TV Jukebox: Best of Spring 2012

The song: Warren Zevon, ''Keep Me in Your Heart''
The episode: ''Everyone Dies'' (822)
The hook: Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) spent eight seasons ripping his colleagues apart, both mentally and physically, so it was only fitting that he brought them all together on May 21 by faking his own death. ''You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse,'' sang Zevon, and a montage of the show's main player bore that out as they each functioned independently, yet inextricably linked to one another. But this wouldn't be House without a little zing. After Zevon's heartfelt folk, House met Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) for a motorcycle ride. Wilson was feeling wistful about his cancer diagnosis. House responded with a characteristically gruff, ''Cancer's boring,'' and the two of them put on their helmets and zoomed away to Louis Prima's ''Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think).''
Watch it! The doctors carry on as House rides off into the sunset at 39:38 on the show's Hulu. Sandra Gonzalez recapped the gang's final hurrah, which Ken Tucker called ''an unabashedly sappy ending, and yet a satisfying one.''

The song: Gang Gang Dance, ''Mindkilla''
The episode: ''All Adventurous Women Do'' (103)
The hook: Though Hannah (Lena Dunham) threw herself a stellar pity party to Robyn's ''Dancing on My Own'' at the end of Girls' April 29 ep, it was the party of one in an art gallery bathroom that really got the episode grooving. Hannah's roommate Marnie (Allison Williams) had been fighting tooth and nail against her withering relationship and needed some serious release. A cocky artist (Jorma Taccone) was happy to offer it, but Marnie managed to rebuff his come-on. That didn't mean she wasn't tempted, of course. Moments later, she shut herself in the gallery's bathroom for a little ''alone time'' as New York-based Gang Gang Dance's surging electro number pulsed underneath her undelayed gratification.
Watch it! Girls is available online only to HBO Go subscribers, but you can hear ''Mindkilla'' on YouTube.

The song: Andrew Belle Feat. Erin McCarley, ''In My Veins''
The episode: ''Always'' (423)
The hook: After seasons of back and forth between Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic), it seemed like their spark had fizzled for good on May 7 as Beckett rebuffed Castle's declaration of love. But then, as the episode neared its end, Castle was the only person Beckett could think of during a near-death moment. Forced to let down her guard, she showed up, rain soaked, on Castle's doorstep as Belle's tune soared, ''Everything will change. Nothing stays the same. Nobody is perfect... Oh, you?re in my veins, and I cannot get you out.''
Watch it! Beckett makes her move at 40:01 on Castle's Hulu. Find out why the couple's time had finally arrived after four seasons in Katic's interview with Sandra Gonzalez.

The song: Beirut, ''Goshen''
The episode: ''Chuck Versus the Goodbye'' (513)
The hook: While shippers of Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) were sent reeling by a series-closing relationship retrospective set to The Head and the Heart's ''Rivers and Roads,'' that moment wouldn't have been possible without Beirut's piano-tinkler-as-rallying-cry that set it up some 40 or so minutes earlier in Chuck's two-hour finale on Jan. 27. With Sarah's memory stolen by evil spies, Chuck's friends gathered 'round to encourage him to muster up all his spy know-how and get Sarah to remember and love him again. Chuck was self-deprecating about the mission. In any other show, Beirut's graceful ballad would be employed for utmost sap factor. In this instance, though, its slow build paralleled Chuck's sadness as he transitioned from defeat to hope. Leave it to Chuck to go out swinging, turning music-on-TV tropes on their head along the way.
Watch it! The Chuck finale is not online (shenanigans!), but you can listen to ''Goshen'' on Beirut's official site as you read Sandra Gonzalez's reaction to the series ender.

The song: ''Boogie Shoes,'' originally by KC & The Sunshine Band
The episode: ''Saturday Night Glee-ver'' (316)
The hook: There was no stopping transgender disco diva Unique (Glee Project contestant Alex Newell in his April 17 debut) as she belted out the 1975 dance hit with sass and panache. Boy, girl, or a little bit of both — nothing mattered but star power when Unique took the stage. ''Boogie Shoes'' blew the roof off at Regionals and was easily the best, most joyful performance of the night. Newell's return on the May 22 finale was similarly thrilling, sparking hope that Unique might just replace Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) as McKinley's reigning vocal queen next year.
Watch it! The ''Glee-ver'' clip is available on the show's official YouTube. See what other songs Erin Strecker had a (disco) ball listening to in her recap.

