This alters the nature of the show’s setting and its fictional zombie virus: in a genre often leaning on the ”you only turn into a zombie if you’re bitten by a zombie” plot device, it’s refreshing and drastic to suddenly realize you’re in the middle of a story where the rules are changed, and that everyone who dies will eventually turn. It’s a dark twist, but a great one, with implications that carry on for the rest of the series.

4. Endure and Survive (The Last of Us, Season 1 Episode 5)

While not quite in the highest tier of The Last of Us episodes as overall television, I vehemently believe that this season 1 gem is the show’s finest hour when considering greatness purely as a zombie series. The major action sequence at the end is claustrophobic, well-choreographed and just intense as hell, feeling like the natural next step in the evolution of the genre. It is for modern production values what The Night of the Living Dead was for the 60’s.

Endure and Survive also features some kick-ass worldbuilding, as we learn a lot more about the show’s zombie virus variant and see many different types of Cordyceps zombies for the first time: it’s not just runners and stalkers now, but clickers and bloaters as well, which is pretty f**king terrifying to behold.

3. Hardhome (Game of Thrones, Season 5 Episode 8)

Okay, some purists say that the White Walkers and wights from Game of Thrones aren't zombies. But, if I were to go the route of elitism, there wouldn't be anything left on the list - the word "zombie" is never used on The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, so technically they shouldn't count either, as their living-dead-monsters are walkers or infected and not zombies. But, let's be real - if it walks like a zombie, talks garbled nonsense like a zombie, and wants to eat your brains like a zombie, it's a zombie.

And as long as the fantasy ice zombies from Game of Thrones count, Hardhome is one the finest hours of zombie fiction in the television medium.

It's a classic case of build-up and payoff: the White Walkers had been teased for four and a half season, with only mysterious small bits of pieces at a time, only once or twice per season. And this episode is where shit finally hit the fan, in a manner that felt both sudden and anticipated. All the sudden, the entire stakes and nature of the series are shifted, as the sequence at the end of Hardhome proved just what a dire and existential threat the Night King's army was. The sequence, directed by Miguel Sapochnik, can't even be called a "battle sequence", because what goes down is so much more chaotic and brutal than a conventional movie/TV battle - I think "slaughter" or "bloodshed" is more accurate. But, yeah, it's extremely well-directed, it puts the White Walkers on the forefront as the show's most compelling antagonists, and it really stays with you.

2. Days Gone Bye (The Walking Dead, Season 1 Episode 1)

Here's my hot take of the day - not only does The Walking Dead have the better pilot, but it is the overall better zombie TV series, when compared to The Last of Us. I know that the popular opinion is along the lines of "TWD walked so TLOU could run", and I get that - the newer one does many things better, notably the higher production value. But as overall television and as a zombie series, I still see The Walking Dead as slightly superior - for whatever reason, the sense of against-all-odds survival, post-apocalypse survival tactics, and the way in which the zombie-related storylines are written and executed just hits even harder here.

And nowhere is that more evident than the pilot.

While it isn't quite the show's best episode, Days Gone Bye is one of the better pilots in modern TV history, and a pitch-perfect introduction to this particular post-apocalypse scenario. The opening scene, where Rick Grimes wakes up in an abandoned hospital, walks to the parking lot, encounters a little girl, realizes what she is, and has to shoot her, is arguably the most gripping way in which any television show has kicked off its run. From thereon out, the pilot is full of iconic imagery - Morgan explaining how the zombies operate and can be killed, Rick riding the horse into the forever-changed downtown Atlanta, and the intense ending with the tank and the radio contact.

Frank Darabont's directing gives the episode a cinematic feel, one that feels strikingly realistic despite the outlandish nature of the genre - it really feels "yeah, a zombie apocalypse will never happen, but if it would, society would go down exactly like this".

1. Epidemiology (Community, Season 2 Episode 6)

Okay, it feels like cheating to put a parody of the genre at #1, and I know what it looks like (me putting my favorite series at #1 no matter what the list). But, really, I looked long and hard at the genre and its TV representation from all different angles, and this was the inevitable conclusion. This spoof of the zombie genre is the greatest-ever episode of zombie TV in my view. Yes, it isn't as scary and intense as the best The Last of Us / The Walking Dead episodes. But what Epidemiology does for the genre is arguably even more groundbreaking: great zombie films had been made before the great zombie TV shows more or less did the same with a slightly new twist, but this Community episode became the definite zombie comedy (come for me, Shaun of the Dead fans) in an utterly unique fashion.

The more you're familiar with the genre, the more you'll laugh at the pitch-perfect moments of making light here, ranging from satire to homage and everything in between. The premise is a pretty f**king clever way to justify a zombie episode in a sitcom about a community college, the more intense sequences are actually really well-directed, and the style choice of the soundtrack being ABBA's greatest hits is bizarre yet absolutely magnificent. This episode has so much fun with the genre and its every single trope, and reads like a love letter to zombie fiction (but also a fun-poking parody of it).

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my annual Pride Month post - this year, it's a ranking of the top 10 LGBTQ+ love stories from television.