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.
12 MONKEYS, "Meltdown", May 30, 2016, Actors: Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Michael Hogan and more, The Scenes: Cole gets through to Cassie & Eckland's sacrifice
Justyna K: Such a great show! In case you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it, especially for all the fans of the time travel stories. I really enjoyed the first season but this one seems even better! Despite making a difference in the future, things haven't been easy for Cole and Cassie. Their dynamics definitely changed but despite that, I still think their bond's always there and when it matters - they can count on each other. And it's clearly visible in this scene and the episode overall. The stakes are high when the time machine causes death and destruction in the facility and Cassie's mind is taken over by the Witness. Even though she tries to fight back, she can't, not until a real emotional shock allows her to come back. All thanks to Cole, who's doing everything in his power to save everyone, including asking Ramsey to shoot him. The entire standoff is such an intense and beautifully acted scene. Here, I want to give a shout-out to my honorable mention - Eckland's sacrifice - also powerful and very memorable moment. I had to go with the confrontation though - for the torn between nightmare and reality Cassie, determined and brave Cole and finally the consequences of the Witness' attack for Ramsey and his son. It took me completely by surprise. After everything, I hope there's a way to fix the broken pieces lost by all these characters. Kudos for such a wonderfully done series!
Aimee Hicks: Cole has Ramsey shoot him so they can get through to Cassie. Cole and Cassie have been through a lot together but nothing quite like what they went through in this episode. When Cassie was running amuck in the facility Cole never gave up hope of getting through to her. Even when they were all locked in room together with guns aimed at each other Cole still never gave up on Cassie. He was willing to do whatever it took to get through to Cassie and help her regain control of her own body. He knows her and he knew that inside Cassie was desperate to fight her way back to him. It is his belief in her and his faith in her strength that led him to the unlikely decision to have Ramsey shoot him. Cassie needed an extreme jolt to bring her back and he gave her just that. It was intense and bold and the cinematography mixed with the acting and dynamic background music really helped sell this as the incredible scene it was. Amanda played Cassie as dead eyed and robotic right up until the moment Cole was shot then the lights came on in Cassie’s eyes and the doctor we’ve all come to know and love was back. Aaron has incredible control over his character and played Cole as calm and collected even in such a high stakes situation. Every single element of this scene was perfect.
Darth Locke: Dr Eckland dies exposing himself to temporal radiation in order to help with the time machine. This season of 12 Monkeys has been so much better than the first season for so many reasons. One of which is that the show now has a bit more personality when either spoofing time periods, like 1944 or 1973, but also by introducing characters like Dr. Eckland. Eckland is played by Battlestar Galactic (re-imaged) alumni Michael Hogan and his 12 Monkeys' character dynamic with Dr. Katrina Jones has brought much humanity to Jones, but has also just been a lot of fun in his own right. I'm sad to see him go, but in a show that uses time travel, I'm hopeful that maybe it's not really the last we've seen him!
BONES, "The Movie in the Making", June 2, 2016, Actors: Tamara Taylor, Pej Vahdat
The Scene: Cam proposes to Arastoo
Klutzy girl: Was not expecting this to happen so the moment genuinely shocked me and was absolutely adorable.
GAME OF THRONES, "Blood of My Blood", May 29, 2016, Actors: Maisie Williams, Essie Davis, The Scene: Arya talks to Lady Crane
Darth Locke: After she asks, Arya explains what she thinks Lady Crane should do differently, when playing Cersei Lannister. Whatever is really going on here with The Kindly Man, The Waif, and Arya, remains to be seen, even though it appears Arya has failed her enrollment into The Faceless Men, but I chose this scene, because despite that Arya still has a characteristic of defiance, she proved that she can understand how Cersei would feel losing Joffrey, showing the audience a sense of empathy, but also a parallel between Arya and Cersei in terms to how they respond when family is lost. For a character so out for revenge for so many seasons, it was great to see Arya understand something that maybe she would not have, or at least not admitted to have, before! Despite if those two ever come face to face and Arya still wants revenge may be another thing, but this feels like progress to me, especially since she chose to also save Lady Crane's life, which puts hers in jeopardy.
MISTRESSES, "The New Girls", May 30, 2016, Actors: Jes Macallan, Brett Tucker
The Scene: Harry proposes to Joss
Klutzy girl: Harry pulls off a surprise and proposes to Joss. I love these two so much and I'm excited to see where this season leads them!
