Nichijou

Nichijou is one of the best comedies I have ever watched, anime or otherwise. It's consistently funny throughout, boasting likable characters, tons of quotable and memetic sketches, fantastic animation, and a beating robot heart.

Nichijou is a slice of life sketch comedy about an ordinary high school and its eclectic student body. There isn't an overarching story or anything, but there doesn't have to be. This anime is really just about watching the incredibly memorable cast of characters interact and go through life, with many of the sketches being based around fairly grounded slice of life situations. The main trio of Yuuko, Mio, and Mai serve as a strong main cast, working as a perfect comedic trio. Yuuko causes all the antics, Mio is the straight man, and Mai just goes along for the ride. They play off of each other perfectly, and it feels like you can put them in any situation and get entertaining results out of it. The side characters are great too, though. Sasahara is a fun subversion of the "rich kid" trope by having his presumed wealth be just for show, Misato's increasingly massive arsenal of weaponry is always entertaining, and Haruna's "Eeeehhhh?!" are all very amusing. Even the teachers are likable, especially the hilariously lame principal and adorably shy Sakurai. And I didn't even get into Nano, the robot girl that wants to live a normal teenage life. Nano's probably the heart of the show, and is the source of some of the show's most genuinely emotional moments. Her dynamic with her creator, Professor, range from hysterical to absolutely adorable. Once Nano starts going to school, Nichijou ends up becoming one of the most heartwarming and positive shows I've ever seen.

In addition to the strong characters, Nichijou is a very funny show. As mentioned above, a lot of the sketches in Nichijou are based on Seinfeld-esque slice of life situations, like trying to catch food before it falls on the floor, getting stuck in an elevator, and trapping a cockroach under a bowl. The twist, however, is the fact that all of these mundane situations are portrayed as cartoonishly over-the-top as possible, with dramatic animation shifts, over-exaggerated expressions, and surreal imagery. The sketch-based structure also allows for a rapid-fire comedic pace, with plenty of less-than-a-minute sketches that manage to make a massive impact (the Helvetica Standard ones, especially). But the most impressive thing about Nichijou's humor is just how consistently strong it is. There really aren't that many sketches that didn't make me at least chuckle, with pretty much every single one of the 26 episodes being enjoyable to watch. Since anime is usually from Japan, it's pretty easy for the comedy to fall flat for people who don't live in that country (Demon Slayer is a big example), but Nichijou's simple character-driven and situational humor really does feel like it can appeal to anyone. I also need to praise the fantastic animation, with not only uses a distinct and unique geometric artstyle, but manages to include plenty of insane animation shifts and moments of sakuga to sell the comedic setpieces that much more. The high FPS, clever usage of CGI, and clean artwork go beyond most slice of life anime I've seen. The voice acting is also really strong, especially in the case of Yuuko's voice actor who just kills it episode after episode. And the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, calming orchestral background that juxtaposes the show's goofy shenanigans just enough to create an offbeat vibe all its own.

Even with the anime's fantastic level of quality, there are certain episodes and sketches that really stuck out:

Episode 5: This episode in particular had a lot of really iconic sketches in it. There's the adorable scene of Professor wearing cat ears, the bizarre Bob Hope scene, the rock-paper-scissors battle, that Helvetica Standard with the toaster, Professor vandalizing Nano's doll, and especially, the frantic drawing duel between Yuuko and Mai that closes off the episode.

Episode 6: Easily the most well-known sketch of the series, this episode has the scene where the principal suplexes a deer. It's so well-animated yet so bizarre, it's a perfect sequence to introduce the series to people. There's also the game of picture shiritori where Yuuko spells everything wrong, Nano's shark hand, the disastrous camping scene, and the incredibly well-animated penny soccer scene.

Episode 13: The midpoint of the series, Episode 13 is more emotional but funny, being focused pretty heavily around Professor's decision to let Nano finally go to school. It's not only a big change in the status quo, but leads to some really heartwarming moments between the two. The comedy is great too, though, with sketches like Yuuko's failed magic tricks, and Yuuko overreacting over a decent test score.

Episode 14: While not one of the funniest episodes, Nano's first day of school was incredibly heartwarming and rewarding to watch. Seeing the show's two casts finally intersect was amazing, setting up for a fantastic second half of the series. This episode also had the adorable conversation between Nano and Sakurai, and the hysterical argument between Yuuko and Mio.

Episode 16: Similarly to Episode 6, this one has some really iconic scenes, particularly Mio's suplex-heavy outburst and Yuuko's stress-inducing coffee shop order. But the real highlight was the phenomenal sequence where Yuuko visits the Shinonome lab, meets Professor, and gets confirmation that Nano's a robot. That final scene where Yuuko tells Nano she's "not a robot, just Nano", is one of the most heartwarming in the series and solidifies this episode as one of my favorites.

Episode 19: This was just a really strong selection of sketches that left me in stitches multiple times. There was Mio's pole vault attempt, Professor dropping the laundry, the super dramatic Helvetica Standard, "domestic violence", and of course, the infamous shrine incident.

Episode 20: This episode has what is probably the longest sketch in the series, with Yuuko and Mai helping Mio out with her manga. Between Nano fleeing after reading a single page, to Yuuko stabbing herself with a pencil, to Mai's typical trolling, to Mio's hysterical outburst, this sketch was absolutely fantastic. I also really liked the "melon bread" segment, which unironically has some of the best voice acting I've ever heard.

Episode 23: This episode was just a really nice balance of funny and heartwarming. For the former, there was Sakurai discovering her brother's porn magazine, and Mio overreacting over bad jam. For the latter, there was Yuuko revealing she wants to be a teacher like Sakurai, and Mai getting along with Professor after the dog incident.

Episode 25: This was a fantastic penultimate episode across the board. Misato revealing her crush for Sasahara to the school, Mio's big chase scene, the baseball quote, Nakamura finding Nano's house, and especially that beautiful voucher scene. Each major sketch tied into the previous one, and all of the previous sketches resurfaced, as if the entire series was a massive Rube Goldberg machine building up to this specific episode. Mio assaulting the cop, the high jump, Helvetica Standard, the daruma, the glue trap, the rice cake hat, Biscuit, Sasahara's goat and glasses, the Matreiya statues, it all paid off in this fantastic, funny, and emotional episode that solidifies Nichijou as a damn near masterpiece.

Episode 26: While not as big and dramatic as the previous episode, I think the focus on the main cast makes this a perfect finale for Nichijou. The cast holding a birthday party for Nano, even with everything that happens during it, was really sweet. Nano's decision to keep the key is a great bit of character development, and the reveal that Sakamoto was Nakamura's cat was pretty cool. It's a satisfying but low-key finale that ends Nichijou on a cute note.

I really can't express enough how much I love this show. The humor is consistently strong, the animation is phenomenal, the entire cast is likable, and the entire anime is just so genuinely uplifting and wholesome. It's impossible to be sad when watching Nichijou, and sitting through it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had watching a series.

5/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Episode 25

Pushing Daisies (Season 2)

Pushing Daisies' second season is pretty much an extension of the first, with the two seasons adding together to a standard 22-episode season. As a result, Season 2 isn't a massive improvement over the first, but it does a lot to refine the show's storytelling.

Season 2 of Pushing Daisies continues many of the plot threads left off by the first season, along with adding a few more. Arguably the main focus is on the reveal that Lily was Chuck's mom all along, and more and more people end up finding out throughout the season culminating in Chuck finally revealing herself to her mom in the finale. There are some other really compelling storylines though, like the mysterious Dwight Dixon, Emerson looking for his lost daughter, and Ned meeting his twin half-brothers. Multiple episodes are devoted to these storylines at a time, and I think this arc-based structure worked really well for the season. None of the storylines gain focus for more than three episodes at a time, so nothing ever feels drawn out. The only subplot I didn't quite love was the one about Olive being sent to the nunnery, but even that gets resolved fairly early on in the season.

Similarly to last season, the quality of most of Season 2's episodes is really strong. As a matter of fact, I don't think there are any downright bad episodes in the whole series, let alone just this season. The same high production values, likable characters, and sharp writing have also been left intact from the first season. While my criticism about predictable cases of the week still stands, the season does do a better job of adding some variety by including episodes that focus on characters aside from Ned and Chuck. Emerson and Olive, in particular, get at least two episodes focused on them, all of which are really enjoyable. Since Pushing Daisies was cancelled during this season, I do have to point out that the ending isn't perfect. Plenty of story threads like Ned's father, Charles being on the run, and Olive not knowing about Ned's power are left unresolved. Others are hurridly resolved in a fairly rushed montage at the end of the final episode. While I can't blame the writers for this, I can't lie and say this season wasn't pretty unsatisfying. 

While all of the episodes are at least good, there are some big high points:

Bzzzzzzzzz!: This was already a fun premiere with a lot of strong dramatic beats (Olive's outburst, Ned's father appearing, Chuck moving out), some of the show's coolest set design (the honeycomb offices), and hysterical Sound Of Music reference thanks to Kristin Chenoweth. However, as someone who's terrified of bees, I will always remember this as one of the scariest episodes of TV I've ever seen.

Comfort Food: Easily the high point of Pushing Daisies, this episode is both a massive shift to the status quo and a genuinely fun episodic story. Story-wise, Dwight Dixon dies, Chuck's dad is alive, and the episode ends with Ned finding out. For the rest of the episode, Ned and Olive participating in a bake-off is a ton of fun and adds some levity to the episode.

The Norwegians: While many of its big twists don't quite get paid off by the end of the season, this was definitely one of the craziest episodes of the series, revealing that Ned's father helped him out, and might know more than he seems. This episode also had one of the better cases of the week, with the Norwegian investigators being a ton of fun to watch.

Kerplunk: Outside of that fairly rushed final montage, I did like Kerplunk as a stopping point for the series, as it does end Lily and Vivian's story on a really strong note. By the end of the episode, all of their secrets are finally out, and that final scene where Chuck reveals she's alive was fantastic.

Overall, the second season of Pushing Daisies improves on the story structure and has higher high points, while maintaining the things that the first season did great too. If only the show didn't cancelled, not only so we could have more of it, but also so that we wouldn't get so many loose ends.

4/5 Stars

Favorite Episode: Comfort Food

Konosuba: Legend Of Crimson

I absolutely adored the first two seasons of Konosuba, so I couldn't wait to finally get a chance to see the movie: Legend Of Crimson. While it wasn't super ambitious and not all of its jokes landed, it was definitely as fun as the rest of the series.

