A weekly feature in which we're trying to find the most compelling, best acted, written, directed and just generally great scenes that we've seen recently on TV.
ARROW, "Uprising", February 4, 2015, Actors: John Barrowman, Emily Bett Rickards and more, The Scenes: Malcolm's first kill & Oliver and Felicity talk at the end
Daniel van der Veer: Arrow showed the rise and fall of Malcolm Merlyn this week and the episode delivered! Obviously Malcolm changed a lot following his wife's death and it eventually led to his first kill. You could feel the depth of Malcolm's pain when he killed his wife's supposed murderer. It was a moment that changed Malcolm forever. John Barrowman is such a great actor and he showed it during the entire episode.
Sylvie C: The last scene in the alley between Oliver and Felicity. I don't know where to start but what Felicity said to Oliver was so heartbreaking but I can't blame her for feeling like that.
BANSHEE, "Tribal", February 6, 2015, Actors: Antony Starr, Ulrich Thomsen and more, The Scenes: Bunker explains his past to Alison & Kai and Hood break down
Sandi: In truth Bradley & Andy have picked the best scene, but I'd like to highlight this one too as I think it's worth a mention. The newest member of the BSD is an intriguing guy, as most Banshee characters are, and his story as he explained it seems simple enough. Like Billy Raven before him, he has some big shoes to fill now Siobhan has gone, but I think there's going to be a lot to explore going by what we've seen and heard from him so far. I was slightly surprised that Alison was so defiant that people don't change, especially considering that her job as ADA must at least hope that people do turn their life around. But I guess this town isn't the norm, it's got a lot of crazy people living in it, and her past experience of rape and watching her father's beating at the hands of Nazi extremists has obviously had a huge effect on her. This was a cracking bit of character development in the middle of all the carnage and mayhem of the siege.
Bradley Adams: Kai breaks down over his mother's death while Hood breaks down over Siobhan's. Incredibly powerful scene. Also picked by DarkUFO
CRIMINAL MINDS, "Hero Worship", February 4, 2015, Actors: Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, The Scene: Morgan diffuses a car bomb
Laura Markus: Fans of the show can recall that Derek Morgan was first introduced on the show as a character that worked with a bomb squad and gained experience from this. Ten seasons later, and the show still remembers this. This was a lovely and intense scene that showed some well-needed continuity from this show. Not to mention the lovely Morgan/Reid moment where Morgan asked Reid to back up, and Reid said he wasn't going anywhere. It was truly a great scene for a great episode.
FOREVER, "Hitler on the Half Shell", February 3, 2015, Actors: Judd Hirsch and more, The Scene: Abraham visits the Jewish Heritage Museum to learn about his parents
Tonya Papanikolas: What an emotional scene. Because his parents died in the Holocaust, he never knew them - or even who they were. After all that time, to finally learn who they are - and to see a picture of them and some of their belongings - was incredibly moving. Kudos to the writers for such a significant moment for the character that carried so much weight. It was fantastic.
HELIX, "Densho", February 6, 2015, Actors: Mark Ghanimé and more
The Scene: Balleseros makes his return
Robert Fruin: Balleseros makes his return after he was presumed dead. We find out he is now working for Ilaria.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, "Best Christmas Ever", February 5, 2015, Actors: Jack Falahee, Conrad Ricamora, The Scene: Connor expresses his love for Oliver
Laura Markus: Being the only couple on the show I can tolerate, Connor and Oliver have been a bit shifty towards each other. In this episode, we see what Connor did over Christmas break - his sister asked him about a a potential date, but Connor, shyly, said he has a boyfriend. We later see Connor and Oliver having a movie date, and after this, Oliver makes an advance on Connor. Oliver regrets this by saying that he really loves him. Connor reciprocates, and says that he doesn't trust anyone at all except him. It was adorable and made me very emotional for these two.
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, "Charlie Work", February 4, 2015, Actors: Charlie Day and more, The Scene: Charlie's bar stool joke pay off
Sandi: I love it when shows pull off special episodes like this, I would pick the whole episode if I could since it was technically one long continuous shot - even though there are a couple neat camera tricks they are virtually impossible to spot! It was hilarious watching Charlie pulling off all the little jobs he does on a daily basis just to keep the pub running as well as it does. The set up for the stool that Sweet Dee finally sat on at the end of the episode was just pure genius though. Brilliant scripting and fab performances by all, especially Charlie Day.
MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER, "The Iron Ceiling", February 3, 2015, Actors: Hayley Atwell, Chad Michael Murray, The Scene: Thompson tells Peggy the truth about his past
Justyna K: First of all, that was a brilliant episode! It was great to see The Howling Commandos back in action and someone finally acknowledging Carter's capabilities was such a wonderful change. Surpringly it's the scene between Peggy and one of my least favorite characters on the show, Thompson, that ended up being the most memorable moment of the hour for me. Not only did Jack showed respect and gratitude towards Carter but for the first time we got to learn more about his past and it made his character finally seem more complex and interesting. Chad Michael Murray did a great job in the scene. Hopefully it's the first step for Thompson to start being a likeable person and an ally in Carter's fight against Leviathan. It sure looks like Peggy's going to need all the help she can get. Kudos to cast and crew for their amazing work on this truly impressive series!
NASHVILLE, "I'm Not That Good at Goodbye", February 4, 2015, Actors: Connie Britton, Charles Esten, The Scene: Rayna tells Deacon she's always loved him but she needs time
Tonya Papanikolas: Deacon finally gets to hear these wonderful words from the woman he loves - but it's bittersweet since he doesn't have the time to give her. He has just learned he has cancer, and he doesn't want to tell her. So after Rayna's great speech saying she's loved him since she met him, all he can do is say yes - he will give her all the time she needs. You can see the heartbreak in his eyes and feel the words "I don't have time" on the tip of his tongue. But he holds it all in. This was a great scene with great acting.
NCIS, "We Build, We Fight", February 3, 2015, Actors: Mark Harmon and more, The Scenes: Hollis and Gibbs talk in the basement & The ending hospital scene
Daniel van der Veer: After Diane's death a couple of weeks ago, we haven't seen much of Gibbs' grief. So it was great to see Hollis Mann return and force Gibbs to talk about Diane. She was probably one of the few who can pull it off to get Gibbs talking about his feelings. Not only did Gibbs feel guilty over Diane's death, he is also afraid Sergei will target someone else close to him. Hence, he shut out Hollis. It was a powerful scene between these two characters, and a great emotional moment for Gibbs.
Tonya Papanikolas: The ending hospital scenes set to music. What a great ending to this episode. I loved the whole team being there to see Palmer's new baby - even Gibbs. What a sweet gesture to name the baby after Ducky's mother. Everything about this scene was touching. At the same time, it was powerful to mix these scenes with the victim's husband going to visit the man his husband died trying to help. He took Gibbs' advice to carry on his late husband's "mission" and be a friend to this man. It was a great ending to the case. The music was fantastic. The ending couldn't have been better.
PERSON OF INTEREST, "M.I.A.", February 3, 2015, Actors: Michael Emerson, Amy Acker and more, The Scenes: The machine tells Root to "Stop" & Finch pleads with Reese to stop Root from torturing someone
Justyna K: Root's character has always been an interesting one. Technically, she's considered as one of the good guys now, but to be honest, I don't know if I'll ever be able to see her like that. Amy Acker, however, is certainly one of the show's most talented stars and never fails to impress me, especially in the scenes like this one. From the moment we met Sam she always had the biggest trust and faith in the Machine. So to see her breaking down, desperately asking for the Machine's help only to get the answer "stop" was a very powerful and important moment. I do wonder how things will change for her now and what was the Machine's motivation, especially considering the fact we finally know that Shaw's alive (yay!) and with Greer (no!). Scenes with Root and Finch quite often end up being one of my favorites, the characters have a very unique friendship and both actors' performances are absolutely stunning. It appears that Root's leaving for a while and I already can't wait to see how things will work out after everything that's happened. Kudos to the cast & crew for another great hour! Also picked by Robert Fruin
Bradley Adams: Finch pleads with Reese to prevent Root torturing Leslie Thompson. Also picked by DarkUFO
RED BAND SOCIETY, "Waiting for Superman", February 7, 2015, Actors: Ciara Bravo, Charlie Rowe, Astro and more, The Scene: The Red Banders gather on the roof one last time
Laura Markus: Holy crap, this scene. So many things went so right about this scene. Leo's spirit was rejuvenated, they all seemed like a family again, and Kara actually fought for Charlie to have his moment because he was leaving the hospital. To top it all off, they sang the chorus of You Can't Always Get What You Want by the Stones. As a big House, M.D. fan, this parallel was particularly adorable. And what could be better than Charlie talking for the first time? The most beautiful scene happened at the end of a finale of a beautiful show.
