#68. Family Ties (1987) "A' My Name is Alex"

This particular episode, a two-parter airing first on March 12, 1987, tackles death when Alex processes through the loss of his friend Greg and the guilt he feels because he should have been in the car. This episode takes an unconventional narrative approach, with Alex interacting with memories and his subconscious in almost dream-like vignettes, revealing layers of his personality and insecurities. This shift from the usual sitcom format allowed the episode to explore themes of grief and self-discovery more profoundly, earning critical acclaim, including an Emmy for its outstanding writing, a Writer's Guild and Director's Guild award.

Aside from its unconventional approach, outstanding writing and directing, and increidble acting, there's another aspect to the episode that can't be overlooked ... the fact that a lot of kids experience loss and really had no idea how to process their emotions much less how to talk to their parents about them, and their parents were also ill-equipped to help their kids through these complex emotions. Seeing someone else going through similar emotions had to have helped countless families through a medium that we sometimes forget really can do so much good.

Undoubtedly, this episode (both 1 & 2, counting them as a single episode) belong on this list. Do yourself a favor and download Pluto on your streaming device and watch this Season 5, Episode 23/24 masterpiece. The blend of humor mixed with pain reminds you why you love television ... and reminds us what televisoin really can be.

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