The 10 most essential episodes

[John Lasher]

Here's a question for everyone. Supposing you met someone who has never seen or heard of YCDTOTV, and you have to pick just 10 episodes out of the entire series (1979-1990) to show them what this series was all about. Which 10 would you pick? These 10 have to be available somewhere on video (so, none of the lost eps from 1979), and can't include "The Worst of..." VHS release from 1989 (or its unreleased 1987 counterpart).

Here are my 10, in chronological order:

Episode 2 (79)
Drugs (81)
Bullying (82)
Television (82)
Technology (84)
Movies (85)
Pop Music (86)
Luck (86)
Chores (89)
Inventions (90)

[mcguinnfan]

This is a great thread, John. It'll be really interesting to see what choices we all come up with.

You and I will be pretty different, but I will second your first choice, not because I think it's one of the ten best, but because I think it would be imperative that the person in question understand the show's roots. (And it does have a lot of wonderful moments.) I would also try to bend the rules, if it came down to it, and add the WTYO pilot as a "bonus," for much the same reason. But within your criteria, here are my ten:

1. Episode 2 (79)
2. Personal Hygiene (81)
3. Vacations (82)
4. Medicine (83)
5. Cooking (83)
6. Rumours (83)
7. Friends (84)
8. Malls and Hangouts (84)
9. Jealousy (84)
10. Movies (85)

Dating (81), Crimes and Vandalism (81), Addictions (82), Popularity (82), Rip-Offs (82), Bullying (82), Fears and Growing Up (82), Fame (83), Body Parts (84), Marketing (84), Romance and Dating (85), Identity Crises (85), Parties (86), Mysteries and Crimes (86), Adoption (87), and Time (89) all came off the list with great regret and thus constitute an honorable mention list, or a "Volume II"/"Volume III" should the person in question wish to dig deeper. "11th place" would have probably gone to Fame, Popularity, Dating or Mysteries and Crimes.

[ChrisInMI]

My ten picks, in no particular order:

Drugs - 1981 - I would go a step farther and call this THE most essential YCDTOTV episode. It really showcases the Price/Darby time's creativity in dealing with a hot and controversial topic.
Enemies and Paranoia - 1986 - Not just because Alanis is in it, but because of the way it skewers the Cold War, a subject that was on everyone's minds in the '80s.
Culture Junk - 1982 - I think 1981 and '82 were the seasons with the most clever writing, and this showcases it well. "Water music," the "Moan-a Lisa"... classic stuff.
Inventions - 1990 - One of the best eps featuring the "new cast" and a fitting and (mostly) well-written send-off to the series.
Jealousy - 1984 - I think 1984 was where the writing started to get really weak at times (for example, I think Politics is one of the WORST episodes), but there were some really good eps this season, and this is my favorite. Marketing, which someone else mentioned above, is another gem from this season.
Movies - 1985 - I love how the show poked fun at itself with the plotline about making a movie version of the show and the screen tests which always resulted in the kids slimed.
Medicine - 1983 - Great writing and some of the edgier jokes from that season (i.e. Lisa playing doctor). And you gotta love Moose in that tennis dress.
Adoption - 1987 - Recommended as probably the single best example of why the show was hated by so many parents and educators.
Television - 1982 - As with the Movies episode, I love how YCDTOTV made fun of itself here. The fact that it was Vanessa's debut and features the legendary multi-colored slime scene doesn't hurt either.
Embarrassment - 1989 - The Stanley sisters, 'nuff said. This episode showcased Jill's and Amy's talents and played off the tension between them better than any other.

Of the three extant '79 episodes, Executive Washrooms is my favorite, so that would be the episode I'd recommend to showcase the "live/local" version and showcase its roots. And as far as WTYO goes, the pilot episode for sure.

[mcguinnfan]

And you gotta love Moose in that tennis dress.

Well said. This might not be the primary reason for the Medicine episode's essentiality, but I have to agree it's a significant point in its favor.

[TheLockerMonster]

When I first saw this post, I put down my list before looking at everyone else's, but then I also sort of looked at it from a different perspective. I chose episodes that I think would be more interesting for a first-timer to watch just so they can understand the perspective of what things were like back in the 80s and how attitudes have changed quite a bit from those times.

It was a toss up for me to go with either Television or Addictions. Television was one of the best shows of the entire series, but Addictions' reliance on Luke and Laura and video games shows someone today what we obsessed about in 1982. For this list, though, I am going with TELEVISION.

TV COMMERCIALS - this is quintessential YCDTOTV. Many well-written quick skits and even though this was the first show without Christine, Alasdair was proving himself as the new lead quite well.

AGE - I chose this because of the clever way they tied together the old cast and the new. A new viewer would understand how the show changed casts near the end of the series run.

I had another tossup between Divorce and Adoption because this was pretty much the only controversy the show ever really had. Because of its infamous 'banning' I'm going with ADOPTION.

FUTURE WORLD - who knew that YCDTOTV would be spot on by saying "gigabyte" 30 years ago!

TECHNOLOGY - I would want to show a new viewer my favorite all-time episode, so that's why I included this one

Another toss up between Enemies & Paranoia and War. Both episodes touched on 1980's world conflict, with E&P being more specific on our relationship with Russia. I think ENEMIES & PARANOIA was better overall episode, so I will go with that.

