A weekly feature in which we're trying to find the most compelling, best acted, written, directed and just generally great, memorable scenes that we've seen in past seven days on TV.
ARROW, "Brotherhood", November 18, 2015, Actors: Willa Holland, Eugene Byrd
The Scene: Thea takes down Andy (picked by Ben L)
CASTLE, "The Last Seduction", November 16, 2015, Actors: Nathan Fillion and more
The Scene: Castle sets off a "Happy Anniversary" confetti shower
Jimmy Ryan: Castle tries and fails to set off a perfectly timed "Happy Anniversary" confetti shower and drop down sign.
CHICAGO MED, "Derailed", November 17, 2015, Actors: Torrey DeVitto, Yaya DaCosta, The Scene: Natalie talks to April about her husband
Aimee Hicks: Natalie talks to April about how she used to expect her husband to come home after he died, but she's stopped doing that and that realization breaks her heart. Torrey did a phenomenal job with this scene and Natalie's pain of loss poured from Torrey's eyes both figuratively and literally. It was a great moment of vulnerability for the otherwise strong and composed doctor who earlier in the episode was saying she didn't need help putting together the crib for her baby. I can only imagine the pain felt by so many real life wives of our brave soldiers who are in Natalie's position and it is nice to see the show tackle the topic in the premiere episode. It was a beautifully acted scene by Torrey who was graciously supported by Yaya throughout the scene.
DOCTOR WHO, "Face the Raven", November 21, 2015, Actors: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and more, The Scene: Clara says goodbye to the Doctor
Justyna K: Farewell, Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl! I can't believe it's really a goodbye. After everything she's been through, everyone she saved (including the Doctor himself), I can't help but think she deserved more than that. Yes, she gave up her life to save her friend, bravely faced her fate and didn't run from it, but it still seemed just cruel in the end, the way it all went down. For a while now, since Danny died actually, Clara has been taking many risks, she enjoyed the danger and the unknown. She became addicted to this life, running with the Doctor. But I never imagined she would be paying such a price for her choices. The goodbye between Clara and the Doctor, everything she said, making sure he's going to be okay without her, it was all beautifully acted by Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi. Doctor Who mostly feels like a wonderful journey the viewers can take part in, but there's always one truly tragic, constant aspect of it - losing people. The Doctors, the Companions. Sometimes it's done better, sometime worse, very memorable though. Clara has become such a heart of the story, it's hard to imagine things without her. Kudos to Jenna for her great work & to the writers for creating a character like that. Miss her already.
FARGO, "Rhinoceros", November 16, 2015, Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Jeffrey Donovan
The Scene: Peggy shock-prods Dodd in her maze of magazines (picked by Darth Locke)
GOTHAM, "A Bitter Pill to Swallow", November 16, 2015, Actors: Robin Lord Taylor, Cory Michael Smith, The Scene: Riddler's pep talk to Penguin
Kollin Lore: The two three named actors have been two of the most consistent highlights in a rather inconsistent show, which by the way has improved profoundly this season. In this scene a defeated Penguin, holed up in Ed Nygma's place, mourns over the death of his mom. Nygma takes the courage to straight up tell him his mom was his weakness, love is crippling. He reminds Penguin that in front of him he sees a free man that answers to no one. This was inspirational as Riddler was once crippled by his love for Ms. Cringle and since he killed her, he is now free. To see him pass on that lesson bluntly to Penguin was strangely moving. Through his speech, the two future Batman villians bond for the first time. A defining moment in this series.
GREY'S ANATOMY, "Things We Lost in the Fire", November 19, 2015, Actors: Justin Chambers, Camilla Luddington, The Scene: Alex proposes to Jo (picked by Ben L)
HEROES REBORN, "11:53 to Odessa", November 19, 2015, Actors: Danika Yarosh, Zachary Levi and more, The Scene: Malina uses her power to stop the storm
Laura Markus: Malina finally uses her power to stop the storm, but when the common folk want to kill her because she's an EVO, Luke uses his power to stop them.
