Week 22. As always, we’re trying to find the most compelling, best acted, written, directed and just generally great scenes that we’ve seen last week.
Choosing just 3 scenes this time seemed impossible, so I’m certain we’re missing a lot of great ones, but my picks this week are (in the alphabetical order):
1. Show: CASTLE
Episode: “Still”
Date: April 29, 2013
Actor: Stana Katic
The Scene: Flashback – “We speak for the dead”
This was such a beautiful episode, I loved it! Definitely exceeded my expectations. So many great scenes to choose from. And I’m guessing most of the fans is gonna pick the “I love you” part, but as sweet as it was, I liked the scene right after it much, much more!
The moment when Kate comes to terms with the fact that she’s dying, we can see her entire life’s story. The most important parts. She remembers Cpt. Montgomery's speech about the dead (probably my favorite one in the entire show!). She thinks about her struggle, her constant efforts to find her mother’s killer, all the death and pain in her life, her loneliness and never feeling safe. And then she remembers the last time when she was very close to death and the person she was thinking about back then: Castle. At this point all the good memories of her time with him, the one she loves the most, mix with the sense of dying, the feeling of fading away. And these happy moments make her stronger, let her accept that she’s almost gone. And that’s where the scene ends. I love flashbacks like this one! So beautiful! Kudos to not only amazing Stana Katic but also people responsible for editing these clips and the composer of the gorgeous melody that we can hear in the scene. It makes this moment perfect.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Jimmy Ryan as Scene Of The Week!
“I could say that my favorite scene was Kate finally telling Castle that she loves him, but I'm not. I'm picking the flashback with Montgomery talking while Kate stands by her mothers' grave. Put all the flashbacks together, and not only do you get one amazing video, you get a comprehensive, emotional, but most importantly, positive view on the series as a whole. Bravo, Castle team. An excellent episode all round.”
2. Show: PERSON OF INTEREST
Episode: “Zero Day”
Date: May 2, 2013
Actors: Michael Emerson, Amy Acker
The Scene: Finch and Root talk about the Machine
It was absolutely incredible episode, breathtaking and easily one of the best of the entire series. Simple proof can be the fact that pretty much every scene from the episode can be called “Scene of the Week”, even the opening one. Who would have thought the sequence (or maybe lack of it) at the beginning of the episode could be so great? But yes, it definitely was.
The moment I’ve chosen as my favorite is the discussion between Root and Finch about the “humanity” of the Machine and its lost memories. First of all, one of the things I love the most about the show is this connection between Harold and his creation. Here, he tells Root just how deep it was, how the Machine actually started to look after him, altering its own code to protect him, starting to act more like human. And what he had to do to stop it, to make the Machine focus on its main goal, which is saving innocent people from the acts of terrorism, for the greater good. And in order to do that, he took away its memories, forcing them Machine to be reborn every single day. What’s truly amazing in the scene is Root’s reaction to Harold’s story. You don’t expect to see someone like her to be so heartbroken about it, to actually stand up for the Machine and decide to fight for it. Absolutely remarkable job by Michael Emerson and Amy Acker here, kudos to these two wonderful actors!
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Darth Locke as Scene Of The Week!
“Root converses with Harold, as she further humanizes "Ernest Thornhill" (the machine) by forcing Harold to acknowledge that he kill's Ernest's "memories" (codes) every night at midnight and this is what has crippled "him". This episode of POI was awesome through and through, as not only Amy Acker's performance in this scene is one of the best of her career, and challenging viewers on thoughts pertaining to creating life and ethics, but also because the episode completely references and gave modern-technology take on Alfred Hitchcock's classic, "North By Northwest"!”
3. Show: THE AMERICANS
Episode: “The Colonel”
Date: May 1, 2013
Actors: Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Noah Emmerich
The Scene: Philip saves Elizabeth
I’ve already written my review of the episode, so if you read it, you know how much I enjoyed watching this season finale, especially the last 15 minutes, it’s so thrilling and absolutely engaging!
My favorite part starts when Philip and Claudia realize that Elizabeth is in danger and he immediately runs to help her. The entire sequence where he tries to get to her on time and the FBI quietly waits to confirm that Elizabeth is the one they’re looking for is brilliantly done. And then Philip arrives and saves his wife from being arrested, and the car chase begins. He’s a really great driver, by the way! I rewatched this scene at least a couple of times and it still keeps me in suspense. Especially knowing that Stan manages to shoot Elizabeth after she gets in the car. Didn’t see this one coming! Can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen in season 2, really glad that in the end the main couple gets back together (“Come home”). I missed them together, they’re much stronger when they work side by side.
