Stand out TV sequences...

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...:D

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) :

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 :cool:

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:

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

"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.

bandit

Twin Peaks :- I think it was the 2nd last episode in the first season, where they find out that Leland killed Sarah and they are all in the police station with the sprinkler system going off and Lauras theme was playing in the background still blows me away..

Our friends in the North:- Final episode

This life :- Final episode where Milley punched the irritating bird.

Cracker :- The Robert Carlse Hillsbourgh episode.

Malcom in the middle :- The episode where they show the two outcomes of what would if Lois or Hal took the boys bowling. Original and truely funny T.V.

Eastenders:- Not a big fan at all but there was a scene where Steve Owen was confronted by Malcom over the fact that he set him up over Saskia's murder, it was played out like a play all in the one scene just the two actors sparing back and forth.

Spaced Series two :- the episode that starts at the end, where Tim and Daisey got out boozing and are confronted by the group of lads who want tims hash. Very clever ending.

Lary Sanders :- Final episodes especially the scenes with David Duchovney fancying Larry:D

DapperGent

Larry Sanders: "Bring out the guy who plays the piano with his ass."

Family Guy: "Hello China? I think I may have something you want."
*Pause*
"That's right. Alllll the tea."

earwicker

Fr. Ted, "Speed 3": the sequence with Dougal on the milkfloat before he reaches the roundabout.

jill_valentine

*Graham Norton, dancing in the Caravan, Father Ted. God help me, my lungs almost collapsed.

*Family Guy. Two words:


Randy.

Newman.


*The X Files, Drive, Teaser. There's a car chase in the traditional morbid Fox News' helicopter's eye view. A stolen car races down a highway at insane speeds. The Driver, we're told, has taken a hostage. We can see the cops setting up a stinger further up the road, but evidently, the driver can't. The cops haul him out of the crashed car and arrest him. Meanwhile, we can just see the "Hostage" start to bang her head against the window compulsively. The camera pulls back, and bam, blood explodes all over the inside of the glass. The opening credits are our first clue its not real...

*The Third Watch. September Tenth.

Most of the regulars are off work. Arsing around the city. Chatting. Doing mundane little bits and pieces. Gradually buzz starts reaching them. There's something happening at the Towers. Something big. They grab whatever they can. They jump on passing trucks, cars or just run. But one way or the other, they go.

Spacedog

Startrek TNG:

Where Picard is taken by the cardassians as a POW,
"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!"
He later confesses to believing that there were five lights.

"Torture has never been a relyable means of extracting information."
- Perhaps they should show that episode to the US troops in guantanamo bay instead of the pledge of alligence recited over replays of 9-11.


OZ

Beecher snapping and taking a dump on that nazi guy
"Remember this?"


Buffy

That one already mentioned where she finds her mum, freaked me out a little, it was so real.

earwicker

The Office, Season one: David Brent singing "Free love on the free love freeway" with accompaniment by Tim and Gareth: "What, you?"

Season two: David's improvised dance for Comic relief. His mounting insanity is truly tragicomic.

aidan_dunne

Originally posted by 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.

Same here. Bloody great montage. For once, I have to give RTE (or more specifically, the RTE Sport video-editing department) a big thumbs-up for a fantastic sequence of shots. And the music used, "Just A Day" by Feeder, was just perfect for that montage.

I remember first seeing it at the end of RTE's World Cup coverage two years ago and thinking "Bloody hell, that was something else! A great montage with great music capturing the whole spirit of the World Cup." I heard somewhere that they got so many requests to show it again that that was partially the reason why they close down RTE One every night with it now. And no matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it. Especially that shot of that look on Mick McCarthy's face at one point. You know the one I'm talking about; mouth gaping wide open, eyes wide open, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. Classic!

In a similar vein to that sequence, I used to love the end-of-season montages ITV Sport used to do at the end of the Formula 1 season. But the past couple of years they've just been crap (probably because they don't have the same effect anymore without Murray Walker screaming "GO, GO, GO!" and "LOOK AT THAT!" and "WOW! CRASH, BANG, WALLOP!" and "OH MY WORD, THAT'S A BIG ONE!", etc., etc., over the pictures and music! ). My favorites were from the first two seasons ITV started showing F1. 1997's was fantastic, set to "Ajare" by Way Out West, and 1998's was pretty good too, set to "My Favourite Game" by The Cardigans.

