The Greatest Western Animation Episode Ever

[LumRanmaYasha]

Results:

"Urban Ed" (Ed, Edd n' Eddy) - 7
"Birds Anonymous" (Looney Tunes) - 9
"Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part Two)" (The Simpsons) - 6
"El Secuestro" (Archer) - 8

"Birds Anonymous" and "El Secuestro" move on to round 2! The next match will be up shortly.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Round 1: Match 16


"Luck of the Fryrish" (Futurama)

VS.


"Chill of the Night" (Batman: The Brave and the Bold)

VS.


"Deadly Force" (Gargoyles)

VS.


"The Losing Edge" (South Park)

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Oh, these are all favorites, but I've got to go:

Futurama
Batman
South Park
Gargoyles

[Avaitor]

Gargoyles
Batman
South Park
Futurama

[LumRanmaYasha]

"Deadly Force" -

Spoiler

This is perhaps the best gun control episode in a kids cartoon, with the Static Shock episode on the subject being a close rival. I love how the show bluntly depicts the consequences of gun violence and horrifically describes the consequences one accidental gun shot has on Eliza, and the trauma it inflicts on Broadway, who is basically a stand-in for a naive child not realizing guns aren't a toy. And it's so great how the show critiques portrayals of gun violence as badass in the movie Broadway is watching, and the damaging influence it has on him, making him emulate the behaviors he's seen without realizing what they mean, and playing with Eliza's gun without realizing what guns are meant for. I also appreciate that Eliza takes responsibility for not stowing away the gun when she returned home, which is on her as a gun owner to make sure it's kept out of the reach of people who could play with it. But it's also good that Broadway isn't simply forgiven, and this guilt and lesson he's learned is something that'll stick with him for the rest of the series. A smartly written and incredibly well-conceived episode all around.

[close]

"Chill of the Night" -

Spoiler

This is a great exploration of Bruce trying to avenge his parents by seeking out who murdered them, and there's some incredible moments in the episode, from him confronting the gang boss who sicked Joe Chill on Thomas in the hospital, teaming up with Thomas, voiced by Adam West, and dressed in an Adam-West style Bat costume in the past, and of course, the face reveal of Bruce Waye, the first time we ever see him unmasked in the show. It's also awesome how the Spectre and Phantom Stranger are voiced by Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, which makes their bet on whether Batman will kill Joe Chill a meta BTAS Joker vs Batman moral battle. I love this episode as a poignant, serious story about the trauma that drives Bruce as Batman and also the moral questions he deals with and what he ultimately stands for. I do think it's a bit cheap that Spectre kills Joe Chill, as it undermines Batman's choice to spare his life, and just isn't a satisfying resolution. Which really sucks since everything else the episode does is so excellent, but it's still great overall.

[close]

"The Losing Edge" -

Spoiler

Such a great idea for a sports parody, the twist being that the boys are playing to lose and so all the tropes are inverted, and meanwhile Randy is going through his own Rocky-esque arc for a typically foolish endeavor - fighting dads at children's sports games. Hillarious all around, especially as someone who can empathize with the boys' frustration with sports and desperation to escape an activity they don't want to do.

[close]

"Luck of the Fryrish" -

Spoiler

A funny and surprisingly emotional exploration of Fry and Yancy's relationship, what they meant to each other, and how Yancy dealt with Fry's disappearance and what he truly felt about his brother, leading to the poignant revelation that he named his son after him who would go on to fulfill Fry's childhood dream. The Fry/Yancy flashback stuff is generally more engaging to me than the stuff in the present (or technically future, lol), but that stuff is some of the show's best material and the emotional payoff makes this episode one of the most memorable.

[close]

I'll wrap this match up and post the next match tomorrow morning, so if anyone else still wants to vote on it you still have some time!

[Dreamer2]

Futurama
Batman
South Park
Gargoyles

[LumRanmaYasha]

Results:

"Luck of the Fryrish" (Futurama) - 10
"Chill of the Night" (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) - 12
"Deadly Force" (Gargoyles) - 10
"The Losing Edge" (South Park) - 8

Looks like there's a tie between "Luck of the Fryrish" and "Deadly Force." We'll need someone to break the tie before we can move on!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just switch their places on my list, I suppose.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Thanks Dr. E-k!

"Deadly Force" and "Chill of the Night" move on to the next round! The next match will be up shortly.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Round 1: Match 17


"Make Love, Not Warcraft" (South Park)

VS.