Episode: “Still”
Date: April 29, 2013
Actor: Stana Katic
The Scene: Flashback – “We speak for the dead”
This was such a beautiful episode, I loved it! Definitely exceeded my expectations. So many great scenes to choose from. And I’m guessing most of the fans is gonna pick the “I love you” part, but as sweet as it was, I liked the scene right after it much, much more!
The moment when Kate comes to terms with the fact that she’s dying, we can see her entire life’s story. The most important parts. She remembers Cpt. Montgomery's speech about the dead (probably my favorite one in the entire show!). She thinks about her struggle, her constant efforts to find her mother’s killer, all the death and pain in her life, her loneliness and never feeling safe. And then she remembers the last time when she was very close to death and the person she was thinking about back then: Castle. At this point all the good memories of her time with him, the one she loves the most, mix with the sense of dying, the feeling of fading away. And these happy moments make her stronger, let her accept that she’s almost gone. And that’s where the scene ends. I love flashbacks like this one! So beautiful! Kudos to not only amazing Stana Katic but also people responsible for editing these clips and the composer of the gorgeous melody that we can hear in the scene. It makes this moment perfect.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Jimmy Ryan as Scene Of The Week!
“I could say that my favorite scene was Kate finally telling Castle that she loves him, but I'm not. I'm picking the flashback with Montgomery talking while Kate stands by her mothers' grave. Put all the flashbacks together, and not only do you get one amazing video, you get a comprehensive, emotional, but most importantly, positive view on the series as a whole. Bravo, Castle team. An excellent episode all round.”
2. Show: PERSON OF INTEREST
Episode: “Zero Day”
Date: May 2, 2013
Actors: Michael Emerson, Amy Acker
The Scene: Finch and Root talk about the Machine
It was absolutely incredible episode, breathtaking and easily one of the best of the entire series. Simple proof can be the fact that pretty much every scene from the episode can be called “Scene of the Week”, even the opening one. Who would have thought the sequence (or maybe lack of it) at the beginning of the episode could be so great? But yes, it definitely was.
The moment I’ve chosen as my favorite is the discussion between Root and Finch about the “humanity” of the Machine and its lost memories. First of all, one of the things I love the most about the show is this connection between Harold and his creation. Here, he tells Root just how deep it was, how the Machine actually started to look after him, altering its own code to protect him, starting to act more like human. And what he had to do to stop it, to make the Machine focus on its main goal, which is saving innocent people from the acts of terrorism, for the greater good. And in order to do that, he took away its memories, forcing them Machine to be reborn every single day. What’s truly amazing in the scene is Root’s reaction to Harold’s story. You don’t expect to see someone like her to be so heartbroken about it, to actually stand up for the Machine and decide to fight for it. Absolutely remarkable job by Michael Emerson and Amy Acker here, kudos to these two wonderful actors!
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Darth Locke as Scene Of The Week!
“Root converses with Harold, as she further humanizes "Ernest Thornhill" (the machine) by forcing Harold to acknowledge that he kill's Ernest's "memories" (codes) every night at midnight and this is what has crippled "him". This episode of POI was awesome through and through, as not only Amy Acker's performance in this scene is one of the best of her career, and challenging viewers on thoughts pertaining to creating life and ethics, but also because the episode completely references and gave modern-technology take on Alfred Hitchcock's classic, "North By Northwest"!”
3. Show: THE AMERICANS
Episode: “The Colonel”
Date: May 1, 2013
Actors: Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Noah Emmerich
The Scene: Philip saves Elizabeth
I’ve already written my review of the episode, so if you read it, you know how much I enjoyed watching this season finale, especially the last 15 minutes, it’s so thrilling and absolutely engaging!
My favorite part starts when Philip and Claudia realize that Elizabeth is in danger and he immediately runs to help her. The entire sequence where he tries to get to her on time and the FBI quietly waits to confirm that Elizabeth is the one they’re looking for is brilliantly done. And then Philip arrives and saves his wife from being arrested, and the car chase begins. He’s a really great driver, by the way! I rewatched this scene at least a couple of times and it still keeps me in suspense. Especially knowing that Stan manages to shoot Elizabeth after she gets in the car. Didn’t see this one coming! Can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen in season 2, really glad that in the end the main couple gets back together (“Come home”). I missed them together, they’re much stronger when they work side by side.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Sharon Seymour as Scene Of The Week!
