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, "Resurrection", June 27, 2016, Actors: Emily Hampshire, Amanda Schull and more, The Scenes: Cassie decides to go after Cole & Old Jennifer Goins meets young Jennifer
Aimee Hicks: There isn’t much to this scene and the singular word spoken was simply a name, but so much happened in this small but powerful moment. It was a moment of realization for Cassie and everyone around her just seemed to understand without her having to explain anything. This season has provided a long tumultuous journey for Cassie, but her connection to Cole has always remained evident even when she was fighting it. She knows where she needs to be and she knows who she needs to be on this mission with. The way Amanda Schull acted this scene was intense and perfect as she conveyed all of Cassie’s conflict and pain with no dialogue to reflect what was going on inside her head. Yet, even without dialogue, the message was clear. This scene is critically important to Cassie’s journey and therefore the one that I think really stood out in this intense episode.
Kollin Lore: This was a very emotional scene in which we saw young Jennifer Goins grow up before our eyes as her older self gives one last advice before dying. We also got some of that Goins humor with the "choose your own adventure" quip followed by her goofy, pig laugh times two. This was Emily Hampshire at her best in a role she has consistently portrayed masterfully. Speaking of Jennifer, I just have to mention an earlier scene involving older Goins and Cole, in which she references Die Hard and Bruce Willis (Cole in the movies), that was just too funny.
DARK MATTER, "Welcome to Your New Home", July 1, 2016, Actors: Melissa O'Neil, Melanie Liburd, The Scene: Nyx and Two talk in the sim-yard
Aimee Hicks: This episode provided shocking moments in every scene, which would make it seem odd to some that this is the scene I picked to highlight. This scene was, in fact, one of the slower paced and quieter moments of the jam-packed episode, but it was also an important one. Through the scene we got to see Nyx and Two interact in an environment free from prying eyes and free of the need to be seen as strong warriors. Most importantly, we got to see Nyx soften for the first time since her introduction. Prior to this moment all we’d gotten to see her as was a badass prisoner looking for trouble. Once she was alone with Two she softened her tough exterior, she didn’t let her guard down, but she definitely changed her tone. I don’t think she targeted Three just to “test” him, but in fact the real test was meant for Two. For whatever reason she seemed to be seeking out the leader of the Raza crew and the way she interacted with Two in this moment makes me believe they have some sort of history. Whatever it is there is some familiarity that Nyx has with Two and I’m curious to find out what it is. The possibilities run the gambit from former foes to old friends to a fellow bio-synth and everything in between. The sim encounters were important because through them Nyx is able to convince Two to get back into the fight. After all Two has been through she seemed to be resigned to accept her fate but Nyx wasn’t going to let someone has powerful as Two just quit. Sure, Nyx seems like an opportunistic type of person and she saw Two and her crew as her best shot at freedom, but there just seems to be so much more to it. While the fight scene was a great way to introduce Nyx’s strength the sim scenes were the key to her introduction. She seems like a complicated character and I really enjoyed the way she was introduced. Melissa O’Neil and Melanie Liburd have a great chemistry and they are poised to be a great duo this season.
GAME OF THRONES, "The Winds of Winter", June 26, 2016, Actors: Robert Aramayo, Aisling Franciosi, Kit Harington, Maisie Williams and more, The Scenes: The Tower of Joy reveal & Arya's revenge & Jon Snow is declared King in the North
Justyna K: This week it's only Game of Thrones for me. What's more, I could easily choose at least 3 scenes to include in the article. First of all, it was an incredible season finale, might be the best one yet with everything that happened during the hour. Something I would very much like to highlight is certainly the music - it was a perfect choice for the show. Beautifully done! As for the scenes, I absolutely loved that little moment between Jon and Sansa ("Winter is here"), the King in the North speeches, Dany and Tyrion's interactions and so many others. The entire sequence leading to the explosion in King's Landing was haunting, unexpected and absolutely memorable (Margaery!). In the end, however, the part that got me the most in the entire episode was the reveal in the flashback to Tower of Joy. Everyone knew it was coming but it didn't take away any of the scene's meaning. Both actors portraying young Ned and Lyanna did a wonderful job there. Such a moment of pure love, strength, kindness and family bond is a rare thing on this show, making this especially emotional and important. And after all this time, the theory is finally confirmed, R + L = J! Ned took care of his sister's son, keeping his promise to protect him, even when it meant hurting his wife, his honor... I miss Ned, truly the last of his kind. It's a shame we never got to know Lyanna better, she seemed like such an interesting and strong character. I've been waiting for the reveal for a while but there are people who've waited years and years for this, making it all the more powerful. All the little things that come together to create a scene worked just right in this moment but my favorite part is the last 20 seconds, with the music building up (!!) as the screen changes from the little boy in Ned's arms to Jon Snow, back in Winterfell. Now, that's how you make the scene! Kudos to the entire cast & crew of the show for the entire season! It's been great, probably my favorite so far. Can't wait to see what happens next year!
