[jill_valentine]

You know 'em when you see 'em. That amazing little scene that stays with you, regardless of how crap the rest of the episode, or even the season gets. Spoilerish, but most of this stuff is a few years old, so where the hell have you been? in no particular order...

*ER. (Eh...The one after Carter and Lucy are stabbed.) The Teaser.
We know the psycho is after stabbing the two, but unfortunately, nobody else does. For five agonising minutes, we follow the camera as it flies past the room we know they're dying in and follows the various people who pass by unaware. They grumble about the X Ray light, chat about the Valentines Day party and mutter about work. Eventually, casually, Weaver opens the door, and we only see her face as she screams. Cue opening credits.

* Buffy, The Body. The first fifteen minutes or so.
I was initially torn between this, the arrival of the Gentlemen or Buffy leaving Sunnydale at the end of s2. But this wins hands down. The whole scene is in near-real time. No music, no credits, no SFX. Buffy comes home and finds her mother dead, and reacts not like a superpowered killer of vampires, but like a 19 year old girl. She panics, she vomits, she's irrational. SMG is not my favourite person in the world, but by christ, she can act.

* Angel, Five By Five. The fight with Faith.
Faith kidnaps Wesley to bait Angel. While she waits, she gleefully tortures him with fire and bits of glass. Angel shows up, and together they demolish the apartment in a savage brawl (She uses the ceiling as a weapon?!?) that eventually spills out into the street. Angel matches her blow for blow, but doesn't attack her. He tells her he's not going to kill her like she wants, and she breaks down. Cracking scene. Simple, effective, memorable, and for most people its the first time they realise that there's more to Faith than meets the eye. The episode that follows is also a great one, that highlights just how different Angel is to its parent show.

*Dark Angel. Pilot. Max's robbery.
If there was CGI involved, I was fooled. I only saw the scene once, but it made an impact. Max has to rob a very high, very heavily guarded building. Its the coolest damn stunt I've ever seen on TV, if thats what it was. She clicks a rope to the back of her belt, and swings, superman style over the street. The rest of the series was a bit shonky at times, but its hard to argue with a sequence like that.

*The Invisible Man, Pilot. Darien goes invisible for the first time.
Good lord this was cool. Darien sweats silver stuff. It crawls out from his pores in little puddles, out from under his hair, in between his fingers and eventually over his eyes. The last we see of his face he looks terrified. It just looked really cool, and I don't recall them ever doing it with such detail and care again after that.

*Friends. The one where Ross and Rachel break up.
Say what you will about Friends (And you'll probably be right) there was some intense acting in this. After all the pizza and leg wax jokes stop, and it gets right down to the dirty business of a savage break up, its like a play, only interesting. Two people in a room, having a messy row and breaking up, while their friends can only listen from the next room. And thats it.

*24, S1, 23.00-24.00 Nina makes her getaway. Or not.
Jacks' saved the day. The badguys are dead, his daughter is alive, the president is safe and for now nobodys noticed the gigantic glaring plot holes because it was all so much fun. Its all rosy for our steel-bladdered hero. But, like the scouring of the Shire, Hurricane Nina (El Nina?) of the malteser like hair skews it all, and secures her place as the Janice of 24's rogues gallery.

*The Sopranos. (The psychiatrist is raped.)
Whoa. Just whoa. Even for the Soprano's this was brutal. Whoa.

*Roswell, Pilot. Teaser.
We meet Liz. Think of Katie Holmes without the deranged smile, or the massive sentences. She's a nice gal, a waitress in a cafe that caters to tourists. She and her friend Maria as they work. A fight breaks out among two customers, and Liz catches a bullet. Step forward tall, dark and desperately attractive Max. (We're supposed to believe that he is a social outcast?) Ignoring his friends protests, he pulls off a miracle, smashes a bottle of ketchup to hide the blood, and then runs. Sarah McLachlan wails herself unconscious, and Liz is left wondering what the hell just happened. Sadly the rest of the series never really topped or even equalled it. Good scene though.

*Ultraviolet. (Lady with a broken back visits the main character...)
I never got into Ultraviolet, much as I wanted to, but this was...memorable. A woman walks through the apartment doorway. Wearing bits of hospital equipment and an open backed gown, we clearly see her spine is all over her back. "They fixed me" she says sweetly, as I wonder if her vertebrae could make up my initials. A similar image is now has a recurring cameo in most of my nightmares.

