Flightless Bird: Top TV Episodes 01:04:31

I'm David Farrier, and New Zealand are accidentally marooned in America, and I want to figure out what makes this country tick.

Now occasionally on Flightless Bird we break from the usual format and do something a little bit different. You saw that with Flights of Fancy about a month ago where we got your expert insights into very American things, like that dolphin and seal trainer for the navy. And also with American Gods where we focus on an American legend. So today we're doing another new thing that we'll do from time to time when we feel like it. It's a top 10 list.

It's basically a fun way for us to explore certain American topics that fit neatly into a list form, like this episode. Our top 10 American TV show episodes. There isn't much more to explain really, so get ready to figure out what your favorite TV episodes are, compare them with ours, and let's get on with it, because this

Is the Top 10 American TV Show Episodes episode? Ah and a quick note, because in this episode we're playing our favourite moments from our favourite TV episodes, there will be some spoilers here. If there's a show we stumble on that you don't want spoiled, just use the skip button. In saying that, most of these shows have been out for ages, some of them for decades, so hopefully you've already seen them, and this episode simply encourages you to have a big rewatch session.

♪ Flightless, flightless, flightless bird touchdown in America. I'm a flightless bird touchdown in America. ♪

Well, well, well. Well, well, well. I'm thrilled. I'm really excited about this. You are excited. We're doing something a little bit different. We are going to do a top 10 episode. And occasionally we'll do these where we break down our top 10 American things. And this...

What are we doing? We're doing our top 10 favorite American TV episodes. Not shows, but specific episodes that we rate as being the one. Now, because there's three of us, we've broken this up in a slightly unusual way. We're each bringing our top three episodes to the table, plus a little bonus segment.

Yeah, an honorable mention. An honorable mention. I want to just give a little backstory. Some episodes ago, you did a true crime episode. And in it, you listed your favorite documentaries. And that sparked this idea because that was really fun hearing that list. It was really fun. And it sparked other people to talk about what was on their list. And I think also people just love a good listicle. I sure do. So it made us think, oh, maybe we should do some more lists like this that are sort of American-esque.

I have made a fatal flaw. I made a mistake. Okay. One of mine, but I refuse to kick it off the list, is not American. Okay. Was it made by Americans maybe or made in America? No.

I had said that to David too yesterday because my third, I went through like three that were not American and then had to go back and pick. It's interesting to look at what shows come to mind and which ones are American and which ones are not. That's sort of an interesting thought experiment as well. I played this game with my friends for years. This is a tale as old as time, a classic, but

And every time I play it with people, I come up with new ones. Like I forget. And it's a fun game and it could go on for quite a long time. And I think it's one thing to have your top three or your top 10 or whatever shows, but to narrow it down to an episode is also a really difficult thing. And it's a weird assignment as well because we never really talked about this, but are we picking episodes that are just our favorites? Are they episodes that we would want to show to a friend to get them into that show?

How did you approach narrowing down what the episode or the show would be? I approached as my personal favorites that...

I think from tops to bots is incredible, right? Yeah, okay. But I didn't do prestige. Obviously, I could pick Red Wedding. You're not trying to be cool. Or The Suitcase on Mad Men, which is an incredible episode of TV. I've never seen Mad Men. Oh, my God. That's such a good episode of TV, but I didn't pick it. I'm like, we all know those. I went more-

You, this is you. No, this is great. And I think we can all learn about each other. And I'm also super curious because we don't know what each other's episodes are. I know. If there's any crossover. Me too. Let's go one at a time. I think you kick off. Are we doing one, one at a time? So number one, number one, number one. Are we ranking?

Or are we... I've ranked mine, but we don't really have to. Okay. I don't have mine ranked, but I can rank. No, it's not ranked then. I don't have mine. Okay. I agree with you. I think we should circle it. Circle it. Okay. Do you want to kick it off, Monica? I'm so nervous. Will you plug her in?

I can bugger in. Okay. I feel really nervous about this for some reason. I don't know why. I know there's no stakes. Are you worried how we'll react? Or do you feel we're going to see you? We see the core of what Monica loves. I think it's that. Like, I feel really vulnerable. No, I get it. I completely understand. This is like the ultimate thing where maybe this is only in my world, but you're at a certain level, like at the end of a night. Yeah.

and he runs a bit drunk and you put on YouTube to show people clips. And there's a certain dread when someone isn't getting it and you're like, oh no, I picked the wrong clip. And you guys are going to feel like you have to be like, yeah, that's good. No, honesty is the name of the game. Okay. But also kindness. So don't worry, we're not going to tear into things. Why don't I start with the non-American show? Because if I was ranking...

This is my number one. Okay. Okay, let's do it. Okay. Well, do you guys have any guesses?

I would say Bridgerton, maybe? No, but that's a good guess. What's the other one that's like Bridgerton? The Crown. The Crown. The Crown is what I think it is. Oh, that's a great guess. I do love that show. No, do you have a guess? I have no idea where this is going. I don't really know a lot about your TV watching habits. There's a part of me that wants to just play audio so that you guys can get it. Guess what it is? Or yeah, like kind of guess. Should I try it? Let's try it. Okay, ready? Ready?

- Is this the whole episode? - This is a scene, this is my favorite scene. - You nailed it. - Fleabag. - Yeah, it is. - Yeah, what a show. - What a fucking show. - That was one of mine that I replaced. - Okay, well I'm gonna play it. It's kinda long, but oh well. - No, no, it's sitting there. - Do you wanna watch it now that you know it? - Oh, the hot priest. - They always lie, it'll magically come in a minute. - Yeah. - They're really into each other, those two, it's nice. - They already pulled it off.