And I seem to remember, probably about 1993, BBC Sport doing an end-of-season F1 montage to Stiltskin's "Inside" which was one of the best Formula 1 montage's I've ever seen.

sceptre

Aye that World Cup sequence is pretty damn good. The Feeder song was a b-side wasn't it?

I'd dearly love a decent mpeg-2 copy of that. And yes, that's a please hint for anyone who has it.

Dr. Dre

I'd dearly love a decent mpeg-2 copy of that

What an excellent idea. Noted.

jill_valentine

*Tru Calling.
It's improved a lot, but it's still a pretty shonky show at times. Waste of Dushku. Viewer insulting recaps every 4 minutes. Painful exposition dialogue. But it's better than the f**king Olympics, and last night there was a rather breathtaking moment when Jason Priestley stopped a speeding bus by just walking out in front of it. Nice.

Possible I was impressed partially by a buried hope the bus might not have stopped, but it was really, really cool.

mycroft

ixoy wrote:

Two more scenes from Cracker, worthy of note, are Bilborough saying

"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
QUOTE]

God I love that scene, Lying in the alley "I am of sound mind and body" as they scream out "where are you" trying to figure out where the ambulance is.

Chilling.

ER. The Episode Tarrintino directed. ER does the whole panning from scene to scene brillantly but this was special. Or Hawthaway trying to save Ewan McGregors life, or the bit with the drumming in the episode that was shot live.

Bachelors Walk. End of series one with the Tom Waits. Genuinely touching.

B5, opening sequence of series three "The Babylon project was the last best hope for peace, it failed"

Six feet under, Nat's apology to Brenda after he freaked out the night with her Aussie ex and her brother came over everyone gets stoned and nat gets paranoid, next day he walks in pauses for an eternity and says "if it's any consilation I think was hallucinating" best apology ever. Followed by my favourite Nat and Brenda scene ever.

The West Wing. Josh and Toby walking down a corridor purposfully having one of those intensive conversations that happen every day they pause "where were we going" "I was following you" "I was following you" "Lets not tell anyone about this" "Yeah".

Victory is mine, how no one could no one mention this?!? The Sopranos. Christopher and Paulie have taken the Russia special forces guy out to the woods where he escapes Tony tries to warn them "Tony said he was an interior decorator" "Really cause his place didn't look too good". Whole scene is comedy gold.

Shameless. Opening scene Daughter takes boyfriend home, her kid brother appears she looks at him exaserbated and says "brother" sets the tone for the whole thing. That and the funeral.

flogen

agree with episode 3-14 of scrubs, really clever episode, very emotional, and just beautiful (music is perfect for it too).

Also My Last Day, (1-24), probably one of the best endings to a series I have ever seen, great unusual cliff hanger that left the following series with so much to play with.

And of course Futurama, Jurrasic Bark... not ashamed to say it brought tears to my eyes when I saw that first (and any other time, actually). Really beautiful episode, and a brilliantly animated, brilliantly set up and brilliantly executed ending. Futurama was a bastard like that, so many episodes (especially towards the end, like Luck of The Fryrish) which you were left cursing the TV saying "this is supposed to be a comedy! its not supposed to be so emotive!".

flogen

Jim

Band of Brothers - The Breaking Point

The second bombarment of Easy's positition in that episode. Where Lipton is talking about the 4th of July. Just where Gaurnere is trying to save Joe Toy, and when Compton finds them afterward.

Pigman II

FYI, That Feeder world cup montage clip is included on the imho excellent 'Rising Sons' DVD that came out about 18 months ago. Actually there's a ton of unexpected stuff on that DVD ... even highlights of the Germany-Brazil final for some strange reason!

JBoyle4eva

I think when some programmes are axed, the last scene is always the best.

Futurama: It's the world's best worst holophone concert, with the theatre empty. Fry goes to walk off, but leela says"Don't stop fry. I want to hear how it ends." He plays the holophoners one last time, and it's a kids drawing oh him and Leela, they kiss each other and walk off.

Friends: I've got every single episode of this on DVD/Video, and the last scene of "The Last one" where they all put their keys for Monica and Chandler's apartment on the counter, they walk out and Chandler asks "So, where do you wanna go for coffee?" and the camera pans around the empty apartment with acoustic music playing, and we fade out with the apartment door"

The office(Christmas special episode 2)
I think it's the best quote of The office when Tim says "Life is just a bunch of moments put together....." DAMM, i forget the whole thing, but if anyone knows it, plase quote it. It's Brill!

