I like boring, ordinary episodes of shows. Maybe they're there to take a breath between shattering changes, or episodes where Things Will Never Be The Same Again.
For example, there is an episode of sealab 2021 where everything is played straight, like a serious episode.
Data's Day is one of the finest episodes of TNG, and it's explained as just another day on the Enterprise. There is also Lower Decks, which showed what life is like for people who aren't on A shift.
Fffffuck, another one comes to mind. Hollow Pursuits, in which you get to see the A shift through a pair of eyes, which occasionally shows them in a less than flattering light.
(Riker is a sleazeball, Geordi is a whiny micro manager, Picard is a doddering oldie.)
I've heard there is an episode of "It's always sunny" where instead of being an escalating progression of hijinks, they are portrayed as bitter mean drunks. And we all remember how Seinfeld ended, where their quirky foibles were judged from without, and their character was found wanting.
If you've got other examples, I'd be happy to take a look.