OUTLANDER, "Je Suis Prest", June 4, 2016, Actors: Caitriona Balfe and more, The Scene: Claire explains her guilt
Darth Locke: Remembering being helpless and alone in a ditch during WII, Claire explains her guilt with a beautiful analogy, A Dragonfly in Amber... This episode was filled with a lot of beautiful juxtapositions of themes about leadership, courage of conviction, participation, and reconciling victimization. This particular exchange between Claire and Jamie, revealing such a timeless analogy, also happens to be the title of the second novel on which the second season of Outlander is based, and something I suspect will echo through the remainder of the season.
PERSON OF INTEREST, "Sotto Voce" & "The Day the World Went Away", May 30/31, 2016, Actors: Michael Emerson, Amy Acker and more, The Scenes: Finch talks to Samaritan & Root and Shaw reunite & Team reunites with Shaw & Root and Harold talk about life and death
Justyna K: Just when I think Michael Emerson did his best in one scene, he outdoes himself. Such an impressive actor in one of the show's best performances. His potrayal of Finch is half the reason his character is such a compelling and complex one. After everything that's happened, all the pain and loss, everyone the team couldn't save and finally, after witnessing Elias and Root's deaths - he's done. It all becomes too much. Losing a friend is hard enough, but how many deaths can one take? Before doing something to fight back. It's clear in the moment how much this decision means to Finch, he never wanted to get involved, his life became so focused on saving the people in danger, the "irrelevant" numbers, that even considering to take such drastic actions, like declaring an open war with Samaritan, didn't even seem possible. But knowing he can do something and didn't is more than he can take at that point. And in this intense, powerful and incredibly acted scene, Finch threatens Samaritan, promises to kill the system and openly considers how much it will take. And shortly later, leaves the police with the chaos caused by the Machine to get him out. I absolutely can't wait to see where this story goes. Finch's relationship with his creation was always one of my favorites on the show so I'm excited to watch more of their interactions. Kudos on another brilliant week of television! Also picked by DarkUFO
Aimee Hicks: The reunion scene between Root and Shaw was long in the making and acted with raw emotion by Amy and exquisite fear by Sarah. Root was thrilled to see Shaw and couldn’t keep her hands off of her face as if she was desperate to reassure herself that Shaw was really in front of her. For Sarah’s part she played Shaw as distant which given what we know about the simulations Samaritan put her through is understandable. It was obvious Shaw desperately wanted to be in Root’s embrace when Root wrapped her in a big hug but the fear of harming Root was too great. She pushed out of the embrace and was prepared to tackle the world alone except Root has fought too long and hard to find Shaw to lose her again. Samaritan thought it knew Root and knew how she would react when Shaw put a gun to her head but Root is unpredictable. She would rather die than lose Shaw again so if one is going to kill themselves the other is too. For Shaw she too would also die rather than harm Root. It was the ultimate standoff and props to both Amy and Sarah for making the rawness of the reunion resonate beyond the screen and allow audiences to see inside the big hearts of both of these troubled souls. A beautiful reunion even if it was extremely short lived.
Jimmy Ryan: Root and Harold have an extended conversation about life and death.
DarkUFO: The gang meet at the bridge and join up with Shaw.
VEEP, "C**tgate", May 29, 2016, Actors: Sarah Sutherland, Clea DuVall and more
The Scene: Catherine tells her mother that she's dating Marjorie
Klutzy girl: Catherine reveals to her mother that she's dating her bodyguard, Marjorie. It was an unexpected revelation, and I'm looking forward to more of this storyline!
WYNONNA EARP, "She Wouldn't Be Gone", June 3, 2016, Actors: Melanie Scrofano and more, The Scene: Wynonna realizes at the police station that Eve is Willa
Aimee Hicks: Melanie couldn’t have been better cast as Wynonna. This character demanded an actress that could play this phenomenally flawed character and transition between the various levels of sarcasm and heroics that this character deals with in every episode. She may not be a perfect person but she will never leave someone behind and will go to great lengths to protect those she cares about. That is why the loss of Willa and their father impacted her so hard. To find out her new friend, Eve, may actually be her long thought dead sister, Willa, it shattered her world. We don’t know much about Willa but when she was alive she had to shoulder the responsibilities of being the older sister. That responsibility transitioned to Wynonna and she’s spent all these years trying to live up to shoes she never felt she could fill. She hasn’t felt deserving of the heir title even though she has proven herself over and over again. With Willa potentially back I am intrigued to see how this changes the family dynamic and Wynonna’s status as the heir. The scene at the police station when Wynonna started to fully embrace the idea that Eve is Willa was masterfully played by Melanie. The pain of losing Willa, that she’s been hiding behind copious amounts of alcohol, came boiling up to the surface at the realization that the sister she had loved and lost was standing before her was a beautiful and painful bit of acting. The tears boiled up in her eyes and increased as the scene went along. Wynonna was fighting to retain her strong guarded exterior but through Melanie’s eyes we got to see into Wynonna’s pained soul. Nothing more could have been asked of Melanie in this scene because what she delivered was soulful and real and a powerhouse moment for this extremely talented actress during a very hard scene.