REIGN, "Sins of the Past", February 5, 2015, Actors: Megan Follows and more, The Scene: Catherine discovers Henry's bible is poisoned
Sandi: I enjoyed seeing Alan van Sprang's brief return this season during Catherine's mad phase, even though I didn't entirely like the storyline that was responsible for it. But this reveal has suddenly made it a lot more interesting. Who is responsible? My money is on the House of Bourbon at present, but to be fair, there are plenty of options out there. Maybe even Clarissa is due to return after Catherine's 'vision' this week?
THE 100, "Coup de Grace", February 4, 2015, Actors: Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Eve Harlow and more, The Scenes: Maya saves Bellamy & Clarke confronts Abby
Justyna K: There were just so many great, intense, wonderfully done things about this episode. But despite everything that was happening in Camp Jaha, I was wholeheartedly focused on Mount Weather and all the great developments there. First of all, I loved how Jasper managed to save Monty and Harper, even if it wasn't the smartest plan to follow. I get it, cause when the people we care about the most are involved it's really hard to think straight. He was certainly right about Maya though. After seeing her come to save Bellamy at his worst it would be impossible for me not to appreciate the character. The entire scene, starting with the horrifying view of Bellamy hanging upside down being drained of his blood and ending on his fight to death with one of the guards and leaving with Maya was absolutely insane, intense and just a beginning of the attack from the inside on Mountain Men. After everything that's happened in the episode, I absolutely can't wait to see how the things will go down with Bellamy being ready to act on the plan and Clarke coming to distract Mount Weather with the Grounders' army. Absolutely love this show. Kudos!
Daniel van der Veer: Wow, what a standoff between Abby and Clarke! Of course no-one would get hurt, but it was quite an intense scene. Both women had a small army behind them, so it was an incredibly tense situation. I am so happy with badass Clarke and it's great that Abby finally acknowledged Clarke is in charge, albeit under presure.
Sylvie C: "You may be the chancellor but I'm in charge". Powerful scene and well acted by both actresses. Also picked by Robert Fruin
THE AMERICANS, "Baggage", February 4, 2015, Actors: Matthew Rhys and more
The Scene: The Disposal of Annelise body (picked by DarkUFO)
THE FLASH, "Crazy for You", February 3, 2015, Actors: Grant Gustin, Danielle Panabaker, John Wesley Shipp, The Scenes: Barry's dad indirectly tells Barry that he's proud of him & Caitlin and Barry agree it's time for them to move on & Barry takes drunk Caitlin home
Diana Mack: Caitlin and Barry agree it's time for both of them to move on and find somebody to be crazy about. They stand silent for some seconds as they find a little awkward between them, then Barry and Caitlin both wave to each other. The whole episode was funny and Barry\Caitlin centric. It's obvious the authors want to focus also on their growing relationship and I really like this. I love them both.
Sylvie C: Barry brings a drunk Caitlin home and help her to put on her pyjamas. Funny and sweet scene at the same time. Love them together.
Bradley Adams: Barry's dad indirectly tells Barry that he's proud of him.
THE MENTALIST, "Nothing Gold Can Stay", February 4, 2015, Actors: Joe Adler, Tim Kang and more, The Scene: Vega's funeral
Diana Mack: The whole scene was moving and beautiful. No words heard, just a sad song playing in the background. Such a terrible loss, I'm gonna miss Michelle Vega.
Daniel van der Veer: Arrow showed the rise and fall of Malcolm Merlyn this week and the episode delivered! Obviously Malcolm changed a lot following his wife's death and it eventually led to his first kill. You could feel the depth of Malcolm's pain when he killed his wife's supposed murderer. It was a moment that changed Malcolm forever. John Barrowman is such a great actor and he showed it during the entire episode.
Sylvie C: The last scene in the alley between Oliver and Felicity. I don't know where to start but what Felicity said to Oliver was so heartbreaking but I can't blame her for feeling like that.