Was your sister okay? She seemed a bit on edge. Yeah, she was well. She had a work thing. Wow. Dedicated. Addicted. It's God, isn't it? Yeah. Damn. You know the worst thing is that I love you. I love you. And then I don't. No, let's just leave that out there just for a second on its own. I love you. It's so sad. This is the worst. Let's get together. It'll pass. Oh.

This bus is not magically coming. I think I'll walk. OK. See you Sunday? I'm joking, you're never, ever allowed in my church again. I love you too. Oh.

And now any listeners who are familiar with Fleabag will be crying their little hearts out right now. I have never cried so hard in a show than when I saw that for the first time. Yeah. Yeah. It really got me. Yeah. Unrequited love, right? When he says... It'll pass. It'll pass. You're just like, oh. It's...

So devastating. I have a little pin. It's a heart. It's two pieces. And on one side it says, I love you. And on the other side it says, it'll pass. Oh. This is the same genre, the same thought behind past lives, which is why I also was a puddle in that movie. Just sometimes it just can't work out. Yeah. And on paper it should. It should. Or emotionally it should. But it's just not. I am.

And it's, yeah, it's the worst. I think that perfectly captures that. You're a fan of the episode as well, right, Rob? Yeah. I was going to pick episode one of that season where you first meet Andrew Scott as the priest. Oh, yeah. And they're at that crazy dinner with the family. Yeah. What a show. We're going to spoil a lot of these shows. Definitely. Definitely. But they've also, they've been out for a long time. And I'd say this is like a good excuse to revisit this stuff. Yeah. God, that. Well, look, as a non-American show, it's really good. I can't not.

I can't not include it. It's too good. I think one of my favorite scenes ever is from the pilot of that where she's masturbating to an Obama speech and her boyfriend catches him. Oh my god. The show is also, it's so funny, and so when it hits with those emotional moments, it's like a big gut punch. It is, it is. And you're a hot priest. Hot priest, baby!

Okay. Now your turn. Okay. Now, okay, David, you texted us yesterday saying that you started bawling.

bawling. Yeah, no, I did. I cried a lot. So I'm not going to play What Made Me Cry until the end. That's my last one. Oh, okay. We'll get to that. Okay. I'm going to start with an episode of The X-Files, which is a show that in New Zealand was on TV at about 8.30 at night. I'd either stay up really late and watch it or I'd tape it on the VHS player and then get up early the next day before school and watch it. I loved the adventures of Mulder and Scully and I love The X-Files. It was almost part of my personality as a kid. Yeah.

And there's one episode in particular called Home. And I'm just going to play you. I found the trailer for it that originally aired. Remember the house your parents warned you to stay away from? This Friday, you'll understand why. This is our home. And this is the way it's going to stay. A brand new X-Files Friday.

So the X-Files, if you haven't watched it. Can you tell us about what happened? Oh, absolutely. So the X-Files was one of the first shows that had individual bottle episodes. But then it had this overall arc throughout the entire thing. It was one of the first shows to do that.

So Home was from season four, episode two, and it's known as being the scariest X-Files episodes of all time. And so it shocked the executives and kind of blew their mind. And it's basically about a family of inbred Americans who go out on big killing sprees. It was just a very intense show. I found a piece that was written about it at the

Here's a fun Halloween trick. Mention the Peacock family to an unsuspecting X-Files fan and enjoy their reaction. It's likely to be some combination of a shudder, a squeal, and a groan, a mix of delight and revulsion. The Peacocks are at the center of home in an X-Files episode that originally aired in 1996.

Viewers complained about the tale about the murderous inbred clan that it was too disturbing and network executives apparently agreed. When Home appeared later on the cable channel FX, it was never again broadcast on Fox, save for one special Halloween airing in 1999. The episode has since become a fixture on various scariest shows, Everlists and Endures as one of the most beloved in the series' history. It's available on Netflix and Hulu.

If you haven't seen it, just know it's very, very disturbing. Whoa. And is it in today's world now that we've seen so much fuck? I rewatched it recently and it's still really, really dark. I'm not going to go into the reasons why, but it does certain things in the storytelling that just hit really hard. And it's just incredibly bleak and really, really sad. They basically keep their inbred mother under the bed and they use her to breed with.

And the series opens with their mother giving birth to a baby that is then buried under a kid's baseball field. And the episode opens with the kid scuffing the dirt off the base that he's on for him to bat.

I've never played baseball. I don't know if I'm using the right words here, but I think I am. And as he scuffs, he scuffs into the baby's head that's been buried under. It's unbelievably big. And this was on Fox. This was on network TV. We're not talking HBO. And so Fox Mulder and Dana Scully go to investigate what's going on with this peacock family. It's cut in a way that's really disturbing. The music's really disturbing. I found another bit of essay that I thought captured the entire

the Americana of it all as well. Aside from the scares, Home functions as a sort of dark mirror onto vintage Americana, imagining a sinister underbelly so insular to small towns, motherhood and family, classic Cadillacs and...

Even Johnny Mathis. I don't know who that is, but I'm going to embarrass myself here. Wow, that does sound intense. It's a really intense, scary episode of TV. And I think it's on Disney Plus now because all the Fox shows went on there. So it sits alongside your favorite Disney films. It's a way for Calvin to accidentally put that one on. Oh my God. The X-Files is also a really fun rewatch because-

Vince Gilligan was one of the writers on X-Files. He went on to make Breaking Bad. All these amazing actors appear in X-Files that appear in other places later. Some of these big actors, they had their big break on X-Files. Yeah, because wasn't Bryan Cranston on an episode of X-Files? He was on an episode. Yeah, he was on there. That's how he...