HOMELAND, "Oriole", November 15, 2015, Actors: Miranda Otto, The Scene: Allison breaks down in Saul's bathroom
Darth Locke: I don't know what it is about Howard Gordan related series, but the female characters so often end up being quite emotionally extreme and this one scene from Miranda Otto just reminds me of one of those great woman who can be so vulnerable, despite other scenes where she can be seen as so deviously gleeful and sharp.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, "What Did We Do?", November 19, 2015, Actors: Viola Davis, Matt McGorry and more, The Scenes: Annalise, Asher and Bonnie drop the body of Emily Sinclair in front of others & The last scene of the episode & Annalise asks her students to shoot her & Asher kills Sinclair
Jimmy Ryan: The moment Annalise, Asher and Bonnie dropped the body of Emily Sinclair in front of Wes, Laurel, Connor and Michaela. This episode had so many outstanding scenes but this one changed the game completely, nudging it to the top of my list.
Samy Bgs: The last scene of the episode - Young Wes is being interrogated about her sick or dead mom as we see Eve and Annalise watching the interrogation from another room meaning they're somehow involved...
Francesco B: Annalise asks her students to shoot her. I truly loved the fall finale and the ending was really powerful and emotional. Viola Davis nailed it, she will easily win another Emmy.
Laura Markus: Asher running Sinclair over with his car and then breaking down.
Bradley Adams: Asher kills Sinclair.
INTO THE BADLANDS, "The Fort", November 15, 2015, Actors: Daniel Wu and more, The Scenes: Sunny fights The Widow's Clippers & The First Fight Scene
Darth Locke: Sunny fights The Widow's Clippers around the Widow's Car! Really nice Pilot episode all around, but I chose this scene because it's familiarly is so iconic, but done with such great choreography and cinematography, which I learned took six days of filming, that it really should be seen as both an artistic and physical accomplishment!
Kollin Lore: Within the opening 10 minutes of the premiere of this kung-fu thriller, Sunny comes across a group of nomads who had just butchered innocent people. He takes care of them easily and it is brutal. Especially that sequence when he folds a guy's back in half so his feet touches the ground where his head is, that was absolutely painful to watch. One of those moments that will be etched in my head for quite some time.
JANE THE VIRGIN, "Chapter Twenty-Eight", November 16, 2015, Actors: Gina Rodriguez and more
The Scene: Jane imagines little Mateo as Oliver Twist
Francesco B: Jane imagines little Mateo as Oliver Twist and a rich naughty kid. This episode was hilarious!
JESSICA JONES, "AKA It's Called Whiskey" & "AKA Top Shelf Perverts", November 20, 2015, Actors: Krysten Ritter, David Tennant and more, The Scenes: Simpson attempts to kill Trish while under Kilgrave's control & Kilgrave professes his love for Jessica
Aimee Hicks: Simpson attempts to kill Trish while under Kilgrave's control and Jessica shows up to protect her sister. It was never a fair fight and the odds were always stacked against Trish, but that didn't stop her from fighting and doing her best to survive the onslaught. When Jessica showed up she put everything into protecting Trish even going so far as to drug her to make Simpson think he'd killed her and fulfilled Kilgrave's orders. While the fight was well done and the scene was well written it was the performances of the actors that really made this scene a standout. There was very little dialogue in this sequence so the actors had to depend on their eyes and bodies to convey what they were thinking and each delivered powerful performances. From Rachael showing Trish's desperation, to Wil portraying Simpson's forced drive to kill then his relief when he is made to believe she is dead, and to Krysten's portrayal of Jessica's desperation to save Trish while not harming Simpson too badly. The actors actions said almost more than the actual words in the scene.
Bradley Adams: Kilgrave professes his love for Jessica while the cops hold guns to each other. There were some great scenes in the first half of the season, but this was far and away the best. Tennant was given his biggest part in the season so far and delivered magnificently. I was struggling somewhat to not loathe the idea that Kilgrave was torturing Jessica as he is because he loves her, but Tennant really made it work. It was such an intense and enjoyable scene to watch.
