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.
CHESAPEAKE SHORES, "Home to Roost, Part One", August 21, 2016, Actors: Meghan Ory and more, The Scene: Abby is served with custody papers by Wes
Aimee Hicks: Being back in Chesapeake Shores has reignited Abby’s family values. After living the wild New York lifestyle and having skewed priorities with put her career first and cost her time with her daughters and led to her divorce, she’s now realizing that she needs to change things in her life. She’s also in the early stages of rekindling a relationship with Trace, her first love. She has an opportunity to move to a lower key office closer to her family and she’s considering it. Things are starting to come together in Abby’s life then Wes sweeps in and shatters her life with what appeared to be custody papers. The way she frantically pounded on Wes’ car as he drove off with the girls made it abundantly clear that she knew what was in that envelope that he gave her. Seeing her collapse to the ground in shock and fear more or less confirmed the contents of the document. She got her family back only to potentially lose her daughters. The acting done by Meghan Ory in this scene was heartbreaking. She perfectly captured Abby’s fear and the anguish she exuded was palpable. With Abby in obvious distress her family put everything aside and ran to be with her. No matter what else is going on in their lives when one of their own is in trouble the O’Brien family rallies around them. The whole cast was perfect as they rallied around Ory. Each actor perfectly captured their character’s personality and relationship with Ory’s character and they each perfectly supported Ory’s performance. She was the center of the scene and had to be extremely vulnerable and her fellow cast members were phenomenal in protecting her, allowing her to deliver a deeply emotional performance. A heartbreaking scene which beautifully captured the theme of the series, which is that no matter what else is going on family always comes first. For anyone who doesn’t know about this show (it’s unfortunately not one we cover on this site) it airs on Hallmark on Sunday nights at 9/8C. I can’t recommend this show highly enough. It stars Meghan Ory, Jesse Metcalfe, Treat Williams, Diane Ladd, Barbara Niven, Emilie Ullerup, Laci J Mailey, and a whole other array of gifted performers. If you’re looking for a good family drama in the vein of Parenthood then definitely check this series out.
DARK MATTER, "Going Out Fighting", August 26, 2016, Actors: Melissa O’Neil, Jonas Chernick, The Scene: Two learns about her past as Rebecca
Aimee Hicks: Picking a single scene from this episode was incredibly difficult, but I had to go with this scene. Learning about Two’s past as Rebecca provided some poignant scenes for Melissa O’Neil to masterfully show off her vast acting range. She took Rebecca from a terrified childlike person to a dangerous killer. It was the moments Rebecca shared with Eric that had the most impact. We all knew that Rebecca had been exposed to some horrific things in her early days, but I doubt anyone could have imagined just how horrific that time was. She was tortured and abused in the most vial of ways. The fact that she morphed into Portia Lin upon her escape is no surprise. Dwarf Star Technologies made Portia Lin, but Eric Waver made Two. Dwarf Star Technologies taught Rebecca that natural born humans can be vial and awful beings that don’t deserve anything from her. Eric, on the other hand, taught her that not all humans are evil. He taught her compassion by showing her kindness and giving her basic human touch. He let her embrace him and he was gentle and kind with her. Given her childlike mentality he, while at first hesitant, returned her fearful embrace. Waver knew that she just needed someone to let her know things would be okay. Unfortunately, he was just one man low on the totem pole whom did what he could to comfort her, but he couldn’t get to safety. It was obvious when Two stormed back into his life that his inability to fully protect her still haunted him. Still, his compassion lived on within Rebecca and that transferred into Portia Lin who likely had to fiercely fight to suppress it. In the absence of the horrific memories of those early days the compassion Waver taught Rebecca was able to surface in Two and surpass some of the damage done to her. It was a beautiful relationship, but I wish it had been given more screen time to show the full evolution of these two characters and how they impacted each other. Even though Waver didn’t survive the episode I’m hopeful we’ll get more flashbacks with him one day. O’Neil and Jonas Chernick beautifully meshed to capture this complicated relationship. Whether Waver was like a father to Rebecca or a big brother, doesn’t really matter, what matters is he showed her love and compassion and the performers nailed the delivery of that. Because of the deep complexities of the scene and the incredible performances by O’Neil and Jonas this has to be the scene I highlight from this episode.
DEAD OF SUMMER, "Home Sweet Home", August 23, 2016, Actors: Elizabeth Mitchell, Elizabeth Lail
The Scene: Face off between Amy and Deb
Marko Pekic: The two Elizabeths had great chemistry in Once Upon A Time and they've finally exploited in this show. Also E. Lail knows how to work the axe.