[Dr. Dre]

Ah Jill, that ER sequence is a feckin' brilliant piece of TV.
I love the part where Romano is trying to save Lucy in the OR, it's the first time you see any emotional side to his character.

I also like the build up to the 'union station' episode, where Sherry Stringfield leaves - first series maybe?

[jill_valentine]

That whole episode was heart breaking. I finally worked up the strength to tape over it last year. Jill, I said, its time to move on. Its been four years. Paul f**king Sobriki was never a real person. Neither was Lucy. Just tape over it, and get on with your life!

I taped over it with The Body. I'm such an idiot.

I battled whether to go with that bit or the bit where they stitch up Lucys chest...but the sheer tension of that bit was what made it. Romano losing his arm came close, but the ridiculous death of Romano undermined it in retrospect...

[David Lynch]

Episode 2 of Twin Peaks first season. The very last scene, Coopers dream.

David Lynch takes us into the black lodge within Cooper's dream and we see Laura Palmer and a dwarf all talking backwards. wtf? This started it all for me. It was parodied in the second episode of the who shot mr. burns two parter of the simpsons, remember Chief Wiggums dream with dancing Lisa?

[Elmo]

You know 'em when you see 'em. That amazing little scene that stays with you, regardless of how crap the rest of the episode, or even the season gets. Spoilerish, but most of this stuff is a few years old, so where the hell have you been? in no particular order...

Wow Jill you get in all that TV and you manage soaps as well.

Cool.

The practice

1. when the Nun tried to kill Elenor and The DA.

2. or when the small fat DA was killed at the end of one series.

3. The head in the DOCTORS bag. lol.

[jill_valentine]

Soaps! I can't believe I left out soaps completely! Who can forget "You ain't my Mum!" "Yes Oi Yam!"!

[TCamen]

Can't disagree with any picks so far, except for 'er' cos I don't watch it

To start I'm gonna add two moments to the list, both from Alias, season 2 Finale 'The Telling'...

*Faux Francie Revealed:
The moment Syd realises Francie, her room-mate has been replaced with a double. Lengthy girl-on-girl fight ensues which is incredibly well-directed and vicious - better than anything in Kill Bill, sorry Quentin

*Fast-Forward 2 Years:
After the fight, Syd wakes up in Hong Kong, with no memory of how she got there, and a mysterious scar on her abdomen. She calls the CIA to check in and it turns out she's been missing for the past 2 years...Roll Credits
Talk about hair-raising moments, and both in the same episode

*Angel 'Hole In The World'/ 'Not Fade Away'
(FINALE SPOILER BEWARE) : Spoiler: Fred's death was beautifully handled, and it was so touching with Wesley at her side as Illyria took over her body and banished Fred's soul forever. In the Angel Finale 'Not Fade Away', as Wes lies dying, Illyria morphs into Fred, and we get a heartbreaking, tearful goodbye as Wes dies. Yes I did cry *sniff*

*Angel 'The Trial': The closing moments of the episode after Angel tried in vain to keep Darla alive. Darla accepts her impending death, when the door springs open, Wolfram & Hart commandos tazer Angel back and Drusilla comes in the door to make Darla a vampire once more *spine tingles*

*Profiler 'Modus Operandi': The moment Sam realises that Jack has been murdering anyone connected to her life. Finding out he murdered the doctor that delivered her *shiver*

*Babylon 5 'Signs and Portents': The first glimpse of the Shadows, we know the series has big plans in store, and it doesn't disappoint.

*Ally McBeal: The Dancing Baby...first time the Baby appears, whatever about the rest of the series, it was a classic moment.

*Millennium 'Lamentation': Lucy Butler comes down the stairs, and in the flash of lightning, we get a brief glimpse of a winged demon, So damn cool.

*The X-Files 'Duane Barry' : Scully's (alien) abduction.

*The X-Files 'Leonard Betts': When Betts says to Scully "I'm sorry, but you have something I need", and he only feeds on cancerous tumours....

24 Season 1 '5am - 6am': Terri gets the call from Nina and discovers that the real Alan York is dead, and the man next to her in the car is an imposter..beep beep beep..

This may be a first installment if I think of more classic moments

[User45701]

Dammit! i was just logging to to post a topic like this! oh well u beet me to it.

