- Shelby Cadwell
Weekend Watchlist: Halloween TV Edition
The Halloween season is upon us, and the weather has finally hit that perfect "snuggle up on the couch and binge some TV" temperature. Check out some of my top 9 favorite Halloween episodes, all available to stream now!
1) Bob's Burgers - "Full Bars" (Season 3, Episode 2)
While Bob and Linda are hanging out at Teddy's awkward Halloween party, the kids are trick-or-treating solo for their very first time - on King's Head Island! Things go sideways for the parents when Teddy discovers that someone has stepped on Francis (his beloved guinea pig) and for the kids when they run into teenage bullies on bikes.
Highlights:
The kids costumes - Gene is Queen Latifa in her UNITY phase, Louise is Edward Scissorhands, and Tina is a mommy/mummy
In response to being given full-size candy bars: "FULL BARS! How does this not topple your economy?!"
Available to stream on Hulu.
2) Bob's Burgers - "The Hauntening" (Season 6, Episode 3)
In an attempt to scare the normally unflappable Louise, the rest of the family devises a haunted house *within* a haunted house (((Inception noise))). Spoiler alert - it totally works.
Highlights:
This episode is *actually* scary - until the twist is revealed, I thought BB was going to take a reaaaally dark turn
The crazy noise Mort makes when he throws out his back - gets me every time
Available to stream on Hulu.
3) Brooklyn Nine-Nine, "Halloween II" (Season 2, Episode 4)
It was so hard to not put all five Brooklyn Nine-Nine Halloween episodes on this list, but I've finally narrowed it down to just two. "Halloween II" is a personal favorite because it shows a side of Captain Holt we rarely see: the devious trickster.
Highlights:
Captain Holt (the stoic Andre Braugher) playing against type with his jubilant "Halloweeeeeeeeen" revelry
The entire precinct working together to pull an epic, complex prank on hapless Jake
Available to stream on Hulu.
4) Brooklyn Nine-Nine - "HalloVeen" (Season 5, Episode 4)
Again, it was nearly impossible to pick which Brooklyn Nine-Nine episodes I wanted to include in this list, but "HalloVeen" makes the cut for mostly sentimental reasons. [SPOILER] In this episode, Jake puts aside his desire to win the Halloween bet to propose to his girlfriend, Amy Santiago. I always expect these Halloween episodes to make me laugh, but I totally wasn't prepared to cry (I did, though. What can I say? I'm an easy mark for sappy stuff).
Highlights:
The proposal, obviously
Holt showing up in Jake and Amy's bedroom to kick off the heist - and eating their eggs
Available to stream on Hulu.
5) South Park - "A Nightmare on Face Time" (Season 16, Episode 12)
Randy Marsh buys a Blockbuster store, which is of course abandoned and creepy. Stan has to stay and "help out" at the totally vacant store, so he can't go out trick or treating (so he ends up participating via Face Time on an iPad that the rest of his friends tote around). Of course the kids end up involved in some crazy hijinks at the "Monster Mash" party, and Randy devolves into Kubrickian madness at the Blockbuster when he realizes that no one rents movies anymore thanks to streaming media.
Highlights:
The Shining parody is on point, especially since the whole Marsh family is really more exasperated than scared with Randy's antics
Every time someone confuses Cartman's Hulk costume for something else (Bruce Vilanch, Chaz Bono, Harvey Fierstein, and Honey Boo Boo are all mentioned)
6) Parks and Rec, "Recall Vote" (Season 6, Episode 7)
Depressed after being recalled from office, Leslie spirals into some thematically-appropriate Halloween nihilism. Her and Ben get drunk and go off on an adventure until the far-more-sensible Ann Perkins tracks them down and saves them from regrettable life choices.
Highlights:
Depressed Leslie in sweat pants taking a day nap on a park bench - I've been there too, girl
Drunk Ben and Leslie are always a treat
Available to stream on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
7) Community - "Epidemiology" (Season 2, Episode 6)
After eating some strange "military-ration-grade meat" at Greendale's Halloween dance, the students start developing an appetite for something else...HUMAN FLESH!!! Yup, a zombie episode. No worries, though - Troy and Abed team up to save the day and ultimately no one even remembers the mayhem (they all just think someone roofied the punch).
Highlights:
Some very pure moments of Troy & Abed friendship and nerdery: "Get away from those hotties!"
Fighting off zombies to the delightful sounds of Abba - literally the best horror scene music choice since Shaun of the Dead used Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now"
Available to stream on Hulu.
8) Community - "Introduction to Statistics" (Season 1, Episode 7)
The very first Community Halloween episode, and a memorable one at that. Pierce is annoyed that no one "gets" his Beastmaster costume, takes some drugs to feel young again, and ends up barricading himself in a desk fort. Abed/Batman saves Jeff and Pierce from the collapsing desks, just in the nick of time.
Highlights:
Abed's Batman monologue - "If I stay, there can be no party"
Pierce's drug-hallucinations (while still dressed as the "Beastmaster")
Available to stream on Hulu.
9) The Office - "Spooked" (Season 8, Episode 5)
Erin is put in charge of organizing the office Halloween party, but feels overwhelmed when Andy demands some last minute changes to make the party feel more "adult". Meanwhile, Dwight and Robert California's son bond over their mutual love of video games and California wanders the office being his normal creepy/probing self.
Highlights:
Robert California's "scary story" that incorporates the worst fears of the people in the office
Erin holding back tears and saying "Pecker Poker - it's the game of cards that gets you hard" (its funnier than it sounds)
Available to stream on Netflix.