The song: Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound, ''Ne'er Do Wells''
The episode: ''See Red'' (1214)
The hook: Julie ''Fin'' Finlay (Elisabeth Shue) — or the ''blood whisperer,'' as former colleague D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) dubbed her — was fresh from an anger management course when she arrived in Las Vegas on CSI's Feb. 15 episode. In a bad-ass lab scene, Fin proved her prowess as a technician. Using a white tarp, several bottles of paint, and a couple of truly unfortunate dummies, she violently tore into the mannequins to test out blood splatter patterns. Talk about art therapy!
Watch it! ''Seeing Red'' is no longer available online, but you can hear ''Ne'er Do Wells'' on YouTube. Make sure to read Ken Tucker's review of Shue's ''engrossing'' debut.

The song: Mr. Little Jeans, ''Angel''
The episode: ''Con-Heir'' (518)
The hook: Love in an elevator! When a first attempt to bring their long-simmering relationship to a boil was ''the least sexy thing since Courtney Stodden,'' Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) were on the verge of breaking up on April 2. After trying (and failing) to bring the heat in various bedrooms and hotels across New York City, only Elisha Otis could help Dair find their mojo, not to mention join the 54-Story-High Club. There weren't only ''two hearts on fire,'' as the Rushmore-inspired songstress put it. I'm pretty sure there were some flaming loins up in there, too.
Watch it! ''Con-Heir'' is no longer available online, but you can hear ''Angel'' on YouTube.

The song: Sam Cooke, ''Nothing Can Change This Love''
The episode: ''Sweet Baby'' (101)
The hook: For the better part of Scandal's April 5 series debut, political fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) was tough as nails. Then, to the tune of Cooke's velvety 1962 piano tinkler, she fell apart. It was beautiful — and necessary. The hyper-romantic song was a smartly textured choice for a scene that saw Olivia's colleague Finch (Henry Ian Cusick) finally propose to his girlfriend while Olivia broke down in the next room. She had just discovered that her ex (and the love of her life) had lied to and betrayed her. Did I mention that he is also now the president of the United States, and his duplicity nearly cost a woman her life? With its winner-take-all stakes and on-point musical choices, Shonda Rhimes' newest offering proved as strong as Olivia — who, by episode's end, pulled herself back together and threatened to take POTUS down. Nothing can change this love, but it would seem nothing will stop Olivia Pope either.
Watch it! See the softer side of Olivia at 38:24 on Scandal's Hulu. Then see what Washington told Mandi Bierly about the premiere's heartbreaking twist.

The song: Johnny Mathis, ''Wonderful! Wonderful!''
The episode: ''Finishing the Hat'' (823)
The hook: In a hectic two-hour series finale on May 13, the Housewives experienced nearly all of life's milestones: birth, death, and a wedding. (The only thing missing was jury duty.) The crooner's 1957 tune offered up a dreamy coda to Wisteria Lane's most valuable second stringer, Mrs. McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten), who was taking her final breaths in sync with the series itself. While Bree (Marcia Cross) rushed to her side, others rushed to the hospital to welcome the daughter of Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen) and Porter Scavo (Charlie Carver). Forget Elton John, it was Mathis who sang this circle of life. Much of it was tragic, much was traumatic, and most was naughty, but all of it was wonderful, wonderful.
Watch it! Although we've come to the end of the Lane at 34:05 on Housewives' Hulu, that wasn't the end for all the characters. Read what happened next in Mandi Bierly's wrapup.

