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.
BATES MOTEL, "A Danger to Himself and Others", March 7, 2016, Actors: Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga and more, The Scenes: Norman kills Emma's Mother & Norma proposes to Romero to acquire his insurance
Darth Locke: The whole premiere was fantastic! I really liked how Audrey (Emma's mom) was used. Not only did she serve to continue to move Norman into Psycho-film territory, like with this horrific, but incredibly well-acted scene, but also an interesting contrast to Norma, along with letting the audience question the real relationship of Emma's parents and, not to mention, setting up a potentially devastating plot for Emma and her relationships with others for the upcoming season! Also picked by DarkUFO
Alexandra Stillwell: The Season 4 premiere was amazing. It in no way disappoints, but there was one scene in particular that I just have to mention: that proposal! Usually you never know what's going to happen when Norma and Romero come together in a scene. I certainly didn’t expect a marriage proposal, but it will forever be one of my favourite moments on this show. I knew the scene was going to be good when we saw Norma peek into Romero’s house just before knocking on the door. Twenty seconds later, Norma says to an unhappy Romero, “I need insurance. You have insurance. So, I thought maybe you could marry me.” The look on Romero’s face was priceless, and then when Norma follows up with “It’s not like you’re doing anything else” I nearly died from laughter and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Vera Farmiga and Nestor Carbonell have unbelievable chemistry together, and in a show that has a lot of darkness, they seem to provide a humorous light that leaves me to wanting more.
BETTER CALL SAUL, "Gloves Off", March 7, 2016, Actors: Jonathan Banks, Raymond Cruz
The Scene: Mike executes his solution to have Tuco arrested (picked by Darth Locke)
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, "There's My Baby", March 10, 2016, Actor: Viola Davis, The Scene: Annalise holds her dead baby in her arms
Pablozky21: Kudos to Viola Davis. No actress has made me feel more sorry for their character since... forever? The pain portrayed by Davis on this scene is unreal and it feels authentic, so much so I even wonder if Viola has ever gone through something like that to portray with such accuracy or if it's just her being extremely skillful or talented. In any case, it's probably one of the best pieces of acting I've seen in a long time, totally Emmy worthy as anything Davis does. She is just unreal and she carries an emotionaly draining episode of the show to a whole other level. Just wow.
Laura Markus: For a really odd episode I thought, this scene took the cake. Viola Davis is award-winning once again, delivering a heartbreaking performance of having to deliver a stillborn. It gives more layers to Annalise than we thought were possible, and also made us all cry in the process. Bravo.
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, "The Gang Goes to Hell: Part Two", March 9, 2016, Actors: Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney and more, The Scene: The gang holds hands while completely underwater
Laura Markus: Despite this episode completely undercutting the best scene of last week's episode, I still enjoyed it, and this scene especially. When things look bad for these characters, Mac and Charlie decide to give in and join the rest of the gang at the bottom of the now filled with water boat jail. It was a lovely scene of all of them holding hands, and for a moment it looked like they could've died right then and there, and it would've been satisfying. They were all ready to give up together and wait it out, and I think that's beautiful.
LIMITLESS, "Close Encounters", March 8, 2016, Actors: Jake McDorman, Blair Brown and more, The Scenes: Brian's mom gives him an intervention & Brian and Rebecca fight
Laura Markus: This episode was full of beautiful and noteworthy scenes, and I struggled to choose between this one and the end. But this just inched out the end. After sitting in a quarantine with Rebecca, learning that she too betrayed him, Brian thinks he can go home to the one place where people love him "because they have to". Unfortunately for him, his mother has given up on him, cutting Brian off, not giving him a chance to explain, finding out from Rachel about Sands, and telling him he's not welcome in their home anymore. You could hear pins drop in this scene; everything was so intense for a dialogue-heavy delivery. Even Mike and Ike stayed behind to hear about this. Dennis had nothing to say for Brian, which was horribly sad, and Rachel managed to mutter "Sorry" under her breath. But all of this is the reason why the ending scene even happened. I would give Jake McDorman all of the awards I can for this scene, and Blair Brown. You can tell that it hurt her to say these things, but I'm left feeling a lot more sorry for Brian than his mom. Poor guy can't trust anyone anymore. This is why he's going back to Piper this week. And this is why this scene truly shined as the best scene I have seen in weeks.
Darth Locke: Brian barks back at Rebecca with some honest brutality, after she had been condemning him for almost all of the episode.
LUCIFER, "Wingman", March 7, 2016, Actors: Tom Ellis and more, The Scene: Lucifer burns his wings
Aimee Hicks: Amenadiel launched a rather brilliant plan against his brother that literally went up in flames. This was brilliant acting from Tom Ellis as he took Lucifer through a journey of acceptance and led him right back to rebellion as he destroyed the last thing that obligated him to his father. Amazing scene and the image of the wings going up in flames was a beautiful image and very symbolic for the show.