Legend Of Crimson is about Kazuma's party heading over to the Crimson Demon Village (where Megumin and YunYun live) to stop a chimera named Sylvia and her army of orcs, another stop in their quest to defeat all the generals of the Demon King. Given how little development they got in the series compared to Darkness and Aqua, it was really nice to see Megumin and Yunyun (especially the latter) get a lot of time in the spotlight. Not only did we get to see their family and hometown, but this film had a lot of genuinely affecting moments for Megumin and Yunyun. Probably the most impactful parts of the film were scenes like Yunyun's backstory, Kazuma's heartwarming exchanges with Megumin and Aqua, and that final heart-shaped explosion. Even with all the jokes and bickering, this film proves more than ever just how much the characters secretly care for each other. However, outside of the character work, the general story is still fairly basic as far as Konosuba is considered. Even with the new location, this film did mostly just feel like an extended episode of the series. Coming after Beldia, Vanir, and Hans, I found Sylvia to be a bit of a weaker villain due to her more serious attitude (as well as a questionable joke that I'll elaborate on below). In addition, aside from the importance to Megumin and Yunyun, I also found the Crimson Demon Village to be nowhere near as memorable or creative as Arcanretia from last season, probably since most of the film is devoted to the fight with Sylvia and the slice of life antics are compressed in a single montage. Still, that fight is pretty damn spectacular, nearly topping Aqua's God Requiem from last season.

Similarly to the rest of the series, Legend Of Crimson contains the same rapid-fire comedy that I love to see from Konosuba. There are tons of hilarious moments here like YunYun asking Kazuma to have kids, Aqua teasing the orcs, Kazuma and Megumin being locked in a room together, and the antics with Kazuma's cannon. However, not all of the jokes landed. This series could poke as much fun at Kazuma as it can, but those two trauma jokes definitely rubbed me the wrong way (a guy being raped isn't funny, and it's not nearly as traumatic as learning Sylvia has a penis). Not to say Konosuba can't have black comedy, it absolutely does and is usually one of the most consistently funny shows I've ever seen. These just happened to be the rare jokes that went way too far for me. Thankfully, the presentation is as fantastic as it always is. Apparently, this film changed animation companies from DEEN to JC Staff. While I'd normally say that could only be a good thing due to DEEN's track record, the artstyle and animation looks pretty much exactly the same as the original series. That's not a bad thing, though, Konosuba has always looked beautiful and expressive and this film is no exception. The voice acting is also as fantastic as always, solidifying Konosuba's english dub as one of my absolute favorites. And of course, the RPG-esque music is still great, with the show's main theme being utilized really well in pivotal parts of the final fight.

Overall, Konosuba: Legend Of Crimson was a fun addition to the series with its usual sharp writing, memorable characters and fantastic presentation. However, it doesn't quite live up to the show due to its lack of ambition and some particularly weak jokes.

3/5 Stars

Pushing Daisies (Season 1)

Pushing Daisies tends to be held up in the same leagues as shows like Firefly that were cancelled way too early. Now that I've seen its truncated first season, I can agree. This show should've gone on way longer.

Pushing Daisies's premise is pretty well-known at this point. A piemaker named Ned can bring people back from the dead, but only for a minute or else someone else dies. He brings back his childhood sweetheart Chuck for more than a minute, but he can't touch her or else she'll die again. With her and his business partner Emerson, they team up solve crimes by using Ned's power to interrogate people. It's a really clever high concept premise that does a good job of exploring how people (particularly a couple) connect, and it's incredibly heartwarming to watch Ned and Chuck find ways to show affection without physically touching. Pushing Daisies is mostly a procedural, though with a lot of subplots involving secrets that the characters keep from each other (Ned killed Chuck's father, Chuck's aunts don't know she's alive, Ned's coworker Olive doesn't know of his powers). If you've seen my Anohana review, you'd know I normally don't like these sorts of secret-heavy storylines, but lying and the toll of keeping secrets is a major theme of Pushing Daisies, so I think it mostly works here. As for the episodic stories, I think they're pretty solid, especially for a first season (even shows like Psych and Person Of Interest have a shaky start). However, the reveal of the murderer tends to be pretty predictable a lot of the time.

Right from the first scene, the tone that Pushing Daisies goes for is incredibly distinct. It's a quirky vibe not quite unlike Amelie, Paddington, and many of Tim Burton's films. The set design is colorful and cartoonish, Olive frequently breaks out into song and dance, the camerawork is exaggerated, and each episode is narrated not unlike a fairy tale. This much concentrated whimsy could feel incredibly forced, but Pushing Daisies pulls it off with impressive sincerity and confidence, not to mention just how movie-quality so much of the series feels. It helps that as weird as Pushing Daisies is, the characters are still incredibly fleshed out and interesting. I genuinely like a lot of these characters (especially the more grounded Emerson, who does a good job of balancing out the tone), and the sharp writing and witty dialogue makes seeing them interact a treat. The series gives me some serious "Spaced" vibes, which is absolutely a good thing. My only real issue with the show's presentation is the music, which plays the same dramatic theme every time something heartwarming or romantic happens, and it got old so fast.

Even with only nine episodes, this season definitely had its highlights:

Pie-Lette: The best pilot episodes can feel more like a movie than any other episode of TV, as they pretty much have to introduce the premise, bring together the cast, and send them on their first adventure. Pie-Lette ranks up with Lost and Justified as one of the strongest pilots I've seen, showing off a ridiculous amount of confidence in the tone, dialogue, and visuals right from the very beginning. It accomplishes so much in such a short time while telling a complete story that makes you want to see more from the cast. Production-wise and structure-wise, it feels like a movie, which is why it left me so excited to be able to get the chance to see what happens next.

Bitter Sweets: This packed episode did a great job of heightening the stakes for what ended up being the season finale. I especially love the fun pie shop war with the Balsams, but there's also Ned being in prison, Olive realizing she might like Alfredo, and biggest of all, Ned finally telling Chuck he killed her father. The finale wasn't quite as good as this episode, though I did like the reveal about Lily being Chuck's mom.

Overall, as short as it is, I've really enjoyed Pushing Daisies's first season. The whimsical presentation drew me in, but the sharp writing and likable characters kept me engaged. The show still has plenty of room to grow in its storytelling, though, and it pains me that I only have thirteen episodes of it left.

4/5 Stars

Evangelion Rebuilds

Neon Genesis Evangelion is still one of my favorite animes ever made, but I'm not gonna lie, it had some serious production issues. While that's all part of the charm to me, it's nice to see that Anno finally got a chance to remake the series the way he wanted. But how are his rebuilds? Are they better than the original?

1.0: You Are (Not) Alone: The first Evangelion Rebuild is pretty much a beat-for-beat remake of the first arc of the original series. There are a few deviations like Kaworu's appearance in the end, but otherwise, this is just a reanimated version of that first arc. I do have a soft-spot for those first few episodes, so it was really nice to revisit them and the characters. They tell a really strong story about Shinji taking up the job of piloting an Eva. I also liked that the soundtrack wasn't drastically changed, all the iconic songs from the series were still there. The animation doesn't quite have the same sense of movement as Gainax's, but it's still a really strong replication. Iconic shots from the original series are replicated really accurately (though whether or not that's a good thing may vary), and the usage of CGI really bolsters some of the fight sequences. However, I do have a lot of issues with this first film, most of which are in the first half. This movie races through the first few episodes, replicating scenes pretty much identically while removing all the downtime and breathing moments. The final act is a bit better, expanding out the fight against Ramiel and taking some liberties with the original show, but most of the episode just feels like a rushed recap. Still, this is a solid first installment, but probably the worst of the bunch. However, I can say it definitely got me excited for the next movie.

3/5 Stars

2.0: You Can (Not) Advance: Eva 2.0 is an "rebuild" of the show's second and third arcs, which should have been a recipe for disaster, the first film was rushed enough. However, I absolutely adored this film, and I think it might be the best of the four. Unlike the first movie, Eva 2.0 actually feels like a "rebuild", depicting the arrival of Asuka and its subsequent events in an entirely different manner than the original series. and cutting out certain subplots that would just pad out the film. It doesn't feel like a rushed recap, it feels like it was made with the purpose of being a movie, resulting in much stronger pacing. There was tons of fantastic action, but there was also a lot of slow-paced character moments that were kind of missing from the first movie. I liked that there were a lot of moments for the main cast to just hang out together (even Tohji and Kensuke got a lot of screentime!). The deviations from the plot like the introduction of Mari, Asuka getting squashed by Shinji's Eva rather than Tohji, and Rei's near death were also pretty great. And then there's the ending, which had Shinji start the Third Impact only for Kaworu to come and intervene. Not only does it showcase the mission statement for these rebuilds (Showing Shinji true happiness), but it's also just such a massive shift in the status quo that pretty much entirely diverges from the original series. Overall, I really liked Eva 2.0. There's a nice balance of new and old, with strong pacing, great action, plenty of fun character moments, and a shocking ending.

5/5 Stars

3.0: You Can (Not) Redo: This is a weird movie for me. Unlike the first two, this absolutely isn't a recap. Eva 3.0 tells an entirely new story from the original, and I think that's great! It takes a lot of risks that pay off really well too. Getting more than a half-hour of screentime for Kaworu was excellent, Rei-Q is an immensely fascinating character (extending into the next film as well), Shinji learning about Rei being a clone of his mother was a payoff we never actually got in the original series, the climactic battle at the end made for one of the most fantastically bonkers third acts ever, and while I liked all the ending cliffhangers, 3.0 probably had my favorite. Seeing Shinji, Asuka, and Rei wandering the destroyed Tokyo-3 feels like the continuation to EoE we never got. And as usual, the music, action and animation is pretty top-notch. However, not everything this movie did really paid off. I think my biggest issue with it was the way it handled the timeskip. I'm already not a big fan of this trope, but it didn't even feel necessary here. We didn't see the direct fallout of the last movie's ending, WILLE's reluctance to explain anything to Shinji was frustrating, and the "Curse Of Eva" might be the single dumbest thing in the entire series. Even more, the fact that the film spends so much time explaining the timeskip means that not much really happens, not helped by the fact that this is the shortest film yet. There's also a really oppressive and hopeless atmosphere in this one, and while I think it works for this movie, it feels like a massive whiplash compared to the tone of the first two films. There's definitely not the same gradual darkening that the series had. Still, while not everything worked for me and it definitely has its problems, I still really liked how bold Eva 3.0 was. 