The song: Coldplay, ''Us Against the World''
The episode: ''Danny Boy'' (911)
The hook: It was a bittersweet moment as the show's greatest villain, Dan (Paul Johansson), met a sudden death on March 21. After Dan threw himself in front of a bullet to save his son Nathan (James Lafferty), he was led to the light by the brother he had, in fact, shot and killed many seasons ago. It was a moment of redemption and forgiveness that music supervisor Lindsay Wolfington thought would be perfectly underpinned by Coldplay's ''uplifting, hopeful, and epic'' tune. Hill creator Mark Schwahn used the track as inspiration while filming this critical scene because ''both lyrically and melodically it felt poetic,'' said Wolfington. She continued, ''The image of the two of them walking into the light as Chris Martin sings, 'Through chaos as it swirls, it's us against the world,' [showed the] two brothers, side by side, as it always should've been.''
Watch it! Bros before throes at 37:48 on OTH's official page.

The song: Florence + The Machine, ''Seven Devils''
The episode: ''Reckoning'' (122)
The hook: Did they really just do that?! After a fight almost to the death, statutory rape, a broken engagement, and a surprise pregnancy, it didn't seem possible Revenge could have any more jaw droppers in store for its May 23 finale. And then Florence Welch's ominous warble began to thrum underneath the closing scenes: ''Holy water cannot help you now.'' It was on. Over the next five minutes, scheming matriarch Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe) boarded a plane after betraying her husband, and Welch sang, ''See, I've had to burn your kingdom down.'' Conrad (Henry Czerny), who previously took part in a plane downing, told her, ''If you board that plane, it'll be the last thing you do.'' Cue Welch, ''I'm gonna raise the stakes. I'm gonna smoke you out.'' Indeed, it appeared he had made good on his threats as news reports showed the flaming wreckage of Victoria's aircraft. Meanwhile, the eerie tune continued, showing that no one in the Hamptons would be safe with ''seven devils all around you, seven devils in my house'' as another Grayson -- Victoria and Conrad's daughter Charlotte (Christa B. Allen) -- took a possibly lethal dose of pills. Sang Welch, ''I'll be dead before the day is done.'' EP Mike Kelley told Tanner Stransky, ''We needed an epic feel. We needed something that felt really dangerous and really emotional and raw and frightening.'' Mission accomplished.
Watch it! What goes up must come down at 37:23 on Revenge's Hulu. After Christian Blauvelt picked his jaw up off the floor, he recapped the diabolically delicious events that led to Victoria's rapid descent.

The song: Florence + The Machine, ''Shake It Out''
The episode: ''No Pressure'' (717)
The hook: HIMYM's Feb. 20 ep opened and closed with a rain storm: First as Ted (Josh Radnor) told ''Mother'' he loved her for the first time, then right after he uttered those same three little words to Robin (Cobie Smulders). When Robin did not reciprocate, Ted decided to drown his sorrows at McLaren's. Soon enough, he realized that ending it with Robin signaled the first time in years that his world was full of possibility. And as we knew from the opening scene, it was only from heartbreak that he would find the love of his life. As Florence Welch undulated toward the song's chanting climax, Ted walked out into the rain and was met by a flood of bright yellow umbrellas — the very same shade of yellow Ted and ''Mother'' would stand under years later when their relationship went from like to love. Underpinned by the song's rousing, hopeful chorus, the moment was visually breathtaking and an all-around spirit lifter.
Watch it! ''No Pressure'' is no longer available online, but you can hear ''Shake It Out'' on Florence + The Machine's YouTube while reading Michelle Profis' recap.

The song: The Yardbirds, ''Turn Into Earth''
The episode: ''The Born-Again Identity'' (720)
The hook: The jangling, thumping background of ''Turn Into Earth'' was like a marching song for Castiel (Misha Collins) — the angel who was brought back from the dead in Supernatural's March 23 ep — as he charged on a mental hospital where Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) was being held. In doing so, Castiel unleashed on a crowd of guard demons, causing dramatic beams of light to shoot from their heads. As the light flooded out, Castiel's erased memories flooded back in. Unfortunately, Castiel's complicated history with the Winchester brothers meant that those memories ran the gamut from the good to the bad to the murderous. The flashes of light on screen stood in contrast to the 1966 blueser's moody lyrics, ''I feel my mind turning away to the darkness,'' which was exactly what Castiel was doing as he was reminded of his dark past.
Watch it! Castiel takes a harrowing trip down memory lane starting at 34:25 on Supernatural's Hulu. EW's own Super-fan Sandra Gonzalez set up the stakes of Castiel's twisty return a couple weeks ago, and posted her reaction to the ep right after it aired.

