MY FAVORITE EPISODES part ten

It's been nearly two years since we updated this series, but holidays usually seem like the best excuse to dust it off -- particularly now that we're in the midst of a literal boob tube binge. And I'm sure I've said it before many times in many ways but when a TV show celebrates the same time of year that I'm currently celebrating it creates a sorta cerebral role-play that makes me feel the season in in my heart and my pants; there's magically no more walls between my harsh reality and TV Land. And depending on the age of the program, they can often times transport me back to my own seasons past; fake cobwebs and plastic fangs feel generic on their own, but when they're on Home Improvement they have much more context. 

- Paul 

ALF

"Some Enchanted Evening" (season 2)

Much to the dismay of Willie and Kate, ALF throws a Halloween party in the Tanner home, which he himself attends in the guise of... himself (but with a zipper down his front to give the impression of an "ALF" costume). The point of the party was so Willie could get in good with his boss to secure a promotion at work, but really it's because ALF was desperate to experience Halloween in any possible capacity (he was denied trick-or-treating with Brian). It's prophetic that ALF's likeness actually did become a very popular Halloween costume throughout this era. 

Hey Dude

"Ghost Stories" (season 2)

During a dark and stormy night on the Bar None Ranch, the gang is confined to the boys' bunk, playing Pictionary - which soon turns to ghost stories. Ted legitimately freaks everyone out with a story about his great grandfather, visually aided by some hokey props. The remainder of the episode is everyone trying to get back at Ted with attempts to scare him as much as he did them. Nothing about this bright and sunny series ever hints at anything in the neighborhood of Halloween, but no one ever said that all macabre material is chained to a holiday. 

Night Court

"Come Back to the Five and Dime, Stephen King, Stephen King" (season 7)

Harry finds a 50 year old case file for a defendant who dropped dead during his own trial. This starts up angry poltergeist-type activity and everyone assumes they need to commence with the trial for the angry ghost. I like Halloween episodes (and also Christmas episodes) where actual supernatural stuff is part of the plot (even if it ends up being a misunderstanding). Night Court had a ton of Halloween episodes and they were always great - specifically because of Harry's infectious enthusiasm for the festivities. 

Friends

"The One With the Halloween Party" (season 8)

Monica and Chandler throw a Halloween party in the apartment -- cue funny costumes. "Mistaken identity" is a familiar trope with a setup like this, but this one is more layered as Phoebe's twin sister's fiancé (Sean Penn) mistakes her for Ursula (the crossover character that Lisa Kudrow played on Mad About You). Get all that? Obviously a show like this wasn't gonna lean into the anything spooky but at least there's a trick-or-treating subplot (which involves Rachel writing checks to kids). 

Hunter

"City of Passion" (season 4)

This epic 3 part(!) episode plays like an Altmanesque Crime Thriller with a hundred speaking parts in several intricate plot threads that all meet up eventually. In perhaps the most integral storyline we learn of a secret society of lawyers and judges and powerful people who wear masks and robes and sacrifice prostitutes to Satan. So, there's that. But during the investigation Hunter visits an occult store owned by Carel Struycken (of Twin Peaks and Addams Family fame) and I swear to you I wish we coulda spent all three episodes in this establishment; it's like Mario's Magic Shop from Pee Wee's Big Adventure combined with The Magic Mansion from Are You Afraid of the Dark? combined with some abstract third element that makes it cooler than all the others. Maybe it's because Lurch works there(?).