As we start settling into the month of sleigh bells, reindeer, and eggnog, many of our favorite television series are gearing up for the holidays as well.
We enjoy watching these holiday episodes simply because we’re in a holiday mood. Half of them are too cheesy to be considered good television. The rest are much too over-dramatic.
On occasion, there’s an episode that really stands out.
A Roswell Christmas Carol
Episode 10 of the second season of Roswell was one of those episodes that stood out for me. Some of it was probably too over-dramatic, but I don’t know if another Christmas episode will ever top this one for me.
For those of you unfamiliar with Roswell, I’ll give you the quick version.
Max, Michael, and Isabel are aliens that crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico. They’re always at risk of exposure and running from one secret government unit or another. One of Max’s powers is the ability to heal.
In this episode, Max watches as a man pushes his daughter away from a moving vehicle, saving his daughter but losing his life. Max can’t heal him because he’d risk exposing himself. Throughout the show, he is haunted by this man. To make up for not saving the man, he decides to cure a young girl with cancer (a daughter of another character in the show).
When Max reaches the hospital, the girl is in a room with several other children with cancer. It would be wrong for him to save one and not the others, which leads us to this scene where he saves the children.
There were several other highlights in this episode. We learn that Isabel is the Christmas Nazi, and she wants everything to be perfect for Christmas. She, along with Michael and Maria’s relationship woes, served as the comic relief.
In the end, it was a classic Christmas episode where Max learns that Christmas is all about family.
Roswell may have had some major flaws with the series overall, but this is one episode they got right. Season 3’s Christmas episode was also scripted and acted well.
What’s your favorite?
There have been tons of Christmas episodes of our favorite TV programs, so I know you all must have a favorite or two.
Share with everyone. Feel free to post a link to a video as well.
I still love the Christmas episode in season 2 of The Office. I could watch it over and over and over…
I’m a huge fan of that episode as well. I’ve been thinking about re-watching a series on DVD. I think I might pop in The Office tonight.
Are you talking about the American or original Office? I think the Christmas Special for the original Office is one of the best episodes of television ever. I love me some Ricky Gervais!
Married… with Children: It’s a Bundyful Life.
I think I’ve seen every episode several times, but my memory is fading — it’s been a long, long time since I’ve watched this show.
This was the two part episode that poked fun at It’s a Wonderful Life, where Sam Kinason shows Al Bundy what life would be like without him… and it turns out that everyone’s life would be better, so at the end he is given the choice to stay gone or to come back, and he chooses to come back because if he can’t be happy, then no one should be!
The Office Christmas episode mentioned above is currently at the top of my list but that just may change on Thursday — http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/clips/moroccan-christmas-preview/869022/
I have no christian episode. Because I am a muslim.
Simpsons Christmas Special 1997.
What a year!