By: Maggie Kelly | Staff Writer
Thanksgiving break is easily one of the most crucial times of the year. For college students, it is the final few days of relaxation before classes end and finals week begins. For hosts of Thanksgiving dinner, it is an endless whirlwind of sweaters, cleaning and stuffing. And for those who hesitate to truly begin celebrating Christmas until now, it is the perfect start to the most wonderful time of year.
However, while it can sometimes be a loving celebration, more often than not Thanksgiving is one of the most chaotic and exhausting days of the year. Between family arguments, holiday stress and poor outfit choices, it can tend to become overwhelming. For all those looking to make a quick getaway, look no further. Here are the top five Thanksgiving-themed TV episodes. It’s a perfect opportunity to escape your own drama and instead get involved with the drama on the screen. (Warning: spoilers and obvious bias ahead)
5. Grey’s Anatomy – “Thanks for the Memories” (Season 2: Episode 9)
This episode of Grey’s was filled with all of the reasons why the show started off so well. Izzie is desperate to cook an amazing dinner, Christina is scavenging for alcohol and George is whisked away by his family to hunt the perfect turkey. All of this drama is unfolding as Meredith cares for a patient who has just woken from a sixteen-year coma, while also trying to avoid Derek (and his wife) at all costs. The only reason it’s so far down the list is the terrible presence of Dr. Burke, played by Isaiah Washington.
4. Gilmore Girls – “A Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving” (Season 3: Episode 9)
Our favorite mom and daughter are in way over their heads this holiday, with commitments to appear at four separate Thanksgiving dinners on the same day. Their first stop is Kim’s Antiques, with a horrifying encounter with tofurkey. Next they visit Sookie’s, who is stressed about her husband’s plan to deep fry a turkey. After that they go to Luke’s, where two of the best relationships of the show are beginning to take shape. Finally, they end their holiday at the grandparents, where Rory drops a huge bomb: she applied to Yale without telling her mom.
3. New Girl – “Thanksgiving” (Season 1: Episode 6)
To the dismay of her roommates, Jess asks her work crush to come and spend the holiday with them. The only problem is, they are completely unprepared. Winston decides to interrogate his possible future roommate, Schmidt is somehow even more of a control freak when he cooks and Nick is fighting his instincts to be horribly rude to Jess’s newest guy. Is that jealousy I’m sensing? Between the awkward argument between Nick and Jess about his lack of social skills, which everyone can hear of course, and the turkey in the dryer, this episode shows how the chaos of Thanksgiving is actually what makes it so memorable.
2. Gossip Girl “The Treasure of Serena Madre” (Season 3: Episode 11)Gossip Girl never wasted an opportunity for drama and in this holiday episode, arguments fill the screen. The iconic scene of every character storming away from the dinner table as Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say” provides the perfect background noise, quite simply changed my life. Pregnancy scares, adultery, and parent-child disagreements all come out in these forty-two minutes of captivating television. Rufus is clueless, Serena is flirting with a married guy (again), and Chuck and Blair are in arguably their best phase. The whole episode is overall unmatched and provides an amazing blend of drama and comedy for the holiday.
1. Friends – “The One With the Rumor” (Season 8: Episode 9)
If there is one TV show that reigned supreme in Thanksgiving episodes, its Friends. Their annual tributes to the holiday are always classics. In this episode, Monica runs into Will, an old friend of Ross’s from high school, who Rachel can’t seem to recall. Will is played by Brad Pitt, who’s appearance adds significant points to the episode’s notability. The only problem is, Will can’t stand Rachel. The ensuing fight leads to the perfect mix of arguments and laughter, all while Joey attempts to eat an entire turkey on his own.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