The song: Ross Copperman, ''Holding On and Letting Go''
The episode: ''The New Deal'' (310)
The hook: Months before Damon and Elena's hotel hookup on April 19, Diaries made it clear in the Jan. 5 midseason premiere that the Virginia gal (Nina Dobrev) would be grappling with her passion for Damon (Ian Somerhalder) versus her faith in Damon's brother Stephan (Paul Wesley) throughout the season's second half. Delena's first kiss was a moment two and a half seasons in the making, and Copperman's meditative melody was a stunning accompaniment. After several characters nearly died, Elena was forced to rely on Damon. They each grappled with familial guilt (she for sending her brother away, he for betraying his brother) as they stood on the Gilberts' front porch. Their internal arguments reached a thrilling climax in classic Damon style as he declared, ''No. No. You know what? If I'm gonna feel guilty about something, I'm gonna feel guilty about this.'' The passionate kiss left Elena happily stunned as Copperman sang, ''The quiet rush of one breath is all we're waiting for. Sometimes the one we're taking changes every one before. It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't. It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed.''
Watch it! ''The New Deal'' is no longer available online, but you can listen to ''Holding On and Letting Go'' on Copperman's MySpace while reading Mandi Bierly's take on the ''Finally!'' moment, plus her interview with Diaries' EP Julie Plec.

The song: Graffiti6, ''Stone in My Heart''
The episode: ''One Step Too Far'' (817)
The hook: How better to kick start an ep about rampant suspicion than with a thumping beat? When Cristina (Sandra Oh) thought husband Owen (Kevin McKidd) was cheating on her on March 15, she went through all the stages of matrimonial insecurity — sleeplessness, checking her significant other's phone, showing up at work to ''bring him coffee.'' The London pop-rockers' caffeinated track was a great sonic accompaniment to her paranoia-induced insomnia, which only got worse when she clapped eyes on sexy nurse Emily (Summer Glau) trolling the halls of Seattle Grace.
Watch it! The song starts right at the top on Grey's Hulu. You can find out how the rest of the episode played out in Breia Brissey's recap.

The song: Wye Oak, ''Civilian''
The episode: ''18 Miles Out'' (210)
The hook: Between infidelity and insubordination, Dead's hero, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), has had a tempestuous couple of seasons with former partner Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), to say the least. At the end of the Feb. 26 episode, the two reached a temporary détente on the condition that Shane would fall in line with Rick's leadership. As they drove down the road, the somber first notes of the Baltimore indie rockers' track began to play. Sitting in the passenger seat, Shane spotted a zombie he'd seen earlier in the hour trudging through a field completely alone. The moment underscored Shane's own loneliness, mostly self-imposed, but the lyrics (''I don't need another friend, when most of them I can barely keep up with'') and the reappearance of the walker also implied that Shane will never be able to passively follow Rick's lead.
Watch it! ''18 Miles Out'' isn't available online, but you can hear ''Civilian'' on Wye Oak's official site. Darren Franich recapped the ep, and Clark Collis also chatted with creator Robert Kirkman about it.

The song: Death Cab for Cutie, ''Transatlanticism''
The episode: ''Remember Me, I'm The One Who Loves You'' (317)
The hook: The title track from the Seattle indie-emo kings' 2003 album may be more than eight years old, but its urgency has not abated with time. Music supervisor Liza Richardson allowed the epic track to play almost in its entirety as the all-encompassing final act to the season's penultimate episode on Feb. 21. Frontman Ben Gibbard and guitarist Chris Walla's meditation on love, longing, and loss — girded by the insistent refrain, ''I need you so much closer'' — grew and developed as the scenes shuttled between various members of the Braverman clan. First, with quiet melancholy as Julia (Erika Christensen) learned she would not be taking home the adopted baby she already loved as her own, then as Amber (Mae Whitman) stopped fighting to be grown up for a moment and allowed herself to fall into the arms of her mother, Sarah (Lauren Graham). The song soared to its crescendo as Jasmine (Joy Bryant) summoned her courage to reveal her feelings for sometime boyfriend/baby daddy Crosby (Dax Shephard), reuniting their family and setting the stage for their wedding, set to a choral cover of ''Make You Feel My Love,'' in the season finale.
Watch it! The epic, six-minute denouement begins at 37:18 on Parenthood's Hulu.