KILLJOYS, "Johnny Be Good", August 26, 2016, Actors: Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore, The Scene: Dutch and Johnny talk after she's captured
Justyna K: What a brilliant episode that was! With so many scenes worth mentioning. First of all, the ending. Even though I expected that things wouldn't end well for Pawter, the entire attack took me by surprise. Such a tragic moment, such a sudden death. Poor Johnny, after all they've been through, it's heartbreaking to see how they couldn't save anyone, not even Pawter herself. They took down the Wall, in another powerful scene, but at what cost? Pawter telling people to take down the Wall by running into it and then crying when she sees the consequences of her choice, was both painful and memorable view. But in the end, the scene I wanted to highlight the most is the honest conversation between Johnny and Dutch. After all the secrets and lies, it's exactly what they both needed and it only made their bond grow stronger. Both actors did a wonderful job as Dutch admits how she truly feels about Johnny, herself and their current situation. These two! It's been only two seasons and their friendship is already one of my favorites on TV. I loved the part where Dutch tells Johnny about her internal struggle and how he's always been the one who kept her demons hidden. Having each other's backs against all odds is something I greatly admire and I'm always happy to see on my shows. Dutch and Johnny are wonderful team and partners and I look forward to many more emotional, memorable and beautifully done moments between them. Kudos!
RIZZOLI AND ISLES, "Stiffed", August 22, 2016, Actors: Jordan Bridges, Idara Victor
The Scene: Frankie proposes to Nina
Klutzy girl: Frankie proposes to Nina and she accepts. It was such an adorable way to ask.
ROADIES, "The Corporate Gig", August 21, 2016, Actors: Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino
The Scene: Bill tells Shelli he's in love with her
Klutzy girl: Bill confesses to Shelli he's in love with her. I love these two together so much and I thought there was going to be more angst so I'm glad that's out in the open.
SUITS, "Shake the Trees", August 24, 2016, Actors: Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty and more, The Scenes: Sean tells Harvey that Mike's deal is getting pulled & Donna puts Stu in his place
Laura Markus: Sean breaks the news to Harvey that Mike's deal is getting pulled. Suits's best scenes as of late have been with these two characters. These are powerhouse actors and the material they've gotten to work with has been pretty stellar. Some people knew right away that this deal for Mike had to be too good to be true. Others were just hoping that it could all work out. I, for one, didn't want the deal to work, as I would like to see how Harvey reacts to all of this even further. I got exactly what I wanted for and it was beautifully painful. These two characters have grown to become quite close, but with this news I suspect they will crash and burn in coming episodes. For now, however, it was so heartbreaking to see Sean have to deliver the news to Harvey. Both times he had sad news for him he had to instruct him to "sit down". Harvey's face at the end? It really says it all. Mike is just so important to him and now that he won't be able to get out of prison early - well, it won't be an easy thing for Harvey to deal with. Great job. Garbriel Macht is certainly getting my POTM nomination for this.
Laura M: Donna puts Stu in his place and reminds the audience about her sassy self.
Aimee Hicks: Being back in Chesapeake Shores has reignited Abby’s family values. After living the wild New York lifestyle and having skewed priorities with put her career first and cost her time with her daughters and led to her divorce, she’s now realizing that she needs to change things in her life. She’s also in the early stages of rekindling a relationship with Trace, her first love. She has an opportunity to move to a lower key office closer to her family and she’s considering it. Things are starting to come together in Abby’s life then Wes sweeps in and shatters her life with what appeared to be custody papers. The way she frantically pounded on Wes’ car as he drove off with the girls made it abundantly clear that she knew what was in that envelope that he gave her. Seeing her collapse to the ground in shock and fear more or less confirmed the contents of the document. She got her family back only to potentially lose her daughters. The acting done by Meghan Ory in this scene was heartbreaking. She perfectly captured Abby’s fear and the anguish she exuded was palpable. With Abby in obvious distress her family put everything aside and ran to be with her. No matter what else is going on in their lives when one of their own is in trouble the O’Brien family rallies around them. The whole cast was perfect as they rallied around Ory. Each actor perfectly captured their character’s personality and relationship with Ory’s character and they each perfectly supported Ory’s performance. She was the center of the scene and had to be extremely vulnerable and her fellow cast members were phenomenal in protecting her, allowing her to deliver a deeply emotional performance. A heartbreaking scene which beautifully captured the theme of the series, which is that no matter what else is going on family always comes first. For anyone who doesn’t know about this show (it’s unfortunately not one we cover on this site) it airs on Hallmark on Sunday nights at 9/8C. I can’t recommend this show highly enough. It stars Meghan Ory, Jesse Metcalfe, Treat Williams, Diane Ladd, Barbara Niven, Emilie Ullerup, Laci J Mailey, and a whole other array of gifted performers. If you’re looking for a good family drama in the vein of Parenthood then definitely check this series out.