3.5/5 Stars

3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon A Time: As far as Eva endings go, Thrice Upon A Time was pretty great. It feels like a happy medium between the closure and bombast of EoE, and the character work and psychoanalysis that the original finale brought. I still don't think it's as well-paced and balanced as the second Rebuild, but it's a really enjoyable finale that takes a lot of the best aspects of these films and brings them together. The action is fantastic (that Paris fight, especially), but we also get a lot of time for character interactions and introspection. The film brings together nearly the entire cast, giving all of them their own moments to shine no matter how small. Thrice Upon A Time really feels like a love letter to Evangelion (as opposed to the more sour EoE), and nothing shows more than the fact that the movie ends with the characters getting to work out their problems in typically trippy fashion. Apparently, this is the end of Evangelion, at least under Anno, and I think it's a good place to end. Not only is it the happy and satisfying ending everyone wanted (though Misato still dies to my utter heartbreak), but when you take Evangelion as a whole, you get a fascinating story of a director getting through his depression. This film especially feels like it's specifically about mental health, which is something I've always liked to see from Evangelion. Still, the film isn't perfect. The pacing is really odd, with the first hour in the village being pretty much no action and all character work, and the next hour being just nonstop action. I also really dislike what the film did with Asuka too (another contrast from EoE, where she was my favorite part). She was far more unlikable and abusive to Shinji than in any previous Eva media (even 3.0), and the twist about her being a clone was a bit strange. I'm also not sure why Shinji ended up with Mari given that they hardly interact (he formed a far stronger connection with Rei in these films). Otherwise, 3.0+1.0 is an incredibly satisfying final installment of the Rebuilds series that feels like a love letter to Evangelion as a franchise. It's not my favorite of the films, but it definitely made the whole thing worth it.

4/5 Stars

Overall, I really enjoyed the Eva Rebuilds, and they were a great way to return to one of my favorite anime. I don't think any of the films top the series, but they tell their own unique retelling in a slightly unconventional manner. 

My ranking of all the Evangelion films (including End Of Evangelion) is:

2 > 4 > EoE > 3 > 1

The X-Files (Season 6)

So this is going to be a weird review, probably the only time I'll be primarily reviewing a half of a season. The big problem with X-Files is that it doesn't really end. All of its attempts at a series finale either leave a ton of loose ends hanging (Fight The Future), raise a ton of entirely new questions (The Truth, the My Struggle episodes), or end on a massive cliffhanger (The End, Requiem). There's only one exception, however, as halfway through the show's sixth season, the main Syndicate storyline is completely resolved, making for what could have been the perfect ending.

Myth Arc: The first half of Season 6 mostly focuses on finally bringing the Syndicate storyline to an end since nothing actually happened in the movie. With Mulder and Scully still unable to reform the X-Files, they spent a lot of these episodes trying to solve mysteries on their own. It's a fun change to the status quo that harkens back to the start of Season 2, and I'm glad the show didn't give Mulder and Scully the X-Files division back right in the premiere. Halfway through the season, the Smoking Man escapes with Fowley (from last season) and kills Spender (also from last season), while the Syndicate as a whole is killed off by the faceless rebels. With most of the show's biggest loose ends abruptly tied and the overarching villain gone, you'd think The X-Files would be over, right? Wrong. It's pretty evident the movie was supposed to be the ending to the series only for Chris Carter to decide to just keep the series going further. He had so many chances to bring things to a close, but The X-Files never really did. This isn't even the only time something like this happens, as the Samantha storyline gets (unsatisfyingly) resolved halfway through next season as well, and yet the show just kept going. It just feels so sloppy and poorly thought out. The rest of Season 6 wouldn't have any other Myth Arc episodes aside from the finale which sets up an entirely new arc about an alien invasion, which just isn't as interesting as a government cover-up.

Monster Of The Week: With the show taking place in a new location, the much brighter California, Monster Of The Week episodes this season generally took a much lighter tone, with even "darker" episodes like Drive and How The Ghosts Stole Christmas still feeling pretty fun. I don't quite have as much of an issue with this as many others as X-Files has a pretty strong track record with comedy, but it definitely means the eerie vibe from the first five seasons isn't quite there anymore. Even on its sixth season, The X-Files really was still not afraid to experiment at times, from an episode based on the movie Speed, to an episode shot with long takes, to a bottle episode. Despite this, I think the general level of quality was really strong, nearly on the level of Season 5. The second half of Season 6 does have some weaker outings like Agua Mala and Alpha, but the first half is nearly flawless. I will say, however, that the body-swap episode Dreamland absolutely did not need to be a two-parter and dragged as a result. Otherwise, though, I think the MoTW episodes this season were still pretty great and have solidified themselves as the most reliably strong aspect of The X-Files even in the coming seasons.

Even in the first half of Season 6, there are plenty of episodes I think are great:

Drive: If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, I implore you to watch this episode. Not only is it another great Vince Gilligan episode, but it brings in Bryan Cranston as a guest star. Drive is a tense, fast-paced episode that definitely seems to have gotten inspiration from Speed, about a guy whose head will explode if he doesn't drive fast enough. I thought the decision to end the episode on a downer with Cranston's character dying anyway was a gutsy way to cement Drive as an X-Files classic.

Triangle: As much flack as I give Chris Carter for his plotting, I think he's a fantastic director who did a phenomenal job with Triangle. Not only does the show finally get to tackle the bizarre Bermuda Triangle, but Carter decides to shoot the entire episode in two long-takes, cutting between Mulder's perspective and Scully's perspective. There's a lot to like about this one, the nonstop action, the wacky perspective shifts, the 1939 shenanigans, the Mulder/Scully kiss, and that amazing climax where we get to see Mulder and Scully's perspectives at the same time. 

Two Fathers/One Son: I said it before and I'll say it again, the series should have ended here. It's a satisfying and action-packed ending to the Syndicate storyline that brings together as many disparate myth arc threads as it possibly could. The scene where the faceless rebels kill the entire Syndicate is stunning, and seeing Mulder and Scully get to rejoin the X-Files in the end could have been a perfect place to leave the two.

Overall, Season 6 is a really solid followup to the previous one with some really good Monster Of The Week episodes and a satisfying end to the Syndicate storyline at its halfway point. However, this halfway point was the last time The X-Files really got itself in order. From then on, the show would refuse to truly end, layering retcons on retcons on bizarre twists on a never-ending mythology, as the sloppy writing it would eventually become known for finally became a massive issue. For me, X-Files ended at One Son. Outside of a few fun MoTW episodes, it's really not worth it to continue onwards.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the X-Files seasons I've seen is:

5 > 3 > 6 > 1 > 2 > 4

My ranking of the X-Files finales I've seen is:

1 > 4 > 5 > 2 > 3

Favorite Episode: Jose Chung's From Outer Space

The X-Files (Season 5)

Up until this point, each season of X-Files was fairly uneven, with plenty of really strong episodes and plenty of really weak ones as well. However, Season 5 manages to stand out by being not only consistent, but consistently strong throughout.

Myth Arc: The myth arc is a bit uneven this season. I think the Redux two-parter is an excellent way to start the season, even if its first half may have a few too many narrations. I like how even though the events of Gethsemane were pretty much averted, it takes a large portion of the season for Mulder to really Christmas Carol/Emily is an odd standalone Myth Arc two-parter, making it easier to understand than many of the others. I think these episodes are a bit too cruel to Scully, but Gillian Anderson's strong acting still makes them worth watching. Patient X/The Red And The Black, on the other hand, is insanely convoluted, but it does a good job of bringing together a lot of disparate threads, introducing the alien rebellion, and showing off some really striking and memorable visuals in the process. The End is also one of the show's better finales, as it does a good job of setting up for the movie that was originally supposed to bring the series to the close (but I'll get to that complaint next season). 

Monster Of The Week: The Monster Of The Week episodes this season are on another level compared to the rest of the series. Carter and Gilligan are at the top of their game, churning out a bunch of really inventive and unique outings, but the whole season is packed with creative episodes. There's the Lone Gunman-centric Unusual Suspects, the incredibly wholesome Detour, the bizarre The Post-Modern Prometheus, the Pusher-sequel Kitsunegari, the adorably cheesy Kill Switch, the hilarious and sharp Bad Blood, the paranoia-infused The Pine Bluff Variant, and the creepy Folie A Deux. The variety is absolutely outstanding this season. But best of all, these MoTW episodes are also really consistently strong. Usually, the MoTW episodes range from outstanding to pretty bad, but this season, nearly all of them are at the very least great. The only real weak point is Schizogeny, which is stupid, but it's a fun kind of stupid. Otherwise, the standalones are fantastic this season, and I think are the reason why I'm so willing to call Season 5 my favorite of the X-Files seasons.

There are a lot of strong episodes this season, but these are my favorites:

Redux II: Similarly to Paper Clip, this was a fantastic ending to the initial arc. While I still don't like Scully's cancer storyline, this was an emotional and heartwarming resolution to it with some great acting from Gillian Anderson, as always. The Smoking Man was the highlight though, between his confrontation with Mulder and supposed assassination at the end of the episode. There was also the great FBI panel scene, another brief appearance from Samantha, and once again, the revival of the X-Files.

Unusual Suspects: I adore this episode. It's entirely focused on The Lone Gunmen, revealing how they formed their team in the first place, but it's just so entertaining. Similarly to Gethsemane, there's a noir-ish vibe, albeit a far more comedic one. Gilligan's writer for the trio is full of entertaining banter, the pieces of Mulder's backstory are cute, and as a whole, I think it's a really fun 100th episode for the series.

The Post-Modern Prometheus: On a plot level, I think this episode is a solid Frankenstein parody, albeit one so ambiguous it led to countless arguments over how well it's aged. However, in terms of its presentation, The Post-Modern Prometheus is absolutely fantastic. The comic book references, offbeat tone, monochrome color scheme, and Cher soundtrack definitely help this episode stand out.

Bad Blood: Considered by many to be the show's best episode, Bad Blood is probably Gilligan's strongest work for the X-Files. Similarly to Jose Chung's From Outer Space, Bad Blood unravels its story about supposed vampires through Mulder and Scully's differing beliefs and perspectives. While this is definitely one of the show's funniest episodes, packed with amazing black comedy, I especially love how it's pretty much entirely about Mulder and Scully's relationship, which has always been Gilligan's greatest strength when it comes to writing for the X-Files.

