WARNING: Spoilers ahead for all of the shows mentioned.
Much to the chagrin of network executives worldwide, there’s no set method for crafting a flawless television episode. Many factors can result in an episode attaining a"perfect"label, ranging from powerhouse performances and nuanced character development to explosive developments and plot twists within the parent show’s narrative, but none of these elements can guarantee impeccable status. Furthermore, while many faultless episodes can be found in thebest television shows of all time, that’s by no means a prerequisite for consideration in this category.
Indeed, a number of the more recent shows in popular culture’s history have notably played host toan unexpectedly perfect episode that people are still talking about;the unforeseen counterpart to the more predictably flawless segments of television. There’s an extra sense of satisfaction associated with these episodes in that they blow their audience’s collective minds through their astounding quality without a hint of warning beforehand, from side stories to some of the best TV show finales of all time.
The Last Of Us
Cast
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series set two decades after a global catastrophe. It follows Joel, a seasoned survivor, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl, across a desolated United States, transforming into a harrowing journey of survival and companionship.
The live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog’s wildly successful video game franchise depicting a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal pandemic,The Last of Ushas been an unabated triumph for HBO. WhileThe Last of UsSeason 2is slated to drop in 2025, the show flexed its dramatic muscles as early as its third chapter with one of the finest episodes in recent television history. This took the form ofLong, Long Time,reimagining the story of a supporting character from the first video game named Bill.
Every The Last Of Us Video Game Actor Who Returns In HBO’s Show
Almost all the major voice actors from The Last of Us video games have roles in HBO’s TV adaptation, with some even reprising their game characters.
Season 1, episode 3 unexpectedly transforms this minor subplot into one of modern television’s most evocative and uplifting love stories with the depiction of Bill’s relationship with fellow apocalypse survivor, Frank. Despite persistent review bombing,Long, Long Timeis widely regarded as the acclaimed first season’s most impressive installment.Episode stars Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett both received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for their performances, with theParks and Recreationactor taking the award home.
Following a prodigious chef’s attempts to bring order to the titular restaurant’s inherent chaos, FX’sThe Bearhas received critical acclaim since debuting in 2022. With a fourth season of the hit show set to drop in 2025,The Bearhas already produced several standout episodes in a short time on television, but all pale in comparison to the second season’s sixth outing.Fishesseesa manic family dinner at the Berzatto householdserve as the unexpected backdrop for one of the show’s most riotous episodes.
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Season 3 (2024)
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The Bearis renowned for some of the most chaotic moments on television, but this gloriously constructed episode sets the bar to a whole new level. Highlighting the sheer dysfunction at the heart ofthe Berzatto familywhile flexing the show’s electrifying trademark attributes, the episode is a white-knuckle experience from start to finish. Boasting a star-studded guest star cast list featuring Jon Bernthal, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Bob Odenkirk,Fishesexhausts and exhilarates its audience in equal measure.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things is a Netflix series set in the 1980s, where the mysterious disappearance of a young boy leads a small town to uncover secret experiments and supernatural forces. A significant focus is on a peculiar girl who may hold the key to the unfolding mystery.
Television shows typically save their pièce de résistance for their penultimate episode or season finale, renderingStranger Things’Dear Billya delightful surprise. The fourth episode of the show’s fourth season,Dear BillydepictsMax Mayfield’s tumultuous mental health struggles against the backdrop of a desperate race against time, as Jamie Campbell Bower’s insidious Vecna closes in on her.
Dear Billyboasts an IMDb rating of 9.4.
Given the explosive content ofStranger Thingsseason 4, it speaks volumes to the quality ofDear Billythat this outing remains the most recent installment’s standout episode. Spearheaded by a first-rate performance from Sadie Sink, the episode deftly balances weighty themes of mental illness with an electrifying storyline, all carried by the uplifting tones of Kate Bush’sRunning Up That Hill. An instant classic from the Duffer Brothers,Dear Billyis arguablyStranger Things’best episode.
Shogun
Shōgun, released in 2024, is set in Japan during 1600 at the onset of a significant civil war. It follows Lord Yoshii Toranaga as he battles political adversaries on the Council of Regents, while a European ship mysteriously appears in a nearby fishing village, complicating the tides of power.
Lauded as one of the most impressive shows in recent memory, FX’sShogunhas arguably been television’s most delightful surprise of 2024. The historical drama’s first season set a record as the most awarded single season of television in Emmy history, an enviable status quo that is arguably due in part to the show’s explosive penultimate episode,Crimson Sky.
Carried by a mesmerizing bow fromShoguncast standoutAnna Sawai in her final appearance as Mariko,Crimson Skybrings the tale of the show’s most compelling character full circle in breathtaking fashion. Utilizing an explosive bait and switch to pull the rug out from beneath the audience with Mariko’s heartbreaking sacrifice after her apparent reprieve at the last second,the episode’s jaw-dropping final narrative development sets up the series finale in flawless fashion. Simply put,Crimson Skyis electrifying television without a fault in sight.
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders is a historical crime drama created and written by Steven Knight and starring Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill, and Helen McCrory. The television show is based on the gang, Peaky Blinders, a group that banded together after the end of World War I.
The conclusive episode of BBC gangster epicPeaky Blinders,Lock and Keypurported to finally present the endgame for Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby.With the walls closing in on Tommy, all appeared to be lost, only for the show to produce one of its most unexpectedly perfect offerings to whip the gypsy kingpin from Death’s clutches once again. Expertly stoking fan base anticipation for the upcomingPeaky Blindersmovie,Lock and Keyis the show at its finest.
Shelby’s survival comes as a gloriously unexpected development to cap a perfect episode, particularly considering the show had been heavily hinting towards an inescapable demise for the middle Shelby brother.
