Far be it for me to challenge your unpopular opinion in the Unpopular Opinion thread, but the answer to your question is obviously "All of the Above".

So many of these justifications for Westworld are interesting ideas in theory but totally unsuited for a $100M television show.

Yep, it was the absolute realization of the promise of "It's not TV, it's HBO".

So you're saying it's the Best Show on TV That Not Enough People are Watching? Because that sounds right.

The back half of Thrones S4 featured, in consecutive episodes:

S1 actually seems a bit quaint in retrospect, but when it premiered there had never been a show with its scope and ambition.

I honestly can't imagine watching the first sequence of the premiere and not mainlining the rest of S1 that weekend.

The premiere is one of the best episodes of the year and rest was a gradual descent into junk.

There's some absolute Hall of Fame Futurama episodes in the new run if you're willing to power through all the shitty episodes about apps.

Thrones S4 was the show at its absolute best!

I haven't watched it yet, but isn't it literally a seven (or whatever) -part miniseries?

Silence Silenced! Academy Axes Award Eligibility for Arrival, Censures Scorsese Score Appropriation and Manchester's Messiah Misuse!

Best Music Supervision, I guess? Could work, but so many people are confused by something as simple as the two sound categories that I don't know if this would have much broad appeal.

Before I watch this, is it all just backlit, centre compositions?

It always kind of bugged me that "She Smiled Sweetly" doesn't actually run into "Ruby Tuesday" on Between The Buttons. I mean, the latter isn't even on the UK pressing, which is the version I assume any respectable Tenenbaum would own.

But what if I gave an expositional voiceover for the next twenty minutes? Might that change your mind?

No, I don't think it makes it invalid either. Just, when you love a season back-to-front (like I did BoJack), the ones that stand out upon reflection seem to shine a little brighter.

Damn. I haven't watched Adventure Time in a few years but that clip was fucking amazing. Gotta get back on that.

Oops! Deleted my WW thoughts because I feel like I'm always dumping on it.

It was beautiful, but it so easy to just pick the format-breaker as the best episode for the year.