But, then again, it's not just the finales

24: Series 3 (6:00 AM -7:00 AM) I cried at this scene. Chapelle has to be killed by Jack, and Jack asks if there's anyone he wnats to phone. Chapelle says "Well, I've got a brother I haven't spoken to in years, all my friends are at CTU, so no!" Chapelle then gets on his knees, and Jack points the guns at his head. Jack then says"I'm sorry, Ryan!............................GOD FORGIVE ME!" 'GUNSHOT' Birds fly away, a train passes by, the clcck keeps ticking"

Quatre Mains

Spacedog wrote:

OZ
Beecher snapping and taking a dump on that nazi guy
"Remember this?"

Classic. That and when Schillinger has the other lad break Beecher's legs, rock and roll!

Eastenders
Trevor on xmas day "Are ye no gonna eat yer dinner Mo?" My old dear nearly took my present back for laughing

Six Feet Under
When Brenda's brother flips the lid and tries to cut her tattoo off, yok!

The Sopranos
Paulie and Christopher lost in the snow, you could watch it a hundred times and still laugh!

Moe79

I agree with the sherry Stringfield leaving episode at the station in series 3 of ER, and another heartbreaker in ER was the final moments of the episode were Mark died. That was so sad.. and I loved how with no words it went to the funeral and all his friends and colleagues were there.. pain etched on their faces.

on Eastenders, the most memorable for me was the Dot/Ethel euthanasia storyline which ended with Ethel hugging Dot and saying "you're the best friend I ever had.."

Those days were great in Albert Square.. before the Slaters, 10 minunte tracts of dialogue, a secret being revealed in The Vic every second episode, the mafia moving in to Walford...

Sideshow Debs

WEST WING:

So many good moments and sequences but the power of Bartlet coming from the funeral at the end of series two and straight to the 'Will you run for a second term/MS' press conference to the backdrop of Dire Straits was really powerful stuff. I also loved his railing against God before lighting a cigarette in the cathedral in that episode.

TWIN PEAKS:

Once again, many classics and some already mentioned but my favourite episode/sequence was the one where you find out before Agent Cooper etc that Leland is the killer in the episode where he kills Maddy. It's especially the bit where you see Sarah Palmer crawling down the stairs drugged and it pans away to Leland adjusting his tie in the mirror but the reflection is Bob's - chilling stuff...

maxheadroom

Scrubs, season 2 finale.

Kelso has been torturing Eliott all episode, and she's prevoiusly told Dr. Cox she can't take much more of it.

Scene: JD and Cox leave the elevator and enter admissions. The rest of this has been shamelessly stolen from http://scrubs.mopnt.com/scripts/DRAFT_222_-_my_dream_job.htm

J.D.: But, Dr. Cox, you're always there when we need you! I think you have this fathering thing down!

They stop on the far side of Admissions, where Dr. Kelso is giving Elliot a stern lecture. They've attracted a bit of an audience.

Colin Hay's "Brilliant Feat" begins.

Dr. Kelso: Why am I not leaving, Dr. Reid? Because I don't want to miss you breaking down and weeping in front of everyone! Oh, here it comes! Great big tears! Great big crocodile tears!

He continues tearing her down, but is drowned out by...

J.D.: [quietly to Dr. Cox] See, if she was your daughter, you'd totally know how to handle it.

Dr. Cox: My God, you're right.

He leaves J.D. and walks over to Dr. Kelso and Elliot.

He socks Dr. Kelso in the face, and the old man goes down.

Dr. Cox pats Elliot on the back.

Dr. Cox: You're doing fine, there, Barbie.

Elliot: [stunned] Thank you?

Dr. Cox: Everybody have a good one! I'm going home to see my son.

He turns and nearly trips over Dr. Kelso, who was knocked right out of his shoes.

Dr. Cox: Whoa, excuse me, there, Bobbo.

He steps over Kelso, who dabs his bloody nose, and continues out.

The camera circles around to the reactions of those gathered. They all stare at Kelso: Turk and Carla, both with their jaws dropped. Elliot, still quite stunned. Ted, giggling hysterically. Nurse Roberts, on the phone...

Nurse Roberts: [on phone] Girl! He hit him right in the nose! Uh-huh! Yeah!

...J.D., somewhat nervous...

J.D.'s Thoughts: That may come up tomorrow....