LIMITLESS, "Headquarters!", November 17, 2015, Actors: Jake McDorman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Scenes: Brian pestering Naz for his own office & The ending Bruntouchables montage
Jimmy Ryan: Brian pestering Naz for the ability to have a headquarters over the course of many days and weeks at the start of the episode. This was so well acted and constructed and was hilarious to watch. Laura Markus: The ending Bruntouchables montage.
MARVEL'S AGENTS OF SHIELD, "Many Heads, One Tale", November 17, 2015, Actors: Clark Gregg, Brett Dalton and more, The Scene: The reveal about Hydra
Justyna K: It's been a while since Hydra has been important part of the story and this was such a great twist! I really enjoyed the reveal and the way it all played out, with Ward in one place and the team in another, all finding out the truth at the same time. Turns out Hydra has been around for much, much longer than I could have expected and it has strong ties to both Inhumans and the planet Jemma was on. The show often excels when it comes to these mysteries and shocking twists. Things are very quickly escalating and it looks like the war between SHIELD and Hydra and, on more personal level, between Coulson and Ward will be the main subject of the next episode. I already can't wait!
SUPERGIRL, "Livewire", November 16, 2015, Actors: Chyler Leigh, Helen Slater, The Scene: Alex and her mom finally have a heart-to-heart
Aimee Hicks: The scene where Alex and her mom finally have a heart-to-heart was a gripping scene full of emotion. Since the age of 14 Alex has been tasked to look after Kara and it is a responsibility she has taken very seriously yet more than anything else she wants her mom's approval. Eliza has always been harder on Alex and that fact was not lost on either sister. When Eliza declared her pride in Alex and apologized it was the thing Alex had been waiting so long for. This was the best episode of the series yet and it was filled to the brim with amazing moments, but this was Chyler's moment to shine and shine she did. She went into that scene with the legendary Helen Slater and not only did she hold her own, but she easily stole the scene. Chyler poured her heart into that performance and it payed off big. That was a shining moment for both the character of Alex and Chyler.
THE FLASH, "Gorilla Warfare", November 17, 2015, Actors: Tom Cavanagh, Danielle Panabaker and more, The Scene: Wells tries to talk down Grodd
Justyna K: Another week, another brilliant episode. There's always so many great scenes to choose from, I almost went with Henry and Barry talk in Star Labs, as I have a soft spot for all the father-son moments on the show, but in the end I was really enjoying the team dynamics this week and the plan to save Caitlin, and wanted to include it in the article. Wells as Thawne was brilliant and insane idea, really fun to watch. For a moment, he actually reminded me of him. Great performance by Tom Cavanagh. I like how Harry is finding his place on the team. All the scenes with them are absolutely great. Kudos!
THE LEFTOVERS, "A Most Powerful Adversary", November 15, 2015, Actors: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, The Scene: Kevin goes to Laurie's hotel room for help
Francesco B: The ending and Kevin that visits Laurie and ask for her help. I really loved Kevin's centric episode and Justin Thoreaux's performance. Amazing writing and acting.
Bradley Adams: Kevin goes to Laurie's hotel room for help.
ARROW, "Brotherhood", November 18, 2015, Actors: Willa Holland, Eugene Byrd
The Scene: Thea takes down Andy (picked by Ben L)
CASTLE, "The Last Seduction", November 16, 2015, Actors: Nathan Fillion and more
The Scene: Castle sets off a "Happy Anniversary" confetti shower
Jimmy Ryan: Castle tries and fails to set off a perfectly timed "Happy Anniversary" confetti shower and drop down sign.
Aimee Hicks: Natalie talks to April about how she used to expect her husband to come home after he died, but she's stopped doing that and that realization breaks her heart. Torrey did a phenomenal job with this scene and Natalie's pain of loss poured from Torrey's eyes both figuratively and literally. It was a great moment of vulnerability for the otherwise strong and composed doctor who earlier in the episode was saying she didn't need help putting together the crib for her baby. I can only imagine the pain felt by so many real life wives of our brave soldiers who are in Natalie's position and it is nice to see the show tackle the topic in the premiere episode. It was a beautifully acted scene by Torrey who was graciously supported by Yaya throughout the scene.