Honorable mentions:
Arrow, “The Undertaking”, May 1, 2013 – Malcolm’s story about his wife’s death
Elementary, “A Landmark Story”, May 2, 2013 - “The thing that’s different about me…is you”
And here’s more of SpoilerTV Team members’ favorite scenes:
1. FROM SHARON SEYMOUR
Bates Motel, “The Man in Number 9”, April 29, 2013, Actor: Freddie Highmore
The Scene: Norman walks away from Bradley's house after getting rebuked and then starts going into some sort of trance reciting Norma's words to him.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by DarkUFO as Scene Of The Week!
The Following, “The Final Chapter”, April 29, 2013, Actor: Kevin Bacon
The Scene: Ryan finds Agent Parker buried alive but is unable to save her, then the follower mocks Ryan and Ryan shoots him.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by A Dahne as Scene Of The Week!
“Ryan shoots Joe's follower after Parker dies. Most shocking moment of TV this week for me.”
2. FROM SANDI WICH
Bates Motel, “The Man in Number 9”, April 29, 2013, Actors: Freddie Highmore, Nicola Peltz
The Scene: Norman’s reaction to Bradley telling him that she didn't want to be a couple and his near psychotic break as he leaves her house. Phenomenal piece of acting from Highmore!
Game Of Thrones, “Kissed By Fire”, April 28, 2013, Actors: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Gwendoline Christie
The Scene: Jaime's 'confession' to Brienne in the bathhouse. Theirs is one of my favourite relationships from the books, so I'm glad that it's translated to the screen as well as it has.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Darth Locke as Scene Of The Week!
“Jaime emotionally opens up to Brienne while still captive in a bath house, only for a shy body-conscience Brienne to be provoked to stand up and for a wounded and upset Jaime to pass out in Brienne's arms.”
Doctor Who, “The Crimson Horror”, May 4, 2013, Actors: Diana Rigg, Rachael Stirling
The Scene: Real life mother and daughter, Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling, facing off after the Doctor reveals how Mrs Gilliflower blinded her daughter by experimenting on her. Also their final goodbye as the mother dies was chilling, shame that much of the rest of the episode was so disappointing.
3. FROM DARKUFO
The Americans, “The Colonel”, May 1, 2013, Actor: Margo Martindale
The Scene: Granny kills a CIA Agent in a very slow painful manner
Hannibal, "Entrée", May 2, 2013
The Scene: The Opening scene throwback to Silence of the Lambs and the nurses murder.
4. FROM KLUTZY GIRL
Parks And Recreation, “Are You Better Off?”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Lucy Lawless
The Scene: I love the reveal that Ron's girlfriend, Diane is pregnant. I'm pretty sure Andy's face was my face at that moment because I had spent weeks and the entire episode convinced it was April.
The Office, “Livin’ the Dream”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski
The Scene: Jim and Dwight hug after Dwight is promoted. Their friendship is one of my favorite things about the show and I wish they had explored it more.
Supernatural, “The Great Escapist”, May 1, 2013, Actors: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki
The Scene: Dean tries to take care of Sam after the trials take a toll on him. This episode was literally almost everything I've ever loved in sick!Sam fic and Dean being that overprotective big brother was just amazing.
NOTE: The scene was also picked by Sylvie C as Scene Of The Week!
“Dean taking care of sick Sam - The Brothers relationship is the most emotional part of this show and the thing I like the most.”
5. FROM JAMIE COUDEVILLE
Castle, “Still”, April 29, 2013, Actors: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic
The Scene: Beckett tells Castle she loves him
This entire episode was just amazing, but I've been waiting for this moment all season and I just loved it
The Vampire Diaries, “She’s Come Undone”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder
The Scene: Damon gets Elena to turn her emotions back on
I had completly forgotten about the rings and I really thought they killed Matt. Thank god he survived. Nice plan though.
Nikita, “High-Value Target”, May 3, 2013, Actors: Maggie Q, Shane West
The Scene: The shower scene
A lot of Mikita fans (including myself) had been waiting for this since thet talked about it at Comic Con but this is not what I had expected. Still loved it though, I laughed so hard.
6. FROM BABAR SUHAIL
How I Met Your Mother, “The Bro Mitzvah”, April 29, 2013
The Scene: The night is revealed to be a hoax plotted by the gang.