Who else was on there? Yeah, Luke Wilson pops up, Danny Trejo, Jack Black, Seth Green, Shia LaBeouf, Ryan Reynolds. Wow. All these people just pop up as little bit characters on X-Files apps. So yeah, if you've never watched the X-Files, there's so many good episodes, but Home is the one I would recommend. Season four, episode two. Love it.

All right, Rob. All right, I picked an episode of Barry as my first one. So season two, episode five, Ronnie, Lily. Okay. So in this episode, the FBI is coming after Barry and the agent catches him and he tells him he'll let him go if he kills his ex-wife's boyfriend. Okay. I remember this episode. He's like, sure, I'll go kill this guy.

And he goes to his house and tries to convince him just to leave. He's like, go to Chicago, pack your bags, just go for like a year. It'll be fine. And the guy starts packing up. I'll play the clip. Okay, great. Oh my God. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Your name's Ronnie Proxson, right? Uh-huh. Oh, good. That would have been weird. And you're dating Diana, Loach's ex-wife? Uh-huh. Go Diana. Do you have family out of state? Uh-huh. Do you mind me asking where?

Chicago. Chicago. I love Chicago. Whose Taekwondo trophies are these? Right on. Good for you, man. Whoa, look at that. You got medals, too. Shit. Chicago from L.A. That can be pretty long. Sometimes I do Google Maps and Waze at the same time. It's kind of a little fun game to see which one's which. Ah!

So there's just this insane fight scene. He's trying to be polite and doesn't want to kill him, and then thinks he does. His daughter comes home, and she looks just like Lincoln. Oh, God. She's like nine in a karate outfit. Oh, my God. And she's all weirdly supernatural, crouching tiger-hidden dragon fight scenes, which reminded me a lot of Let the Right One In, which is a movie I really like. The Swedish horror movie. Oh, my God, Little Vampire. So kind of those vibes. Fun!

It's that ultimate thing in Barry where it's grounded in reality in a lot of it, but then it just takes on these utterly surreal tones and you just go with it because they've set the style so well. You just are drawn into that world and whatever happens, you're on board. God, you would love that show, Monica. I need to watch it. It's really beautiful. This is an interesting part of this game. The ones I pick, well, not all,

Not all of them are my favorite shows. But the episode left out. Exactly. Yeah, that's interesting. Mine too. I realized that a lot of the ones I picked were kind of standalone episodes that didn't deal a lot with the series. Yeah, you could almost watch it without watching the show and still get something out of it.

Which I think I just watch so much TV that I lose the context, so the ones that are sticking with me are ones that don't need it. Sure. Yeah, that's a really good point, actually. The other scary thing when I was thinking about these episodes was it's amazing how much I watch and forget. I know. That was all, because I was like, oh, it's definitely this episode.

I don't remember anything about it, but I know it's great. And then I'm like watching the episode and I'm like, oh, what was the show about again? How did it end? Did I finish it? And that's really worrying. I agree. I agree. Yeah, I should say right now, I did not pick a Friends episode. Okay, shocking. I'm shook. I know. Me too. I mean, I can say right now.

the ones okay you could probably do a top 10 friends episode i know that was too overwhelming the one where ross and rachel broke up smelly cat what are the other ones the one where no one's ready would be my pick okay friends but i'm not okay no friends not doing it um okay what have we got then okay what's so next i have so it's an american show this is an american show technically

Actually, technically it's not an American show. Oh my God, this is Simon. This is a podcast about America. No, it is. Okay, hit us. Okay, this is The American Office, Dinner Party. Great pick. Great pick. I'm going to play. Put a toast. Deli? Hold on. Here's to good friends. Cheers. Cheers. I haven't seen this. That is sort of an oaky afterbirth. Okay.

What was that? So, music? Should we turn some music? That sounds good. Do you guys remember my old assistant, Hunter? He's an excellent songwriter. Wait till you hear this. God. Christ.

Okay, so embarrassingly, I've done all the British office, haven't done the American one, which I know is amazing. What is this episode about and what jumps out? Okay, the reason I picked it is because what the American office does so well, I mean, it's so brilliant. It's so funny, but it's...

the visceral awkwardness that it hits on, it just like moves your whole soul. Yeah. And this episode, the whole episode, I mean, it's hard to pick a clip from it because the whole thing is just so good, but it encapsulates the awkwardness so

Oh, I could just sense it. The looks everyone's giving each other, just the social anxiety involved with everyone. Yes. I need to watch The American Office. It's kind of amazing that, you know, Ricky Gervais starts a show and then it's licensed to all these different countries.

So many countries have their own office. The American office, I think, has become more popular and more loved than the British office, which is kind of amazing. Well, it also went for so long. A runner-up for the office would be, in season two, the Dundies. We've referenced the show in other Flight of the Spirits, right? We had the parkour episode in Loma Linda. It feels like there's an office clip for every occasion imaginable. Yeah.

Have you done American Office, Rob? Yeah. Yeah, The Dundies is the first episode of second season, and it's also incredible. It's just so special. But The Dinner Party is season four, episode 13. Okay. All right, 413. Great pick, and a reminder that I need to watch The American Office, especially if I'm going to become more American. Also directed by Paul Feig, that episode. So my number two pick is...

It's from a much more recent show that I really loved. I think we all love the show as well. And it is the season two finale of Dave, which is just such a, oh my God, you're going to love this when you watch it. Dave is such a special thing. It does a thing that Barry does where it is grounded in reality. For a lot of the time, it's about a white rapper called Dave, who is a real rapper in real life, but this is kind of a fictionalized version of his story.

And it's grounded in reality, but then it will just take these absolutely fantastical turns. Brad Pitt is in one of my other favorite episodes where they're kidnapped by a rabid fan and it's just...