JBoyle4eva

I think that the The office Christmas special really end in a spectacular way with Tim's speech when Dawn's leaves(Before she comes ack to him )

"To be Honest, I never thought Dawn and I would have an happy ending(As this speech goes on, we Dawn's bf in car, asleep in fron of her. She opens up hr 'Secret Santa present, it's a gift pack of tolitries with a pencil drawing of Tim, with the message 'Never Give up'. She begin to cry. Tim still says his speech) But, then again, Life isn't about endings. I mean, when you turn off the cameras, it's not the end. Life still goes on. Come back in 10 years, and see how I'm doing then. Because I could be married with kids"

I thought they the dawn and tim storyline brilliantly for the Xmas specials. I'm glad they ended up together!

Official "The office" website

Moe79

Sideshow Debs wrote:

WEST WING:

So many good moments and sequences but the power of Bartlet coming from the funeral at the end of series two and straight to the 'Will you run for a second term/MS' press conference to the backdrop of Dire Straits was really powerful stuff. I also loved his railing against God before lighting a cigarette in the cathedral in that episode.

I agree with you on that - and also from the episode before that, where the call came through to Charlie in the Oval Office that Mrs landingham had been killed.. *that* was a stand-out moment.. and it was one of those moments that are great purely because I had no idea it was coming. It was a huge shocker..

Dun

JBoyle4eva wrote:

As this speech goes on, we Dawn's bf in car, asleep in fron of her. She opens up hr 'Secret Santa present, it's a gift pack of tolitries with a pencil drawing of Tim, with the message 'Never Give up'. She begin to cry. Tim still says his speech)

The present was a set of oil paints! The scene should make even more sense now!

The League of Gentlemen has so many for me.

Series 1: The first episode's opening sequence on the train. Classic!

Series 2: Dr. Chinnery & the dog? Pam Doove and the orange juice? Can't decide! No, it has to be Papa Lazarou going out to sell pegs (and get a new wife).

Series 3: Probably the re-appearance of Papa Lazarou, and then the end sequence. Classic.

doh.ie

OK, while agreeing with tons of those above (in particular Buffy's "The Body", the closing moments of "Two Cathedrals" from The West Wing, Futurama's "Jurassic Bark" -I shed a tear too!!! - and the s2 finale of Alias), just a few to add to this:

ER - Season 10 - "Freefall" - I did not see coming what Romano did not see coming. (Better left cryptic in case anyone is watching on E4)

24 - Season 1 - Ep 23 - 22:59 - Helena is on the phone speaking Yugoslavian or somesuch. The camera pans around and - BANG! - it's Nina! I *did not* expect it - blew me away.

Millennium - Season 2 - "The Time Is Now" - Frank and Jordan are along in a dark log cabin. We hear media reports from all over the world (supposedly, anyway) - the virus is out and everyone is dying. We hear "In The Year 2525" from Zager and Evans. Classic TV moment.

Quantum Leap - "JFK" the final scene, and the final "God" scene with the bartender from "Mirror Image"

ST:TNG - "Skin of Evil" - when I was 13, I was shocked to bits when Tasha Yar died. Ruined my Saturday evening. I had never seen a key character killed off in something I cared about so much before!

Everwood - "Home" - Colin Hart's mother cutting his hair before his operation to remove a bone fragment from his brain stem - touching stuff

V - that alien baby! Argh!! - way to freak me out when I was 10! We really should NOT have crept up to watch it when my parents were asleep, though!

Dark Skies - "Ancient Future" (I think) - John Loengard witnesses 1999 in an alien vision - the planet is a wasteland; he meets a freaky man in the desert who tells him it's too late.

DS9 - "The Search, Part I" - Odo's people are the Founders. Shocking stuff. Nice and clever. But I wish I hadn't accidentally read it in a magazine first...

And no one else will remember this... but I'll go anyway.
Back in the days when we were young and had no life and watched Home & Away religiously, I remember this episode where the 'gang' camped out at this supposedly haunted house, and at the end of the episode the camera sort of panned down a hallway and into the dark rooms of this house, and pure Blair Witch style, we got to see this shadow of a guy moaning, and wailing and... end credits! Freaked me out.
Turned out much later it was the school principal who Carly and Bobby had knocked down with their car and he'd suffered some kind of soap brain damage and went a bit mental. OK, I've embarrassed myself enough.

Might as well end on a high note.

