Musical episodes

[schma]

When done well a musical episode can be incredibly memorable, advance important plot lines, reveal deep truths about characters and just be plain fun. My top three musical episodes would be Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling (watched that far too many times in university with my roommate), The Flash: Duet and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Subspace Rhapsody.

There had likely been musical episodes before the Buffy one, but it felt special. It felt like it opened the floodgates. I remember even sitcoms like the Drew Carey Show and That 70's Show having musical episodes. However, Once More with Feeling was a whole other level. Many of the songs are still in regular play for me. As I mentioned above my roomate and I watched it too many times and each time we discovered some new detail that we had missed. It really showed what a musical could achieve in a show that was not typically a musical.

The Flash had a lot of great moments, but for me the height of the Flash were the lighter and brighter moments. Likely influenced by Justice League and its sequel series Justice League Unlimited, I always felt that the Flash should be a brighter villain. In the comics his Rogues Gallery has a no killing rule, there's a freaking Flash museum. This dude came from a terribly tragic origin and still managed to find brightness and goodness in both life and his adversaries. This musical episode encapsulates some of the best of what Flash can be when not trying to match the darkness of Arrow. Also, the actors for Kara and Barry have absolutely amazing chemistry and steal the show whenever they share the screen. They both play their roles beautifully and seem to effortlessly work within the confines of a musical. While not having quite the impact of Once more with Feeling, the episode still manages to achieve some important things for the characters while also being a great time. Some of these songs are also still in playlists of mine.

Strange New Worlds has been such a joy. I grew up watching Star Trek TNG with my father. He passed back in '97 but Star Trek in its many forms often stir up fond memories. I also love that it's a hopeful future. So many sci-fi's these days go with post apocalyptic or dark megacorps and just genuinely bleak futures. I get why. I can see the world and it's far easier to imagine some dystopian hellscape than humanity getting its shit together and helping form the Federation. With Strange New Worlds, they boldly went where no Star Trek had gone before, the musical episode. It was not perfect but it was damn good. Multiple styles, several important advances in character stories, a lot of fun. It's the most recent but I think an instant classic.

This is all a long winded way for me to say, the world needs more musical episodes.

Also, what would be your favourite musical episode?

[James Fabiano]

The Music Meister on Batman: The Brave And The Bold.

[tirtefaa]

I completely forgot about it until I randomly came across it recently, but Rocko's Modern Life had an episode about the importance of recycling...and it's legitimately one of the funniest things I've ever seen, especially since Rocko is the only character who isn't singing, since apparently despite the extemporaneous acts of them going after corporation, he was the only one to miss the musical rehearsals.

[chrom]

Power Rangers Zeo had an episode where Tommy and Tanya due to a spell could only communicate via singing.

[Moppy]

[SkullTrauma]

I HATE musical episodes.

[ace]

The Buffy episode is the GOAT because it was so pivotal to so many storylines going on. A gimmick, sure…but one that not only made sense given the mystical elements of the show but one that forced characters to literally sing out their secrets, fears and anything else they’ve been keeping bottled up. It’s such a key episode in character and storyline development that it doesn’t really matter most of them can’t sing. Which is an achievement in itself.

[Cyno]

Scrubs and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have wonderful musical episodes.

[schma]

Nov 23, 2023 12:18:53 GMT -5 ace said:

The Buffy episode is the GOAT because it was so pivotal to so many storylines going on. A gimmick, sure…but one that not only made sense given the mystical elements of the show but one that forced characters to literally sing out their secrets, fears and anything else they’ve been keeping bottled up. It’s such a key episode in character and storyline development that it doesn’t really matter most of them can’t sing. Which is an achievement in itself.

Yeah I've just finished relistening to it and it's so bleak in some ways yet so esssential for getting to the core of so many brewing issues and arcs. Some shows do musical episodes that are essentially just a reason to do musical numbers but this one actually used it as an essential storytelling vehicle. Hell, the line once more with feeling just hits so damn well.

[schma]

I had forgotten about the Community musical episode about Christmas. That was wonderful.

[James Fabiano]

Raising Hope's and American Housewife's on the other hand almost ruined decent series. (And in the case of AH, cast changes and departures too)

[schma]

Nov 23, 2023 12:05:29 GMT -5 chrom said:

Power Rangers Zeo had an episode where Tommy and Tanya due to a spell could only communicate via singing.

I just watched it and damn that was rough. I get what they were going for but they should have toned Tanya down some.

[Mainia]

Nov 23, 2023 12:09:21 GMT -5 Moppy said:

It's guy love, that's all it is! 🎶

[Milkman Norm]

As a general comment I like it when there are cast members who have musical theater backgrounds but maybe they've left that world for sometime, so when there is a musical episode it's like, "Oh, right, they're really good at this."

[Nosnorb]

Dead End - Paranormal Park had an excellent first series episode, with all of the songs written by Patrick Stump, and had it make sense in the continuity of the show by having it be the result of the partially demon possessed dog cast a spell.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

I can't think of many musical episodes off the top of my head. Only Once More with Feeling -- which is fantastic, so well done with every song having a purpose. And the new Strange New Worlds one, which was also excellent. The boy band Klingons made me laugh hard.

My only downside with Once More With Feeling is, one of the best songs--the one Tara and Giles sing, is also the shortest.

[Sponsored by Groose Wipes]

Would South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut count?

[James Fabiano]

Did Glee or Cop Rock have a very special Speaking Episode? I am curious.

[schma]

Nov 25, 2023 10:12:27 GMT -5 Sponsored by Groose Wipes said:

Would South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut count?

I was definitely not expecting a musical from them at the time, this was long before Book of Mormon and other projects. That said, I'll allow it. I'm not gonna get too hung up on semantics.

[fw91]

Nov 25, 2023 10:12:27 GMT -5 Sponsored by Groose Wipes said:

Would South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut count?

Idk, but "Mr.Hankey's Christmas Classics" certainly does, and that's an episode that needs to be GOATED.