So transcendent. It's really special. But what I really like about the finale of season two is basically Dave and his best friend Gator. There's been some tension between the two of them. They're getting ready for a big awards performance. Dave has been rehearsing this giant, very artistic show that he's going to put on.

on his own and sort of ignoring Gator, who's open for him this whole time. And then there's this really beautiful moment where you're surprised because you suddenly realize that Dave isn't going to do his own performance. He's brought Gator onto stage with him. And it's just the two of them doing their most basic thing, which is them both rapping on stage at the same time. I thought I cried when this first aired. Yeah, because it's like a big deal. He's doing this big show with dances and effects and...

Then he just scraps it. He scraps the whole... And the whole episode is the prep for it all. Doesn't it end... Because his rap name is Little Dicky and the whole joke. He's got unusual deformed penis. And part of the show is him getting...

live on stage getting surgery to correct his, you know. So as a viewer, you're invested in watching the surgery because you're like, this is going to be amazing. They're going to do this live broadcast of him getting surgery and a big part of the episode is the doctor figuring out what they can do on stage and what's going to be safe and what's not safe. So as an audience member, you're invested in that. You want to see the big performance. Then you go, oh, fuck, that's not going to happen. It's just going to be him reuniting with his best friend. Oh, my God.

i'm just gonna play that but you guys talk to gaeta like how is he let's talk to gaeta he's fine just worry about you dave okay i know that i'm so bad at showing my appreciation in general but like probably especially the both of you and i just want you to know that you guys have made my dreams come true i'm so thankful for everything that you do for me and just everything that you guys are as people you're amazing just keep paying me to be your friend and i'll be there

Love you, man. Thank you for always being there. I love you, too. Be careful, Dave. I got it. What? Are you tearing? I'm fine. See you, okay?

Hey everybody my name is Lil Nas X. You know it. Yeah. And I have the biggest song ever. Who's ready to have some fun tonight? Anyways, it's next performer's name autocorrects to LOL Dinky. Give it up for Lil Dinky.

They tried to tell me I was going crazy. I've been broke but had no banks. I don't change either way, I'm in my own way. I don't treat my friends right. Fuck it if I'm wrong, if my pen right. You good, bro. Always looking for an angle till I'm square, though. I'm not always right over here, bro. You good.

Oh, it's so beautiful. That's sweet. That's really sweet. And it's such a great trick on the audience watching at home as well as the audience in this fictional world. Yeah. And it's just, I cried when I watched it the first time. It's really beautiful. Oh, I love that. I haven't watched it. Gotta watch it. You will love Dave when you get around to it. It's so good. I'm going to do The Office. You're going to do Dave. Okay, great. All right. What have we got? Cable. Cable coming in.

I have another standalone episode. It's Atlanta, the Teddy Perkins episode. Is this where he plays a white man? Yeah. So this is where Darius is going to pick up a piano from someone in the South and he gets to this house and there's this creepy, looks like a masked white man, like Michael Jackson type character that lives there. And it's really chaotic and creepy and...

I feel that Atlanta's... I embarrassingly also haven't watched Atlanta, despite knowing that it's one of the best things ever made. I also haven't finished it. I know. There's too many shows. And some of these big shows, you want to wait till you're in the right mood. You've got to have time to really sink into it, I think. My question about Atlanta, for someone that hasn't watched it, what's the balance of drama and comedy? Or is it all over the place? It's kind of all over the place. I mean, it's...

Kind of like Dave, where they go and do the whole gator bipolar thing. They do that in Atlanta as well, really well. Finding that balance where it's not just silly and funny. Oh, man. I remember seeing Donald Glover. I've only been to Coachella once. It was for the Tupac hologram. Oh, wow. And Donald Glover was there performing a very early version of Childish Gambino. Oh, wow.

They were great songs, but they were more joke songs. So you're meant to listen to the lyrics and go, ha ha, that's funny. Right. I guess a bit like what Dave does, Little Dicky. But seeing what he has done, what Donald Glover has turned into, it's like... Oh, it's unreal. He was a UCB improviser. Right.

That's right. Like, I would see him on stage doing improv with his team. Was there, like, a sense that he had an X factor, or was he all these amazing creative people? Everyone's so special there and doing amazing things. If I'm being quite honest, no. I didn't feel like there's something extra. And to have just seen him on that little fucking Franklin stage, and now...

What he has become. It's unreal. It's unreal. Even in like community, you don't really get the sense of how grand he's going to become. Yeah. All right. So here's the scene. Would you like a glass of water? Yeah. Kind of parched. Darius would like a glass of water when you have a moment. Righteous brother. Uh, you're a, the butler or whatever. Damn. Didn't bring the water yet. Oh, I don't have a butler. I just use this to remember things. Ha ha ha.

Right then excuse me

Oh, it's so unsettling. It is. It's making me feel itchy. It's so creepy. I remember having a hangover from this episode. Natalie and I watched it in silence and then just sitting there like a few minutes after. Oof. And in the credits at the end, that character is Teddy Perkins and it just says Teddy Perkins as himself. Ew. So they don't even list who it is. Acknowledge lover.

But you can tell it's him. Could I? Could I? It's him? It's him. Yeah. You can kind of see it in the eyes. Oh, wait. Now I need to see. Hold on. Oh, God. I just use this to remember things. Finish that hat for Dionne Warwick.

Unreal. There's a whole section I cut out of him eating a soft-boiled quail egg, too, that he's just sitting there breaking it open and sticking his hand into. Oh my god. More like a fully realized character to step into. Could someone watch this having watched none of the show and love it? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, great. Spoiler alert: so the end of this episode ends in a murder-suicide.

