Despite me not actually being religious, I really like the holidays. As a matter of fact, December is my favorite month of the whole year, there's just such a warm cozy vibe to the winter holidays. And as Christmas approaches, I wanted to think back to some of my favorite TV episodes based around Christmas or the holidays. I'll be limiting it to one per show though, so that series like The Office, Frasier, or Arrow don't completely flood the list.
1. Christmas Eve Party (Toradora)
If you've seen Toradora, which Christmas episode is the best shouldn't even be a question. It's not enough that the anime already has an entire Christmas arc, but the ending of said arc just so happens to be the best in the series and is often referred to as one of the best in all of anime. And you know what? I agree! Toradora is one of my favorite romantic comedies and this episode is a big reason why, it's the ultimate Christmas episode. We got singing, we got a party, we got heartwarming moments, tearjerking moments, and a nearly perfect second half. Ryuji comforting Taiga by dressing up as Santa is one of the most wholesome things I've ever seen, only to be followed up by one of the most heartwrenching things I've ever seen as Taiga realizes she likes Ryugi right as he proceeds to ask Minori out. Taiga's breakdown makes me tear up every time, especially considering that Minori actually ends up rejecting Ryuji anyway. This isn't just an amazing Christmas episode, it's a massive turning point in Toradora and a truly emotional rollercoaster. Christmas Eve Party is unequivocally the best Christmas episode in all of television.
2. The Final Page (How I Met Your Mother)
How I Met Your Mother has pulled off some pretty solid Christmas episodes, but there's no doubt in my mind which one is the best. Unlike the rest of this list, The Final Page is a two-parter, and it absolutely earns that length. The whole episode is a build up to Robin and Barney finally getting back together, and it's masterfully done. Barney's plan to win over Robin is intricate and hilarious, especially with memorable side character Patrice involved, and that final scene where Barney proposes as snow starts to fall is just so beautiful. But The Final Page also makes sure to capture the other side of the holidays with Ted's subplot, the fact that if you don't have anyone, it can feel even lonelier.
3. Holly Jolly (Stranger Things)
As much as I love the happy Christmas vibes, there's also something haunting about dark and depressing Christmas episodes as well. Case in point, Holly Jolly is one of my favorite Stranger Things episodes to date for managing to punch me in the gut repeatedly and landing one hell of an impact. Because yes, this is the episode where Barb is confirmed to have died. And it's also the episode where the police pull what is thought to be Will's body out of a lake leaving everyone thinking he's dead, as a tearjerking version of David Bowie's Heroes plays in the background, truly chilling stuff. On the other hand, we also get Joyce finally managing to communicate with Will through Christmas lights, and that's just as jolly as it gets.
4. Merry Christmas, Mrs Moskowitz (Frasier)
So there aren't really any amazing Hannukah episodes out there from what I'm aware, but this is probably the next best thing. Frasier has a lot of great Christmas episodes, but this is my favorite of the bunch, a hysterical farce that forces Frasier to fake being Jewish to appease the mom of his new girlfriend Faye. There are so many amazing bits here, from Niles speaking Yiddish, to Martin acting like a Jewish parents, to Frasier making sure the wine tastes bad (felt that, by the way!). But the highlight is Faye's mom walking in on Niles dressed as Jesus in the bathroom with a giant Christmas tree. Absolute genius payoff right there.
5. What We Leave Behind (Arrow)
Arrow is the king of "Twisted Christmas" episodes, and there were so many amazing choices here, but What We Leave Behind is probably my favorite one. It's pretty heartwrenching just how much things completely fall apart in this one, starting with a bit of holiday cheer and ending with a lone Oliver lamenting the fact that he pretty much ruins the lives of everyone he meets. The episode ends on an inversion of the usual festive Christmas montage, as we see the whole cast have a pretty crummy Christmas, from Curtis's breakup, to Felicity lamenting her boyfriend's death, to Diggle getting captured, to Oliver returning home to find Laurel there... a literal ghost of Christmas past. Seriously, what an amazing finale.
6. Noel (The West Wing)
Noel is probably the most emotional episode of The West Wing, and a pretty massive shift in tone for the series. Unlike the majority of this series, Noel focuses almost entirely on a single person: Josh. At the end of Season 1, the entire cast was caught in the middle of an attack on the president, and Josh ended up getting shot. Noel finally deals with Josh's trauma from the event, and features Bradley Whitford's best performance in the whole show. So what does this have to do with Christmas you might add? Well aside from the White House celebrating the holiday like normal, Noel reveals that one of Josh's biggest triggers from the event is music, specifically the jolly Christmas music that he hears all over the place. It's heartwrenching stuff, but that "man in the hole" speech ends the episode with a nice bit of hope.
7. Christmas Party (The Office)
The Office is filled with fantastic Christmas episodes, but I definitely have to give it to the show's first. Christmas Party doesn't quite have a storyline to it, rather it's just the cast having a chaotic Christmas Party where literally anything goes. The scene where Michael has everyone swap their gifts is one of the most hilariously cringe-worthy scenes in the series, Jim's secret gift for Pam ends up being a really important plot point in the last few episodes, and pretty much every character gets a chance to shine. It's funny, uncomfortable, and jolly in all the best ways.
8. Chuck Vs Santa Claus/Yippie Kayak (Chuck/B99)
I decided to group these two episodes together because they're both Die Hard parodies, and they do have a lot in common. Both involve the cast being split up, with some characters being trapped inside a store with some criminals, and they both end with a pretty compelling hook for the second half of their respective seasons. Yippie Kayak is a fairly idealistic episode that has Jake live out his dream of being John McClane, brings back the Vulture, contains a cute subplot about Amy swimming in cold water, and ends with Holt telling Terry he could become lieutenant. Chuck Vs Santa Claus is a bit darker, though, separating Chuck from his handlers and ending with Chuck watching Sarah kill a Fulcrum agent in cold blood, easily one of my favorite moments from the show.
9. Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (Community)
I'll admit it took me some time to really come to appreciate this one due to my lack of familiarity with the Rankin-Bass shorts. However, I feel like I like it more every time I watch it, mostly because of its clever message. Quoted from Abed himself: "The meaning of Christmas is the idea the Christmas has meaning. And it can mean whatever we want." Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas is not only insightful but just as funny as any other episode of Community (Season 4 excluding, of course), and you can't deny how damn ambitious the crew is for making an episode nearly entirely in stop-motion, a medium that takes a notoriously long time to animate with.
10. The One With The Routine (Friends)
I had to include at least one New Year's episode, and I don't think anything quite tops The One With The Routine. As a whole, this is a solid midpoint for Season 6. Joey ends up with his love interest, the majority of the cast gets a cute subplot about looking for Christmas presents, and Ross and Monica have a nice bonding experience. But let's face it, the high point of the episode is easily the titular Routine that manages to be both hilariously goofy and impressively choreographed. Schwimmer and Cox absolutely killed it in this one and it led to an all-time iconic moment of the show.
Honorable Mention: Lost's The Constant does have scenes that take place on Christmas, and is probably a better episode than any episode on this list. However, despite its heartwarming ending, it's always felt more Christmas adjacent than anything else since I tend to forget it even has that connection to begin with.
No comments:
Post a Comment