ONCE UPON A TIME, "Souls of the Departed", March 6, 2016, Actors: Lana Parrilla, Jared S. Gilmore, Tony Perez, The Scene: Regina's dad goes to heaven
Pablozky21: This particular scene is a little bit cheesy, I admit, but damn it if it wasn't poignant when Regina's dad tells her that she became a hero or when he shows such an excitement over meeting his grandson. It's a wonderful warm moment that made me smile as Regina finally gets a bit of closure with some of her horrible deeds and sees possible to move forward on the path of a hero she has been undertaking for seasons. It's just amazing: the evil queen is now left behind on just flashbacks. Also picked by Aimee Hicks
TEEN WOLF, "Apotheosis", March 8, 2016, Actors: Tyler Posey, Dylan O'Brien, Holland Roden, The Scene: Scott, Stiles and Lydia at the library
Justyna K: It was a great finale, there were many things left open in the episode before and I was worried we wouldn't have a chance to bring all these storylines together, but in the end the writers did a wonderful work with Apotheosis and we even got to finish the season on a (mostly) happy note, very similar to 3A. There were a lot of memorable moments, like Malia's fight against Desert Wolf with Stiles in the middle, Theo's departure, Lydia bringing Mason back, Allison's memory saving Scott to name a few, but I really loved that final scene with the main trio in the library, finally able to catch a breath and study together. After this emotional, brutal and deadly season, it was such a nice change to see them with smiles on their faces. The entire part, with Stiles telling Lydia about Allison still being there with them, still saving her friends and Scott going back to the initials he left in the season premiere, was beautifully done. It was a wonderful idea to include Allison in such a significant way, I only wish Chris was somehow involved and/or aware of this. I miss these two the most. Overall, the second part of this season turned out to be much better than the first. Nothing quite like the pack being there for each other. Let's never fight like in 5A again. Hopefully with all the little hints at the end, we can expect great things in season six. Kudos to the cast & crew! Can't wait for what's next.
THE 100, "Terms and Conditions", March 10, 2016, Actors: Lindsey Morgan and more, The Scene: Raven breaks free from A.L.I.E
Pablozky21: Badass Raven is back! There wasn't a more satisfying moment in television this week than seeing how Raven realizes that every memory she had from Finn is essentially gone, not just the pain, but also stuff like their first kiss. As she realizes that A.L.I.E has taken more than just the pain from her, she decides that she can't let the AI get away with whatever she is planning and run off. This is an amazing character moment in which a character realizes that erasing pain is not worth erasing a person; pain is the way we honor the death and as Raven comes to the realization she has made a mistake, she finally asserts her free will, returning to the awesome character the show has built during the past 3 seasons. I couldn't be happier to have her back. Also picked by Aimee Hicks
THE WALKING DEAD, "Not Tomorrow Yet", March 6, 2016, Actors: Andrew Lincoln and more
The Scene: Rick's group attacks the Saviours Compound (picked by DarkUFO)
Darth Locke: The whole premiere was fantastic! I really liked how Audrey (Emma's mom) was used. Not only did she serve to continue to move Norman into Psycho-film territory, like with this horrific, but incredibly well-acted scene, but also an interesting contrast to Norma, along with letting the audience question the real relationship of Emma's parents and, not to mention, setting up a potentially devastating plot for Emma and her relationships with others for the upcoming season! Also picked by DarkUFO
Alexandra Stillwell: The Season 4 premiere was amazing. It in no way disappoints, but there was one scene in particular that I just have to mention: that proposal! Usually you never know what's going to happen when Norma and Romero come together in a scene. I certainly didn’t expect a marriage proposal, but it will forever be one of my favourite moments on this show. I knew the scene was going to be good when we saw Norma peek into Romero’s house just before knocking on the door. Twenty seconds later, Norma says to an unhappy Romero, “I need insurance. You have insurance. So, I thought maybe you could marry me.” The look on Romero’s face was priceless, and then when Norma follows up with “It’s not like you’re doing anything else” I nearly died from laughter and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Vera Farmiga and Nestor Carbonell have unbelievable chemistry together, and in a show that has a lot of darkness, they seem to provide a humorous light that leaves me to wanting more.
BETTER CALL SAUL, "Gloves Off", March 7, 2016, Actors: Jonathan Banks, Raymond Cruz
The Scene: Mike executes his solution to have Tuco arrested (picked by Darth Locke)
Pablozky21: Kudos to Viola Davis. No actress has made me feel more sorry for their character since... forever? The pain portrayed by Davis on this scene is unreal and it feels authentic, so much so I even wonder if Viola has ever gone through something like that to portray with such accuracy or if it's just her being extremely skillful or talented. In any case, it's probably one of the best pieces of acting I've seen in a long time, totally Emmy worthy as anything Davis does. She is just unreal and she carries an emotionaly draining episode of the show to a whole other level. Just wow.