Arrow, “The Undertaking”, May 1, 2013, Actors: Emily Bett Rickards, Stephen Amell
The Scene: Felicity goes undercover at the casino and gets rescued by Oliver
The Big Bang Theory, “The Proton Resurgence”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch
The Scene: Bernadette takes Raj on a guilt trip for not telling her and Howard that he had the dog for hours.
7. FROM SPARTIGUS15
Grey’s Anatomy, “Do You Believe in Magic”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Chandra Wilson, Jason George
The Scene: When Bailey lets Ben in and we see she has been culturing herself the entire day- and then her monologue to Ben saying she feels dirty was just heartbreaking
Scandal, “A Woman Scorned”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn
The Scene: Olivia speech to Fitz telling him he needs to earn her.
NCIS, “Revenge”, April 30, 2013, Actors: Cote de Pablo, Oded Fehr
The Scene: Ziva and Bodnar fight
8. FROM A DAHNE
Arrow, “The Undertaking”, May 1, 2013, Actors: Susanna Thompson, Jamey Sheridan
The Scene: Robert tells Moira about Malcolm's plan to mass murder the Glades and Moira makes him promise to try to stop it It was good to see that Oliver's parents were fighting for good from the start when it did not look like it before.
Defiance, “The Devil In the Dark”, April 29, 2013, Actors: Grant Bowler, Stephanie Leonidas
The Scene: Irisa is in the middle of a nightmare but calms down when Nolan takes her hand and sits by her. It was a small moment but it perfectly captured the father-daughter theme throughout the episode.
9. FROM SYLVIE C
The New Girl, “Virgins”, April 30, 2013, Actors: Zooey Deschanel, Dylan O’Brien
The Scene: The castle scene with Jess and the character played by Dylan O’Brien. It was hilarious!
NCIS: LA, “Raven & The Swans”, April 30, 2013, Actors: Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Renée Felice Smith
The Scene: Kenzi and Deeks in the hotel room and the awkward moment when Nell entered the room: those faces were priceless.
10. FROM BRADLEY ADAMS
Hawaii Five 0, “Imi Loko Ka ’Uhane (Seek Within One’s Soul)”, April 29, 2013, Actors: Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Aisha Tyler
The Scene: The scene where Savannah asks why Steve drives Danny's car. Since it wasn't a traditional episode, I wasn't expecting a cargument scene, or anything like that. So this was really brilliant to have. And I've always loved the 'car driving, control freak argument'.
Arrow, “The Undertaking”, May 1, 2013, Actors: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy
The Scene: The scene near the end where Oliver implied to Laurel that he still loved her. I absolutely loved her reaction. Awesome acting.
Nikita, “High-Value Target”, May 3, 2013, Actor: Noah Bean
The Scene: The scene where Ryan was holding the trigger to the bomb. When he was explaining about how his file said he was just a "low-level analyst", that was brilliant. I loved it.
11. FROM JIMMY RYAN
Person Of Interest, “Zero Day”, May 2, 2013, Actors: Michael Emerson, Brett Cullen
The Scene: The entire episode of Person of Interest was just stunning this week. Picking one scene is an arduous task, but I'm going to pick the 2010 flashback scene between Finch and Ingram, after Finch follows Ingram to what is now the library where he and Reese run everything from. Ingram talks about the "irrelevant list" and how he couldn't help but do something for them. Back then, The Machine sent the full bio of a person to Ingram, but now, it sends only a social security number to Finch. This only brings up more questions about what really happened back then, and how Finch got his spinal injury. Shortly after Finch terminates the process Ingram created, Ingram's number appears before the screen goes blank. An excellent scene for an excellent episode. I can't wait for the finale this Thursday!
Scandal, “A Woman Scorned”, May 2, 2013
The Scene: My final Scene Of The Week goes to ABC's best drama, in the form of Scandal. Again there were many scenes I was torn between for Thursday's episode. But the scene I picked in the end was Fitz turning up on Olivia's doorstep in the evening, and waiting around 20 minutes for his wife Mellie to go on air explaining the marriage problems. I loved this scene because it shows the literally unending love Fitz has for Olivia, and that no matter how much she pushes him away, he will not give up. The reaction by Cyrus to the revelation that his husband was the one interviewing the First Lady also added to this scene immensely.
If you have any questions for me, you can contact me via mail:
justynakubica@spoilertv.com or Follow me on Twitter
