Best TV shows
This page is about the TV shows I’ve seen that I think are noteworthy.
1. King Corn, The West Wing, sixth season
For liberal political junkies, The West Wing was it. On that show, the right thing actually gets done. It was like methadone for the opiate reality of the Bush Administration. This episode tracks one day in the lives of political operatives in Iowa. That may not sound like much, but it is the daily ups and downs that draw you in. Eisenstein would have liked the selection of visuals in this episode.
2. A Day in the Life, Without A Trace, fourth season
The show has a pretty hokey premise, that there is an FBI unit in New York City that gets on the case right away when somebody goes missing. I don’t know if there is such a unit, but missing persons are often not investigated for a day or two. Be that as it may, this episode stars Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne’s sidekick, as a mother whose son has gone missing. The show is about her and her husband and how they react to developments. Laurie Metcalf is a great actress. Her stricken face, as the episode lurches back and forth toward its conclusion, is painfully and openly transparent. This is a must see.
3. Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose, X Files, third season
X Files was a hoot; black humor, scary stuff, gothic horror on display at its best. This is my favorite episode. Peter Boyle guest stars as an insurance agent who can see how people die, but not when. You know you are in for a great ride when, after pitching life insurance to a young couple, Boyle sort of goes into a trance and tells the young man how he will die, and the young man responds by blurting, “You need to work on your close!”. It is well plotted and clever.