The song: Rusted Root, ''Send Me on My Way''
The episode: ''The Landlord'' (112)
The hook: There are hardly words to describe the cringe-larious near three-way between Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Nick (Jake M. Johnson), and their landlord Remy (deliciously creepy Jeff Kober). Imagine the most nightmarish seduction scenario possible, from foreplay that included animal blood shout-outs to a shoulder massage from a guy who makes basement cheese, then add to it this wildly inappropriate track from the Pittsburgh jam band who put the sex in sextet. Oh yeah, and throw in some spastic Jess dancing. Throughout its freshman season, New Girl consistently incorporated out-of-the-blue nostalgic, brilliantly strange, and sometimes poignant musical choices, but the Feb. 7 ep took the cake (and almost Nick's underpants).
Watch it! ''The Landlord'' is available only to Hulu Plus subscribers, but you can listen to ''Send Me on My Way'' on Rusted Root's YouTube while reading our recap.

The song: The Rescues, ''My Heart With You''
The episode: ''The Blond Leading the Blind'' (217)
The hook: It looked like it was the end of the road for Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) and his taboo teacher's pet Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) on the Jan. 23 episode of Liars. Daniel Ahearn's ''I Will Let You Go'' set up Ezra's moral dilemma as he debated standing up a clandestine rendezvous while the little moppet was waiting alone in a torrential downpour. The Rescues' haunting, Imogen Heap-esque a capella underscored the couple's make-or-break moment and gave voice to what was in Ezra's heart: ''I keep you secretly. I studied every line. You're etched upon my mind for not a million soldiers could take you from me.'' In the end, his emotions overruled his head, and he showed up, sweeping Aria in his arms to make a grand affirmation of his feelings — parents and puddles be damned!
Watch it! This ep is no longer available online, but you can hear ''My Heart With You'' on The Rescues' YouTube.

The song: Beach Boys, ''I Just Wasn't Made for These Times''
The episode: ''Far Away Places'' (506)
The hook: On April 22, Roger Sterling (John Slattery) dreaded the fuddy duddy dinner party with his wife Jane (Peyton List). Oh, but this was not your dad's dinner party. It was an LSD-dropping psychedelic exploration. Just as Roger really started to delve into the Inception-like levels of his psyche, the surf rock icons' 1966 ditty began to play (and was later overlaid with another, older song about a couple drifting apart that spoke directly to Roger's relationship with Jane). The Beach Boys' song about the loss of innocence not only nailed the implications of Roger's first experience with mind-altering drugs, but also had deeper resonance in an episode, not to mention a season, that saw Men's various characters frightened by unavoidable, frightening and having to address them head-on.
Watch it! Mad Men episodes aren't available online, but you can catch up with Adam B. Vary's recap while you listen to the Boys on YouTube.

The song: EMA, ''Breakfast''
The episode: ''The Penalty Box'' (321)
The hook: The Good Wife season finale ended with a stunning gun-in-hand scene of Kalinda (Archie Panjabi) preparing to face down her ex-husband to the tune of Beach House's ''Real Love,'' but the cagey lawyer's growing anxiety in this make-or-break cliffhanger wouldn't have been nearly as effective without a set-up scene from the April 15 ep. After an associate threatened Kalinda's life, she paid a visit to FBI agent Lana Delaney (Jill Flint) to try to convinced her to drop her investigation. In a moment of exquisite sexual tension, Kalinda employed all her feminine wiles to win over the by-the-book Lana, and the breathy, yearning tone of ''Breakfast'' from South Dakotan singer-songwriter Erika M. Anderson, a.k.a. EMA, was spot-on. Anderson may have been singing, ''You feel just like a breeze to me,'' but Jukebox was feeling more steam.
Watch it! ''The Penalty Box'' is no longer available online, but you can hear the song on YouTube while learning about the narrative foreplay in Breia Brissey's recap and reading what show creators Robert and Michelle King told Mandi Bierly all about the almost-too-hot-for-TV scene.