Carnivale - "Babylon"/"Pick a Number" - Girl at window. Yikes!

angeldelight

Ok I know I'm going back a bit but does anyone remember the scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy is talking and goes to lean against the bar but the barman has lifted the counter?? Lol it was priceless, the way he fell and scrambled up really quickly so nobody would notice. Cracks me up every time!!

plastic membrane

I hate it when you read a post listing off favorites. You scroll down thinking of all the ones you are going to put in yourself, only to find as you go down that every one of them has already been picked! Conclusions 1) People actually have good taste after all 2)Im a bit slow.

Anyway:

Buffy "Restless"

Everyone mentions The Body or Hush, but this one is a masterpiece. The last episode of Season 4, The four main characters have dreams of being stalked by the ghost of the first slayer. its wierd, it has dreamy foreshadowing of things to come, its got great music and wonderful dialogue, and by God is it wonderfully photographed. The moment where Buffy calls Xander "Big Brother" and the music kicks in gets me every time.

Angel "Sleep Tight"

Wes gets suffocated by Angel. This scene kept me up nights afterwards i was so shocked. Truly the moment Wesley became the most intruiging character in the whole Buffyverse.

Twin Peaks: When Leland is unveiled as the killer. The horse. The Mirror. The broken Record. The antiseptic and clean room, and the color of the blood. Bob. I still get shivers.

I get even more shivers from an earlier episode when James, Maddy and the other wan are singing a song in the living room. From nowhere Bob appears, only seen to Maddy, and he proceeds to crawl from the back of the room towards the camera like an insect. It scared the life out of me.

ER: The death of Lucy episode was so good. I loved Benton's reaction when he finds out Carter was stabbed. He bounds down the stairs and screams at everyone in his way.

Millenium: The whole "The Time Is Now" episode. Patti Smith's Horses. The apocalyptic ending. Great way to end the season.

The X-Files: Opening of season two, Little Green Men. Mulder narrates a montage through space of SETI'S search for life on other worlds.

Also, the Drive episode was just the business. and it got even better when i realised it was Bryan Cranston playing Mulder's kidnapper AKA Hal from Malcolm In The Middle.

Can think of loads more, but that will do for now...

jill_valentine

"Also, the Drive episode was just the business. and it got even better when i realised it was Bryan Cranston playing Mulder's kidnapper AKA Hal from Malcolm In The Middle."

Oh my good God, it was, wasn't it? Holy laminated Moses...


"Buffy "Restless"

Everyone mentions The Body or Hush, but this one is a masterpiece. The last episode of Season 4, The four main characters have dreams of being stalked by the ghost of the first slayer. its wierd, it has dreamy foreshadowing of things to come, its got great music and wonderful dialogue, and by God is it wonderfully photographed. The moment where Buffy calls Xander "Big Brother" and the music kicks in gets me every time."

I hated Restless the first time through, but the more I watch it the more I like it. It is stunningly gorgeous, but I think it suffered in that, much like with The First, they had to make do with who they could get, rather than who was scripted. It's why Tara is so prominent. Angel was supposed to be the one speaking for the Primitive, Faith was supposed to guest in Buffy's dream, still muttering about 730, Cordelia was supposed to be the one making fun of Willow (Which I think would have been fantastic) and Jenny was supposed to be pushing the pram, rather than Olivia... it's actually really interesting to watch with that in mind... My favourite moment is Buffy's speech, which makes absolutely no sense, but still has you going "You tell her Buffy! no... erm... bed of... bones... for you!"

D'you know what's really, terrifically stupid? I read through your post thinking... "God, I completely would have picked that...

doh.ie

plastic membrane wrote:

Everyone mentions The Body or Hush, but this one is a masterpiece. The last episode of Season 4, The four main characters have dreams of being stalked by the ghost of the first slayer. its wierd, it has dreamy foreshadowing of things to come, its got great music and wonderful dialogue

If I remember rightly, as Buffy heads out for the night, her mother calls after her, "Be home before dawn/Dawn." Foreshadowing indeed.

God, I miss that show... It really was unique. I'd do a weeping smiley, but I don't know how, so sad guy will do.

jill_valentine

I hear they're putting together a complete seven-season-and-all boxset in time for Christmas... hint... hint.... hint...

I think it's Tara that tells her to be back before Dawn, right after telling her that 730 is no longer accurate... forget though.

