By The Numbers: 1

[Raven Wolf]

Yeah, season 2 hooked me too! I saw "A Single Blade of Grass" and was interested, but then I saw "Luminary" and was HOOKED! LOL!

[Guest OS_]

I voted for the Pilot. It's one of the best serial killer of the week episodes. The direction and the mood are just about perfect. TBatE was good but not that good and the 3rd season premiere was a disappointment on too many levels.

Edited August 12, 2004 by OS_

[Guest MillenniumIsBliss]

It's close, but I have to go with the beginning of the end. Both were excellent episodes, and the pilot got the ball rolling, but the "beginning" really kept me entranced all the way through, and the guy who played Jared's brother on the Pretender did a good job in this role as well. I have seen that actor pop up in a few different shows and in small parts in movies. I will never forget the scene where he gets gutted by Frank and how they have to deal with that and all of the other events afterwards. Like I said, it is very close, but the second seasons opener takes it by a nose.

[Guest mailman]

My thoughts about episodes which starts each season.

"Pilot" is absolutly number one and I voted for it. It is uncomparable with the rest two episodes. After "Paper Dove" I have expected something more from "The Beginning and The End". I was disappointed with this episode. "The Innocents" was a good one, but unfortunatelly it was spoiled by the second part - "Exegesis". So, suming up: 1. "Pilot", 2. "The Innocents", 3. "The Beginning and The End".

[Guest ModernDayMoriarty]

Pilot.

Whilst 'The Beginning and the End' is mostly okay, it flags a bit from time to time and has noticeable continuity errors. Also, despite my love for 'The Innocents', its status as part of a two parter make it hard to rate high on its own. (But even with Exegesis it is still not as good as 'Pilot').

[Guest alpha]

The Beginning and The End

Because even though I knew Frank was going to kill The Polariod Stalker I was still shocked when it happened.

P.S. New member, Hi!

[Guest TragicWhiteKnight]

'Peste' (the Pilot)

I think it sums up the themes of the season more than any of the others, though 'TBATE' might be better written.

I love the "what do you do, Frank?" neighbour, the first shots of the yellow house, the bleeding stripper walls... I haven't seen it in over 2 years but it's stayed with me, so it's earnt my vote.

TBATE has the best opening monologue (especially compared to the garbage in Exegesis & TEOTWAWKI), the comet, the under-car carriage, and salvages the dreadful S1 finale in style. But the Polaroid Man doesn't really get explained in any detail. 'Beware Of The Dog' would have almost made a better premiere (or if TBATE featured the Old Man and the real incarnation of evil).

I expected to hate Innocents, and it certainly wasn't good - but more for the structure it set for the season ahead than for the episode itself. With the benefit of only just watching S2-3 for the first time, I knew S2 would be totally ignored, so could deal with it. I just wasn't expecting so many boring FBI characters. There's a few decent set-pieces (mostly explosions, which doesn't bode well for any sort of depth to the series) but really a C-.

[Guest Burnout]

The Pilot is stronger then the other two eps.

[gravity well]

The Beginning and the End gets the narrowest of edges over the Pilot for me because it's Frank that's being affected by it personally. Being able to, even if just for a moment, to vent some of all the hell and violence and hate that's built up over the years onto the Polaroid killer, and then to have Catherine realize what Frank's world does to him and is doing to their family is very pivotal. You pull a Frank and put yourself in his mind, how would you react? Arrest him? Go nuts? Both episodes are quite well-written, but the more personal nature of TBATE is why it gets my vote.

[Guest Kolchak]

The Pilot is stronger then the other two eps.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to agree with Burnout and say the Pilot. That episode had a lot to accomplish. It had to introduce characters, situations, and series tone, and it still delivered a great story. Just great!