"Jailbreak" (Steven Universe)

VS.


"The Earth King" (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

VS.


"Beginnings, Part 1 and Part 2" (The Legend of Korra)

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

South Park
Good Avatar
Steven Universe
Korra Avatar

I'll admit to liking Beginnings when it first came out, but it doesn't really hold up at all. I'm not against exploring more of the lore and history of the Avatar Universe, but my problem here is that when you really think about it, a lot of what is presented in that two-parter contradicts much of the philosophy that was so central to The Last Airbender, and feels like a bad fan-fiction in that regard. It's like the writers missed the point of their own previous show.

[Dreamer2]

Jailbreak
Earth King
Beginnings
Make Love, Not Warcraft

Jailbreak just barely edges out Earth King, because that episode and the one before it made me a true fan of Steven Universe.

[Avaitor]

Jailbreak
The Earth King
Make Love, Not Warcraft
Beginnings

[LumRanmaYasha]

I can't believe I'm voting this way, but after rewatching these I've got to go...

Beginnings -

Spoiler

Before rewatching these episodes my thinking on the episode was the same as Dr. E-k's, in that I thought it didn't hold up because the retcons it makes to the lore makes the origins of the Avatar less about balance and more about good vs. evil. But after rewatching them...man, the story and execution is just so damn good I don't even care. Especially since the franchise has run with this retcon to the Avatar's origins ever since, so eh. But the story of Wan and how he changes as a person and bridges the two worlds of humans and spirits, and the implicit tragedy of the story in that even with the literal spirit of evil incarcerated the Avatar's battle against evil is neverending, is really poignant. It's such a simple story, but it's written so damn well that it never feels hokey. But what really puts the episode over the top is the brilliant art direction. The backgrounds are so otherworldly and feel like art out of a storybook and folk tales. The spirit designs are definitely Ghibli-inspired, very Spirited Away-esque, but still unique and distinctive and above all else incredibly expressive, especially the lemur spirit. And the animation in general is just top-notch, like the knew that this was a special two-parter so they put extra care into it. Man, I was cynical going in to it, but after rewatching it the artistry and craft won me over, so I'll show it love here.

[close]

The Earth King -

Spoiler

I really appreciate how they convince the Earth King through unavoidable proof and talking to him honestly when he's been lied to all his life. There are a lot of good scenes in this episode with the Earth King, he's pretty fun and easy to like, and avoids cliche tropes about sheltered and spoiled monarchs you'd normally see in a show like this. The gang fighting the Dai Li at the beginning of the episode was also great, as was Zuko dealing with the aftermath of his decision to let Appa free and the identity crises he goes through. I also love how the episode seems to be heading towards an optimistic ending at first, with the gang splitting off bittersweetly but ultimately for happy ventures, but then hits you with a triple whammy of "oh shit" bad omens like Toph being kidnapped, the Dai Li staying loyal to Long, and Azula and co. infiltrating the city disguised as the Kyoshi Warriors. I forgot how much happens in this episode, and it left me really impressed.

[close]

Jailbreak -

Spoiler

"Stronger Than You" and the Ruby/Sapphire reveal are defining moments for the show and two of my favorites. This episode payed off on the series' potential and cemented it as something special. The ending where Jasper forces Lapis to fuse with her and Lapis turns the tables by dragging them down to the ocean floor together still gives me chills. What a "holy shit" moment, goddamn. This episode has somewhat less impact now that the show has had even bigger episodes than this, but it's still fantastic. Surprised I'm putting it third to last, but those Avatar and Korra episodes are just that much more dense with good stuff to love.

[close]

Make Love, Not Warcraft -

Spoiler

I thought I'd be ranking this as #1. This is a great episode, one of the show's most iconic. But while it's really fun and always funny, I just found so much more to appreciate narratively and emotionally in the other three episodes in this match, which forces me to rank this last by default. Don't get me wrong, the crew's attention to detail in animating Warcraft scenes and the whole idea of the episode is great, but the craft behind the other episodes in this match was just that much more impressive to me.

[close]

[LumRanmaYasha]

Results:

"Make Love, Not Warcraft" (South Park) - 8
"Jailbreak" (Steven Universe) - 12
"The Earth King" (Avatar: The Last Airbender) - 12
"Beginnings, Part 1 and Part 2" (The Legend of Korra) - 8

"Jailbreak" and "The Earth King" move on to round 2! The next match will be up shortly.