Explosive developments like Tommy and Michael’s showdown and Finn’s expulsion from the Shelby family already renderLock and Keya near faultless episode even before the show’s final twist; the reveal that Tommy’s terminal illness is no more than a false diagnosis fed to him by a corrupt doctor. Shelby’s survival comes as a gloriously unexpected development to cap a perfect episode, particularly considering the show had been heavily hinting towards an inescapable demise for the middle Shelby brother.
Better Call Saul
Better Call Saul follows small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill as he navigates the legal world to make ends meet. The series, set six years before his encounter with Walter White, chronicles Jimmy’s evolution into Saul Goodman, with notable interactions alongside fixer Mike Ehrmantraut.
The mid-season finale of acclaimedBreaking BadprequelBetter Call Saul’sclimactic season,Plan and Executionwas always going to attract considerable expectations. However, even in light of the notoriously high standards associated with Vince Gilligan’s universe, the flawless quality of the episode still blew the audience’s minds worldwide, withPlan and Execution’sshocking cliffhanger changing the show forever.
Plan and Executionboasts an IMDb rating of 9.9.
Chronicling Jimmy and Kim’s nefarious efforts to discredit Howard Hamlin during the Sandpiper settlement hearing before the latter meets his stunning demise at the hands of Lalo Salamanca,Plan and Executionis contentiouslyBetter Call Saul’sbest episode. Patrick Fabian turns in a masterful performance in his final appearance as Howard that steals the show, with notable acclaim also directed towards the episode’s arresting cinematography and explosive narrative.
Succession
Succession is a Black Comedy and Satire television show created by Jesse Armstrong. It stars Hiam Abbass, Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, and Kieran Culkin and follows the story of an aging conglomerate owner as he deals with his declining health and the sudden realization that one of his children will soon inherit his position and run his company.
2023 saw the conclusion ofSuccession, one of HBO’s most celebrated recent offerings. The acclaimed satirical black comedy drama produced many outstanding episodes but saved the best for the show’s final season withConnor’s Wedding.A stunning development in the show’s narrative that comes completely out of left field, the episode is brought to life in faultless fashion bySuccession’sferociously talented cast.
The exemplary episode chronicles the event that the show had been building towards throughout the entirety of its run;the death of Brian Cox’s Logan Roy.Connor’s Weddingdepicts the death of the billionaire from the perspective of his children, following his collapse on a plane journey after eschewing the episode’s titular occasion.One ofSuccession’sbest episodes,Connor’s Weddingearned universal critical acclaim for the cast’s magnificent performances, as well as the unexpected and inspired decision to kill series mainstay Logan off early in the final season.
Black Mirror
Black Mirror is a dystopian anthology series that explores the unsettling and profound impact of modern technology on society. Premiering in 2011, it examines various scenarios where technological advancements intersect with human nature, creating thought-provoking narratives about contemporary and future issues.
The sixth season of the sci-anthology seriesBlack Mirrorwas released in 2023, a development that brought one of recent television’s most flawless episodes with it. Channeling elements of true crime and fully fledged horror,Loch Henryfollows young couple Pia and Davis' attempts to film a true-crime documentary in Davis' Scottish hometown. The story duly morphs intoa nightmarish tale crafted to intricate perfection by director Sam Millerin one ofBlack Mirror’sbest episodes.
Loch Henryexpertly cultivates an air of unbearable tension before gleefully whipping the rug out from beneath viewers in a legitimately terrifying fashion.
Featuring one of the most harrowing narrative curveballs inBlack Mirror’sstoried history,Loch Henryexpertly cultivates an air of unbearable tension before gleefully whipping the rug out from beneath viewers in legitimately terrifying fashion. Pitch-perfect performances from the cast assuredly carry this compelling thriller, with the episode’s climactic reveal that Davis' elderly mother is actually a sadistic serial killer frequently mentioned in the debate over the show’s most desolating plot twists.
The Penguin
Created by Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin is a crime-drama spin-off television series of 2022’s film The Batman. Set shortly after the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, A.K.A. the Penguin, begins his rise in the underworld of Gotham City as he contends with the daughter of his late boss, Carmine Falcone, for control of the crime family’s empire.
Spearheaded in a masterful bow from Irish award magnet Colin Farrell as the eponymous character,The Batmanspin-offThe Penguinhas received widespread critical acclaim since debuting in September 2024. The miniseries finale,A Great or Little Thingsaw Oz finally get the better of Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Gigante before sparking endless discussion with one of the most shocking twists in recent memory.The Penguin’sjarring endingblew audiences' minds worldwide, with Oz’s shocking murder of his loyal accomplice, Vic.
A Great or Little Thingis a perfect episode across the board, providing the series with a fitting sense of closure while flexing all the considerable muscles that rendered Lauren LeFranc’s offering such a success in the first place. Despite the harrowing nature of Vic’s demise and the episode as a whole, the finale serves as the perfect conclusion to one of the year’s most acclaimed offerings. There are no happy endings to be found here, but that’s precisely where the episode ultimately draws its unexpected perfection.
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
The Boys’much-awaited return to television saw the satirical superhero drama subjected to review bombing. While this may seem somewhat excessive given that the show’s latest season holds a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes,The Boys’fourth installment undoubtedly featured some notable issues with pacing and character development that the show had never displayed before.
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From Jimmy Fallon to Charlize Theron, The Boys has garnered a reputation for its hilarious and memorable celebrity cameos in each season.
As such, the sheer perfection ofThe Boys’fourth season finale came as the perfect surprise after a divisive season. Kimiko and Frenchie finally got together, Butcher embraced his powers to go full villain mode and thereturn of Soldier Boywas finally teased, all set against the jaw-dropping backdrop of Homelander taking control of the country. The"all is lost"nature of the finale has invited fierce speculation as to how the Bays may ultimately triumph.
