20 Best TV Episodes Of 2018
The best of the best, these were the single instalments to truly stand out in 2018.
Once upon a time, one episode was all you'd get. There'd be a full week to talk over and dissect the latest instalment of any given show, with plenty of breathing space before the next one.
That's still the case to an extent, but in the era of Peak TV, with more scripted shows than ever before, the rise of streaming services, and binge-watching the increasingly de-factor method of watching a series, the individual episode has been a little lost in the shuffle. Everything is now geared towards the season-long arc; it's about the whole jigsaw rather than one piece of the puzzle.
It's true from a viewing standpoint too: when Netflix encourage you to digest 13-hours of television in a single weekend, the lines blur into arcs and moments rather than standalone hours as the next one loads before you've even clicked 'play next episode'.
Even some of the best shows of the year don't necessarily have one true standout episode. The sheer quantity means it's impossible to watch everything, but also means that when one episode is so brilliant and memorable to be heard above all of the noise, then you know it's something really great.