Aimee Hicks: Picking a single scene from this episode was incredibly difficult, but I had to go with this scene. Learning about Two’s past as Rebecca provided some poignant scenes for Melissa O’Neil to masterfully show off her vast acting range. She took Rebecca from a terrified childlike person to a dangerous killer. It was the moments Rebecca shared with Eric that had the most impact. We all knew that Rebecca had been exposed to some horrific things in her early days, but I doubt anyone could have imagined just how horrific that time was. She was tortured and abused in the most vial of ways. The fact that she morphed into Portia Lin upon her escape is no surprise. Dwarf Star Technologies made Portia Lin, but Eric Waver made Two. Dwarf Star Technologies taught Rebecca that natural born humans can be vial and awful beings that don’t deserve anything from her. Eric, on the other hand, taught her that not all humans are evil. He taught her compassion by showing her kindness and giving her basic human touch. He let her embrace him and he was gentle and kind with her. Given her childlike mentality he, while at first hesitant, returned her fearful embrace. Waver knew that she just needed someone to let her know things would be okay. Unfortunately, he was just one man low on the totem pole whom did what he could to comfort her, but he couldn’t get to safety. It was obvious when Two stormed back into his life that his inability to fully protect her still haunted him. Still, his compassion lived on within Rebecca and that transferred into Portia Lin who likely had to fiercely fight to suppress it. In the absence of the horrific memories of those early days the compassion Waver taught Rebecca was able to surface in Two and surpass some of the damage done to her. It was a beautiful relationship, but I wish it had been given more screen time to show the full evolution of these two characters and how they impacted each other. Even though Waver didn’t survive the episode I’m hopeful we’ll get more flashbacks with him one day. O’Neil and Jonas Chernick beautifully meshed to capture this complicated relationship. Whether Waver was like a father to Rebecca or a big brother, doesn’t really matter, what matters is he showed her love and compassion and the performers nailed the delivery of that. Because of the deep complexities of the scene and the incredible performances by O’Neil and Jonas this has to be the scene I highlight from this episode.
DEAD OF SUMMER, "Home Sweet Home", August 23, 2016, Actors: Elizabeth Mitchell, Elizabeth Lail
The Scene: Face off between Amy and Deb
Marko Pekic: The two Elizabeths had great chemistry in Once Upon A Time and they've finally exploited in this show. Also E. Lail knows how to work the axe.
Justyna K: What a brilliant episode that was! With so many scenes worth mentioning. First of all, the ending. Even though I expected that things wouldn't end well for Pawter, the entire attack took me by surprise. Such a tragic moment, such a sudden death. Poor Johnny, after all they've been through, it's heartbreaking to see how they couldn't save anyone, not even Pawter herself. They took down the Wall, in another powerful scene, but at what cost? Pawter telling people to take down the Wall by running into it and then crying when she sees the consequences of her choice, was both painful and memorable view. But in the end, the scene I wanted to highlight the most is the honest conversation between Johnny and Dutch. After all the secrets and lies, it's exactly what they both needed and it only made their bond grow stronger. Both actors did a wonderful job as Dutch admits how she truly feels about Johnny, herself and their current situation. These two! It's been only two seasons and their friendship is already one of my favorites on TV. I loved the part where Dutch tells Johnny about her internal struggle and how he's always been the one who kept her demons hidden. Having each other's backs against all odds is something I greatly admire and I'm always happy to see on my shows. Dutch and Johnny are wonderful team and partners and I look forward to many more emotional, memorable and beautifully done moments between them. Kudos!
RIZZOLI AND ISLES, "Stiffed", August 22, 2016, Actors: Jordan Bridges, Idara Victor
The Scene: Frankie proposes to Nina
Klutzy girl: Frankie proposes to Nina and she accepts. It was such an adorable way to ask.
ROADIES, "The Corporate Gig", August 21, 2016, Actors: Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino
The Scene: Bill tells Shelli he's in love with her
Klutzy girl: Bill confesses to Shelli he's in love with her. I love these two together so much and I thought there was going to be more angst so I'm glad that's out in the open.
Laura Markus: Sean breaks the news to Harvey that Mike's deal is getting pulled. Suits's best scenes as of late have been with these two characters. These are powerhouse actors and the material they've gotten to work with has been pretty stellar. Some people knew right away that this deal for Mike had to be too good to be true. Others were just hoping that it could all work out. I, for one, didn't want the deal to work, as I would like to see how Harvey reacts to all of this even further. I got exactly what I wanted for and it was beautifully painful. These two characters have grown to become quite close, but with this news I suspect they will crash and burn in coming episodes. For now, however, it was so heartbreaking to see Sean have to deliver the news to Harvey. Both times he had sad news for him he had to instruct him to "sit down". Harvey's face at the end? It really says it all. Mike is just so important to him and now that he won't be able to get out of prison early - well, it won't be an easy thing for Harvey to deal with. Great job. Garbriel Macht is certainly getting my POTM nomination for this.
Laura M: Donna puts Stu in his place and reminds the audience about her sassy self.