Marko Pekic: Arya`s revenge finally started to unfold, as she masked herself into Frey`s chambers, killed his sons, turned them into dinner and slit Frey`s throat without a single twitch of remorse on her face. It was a game changing moment and I did not see that coming.
Kollin Lore: There were five or six scenes that were debated about, but I decided to go with the one that could be summed in five words: THE KING IN THE NORTH!
PREACHER, "South Will Rise Again", June 26, 2016, Actors: Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, The Scene: Cassidy and Tulip meet
Kollin Lore: Cassidy and Tulip are two very dynamic characters and, naturally, viewers were starved of any kind of interaction between them until this episode, its fifth. It was thus a big deal for them to finally meet and talk, and it was everything we could have expected full of snappy and humurous dialogue. Things also got serious too as Tulip shared with Cassidy a bit of her background. All in all, the interaction between them was kept to a minimum in what felt like a tease of what is sure to be many more interactions between these two quirks.
SCREAM, "Dawn of the Dead", June 28, 2016, Actor: Carlson Young
The Scene: Brooke screams underwater
Diana Paolucci: In the final moments of the episode, Brooke is in the pool at the school and she goes underwater to scream.
VEEP, "Inauguration", June 26, 2016, Actors: Tony Hale and more
The Scene: Gary goes off on his co-workers
Klutzy girl: After Selina loses the presidency, Gary unexpectedly goes off on his co-workers. It was unexpected but amazing and the various reactions from the group was hilarious.
Aimee Hicks: There isn’t much to this scene and the singular word spoken was simply a name, but so much happened in this small but powerful moment. It was a moment of realization for Cassie and everyone around her just seemed to understand without her having to explain anything. This season has provided a long tumultuous journey for Cassie, but her connection to Cole has always remained evident even when she was fighting it. She knows where she needs to be and she knows who she needs to be on this mission with. The way Amanda Schull acted this scene was intense and perfect as she conveyed all of Cassie’s conflict and pain with no dialogue to reflect what was going on inside her head. Yet, even without dialogue, the message was clear. This scene is critically important to Cassie’s journey and therefore the one that I think really stood out in this intense episode.
Kollin Lore: This was a very emotional scene in which we saw young Jennifer Goins grow up before our eyes as her older self gives one last advice before dying. We also got some of that Goins humor with the "choose your own adventure" quip followed by her goofy, pig laugh times two. This was Emily Hampshire at her best in a role she has consistently portrayed masterfully. Speaking of Jennifer, I just have to mention an earlier scene involving older Goins and Cole, in which she references Die Hard and Bruce Willis (Cole in the movies), that was just too funny.
Aimee Hicks: This episode provided shocking moments in every scene, which would make it seem odd to some that this is the scene I picked to highlight. This scene was, in fact, one of the slower paced and quieter moments of the jam-packed episode, but it was also an important one. Through the scene we got to see Nyx and Two interact in an environment free from prying eyes and free of the need to be seen as strong warriors. Most importantly, we got to see Nyx soften for the first time since her introduction. Prior to this moment all we’d gotten to see her as was a badass prisoner looking for trouble. Once she was alone with Two she softened her tough exterior, she didn’t let her guard down, but she definitely changed her tone. I don’t think she targeted Three just to “test” him, but in fact the real test was meant for Two. For whatever reason she seemed to be seeking out the leader of the Raza crew and the way she interacted with Two in this moment makes me believe they have some sort of history. Whatever it is there is some familiarity that Nyx has with Two and I’m curious to find out what it is. The possibilities run the gambit from former foes to old friends to a fellow bio-synth and everything in between. The sim encounters were important because through them Nyx is able to convince Two to get back into the fight. After all Two has been through she seemed to be resigned to accept her fate but Nyx wasn’t going to let someone has powerful as Two just quit. Sure, Nyx seems like an opportunistic type of person and she saw Two and her crew as her best shot at freedom, but there just seems to be so much more to it. While the fight scene was a great way to introduce Nyx’s strength the sim scenes were the key to her introduction. She seems like a complicated character and I really enjoyed the way she was introduced. Melissa O’Neil and Melanie Liburd have a great chemistry and they are poised to be a great duo this season.
Justyna K: This week it's only Game of Thrones for me. What's more, I could easily choose at least 3 scenes to include in the article. First of all, it was an incredible season finale, might be the best one yet with everything that happened during the hour. Something I would very much like to highlight is certainly the music - it was a perfect choice for the show. Beautifully done! As for the scenes, I absolutely loved that little moment between Jon and Sansa ("Winter is here"), the King in the North speeches, Dany and Tyrion's interactions and so many others. The entire sequence leading to the explosion in King's Landing was haunting, unexpected and absolutely memorable (Margaery!). In the end, however, the part that got me the most in the entire episode was the reveal in the flashback to Tower of Joy. Everyone knew it was coming but it didn't take away any of the scene's meaning. Both actors portraying young Ned and Lyanna did a wonderful job there. Such a moment of pure love, strength, kindness and family bond is a rare thing on this show, making this especially emotional and important. And after all this time, the theory is finally confirmed, R + L = J! Ned took care of his sister's son, keeping his promise to protect him, even when it meant hurting his wife, his honor... I miss Ned, truly the last of his kind. It's a shame we never got to know Lyanna better, she seemed like such an interesting and strong character. I've been waiting for the reveal for a while but there are people who've waited years and years for this, making it all the more powerful. All the little things that come together to create a scene worked just right in this moment but my favorite part is the last 20 seconds, with the music building up (!!) as the screen changes from the little boy in Ned's arms to Jon Snow, back in Winterfell. Now, that's how you make the scene! Kudos to the entire cast & crew of the show for the entire season! It's been great, probably my favorite so far. Can't wait to see what happens next year!
Marko Pekic: Arya`s revenge finally started to unfold, as she masked herself into Frey`s chambers, killed his sons, turned them into dinner and slit Frey`s throat without a single twitch of remorse on her face. It was a game changing moment and I did not see that coming.
Kollin Lore: There were five or six scenes that were debated about, but I decided to go with the one that could be summed in five words: THE KING IN THE NORTH!
Kollin Lore: Cassidy and Tulip are two very dynamic characters and, naturally, viewers were starved of any kind of interaction between them until this episode, its fifth. It was thus a big deal for them to finally meet and talk, and it was everything we could have expected full of snappy and humurous dialogue. Things also got serious too as Tulip shared with Cassidy a bit of her background. All in all, the interaction between them was kept to a minimum in what felt like a tease of what is sure to be many more interactions between these two quirks.
SCREAM, "Dawn of the Dead", June 28, 2016, Actor: Carlson Young
The Scene: Brooke screams underwater
Diana Paolucci: In the final moments of the episode, Brooke is in the pool at the school and she goes underwater to scream.
VEEP, "Inauguration", June 26, 2016, Actors: Tony Hale and more
The Scene: Gary goes off on his co-workers
Klutzy girl: After Selina loses the presidency, Gary unexpectedly goes off on his co-workers. It was unexpected but amazing and the various reactions from the group was hilarious.