The Red And The Black: This was easily one of the most visually ambitious episodes in the series to date since it served as set-up for the movie, with amazing sequences like that hypnosis scene on the bridge and Mulder's fight with Krycek. It also packs in just so much, from the black oil, to the reveal that the Smoking Man is alive, to the faceless rebels, to the Spenders. I will say that this episode might be a bit too overstuffed and hard to follow, but I won't say that it wasn't incredibly fun.

Folie La Deux: Easily one of the creepiest episodes in the series, Folie La Deux is an episode about a worker who can see his boss as a bug-like monster, who then goes on to share that vision with Mulder. Gilligan's writing is once again phenomenal here, and I really like how the episode focuses on Mulder until he is sent to the psychiatric hospital, at which point Scully takes over. Once again, I think the focus on Mulder and Scully's dynamic here is great. Folie La Deux doesn't just refer to the literal Pincus madness, but also to Mulder and Scully running the X-Files together.

The End: While not as striking as Gethsemane or satisfying as The Erlenmeyer Flask, this finale was a good followup to The Red And The Black that set up the movie in some interesting ways. Fowley is an interesting character that makes her first appearance here, really kicking the romantic tension between Mulder and Scully into overdrive. The reveal that the Smoking Man was Jeffrey Spender's father was actually really great, and that final scene where Mulder and Scully watch as the X-Files burns down is a pretty devastating ending that signals a massive shift for the series... albeit not quite for the better.

Look, no X-Files season is perfect. There's always going to be some convoluted Myth Arc stuff or bizarre MoTW episode, but Season 5 is as consistently strong as an X-Files season can get, with an insane variety in its standalone episodes along with some pretty ambitious Myth Arc episodes.

5/5 Stars

The X-Files (Season 4)

After the fantastic Season 3, Season 4 of X-Files definitely has its perks, but it makes some decisions that don't quite sit well with me.

Myth Arc: From Seasons 1-6, I think this season has the worst myth arc in the series. The premiere is a typically fantastic followup to the finale, with the shocking death of X and the reveal of the clone farms. However, the rest of the season is a bit shakier. The big myth two-parters (Tunguska/Terma and Tempus Fugit/Max) are both pretty dull and lack much in the way of grand revelations or high stakes action. But even worse is the "Scully gets cancer" plot which is an absolute waste of one of my favorite characters in TV. Gillian Anderson acts her heart out in these episodes, but the fact that she spends most of the season in a somewhat weakened state even though we know there's no way she can possibly die from cancer just doesn't work for me at all. The finale Gethsemane has a similar problem, as there's no way Mulder could have possibly killed himself at the end of the episode, but otherwise, I really like the premise of the government covering up alien life by painting it all as a hoax. It's probably the Syndicate's biggest victory in the entire series.

Monster Of The Week: The Monster Of The Week episodes fare a little bit better, but they don't quite reach the same heights as the previous season. There are some really weak outings in Season 4, particularly Teliko, The Field Where I Died, and El Mundo Gira. With Darin Morgan out, I really think Vince Gilligan did a lot of the heavy lifting this season, having written five episodes, all of which ranged from good to excellent (Unruhe, Paper Hearts, Leonard Betts, Memento More, Small Potatoes). This season is also well-known for the infamous Home episode, which is a violent and disgusting episode about an incestuous family. Personally, that episode absolutely grosses me out, but I can admit how gutsy it is for the show to go this unbelievably dark. As a whole, I think this is a solid lineup of Monster Of The Week episodes, but none of the show's best.

Still, even one of the weaker earlier X-Files seasons has its fair share of strong episodes:

Herrenvolk: As I mentioned above, I thought this premiere was a great followup to Talitha Cumi that absolutely should have been the season finale. The chase with the Alien Bounty Hunter is tense and action-packed, the reveal of the Samantha clone farm finally gives us at least a bit of headway on Mulder's sister, and X's death is surprising.

Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man: Easily one of the most iconic episodes in the series, Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man feels like an evil version of Forrest Gump, showing how the titular character was seemingly involved in countless conspiracies and assassinations. Aside from the episode's ambition and offbeat vibe, there's also just a lot of ambiguity to the episode, as it's never clear which parts of the flashback are real, if any of it is. 

Paper Hearts: With this episode, Gilligan deals with Samantha's disappearance better than any Myth Arc in the whole show. Roche is another fantastic and terrifying villain that spends the episodes playing mind games with Mulder, feeding him information on Samantha to escape his capture. It's an emotional episode that ends on another strong ambiguous note, where Mulder decides to stick to his beliefs and shoot Roche even if it means he won't know if he was right (Frankly, I'd prefer it be Roche than what really happened to Samantha).

Small Potatoes: This episode was the first time that Gilligan really leaned into the comedy with the X-Files, and it was pretty great. Most of the episode is fairly standard, though the face-shifting villain Eddie is pretty memorable. However, it's the final act that really made this episode iconic for so many fans, as Eddie disguises himself as Mulder to seduce Scully. David Duchovny's acting has always been the best when it comes to comedic episodes, and he's absolutely hysterical as Eddie.

Gethsemane: As I mentioned above, I do really like this finale. It kinda feels like a noir from its dark color grading, cynical tone, "Mulder kills himself cliffhanger", and the main premise about Mulder's faith being deconstructed and destroyed. Once again, it's hard to believe anything that really happens in this episode, but the slight shift in genre helps it stand out more than many of the other season finales.

Overall, Season 4 has a weak myth arc and an uneven lineup of Monster Of The Week episodes, but the premiere and finale are great and Gilligan really carries this season.

3/5 Stars

The X-Files (Season 3)

While I'd put Season 2 around the same level of quality as the first, The X-Files's third season is not only a massive improvement for the series, but it reaches some of the highest heights out of any of the show's seasons.

Myth Arc: Similarly to last season starting the trend of the finales being just the first part of a larger arc, Season 3 starts the trend of X-Files seasons starting on a fantastic note, with The Blessing Way and Paper Clip serving as fantastic followups to the events of Anasazi. I think what makes many of the Myth Arc episodes this season so great is that Carter and the writers are willing to really raise the stakes for a lot of them. Aside from the incredibly dramatic Paper Clip, Nisei/731 feels like a full-on action movie. It's a fast-paced and tense two-parter that takes place nearly entirely on a train car. Meanwhile, Piper Maru/Apocrypha is personal and drama-driven, while still introducing the pretty terrifying black oil. In the grand scheme of things, this season doesn't quite give us any answers to anything, but you're still going to have a good time with most of the Myth Arc episodes. However, the season finale Talitha Cumi is a bit of a let-down, as it ends right when things are starting to really get good.

Monster Of The Week: The Monster Of The Week episodes are pretty solid too. After the end of Season 2, Darin Morgan got to direct a whopping three episodes, and all of them are just amazing. Gilligan only wrote one, but it's also one of the best in the series. Outside of those strong four episodes, the rest of the MoTWs are predictably hit or miss, with the infamously bad Teso Dos Bichos being a particularly weak point (which was so bad the whole cast and crew got shirts reading "I survived Teso Dos Bichos"). However, there are some other notable points, like the fantastic early casting of Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Black for DPO, the solemn Skinner-focused Avatar, and the comedic Syzygy. As fun as the Myth Arc episodes were this season, they were definitely continuing to get more and more convoluted, so the sheer variety on offer in terms of the MoTW episodes was always a breath of fresh air, even if not every episode ended up being a hit.

Between the Myth Arc and MoTW episodes, there were much more highlights than the previous two seasons:

Paper Clip: A fantastic resolution to the Anasazi arc, Paper Clip is incredibly jam-packed with big moments. Skinner is probably the highlight here, not only did he join Mulder and Scully to help them expose the conspiracy but he delivers a pretty massive blow to the Smoking Man this episode. But there's also Mulder stumbling upon a UFO, Melissa's death, the backstory of Mulder's father, Krycek's assassination attempt, and the X-Files being saved.

Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose: The second best Darin Morgan episode, Cylde Bruckman's Final Repose manages to juggle tones shockingly well. The script and dialogue are incredibly funny, but Bruckman's story is tragic and deals with some really heavy themes. The pacing, the writing, the acting, the effects, everything just works so perfectly here, and it's not even my favorite episode in the series.

731: 731 is an action-packed episode that has Mulder stuck on a train with the dangerous Red-Haired Man and a bomb attached to the front car. The scramble to prevent people from being killed, stop the bomb, and save the train's alien-human hybrid patient is really tense and leads to some great character development for X.

Apocrypha: While not as good as 731 or Paper Clip, I was really glad that the show actually resolved who killed Melissa rather than dragged it out. Scully was easily the highlight of the episode, as she had to try and save Skinner while stopping his and Melissa's shooter, while also dealing with the grief over her sister's death.

Pusher: Another fantastic Gilligan episode, Pusher is a tense cat and mouse game between Mulder and titular villain. Pusher is another great X-Files villain, charismatic and terrifying, with the intriguing ability to bend people to his will. It all culminates in that fourth act, one of the best and most intense scenes in the series where Mulder is forced to play a game of Russian Roulette with Pusher and Scully. The acting is phenomenal across the board, and it really showcases how good Gilligan is at writing Mulder and Scully's relationship.

Jose Chung's From Outer Space: I actually really like it when TV shows poke fun at their own premises (ex. Buffy's The Zeppo), but The X-Files did it the best. Jose Chung's From Outer Space is about a standard X-Files case being told by multiple witnesses including Mulder and Scully, but all of their descriptions are fairly unreliable. Not only is it uproariously funny (Mulder's scream), but it also feels like a perfect encapsulation of the series, from the bizarre happenings, to the tension between Mulder and Scully. It's an entirely about the differing beliefs that people can have, making one of the funniest episodes in TV history also one of the most thought-provoking. As a result, I can easily call Jose Chung's From Outer Space my favorite X-Files episode, and even one of my favorite episodes of all time.

Overall, Season 3 is a really strong X-Files season. The Myth Arc episodes are complex but incredibly action-packed and tense, and the best Monster Of The Week episodes rank among my favorite episodes in the show.

4/5 Stars

March Comes In Like A Lion (Season 2)

The first season of March Comes In Like A Lion was definitely enjoyable, but it never really blew me away. Its second season, on the other hand, manages to reach some incredible heights in both its presentation and dramatic writing.

