Rate the Episodes

[TomSpeed]

This is totally in the vein of IMHO. Feel free to comment!



1. Pilot -- To me, "Pilot" is pure perfection. What a great first episode.

2. The Life of Brian -- Well, Brian is me. Also, I love the scene at the World Happiness Dance with Angela and Brian at the end. So much said and unsaid.

3. In Dreams Begin Responsibilities -- Brian is left alone on his bike at the end. This is one the saddest TV images in existence.

4. The Substitute -- Yes, this story has been told before. But ideas matter. Also, perception isn't everything.

5. Guns and Gossip -- Brian takes his first steps towards being a man.

6. Dancing in the Dark -- I love the moving back and forth between the Chases' dancing lesson and Angela getting her fake ID from Jordan. That Angela Smile is the best thing since sliced bread.

7. Father Figures -- Who wouldn't want Dead tickets? Also, there's a great moment between Angela and Graham when he is fixing the gutter.

8. The Zit -- Angela realizes that everyone can be beautiful.

9. Self Esteem -- I can really feel for Angela when Jordan wants to keep their relationship a secret.

10. Pressure -- Almost everything about sex in high school isn't pretty. I feel a little guilty when I watch this episode because I did some things that Jordan does here.

11. So-Called Angels -- I know, I know. It's a "very special episode" with a message. But it is an important message given in the best way I think it can be for this show. Also, the "fight having us" is a powerful and all too real concept.

12. Strangers in the House -- Brian gets some play from Sharon and gets dumped. Been there and done that. Also, Angela and Brian share a close moment.

13. Why Jordan Can't Read -- I really felt for Angela when Jordan didn't show up to meet Patty and Graham.

14. Other People's Daughters -- Patty takes charge. But we find out something that makes her tick.

15. On the Wagon -- The last scene says it all. Rayanne takes a drink.

16. Halloween -- Danielle dressing like Angela is a classic moment. Yes, it's a "very special episode," too.

17. Resolutions -- I like the opening scene the best. What's my New Year's resolution?

18. Betrayal -- My skin crawls when I watch this episode.

19. Weekend -- Is this a MSCL episode? The good thing is that Neil gets a lot of screen time. Neil's a great younger brother.

[Nostradamus]

There is a somewhat similar listing in two of the old polls here at MSCL.com.

What is your favorite episode?

What is your least favorite episode?

Basically they cover the extremes of best and worst, so there is no data on, say, people's second-favorite episode.

[chaseface888]

I know people will kill me for saying this, but my two least favorite episodes are So Called Angels, and Halloween. It's just that the show's strong point was its realism, and adding the supernatural to me felt corny. Granted, they aren't bad, in fact they are very well done, I just felt they did not fit in with the rest. Those two shows had some good moments in them, like the insight we get on Rickie and Jordan's character in So Called Angels, or Danielle Dressing like Angela, so they are DEFINATELY worth watching.

I also thought the pilot was a good setup, but everything is the shallow surface of the show. Angela's parents seem less sympathetic and more critical, Angela's hair is almost garishly bright, and Sharon seems like a major bitch. Its cool how it starts out with the relationships being more one demensional, and then growing. I love how Angela's speech patterns mirror her mother's in this one-"In my humble opinion" which Patty uses, and then in a later episode Rickie uses and Rayanne says, "that's Angela-talk"

Weekend, I agree is not well written, but I like that one because my parents watched this show; I was seven so it was always like, "Connie, go to bed, we're watching grown up TV right now" and I never watched it until I was 14 or 15 on DVD, when it soon became my favorite show. But when I was watching Weekend on DVD, I realized that I had seen most of the show before, so I must have stalled upstairs near the TV long enough to have seen it. I remeber watching patty get drunk and take her shirt off, and then having my parents tell me to go to bed, then coming up later and seeing first Angela's voice over, then danielles. So that episode has special memories