Justyna K: Farewell, Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl! I can't believe it's really a goodbye. After everything she's been through, everyone she saved (including the Doctor himself), I can't help but think she deserved more than that. Yes, she gave up her life to save her friend, bravely faced her fate and didn't run from it, but it still seemed just cruel in the end, the way it all went down. For a while now, since Danny died actually, Clara has been taking many risks, she enjoyed the danger and the unknown. She became addicted to this life, running with the Doctor. But I never imagined she would be paying such a price for her choices. The goodbye between Clara and the Doctor, everything she said, making sure he's going to be okay without her, it was all beautifully acted by Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi. Doctor Who mostly feels like a wonderful journey the viewers can take part in, but there's always one truly tragic, constant aspect of it - losing people. The Doctors, the Companions. Sometimes it's done better, sometime worse, very memorable though. Clara has become such a heart of the story, it's hard to imagine things without her. Kudos to Jenna for her great work & to the writers for creating a character like that. Miss her already.
FARGO, "Rhinoceros", November 16, 2015, Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Jeffrey Donovan
The Scene: Peggy shock-prods Dodd in her maze of magazines (picked by Darth Locke)
Kollin Lore: The two three named actors have been two of the most consistent highlights in a rather inconsistent show, which by the way has improved profoundly this season. In this scene a defeated Penguin, holed up in Ed Nygma's place, mourns over the death of his mom. Nygma takes the courage to straight up tell him his mom was his weakness, love is crippling. He reminds Penguin that in front of him he sees a free man that answers to no one. This was inspirational as Riddler was once crippled by his love for Ms. Cringle and since he killed her, he is now free. To see him pass on that lesson bluntly to Penguin was strangely moving. Through his speech, the two future Batman villians bond for the first time. A defining moment in this series.
GREY'S ANATOMY, "Things We Lost in the Fire", November 19, 2015, Actors: Justin Chambers, Camilla Luddington, The Scene: Alex proposes to Jo (picked by Ben L)
HEROES REBORN, "11:53 to Odessa", November 19, 2015, Actors: Danika Yarosh, Zachary Levi and more, The Scene: Malina uses her power to stop the storm
Laura Markus: Malina finally uses her power to stop the storm, but when the common folk want to kill her because she's an EVO, Luke uses his power to stop them.
Darth Locke: I don't know what it is about Howard Gordan related series, but the female characters so often end up being quite emotionally extreme and this one scene from Miranda Otto just reminds me of one of those great woman who can be so vulnerable, despite other scenes where she can be seen as so deviously gleeful and sharp.
Jimmy Ryan: The moment Annalise, Asher and Bonnie dropped the body of Emily Sinclair in front of Wes, Laurel, Connor and Michaela. This episode had so many outstanding scenes but this one changed the game completely, nudging it to the top of my list.
Samy Bgs: The last scene of the episode - Young Wes is being interrogated about her sick or dead mom as we see Eve and Annalise watching the interrogation from another room meaning they're somehow involved...
Francesco B: Annalise asks her students to shoot her. I truly loved the fall finale and the ending was really powerful and emotional. Viola Davis nailed it, she will easily win another Emmy.
Laura Markus: Asher running Sinclair over with his car and then breaking down.
Bradley Adams: Asher kills Sinclair.
Darth Locke: Sunny fights The Widow's Clippers around the Widow's Car! Really nice Pilot episode all around, but I chose this scene because it's familiarly is so iconic, but done with such great choreography and cinematography, which I learned took six days of filming, that it really should be seen as both an artistic and physical accomplishment!
Kollin Lore: Within the opening 10 minutes of the premiere of this kung-fu thriller, Sunny comes across a group of nomads who had just butchered innocent people. He takes care of them easily and it is brutal. Especially that sequence when he folds a guy's back in half so his feet touches the ground where his head is, that was absolutely painful to watch. One of those moments that will be etched in my head for quite some time.