Sandi: In truth Bradley & Andy have picked the best scene, but I'd like to highlight this one too as I think it's worth a mention. The newest member of the BSD is an intriguing guy, as most Banshee characters are, and his story as he explained it seems simple enough. Like Billy Raven before him, he has some big shoes to fill now Siobhan has gone, but I think there's going to be a lot to explore going by what we've seen and heard from him so far. I was slightly surprised that Alison was so defiant that people don't change, especially considering that her job as ADA must at least hope that people do turn their life around. But I guess this town isn't the norm, it's got a lot of crazy people living in it, and her past experience of rape and watching her father's beating at the hands of Nazi extremists has obviously had a huge effect on her. This was a cracking bit of character development in the middle of all the carnage and mayhem of the siege.
Bradley Adams: Kai breaks down over his mother's death while Hood breaks down over Siobhan's. Incredibly powerful scene. Also picked by DarkUFO
Laura Markus: Fans of the show can recall that Derek Morgan was first introduced on the show as a character that worked with a bomb squad and gained experience from this. Ten seasons later, and the show still remembers this. This was a lovely and intense scene that showed some well-needed continuity from this show. Not to mention the lovely Morgan/Reid moment where Morgan asked Reid to back up, and Reid said he wasn't going anywhere. It was truly a great scene for a great episode.
Tonya Papanikolas: What an emotional scene. Because his parents died in the Holocaust, he never knew them - or even who they were. After all that time, to finally learn who they are - and to see a picture of them and some of their belongings - was incredibly moving. Kudos to the writers for such a significant moment for the character that carried so much weight. It was fantastic.
HELIX, "Densho", February 6, 2015, Actors: Mark Ghanimé and more
The Scene: Balleseros makes his return
Robert Fruin: Balleseros makes his return after he was presumed dead. We find out he is now working for Ilaria.
Laura Markus: Being the only couple on the show I can tolerate, Connor and Oliver have been a bit shifty towards each other. In this episode, we see what Connor did over Christmas break - his sister asked him about a a potential date, but Connor, shyly, said he has a boyfriend. We later see Connor and Oliver having a movie date, and after this, Oliver makes an advance on Connor. Oliver regrets this by saying that he really loves him. Connor reciprocates, and says that he doesn't trust anyone at all except him. It was adorable and made me very emotional for these two.
Sandi: I love it when shows pull off special episodes like this, I would pick the whole episode if I could since it was technically one long continuous shot - even though there are a couple neat camera tricks they are virtually impossible to spot! It was hilarious watching Charlie pulling off all the little jobs he does on a daily basis just to keep the pub running as well as it does. The set up for the stool that Sweet Dee finally sat on at the end of the episode was just pure genius though. Brilliant scripting and fab performances by all, especially Charlie Day.
Justyna K: First of all, that was a brilliant episode! It was great to see The Howling Commandos back in action and someone finally acknowledging Carter's capabilities was such a wonderful change. Surpringly it's the scene between Peggy and one of my least favorite characters on the show, Thompson, that ended up being the most memorable moment of the hour for me. Not only did Jack showed respect and gratitude towards Carter but for the first time we got to learn more about his past and it made his character finally seem more complex and interesting. Chad Michael Murray did a great job in the scene. Hopefully it's the first step for Thompson to start being a likeable person and an ally in Carter's fight against Leviathan. It sure looks like Peggy's going to need all the help she can get. Kudos to cast and crew for their amazing work on this truly impressive series!
Tonya Papanikolas: Deacon finally gets to hear these wonderful words from the woman he loves - but it's bittersweet since he doesn't have the time to give her. He has just learned he has cancer, and he doesn't want to tell her. So after Rayna's great speech saying she's loved him since she met him, all he can do is say yes - he will give her all the time she needs. You can see the heartbreak in his eyes and feel the words "I don't have time" on the tip of his tongue. But he holds it all in. This was a great scene with great acting.
Daniel van der Veer: After Diane's death a couple of weeks ago, we haven't seen much of Gibbs' grief. So it was great to see Hollis Mann return and force Gibbs to talk about Diane. She was probably one of the few who can pull it off to get Gibbs talking about his feelings. Not only did Gibbs feel guilty over Diane's death, he is also afraid Sergei will target someone else close to him. Hence, he shut out Hollis. It was a powerful scene between these two characters, and a great emotional moment for Gibbs.
Tonya Papanikolas: The ending hospital scenes set to music. What a great ending to this episode. I loved the whole team being there to see Palmer's new baby - even Gibbs. What a sweet gesture to name the baby after Ducky's mother. Everything about this scene was touching. At the same time, it was powerful to mix these scenes with the victim's husband going to visit the man his husband died trying to help. He took Gibbs' advice to carry on his late husband's "mission" and be a friend to this man. It was a great ending to the case. The music was fantastic. The ending couldn't have been better.
