It’s October, the home of two prominent holidays when people get together and celebrate the good things in life: friends, family, and the things that make us jump out of our skin.
I’ve never really been the biggest fan of October; I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and I haven’t found anything fun to do for Halloween. But, like most people, when the leaves turn brown and start to fall down, I get sucked into the mood, and there’s no denying the enjoyment in all the ways the media likes to celebrate leaving summer behind.
So, here’s a list of a few TV episodes I like to watch to get into the October mood.
Gossip Girl, season three episode 11: “The Treasure of Serena Madre”
As promised, I’m not leaving Thanksgiving behind with this episode list. I’m honouring it by mentioning the funniest episode from the best—while also the worst—show I’ve ever seen: Gossip Girl. If you’re a Gossip Girl fan, then you already know exactly why I chose this episode.
Gossip Girl has its own home-grown Thanksgiving tradition: they take all the drama that’s been building up throughout the season and lay it all out on the Thanksgiving table for us to feast on.
While nearly every season of Gossip Girl has a Thanksgiving episode, by far my favourite is season three. Accompanied by Jason Derulo’s hit song “Whatcha Say,” we see all the main characters forced together at the dinner table dishing out secret acts and feelings, making for awkward dinner conversation with all families combined.
Gossip Girl, as always, stays true to the oldest Thanksgiving tradition in the book: arguing with your family.
Boy Meets World, season five episode 17: “And Then There Was Shawn”
When I first tried to get through Boy Meets World, I genuinely thought this was the designated fall holiday episode, and if you saw it, you would know why.
In a show that balances humour and deep topics, this episode hits the comedy genre most of the time. It parodies slasher movies that had come out recently back then, like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was cast in I Know What You Did Last Summer, also guest stars in this episode, tying the horror movie parody together.
I don’t have much attachment to this show, but this episode stands out for its great gags and fun mystery. Even though it originally aired in February, this horror movie montage is the perfect thing to get into the spooky mood this Halloween.
Gravity Falls, season one episode 12: “Summerween”
I would sing the praises of Gravity Falls up and down until my face turned blue. Any episode fits well in a Halloween setting; even though it’s a kids cartoon, the creators and animation team have never been afraid of hitting the screen with some genuinely horrifying visuals.
The Halloween episode, “Summerween,” is no exception. Even though the show takes place over one summer, the creators found the perfect excuse to craft their own Halloween episode in giving the fictional town of Gravity Falls a second Halloween in the summer. “Summerween” is filled with all the same October antics but modified for the summer season; they have watermelon jack-o-lanterns and their own set of Halloween folklore.
This episode is perfect to get into the Halloween mood while reminiscing about your childhood, because chances are, if you’re like me, watching this show was a huge part of growing up.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].