The first half of Season 2 of 3gatsu No Lion is probably the best streak of episodes in the entire series, briefly shifting focus to Hinata as she has to deal with bullying in school. This entire storyline is so unbelievably compelling, mostly because of how realistically the anime deals with its subject matter. The show explores how truly difficult bullying can be to stop due to teachers and students who pretend nothing happened to prevent making a scene, along with parents who refuse to admit their kids did nothing wrong. Not only is the bullying that Hinata receives never played for laughs, but the show treats it with such seriousness that the scenes end up being scarier than most horror movies/shows I've seen. As much as I love A Silent Voice's more idealistic treatment of the subject matter, I think this show does it better. It helps that Hinata is a strong and proactive protagonist, bolstered by Kana Hanazawa's amazing performance. I also really like that Rei and Akari get their own character arcs around Hinata's situation, the former wanting to return the favor for taking him in, and the latter being worried she's not a good enough caretaker for her sister. Even the shoji storyline throughout this first half is pretty alright, as I really wanted to see Rei win the Rookie Tournament to support himself and the sisters.

Once the bullying arc ends, however, the second half of the season isn't quite able to stack up. Once again, I think the shoji stuff this season is far more interesting than in Season 1. Being able to learn more about the mysterious Souya was great and the Burnt Field arc is pretty visually stunning (I also really like the running gag of the poorly-composited shoji game posters), but it still doesn't grip me as much as Rei's personal life and the Kawamoto sisters. Thankfully, the final few episodes do a really good job of bringing all of the character arcs and plot threads together in the end. On the other hand, I think some characters got a bit shafted (no pun intended) this time around. I was totally fine with Harunobu being bed-ridden for a large portion of the season since I never really liked him, but the Shoji-Science Club definitely didn't appear enough given how important they are for Rei's social life. I was also really disappointed that Kyoko barely appeared at all throughout the season. She's such a fascinating character and having her meet the Kawamoto sisters near the end of Season 1 could have led to so many interesting storylines and dynamics, so not seeing her was a bit of a shame. As for the presentation, 3gatsu No Lion looks even better than Season 1, especially when it comes to the lighting. As I previously mentioned, the Burnt Field episodes look absolutely stunning.

Unlike Season 1, this season had episodes that could rank among the best I've seen in an anime, such as:

Ladybug Bush/Feelings: This was the episode of 3gatsu No Lion for me. It was such a massive jump in quality from the rest of the series before it, kickstarting the season's best arc and shifting a large portion of the focus to Hinata. The whole episode was just heartbreaking, from what happened to Chiho, to Hina's breakdown by the river, to the fact that everyone just tries to ignore the bullying going on in Hina's school, to the brief shift to Hinata's narration. But I think the most affecting thing about this episode was Rei himself. I think it's perfect that, after being bullied at school himself, Rei would be the one to try to support and help Hinata now that his own life has taken a turn for the better. And that line from him, "You are my lifesaver" absolutely broke me.

Black Mist/Light: This episode was the point where the "bullying arc" comes to a head. That opening scene where Hinata confronts Takagi (the bully) in the homeroom was just so intense and anxiety-inducing. I really like the new replacement teacher for his calm and reasonable attitude, even with Takagi's mom pressuring Akari about "proof". I especially liked how the animation had a darker hue for most of the episode except for the ending where Hinata was comforting Akari.

Small Palm/Sunny Place: Coming after all the pain Hinata had to go through, this episode was an incredibly heartwarming end to the bullying arc. I think Chiho's letter was the highlight here, it was really satisfying to learn about how she's recovering. I also thought the ending with Rei and Hinata was a nice parallel to Ladybug Bush/Feelings, though with a much happier tone to it.

The Other House/Child Of March Town: This was a really good finale for the season. It ties up plenty of loose ends with Takahashi leaving and Rei moving up a class, and the final scene of Hinata getting a bob cut is entertaining, but the real highlight is Rei briefly reuniting with his mom, giving us some of the few family drama in the season.

Overall, while the bullying arc may have taken most of the spotlight for me and some characters were a bit shafted, I think this second season is overall a much stronger outing for the series with its improved visuals and stronger emotional impact.

4/5 Stars

Favorite TV Episodes Of All Time

I have watched a lot of television by now, so it's time that I compile a list of the greatest TV episodes I have ever seen. This list will be updated and added to as I continue watch more shows:

• The One Where Everybody Finds Out (Friends)
• Casino Night (The Office)
• The Debate (Parks And Recreation)
• Hogcock!/Last Lunch (30 Rock)
• Ham Radio (Frasier)
• How Your Mother Met Me (How I Met My Mother)
• The Chinese Restaurant (Seinfeld)
• The Ski Lift (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
• Modern Warfare (Community)
• Remedial Chaos Theory (Community)
• Michael's Gambit (The Good Place)
• Blindsided (Daredevil)
• My Lunch (Scrubs)
• The Body (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
• Tabula Rasa (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
• You're Welcome (Angel)
• Chuck Vs The Other Guy (Chuck)
• Face Off (Breaking Bad)
• Ozymandias (Breaking Bad)
• Commencement (The West Wing)
• Shut The Door, Have A Seat (Mad Men)
• Jose Chung's From Outer Space (The X-Files)
• The Incident (Lost)
• Severed Dreams (Babylon 5)
• Last Night Gus (Psych)
• Long Term Parking (The Sopranos)
• If-Then-Else (Person Of Interest)
• eps3.4_runtime_err0r.r00 (Mr Robot)
• Day 9: 7pm-8pm (24)
• Kissing Your Sister (Veep)
• The Rashomon Job (Leverage)
• Lian Yu (Arrow)
• White Tulip (Fringe)
• As I Have Always Been (Agents Of SHIELD)
• Family Meeting (The Shield)
• The We We Are (Severance)
• Amy's Baking Company (Kitchen Nightmares)
• The Trouble With Tribbles (Star Trek: The Original Series)
• In The Pale Moonlight (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
• The Showstopper (Bojack Horseman)
• Sozin's Comet: Into The Inferno (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
• Beginnings (Legends Of Korra)
• Corridors (She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power)
• Not What He Seems (Gravity Falls)
• The Tape Car (Infinity Train)
• A Single Pale Rose (Steven Universe)
• The Shadow Apprentice (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
• Trials Of The Darksaber (Star Wars Rebels)
• The Village Bride (Star Wars Visions)
• Yet Another School Festival (K-On)
• Christmas Eve Party (Toradora)
• Death Of The Undying (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood)
• I Won't Rely On Anyone Anymore (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
• Ladybug Bush/Feelings (March Comes In Like A Lion)
• Episode 25 (Nichijou)
• The Shining Shooting Star: Saturn And The Messiah (Sailor Moon)
• Now's The Final Round! Fight, Nagichuu Softball Club (Precure Splash Star)
• The Final Battle! The Stolen Land Of Greenery (Precure Splash Star)
• Setsuna's Anguish: I Can't Become Your Comrade (Fresh Precure)
• For The Earth! For Our Dreams! Pretty Cure's Final Transformation (Heartcatch Precure)
• Protect It! Nao's Precious Bonds With Family (Smile Precure)
• Clashing Emotions! Lovely and Mirage (Happiness Charge Precure)
• Like a Flower...! Strong, Kind, Beautiful (Go Princess Precure)
• Goodbye...Magical Users! Come Once Again, Miraculous Magic! (Maho Girls Precure)
• Holding Back The Tears! The Reason Ichika Smiles (Kira Kira Precure A La Mode)
• Nodoka's Choice! Something To Protect (Healin Good Precure)
• This One Goes To Eleven (Red Vs Blue)
• Spiral (Red Vs Blue)
• Heroes And Monsters (RWBY)

Also, here's my top 10 favorite TV episodes of all time:

1. Ozymandias (Breaking Bad)
2. You're Welcome (Angel)
3. Remedial Chaos Theory (Community)
4. I Won't Rely On Anyone Anymore (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
5. If-Then-Else (Person Of Interest)
6. Sozin's Comet: Into The Inferno (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
7. The Body (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
8. Setsuna's Anguish: I Can't Become Your Comrade (Fresh Precure)
9. The Incident (Lost)
10. Michael's Gambit (The Good Place)

The X-Files (Season 2)

After the really solid first season, X-Files's second season continues the momentum, laying out a bunch of important mainstays for the series to come.

Myth Arc: This season establishes the formula for X-Files's myth arc storylines from here on out. The premiere (or first two episodes) deal with the previous season's finale, then we get two or three two-part episodes somewhere in the season, and finally the season ends with the first part of a two-or-three-parter that gets resolved in the next episode. As a result, from here on out, the seasons don't quite feel as cohesive as the first. The start of Season 2 is actually pretty great, though. Between Mulder and Scully working separately, the introductions of X and Krycek, and the massive storyline where Scully seemingly gets abducted, I think the season peaked a bit early since nothing post-abduction is quite as ambitious. The Colony/End Game arc is the first point where the series gets a bit too convoluted for its own good, and the finale Anasazi is a solid ending that feels incomplete since the resolution comes next season.

Monster Of The Week: Similarly to Season 1, I think the Monster Of The Week episodes are a bit on the hit or miss side, with the worst episode (3) being worse than anything from Season 1. For most of the season, the MoTW episodes are pretty standard and unremarkable, but something special happens in the last few episodes. Near the end of Season 2, the series's two best writers in Darin Morgan and Vince Gilligan (yes, Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan) get their first episodes. I love that their episodes are both so distinct, to the point where they can feel like an entirely different show. Morgan's episodes are comedic and offbeat, focusing on a central theme. Gilligan's episodes are high concept while still focusing entirely around the relationship between Mulder and Scully. I think the writing debuts of Gilligan and Morgan really opened the floodgates for The X-Files to start experimenting with its Monster Of The Week episodes, even if their episodes still tend to be the show's strongest. And with the myth arc becoming fairly convoluted with Colony/End Game, the end of Season 2 marked a big shift in what's generally considered to be the stronger aspect of the series.

Similarly to last episode, there's a good balance of great myth arc episodes and fun monster of the week episodes:

Duane Barry: Similarly to many other shows, X-Files did a "hostage crisis" episode, and it's typically excellent. The premise of Mulder being able to sympathize with the claimed alien abductee is really clever, and I like the shock ending where the titular character kidnaps Scully.

One Breath: Ending the abduction arc on a really subdued and personal note, Scully is finally located, albeit seemingly close to death. Of course, Scully isn't actually going to die, but the fact that the characters think she might leads to a really compelling episode dealing with death and grief. The performances are great all around, and the surreal sequences of Scully's near-death perspective are incredibly striking.

Humbug: Darin Morgan's first written episode was a fantastic debut that solidifies him as my favorite writer of the show. It's a fun, offbeat whodunit about a town of circus freaks, all of whom are unique and well-developed. The humor is quirky but surprisingly effective, and the theme about being an outsider is explores really well, even when it comes to Mulder and Scully's place in their own government. 