Laura Markus: For a really odd episode I thought, this scene took the cake. Viola Davis is award-winning once again, delivering a heartbreaking performance of having to deliver a stillborn. It gives more layers to Annalise than we thought were possible, and also made us all cry in the process. Bravo.
Laura Markus: Despite this episode completely undercutting the best scene of last week's episode, I still enjoyed it, and this scene especially. When things look bad for these characters, Mac and Charlie decide to give in and join the rest of the gang at the bottom of the now filled with water boat jail. It was a lovely scene of all of them holding hands, and for a moment it looked like they could've died right then and there, and it would've been satisfying. They were all ready to give up together and wait it out, and I think that's beautiful.
Laura Markus: This episode was full of beautiful and noteworthy scenes, and I struggled to choose between this one and the end. But this just inched out the end. After sitting in a quarantine with Rebecca, learning that she too betrayed him, Brian thinks he can go home to the one place where people love him "because they have to". Unfortunately for him, his mother has given up on him, cutting Brian off, not giving him a chance to explain, finding out from Rachel about Sands, and telling him he's not welcome in their home anymore. You could hear pins drop in this scene; everything was so intense for a dialogue-heavy delivery. Even Mike and Ike stayed behind to hear about this. Dennis had nothing to say for Brian, which was horribly sad, and Rachel managed to mutter "Sorry" under her breath. But all of this is the reason why the ending scene even happened. I would give Jake McDorman all of the awards I can for this scene, and Blair Brown. You can tell that it hurt her to say these things, but I'm left feeling a lot more sorry for Brian than his mom. Poor guy can't trust anyone anymore. This is why he's going back to Piper this week. And this is why this scene truly shined as the best scene I have seen in weeks.
Darth Locke: Brian barks back at Rebecca with some honest brutality, after she had been condemning him for almost all of the episode.
Aimee Hicks: Amenadiel launched a rather brilliant plan against his brother that literally went up in flames. This was brilliant acting from Tom Ellis as he took Lucifer through a journey of acceptance and led him right back to rebellion as he destroyed the last thing that obligated him to his father. Amazing scene and the image of the wings going up in flames was a beautiful image and very symbolic for the show.
Pablozky21: This particular scene is a little bit cheesy, I admit, but damn it if it wasn't poignant when Regina's dad tells her that she became a hero or when he shows such an excitement over meeting his grandson. It's a wonderful warm moment that made me smile as Regina finally gets a bit of closure with some of her horrible deeds and sees possible to move forward on the path of a hero she has been undertaking for seasons. It's just amazing: the evil queen is now left behind on just flashbacks. Also picked by Aimee Hicks
Justyna K: It was a great finale, there were many things left open in the episode before and I was worried we wouldn't have a chance to bring all these storylines together, but in the end the writers did a wonderful work with Apotheosis and we even got to finish the season on a (mostly) happy note, very similar to 3A. There were a lot of memorable moments, like Malia's fight against Desert Wolf with Stiles in the middle, Theo's departure, Lydia bringing Mason back, Allison's memory saving Scott to name a few, but I really loved that final scene with the main trio in the library, finally able to catch a breath and study together. After this emotional, brutal and deadly season, it was such a nice change to see them with smiles on their faces. The entire part, with Stiles telling Lydia about Allison still being there with them, still saving her friends and Scott going back to the initials he left in the season premiere, was beautifully done. It was a wonderful idea to include Allison in such a significant way, I only wish Chris was somehow involved and/or aware of this. I miss these two the most. Overall, the second part of this season turned out to be much better than the first. Nothing quite like the pack being there for each other. Let's never fight like in 5A again. Hopefully with all the little hints at the end, we can expect great things in season six. Kudos to the cast & crew! Can't wait for what's next.
Pablozky21: Badass Raven is back! There wasn't a more satisfying moment in television this week than seeing how Raven realizes that every memory she had from Finn is essentially gone, not just the pain, but also stuff like their first kiss. As she realizes that A.L.I.E has taken more than just the pain from her, she decides that she can't let the AI get away with whatever she is planning and run off. This is an amazing character moment in which a character realizes that erasing pain is not worth erasing a person; pain is the way we honor the death and as Raven comes to the realization she has made a mistake, she finally asserts her free will, returning to the awesome character the show has built during the past 3 seasons. I couldn't be happier to have her back. Also picked by Aimee Hicks
THE WALKING DEAD, "Not Tomorrow Yet", March 6, 2016, Actors: Andrew Lincoln and more
The Scene: Rick's group attacks the Saviours Compound (picked by DarkUFO)
