THE TOP 10 (IMHO)

[shadownyc]

Okay everyone—I posed the question about the top 10 QAF eps. Then I realized I had two differing top 10 ideas that I was focusing on. There is a list of the top 10 based on character/story development of the three leads (IMO), Brian, Justin & Michael. There is also my personal list for my viewing enjoyment. The two lists overlap but don’t coincide. Here goes:


Top 10 Based on Character & Story Development for Brian, Justin & Michael:

Pilot
122
202
218
307
314
410
414
510
513

If you have any questions about why I selected any of these I’d be happy to share—just comment with your questions/opinions.

My Personal Viewing Favorites:

110
117
202
204
308 & 311 (tied--I just can’t pick one over the other)
314
401
410
510
511

My all time favorite episode is still 314. Brian, Justin & Michael all demonstrate significant growth and an appropriate balance of love, friendship, equality and maturity in this ep.

Feel free to comment and share your opinions!

Comments

[mimi525607.livejournal.com]

So Mommy here's my top 10 for personal viewing...at least as of today. =P
In no particular order:

Pilot
118 (yay forever young)
122
204
209
307 & 308 (they're like a unit to me)
314
401
510 (sad but so good)
513 (same reason as 510 - sad but so good...of course it's a different sad.)

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

"307 & 308 (they're like a unit to me)"

They definitely do flow one into the other, that's what makes rewatching so great, we don't have to wait a week between viewing. :)

[jule1122.livejournal.com]

314 is also my favorite episode. I think it was completely brilliant and one of the view episodes that even on repeated viewings I still watch every minute of it. There is a part of me that wishes they had ended the show there. I would have been completely satisfied. jule

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

"a part of me that wishes they had ended the show there"

I have felt that way many times. My other choice would have been to end at the end of 510 (but with knowing Michael would be okay) or 511 and letting us imagine an "in character" type of marital arrangement for B/J.

[darksylvia.livejournal.com]

Though I'm not unhappy to have had the characters for two more years, I think 314 was the perfect place to end it. QaF's legacy would have gone out on a high note then, even if we'd been left wanting more :D

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

You are so right! Your not the first to mention that. I would have been happy with that or my second choice(s) would have been to end at 510 (with confirmation of Michael's recovery) or 511 with a future "in character" marriage in the works. Any of those would left me feeling more comfortable with the finale.

[sydneyalexis.livejournal.com]

I'm with darksylvia; the show should have ended with 314.

The show went downhill because CowLip sucked the joy out of it for the actors, the writers, and the viewers. Unlike other TV shows, they didn't seem to give a shit what the audience thought.

I mean take CSI. The show started to suck because the writing became stale and the producers had their hands in too many pots. They were so used to being the top drama in the nation that they got complacent. Then, the ratings took a dip and people started complaining all over the net about the suck-o-rama the show was becoming. Rather than saying 'the viewers can go to hell if they aren't interested in our message,' they took note and brought in new writers to add flesh blood to the mix.

CowLip did no such thing. They didn't care what we wanted. They didn't care what ideas the actors or the writers wanted. They wanted to get their message across even if it meant forcing characters to do things that were OOC. The thing that they forgot is that, if the story and the characters mesh together, the message is much stronger and memorable.

And, yes, I realize that rant has been repeated all over the net, but damn it felt good to get out.

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

I think everything you said was well-said and legitimately worth repeating. While I never gave up on QAF--I loved it till the end--I felt the peak of the series was 314 (without question). I loved "ER" until it lost it's intensity and focus and became more soap opera than all-around quality drama.

[miss-charmed.livejournal.com]

afdgsadj this is hard... Top 10? *sweats*

122
120
101
103
204
206
308
314
510
511

...not in order, just according to what came to mind ;)

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

I think 314 is on everyone's top 10 list. Cowlip should have gotten the message that all their viewers loved that ep. Even Michael comes out looking mature and "grown-up".

Sometimes Michael and character development in a sentence just sounds sooo wrong... sorry :D

[seanmegansean.livejournal.com]

I think 314 is on everyone's top 10 list. Nope it isn't :P

Of course it is... somehow... it appears I should to get more serious if I do these things, doesn't it? :D

And I know we've talked about this before but I would really miss a lot of s4 and even some, admittedly rare, but still very precious gems from s5 if QAF had ended with 314. Basically, it just felt right to have Brian say ILY at some point, and without having him be totally OOC while doing it. I just love love love that moment.

And that I didn't include any s5 in my list today... well, I wanted to cheer myself up, effectively/quickly LOL so s5 had to stay out of it for the time being. Not that 510 isn't a pretty good ep, or that I don't love 510 to 513 in general (says she who can't bear to watch s5 right now... I guess you could call me conflicted these days)

I always confuse 116 and 117 (probably because of the GSSA arc), so just to make sure I'm on the same page. 117 because Brian signs over his parental rights/Justin's killing him with kindness/Michael realizing he shouldn't exchange his old friends for a new (fancy) crowd? *ponder*

Re: Sometimes Michael and character development in a sentence just sounds sooo wrong... sorry :D

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

Conflict over S5 doesn't surprise me--I feel the same way. I, also, would NEVER trade in S4 or S5 if the only other option was nothing. I would have felt cheated if I never heard the ILY!

117: All the reasons you stated, plus Justin doesn't roll over and play dead when his locker is cherry-bombed, Michael learning to balance his life with David without losing himself and B/J appear to behave more like a couple when they're together.

Re: Sometimes Michael and character development in a sentence just sounds sooo wrong... sorry :D

[seanmegansean.livejournal.com]

Don't tell me I forgot the frenching?! I just let myself down :D

Oh yes and shotgunning.... good times... going back to watch S1 seems like the easy way out so I won't (right now) and finish S4 and 5 before I go back. I think I "need" to do that, cause S5 sometimes seems like this gargantuan black hole, and I KNOW it wasn't as bad as I remember it.

Re: Sometimes Michael and character development in a sentence just sounds sooo wrong... sorry :D

[shadownyc.livejournal.com]

I actually just finished a full round of Qaf about a month ago and just started again, inspired by the QaF marathon community.