Soft Light: While Gilligan's debut isn't as strong as Morgan's, Soft Light is a very well-told story about a man whose shadow vaporizes people. It's a simple concept explored incredibly well, bolstered by the Tony Shalhoub's great performance and the entertaining banter between Mulder and Scully.

Anasazi: Despite Anasazi starting the trend of finales having situational cliffhangers, I will say that it's still a really tense episode packed with big twists (Mulder's father death, the abduction tape, Scully losing her job) and one of the show's better cliffhanger endings in the train car explosion.

Overall, Season 2 is another solid season with plenty of fun and creepy episodes, but you can also see the exact point where the MoTW episodes start to overtake the Myth Arc in terms of general quality.

3/5 Stars

The X-Files (Season 1)

The X-Files is a wild and crazy series full of government conspiracies, bizarre monsters, and sweeping changes in genre. Not all of it works, but the stuff that does ranks among the best episodes of television. Its first season is a bit small in scale compared to the rest of the series, but I think that works for its benefit.

The X-Files can be divided into two different types of episodes: The Myth Arc (which progress the overall plot and deal with conspiracy) and the Monster Of The Week (which are mostly episodic and focus more on standard horror or comedy over paranoia). Each seasonal review of this show will have sections on both of these elements of the series.

Myth Arc: Out of all the seasons, I think Season 1 might have the best Myth Arc overall as it doesn't get too complicated. The show starts with Dana Scully joining the government's X-Files division, where Fox Mulder tries to prove aliens exist. Scully was assigned due to her skepticism which means she could poke the holes in Fox's theories and discredit his research. However, the two of them slowly begin to learn that the government really might be covering up alien life. What makes this first season so fantastic is the fact that we don't know if alien life truly exists yet. The only evidence we have are a few odd happenings and the claims of Mulder's enigmatic informant. However, throughout the season, the government (known as the Syndicate) starts to become more aggressive with the X-Files, culminating in the fantastic finale where Scully finds an honest-to-god alien fetus, Deep Throat is downright killed by the Syndicate, and the X-Files is shut down. The tension slowly building up throughout this season's myth arc episodes is just fantastic, and the show never gets too convoluted since many of the plot threads tied together in the final episode. Keep in mind, this is the last time an X-Files season will be this neat and tidy.

Monster Of The Week: Eventually, the Monster Of The Week episodes would end up becoming the standout of the X-Files due to their experimental nature along with the willingness to let the writers express themselves. On their own, they feel like an anthology series featuring the same main duo, with each episode being different in tone and even genre at times. Season 1 doesn't quite have that feeling yet (though many of its best episodes are written by the powerhouse duo of Glen Morgan & James Wong). Rather, this season's standalones are mostly fairly decent, with a few low points like the hilariously bad Space and the poorly-aged Gender Bender. Some of the best MoTW episodes can feel like full-on movies, but a lot of them this season just feel like standard episodes of television. It doesn't help that the effects this season haven't quite aged the best, particularly in episodes like Space and Darkness Falls. However, there are plenty of episodes that I thought were pretty excellent as well. Tooms was the first standalone villain of the series, and he absolutely stood out as one of the most terrifying as well in his two appearances. Ice and Beyond The Sea are also excellent, the former for being insanely tense and the latter for being rather emotional.

Between the strong myth arc and some solid standalones, this first season does have quite a few highlights:

Squeeze: This was the first Monster Of The Week the show has ever done, and it's still an absolute classic. Tooms is a terrifying villain thanks to Doug Hutchinson's great performance, and the sheer concept of a serial killer who can contort himself to get anywhere is just so creepy. While the intriguing nature of the show's pilot sold a lot of people on the X-Files, Squeeze showed just how scary the show could get.

Ice: I haven't seen The Thing, but Ice does an amazing job of showing me why so many people love it. It's an incredibly tense bottle episode about Mulder, Scully, and a team of scientists trapped in an isolated arctic lab with a murderous parasite. Ice does a great job of establishing the cast and slowly building up tension as everyone starts to accuse each other, leaving me on the edge of my seat throughout. It's a fantastic psychological thriller (a well-liked genre of mine), and one of my favorite episodes in the series. 

Beyond The Sea: Dana Scully is one of my favorite TV characters and that's all because of Gillian Anderson's outstanding performance. Even when the writing doesn't give Scully the love she deserves, Anderson always does. Thankfully, the show's first Scully-centric episode is excellent. It's an emotional episode about Scully dealing with the grief of her father's death, which intersects with the psychic monster of the week in great ways. I like the reversal of Mulder and Scully's usual beliefs, and Boggs is another great and charismatic villain.

Tooms: Tooms is back and creepier than ever! While seeing the titular villain again was already great, this episode really takes things up a notch, ending on one of the most harrowing sequences in the series (Tooms's cocoon and death were so gross). There's also a bit of myth arc in this episode too, as Skinner makes his first appearance, and the enigmatic Cigarette Smoking Man makes a brief appearance.

The Erlenmeyer Flask: As mentioned above, this finale is fantastic. It's easily my favorite X-Files ending due to how much it changes the series. Deep Throat is dead and the X-Files is shut down, but Scully and Mulder actually saw genuine evidence, it's not just something they can just walk away from! It's a tense, action-packed, shocking, and climactic ending to the season that also doesn't feel like Part 1 of a two-part episode like the later finales do.

Overall, Season 1 is a really solid start to the X-Files. Not all of its standalones were the best, but it had a great overarching storyline, some great monsters, and a myth arc that wasn't incredibly difficult to follow.

3/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 11)

After three pretty bad seasons of Frasier, the original showrunners and writers finally returned for the series' final outing. For many people, Season 11 is a strong return to form for the series. For me, while it is definitely an improvement, it's a far cry from Frasier at its best. 

The season starts by immediately course-correcting from the awful Season 10 finale, as Roz immediately waltzes back into KACL as if nothing ever happened. Right from that moment, you can tell the writing has definitely improved from Seasons 8-10. Once Julia is removed from the scene one episode after, this season mostly focuses on bringing everyone's storylines to a close, and it does so in pretty great fashion. Martin dates and eventually gets married to a new character named Ronnie, who I think is perfect for him. Niles and Daphne finally have a kid. Frasier dates a girl named Charlotte who he ends the series moving to Chicago to be with. I think the season does a good job of bringing everyone's character arcs to a satisfying close. However, there is one story arc I'm not so sure about, and that's what happened to Maris. In the middle of the season, Maris has to go on trial after accidentally killing her love interest. It takes an otherwise interesting premise of Niles reuniting with his ex-wife and takes it way too far, which pretty much sums up my problems with the entire season.

To put it simply, as much as I had a problem with the darker tone of Seasons 8-10, Season 11 went in the complete opposite direction to the point where it feels like the show became a cartoon. Aside from the bizarre Maris stuff, there was episodes like Caught In The Act, Detour, both of Ann Hodges's appearances, and worst of all, Freudian Sleep. If New Position For Roz isn't the worst episode in the series, than it's definitely Freudian Sleep It tries to be a "dream episode" like Buffy's Restless without being nearly as funny, sharp, insightful, or offbeat, instead feeling incredibly disturbing and bizarre (Niles kills a baby? Frasier kills Niles? Daphne inflates?! What the hell was that episode?!). Even the episodes that are generally considered to be highlights like High Holidays, The Doctor Is Out, and Boo! really just don't quite do it for me. As a whole, I think the writing is an improvement over the last three, and the season does have a few episodes I genuinely enjoy, but there are some incredibly painful lows here that prevent me from calling Season 11 a return to form. 

Despite my gripes with the season, there are a few episodes that I can definitely say I enjoyed: 

No Sex Please, We're Skittish: Similarly to the premiere of Community's fifth season, the sheer impact of having genuinely sharp writing on Frasier again was just such a breath of fresh air. I already said how much I loved how the show brushes Season 10's ending under the rug in the coolest way possible, but this episode also has Niles and Daphne learn the latter is pregnant. It's a strong start that may have given me too high expectations for the rest of the season.

Frasier Lite: KACL ensemble episodes are always a treat, and while I know Frasier Lite is fairly unpopular, I found it to be so much fun. Watching the entire KACL staff (including Bulldog) work at trying to loose weight was just a ton of fun, and it led to a suitably frantic ending. This isn't one of the show's best episodes, but it's definitely one of the most rewatchable.

Crock Tales: Yes, I know the wigs in this episode are really bad (Roz's actress claims that was the point), but Crock Tales manages to be incredibly fun in spite of it. I like the concept of following a single object back through time, using it as a focal point to see how the characters have grown throughout the series. Crock Tales is funny, heartwarming, and bittersweet, working really well as a penultimate episode.

Goodbye, Seattle: Frasier's series finale isn't one of the greatest of all time, but I think it's mostly really satisfying. Frasier's goodbye to KACL was incredibly heartwarming, as was Daphne having her kid and Martin getting married. I like how chaotic most of the episode was, it felt like the show was giving us "one last farce" before it goes. Frasier's split-second decision at the end of the finale was a solid dose of character development, though it also ended up being one of the few ambiguous endings that left me aching to know how it all turned out.

Overall, I know a lot of people loved Season 11, but I really didn't. I think it ends the series on a good note and is definitely a strong jump in quality from the last three seasons, but it still feels like the writers are out of ideas to the point where the show became way too cartoonish this season.

2/5 Stars

My ranking of the Frasier seasons is:

6 > 4 > 5 > 3 > 7 > 2 > 1 > 11 > 10 > 9 > 8

My ranking of the Frasier finales is:

7 > 11 > 6 > 1 > 2 > 5 > 3 > 4 > 9 > 8 > 10

Favorite Episode: Ham Radio

Frasier (Seasons 8-10)

Frasier's lead writers left the show between Seasons 8-10, and it absolutely showed. These seasons were a slog to watch. They had some good episodes, but most of these seasons were either depressing, unfunny, or just plain destructive to the characters. Thus, I won't be reviewing each season in their entirety since I feel the same thing can be said for a lot of them:

Season 8: This is my least favorite season in the series just because of how oddly downbeat and mean-spirited it is, and it shows in the season premiere. Niles and Daphne are together as of Season 7, but both Donny and Mel try to ruin their lives because of it. I like that they needed to work out the ramifications of the events of the finale, but it came at the cost of the comedy. That's my big problem with most of this season, there's no comedy, it's more of a drama than anything else. It also feels like the new writers were trying to be way smarter than they actually were with introspective episodes like Frasier's Edge and Cranes Go Caribbean that feel more pretentious than they are actually insightful. Not to mention, Jane Leeves' real-life pregnancy being brushed off as her getting fat, the completely attitude 180 that Donny faced, and unnecessary characters like Daphne's family that seriously overstayed their welcome. Season 8 is just plain bad, a shell of what Frasier used to be.