I miss that show too. Desperately. Sometimes I just sit in a corner having withdrawal seizures, holding the Fray TPB tightly, muttering about spin-offs to myself. I've had to make do with forums to kill the shakes, and the IMDB gobshite boards...and the very funny www.boilsandblindingtorment.com. I recommend the rather excellent www.restlessbtvs.com . If I'm not mistaken, the person who runs it is a poster here... The worst part is in conversations. Every so often I just drift out and smile silently to myself. "Jill?" "Oh, it's nothing. It's just that... Buffy used to say things like that..."

Y'know, I wanted to add an Irish TV show. Just one. But I couldn't think of any.

*Black Books - the one where they're house sitting for the wine nerd. They accidently drink his super-de-duper ultra expensive wine. A counter appears to count of the value of the wine as they drink it, get drunker and more insane, and then Manny pops up with his hair in little girly bunches. A large hairy gentleman with Pippi Longstocking hair. lNot big. Not clever. But I defy you not to go into convulsions at it.

RainyDay

bandit wrote:

Our friends in the North:- Final episode

Jeez - I thought I was the only person who appreciated this series - Superb drama from the Beeb. Not sure if it was the final episode, but when Christopher Eccleston had to deal with his Dad's Alzheimers, I was in tears myself.

Pigman II

RainyDay wrote:

Jeez - I thought I was the only person who appreciated this series

Not at all. Greatest show the BBC ever produced IMHO. I make a point to watch my DVD of it at least once per year.

Pet

Buffy - Hush - The Gentlemen are on the prowl, hovering over the ground, with their strait-jacketed lackeys running wild around UC Sunnydale. All the while those violins are shrieking. Absolutely blinding stuff.

Alias - The Telling - I defy anyone to watch the fight sequence and not be impressed.

The X Files - Leonard Betts - "You have something I need". Then Scully wakes up in the middle of the night with a nosebleed, and we see the realisation on her face...

Actually,how's about the entire thing up until season 7? I can't pick a favourite, there are too many...!

jill_valentine

Blackadder Goes Forth - Goodbyeee.

After all his weaselling, Blackadder finds himself stuck in the front lines anyway. Despite all his arselicking, Darling finds himself in the trenches too. Baldrick makes a desperate, pathetic, and unexpectedly moving speech asking why they can't all just go home? The shelling stops, and for a brief minute they wonder if the war has stopped. No, says Blackadder. They've stopped shelling for the push. Baldrick says he has a cunning plan, and Blackadder tells him it'll have to wait. Blackadder answers the whistle and wishes his men good luck. They all go over the top together, and suddenly Blackadder Goes Forth turns into something different entirely.

plastic membrane

OZ- Every episode throws up some kind of terrible violent act, but the one thats sticks with me is the first episode i ever saw, when The Warden opens his door and the guard falls through the door, his eyes gouged out. I was on the floor in utter astonishment and i knew i had to watch every episode from then on, no matter how horrific. The rythms and beats of the show are so singular, its like visual poetry. Not pretty tho'. Plus Verne Schillinger is the big daddy of badg uys. So much so that everytime i watch Spiderman im just waiting (with my eyes closed) for JK Simmons to grab Tobey Maguire and bugger him senseless over a pool table.

jill_valentine

Christ, Oz... the moment that burned itself into my head forever was that guy getting nailed to the gym floor. *Shudder*

Ph3n0m

Oz has so many memorable images - most of them, hell all of them portraying some act of violence - Prisoner Cell BLock H it aint

doh.ie

jill_valentine wrote:

Blackadder Goes Forth - Goodbyeee.

After all his weaselling, Blackadder finds himself stuck in the front lines anyway. Despite all his arselicking, Darling finds himself in the trenches too. Baldrick makes a desperate, pathetic, and unexpectedly moving speech asking why they can't all just go home? The shelling stops, and for a brief minute they wonder if the war has stopped. No, says Blackadder. They've stopped shelling for the push. Baldrick says he has a cunning plan, and Blackadder tells him it'll have to wait. Blackadder answers the whistle and wishes his men good luck. They all go over the top together, and suddenly Blackadder Goes Forth turns into something different entirely.

Great choice - this was very high on the list of 100 Greatest TV Moments or somesuch on Ch4 or Five recently.

As for Oz, I half think their dramatic, hyper-violent deaths would've worked better if they hadn't done it almost every week. It almost becomes harder to shock after a while, or the viewer gets thoroughly desensitised to it. It may be the most violent prison wing in the US, fictionally anyway, but I find it hard to believe there is such a high mortality rate in regular prisons.