Chosen Ones
If you were trying to convince a Joss Whedon virgin of the writer-producer-director's televisual genius, you could do a lot worse than this list of the "25 Best Whedonverse Episodes" assembled by EW. I could quibble with the ordering-- as good as it is, I suspect Firefly's "Our Mrs. Reynolds" benefits more from its Mad Men connection than its own inherent quality--but there wasn't one episode listed that I could disagree with, and that's a rarity when it comes to the intense passions cult shows like Whedon's tend to inspire. Every show is represented (even Dr. Horrible!), and reading through the list made me want to break out the DVD sets again, which is really what these kinds of exercises should, in the end, inspire.
Oh, and their number one choice? It wouldn't be mine-- I'd go with their #2-- but it's certainly a brilliant episode, and a reminder that Whedon's greatest contribution to television is remembering that the scariest demons we face are also the most human.
Comments
On the other hand, I would have had "Our Mrs. Reynolds" about where it was, or higher, actually -- and I felt that way long before Christina Hendricks became Joan Holloway.
I do really like the "Our Mrs. Reynolds" episode, I just thought the piece emphasized Christina Hendricks (and Joan) to such a degree that it seemed more based around that than the ep. But talking about Christina Hendricks is never a bad thing.
I really need to look at FIREFLY again-- I've only been through it once (when I was sick with the flu, of all things) and I really need to rewatch some of the episodes they mention.