DS9 - "What we leave behind"
2 great bits

1.
Wayun: Emergency power is comming back online
Wayun: I dont belive it
Female shapeshifter: What now?
Wayun: The cardassian fleet has turned against us
Female shapeshifter: Have our forces pull back and regroup at cardassia prime
Wayun: But we will be totally surrounded
Female shpeshifter: We should have rid ourselves af the cardassians at the first sign of rebellion
*Wayun and Female shapeshifer both at Legat Brilka (Cardassian uninion leader)*
Brilka: If you would let me talk to the traitors
Wayun: Perhaps u could reawaken there patrotic feelings
Brilka: Exeatly
Wayun: On the other hand there just as likley to convince u to betray us
Brilka: Me? Betray u, Never!
Felame shpeshifter: Thats wight we are not going to give u that opertunity
*Brilka gets draged away by gemhader soldiers*
Brilka: But ive done everything u have asked i belive in the dominion no wait NOOOOOOOOOOOO
Wayun: I wont miss him
Female shpaeshifter: I want the cardassians exterminated
Wayun: Which ones?
Female shpaeshifter: all of the the entire population
Wayun: That will take some time....
Female shapeshifter: Then i suggest that you begin at once.

2.
Kira: Now i want you to contact the Gemhadar and the breen and you order there ships to stand down
Gereck: And order the troops on cardassia to do the same
Female shapeshifter: I will do no such thing
Wayun: Tell me where is my old friend damar?
Gareck: He is dead, he died trying to free cardassia
Wayun: Whats left of it
*gareck shoots wayun*
Female shapeshifter: I wish you hadent done that, that was wayuns last clone
Gareck: I was hopeing you would say that
Kira: This war is over - youve lost
Female shapeshifter: Have I? I think you will find that neither the Gemhader or the breen will agree with that assesment, they will fight to the last man.
Kira: And what will that acomplish?
Female shapeshifter: Isent it obvious? U may win this war but when it is over i promise you, you will have lost so many ships so many lives that your victory will taste as bitter as defeat

Those are both brillent scenes i love them so much.

[ixoy]

Goddamn you TCamen - you've picked loads of mine

OK some others then. Firstly from Angel 4x12 - "Calvary": Lilah Morgan is fleeing Angelus, recently brought back to try and defeat the Beast, who slaughtered everyone in Wolfram & Hart. Terrified she encounters someone but it's only Cordelia and I breathed a sigh of relief. Lilah gasps to her, "He's going to kill us!" And I have an almost heart attack when Cordelia kills her and says, "Why do you think I let him out you stupid bitch." I then proceeded to nearly hurl my monitor across the room because I had to wait 3 weeks to find out what happened next and I had been completely floored by this. Wonderful stuff.
Also from 1x8- "I Will Remember You" - As the one day Angel can spend with Buffy closes, we're treated to them desperately clinging onto one another and repeating their love. *wahhh!* I'm getting teary eyed again even thinking about it!!
And also TCamen's two moments.

Buffy - 3x19 - "The Wish". The closing battle. Everyone dies including Buffy AND Angel. How cool is that.

Alias - Let me repeat what TCamen said : Best. Girl Fight. EVER. Go see "The Telling" NOW. Also 2x13 - "Phase One" when SD-6 gets taken down. We think we're all perfectly safe now, that we've had our rush of shock. Nope. We're suddenly in Francie's restraunt and we se Francie on the phone... with Francie near her, a bullet in her head. Chilling.

Twin Peaks - Some moments have been mentioned but I'm going for the most chilling being 2x22, the final episode. Agent Dale Cooper is trapped in the Lodge and the evil agent Cooper has escaped. The show closes on Evil Cooper smashing his own head into the mirror and laughing darkly. *Shiver*.

Millennium - Episode 3x16 - "Saturn Dreaming of Mercury". Completely freaking me out when Lucy Butler, in the guise of a child, has Frank trapped in a burning house and mockingly asks him, "Whose stronger Frank? Me? Or You?" Lucy Butler was so good (it's her second mention here already).

The X-Files - Episode 1x24 - "The Erlenmeyer Flask" - When Deep Throat goes out onto the bridge to make the swap for Mulder's life and gets executed for his troubles. I nearly yelped "WHAT?!" at that. Redefined the series for me.