Oh my god. It gets dark. So you're just absolutely shocking. Yeah, it's so dark and weird and you're like, what is happening? And it's totally out of place for the rest of the season. It's just fully standalone. Here's Darius just out on his own getting a piano. It's kind of amazing what's happened in the last 15 years in that TV has become more classier than film. Exactly. You know, it used to be films that stick with you and now it's these episodes. It's so avant-garde. It's so avant-garde.

A big name actor now, they get more respect if they're cast in a big TV show than they are in a film. That's such an interesting flip. We're so lucky and we can just watch all this shit at home. We're pretty lucky with this stuff. Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird. We'll be right back after a word from our sponsors.

This episode of Flightless Bird is brought to you by Booking.com. Booking. Yeah. I don't know if you noticed this, it's summer and that means it's time to travel and have a little holiday. Yes, it is. It's sunny out. It's hot. It's vacation time. Something does happen, right? You're like, it's sunny. It's like, I want to go somewhere. Yes. I want to go to Hersheyland. I didn't really know it was like a town that made chocolate and all smelt like chocolate. Yeah. I've never been either, but that's my dream. Oh my God. I want to go there. Booking.com. That's where I'm going to look.

when I go to investigate Hersheytown. Booking.com's wide breadth of places to stay across the US makes booking whoever you want to be this summer so, so easy. From family-friendly vacation homes to picturesque villas, there are so many great choices on Booking.com for traveling and for finding places to stay. So what are you waiting for? This summer, you can book whoever you want to be on Booking.com. Booking.year. Check out Booking.com to book. Book today.

Shout out to Claritin for supporting this episode of Flightless Bird. I weirdly didn't really have any allergy stuff in New Zealand. I think something about, I don't know, New Country, there's a lot of pollen around. Yes. And when I was in Austin there, particularly for some reason, allergies kicked the hell in. I agree. I also think part of it might be age or something. I used to not have allergies at all. And now I definitely do. I'm super sensitive to allergies.

Why does aging suck so much? You're not going to like what I think it also might be. Oh, what? American leaf blowers. Oh, I think you're absolutely right. It kicks everything up. It does. But luckily. There are solutions for all of this. And you can live with the leaf blowers and all the muck. Thanks to Claritin Clear with Claritin D.

This double action combination of prescription strength allergy medicine and the best decongestant available relieves sneezing, a runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, an itchy nose and throat, and sinus congestion and pressure with ease. I love this product. The mix of the decongestant and the allergy relief, because sometimes I don't really necessarily know what's going on. Like it could be a cold, it could be, I just feel really bad. And so often I'll go this route and I feel so much better.

Get ready to live life as if you don't have allergies. It's time to live Claritin Clear. Fast and powerful relief is just a quick trip away. Find Claritin D at the pharmacy counter. Ask for Claritin D at your local pharmacy counter. You don't even need a prescription. Go to claritin.com right now for a discount so you can live Claritin Clear. Use as directed.

Okay, Atlanta, another thing to be added to my list. I know. This is stressing me out. Now there's just all these things to watch. I specifically wanted to include comedy. So I had the same worry. Because the stuff that sticks with you is darker, right? It is, yeah. But you can't just have an episode of just horrific, sad, unrequited love episodes. And because I really do fondly

firmly believe that perfect comedy is much harder to do than perfect drama. Totally. When it doesn't land, it really doesn't land, right? It's math. Comedy is math in a way that drama isn't. Drama's emotions and you can play music that makes you feel a thing and

You can't get away with anything in comedy. I hadn't thought about it like that. That's so true. Yeah, it's either on or it's off. Exactly. And there's no worse feeling than when you're watching something like an SNL sketch that isn't landing and you're like, oh, no. Yeah. So when it works or when it's...

incredible. I bump that above for like Dinner Party or Dundies or... I feel like that's why things like The Office is so good because there's so much of it and consistently it's just on point with timing and awkwardness and everything. Exactly. Okay, so my last one is...

From Grey's Anatomy. Oh, wow. Grey's. A show I haven't watched. Me neither. But I feel like everyone I know watches. Season two of Grey's Anatomy is peak. So many episodes in that season. I had a hard time picking. Okay. And this is an example of a show that would not be on my list of favorite shows. But these episodes are... They're golden. Golden. And just for someone...

I haven't watched Grey's. This is kind of like ER. It's a hospital drama, but a bit more...

a bit more relationship based maybe exactly that's right it's i mean er was ended up you know it got pretty soapy as well it did yeah but yes it's all about the relationships and mcdreamy and mcsteamy and meredith oh it's so juicy okay and have you and i know there's a lot of it have you watched most of it or do you tap in and out i fell off over time still running

That's incredible. Is it or did it finally end? I think it's still running. I think Ellen maybe left, but they shoot it at the studio next to my house. Oh, wow. What's the magic of it? It's the characters or does each episode have a medical drama like in the Arrow house? Each episode has its own, yes, medical drama. I mean, like they get away with the craziest shit. As the episode I picked is.