Season 9: While this season doesn't really have any highlights, I also don't think it did anything all that bad either. It's nowhere near as offensive as Seasons 8 & 10 at points, and it's actually kinda funny sometimes. My favorite episode from the season is probably The Proposal, which isn't anything amazing, but it feels like more of a Frasier episode than anything in the last one and a half seasons. I think Season 9 does Niles and Daphne getting engaged justice, along with Roz's dating life. Her relationship with Roger was great, especially the episode that deals with their breakup. The penultimate episode even deals with Frasier and Roz sleeping together in a surprisingly tasteful way that doesn't betray the characters. I think it still isn't an amazing season, the Moon family still has too much focus, but it's an improvement on Season 8, for sure.

Season 10: This season is my favorite of the three, but mostly because it has the most good episodes. I liked the premiere where Niles and Daphne get married three times, along with the arc where Niles gets heart surgery for being one of the seasons' few attempts at drama that actually kinda got to me. I also like how the season deals with the show's lingering questions like why do Frasier's dinner parties always fall apart? and how is Martin the father of Frasier and Niles?, while using them to further strengthen the family dynamic. However, I think the season completely botches up the ending with the Julia arc, which pretty much destroys Roz's character. What I liked about Roz and Frasier sleeping together last season is that they both acknowledged it was a bad idea, so having Roz suddenly be jealous after Frasier's many girlfriends just feels so out of character. It's an awful finale with an awful cliffhanger (thought I did like Daphne and Niles's subplot where they get rid of the Moon family once and for all).

There aren't many amazing episodes in these three seasons, but there are a few I liked:

Daphne Returns: This was the one good episode of Season 8 for me. While I hated Daphne's fat camp storyline, I'll admit that her return and subsequent argument with Niles had some of the sharpest writing in quite some time. It's the only episode of the season that made me consistently laugh, so I thought it's worth noting for that alone.

Star Mitzvah: Easily my favorite episode of these three seasons and one of my favorites in the series, Star Mitzvah is just so inventive and funny to me. The final sequence where Frasier accidentally delivers the Bar Mitzvah speech in Klingon is predictable, but oh so hilarious. And there are a ton of other cute moments like Lilith actually getting emotional for once and Eddie finally going to KACL for the first time.

Rooms With A View: I already discussed my opinion of the heart surgery arc. It might be a bit on the emotionally manipulative side, but I think the show deals with Niles's situation in an incredibly respectful manner that gives all of the cast their own ways to cope. It's not a funny episode or one I'd like to see anytime soon, but I'd glad I saw it.

Daphne Does Dinner: The opening scene in this episode was probably the funniest in all of the these three seasons, we get to see the climax of one of Frasier's typical farcical dinner parties with zero context whatsoever. I kinda wish the episode went in a In Medias Res route so we could see what happened, but I like what the episode ended up being, a meta commentary on said disastrous dinner parties as Daphne tries to hold one herself. 

Overall, Seasons 8-10 ain't good. They have some solid episodes and interesting plots, but the writing and comedy is just poor, and at their worst, they have too many awful side characters, assassinate the good pre-existing characters, and include poorly thought-out drama that feels like a drag to watch.

Generally around 1-2 Stars out of 5

Frasier (Season 7)

Having gone on for seven straight seasons, Frasier is predictably starting to drop off in quality a bit. However, when it comes to the characters, the show's still got it when delivering the show's most pivotal moments.

Season 7 has been a long time coming, a season that's almost entirely about Niles and Daphne. Coming after last season, Daphne is getting married to Niles's divorce lawyer, Donny. Meanwhile, Niles finally tries to move on from Daphne and starts dating a girl named Mel. I don't quite like Mel (definitely not as much as the deceptively kind-hearted Donny), but I think she works to make the viewer desperately want Niles and Daphne to finally get together. And halfway through the season, in one of my favorite episodes in the series, Frasier accidentally tells Daphne about Niles's prior feelings for her. Seeing Daphne have to deal with this revelation and figure out whether or not she likes Niles back is incredibly interesting, and the tension continues to heighten throughout the season. It all culminates in a fantastic finale which has a married Niles and an almost-married Daphne finally confess their feelings for each other and drive away in a winnebago, leaving poor Donny at the altar. It's a fantastic turning point for the series and absolutely deserves its recognition as one of the greatest sitcom cliffhangers ever made. In case you haven't noticed from all my reviews, Niles and Daphne's relationship is one of my favorite aspects about Frasier, and the increased focus on them this season allows for some of the best drama and plot in the series to date.

As for the standalone episodes, however, this season is a bit more hit and miss. There are some highlights like RDWRER, They're Playing Our Song, and Out With Dad, but this season also includes a lot of incredibly rough ones too, such as The Dog That Rocks The Cradle, The Late Dr Crane, and Big Crane On Campus. But even worse than the straight-up rough episodes is the fact that Season 7 frequently ends up feeling kinda mediocre. When this season isn't dealing with Niles and Daphne, there really aren't too many episodes that truly stand out for me. It definitely doesn't help that this is the season where Frasier starts to drop the farcical structure a bit, which is a shame since that's what the series ended up becoming known for. As a whole, it does feel like Season 7 was starting to run out of steam a bit, and the show runners were beginning to run out of ideas (Out With Dad just feels like The Matchmaker but not as tightly-written). Given the fact that the showrunners and writers left after this season, I wonder if they felt the same?

Still, there were some high points this season regardless, some of which being my favorite episodes:

Back Talk: Back Talk starts off so unassuming, it's an episode about Frasier's back pain, what could possibly come of it? And then halfway through, Frasier, high on painkillers, loudly tells Daphne that Niles likes her. It's such a shocking twist because it comes out of nowhere, and the fact that the show only doubles down on this reveal rather than try and return to the status quo makes it even more legendary.

The Fight Before Christmas: Coming right after Back Talk, The Fight Before Christmas is both more subdued and more grand. The episode takes place during a big Christmas party that utilizes all of the characters in entertaining subplots, but it lacks the shocking twist of Back Talk. Rather, this episode is all about Daphne coping with what she learned and what she should do about it.

They're Playing Our Song: One of the few comedic episodes this season that I'd actually call great, They're Playing Our Song feels the closest thing to a sequel to Ham Radio, as Frasier tries to make himself a theme song. The escalation up to Frasier bringing in a giant goddamn orchestra is so fun to watch, and the big performance scene is one of the funniest in the season.

Dark Side Of The Moon: This episode is probably Jane Leeves's greatest performance as Daphne, perfectly selling the stress and frustration that she has to deal with, between the looming wedding, knowing Niles likes her, and her family's arrival. It's a funny episode that also manages to be character-driven, and the ending that reveals that Daphne really might like Niles back was excellent.

Something Borrowed, Someone Blue: As I mentioned above, this is a fantastic ending to the season and my favorite finale of the whole series. Deserving its hour-long length, Something Borrowed, Someone Blue brings the romantic tension between Niles and Daphne to a stunning head in an episode that's funny, dramatic, shocking, and ultimately heartwarming. Once again, the final scene where the two drive off in the winnebago is absolute perfect.

Overall, Season 7's main storyline is probably the best in the series, especially when it comes to Niles and Daphne. However, the season also has far more mediocre episodes than the last few, holding it back from being one of the show's best.

3/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 6)

Season 6 is my favorite season of Frasier. Even if it doesn't reach the heights of Ham Radio or The Ski Lodge, the way it juggles incredibly compelling drama with tons of hilarious episodes and clever experiments makes it nearly flawless for me.

Frasier's sixth season is far more plot-focused than the ones that came before, and signals a much darker tone for the series from this point onwards. The season starts with Frasier out of a job and Niles's marriage crumbling to pieces, and the first half is mostly about the two of them getting their lives back under control. This segment of the season is really bleak, maybe a bit too bleak given how things never end up going right for the two brothers. However, it's also some of the best drama the series has done yet. The second half of the season is even better, especially once Niles divorces Maris only for his divorce lawyer to end up with Daphne. It's such a painfully cruel twist of fate, but a well-executed one at that, and it all leads to a fantastic final two episodes for the season. Meanwhile, Martin gets a girlfriend in Bonnie (who's fine but nowhere near as entertaining as Sherry), and Frasier ends up with two girlfriends. The season ends on a bit of a downer note as all three Crane men end up alone by the final scene, but I think it works as a low point before some of the characters (Niles specifically) start to really find love in the second half of the series. As a whole, I think the extra dramatic focus this season is fantastic, even if I can understand if it might be too much for some people.

Thankfully, this season still manages to be incredibly funny as well, packing in tons of hilarious episodes throughout. Unlike Season 5, there really aren't too many downright weak episodes, with nothing to the level of Beware The Greeks. Season 6 really seemed like it was willing to experiment with structure a bit more outside of the standard farcical episodes, with episodes like Good Grief, Three Valentines, The Dinner Party, and When A Man Loves A Women playing around with time jumps and vignettes to great effect. Frasier's more experimental episodes have usually been a success more often than not, and I'm glad this season doubled down on them. My only real gripe with the season's comedy is that it does come at odds with the drama at the first half of the season, since it can feel a bit like the show is kicking Frasier and Niles while they're down. However, on their own merits, the episodes in that first half are still really funny, and the sheer amount of fantastic episodes scattered throughout the season are still more than enough to prevent the season from falling into full despair. 

There are so many amazing episodes this season that I can't even begin to describe all of my favorites, but this is a fair list:

Good Grief: I actually really like it when Frasier explores psychiatric subject matter (next season has an Oedipus complex episode), but I think Good Grief does it the best, using the five stages of grief as a framing device to watch Frasier deal with losing its job. It's a nice balance between incredibly funny and really sad, a good mission statement for the season as a whole.

Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz: While Frasier's Christmas episodes are generally well-liked, this is considered by many to be the best in the series. Frasier pretending to be Jewish is a really funny idea for a farce that's executed really well, with tons of memorable scenes like the cartoonishly dramatic parental interactions to Niles popping out of the bathroom dressed as Jesus. But it's the little things that make this episode fantastic too, like the joke about Jewish wine that makes me laugh way more than it should have.