The song: Boney M, ''Gotta Go Home''
The episode: ''A Spectre Calls'' (404)
The hook: Disco may be dead, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't come back to haunt on March 17. The ''show tune'' came courtesy of Kirby (James Lance), the ghost of a 1970s serial killer who visited the BH house bent on infanticide. After Kirby manipulated the roommates into leaving him alone with baby Eve, he celebrated with a dance that was less psycho killer and more Tony Manero. In step with the German disco ballers' 1979 hit, Kirby worked it all around the house, including some mime-tastic rope pulling, a distinctly bouncy Charleston, and what appeared to be a choreographic homage to Whac-A-Mole. Lance ''spent quite a few hours on YouTube finding examples of 1970s disco and put that dance together himself,'' explained Human's creator/exec producer Toby Whithouse. ''The first time he did it on set, he got a spontaneous round of applause from the crew.''
Watch it! This episode isn't available online, but Aubry D'Arminio's chat with Whithouse is a must-read while you get groovin' to ''Gotta Go Home'' on Boney's M's official site.

The song: The Raveonettes, ''War in Heaven''
The episode: ''Medallion'' (113)
The hook: Great Danes! The Raveonettes' dreamy yet pulsing rocker played during a stage-setting montage ending Circle's Feb. 2 episode. The insistent thrum of the guitars expressed the mounting tension as Melissa (Jessica Parker Kennedy) spiraled into a drug problem, a witch hunter murdered an informant, and Adam (Thomas Dekker) received a creative birthday present from off-again girlfriend Diana (Shelley Hennig). The song really kicked into action as wicked witch Faye (Phoebe Tonkin) allowed herself to give in to temptation for former flame Jake (Chris Zylka). By the time the montage reached its climax — teen witch Cassie (Britt Robertson) grappling with the surging dark energy she inherited from her mystery-shrouded father — the song mimicked the gusting winds in a mystical, musical denouement.
Watch it! ''Medallion'' is no longer available online, but you can listen to ''War in Heaven'' on The Raveonettes' official site.

The song: Gogol Bordello, ''60 Revolutions''
The episode: ''Driving Miss Dalia'' (110)
The hook: The band's Gypsy punk stomper was a hilarious inclusion during an Eastern Promises-style steam room fight over — of all things — country club admission. After non-club member George (Jeremy Sisto) was kicked out of the steam room on Jan. 4, he relied on Noah (Alan Tudyk) for sponsorship. Noah's subsequent slacking inspired George to launch an escalating campaign of retaliation, including but not limited to using Noah's shampoo and his deodorant. George finally stormed into the steam room fully clothed and spat at Noah that his shampoo ''robbed my hair of body and stripped it of shine.'' Not to be insulted, Noah called George a ''G-bag.'' Cue the altercation, where the ''60 Revolutions'' in question were the men going 'round and 'round in the least manly fight ever while at least two other naked dudes looked on.
Watch it! George gets all steamed up at 12:15 on Suburgatory's Hulu.

The song: Matt Nathanson Feat. Sugarland, ''Run''
The episode: ''The Big Day'' (122)
The hook: And speaking of steam.... Even without the rain, the heated interactions between Zoe (Rachel Bilson) and Wade (Wilson Bethel) have been steamy since Dixie started last fall. But, indeed, it was a rainstorm that drove the clashing neighbors together on May 14. After scrapping for most of the hour, they acknowledged the sexy elephant in the room, resolved to get the tension out of their systems, and moved in to seal their deal with a kiss -- only to be interrupted. A long car ride home simmered thanks to Josh Abbott Band's ''Touch,'' and the odd couple went their separate ways. For a little while at least. Their magnetic attraction couldn't be ignored, and Zoe made the first move, underlined by an appropriately sultry from Nathanson and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles.
Watch it! No rain, no gain at 36:40 on Dixie's official page. What did Sandra Gonzalez think about the big moment? (Like you need to guess!)