It is a TRAVESTY that Raisin Norman Bates is not on this list!
It had TWO classic segments. Not only did we have the preview to the amazing/brilliant Ice T television show, Planet Centaur - which hit every single hilarious quirk PFT has put into that character and that pulled some great improved scenes (... sorry) out of the guests - but we had the SINGLE GREATEST game of Would You Rather ever!
That Would You Rather makes you hate every other Would You Rather you've ever heard. Every single guest gets huge laughs, the escalation (Are they sentient, living beings? Can you fall in love with them? Is one of them a Greg Proops avatar?) is so fluid and builds on the ridiculousness of the last question, and the answers they all eventually give are so true to the characters we've heard the entire episode that it adds an emotional edge and logic to the utter insanity and complete hilarity that we've experienced. It had two CBB superstars doing two classic characters and a very accomplished improviser (and Chalktah sp?) humming along at full speed, each topping each other at every turn.
I mean, I loved most of the episodes on this list, and it's not an indictment of that, but Raisin Norman Bates is the pinnacle of this show for me (well, Time Bobby was great for its oddness and ability to push what this show can do) and it needs our respect. This was four pros just destroying for an hour. The energy went nowhere but up (and started at a high place), kept introducing new pieces that were then incorporated into the rest of the show, showcased the best of all four guests, and most of all, just kept getting funnier and funnier.
Jesse "The Bill" Ventura, people! What have you done?!!??
