Top 5 Episodes of TV This Week

With Sunday night programs set to kick off this evening, a new week of primetime television is upon us. Don’t look ahead at upcoming TV too quickly though, because these last seven days have brought viewers some incredible episodes.

On Thursday night, a young boy met his eccentric grandfather and found out exactly how to live in his own truth. One day later, the eldest foster child of a widower discovered a terrifying secret that could mean the end of their family as they know it.

Whether you’re a fan of quirky network sitcoms, difficult reality competitions or terrifying horror/dramas, there was something on TV this week to have you happy.

So, let’s take a look back and break down the five best episodes of TV this week!

**Warning: This probably goes without saying, but there are some major TV spoilers ahead!**

The Good Place – “The Trolley Problem”

NBC’s The Good Place continues to impress audiences this season, after pulling off one of the most memorable twists in recent TV history. It was going to be a challenge to keep this show interesting after the big reveal, but creator Michael Schur has delivered.

In Thursday’s episode, Chidi (William Jackson Harper) tried to teach demon-turned-ally Michael (Ted Danson) how to make an ethical decision.

As things often do in the not-so-Good Place, Chidi’s plan went awry. Instead of learning, Michael became the teacher, and put Chidi through a ringer of terrible situations where he was forced to run over fake-but-also-real people with a trolley.

To top it all off, Eleanor (Kristin Bell) got an endless shrimp dispenser, and Janet (D’Arcy Carden) is starting to malfunction in a major way.

Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds, and it made for this week’s funniest 30 minutes of TV.

Survivor – “35×04”

Survivor has been off to a fairly predictable start this season, but a shuffling of the tribes in Wednesday’s episode provided a much-needed boost of excitement.

The new Levu tribe was made up of former Heroes Alan and Ashley, former Healers Joe and Desi, and the odd-man-out, former Hustler Devon. When going to Tribal Council, it was pretty obvious that Devon would be the swing vote, as the two pairs from the former tribes were against one another.

Devon thought he had found a secret advantage but, when he opened his package at Tribal Council, it was revealed that his vote was blocked.

In a surprise move, just before the votes were read, Joe opted to use the immunity idol on himself, rather than on Desi. The gamble paid off and Alan became the fourth contestant voted off of Survivor.

The Exorcist – “One for Sorrow”

There aren’t a ton of people tuning in to The Exorcist on Fox every Friday night, but the horror series is sneakily becoming one of the most compelling stories in all of television.

Something has been plaguing the house of Andrew Kim, and his family of Foster children is starting to notice. Just as the exorcising duo of Marcus and Thomas arrive, the evil starts to heat up.

In easily the biggest twist of the season so far, the episode concluded with the reveal that Grace, Andrew’s youngest foster child, doesn’t actually exist. The little girl has always been hesitant to be around the other kids, and no we know why. She’s been in Andrew’s head the entire time.

Evil has taken hold of Andrew’s home, as well as the entire island that his family lives on, and there’s no telling what could come next.

This is exactly the kind of catalyst The Exorcist needed in Season 2, and there is no turning back from here on out.

Will & Grace – “Grandpa Jack”

Will & Grace has been solid since returning for a revival series this fall, but Thursday night’s episode took things to a brilliant new level.

The episode revolved around Jack learning that he had a grandson named skip, who was also gay, but was being sent by his parents to a conversion camp in upstate New York.

Jack and Will immediately made their way up to Camp Straighten Arrow to help young Skip. While Will distracted the counselors, played in hilarious fashion by Jane Lynch and Andrew Rannells, Jack found his grandson and delivered a powerful and moving speech about being who you are. 

“You can’t be fixed,” Jack reassured Skip. “Because you’re not broken.”

Moments like these remind audiences just how important Will & Grace has always been.

Gotham “The Blade’s Path”

For DC Comics fans, things don’t get much better than the newest episode of Fox’s Batman prequel series, Gotham.

In the Season 3 finale, Butch Gilzean (Drew Powell) was shot in the head. While he was thought to be dead, it was revealed that the character’s real name was Cyrus Gold, which is the alter ego of popular Batman villain Solomon Grundy.

Early in Thursday’s episode, Grundy debuted on Gotham, rising from the toxic depths of Slaughter Swamp. This resurrection was straight out of the comics, as was Grundy’s appearance, and Powell played the first live-action version of the character perfectly.

In addition to Grundy’s reveal, the episode also featured a couple of the best bits of dialogue between a young Bruce Wayne and his two closest mentors; Jim Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth.

“I’m not the hero Gotham needs,” Bruce told his caregiver, taking a line straight out of The Dark Knight.

Gotham doesn’t get any better than this, folks.