WORDS COMPILED BY CIARA FORRISTAL
For some the Christmas episode is the embodiment of the festive period itself — it comes just once a year, is fondly remembered for some time afterwards and it’s return is eagerly anticipated. Christmas possesses uncanny powers to resolve even the deepests of conflicts and most Christmas episodes see conflicts being resolved, albeit temporarily.
One cannot forget the hilarity that ensues due to miscommunication, the travails of Christmas shopping and decorating as well as Christmas party antics that are memorably cringe-worthy.
For most people the festive season is imbued with nostalgia and what better way to indulge than by reliving the golden television moments of both Christmases past and present.
The Simpsons — Season Seven: Marge Be Not Proud
Coming right in the middle of the iconic series’ golden age, season seven’s Marge Be Not Proud, is a Bart-centered narrative that manages to combine seasonal smaltz with an unexpectedly sharp critique of consumerism. Bart is desperate to get his hands on a popular new video game but when he attempts to get a “four finger discount”, he must face the requisite maternal shaming. It’s a pretty standard “lessons are learned” set-up but it’s Bart’s character that really makes this stand out. Neither the one dimensional brat of the Tracey Ullman era nor the empty receptacle of pop culture references he was to become (remember the rap battle episode?), Bart here is a child who yearns for the material and the immediate but is on the cusp of learning the true value of more abstract concepts like love and family. The jokes come hard and fast but do not detract from the general sincerity of tone. The final scene and Bart’s feigned happiness on receiving what looks like the worst game ever from his well-meaning mother still has the power to melt even the most cynical of hearts. Sarah Lennon Galavan
Father Ted — A Christmassy Ted
Come a certain time of year I see myself mirrored in one of the biggest idiots ever, Father Dougal MacGuire. This happens quite often and I try quite hard not to have that be so, but hearing the opening chimes of Niall Hannon’s melodic waltz with sleigh bells jangling on top and seeing the swooning aerial views of Craggy Island with a snow filter as sophisticated as Windows 98 Movie Maker could offer, I will still roar in time with Dougal as he opens up his advent door — “AH BRILLIANT!”.
“A Christmassy Ted” is an odd beast though due to how much plot it goes through. Interestingly, the show’s creator and writer Graham Linehan has stated how he thinks the show’s too long and moans about how boring he finds it, but Dear God he’s wrong. I would say this is the best episode of the show; the set pieces bombard us with a relentless pace, it has a fantastic abundance of colourful priests with their own fantastic moments (“Apparently it’s Ireland’s biggest lingerie section”) and it has two lots of Fr. Larry Duff, whose appearances are always a joy. It’s the only Christmas special my whole family will drop everything so as to watch together and really, no matter what the show, isn’t that what Christmas telly is all about? Michael Kemp
The Office
The Office was a revolutionary show in a lot of ways, particularly in the way that it stretched the boundaries of what could be considered “comedy”. The majority of the show’s entertainment value stems from staring, in abject horror, at the torturously awkward and unpleasant scenarios that its characters find themselves in.
The Christmas Special, a massive two-parter constituting a fifth of the entire show’s runtime, gladly delivers more of this delicious, cringey awfulness. Office conversation is just as difficult, Tim’s love of Dawn is just as pitiful, and David Brent, having finally been fired from his job, is even more despicable and pathetic than he was before. And all of this takes place in the perfectly naff setting of a tinselly, kitschy office Christmas party.
However, this makes the show’s turnaround all the more surprising. After delivering two seasons of cynical, punishing television, the show defies all expectation and gives its characters, and its audience, a well-deserved break. Bubbling for once with optimism, joy, and Christmas cheer, the show took all of its accumulated negativity and transformed it into a pleasant, merry, and therapeutically cathartic farewell, for once allowing the characters to laugh along with the viewers. It achieved what Christmas episodes, and Christmas itself, are all about: a brief interlude of light and warmth from the coldest darkness. Eoin Moore
Ally McBeal: Season 4, ‘Tis the Season
The opening shot is of a festively decorated snow covered Boston (set), with Macy Gray’’s version of Winter Wonderland playing over the footage. Its the year 2000, Ally McBeal is in its fourth season, and Robert Downey Jr has just joined the cast. In the first of several holiday themed episodes, Downey reveals he has a child from a previous relationship to Ally (Calista Flockhart) and is depressed he won’t be spending Christmas with his son. Queue plots to get him in the holiday spirit and several characters performing songs, including a rendition of a sexed up Tomorrow from Annie. Downey takes to the piano, and broodily sings River, probably one of the best Christmas covers ever. Haunting and and heartbreaking, it contrasts with a case where the firm of Cage and Fish defend a Weatherman who has revealed live on air that Santa does not exist and was promptly fired. The lawyers argue that Santa and Christmas traditions aren’t for the children who skeptically believe, but the adults need to recapture the magic of their past. By the end Downey has found his Christmas cheer, he decorates her house and they sing a duet of White Christmas. Cheesy holiday romance? Check. Merry Christmas Ally. Danielle Courtney
Pokémon: Holiday hi-jynx
The Pokémon Christmas special contains all the usual elements that turned a generation of children into pokéball wielding fanatics circa 2001.
Team Rocket’s eccentric trio Jesse and James with Meowth in tow, plot against Ash, Misty and Brock as well as the man of the hour, Santa Claus himself. The yuletide atmosphere collides with the Pokémon universe when Team Rocket’s Jesse declares the unthinkable; that Santa does not exist. Adamant that her childhood doll was abducted by a jynx impersonating the jolly fellow one Christmas eve, she steers her fellow villains in the direction of the North Pole.
Meanwhile, Ash, Misty and Brock, relying on the trusty pokédex, encounter the accused Pokémon. Jynx, sporting Claus-style apparel while cradling Santa’s boot becomes the gang’s next adventure as they vow to return Santa’s helper and his footwear to him in order to save Christmas. As both parties steam towards the North Pole they face one another and the usual trademark Pokémon showdown ensues with Santa proving to be quite the able trainer himself. The episode not only harks back to Christmases past but also to a time when Saturday mornings were spent in reverent silence as dedicated supporters of Ash urged him on in his quest to “Catch em’ all.” Jane Fallon Griffin
The O.C: The Best Chrismukkah Ever
“So what’s it going to be, huh? Do you want your menorah or candy cane? Hmm? Hanukkah or Christmas? Don’t worry about it buddy, because in this house you don’t have to choose. Allow me to introduce you to a little something that I like to call Chrismukkah”. These immortal lines as spoken by the irrepressible, awkward yet lovable, razor-sharp witted Seth Cohen lead us into the unforgettable moment of television gold that is The OC’s season one Christmas episode. In this episode Seth gives us the new holiday sensation that he created himself by fusing his father’s Jewish beliefs with his mother’s “Waspy McWasp” background– essentially seven days of gifts followed by one day of lots of gifts. Seth has faith in the power of Chrismukkah, after all “I’ve got Jesus and Moses on my side, man”. Against the backdrop of the holiday season, his complicated love life begins to escalate out of his control as he’s faced with making the choice between Anna and Summer, yet his prayers for a “Chrismukkah miracle” aren’t quite answered. The episode concludes on an endearing note, as Ryan finally is able to enjoy a proper family Christmas as part of the Cohen household. Kathleen Girvan
Chuck: Chuck Versus Santa Claus
This Christmas episode originally aired in 2008 during the second season of Chuck, starring Zachary Levi (Tangled) and Yvonne Strahovski (Dexter). There is a hostage situation on Christmas Eve at the Buy More when a recently unemployed bumbling fool literally drives through the front door. Once he pulls out a gun, Chuck must protect his family, friends and colleagues, without blowing his cover as spy extraordinaire (kind of). But all is not what it appears to be.
Chuck Versus Santa Claus finds a delightful balance between Christmas cheer and the hard-hitting sadness necessary to reflect the growing tension in Chuck and Sarah’s relationship. On the one hand, we meet Big Mike’s policeman cousin Big Al and Chuck himself is as festive as one would expect, telling tales of Christmases spent watching The Twilight Zone with eggnog and warning Sarah, ‘Prepare to be heart-warmed’. But on the other hand, unlike typical seasonal episodes, the story ends on a chilly note when Chuck gets a powerful reminder of why Sarah entered the spy business in the first place.
While not an ideal introduction to the show, this episode is a great illustration of what Chuck is all about: its characteristic blend of humour, action, romance and poignancy. Emma Boylan