Okay. The premise is so ridiculous, but you're so invested. They do an amazing job with character development. You love all of these people. Okay. And their journey. Yeah. And, you know, they're like rough and tumble residents. You want them to succeed. And then they're all having relationships with these hot, hot,

hot hot great hot dogs dogs that are above them it's problematic but whatever Patrick Dempsey's so hot in this show it's unbelievable okay so this episode I picked is called wait I want to make sure I get it right I've seen our babysitter will sometimes watch

Grey's Anatomy and just coming in out of context to all of the insane things that are happening. I feel like it's the kind of show where suddenly one week there'll be a bomb threat at the hospital or something and the whole thing gets shut down, no power, they've got to save. I mean, there is a magic thing. Finding a TV show that can last for that many seasons and still have an audience, it's

pretty rare. If you're going to watch a season, watch season two. Season two is the one? Yes. All right. So this episode, it was a two-parter. Oh, okay. So the first part, which is the clip I'll play, is called It's the End of the World. Oh, that's a very dramatic title. Yeah. What's leading up to this clip is...

is a man has a bomb in his body. I think I've seen this one being watched. Yeah. He has a bomb in his body. Just expand on that. You can't just say in his body. It is in his body cavity. He shoved it up her orifice. I don't

I don't remember. It's in him. It's in him. And there's a paramedic whose hand is on it, basically. Like she... And it's so... Wait! It's on it. So the paramedic is inside the man as well. Yes. I love this. Not inside. It's on his... Okay. I don't know how to explain it. An incision? Or...

Yeah, there's like a body. It's in his body and her hand is keeping it from detonating, basically. It's like speed but with a body instead of a bus. Yeah, basically. This is incredible. I'm sold. I want to watch all of this. She's young, paramedic, and it's Christina Ricci. Having the worst day of her life. Amazing. It's Christina Ricci. Yeah, so then this happens. I've never been more on a cliff edge than what you just described. Okay, are we ready? Ready?

Hannah, where's the anesthesiologist? He, um... He left. Oh!

I'm sorry. This is everything. Hannah. I think I'm going to take my hand out now. When the hell are people going to learn? Oh, yeah. Kyle Chandler. I love Kyle Chandler. I love him. What? Is the man alive and the bomb is in?

I don't know if he's alive. Okay. Yeah, I think he's alive. No, he is. He is. So she's about to kill both of them. Yes. The whole, it's going to detonate the whole hospital. No, not the whole hospital. Not the whole hospital, but like, yeah. She hasn't evacuated? Him and people close by. Oh my God. Okay. Or maybe our hand is simply in there with the ammo. We can't know.

He's better than this. No! This song feels like a joke.

Somebody help! Help here! Stop, gotcha. I think I'm just going to take it out. You're almost to the finish line. You can do this. No, no. No, I just want to take it out. Wait, don't. Hannah, it won't be much longer. Remember, you're keeping him from bleeding out. No, I am 22 years old. I should not even be in here. This is some kind of...

She's packing. We need to clear the room. I'm not leaving. Great. Let's move. I'm not leaving her. You need to get everyone up now, Dr. Burke. She's my intern. I have a responsibility. No, it's got to come out. It has to come out. It's going to be fine. Go with Donna. No. Hannah, look at me. No, it's got to come out. No. No. No.

Oh my God. No! Hannah. You can do this. It has to come out. No. Keep it there. Just a little while longer. Hannah. I have to. Really, you break it. If I find. If I find.

Just stay right where you are.

So she puts her hand in. Oh my God. So the second part is now her with the hands in. What an amazing cliffhanger. Yes. You've still got the same problem. And you had to wait a week. And now it's the same problem, but with the person you care about. When you were describing what the episode was about, I was imagining it, but I was like, it can't be the case. And then everything was 10 times even more dramatic than as you stated it. It is so dramatic. Yeah.

That's an incredible episode of TV. It really was. Kyle Chandler being there, lending his gravitas. I know. He's one of my favorites. She's amazing. You also forget that's Sandra Oh. Oh, yeah. You know? She's... Yeah.

Yeah, what an episode of TV. Oh, no, I mean, and when you were picking, I feel like that one was up top in your mind, right? It is. That looks amazing, that show. Well, this, and then it was between that and if people who definitely have watched the show, which most people have, the prom episode where

Denny dies. Also, Meredith is asking Derek to choose her and pick her and love her. And then they have sex and it's the, it is my favorite sex scene of all time. Wow. Okay, cool. So that was, I almost wanted that. Monica? Have you noticed a lot of our picks

have been from the second season of shows. All three of mine are from the second season. That's a really good observation. I guess that's when you've found your stride and you haven't fucked it up yet. And you can kind of make some bigger swings.

Yeah. But you're still playful. You haven't run out of ideas. Something really fun to do with a show that you loved, especially from a few years back, is to watch the very first pilot episode because they are rough. That can often be a show finding itself and it's almost a different show. Tonally, it's all off. They don't know whether they're going to get a season sometimes. Pilots are so hard to make. Yeah, I can only imagine. My God. That's a fun thing to do. Can I guess your last one? Oh!

Okay, so yeah, so this- Oh my god, David's gonna cry! Is this the one you cried during? Yeah, this is- I have never watched this scene and not cried. No, seriously, I've done it three times now. I'm gonna read a quote first. This is from the main actors in that scene. I cry when I hear the song.

It's Pavlovian. If it comes on when I'm at yoga or something, I'll cry. I'm always worried people will notice me and be like, oh, that's the girl from the show? That's kind of spoiled it. From the OC? No. No. No, what do you think? What do you think it is? I thought it was going to be the Leftovers finale. No. That is my bonus episode to get you to 3.3. That was my bonus episode as well. Okay. Really? Really?

Yeah. So Rob and I both like. You have a crossover. We do. We do have a crossover. There's a show called The Leftovers, which I would say is my favorite show ever made.