Three Valentines: As a whole, I think the three vignettes for this episode are all funny in their own way, but let's face it, the silent skit with Niles is easily the highlight, and ranks with some of the best moments in the series. It's a fantastic showcase of David Hyde Pierce's physical comedy chops and the way it escalates along with the classical music in the background is nothing short of masterful.

To Tell The Truth: I already mentioned this episode earlier, it's the one where Niles losing Daphne to his lawyer Donny right when he's able to finish his divorce with Maris. As a whole, this episode is pretty tense and dramatic as Niles gets the closest to confessing his feelings to date, and as much of a gut punch as the ending is, it's still such a strong twist.

Decoys: While many people dismiss Decoys as "The Ski Lodge Lite", I think this episode still manages to be really entertaining on its own merits, with Niles's plan to pair Donny up with Roz being incredibly fun. I also just really love the subplot about Frasier not wanting to kill ducks, which intersects with Niles's storyline in creative ways.

The Dinner Party: This real-time bottle episode poses an interesting question: Can Frasier pull off a farce entirely off-screen? As it turns out, the answer is yes. The Dinner Party is pretty much entirely composed of dialogue between Niles and Frasier, but thanks to their performance and the insanely sharp writing, watching their dinner party crumble to pieces before it even starts is hysterical.

Visions Of Daphne: This episode is pretty low on humor, as a matter of fact it's pretty unfunny. However, I think the emotional impact and character drama is absolutely fantastic. The tension throughout the episode builds as Donny's proposal nears and you don't know if Daphne will say yes. Sadly, she does, culminating in that perfect final scene with the dragon which solidifies that she's with the wrong person.

Shutout In Seattle: While it's not as downright shocking as last episode, Shutout In Seattle does a good job of tying up loose ends for the season, as Niles, Martin, and Frasier all end up single in the solemn but hopeful final scene. This episode has Bulldog's departure which genuinely caught me off guard as I had no idea his actor was leaving. It's one of the show's better finales, and the last to lack a cliffhanger.

Overall, even if Season 6 can get a bit too bleak at times, I think it does a great job of blending its dramatic and comedic elements while still allowing the show to experiment in interesting ways, making it my favorite Frasier season of the bunch.

5/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 5)

For me, Seasons 4-6 of Frasier are the show at its peak. They all contain some of the funniest episodes of the series. However, I think Season 5 is the weakest of the three, since can be pretty uneven at times.

Frasier's fifth season is the first to really have a concrete storyline throughout, as early on in the season, Roz reveals she's pregnant. As far as pregnancy storylines go, Roz's isn't anything amazing as it does stay in the background a lot. However, I think the most interesting part is Roz learning that she is pregnant and dealing with that revelation. The show spends a lot of time on Roz discussing the pregnancy with the father and figuring out if she wants to raise it on her own, and I think that leads to some really fascinating character work for her. Meanwhile, Martin's and Niles's relationships finally come to an end this season. It's a shame Sherry had to leave since I really liked her as a foil to the Crane brothers, and Martin doesn't get quite as much to do after their breakup. On the other hand, I'm so glad Maris and Niles are finally getting divorced as it leads to some of my favorite storylines in the series, though that comes next season. Oddly enough, this season's finale doesn't actually deal with any of the season's major storylines. Rather the season ends with Frasier accidentally getting the entire KACL staff fired. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic cliffhanger, but it also has pretty much no set-up throughout the season. 

Still, this is Frasier, and most of the season is still comprised of standalone farcical episodes. Season 5 has a ton of strong episodes, some of which rank among the best and most iconic in the series (The Ski Lodge, in particular, is easily the definitive Frasier episode). However, I think this season also has some pretty low weak points as well, especially compared to the season that came before it. Beware The Greeks is a particular sticking point for me, since I'm not a fan of episodes that introduce never-mentioned-before family members who will never appear for the rest of the show. It's especially noteworthy given that it comes directly after three of the best episodes in the season. I also felt Frasier as a character was pretty weak this season, as his flaws (like his ego) are way more prevalent than they usually are. This results in some episodes like "Desperately Seeking Closure", "The 1000th Show", and "Frasier's Gotta Have It" where I just ended up feeling really frustrated with him. Still, I don't want to sell this season too short, as it is still absolutely one of the best so far. The high points are so unbelievably high that they do a solid job of cancelling out the weaker episodes.

Even with the weaker episodes, this season of Frasier has some fantastic episodes at its best:

Halloween: This was such an incredibly entertaining episode that managed to balance a farce full of hilarious misunderstandings, goofy Halloween costumes, and Niles/Daphne shenanigans with a massive plot development about Roz being pregnant. Easily one of the most iconic episodes of the series, Halloween is a really strong start to the season's main storyline.

Perspectives On Christmas: This episode is incredibly well-constructed and clever, with each main character telling their own story about a disastrous Christmas, with each storyline connected with the other four. Even without the gimmick, this would be a super entertaining episode, but the nonlinear and experimental structure makes this episode far more memorable than it would have been otherwise.

The Maris Counselor: I'm a big fan of the "Niles freaks out about Maris" episodes because they manage to mix frantic humor with genuine drama. Similarly to episodes like The Last Time I Saw Maris and Are You Being Served?, Niles discovering that Maris is cheating on him with their counselor is incredibly funny until it hits you that their marriage truly is over. 

The Ski Lodge: While my favorite episode is Ham Radio, The Ski Lodge is a close second for me. Once again, this is a brilliantly constructed Rube Goldberg machine of a farce about unrequited love, with each character involved having feelings for a completely different person. Martin accidentally stoking the fires was great, as was the frantic running through rooms that ended off the episode.  

Room Service: I know this episode is a bit divisive as why would Niles and Lilith sleep together at all? Aside from the fact that it makes perfect sense since both of their marriages are over, I love that this episode pairs up two characters that you'd never expect to share an episode together, and Niles and Lilith play off each other incredibly well. The second half where the two try to hide that they've slept together was just such entertaining and frantic, making this a strong followup to The Ski Lodge. 

First Date: The token Niles/Daphne episode is yet another series highlight, as Niles and Daphne get a lot of adorable moments together as they set up for Niles's fake date with his neighbor. Even with the farcical humor and hilarious payoff of Niles's neighbor actually showing up, the moment that really stuck to me was just Niles and Daphne singing "Heart And Soul" while chopping up food, a testament to how strong their chemistry is.

Overall, Season 5 has a solid main storyline and a ton of fantastic episodes, but its weak points make the season a bit more uneven than the one that came before.

4/5 Stars

Frasier (Season 4)

At this point, pretty much every season of Frasier has been an improvement on the last, and Season 4 is no exception. It's not just the best season yet, it's one of the best in the whole series.

Season 4 of Frasier pretty much continues the storylines that were being set-up in Season 3 along with adding in a few new ones, with a strong focus on the characters' love lives. Niles's relationship with Maris is still incredibly strained, Martin gets a new girlfriend named Sherry, and Frasier is beginning to realize that his love life has hit a bit of roadblock. Niles's storyline is probably the most interesting here, as he spends most of the season either struggling to get over Maris or trying to get back into the dating scene, both of which lead to a ton of great comedy. However, I did feel a bit disappointed when Niles decided to just try to make it work with Maris again at the end of the season, pretty much just resetting things to the status quo of Season 3. I also quite liked Sherry, she works well with Martin as well as being a great foil to Frasier and Niles. It's also worth noting Season 4 is the first Frasier season to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, though I think I still prefer the more reflective finales of the first three seasons.

Season 4 is the point in which Frasier starts to use farcical storylines nearly every other episode, resulting in one of the most consistently funny seasons in the series. There's barely a single weak episode throughout, nearly every one is well-acted, sharply-written, and cleverly plotted. As a matter of fact, I think the stretch between Ham Radio and Are You Being Served? might just be the best stretch of episodes in the entire show. I also think this season does a great job of utilizing the show's entire cast, juggling between episodes focused on Frasier's family and episodes focused on KACL. Minor characters like Bulldog, Gil, and even the family dog Eddie get their own focal episodes this season, all leading to my favorite episode Ham Radio which unites the entire cast, bringing the two usually disparate parts of Frasier's life together. As a whole, I think Season 4 just feels like Frasier at its most confident and complete. 

Being one of my favorite seasons of Frasier, it's only natural that there's a lot of strong episodes:

The Two Mrs Cranes: Season 4's first episode is already one of my favorites in the series. The Two Mrs Cranes is on of Frasier's best farces as Daphne's reunion with her ex slowly becomes more and more chaotic as more of her friends get involved, layering lies on top of lies on top of lies. With sharp writing and great comedic acting, this premiere is an absolute classic, in my opinion. 

Mixed Doubles: Nearly every season has had at least one episode focused on Niles's feelings for Daphne, and I think they're all some of the best the show has to offer. Mixed Doubles already has an entertaining premise about Daphne dating a doppelgänger of Niles, but what really elevates the episode is the heartfelt and genuine talk between Niles and Daphne at the end.

Ham Radio: This is my personal favorite episode of Frasier, and if you've seen many of my previous reviews, you might be able to piece together why. Not only is a fantastic farce, with tons of moving parts that all play into the final few minutes, but it's also a farce about the cast teaming up to attempt a radio play. There is so much crammed into Ham Radio, subplots for nearly every character in the series while still letting us hear the entire radio play performance. Ham Radio is a relentlessly hysterical episode of Frasier that leaves me doubled over in laughter every time I watch it.

Three Dates And A Breakup: This big double-length episode also has a really funny premise, with Frasier going on three dates and them going the exact same way every single time... all culminating in Sherry botching them up. Aside from that, though, the subplot about Martin's fear of being with a women other than Frasier's mom gave him a lot of depth. 

Daphne Hates Sherry: Similarly to Ham Radio, so much happened in this episode. Daphne and Sherry's arguments were ridiculously entertaining, Daphne sleeping over at Niles was super nice, and I loved the ending of the episode which had Frasier meditate the cast from his bubble bath.

Are You Being Served?: Niles freaking out about Maris is always a fun time, so the storyline about Niles breaking into Maris's house adds some light to the otherwise grim reality of his impending divorce. Once again, I think the fact that Niles and Maris get back together right after this episode undercuts it a bit, but it doesn't mean Are You Being Served? isn't still stuffed with great moments of hilarity.

Overall, Season 4 is just a really strong season of Frasier, packed to the brim with hilarious and well-written episodes while being tied together with a cohesive theme.

5/5 Stars