This week it was very tough to come up with a top three. The top two were locks, but any of the honorable mentions could have been subbed in for The Following at No. 3. I was shocked to see The Following find its way on my list though, and with Justified and The Americans having what seemed like very slow weeks, Kevin Bacon makes the list for the first — and what might be the last — time.
3. The Following, Episode 8, Welcome Home: This show has been teetering between just good enough to keep me watching and bad enough for me to not care anymore for a while, but this week they finally did a solid job — even if it was mostly implausible. The show was seriously hamstrung by the main villain being behind bars. No matter how good the premise was, it just was not working. The writers had to figure out a way to get him out of prison, and they did a decent job of it. The interaction between Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) is really what makes this show tick and having them meet face-to-face in the middle of his escape made for gripping television. I was curious to see where they would go with this show after it was picked up for a 15-episode second season ... seems like a tough premise to keep going. But, chasing the bad guy that is not in prison is much more entertaining than chasing the bad guy's helpers while the bad guy is already caught.
2. The Walking Dead, Episode 13, Arrow on the Doorstep. For a show that had been treading water, they certainly have had two fantastic weeks in a row ... and could be a fixture in TWT3 the rest of the season. Absolutely great shows are made by having memorable scenes, which are often just between two solid actors at intense moments. The sitdown between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and The Governor (David Morrissey) worked very well and was gripping television. Getting some insight into The Governor by hearing about his wife's non-zombie death was fantastic and seeing these two guys talk to each other while knowing that the other side was bluffing the entire time provided a palpable tension. I could have went without all the scenes back at the Prison, as this one-on-one meeting could have been the entire show and worked seamlessly, but seeing the bonding of both sides' top lieutenants and both sides' "thinkers" was well done. In the end, these are all people, hitching their wagons to one leader. And loyalty is going to play a big role in the finality of this feud.
1. The Good Wife, Episode 16, Runnin with the Devil. This episode was more or less just as good as television gets. There is not a single wasted moment in this episode and the acting on this show is so far and away the best on television that I don't think I can mention another show in its league from top to bottom. Any storyline with Alicia (Julianaa Marguiles) and druglord, but top client, Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter) means you going to come away with television gold. Alicia's constant battling with her conscience over what is right and wrong, while trying to do her job is part of makes this show so good on a weekly basis. The subplot involving Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) as Bishop's sketchy lawyer was entertaining and perfectly done. Right when Alicia thinks she has found legal grounds to get Bishop back on the street, he has used his lawyer to pressure all of the witnesses into recanting, making all her work — in essence — a waste of time. The side stories on this episode were also flawless. We already know that Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) does not work well with others, but with the firm doing so well, Will (Josh Charles) and Diane (Christine Baranski) force a new partner on her and any story involving Kalinda is immediately interesting. Also, the sexual tension between her and Cary (Matt Czuchry) as the season winds down should be great to watch as Cary continues to move toward the door. The fact that this episode was so good without even mentioning the race for Illinois governor just shows how well it juggles so many perfectly written storylines on a week-to-week basis.
Honorable Mention: Grimm, Episode 13, Face Off; , Person of Interest, Episode 17, Proteus; House of Lies, Episode 8, Wonders of the World.
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