1. “Loplop” (“Fargo”)
What happens when a self-actualizing housewife, her stressed out husband and a misogynistic criminal are confined inside a small cabin? The result is “Fargo” ’s eighth episode, “Loplop.” Fleeing from both sides of the law, Ed and Peggy Blumquist (Jesse Plemons, “Breaking Bad” and Kirsten Dunst, “Spider-Man”) hold one pursuer, Dodd Gerhardt (Jeffrey Donovan, “Burn Notice”), hostage in a desperate bid to save their skins. A near-perfect display of dark humor unfolds as Ed realizes how in over his head he is and Peggy slowly loses her grip on reality to the detriment of Dodd. Between stabbings, failed extortion and cheesy Ronald Reagan movies, cabin fever sets in as everyone starts to go crazy.
As the couple bumbles through their kidnapping, the terrifying Gerhardt enforcer Hanzee Dent (Zahn McClarnon, “Longmire”) circles closer and closer on their location, leaving a trail of violence in his wake. Stoically intimidating, Hanzee injects pure tension into every scene he inhabits. The show slowly brings his suffering to light as he lashes out against ignorant degradation.
A large part of “Fargo” ’s success comes from its ability to make viewers laugh through their gasps of horror. “Loplop” exemplifies this tendency, setting itself apart in a season full of stellar episodes.
— Matthew Barnauskas
2. “Five-O” (“Better Call Saul”)
One of the many excellent aspects of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” spinoff, “Better Call Saul,” is its winning performances. While Bob Odenkirk (“W/Bob and David”) continues to make Saul Goodman the most charismatic crooked lawyer of Albuquerque, it’s Jonathan Banks’s (“Community”) acting as the hapless Mike Ehrmantraut that made “Better Call Saul” such a standout this past TV season. In the show’s sixth episode, “Five-O,” the non-linear plot delves into Mike’s backstory as a Philadelphia cop and the mystery behind his son’s untimely murder. Though Odenkirk showed both comedic and dramatic depth as Saul, viewers got to see some raw emotion from the usually expressionless Mike. As both Saul and Mike grapple with morally ambiguous decisions, “Five-O” plays out like some of “Breaking Bad” ‘s best episodes; it’s heartbreaking, thrilling and devastating to watch, making for powerful television.
— Sam Rosenberg
3. (Tie) “Kina Hora” (“Transparent”)
Opening a TV season with a four-minute-long take of a wedding portrait session is a bold move. For any other show, starting with a static camera and bickering family might appear a desperate attempt to appear cinematic — clever filmmaking tricks have been enough to win movies Oscars and earn shows their fanboys for life. But Amazon’s “Transparent” isn’t trying to show off. That opening shot is meant to reacquaint viewers with the Pfefferman clan and remind them just how uncomfortable it is to spend time with that family.
“Kina Hora,” “Transparent” ’s second season premiere, is full of gorgeously framed shots and top-notch performances, but the episode never feels like it’s bragging. The swoops across hotel windows and claustrophobic tight shots augment the episode’s dramatic tension. Writer-director Jill Soloway (“United States of Tara”) pulls out all the stops to portray the horror show that is Sarah (Amy Landecker, “A Serious Man”) and Tammy’s (Melora Hardin, “The Office”) wedding — and imperfect wedding portraits are only the beginning. “Kina Hora” shatters the illusion of normalcy and happiness for almost every character, sending them spinning on arcs that take them through to the end of the season. Family dysfunction never looked so good.
— Chloe Gilke
(Tie) “Hardhome” (“Game of Thrones”)
Season five of “Game of Thrones” had its ups and downs. On the one hand, it failed to grow interest in major plotlines (*cough* Dorne *cough*) and completely ruined the character arc for the once strong Sansa Stark. However, there were some moments where the show reminded me why I loved it, and the biggest example was “Hardhome,” an episode of television that made every battle that came before it in the series look cheap. In the hour, Jon Snow (Kit Harington, “Pompeii”) leads a group of the Night’s Watch to a town of Wildlings to save them from the incoming White Walkers. What they, and us as viewers, were not expecting was a full-fledged battle between the parties. The episode’s visuals could compete with any from cinema, with broad landscape shots and brutal but beautiful violence. One of the last shots of the episode, where the lead Walker raises his arms to bring the battle’s dead back to life, still sends shivers down my spine when I think of it. It established the White Walkers as a real threat, forever changing the course of one of television’s most important series. There was nothing on TV in 2015 that matched the scale and size of “Hardhome,” and there will likely be nothing that comes close, at least until the next season of “Thrones.”
— Alex Intner
4. “One Last Ride (“Parks and Recreation”)
“Parks and Rec,” like “30 Rock” and “The Office,” signified the end of an era. For seven whole seasons, we grew along with Pawnee through marriages, children and town mergers.
What was most beautiful was watching Leslie Knope’s (Amy Poehler, “Saturday Night Live”) “pipeline dreams” become a tangible reality. Though we were left with a Lil’ Sebastian-shaped hole in our hearts, the series finale offered the perfect closure — even bringing back our beloved Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, “The Office”). After the finale, we were left desperately YouTubing gag reels, madly scrolling through Tumblr GIFs — anything for a little more time with these characters. All we’d ever wanted was a happily ever after for each of them — and we got that.
For so many actors — Aziz Ansari and Nick Offerman, to name a few — “Parks and Rec” was their big break; for Leslie, Pawnee was her own big break toward her presidential dreams. But for both the fictional characters and their real-life actors, they will never be “too good” for Pawnee, even when they move on.
— Karen Hua
5. “Trust No Bitch” (“Orange is the New Black”)
Was there a more purely joyful moment this year than when the inmates of Litchfield briefly escaped from prison and spent the day at a nearby beach? Everyone knows that it’s just a temporary excursion; soon, they’ll be rounded up and brought back. But for now, that’s okay.
Even forgetting about that moment at the lake, though, “Trust No Bitch” is full of excruciatingly beautiful moments. Black Cindy’s (“Adrienne C. Moore, “30 Rock”) attempts to prove her Jewish beliefs turn from selfish to sincere in a stunning monologue about faith. Morello (Yael Stone, “Spirited”) weds her frequent visitor Vince (John Magaro, “Not Fade Away”), inspiring tears from the stoic Healy (Michael J. Harney, “Deadwood”). In a series that usually (and rightfully) lingers on the injustices of the criminal justice system, “Trust No Bitch” is the rare episode that celebrates life, friendship and love. It’s absolutely awe-inspiring.
— Benjamin Rosenstock