The Wire - Episode 2x11 - "Bad Dreams". Not sure if this has aired here yet, so: Spoiler: When Frank Sabotka is walking to meet the Greeks and we see the montage of shots leading to the Greek knowing there's a string ahead and you realise that Frank, as the screen fades to black, is a dead man.

Homicide: Life on the Street - Episode 6x22 - "Fallen Heroes (Part 1)". The team have just about put an end to a long-running drug lord story by capturing Junior Bunk. Everything, to me and others I assume, seemed about to be wrapped up when Junior Bunk grabs a nearby gun and goes on a killing spree, shooting dead four members and injuring some regulars. It was the sheer swiftness of it, with no special slo-mo, that caught me off guard and make me still recall it.

Without A Trace - Episode 2x15- "Wannabe". A boy goes missing and it turns out that he was being bullied. As the episode ends we see the boy hanging himself, legs swinging in the air as Malone rushes to save him. Anyone who didn't cry a little at this point has no heart.

Scrubs - Episode 3x14 - "My Screw Up". When Dr. Cox goes to his son's birthday in the park... only that's not what he's going to and a chill runs down my spine at the episode, its smartness, and the emotional moment.

Doctor Who - The Caves of Androzani - The Doctor and Peri get machine gunned down. How can that not be a good ending?

Oz - Episode 4x08 - "You Bet Your Life" - Adibessi vs. Said. Only one man survives. A great, great, moment when the victor emerges.

.. I think that's enough for now

[jill_valentine]

Now, I'd limited myself to one from each TV show, so as not to go OTT with the fangirliness, but I just saw S4 of Angel, and good lord, some of televisions best directors/ cinematographers worked on it. The most breathtaking sequence was Connor, having finally decided that he's quite happy to murder an innocent girl on Cordelia's say-so, since he's probably hallucinating his pleading dead mother anyway, hauling the terrified girl off to the next room to be killed.

Deranged lullaby music plinks away, as he drags the girl down the hall by her wrist ropes. She kicks and screams, Cordelia follows gleefully, slow mo kicks in, and Darla can only sadly look on as he leaves her behind, and she fades into soft focus over his right shoulder. Its not a particularly strong episode (or season) but the scene is flawless aesthetically, not to mention dramatically. Connor's always been unstable, but murderous? We've only really known Darla as a killer, but she (or Connor's hallucination of her) is the only good guy making sense now? We first met Cordelia seven years ago as Buffy's airhead cheerleader rival, now she's hacking an innocent girl to death?

Blood spatters all over Connors face, and almost casually, the camera shows us that he's now projecting his mothers face onto the corpse.



I think I've decided I'm going to go to college. And I'm gonna do film studies. And I'm probably gonna end my days directing ads about silage. But they'll be ads that are just as gorgeous as that scene, though hopefully with less axe murder and emotional blackmail.

[DapperGent]

Cracker: "To Be Somebody"

Robert Carlyle and Robbie Coltrane going head to head in the interogation cell.

L-I-V, E-R-P, DOUBLE OH ELL, LIVERPOOL FC!

CEL-TIC!

Most of Cracker was amazing but that was the scene that stood out for me.


Oz:

Beecher causes a young guy in prison for rape to be raped himself then discovers him in the gym afterwards. Horrific and amazing TV.

[jill_valentine]

That Cracker one with the package? I've never sat through a whole episode, but I have to admit, when I saw that scene I sat up. Don't suppose it'll be repeated anytime soon?

[DapperGent]

That's the one alright.

The TV3 repeats are the first ones I've seen in ages though I *think* ITV will follow suit and repeat them all as well, I think I heard they'd be repeating them during the European championships. I have them all on DVD myself - it's probably my favourite TV series ever.

There's a few weak ones (the ones not written by Jimmy McGovern) but overall it's just fantastic.

[ixoy]

Two more scenes from Cracker, worthy of note, are Bilborough saying Spoiler: "These are the words of a dying man!" as he crawls to his death . I'm pretty sure that's from the same episode though

Also the show ruined the song "How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?" by having a prostitute sing it in a really tremulous voice before she went to the great bordello in the sky....

[Lafortezza]

Its not really the same sort of tv sequence as the rest of ye have been posting but after the world cup the montage of footage that was put together with that song, "All by Myself" or something was ****ing savage.

They still play it when RTE1 closes for the night instead of 'prayer at bedtime' or something.

Its got all the best bits from the world cup, makes me all tingly inside.