I think it's one of mine too, and it's the best finale I've ever seen. We and Robert Greene, a lot of things, we disagree on a shit ton of stuff. Musical tastes, very different. TV, more crossover. I like women singing. Yeah, thank you. It's mad that we both picked this show. It's an HBO show. I know. It's incredibly obscure. It's a slow burn. You have to get through like eight episodes. Okay, so you, yeah. Did you watch the whole thing though? No. You have to get through like the first season. In order for...

for me to love something, the getting through a whole season of a show is just, it's never going to be. This is an interesting thing. So many people agree with you and people that I love are all like, what do you see in the show? It's inconsistent. It's a mishmash. Some episodes are not good. Yeah, that weird assassin episode. Which I kind of love. It's fun. But the thing that I do find interesting about The Leftovers is that you're right. Generally, a show shouldn't make you have to work to like it.

But I think I liken it to music. There's some albums or songs where you don't like it the first time. And if you push yourself to listen to the whole thing, they can end up slipping under your skin and just being your most favorite thing of all time. That's true. And I think there's certain TV that does that. If you work at it, it will reward you long term. I get that. I get that. And I think that's The Leftovers. And I think the premise of The Leftovers is that

a very small amount of the world's population just suddenly disappears in a second. So it's like a rapture. Right. And it's basically like, what does society do when this random event that no one can explain happens? And it just looks at what humans do. I know. It just felt, to me, felt a bit indulgent. It felt like it was trying hard to be poignant. Oh, yeah. Not all these things. And I was like, fuck.

All I'll say is the whole show is about these really big topics. The last episode is just two characters. They're coming together. The whole thing is just a conversation. And it just emotionally, I got goosebumps now just thinking about it. I cried in that final episode. I love the ending of the late brothers. Yeah, I love the ending of it too. Perfect. But that's not your pick though. No. So my favorite episode of TV of all time is the finale of a show called Six Feet Under.

And have you watched Six Feet Under? I...

I have not, I mean, I've watched a few episodes. I loved it. It wasn't that I just like didn't, like there was so much of it that I dropped off. There was a lot of it. Have you watched Rob? Yeah, I've seen it. I love that show. Alan Ball. Okay, Alan Ball. So it ran from 2001 to 2005. It was one of HBO's first prestige TV shows. Yeah. It was about a family that worked at a funeral home. The beginning of each episode was,

which is a really fun technique. It would start with a person randomly dying. So every opening would be a cold open. They die, and then you're in the funeral home. And it's just about a family getting through stuff. I always like seeing what people are saying on YouTube about things, because I was looking through so many clips. I took...

It's the best ending in TV history because unlike other shows or movies, it gives you closure. In so many other shows, we only see the cast riding off into the sunset, wondering what will happen to them. Six Feet Under wasn't scared to show people what will happen to everyone.

And this is a huge spoiler. I would say... Yeah, now I'm kind of like, because I want to watch it. Fuck. But I would say it won't... It's been a long time. It's not going to ruin it. I think it'll just make you want to watch it. But essentially what it does is Claire, who's the youngest person in the family, she leaves to go to college, drives off in her car. And as she drives... No, no. Is she going to die? No, she doesn't die. Okay. But...

As she drives off, you see how all the main characters that you've come to know and love, how they pass away. Ah!

And Sia is singing during it. So I'm going to play. I'm just kind of curious. I have children. I don't even know. I don't even know this show. But something I genuinely want to know is if this does affect you in any way, having no great investment. And Rob, I'm curious if this will trigger you. It's been a long time since I've watched it. Another comment under this clip on YouTube. Watch the entire show in about four weeks. Never cry this hard in my...

in my entire life. Fuck. I'm prioritizing Six Feet Under. Help, I have done it again. Have been here many times before. Hurt myself again today. Worst part is there's no one else to blame. Be my friend.

Hold me, wrap me up, and fold me. I am small and warmly loved. And I have lost myself. Lost myself too. Yeah, I think I lost myself again.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

No tears. Which is, I'm secretly relieved about. I got teary.

I was bawling my eyes out yesterday. I think that got it out of my system. I got a lot of goosebumps. Yeah, my eyes are wet. Yeah, the whole show is so emotionally powerful and then to see how every character ends, it's just too much. Because then you're like, oh my god, we're all going to face like a my death thing. It's like, yeah, see how everyone's going to die. And it's also so bold because it just is the ultimate. It's almost giving the finger to every other ending. It's so much closure. It's like, you want closure? Yeah.

Exactly. You're going to see exactly how all these people die. Yeah, death is so sad. And I guess, yeah, essentially it's a show about death. That's the whole thing. And so, of course, they had to end it like that. That's beautiful. I really, really want to watch that show now. Yeah, it's really beautiful. And four seasons, so it's kind of doable. I'm sad. Sorry to end on such a sad one for my list. Did you have that moment leaving Georgia when you moved, saying goodbye to your parents when you moved?

I don't remember what my moment was. I don't remember it. So either I blocked it or I probably didn't let myself really feel those emotions. I remember being very sad in my first couple of months out of home at a university hostel. I just remember feeling so panicked and lost. But I don't remember like the actual leaving. I can't remember if like my parents dropped me off in another city or if I, I didn't have a car, so I didn't drive away. Yeah. Yeah.

I think that's one of the last times I cry. I think it's one of the only times Natalie's seen me cry. When you moved here? We had a U-Haul truck that we packed up and I remember hugging my parents and then getting in and just driving from our childhood home. Yeah, and so you literally had that rear vision mirror thing of it fading out in the background. That's the last time you cried? Oh my god, Rob. Well, I think...

I have at like a funeral. Oh, sure. Yeah. I mean, I cried yesterday at that show. I don't cry at things that are real generally. I just cry at TV shows mostly. I cry at things that are real, but it normally takes me a bit.

It will end up coming out out of nowhere. Yeah, it's going to explode like a day later. Yes, but not when it probably should be happening. Emotions are so annoying. You're like, just trigger now so this person knows what I feel like. I know, I know. Yeah, Six Feet Under is a great show. Oh, that was great. I'm excited for that. Okay, Rob has one left. My last one's a little sillier. No, silly's good. Silly's really good. We need to end on silly.