Justyna K: Root's character has always been an interesting one. Technically, she's considered as one of the good guys now, but to be honest, I don't know if I'll ever be able to see her like that. Amy Acker, however, is certainly one of the show's most talented stars and never fails to impress me, especially in the scenes like this one. From the moment we met Sam she always had the biggest trust and faith in the Machine. So to see her breaking down, desperately asking for the Machine's help only to get the answer "stop" was a very powerful and important moment. I do wonder how things will change for her now and what was the Machine's motivation, especially considering the fact we finally know that Shaw's alive (yay!) and with Greer (no!). Scenes with Root and Finch quite often end up being one of my favorites, the characters have a very unique friendship and both actors' performances are absolutely stunning. It appears that Root's leaving for a while and I already can't wait to see how things will work out after everything that's happened. Kudos to the cast & crew for another great hour! Also picked by Robert Fruin
Bradley Adams: Finch pleads with Reese to prevent Root torturing Leslie Thompson. Also picked by DarkUFO
Laura Markus: Holy crap, this scene. So many things went so right about this scene. Leo's spirit was rejuvenated, they all seemed like a family again, and Kara actually fought for Charlie to have his moment because he was leaving the hospital. To top it all off, they sang the chorus of You Can't Always Get What You Want by the Stones. As a big House, M.D. fan, this parallel was particularly adorable. And what could be better than Charlie talking for the first time? The most beautiful scene happened at the end of a finale of a beautiful show.
Sandi: I enjoyed seeing Alan van Sprang's brief return this season during Catherine's mad phase, even though I didn't entirely like the storyline that was responsible for it. But this reveal has suddenly made it a lot more interesting. Who is responsible? My money is on the House of Bourbon at present, but to be fair, there are plenty of options out there. Maybe even Clarissa is due to return after Catherine's 'vision' this week?
Justyna K: There were just so many great, intense, wonderfully done things about this episode. But despite everything that was happening in Camp Jaha, I was wholeheartedly focused on Mount Weather and all the great developments there. First of all, I loved how Jasper managed to save Monty and Harper, even if it wasn't the smartest plan to follow. I get it, cause when the people we care about the most are involved it's really hard to think straight. He was certainly right about Maya though. After seeing her come to save Bellamy at his worst it would be impossible for me not to appreciate the character. The entire scene, starting with the horrifying view of Bellamy hanging upside down being drained of his blood and ending on his fight to death with one of the guards and leaving with Maya was absolutely insane, intense and just a beginning of the attack from the inside on Mountain Men. After everything that's happened in the episode, I absolutely can't wait to see how the things will go down with Bellamy being ready to act on the plan and Clarke coming to distract Mount Weather with the Grounders' army. Absolutely love this show. Kudos!
Daniel van der Veer: Wow, what a standoff between Abby and Clarke! Of course no-one would get hurt, but it was quite an intense scene. Both women had a small army behind them, so it was an incredibly tense situation. I am so happy with badass Clarke and it's great that Abby finally acknowledged Clarke is in charge, albeit under presure.
Sylvie C: "You may be the chancellor but I'm in charge". Powerful scene and well acted by both actresses. Also picked by Robert Fruin
THE AMERICANS, "Baggage", February 4, 2015, Actors: Matthew Rhys and more
The Scene: The Disposal of Annelise body (picked by DarkUFO)
Diana Mack: Caitlin and Barry agree it's time for both of them to move on and find somebody to be crazy about. They stand silent for some seconds as they find a little awkward between them, then Barry and Caitlin both wave to each other. The whole episode was funny and Barry\Caitlin centric. It's obvious the authors want to focus also on their growing relationship and I really like this. I love them both.
Sylvie C: Barry brings a drunk Caitlin home and help her to put on her pyjamas. Funny and sweet scene at the same time. Love them together.
Bradley Adams: Barry's dad indirectly tells Barry that he's proud of him.
THE MENTALIST, "Nothing Gold Can Stay", February 4, 2015, Actors: Joe Adler, Tim Kang and more, The Scene: Vega's funeral
Diana Mack: The whole scene was moving and beautiful. No words heard, just a sad song playing in the background. Such a terrible loss, I'm gonna miss Michelle Vega.
