Main cast: Ariana Greenblatt (Ana Spelunky) and Merle Dandridge (Liz Mutton)
Directors: Emily Dean and Dave Wilson

Spelunky is a cute and very successful platform game that is a hit for casuals and autistic speed runners alike, and it spawned a sequel as well. Unlike some of the video games featured in this series, this one does deserve to be immortalized somewhat for its history and reputation.

Oh, and what a way to memorialize this game.

Spelunky: Tally is a simple story: young Ana Spelunky is frustrated about continuously dying on each of her runs through the subterranean caves in the game.

Liz Mutton, a more senior spelunker, attempts to drill some perspective into Ana, but how do you teach someone the meaning of death when death just means getting resurrected at the starting point to try again? If you don’t fear death, what else would you fear? 

Indeed, this short episode turns out to be an exemplary example of how to make an episode that is hard hitting to the feels even when it’s based on a platform game that doesn’t have much meaning of life hidden behind it. Add in some corny but effective philosophical speeches, made more poignant with uplifting, soaring music in the background, and have someone sneakily cut onions near me because I swear my tears up a bit by the time the episode ends. 

Switch out death for failures, and this episode is a short gut punch that I can really feel—hard—in a good way. Best episode in this series so far, by a long shot, so bravo!