I'd be crying the whole time. Another season two. I picked an episode of Documentary Now. Oh, that's fun. Great pick. And I'm also excited because I've only seen one episode of this and keep meaning to do more. It's called Juan Likes Rice and Chicken. Oh, it's after Hero Dreams of Sushi. Yeah.

And I didn't realize Bill Hader and Seth Meyers wrote this. So Bill's featured twice in mine. Oh yeah, in your picks. So for someone that hasn't watched this particular show before, what's the premise? It's parodies on other documentaries done in really silly, weird ways. Hero Dreams of Sushi is such a good documentary. It's really beautiful. Have you seen this? I don't think so. Spoof on it?

So there's a restaurant in Colombia, Three Michelin Stars, and they're doing a documentary on it. Look, you know, I've been to Noma and I've been to El Bulli and I've been to all of Robuchon's places, but there's no restaurant like this anywhere in the world. I write guidebooks about South American restaurants. And every year I travel the continent looking for something new. Yet I always find myself back at Juan's Rice and Chicken.

It's shocking how simple it all is. There is a consistent, simple set menu. To start, a cup of warm coffee followed by a banana split perfectly in half. Then rice with a little bit of butter. And on most days, cheek. Most impressively, it's the only three-star Michelin restaurant I know of that's a 40-minute walk from the nearest road.

It's amazing. They go in. I have one more clip. It's in Spanish, but they go into all the obscure things. It's really just leaning into these restaurants, which I like. Exactly. These restaurants and when they do that, but I like that it's poking fun at that. Yes, you can see that these things can get out of hand.

The coffee has to be buried for an hour before they brew it. He's beating the rice against a tree. The old man has to chase the chicken and catch it. And if he doesn't, chicken's not on the menu. There's no chicken. That's why chicken sometimes. And then they massage it for an hour and then shoot it against the wall with a cannon. Oh, this is funny. And here's the banana preparation. When they put me in charge of the banana, I was very happy. Because it's a great honor, but...

It knows the format of the food show so well. One opportunity. Uh...

Shot so beautifully.

Oh, I need to watch. That's so funny. So if you're going to watch documentary now, this would be the episode, obviously. Yeah, it's one of them. Yeah, okay. So Rob and I both landed on Leftovers Finale for our third show. Your honorable mention. Do you have an honorable mention?

I do. My honorable mention is my favorite scene from television of all time. Oh, favorite scene? Yeah. Oh, you brought your honorable mention too. I brought it. Oh, I love this. Okay. I don't know if it will read audio-wise. I often feel like a good moment in TV is often accompanied by just a song or some looks. Not always dialogue. Yes, that's how Dinner Party was. But this is from Parks and Rec.

Oh, great show that I haven't watched. Ice rink campaign. Man, I've got to watch it. Of course, starring Chris Pratt, who was discovered in an early, early founder. And Bubba Gump's shrimp cone. So Leslie is running for office, and so she's campaigning. Okay. And they're all helping her. It's very sweet. I've seen this on YouTube. Yeah, this. Yeah. Tom?

I couldn't afford enough premium carpet to get us to the stage. I mean, it was a short walk, but it was pretty luxurious, right? Okay. Oh, it's such a good setup. Everybody smile away. Smile away. Oh, my God. So they're walking on ice. They ran out of carpet, so to get to the end, they have to walk on ice, and it's them just genuinely trying to walk on ice. Yeah.

The Zankis! Oh my god. Oh...

How do I get to the stage? Heaven. Heaven. You're a great pick. Just the funniest setup, most simple. Again, what I said earlier about comedy math. It's genius. Just to try to get you guys from point A to point B on ice.

I wonder how many times they shot that as well. It feels like they just nailed that in one take almost. They're all just naturally sliding over on their asses. Yeah, when they start to fall. And that feeling that you do get when you start to see someone fall off on ice. I mean, we've all had that. It's a horrible experience.

Being slippery. Oh, man. Yeah. So that's my favorite scene of television. Really good. Good one. Okay. So I think we've all, we've learned that season twos are the best seasons. I feel like our favorite things are either incredibly dramatic or incredibly funny. None of us brought a horror scene to the table. I guess home for me as well. Yeah, we both had one kind of horror. Yeah, one horror-y. That's true. Yeah. Comedy and drama, right? Yang and yang. Balance each other out. What do we think we learned about each other's personalities from this?

I think we all respond to like a big, dramatic, romantic entanglement. Because I feel like a big romantic crazy, because the end of The Leftovers is very much that. Uh-huh. Fleabag. That fleabag scene. But that's like a very human thing, isn't it, as well? Yeah. I think we all like some quite good things. There were no duds in there. I'm proud of our picks, yeah. Yeah, I think none of us looked at another person here and went, what?

I can't talk to you again. You kind of did for Grey's Anatomy. Well, but you won us over, I think. Oh, so won over. No, I mean, that was just unbelievably wonderful. Like, what a setup. You couldn't dream that up.

So yeah, that's our top 10 TV episodes. So we'll do another episode down the line somewhere about another top 10 American thing. Yeah, maybe suggest ones that you want to hear. Yeah. Yeah, that'd be cool. Yeah, comments up. But yeah, and if you haven't watched any of that stuff, please watch it. And also comment if you have stuff that we need to watch that we haven't. And we'll get to it in about 10 years. Like and subscribe. Like and subscribe. Well, how did he say it?

Learn and subscribe. Like and subscribe. Learn and subscribe. God, he's cute. All right. Well, that was lovely. Super fun. Like and subscribe.