Justyna K: Such a great show! In case you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend it, especially for all the fans of the time travel stories. I really enjoyed the first season but this one seems even better! Despite making a difference in the future, things haven't been easy for Cole and Cassie. Their dynamics definitely changed but despite that, I still think their bond's always there and when it matters - they can count on each other. And it's clearly visible in this scene and the episode overall. The stakes are high when the time machine causes death and destruction in the facility and Cassie's mind is taken over by the Witness. Even though she tries to fight back, she can't, not until a real emotional shock allows her to come back. All thanks to Cole, who's doing everything in his power to save everyone, including asking Ramsey to shoot him. The entire standoff is such an intense and beautifully acted scene. Here, I want to give a shout-out to my honorable mention - Eckland's sacrifice - also powerful and very memorable moment. I had to go with the confrontation though - for the torn between nightmare and reality Cassie, determined and brave Cole and finally the consequences of the Witness' attack for Ramsey and his son. It took me completely by surprise. After everything, I hope there's a way to fix the broken pieces lost by all these characters. Kudos for such a wonderfully done series!
Aimee Hicks: Cole has Ramsey shoot him so they can get through to Cassie. Cole and Cassie have been through a lot together but nothing quite like what they went through in this episode. When Cassie was running amuck in the facility Cole never gave up hope of getting through to her. Even when they were all locked in room together with guns aimed at each other Cole still never gave up on Cassie. He was willing to do whatever it took to get through to Cassie and help her regain control of her own body. He knows her and he knew that inside Cassie was desperate to fight her way back to him. It is his belief in her and his faith in her strength that led him to the unlikely decision to have Ramsey shoot him. Cassie needed an extreme jolt to bring her back and he gave her just that. It was intense and bold and the cinematography mixed with the acting and dynamic background music really helped sell this as the incredible scene it was. Amanda played Cassie as dead eyed and robotic right up until the moment Cole was shot then the lights came on in Cassie’s eyes and the doctor we’ve all come to know and love was back. Aaron has incredible control over his character and played Cole as calm and collected even in such a high stakes situation. Every single element of this scene was perfect.
Darth Locke: Dr Eckland dies exposing himself to temporal radiation in order to help with the time machine. This season of 12 Monkeys has been so much better than the first season for so many reasons. One of which is that the show now has a bit more personality when either spoofing time periods, like 1944 or 1973, but also by introducing characters like Dr. Eckland. Eckland is played by Battlestar Galactic (re-imaged) alumni Michael Hogan and his 12 Monkeys' character dynamic with Dr. Katrina Jones has brought much humanity to Jones, but has also just been a lot of fun in his own right. I'm sad to see him go, but in a show that uses time travel, I'm hopeful that maybe it's not really the last we've seen him!
BONES, "The Movie in the Making", June 2, 2016, Actors: Tamara Taylor, Pej Vahdat
The Scene: Cam proposes to Arastoo
Klutzy girl: Was not expecting this to happen so the moment genuinely shocked me and was absolutely adorable.
Darth Locke: After she asks, Arya explains what she thinks Lady Crane should do differently, when playing Cersei Lannister. Whatever is really going on here with The Kindly Man, The Waif, and Arya, remains to be seen, even though it appears Arya has failed her enrollment into The Faceless Men, but I chose this scene, because despite that Arya still has a characteristic of defiance, she proved that she can understand how Cersei would feel losing Joffrey, showing the audience a sense of empathy, but also a parallel between Arya and Cersei in terms to how they respond when family is lost. For a character so out for revenge for so many seasons, it was great to see Arya understand something that maybe she would not have, or at least not admitted to have, before! Despite if those two ever come face to face and Arya still wants revenge may be another thing, but this feels like progress to me, especially since she chose to also save Lady Crane's life, which puts hers in jeopardy.
MISTRESSES, "The New Girls", May 30, 2016, Actors: Jes Macallan, Brett Tucker
The Scene: Harry proposes to Joss
Klutzy girl: Harry pulls off a surprise and proposes to Joss. I love these two so much and I'm excited to see where this season leads them!