JANE THE VIRGIN, "Chapter Twenty-Eight", November 16, 2015, Actors: Gina Rodriguez and more
The Scene: Jane imagines little Mateo as Oliver Twist
Francesco B: Jane imagines little Mateo as Oliver Twist and a rich naughty kid. This episode was hilarious!
Aimee Hicks: Simpson attempts to kill Trish while under Kilgrave's control and Jessica shows up to protect her sister. It was never a fair fight and the odds were always stacked against Trish, but that didn't stop her from fighting and doing her best to survive the onslaught. When Jessica showed up she put everything into protecting Trish even going so far as to drug her to make Simpson think he'd killed her and fulfilled Kilgrave's orders. While the fight was well done and the scene was well written it was the performances of the actors that really made this scene a standout. There was very little dialogue in this sequence so the actors had to depend on their eyes and bodies to convey what they were thinking and each delivered powerful performances. From Rachael showing Trish's desperation, to Wil portraying Simpson's forced drive to kill then his relief when he is made to believe she is dead, and to Krysten's portrayal of Jessica's desperation to save Trish while not harming Simpson too badly. The actors actions said almost more than the actual words in the scene.
Bradley Adams: Kilgrave professes his love for Jessica while the cops hold guns to each other. There were some great scenes in the first half of the season, but this was far and away the best. Tennant was given his biggest part in the season so far and delivered magnificently. I was struggling somewhat to not loathe the idea that Kilgrave was torturing Jessica as he is because he loves her, but Tennant really made it work. It was such an intense and enjoyable scene to watch.
LIMITLESS, "Headquarters!", November 17, 2015, Actors: Jake McDorman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, The Scenes: Brian pestering Naz for his own office & The ending Bruntouchables montage
Jimmy Ryan: Brian pestering Naz for the ability to have a headquarters over the course of many days and weeks at the start of the episode. This was so well acted and constructed and was hilarious to watch. Laura Markus: The ending Bruntouchables montage.
Justyna K: It's been a while since Hydra has been important part of the story and this was such a great twist! I really enjoyed the reveal and the way it all played out, with Ward in one place and the team in another, all finding out the truth at the same time. Turns out Hydra has been around for much, much longer than I could have expected and it has strong ties to both Inhumans and the planet Jemma was on. The show often excels when it comes to these mysteries and shocking twists. Things are very quickly escalating and it looks like the war between SHIELD and Hydra and, on more personal level, between Coulson and Ward will be the main subject of the next episode. I already can't wait!
Aimee Hicks: The scene where Alex and her mom finally have a heart-to-heart was a gripping scene full of emotion. Since the age of 14 Alex has been tasked to look after Kara and it is a responsibility she has taken very seriously yet more than anything else she wants her mom's approval. Eliza has always been harder on Alex and that fact was not lost on either sister. When Eliza declared her pride in Alex and apologized it was the thing Alex had been waiting so long for. This was the best episode of the series yet and it was filled to the brim with amazing moments, but this was Chyler's moment to shine and shine she did. She went into that scene with the legendary Helen Slater and not only did she hold her own, but she easily stole the scene. Chyler poured her heart into that performance and it payed off big. That was a shining moment for both the character of Alex and Chyler.
Justyna K: Another week, another brilliant episode. There's always so many great scenes to choose from, I almost went with Henry and Barry talk in Star Labs, as I have a soft spot for all the father-son moments on the show, but in the end I was really enjoying the team dynamics this week and the plan to save Caitlin, and wanted to include it in the article. Wells as Thawne was brilliant and insane idea, really fun to watch. For a moment, he actually reminded me of him. Great performance by Tom Cavanagh. I like how Harry is finding his place on the team. All the scenes with them are absolutely great. Kudos!
THE LEFTOVERS, "A Most Powerful Adversary", November 15, 2015, Actors: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, The Scene: Kevin goes to Laurie's hotel room for help
Francesco B: The ending and Kevin that visits Laurie and ask for her help. I really loved Kevin's centric episode and Justin Thoreaux's performance. Amazing writing and acting.
Bradley Adams: Kevin goes to Laurie's hotel room for help.