The next toss up is between Equal Rights and Inequalities. Both shows touched on superior/inferior, with one episode focusing on boys vs. girls and the other focusing on kids vs. adults. I give the edge to INEQUALITIES not because it was a better episode (it was actually one of my least favorite episodes along with most of the 1983 season), but because the premise of YCDTOTV is how kids can never seem to win in an adult society.

DRUGS The way Price and Darby used custard pies as a way to illustrate to pre-teens about the dangers of getting hooked on drugs was pure genius. They took a highly sensitive topic and made it work for the target audience. That alone makes it essential.

My last tossup was between Pop Music and Movies. Both were mid-80's pop culture episodes, but I give the nod to MOVIES here because I thought the episode was better overall, and by this time, the audience was eagerly anticipating who would get slimed in each episode. No worries here as *everyone* got nailed with the green stuff (well, almost, if you include Abby Hagyard).

[ChrisInMI]

Now that I think about it, "Technology" was a rather prescient episode as well... you can kind of see a foreshadowing of the viewer-vote-driven reality-show phenomenon prevalent today in "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars." Not to mention the various radio stations now that allow listeners to choose the next song played by going online and voting songs "up" or "down" a queue.

As far as the kids vs. adults thing, I think two of the very late episodes ("Fantasies" from 1989 and "Blame" from 1990) both showed that off pretty well. The former, while also allowing the kids to live out their fantasies, also allowed the adults to live out theirs... and it was pretty obvious that the kids weren't going to win that one, what with the "fantasy box" and Ross using it to get all the kids slimed at once, and then the kids messing with the box at the end of the show and being forced to dance ballet. The latter had a number of sketches about how adults blame kids for everything that goes wrong in their lives - including Christian getting arrested because Valerie blamed him for her speeding. Two other things both episodes have in common are group slimings and Jennifer Brackenbury (my favorite girl from the 89-90 eps)... but that's just coincidental.

[MarcD]

Wow, people mentioned two of my LEAST favorite YCDTOTV eps for their 10 best. Everyone has their own opinion but if it was up to me no new fan of the show would EVER see the War (1984) or Friends (1984) eps, since they are both unfunny and awful.

The 1984 season in general was substandard after the excellent 1983 season.

[mcguinnfan]

Wow, people mentioned two of my LEAST favorite YCDTOTV eps for their 10 best. Everyone has their own opinion but if it was up to me no new fan of the show would EVER see the War (1984) or Friends (1984) eps, since they are both unfunny and awful.

The 1984 season in general was substandard after the excellent 1983 season.

Now shouldn't you pick your own ten before you start ragging on other people's choices? How are we going to rag on yours in return if we don't know what they are?

[MarcD]

Now shouldn't you pick your own ten before you start ragging on other people's choices? How are we going to rag on yours in return if we don't know what they are?

Honestly I'd have a hard time narrowing it down to 10. I do love Television, Adoption, and Age (all of which have already been mentioned).

[Bigzman]

In terms of overall humor and slapstick value, these would be my ten most essential episodes--and yes, I am very impartial towards the early Nickelodeon years when the show was at its' true peak in terms of popularity:

1. Rumors, 1983. That whole episode is ROFL funny, from the opening promo line to the closing where Ross finally convinces Christine she would finally move into a bigger dressing room.

2. Fame, 1983. Also, a very good episode.
Quick--does anyone know Kevin's full name? Hint it is longer than the names on our diplomas.

3. Technology, 1984. Interactive TV at its' best. Long before Deal or No Deal had its' Lucky Case Game, we had the red and green squares at the bottom of the screen. It really felt like we (as fans) were really part of the show. Really.

4. Classical Music, 1983. Mr. Schidtler asks the class about the 3 B's (Brodie, Lisa, and Justin get the answer wrong). That skit was priceless--thinking all of his students were in a Music class instead of Science.

5. TV Commericals, 1986. Our true sport Alanis at her very best showing off Ross' Cosmetics and a bunch of other things. The best ads, Alasdair and Lance Prevert trade off barbs for Left Guard--"It simply overpowers your natural smell", the Barth Challenge where nobody likes the burgers, and Nasti's Health Spa inside the dudgeon, where it really wasn't a health spa to begin with.

6. ESP, 1984. Thinking that the studio was haunted, Lisa says the magic words while Ross goes off into the Neverland and ends the exorcism with green slime. Lisa screams off, "Save me!" Save me!"

7. Heroes, 1982. Lisa disguised as Wonder Woman and Kevin gets tied up to the train tracks as the train approaches. I smell trouble.

8. Addictions, 1982. Pac-Man definitely got more air time than some of the cast.

9. Jealousy, 1984. The antics delivered on that episode merit good billing, and the exchanges between Christine and Lisa really hit their peak with this episode.

10 (tie) Rip-Offs, 1982. Is Alasdair done finally unwrapping that chocolate bar? Also, from that same year--Popularity. Seriously--how can we base a popularity contest based on what shirt that actual cast member wore during that particular episode? We all knew that the opposite in this case was true, where Zilch should have the 872nd most popular and Christine should have been first.

Very cool thread! Nice to see a lot of diverse opinions and selections, but I hope my choices as a devoted fan gets a cool amount of feedback. And yes, the locker jokes on most of those 10 episodes were not that bad.

Matt