Darth Locke: Remembering being helpless and alone in a ditch during WII, Claire explains her guilt with a beautiful analogy, A Dragonfly in Amber... This episode was filled with a lot of beautiful juxtapositions of themes about leadership, courage of conviction, participation, and reconciling victimization. This particular exchange between Claire and Jamie, revealing such a timeless analogy, also happens to be the title of the second novel on which the second season of Outlander is based, and something I suspect will echo through the remainder of the season.
Justyna K: Just when I think Michael Emerson did his best in one scene, he outdoes himself. Such an impressive actor in one of the show's best performances. His potrayal of Finch is half the reason his character is such a compelling and complex one. After everything that's happened, all the pain and loss, everyone the team couldn't save and finally, after witnessing Elias and Root's deaths - he's done. It all becomes too much. Losing a friend is hard enough, but how many deaths can one take? Before doing something to fight back. It's clear in the moment how much this decision means to Finch, he never wanted to get involved, his life became so focused on saving the people in danger, the "irrelevant" numbers, that even considering to take such drastic actions, like declaring an open war with Samaritan, didn't even seem possible. But knowing he can do something and didn't is more than he can take at that point. And in this intense, powerful and incredibly acted scene, Finch threatens Samaritan, promises to kill the system and openly considers how much it will take. And shortly later, leaves the police with the chaos caused by the Machine to get him out. I absolutely can't wait to see where this story goes. Finch's relationship with his creation was always one of my favorites on the show so I'm excited to watch more of their interactions. Kudos on another brilliant week of television! Also picked by DarkUFO
Aimee Hicks: The reunion scene between Root and Shaw was long in the making and acted with raw emotion by Amy and exquisite fear by Sarah. Root was thrilled to see Shaw and couldn’t keep her hands off of her face as if she was desperate to reassure herself that Shaw was really in front of her. For Sarah’s part she played Shaw as distant which given what we know about the simulations Samaritan put her through is understandable. It was obvious Shaw desperately wanted to be in Root’s embrace when Root wrapped her in a big hug but the fear of harming Root was too great. She pushed out of the embrace and was prepared to tackle the world alone except Root has fought too long and hard to find Shaw to lose her again. Samaritan thought it knew Root and knew how she would react when Shaw put a gun to her head but Root is unpredictable. She would rather die than lose Shaw again so if one is going to kill themselves the other is too. For Shaw she too would also die rather than harm Root. It was the ultimate standoff and props to both Amy and Sarah for making the rawness of the reunion resonate beyond the screen and allow audiences to see inside the big hearts of both of these troubled souls. A beautiful reunion even if it was extremely short lived.
Jimmy Ryan: Root and Harold have an extended conversation about life and death.
DarkUFO: The gang meet at the bridge and join up with Shaw.
VEEP, "C**tgate", May 29, 2016, Actors: Sarah Sutherland, Clea DuVall and more
The Scene: Catherine tells her mother that she's dating Marjorie
Klutzy girl: Catherine reveals to her mother that she's dating her bodyguard, Marjorie. It was an unexpected revelation, and I'm looking forward to more of this storyline!
Aimee Hicks: Melanie couldn’t have been better cast as Wynonna. This character demanded an actress that could play this phenomenally flawed character and transition between the various levels of sarcasm and heroics that this character deals with in every episode. She may not be a perfect person but she will never leave someone behind and will go to great lengths to protect those she cares about. That is why the loss of Willa and their father impacted her so hard. To find out her new friend, Eve, may actually be her long thought dead sister, Willa, it shattered her world. We don’t know much about Willa but when she was alive she had to shoulder the responsibilities of being the older sister. That responsibility transitioned to Wynonna and she’s spent all these years trying to live up to shoes she never felt she could fill. She hasn’t felt deserving of the heir title even though she has proven herself over and over again. With Willa potentially back I am intrigued to see how this changes the family dynamic and Wynonna’s status as the heir. The scene at the police station when Wynonna started to fully embrace the idea that Eve is Willa was masterfully played by Melanie. The pain of losing Willa, that she’s been hiding behind copious amounts of alcohol, came boiling up to the surface at the realization that the sister she had loved and lost was standing before her was a beautiful and painful bit of acting. The tears boiled up in her eyes and increased as the scene went along. Wynonna was fighting to retain her strong guarded exterior but through Melanie’s eyes we got to see into Wynonna’s pained soul. Nothing more could have been asked of Melanie in this scene because what she delivered was soulful and real and a powerhouse moment for this extremely talented actress during a very hard scene.
