The Best Directed Episodes of Television Part One

The old adage goes, movies are a director's realm and television is a writer's realm. Unless you're Aaron Sorkin, no one has openly disputed that old adage (but who would dare try to change a Sorkin script? That's career suicide). The smart ones write and direct (like Tarantino, Woody Allen, The Coen Brothers, Sophia Coppola etc) in the feature film industry, and even some writers try to direct their own television episodes but it's rare unless you work for Joss Whedon or you're Matthew Weiner, or basically a show-runner who can do whatever he or she pleases.

I noticed, as I study the ways of Hollywood, that the film industry and television industry are spiting one another. Frustrated writers leave the film business for television because their scripts get butchered by the studio or the director. In television, the show-runner i.e. writer controls everything including the directors for the entire season. The directors strip away the creative power of the writers in the film business while the writers strip the power from directors in television. Not a single episode of television is produced without the show-runner or executive producer essentially telling the director how to direct that certain episode. This happens for consistency's sake. The show-runner must maintain the consistency of the show's tone, atmosphere and yada yada throughout a 13 or 22 episode season. Every series has an ace director of the staff though--the director responsible for the visual look of the show as well as tone. Jack Bender had that job on LOST. Tim Van Patten has that job on Boardwalk Empire. The Russo Brothers have that job on Community.

Today begins the first part of the Best Directed Episodes of Television list that seems infinite considering how many episodes of television are produced in one year. The question is, how do I evaluate the episodes? How much freedom did such and such director? In the case of LOST, Bender fought Marita Grabiak about a certain scene in "Raised By Another." Bender won the argument because he was king, and Grabiak never worked for LOST again. Bender deserves credit for that particular scene in "Raised By Another." I'll mostly look at a particular episode, and then the series to see how many times the particular director returned for more episodes but one-and-done directors can leave their style on a single episode. I suppose evaluating the best directed episodes of television isn't any different from compiling lists for the best written episodes in television. The credited writer of an episode usually received a partial or page one re-write from the show-runner, or another staff writer. It is difficult to truly know who deserves the most credit in television because of guild rules and the dynamics of television staffs.

I will try though. Television directors rarely get the accolades they deserve. In fact, ask any person about their favorite episode of their favorite show and he or she will most likely not know who directed their favorite episode. Maybe, by the time this list ends in 20 years, people will know who exactly directed their favorite episode of their favorite show.

Since I have no idea how this will actually work, I'll keep the list small today. If it goes terribly, I might simply list my favorite TV directors in a separate post.

Let It Begin:

DOLLHOUSE--"BELONGING"--Directed By Jonathan Frakes

Frakes' is a fairly well-known television director because of his work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek fans claim Frakes' directed the best Star Trek movie (First Contact). He mostly directs television episodes though. "Belonging" is his only Dollhouse episode but he made sure he directed the best episode of the entire series. There are fantastic shots such as Topher, covered in blood, standing in front of the mirror as well as terrific scenes such as Topher and Priya's heart-to-heart after the murder. My favorite imagery of the episode is when Priya's being taken from the mental institution to the dollhouse--it's a combination of wonderful direction and terrific editing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrEXAUd1_Hg

VERONICA MARS--"A TRIP TO THE DENTIST"--Directed By Marcos Siega

He was the head director on the first season of The Vampire Diaries. He directed three episodes from the first season of Veronica Mars. "A Trip To The Dentist" is an emotionally-taxing episode for Veronica as she searches for the man who raped her the night of Shelly Pomroy's party. Out of context, the episode's rather soapy and overwrought with melodrama. In the context of the entire season, it...isn't THAT overwrought with melodrama. I'm not surprised Rob Thomas and, whoever else held the power to hire directors, decided to have Siega direct this episode because it's a huge episode for the personal arc of Veronica. Kristen Bell, in particular, has to play a number of intense emotional scenes. Siega achieves the intensity of the script, achieves the balance between Veronica's personal arc with the Lily Kane murder arc and etc. With 8 days of prep (usually), little rehearsal time, and an 8 day shooting schedule--it's a credit to the directors and the actors for the kind of performances they get/give.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC9MTQJnHSY

EVERWOOD--"PILOT"--Directed By Mark Piznarski

One of the best Pilots of all-time largely because of Greg Berlanti's great script and vision for the story of Everwood, and also because of Piznarski's direction. Everwood's quintessential small town but the fictional town is unique and has its own identity from the other television shows that were set in small towns. There are many moving scenes during the "Pilot" such as Delia telling Andy that she knows he suffers from a distraught heart or, before the Delia scene when Andy sits on the porch talking to himself and his wife who is with him in spirit and memory as he recalls why he moved to Everwood. These scenes are quiet and filled with such honesty about grief and the struggle to move on and let go. There's also the scene when Andy sees Edna's wife for the first time. And, of course, there's the shouting match between Andy and Ephram that showed exactly what made Everwood special. Piznarski owned this episode. It's a pity he didn't direct more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-pKvphl4zs

And that concludes the inaugural list of Best Directed Episodes. In the coming weeks and months, more and more TV directors will be celebrated.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK