My half of the Tuesday Top Ten

These top 10 lists are hard. I needed to get Allie’s input to make my final cut. Here’s my top 5, in order:

5) Sex and the City Season 6, Pt. II (Series Finale) “An American Girl in Paris, Part Deux”
I still bawl with happiness every time I watch this episode. Carrie (finally) realizes that Alek and Paris are all wrong for her, and she leaves him...just in time for Big to come into the hotel and sweep her back to New York. Sam tells Smith that he means more to her than any man she's ever known, Magda tells Miranda what we already know: that she truly loves Steve, and Charlotte and Harry get their baby. Oh, and Big's name is John. The finale's joy hasn't dulled in four years, and now we can look forward to the "extra" finale in four months' time when the movie comes out.

4) The Office, Season 2 “Casino Night”
We're a bit too young to remember 'Cheers' and Sam and Diane, so when our generation wants an unrequited love story that pulls at our heartstrings, we turn to Jim and Pam. For two seasons, we watched Jim pine over the engaged-to-an-asshole Pam; and Pam, for her part, spent quite a bit of time flirting back. It all came to a head in the second season finale, when Jim confessed his love to Pam, only to have her say "I'm sorry you misinterpreted things..." But just a few minutes later, as she talks to her mom on the phone, Jim comes in and kisses her -- and she returns the kiss. It was a perfect moment...at least until the third season, when the writers spent an entire season keeping them apart.

3) Battlestar Galactica, Season 2 “Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II”
Really, all three BSG finales could have made my list, but this one does because of the sheer balls-out audacity of Ron Moore to skip his show ahead an entire year near the end of this episode. But before that mindfrak, we had Roslin trying to rig the election, but she gets caught by Adama and we welcome in President Baltar. The first thing the new leader does is have sex with Gina, who then goes and blows up herself and the Cloud 9. Then we flash forward a year, and most of the fleet has settled on the surface of New Caprica, Lee is fat, he and Starbuck aren't speaking, Starbuck is married(!) to an ailing Anders, Adama has a mustache and the Galatica is empty. And then the Cylons show up. President Baltar offers up the surrender of mankind and the centurions move in. Holy crap. How did this come in third?

2) Lost, Season 3 “Through the Looking Glass”
I've said enough about Lost this week, but just to recap: this finale re-invigorated the show after a semi-lackluster season. It introduced an exciting new element in the flash-forward, and of course, a whole bunch of new questions. In addition, we bid a tearful farewell to Charlie, Hurley and his magic bus saved the day, Sayid killed a man with his feet, Sawyer shot Tom, and oh, yeah: they contacted the rescue team. Who may or may not be an actual rescue team.

1) Battlestar Galactica, Season 3 “Crossroads, Pt. II”
I couldn't pick just one BSG finale, so Season 3 made the cut, too. Even though it's been an entire year since Sci Fi actually PUT THE SHOW ON THE AIR, the twists and turns of this episode have stayed with me. First and foremost: the identity of four of the final five cylons are revealed (to the tune of "All Along the Watchtower"), and they're people that we know. I mean, Tigh's a cylon?!? Seriously? Meanwhile, Gaius is acquitted, Dee leaves Lee (thank the gods!), Roslin's cancer is back, and in the middle of all of the chaos, the Cylon fleet attacks. Lee sheds his lawyerly suit and gets back up in the air, only to witness the return of Starbuck to the land of the living (is she a cylon? only in Lee's head?). As if her resurrection wasn't enough, she tells Lee that she's been to Earth, she knows where it is, and she's going to take the fleet there. And then we spiral out and we see our Earth. God, I miss this show. I want it back, yesterday.