Top 10 Best Victorious Episodes

Let’s face it, Trina is a lot to take. For the most part, people have learned just to ignore her, but everyone has a breaking point...When Trina’s harness breaks during a performance it is discovered that someone may indeed have it out for her. Everybody is a suspect, and everybody has a different memory of how the backstory played out. As the conflicting accounts pile up, it seems impossible to figure out who would actually go so far as to hurt Trina. Eventually the only conclusion is that it really must have been just an accident. And just like that the tension diffuses. Until we get just one more twist. You know, we’re rethinking our opinion on Rex now.

Hollywood Arts is not your typical high school, and usually that’s a good thing, but Tori is disappointed to discover that one thing it doesn’t have is a prom. Fortunately she has the support to correct this oversight, even if all of her innovations aren’t universally applauded. Unfortunately, the event brings her into yet another conflict with Jade. In typical Jade fashion, she seeks out to get her revenge, sabotaging the Prome with creepy videos and hiring an entertainer named Doug the Diaper guy. Tori’s nothing if not a creative problem solver though. After naming Jade and Doug the Prome King and Queen she removes the problem, and gets the party back on track with a song that even the rain can’t put a damper on.

Beck and Jade sit squarely in the category of TV couples that make us ask, “Why?” This pair apparently thrives on petty drama; it’s exhausting to watch. When Beck becomes friends with another girl, Jade’s jealousy kicks off an argument that pushes her over the edge. Though Jade almost immediately regrets her decision, Beck doesn’t seem interested in making up. Enter poor Tori as a reluctant mediator. While her advice inadvertently leads to a furry situation, it also helps Beck and Jade realize how much they care about each other. It’s an unexpectedly sweet moment from a pair that is usually anything but. Meanwhile, in the B plot, Trina reinvents Chicago is the most Trina way possible.

No one would envy Tori with the job of being stuck as Trina’s personal assistant for a month. Good thing she has an opportunity to get out of the deal early. All she has to do is win a private concert from Ke$ha, no big deal. As she and her friends dig through gallons of ice cream looking for the letters they need it starts to look like an impossible task. But in the end all it takes is a second wind, an unpopular flavor, and a little grovelling to get them the last piece. Freed from Trina’s clutches, Tori and her friends get to enjoy the sweet sound of success. By which we mean a quality Ke$ha banger.

Let’s start at the very beginning, a VERY good place to start. It’s hard to remember that Tori wasn’t always a performer, but in the first episode of the show she’s just a normal kid at a normal high school. Until, that is, in an incident right out of a movie musical, she is thrust into the spotlight as a last minute replacement for Trina. Her performance earns her a spot at Hollywood Arts. This episode gave us so much of what we would define “Victorious,” including great music and the introduction of the characters we would instantly love. Or love to hate. We saw that what Tori lacked in experience she could make up for in nerve. What’s not to love?

At first glance “Victorious” probably doesn’t look like it has anything in common with John Hughes’ seminal ode to adolescent angst, “The Breakfast Club.” The two worlds collide when the Hollywood Arts gang lands themselves in an all day detention. The film is heavily referenced in the library setting, the costumes the characters wear, and in the antagonistic Vice Principal in charge. But the episode rises to a masterpiece in the group’s daring quest for tacos. The retrieval operation is practically a shot for shot remake of the original scene, and a delightful watch for fans of the movie. With a little gentle parody and it’s own brand of joyful goofiness, “Victorious” gave us a loving tribute to a quintessentially teenage classic.

Sometimes a tense relationship in real life can translate into magical chemistry on stage. Not so much for Tori and Jade. When the pair are cast as a husband and wife, neither are thrilled about it and it shows. In an effort to improve their dramatic relationship, Sikowitz orders them out on a date. With the threat of a failing grade hanging over them, Tori and Jade can’t do anything but tough it out. Until a pair of obnoxious guys take the evening from uncomfortable to insufferable. Finally united in a cause, Tori and Jade combine their voices to deliver an epic blow off. It’s always a treat to see what these two talented frenemies can accomplish when they manage to team up.

Sikowitz’s teaching style is definitely out of the box. Sometimes it’s out of the school entirely. His method acting challenge was already bound to be a good time when he let the students choose each other’s roles. However, watching them compete to stay in those characters at a slumber party was the kind of silly fun that “Victorious” excels at. Each cast member got to show their comedic talents playing a very different kind of outsized character. Meanwhile the competitive sides of Tori, Beck, and Jade really came through in their impressive commitment to the exercise. Was it a good idea for a teacher to host an overnight event at his home? Nope. But We think Sikowitz learned his lesson.

There’s a lot packed into this two-part episode, including some excellent physical comedy from the perpetually underrated Daniella Monet. However, it goes down in history as a showcase for two of the best songs Victorious ever produced. While out at a karaoke bar, Jade and Cat find themselves sucked into a rivalry with a pair of girls who don’t know what they’re in for. Elizabeth Gillies and Ariana Grande absolutely slay in their performance of “Give it Up.” Of course, it’s not enough to beat nepotism. Thirsty for revenge, Cat and Jade enlist Tori to even the score. The other girls are tricked into choosing her as their challenger, and Tori delivers a TKO of a final performance.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Helen Back Again”
As if There Was Any Doubt They Belonged at Hollywood Arts

“Beggin’ on Your Knees”
Nobody Plays With Tori Vega’s Heart

“Wi-Fi in the Sky”
Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions...And a Creative Episode Premise!

“The Diddly-Bops”
Sometimes Success Doesn’t Look the Way You’d Expect

“Tori the Zombie”
Beauty is Only Skin Deep

As a heat wave scorches LA the gang strikes out for the relief of the beach. Unfortunately, their plans are interrupted when a tight parking job leaves them trapped inside Beck’s RV. They don’t panic at first, thinking Cat will soon return to free them, which was maybe not the best Plan B. Their suffering is our gain though, as we get to witness their increasingly desperate attempts to stay cool. Tensions flare, and misery climbs until all that’s left is the classic musical theater solution of singing it out. We all know that everything will be fine, but watching the cast at their pathetic best is still one of the funniest moments of the series.